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Manuel Lanzini has been handed another gutting injury blow ahead of West Ham’s crunch match with Brighton this weekend…

What’s the latest?

According to Irons insiders Claret & Hugh, the Argentine midfielder was sent for precautionary scans on Monday after leaving the pitch early during their 1-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend.

It is thought that he has suffered a recurrence to the thigh and groin problem that has kept him out previously this campaign.

Before Christmas, he missed the game against Chelsea and more recently, he was absent for back-to-back matches against Wolves and Leicester City.

Speaking after Sunday’s third loss in four games, Moyes told reporters (via football.london): “Lanzini had an injury at the top of his thigh and it looks as if it is the top of his thigh or a groin strain that he had before.”

Gutting blow

It’s been the same story at the London Stadium all campaign.

As soon as a few players return from the treatment table, new ones face time out.

Having welcomed back the likes of Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell into the starting XI in recent matches, it seems that Moyes could well be without another key star once again as Lanzini’s withdrawal just 43 minutes into the match is serious cause for concern.

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If the problem wasn’t that bad, then you’d have expected him to last the extra few minutes until the break, or even shake it off but the fact that he didn’t is certainly worrying.

The 28-year-old has played a huge role in the Hammers’ recent outings, playing in a deeper midfield position in the absence of both Declan Rice and Mark Noble, if those two are absent again on Saturday, alongside Lanizni, then Moyes has one serious problem brewing.

It’s a must-win for the Irons, too. They have slipped out of top-four contention and may need to win their remaining three matches to qualify for the Europa League.

Liverpool could leapfrog them on Thursday evening with a win over Manchester United, meaning they’d be sat in sixth place with Spurs and Everton hot on their tail.

Moyes will be far from pleased with these latest developments and for the Hammers squad, it’s another gutting blow.

AND in other news, West Ham eye Jesse Lingard alternative in £18m “genius” who’s a “delight to watch”…

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as Aston Villa’s new manager last week, the 41-year-old has been linked with a host of players that he could look to bring into Villa Park in the upcoming January transfer window.

And, considering the incredible success the former Liverpool captain achieved with a number of players in his former Rangers side, such as Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Nathan Patterson – all of whom have been tipped for a reunion with Gerrard at the second city side – perhaps these rumours should not come as a surprise.

However, before the manager goes splashing the clash on incoming signings this winter, it may well be wise to take a closer look at some of Villa’s up and coming talents before doing so – with Carney Chukwuemeka being arguably the most promising of the club’s academy products at present.

Chukwuemeka could save Villa millions

Being dubbed as “the best 16-year-old in England” by Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow last year, exactly how high expectations are for the future of Chukwuemeka amongst those at Villa are clear for all to see.

Indeed, it is equally easy to understand why Purslow holds this belief about the central midfielder, as, over his 26 appearances for Villa’s U18 side, the £2.25m-rated man knocked up a highly impressive ten goals and eight assists, in addition to bagging a further three goals and five assists for the club’s U23 side.

These returns led to reports that both Manchester City and Manchester United started to keep a very close eye on the progression of the recently turned 18-year-old, while the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Juventus, RB Leipzig, Monaco and PSV have also been credited with an interest in the England U19 international.

However, despite his abundance of potential, Chukwuemeka has so far played just 81 minutes of Premier League football for Aston Villa, something that Birmingham Live suggest could see the youngster tempted into a move away from Villa Park upon the end of his current contract in the summer of 2023.

And, with Jack Grealish very much being the archetypical example of how important an academy graduate can become when given the opportunity, in addition to the not-dissimilar level of talent Chukwuemeka possesses in comparison to that of the £90m-rated Manchester City man when he was first coming through, it would seem highly advisable for Gerrard to start unleashing the 18-year-old on a much more regular basis in the coming weeks.

The youngster could just end up saving the club millions of pounds in the January transfer window.

In other news: Ashley Preece drops “serious” Aston Villa transfer claim which is sure to excite fans

Even though Liverpool currently have a hefty number of central-midfielders in their senior squad at the moment, some of them, such as Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and James Milner have all hit or gone past the age of 30.

One player that the club currently have in their youth system that we feel could well go on to be a suitable replacement for one of those previously mentioned senior midfielders is 18-year-old Tyler Morton.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth academy, Morton, who is currently valued at £270k according to Transfermarkt, has made 23 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side in which he has managed to score six goals and provide seven assists in the process.

Morton has also made 24 appearances for Liverpool’s U23 side, scoring five times and supplying four assists along the way, proving himself as a rather useful attacking option from midfield.

The midfielder made his senior debut for Liverpool during their 3-0 win over Norwich City in the Carabao Cup last month in which Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said Morton put in a “confident” performance in his first senior outing for the Merseyside club.

