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According to a report by 90min, as relayed by the Daily Express and shared on social media, West Ham United and Manchester United have discussed Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Phil Jones as possible makeweights in any proposed deal for Declan Rice. 

Indeed, the Red Devils are apparently keen on the Irons star as a transfer target for the summer, with this trio of Old Trafford players entering the conversation as this murmur of a potential swap deal emerges.

Rice, who has been a mainstay under David Moyes this season and arguably West Ham’s best player, is currently out of action due to injury, but that hasn’t stopped transfer news from circulating over the Englishman.

As 90min drop this claim involving Matic, Jones and loan star Lingard, plenty of Irons have been livid over this alleged proposal – with one supporter blasting it as ‘unreal’.

While West Ham are reportedly eager to land Lingard on a permanent deal, the inclusion of Manchester United’s other two players has baffled many supporters – and it’s understandable given that Matic has started just 10 Premier League games while Jones hasn’t featured at all this season (WhoScored).

Here is a flavour of the Twitter reaction from the Irons faithful, with one describing the reports as “unreal”:

West Ham fans baffled by Rice claim

“Oh wow. Jones and Matic. You’re really spoiling us. They’d get at least 3 games combined per season.”

Credit: @wookie301

“I can’t believe they would even have the temerity to put that offer on the table utterly delusional.”

Credit: @ANDAMA73x

“Unreal…..give us a price for Lingard, if it’s too much, then walk away, simple as that”

Credit: @geoffl65

“Ahahahaha they’re mugging it Matic Jones and Lingard this ain’t career mode”

Credit: @DanielJudd11

“Garbage – I can’t even remember the last time there was a swap deal in the prem, never happens…”

Credit: @dconley1966

“As if we are discussing this!!?? Rubbish!!!”

Credit: @MrMarkCorner

“I knew Jones would be one. They are also talking about throwing in a used mattress and a DVD player in too.”

Credit: @shanemchale

In other news: These West Ham fans flocked to an ExWHUemployee tweet, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee has revealed that he believes his former club West Ham will come up just short in their pursuit to finish in the top four.

After last season’s relegation battle, nobody had the Hammers down to make a serious push to qualify for the Champions League, but after some smart signings and consistency in team selection, David Moyes has put them in a great position.

The arrival of Jesse Lingard from Manchester United in January has further boosted the Hammers’ efforts, especially during Michail Antonio’s latest injury setback, with the England international netting nine goals and notching four assists in the 11 Premier League games he’s played so far.

Speaking on why he thinks West Ham won’t finish in the top four but how it could change the club if they qualify for the Champions League, Lee said exclusively to FFC:

“Yeah, for West Ham to finish there would be an unbelievable achievement but I think they’ll fall short. I hope I’m wrong because it would be great for them.

“It will give them great pulling power if they finish there to bring in some really talented players, because for the top players that’s the pinnacle of their playing career if they make the Champions League.”

Moyes was brought in last season to keep the Hammers in the Premier League, much like in 2018 when he was not offered an extension despite guiding them to safety.

The Hammers are currently in a battle with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur for fourth place and the last Champions League spot, and trail the 4th-placed Blues by three points with five games remaining.

As per Sportbladet, Glasgow Rangers are interested in Elfsborg defender Joseph Okumu.

Gers eye Okumu

Leicester City and Aston Villa are interested in Gers defender Filip Helander as per this same report.

As such, the Gers are believed to be eyeing a move for Kenya international Okumu. The article says Elfsborg turned down a bid of 25m SEK (£2.1m) during the January transfer window.

Interesting option

23-year-old Okumu signed for Elfsborg from U.S side Real Monarchs in 2019 and has since grown into an important player for the Swedish outfit. In 2020, he made 24 appearances in the Allsvenskan (Transfermakt) as his side finished in a respectable second placed behind Scandinavian giants Malmo. Elfsborg were generally defensively solid bar a 6-0 defeat to Hacken – a game Okumu did not play in.

He also has seven caps for his country and is therefore starting to show his pedigree on the international stage. Clearly, his current employers are looking for a decent amount of money given the bid they turned down just a couple of months ago, but it may not take much more than what was offered to persuade them to part ways with the centre-back. At 6 foot 3, he is a towering defender and should therefore adapt physically to the Scottish Premiership with ease – it remains to be seen whether the Gers and Steven Gerrard get their man.

In other news, Rangers fans rage at an update on this 34-year-old.