Opening up on the midfield general, the German boss explained: “Tyler, really, he gave us the opportunity to connect again, because he just played simple, passed the ball in the right spaces, defended the right spaces.”

In addition to this, Morton was given an overall match rating of 7/10 for his performance against Norwich from the Liverpool Echo who said that he “slotted into the defensive midfield role impressively” after replacing Naby Keita.

The teenager has managed to rack up an average of three key passes per game based on the two performances he’s put in for Liverpool’s U23 side in the Football League Trophy this season, which is considerably more than Henderson (1.1 key passes per game) has done in the Premier League so far this season.

We feel that if Morton continues to play well for the youth team and take any opportunity that comes his way to play in Klopp’s side, such as their upcoming Carabao Cup clash against Preston North End later this month, then he could well see himself as a possible regular first-team player in the next few years, in the same way Curtis Jones has done.

Looking ahead to the future further down the line, even though he signed a new deal over the summer, we could see Morton potentially being a long-term replacement for Henderson if he ends up leaving when his current deal expires given his age.

Like the skipper, he is defensively astute and capable of carrying the ball forward. He’s certainly one to watch.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

Celtic have reached a ‘general agreement’ with Kawasaki Frontale for Reo Hatate, according to Japanese outlet Hochi.

The Lowdown: Hatate profiled

Hatate has recently just helped Kawasaki Frontale win a second consecutive J1 League title, making 38 appearances in 2020/21.

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He turned out in a number of positions, mainly in midfield and at left-back, with Celtic reportedly seeing Hatate as a midfield addition, with his current contract set to expire at the end of January.

The 24-year-old is on €38,000-a-year (around £625-a-week) with his current employers, but it seems as if a move to Glasgow to join countryman Kyogo Furuhashi is on the cards.

The Latest: Agreement reached

Japanese outlet Hochi posted on Twitter on Sunday evening, shortly after Celtic’s 1-0 win over Motherwell, claiming Hatate is set to ‘move’ to Scotland.

A ‘general agreement’ has been reached between the two clubs, so it seems as if the Hoops will pay a small fee to the J1 League side for Hatate’s services.

The Verdict: More good news

The Hoops have also agreed on a fee with Gamba Osaka for midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, so Celtic are now closing in on two January signings already.

That can only be good news, especially with the number of injuries Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with in recent weeks, while the fact everything is in place so soon shows impressive planning from a club who have often been lacking in the boardroom in recent years.

Postecoglou will know just what Hatate and Ideguchi will bring to Scotland following his time as a manager in Japan, and the quicker Celtic can complete their January business, the better, with Japanese forward Daizen Maeda another on the club’s winter window wishlist.

In other news: Devlin claims ‘special’ Celtic ace may have broken bone amid ‘conflicting’ info. 

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to end a winless run of eight straight matches this afternoon, though standing in their way are not just their arch-rivals but a team vying for a spot in the playoffs too.

The Owls make the short trip to Oakwell to face Barnsley in the south Yorkshire derby in a game that is second-bottom against fifth place.

Darren Moore has plenty to ponder over team selection, so with that in mind, here’s the XI we’re predicting today…

There could be as many as three changes from the side drew to Huddersfield Town in midweek.

Moore will be sweating on the fitness of Sam Hutchinson, who has been filling in at centre-back amid the Owls’ mounting injury problems. Joost van Aken, Chey Dunkley and Dominic Iorfa are all sidelined through injury.

Hutchinson was withdrawn early at Hillsborough after picking up a knock and according to the 46-year-old,  his potential involvement is “an eleventh-hour decision,” so we’re expecting the 31-year-old veteran to not be risked.

That would mean a recall for Osaze Urhoghide, who comes back in to partner Tom Lees and Julian Borner, in front of goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.

Adam Reach is expected to continue at left wing-back, with Kadeem Harris dropping back into a similar role to allow a change further up the pitch.

Skipper Barry Bannan should also remain from midweek, though this time he’s joined by Celtic-bound 20-year-old Liam Shaw, which means Joey Pelupessy is axed. The Dutchman’s display on Wednesday was rather poor, as we outlined here, so he’s an obvious casualty from the starting XI.

Calum Paterson could return to the line-up in the third and final change, replacing Liam Palmer. He may have scored an own goal against the Terriers, but is still their joint top goalscorer.

Moore may also continue with a front two of Josh Windass and Jordan Rhodes, meaning Elias Kachunga and Jack Marriott will have to continue to wait for their opportunities.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday have another Almen Abdi in £18k-p/w flop…

Bruce had alluded to Wilson nearing a return to fitness before the international break, but he had not improved enough for consideration for Saturday’s shambolic 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Newcastle come out of the pause in domestic fixtures with a tough trip to Tottenham, and they will then face Burnley, West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City before two crucial six-pointers with Sheffield United and Fulham.

Wilson returning to feature in north London would come as a huge boost for Bruce, who has missed the England forward’s creativity in recent weeks, having lost not only his top-scorer but also the Toon’s lead creator with five league assists.

Goals have come few and far between for Newcastle since beating Southampton at the start of last month, with the Tyneside outfit only netting three times in their past six games.

Points have been just as challenging for the Magpies to secure in that period, with three from a possible 18, to extend the side’s torrid form to two wins in 18 Premier League fixtures.

Bruce will hope to see Wilson’s seemingly imminent return inspire a turn of form that will keep the St. James’ Park natives in the top-flight for another year, as Dwight Gayle and Joelinton have failed to carry the burden with Andy Carroll out of favour.

After cutting an invisible figure on the periphery against Aston Villa, Gayle was an unused substitute against Brighton beside Carroll, who has only featured for three minutes in Newcastle’s last five games combined.

That’s despite Joelinton being fielded on the wing at the Amex Stadium, where Gayle and Carroll stormed down the tunnel at the full-time whistle and did not reappear for the post-game workout, per the Daily Mail.

Bruce clearly does not feel the trio of forwards are able to lead the line like Wilson can, making the striker’s return – however soon it will be – vitally important.

AND in other news, Newcastle are ready to bring a “special” talent back to St. James’ for eight-times what they sold him for…

Celtic have seen many players come and go out of the Parkhead club over the years throughout the numerous transfer windows that have gone by.

While a significant number of players that end up in a Celtic shirt have gone on to be successful with the Hoops, not every deal that was completed ended up being worthwhile.

One deal, in particular, that ended up falling into this unfortunate category is the club’s 2011 swoop for winger Mohamed Bangura.

Having previously been rather optimistically touted as “the next Henrik Larsson” by his agent, the then 22-year-old was also recommended for the Hoops by their Swedish hero.

He said: “Celtic called and asked me, so I told them what I thought about him. I spoke to Neil and Johan Mjallby. I said that Mohamed is a clever, intelligent player. He is quick and strong, even if he isn’t even 180cm tall (5ft 9in). And most importantly – he knows how to score.”

Despite Larsson claiming that the Sierra Leone winger knew how to score goals, it seems as though Bangura failed to bring that knowledge with him to Celtic Park.

Signed from AIK Stockholm for a fee of £2.2m in the 2011 summer transfer window, the winger made just 16 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions and failed to find the back of the net on even one occasion.

After having a loan spell back with his previous club and one with IF Elfsborg, the attacker left Celtic in February 2014 for a free transfer to Istanbul BBSK.

To highlight how disappointing the now 32-year-old was during his time in Scotland, with ten appearances to his name throughout the 2011/12 SPFL season, he only registered three shots on target.

As well as his lack of attacking prowess, injuries also hampered his time in Scotland.

In terms of how much of a financial blow signing Bangura was for the club, every appearance the now 32-year-old made for them cost £137.5k based on the transfer fee they splashed out to bring him to Parkhead.

While this deal ended up being a complete waste of time and money for the Hoops, it at least taught them to not rely on Larsson’s player recommendations.

In other news: Sold for £1.3m, now worth £107k: Celtic hit the jackpot on “selfish” 28 y/o “villain”

West Brom are thought to be one of the teams eyeing a move for out-of-contract Crystal Palace ace James McCarthy.

According to the Daily Mail last week, the 42-time Republic of Ireland international is a target for the Baggies with the south Londoners yet to begin talks over a new deal.

The Athletic added further weight to the story just a few days ago, claiming that unpaid fees surrounding Nathan Ferguson’s move from the Hawthorns to Selhurst Park could aid Albion’s pursuit of McCarthy.

They claim that ‘experience in the centre of midfield is attractive to [Sam] Allardyce’ but the prospect of a relegation battle may not swing the cause in their favour, meaning he could assess his options in the summer.

This is where West Brom need to step in and tempt him into a move, even if short-term as his qualities are vastly needed right now.

And on just £50k-per-week at the Eagles, he could fit in their wage bracket quite handsomely as Kamil Grosicki has been linked with cancelling his £50k-per-week contract early while Charlie Austin and his £55k-per-week deal has been shipped onto QPR for the time being.

The 30-year-old veteran has played 263 times in the Premier League, a figure that eclipses Albion’s whole midfield in one, so he’d be a welcome addition.