According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are set to recall Matty Longstaff back into the first team squad soon.

The 20-year-old was linked with a move away from the Magpies in the summer transfer window, as Udinese were interested in him. The midfielder ended up signing a new contract with the Tyneside club and he could now be set for a first team recall.

Frozen out Longstaff set for return

Football Insider recently reported about the younger Longstaff, saying that the midfielder was playing for Newcastle’s youth team to build up his fitness, and Bruce is now set to give him another chance in the first team amidst their poor run of form in the Premier League.

He recently started in a Premier League 2 game against Sunderland and hasn’t featured for the first team since playing against Arsenal two months ago.

In the Premier League, he has made only five appearances this term and he has now played thrice for the club’s under-23s side. He had sustained an injury early in the season, which partially explains his dearth of senior game-time.

The 20-year-old had scored on his Premier League debut against Manchester United last season, which left Bruce saying that he had “never witnessed” a better top-flight bow in his managerial career. The Newcastle boss also said of the young midfielder: “He trains every day with a big beaming smile. He is so refreshing. He wants to play and is a great kid.”

Longstaff will add midfield depth

Currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Longstaff can play in central or defensive midfield. The Magpies have just one out-and-out option in the defensive midfield area and the 20-year-old will add numbers in that role as well as the central midfield berth, where Bruce is well-stocked.

Considering that the younger Longstaff scored twice last season in a limited number of appearances, Newcastle could do with some of his goals from the middle of the park. If anything, his return to the first team fold should add considerable strength to the side.

In other news, Liam Kennedy has discussed one factor which could affect the possibility of a Newcastle takeover – read more here.

David Moyes should urge a summer swoop for Rochdale starlet Kwadwo Baah in a bid to sign West Ham United’s new Junior Stanislas.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Hammers are keen to hold talks with Baah over a potential transfer to the London Stadium with his Dale contract due to expire in June.

The forward looked set to seal a Premier League move during the recent winter market with Manchester City said to have been close, yet the deal fell through after the player’s medical.

Baah had agreed to join the Citizens as he felt the Etihad Stadium would have been the best place for his development following a loan spell for the 2021/22 season, but he’s now back on the market for a number of Premier League and European clubs to target.

The 18-year-old had sparked widespread interest with his eye-catching performances for League One side Rochdale, netting three goals and providing two assists in all competitions since making his senior debut in December 2019.

He has kicked on greatly this season with each of Baah’s goal involvements coming over 22 third-tier appearances, of which the Stuttgart-born, Ghana and England citizen has started 11.

Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed Manchester City were not the only club keen on his side’s talented youngster while his deal to join Pep Guardiola’s side hung in balance, leaving West Ham facing a challenge if they are to convince Baah of a move this summer.

“He’s probably one of the most talented wide players we’ve ever had at the club,” the Dale manager said, via quotes by the Manchester Evening News, after a 2-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic. “I understand the deal with Manchester City is still not completed, so a lot of other clubs are monitoring that closely.

“I’m privileged to have him in our squad going forward because even today, I thought most of our attacking moments were through him and at 18, that’s a great credit to him.”

Should West Ham sign Baah?

Moyes urging West Ham to open negotiations with Baah and his representatives ahead of becoming a free agent at the end of the season could see the Scottish coach land the Iron’s their new Stanislas.

Stanislas broke out of West Ham’s academy at 19 and soon established himself in the first-team fold with 26 appearances during the 2009/10 Premier League season. He may not have lasted long in east London before moving to Burnley in 2011, but the former England U21 international would go on to enjoy a strong career in the top-flight.

The forward amassed 140 games in the division between his time at West Ham and AFC Bournemouth prior to their relegation, in which he scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists and he never failed to end a campaign with a contribution of less than two.

Ex-Cherries boss Eddie Howe lauded the vision of the 31-year-old beyond his output, as well, as Stanislas boasts tremendous technical qualities.

“He is a quality player, he’s got very good technical ability,” Howe told the Daily Echo. “He sees a pass, he is that creative link we’ve maybe been missing [due to hamstring and knee issues].”

Baah is emerging on a similar path to Stanislas, with Barry-Murphy dubbing the teenager as a “special talent” and one who is capable of producing incredible and powerful finishes.

The Rochdale talent may be relatively unproven and yet to test himself in a division higher than League One, but Moyes could rue missing out on this potential star in the making.

AND in other news, West Ham face a £43m asking price to land a 24-y/o ace who “never gets tired”…

The last few months have been a tale of woe in terms of injury issues for Sunderland.

On a repeated basis, the Mackems are dealt with some sort of injury problem, but with seven wins from their last nine matches, they have managed to brush the distraction aside.

They did receive some good news this week that Denver Hume is edging closer to a return. He played 45 minutes against Gateshead a few days ago and has trained well.

However, the majority of the news that Lee Johnson shared in his pre-match press conference was negative. He revealed that Jordan Jones only had a 30% chance of being fit for Saturday before announcing that their clash with Bristol Rovers would come too soon for Bailey Wright.

Johnson commented: “Bailey is feeling really good but he is not immediately close to a return.”

Wright has been out with a calf tear since the middle of February and has now missed eight straight games in the league. Coincidentally, the Mackems have kept six clean sheets without him.

However, with the Australian set to miss out again this weekend, it gives Johnson a dilemma. Does the manager finally remove Luke O’Nien from the centre of defence and replace him with Conor McLaughlin or Ollie Younger?

O’Nien has been influential at centre-back for a number of weeks and has been one of the main reasons for those half-a-dozen clean sheets.

That being said, he was out of sorts against Lincoln a week ago. The former Wycombe man made an error in the first half and should have done better for the Imps’ equaliser.

Although O’Nien has filled in admirably, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he is back in midfield before too long. With Wright and Tom Flanagan moving closer to returns, their comebacks will be crucial in the race for promotion.

At the moment, Sunderland sit in third place but they are just two points behind Peterborough, who make up the final automatic place.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for £1.2k-p/w “danger in the box”, he’s shades of Bergkamp…

Lots of Rangers fans have flocked to a post from their club’s official Twitter account which shared an image of Scott Wright holding his new Rangers kit. 

This comes after it was confirmed that the Gers came to an agreement with Aberdeen to sign the 23-year-old immediately on a four-and-a-half-year contract. 

Earlier in January, it was announced that the Glasgow club had signed the Scottish winger on a pre-contract, however, it has now emerged that Rangers opted to pay ‘an undisclosed fee’ to get Wright to Ibrox now, to help the Gers for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign, as they close in on their first Premiership title since the 2010/11 season. 

After this news was announced, the Gers shared an image of Wright holding his Rangers kit, which features the number 23 on the back. 

So, how have these Rangers fans been reacting?

Many Rangers fans reacted positively to this image. Wright’s kit number is the same number of points that currently separate top-of-the-table Rangers from second-placed Celtic on the Premiership table and some Gers supporters took the opportunity to poke some fun at that in response to this tweet.

“how many clear?”

Credit: @dylanharkins123

“Aw he’s absolutely loving it”

Credit: @_ryanrfc

“Nice of Scott and Mr Rangers to remind us how many points clear we are”

Credit: @GreigC22

“See what you did there mr rangers #23”

Credit: @Ljt10x

“What a number #23”

Credit: @RickleChimby

“LETS GOOOOOOO”

Credit: @BFoster_5

“That’s a good number !”

Credit: @robertmcnaught

In other news, some Rangers fans have been fuming at their club over their Alfredo Morelos decision.

It may not have been the prettiest victory of Leeds United’s season thus far, but boy was it a big one.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side headed into the game against Burnley on early Sunday afternoon off the back of a 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United last weekend.

The Whites have enjoyed a fine start to life back in the Premier League, but that heavy defeat may have just knocked the wind out of their sails. So, a win, in any kind of circumstances, would have been most welcome, and in the end, they managed to hang on to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sean Dyche’s side.

Patrick Bamford’s penalty in the fifth minute was enough to claim all three points for the Yorkshire club, and it was fair to say they had their fair share of hairy moments, not least a couple of 50/50 calls that went in their favour.

But whilst Bielsa will no doubt be relieved to have come away with a win, he will be particularly disappointed with Mateusz Klich’s performance.

The midfielder just looked to be off the boil at Elland Road, and despite the stats at the end of the game pointing out that he won 100% of his duels, they just don’t paint the actual reality of his display.

The Poland international has featured in every single Premier League game this season, and that appeared to show. He looked leggy and lethargic, making no tackles or interceptions whatsoever, and making just 35 passes.

His performance led to The Guardian journalist Charlie Phillips to remark that Klich is currently “having a weird time at the moment”, and it’s difficult to argue against that.