On Tuesday night, we once again witnessed a calamitous display from Romaine Sawyers – the 29-year-old ranks as the Baggies’ worst regular starter (seven or more appearances) with an average WhoScored rating of 6.13.

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Against Pep Guardiola’s men he was so out of his depth, recording a squad-low 5.5 ratings as he looked lightweight in his battles, winning only two of eight duels (25%), while he was also dribbled past three times by the class Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden and he committed an error leading to a goal, per SofaScore.

In the Premier League, this has become a frequent occurrence as seen by his abysmal average rating. There are no easy games in the top-flight, so by bringing in McCarthy, Allardyce could finally be handed a reason to finally axe Sawyers from his starting XI.

He’s simply only playing there due to the lack of options at his disposal.

McCarthy’s experience in the big time would also aid their survival bid massively as he’s played against the very best consistently every season.

Former Albion boss, now in charge of Palace, Roy Hodgson dubbed the Irish brute a “class act” and a “class player” just last season, a campaign which saw him manage 2.5 tackles and a 77.8% passing success rate, per WhoScored.

Enough is enough.

Allardyce must push to sign McCarthy before Monday’s transfer deadline. The Baggies cannot head into the coming months without addition midfield options.

If they do, then they may as well prepare for the Championship. At least Sawyers would feel back at home at a level where he’ll have the time and space needed to play his best.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit claims forgotten 28 y/o could help big West Brom issue… 

Tottenham Hotspur are still on the hunt for a new manager but Paul Stewart, who won the FA Cup in 1991 with Spurs, has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he can’t see Mauricio Pochettino returning to the North London club.

Spurs legend, Graham Roberts, had claimed that Daniel Levy should be knocking on Pochettino’s door and asking him to come back despite only sacking the Argentine at Spurs in 2019.

There have been some outlandish reports recently that have suggested Pochettino is already under pressure at PSG after the Parisians were knocked out of the Champions League convincingly by Manchester City, and they will head into the final day of the Ligue 1 season one point behind Lille in the title race.

Pochettino managed to guide Tottenham to an unlikely Champions League final in 2019 but he was sacked just a few months after that feat was reached and when asked if he could see the South American returning to north London, Stewart told the The Transfer Tavern:

“No, no. At the minute we look miles away from a Champions League team so I get what Graham’s saying but for me he would just be working with the same players he had before and we just need fresh faces at the club.

“Whoever is the manager needs to be given time but unfortunately, time isn’t what managers get anymore in the Premier League. It’s the million-dollar question for owners, do you give a manager time?”

Despite reaching the Carabao Cup final, Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties as Tottenham’s manager and since Ryan Mason has taken over they have lost just once in the league.

Spurs appear to still have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe as they head into their penultimate fixture of the season against Aston Villa, sitting sixth but just four points off Liverpool in fifth.

Southampton have been linked with Reims left-back Ghislain Konan recently, and he could be the ideal man to replace Ryan Bertrand in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

According to the Daily Mail, via TEAMtalk, both Southampton and Aston Villa are interested in the 25-year-old defender this summer, with the report suggesting that he would cost around £5.1m. It added that Konan is keen on a move to the Premier League and would come cheap due to only having a year left on his contract at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

This immediately marks him out as someone who would be a viable option for the Saints this summer, as Hasenhuttl has already confirmed that his side will be targeting players who cost £10m or less in the transfer window ahead of next season.

The Austrian will be desperate to add a left-back to his squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, following the news that Ryan Bertrand would leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Konan could prove to be the 31-year-old’s ideal heir on the south coast, as he has plenty of experience in Ligue 1 and in the Portuguese top flight with Vitoria Guimaraes, whilst he has also earned 11 caps for the Ivory Coast.

This season has seen the left-back make 30 appearances in the French top flight, in which he has contributed two goals and one assist, averaging a solid 6.75 rating from WhoScored.

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Bertrand, by comparison, contributed no goals and just one assist in the Premier League for Southampton this season, earning a much less impressive 6.41 rating for his performances from WhoScored.

Konan is very similar to Bertrand when it comes to defensive metrics such as tackling and interceptions this season, but the former seems to have the edge from an attacking perspective, averaging a better passing accuracy, more dribbles and more key passes per game than the 31-year-old.

This is where the Englishman has been weak at times in recent seasons, so Konan’s arrival could give Southampton much more of an attacking threat down the left-hand side, similar to Bertrand’s first few seasons at the club when he provided a lot more going forward.

Therefore, it looks as if Konan could be the ideal target to replace Bertrand at Southampton this summer, and given his low asking price, Saints vice-chairman Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news… Hasenhuttl handed golden chance to axe £13.5m flop, Gao surely buzzing