The 30-year-old looked like he just needs a rest and to be taken out of the firing line for now, and Bielsa really has to be ruthless with one of his trusted midfield lieutenants.

Manchester United may be about to reignite their interest in one of their long-term transfer targets if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in Bournemouth versatile midfielder David Brooks in the summer but a move did not materialise.

The Wales international has scored four goals and supplied five assists in 20 games for the Cherries this season, but it seems like his time at the Vitality Stadium could be coming to an end, as a move to the Premier League appears to be on the cards.

Indeed, Aston Villa have apparently joined United in pursuit of Brooks after the Championship club softened their stance on keeping the Welshman, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook understands.

Better than Daniel James?

It’s no secret Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to sign a winger in the January transfer market. The Manchester Evening News made it clear the club legend wants to bring in four new players over the course of the next two transfer windows and Brooks seemingly remains on the shortlist.

Adding someone like himto the squad would add some much-needed creativity, with the 23-year-old contributing to nine goals across all competitions this season, as per Transfermarkt.

The diminutive 5 ft 6 in speedster has emerged as a breakout star at Bournemouth – since his arrival nearly three years ago, the Welsh youngster has bagged 12 goals and 10 assists in 62 games and is averaging 1.6 shots and 1.2 key passes per game this season, via WhoScored.

In contrast, he is taking more shots than Daniel James, and exceeds his countryman’s 26.2 passes on average per game as well, which shows he far offers more of a threat in the final third.

Should Brooks make the switch to Old Trafford, he may have to fight for a place as Solskjaer has opted to start the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Juan Mata on the right wing in recent weeks.

There’s no denying the fact it would be a big ask for the Welshman to instantly make an impact but he could be the perfect long-term replacement for Mata as it’s safe to say that the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger.

In fact, the veteran Spaniard has suffered from a dip in form over the past few months – the former Spain international has made just eight starts this season with his last coming by way of the 1-0 at home to West Brom back in November.

Former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe heaped praise on Brooks after he scored twice against Brighton in 2018.

“It has typified his introduction to the club,” said Howe.

“He has played ever so well for us, he has got a creative flair, non-stop energy and he took his goals really well today.

“He is a player that can do a little bit of everything, he is very good offensively, is creative, turns well with the ball and is very intelligent.

“His first goal was sublime and his second was very clever because he was running at an angle and just directed it backwards behind him which was really impressive.”

If the Red Devils returned for the Welsh international this month, he could be a cheap and effective short-term solution to their problems on the right wing as Transfermarkt currently value him at just £16m.

AND in other news, Woodward must sanction Man Utd swoop for West Ham’s Declan Rice…

After tasting back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, Leeds United got back to winning ways with a superb 3-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side sealed all three points thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford, Raphinha and Stuart Dallas, and it was arguably the latter who stole the show for the Argentine.

While Raphinha may take most of the headlines for his wonderful free-kick, Dallas’ energetic contributions set the tone for the contest, and once again reaffirmed why Bielsa seems to be such a massive fan of his – he’s played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League this season, bar one, and even in that he only came off with ten minutes to go.

As per Sofascore, Dallas completed both of his attempted dribbles – the best success rate of any Leeds player versus the Saints – while he was one of only two players to provide at least one key pass and create one official big chance.

His fine attacking work was eventually rewarded when he scored (toe-poked) with just less than 15 minutes to go, arriving on the scene to take a touch from a Helder Costa cross and then firing into the bottom corner.

But it wasn’t just offensively that the 29-year-old really caused problems for Southampton. Defensively, he was a beast too. He made a game-high five tackles (more than double his season average of 2.3 in the top-flight), while he also won seven of his nine total duels (again, far more than his season average of 4.7).

In their post-match player ratings, Leeds Live gave Dallas the joint-highest of eight, writing: “Yet another goal to add to his tally. Was one of the best outlets United had in the first half with his link-ups with Raphinha down the left. So dependable in every position and always an option arriving on the edge of the box from deep.”

And, after the game, The Athletic’s Phil Hay delivered his verdict on Leeds’ Mr Reliable, saying: “Had Dallas down as player of the year last season (granted, Hernandez ambushed proceedings at the death). I’d say Dallas has been even better this season. It’s like constant evolution for so many in this squad.”

Though Leeds’ sparkling Brazilian, Raphinha, may be the name on everybody’s lips after another goal-scoring display, it was Dallas who really proved himself to be Bielsa’s key man on the night.