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Michail Antonio bagged a 90th-minute winner on his return to West Ham’s starting XI as they defeated Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

In a match that was, understandably, end-to-end at Elland Road, David Moyes’ side came out on top thanks to two second-half goals.

Raphinha opened the scoring for the home side inside 20 minutes when he fired home a low shot past Lukasz Fabianksi from outside the penalty box but the tide turned when Jarrod Bowen’s shot deflected in off Junior Firpo halfway through the second half.

The 31-year-old, who is the leading goalscorer in the English top-flight right now, then popped up with a cool, calm and collected winner in the first minute of injury time.

He caught the Whites on the counter-attack as he knocked the ball past Jamie Shackleton before slotting the ball around Illan Meslier, much to the delight of the travelling Irons faithful, who stormed the pitch.

A lot of the admiration and acclaim will certainly fall at Antonio’s feet, as it should and often does, but there was another name who arguably stole the show up in Yorkshire.

As predicted by Football FanCast pre-game, tricky winger Said Benrahma had the potential to have a field day against Marcelo Bielsa’s injury-ravaged backline and that’s exactly what he did.

On the left flank, the Algerian earned the second-highest rating (7.6) of any Hammers player, via SofaScore.

The £26m-rated dynamo recorded three key passes and made 90% of his 31 passing attempts as he proved to be a major creative outlet for West Ham at Elland Road.

He was also a constant thorn in Bielsa’s side as he fired off five of the team’s 20 attempts at goal, had three successful dribbles and registered the third-highest number of touches for the visitors (52), as per SofaScore.

Benrahma would’ve left the young Leeds duo of Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell with nightmares after that display.

The 26-year-old wizard even did the dirty work defensively, having recorded four tackles. A number that was only bettered by one player on either side – home defender Firpo – and he even won eight of 13 ground duels, only further showing his dominance on the aforementioned Whites duo.

Tom Clark of football.london was equally impressed with the £23k-per-week Irons star as he graded his performance an 8/10, and wrote:

‘A very lively start from the Algerian who came close with a long-range effort then moments later showed the work rate Moyes demands with a vital interception in his own box. He is now becoming a trusted player by the manager after being in and out of the team last season.’

All in all, it’s evident that Benrahma was a key cog in the Hammers’ last-gasp win over Leeds on Saturday afternoon. He may not have added to his three goals and two assists but he was certainly a persistent nuisance and one that ran the show for Moyes this weekend.

AND in other news, West Ham eye shock striker swoop 5 ft 9 “goal machine” who’s haunted Moyes before

A number of Rangers supporters have been overjoyed by Leon Balogun’s performance in the 1-0 victory over Celtic.

The first Old Firm derby of the season took place at Ibrox on Sunday lunchtime as the two bitter rivals locked horns and battled for local bragging rights.

Rangers sat sixth in the Scottish Premiership table before the game – one place below Celtic but level on six points from three games – so it was clearly a key early match in the title race.

The opening 45 minutes failed to produce much quality, although Odsonne Edouard missed a sitter for the visitors and Ryan Kent hit the post at the other end.

The match came alive when Filip Helander headed Steven Gerrard’s side in front midway through the second half thanks to a delightful corner from Borna Barisic.

Rangers fans praise Balogun after superb performance

Balogun was exceptional in the absence of James Tavernier at right-back and these Rangers fans took to Twitter to laud his display.

“Kyogo is in Balogun’s pocket”

Credit:@CHLEE_RangersFC

“Balogun been terrific so far”

Credit: @adamski152

“Balogun though. He’s on top form”

Credit: @FionaWilsonx

“Whatever we’ve fed Balogun today, keep doing it”

Credit: @Inheritant

“Balogun Man of the Match. Been solid”

Credit: @ScottForrrester

“Take a bow Balogun. What a performance”

Credit: @stepie1690

In other news, some Rangers have fumed at a Rangers star for one key reason. Find out who it is here.

The work that Rafa Benitez completed in the summer transfer market was hardly going to get many Everton fans excited.

They signed five players throughout the window with an accumulative spend of just £1.7m. Finances were evidently restricted but what hasn’t helped is some diabolical expenditure over the last five or six years at Goodison Park.

During the course of the 2017/18 campaign, the Toffees spent a jaw-dropping sum of £182.88m. They followed that up in 2018/19 by thrashing out £89.82m on new players, and then in 2019/20, they took their spending to just shy of £110m.

2020/21 was a little more reserved at £67.38m but it was still a sizeable outlay, especially when you consider how little they had in their reserves over the last few months.

They had to look towards free transfers for the most part, but fortunately the only player on whom they spent any money has hit the ground running.

Demarai Gray has two goals in his first three outings and has looked in fine form with some exciting performances, but the same can’t be said for a lot of their more expensive signings.

Take Alex Iwobi, for instance, a man who cost the club around £34m when he signed from Arsenal in the summer of 2019.

The Nigerian was an inconsistent player for the Gunners but had plenty of potential and was an experienced Premier League player despite his tender age.

However, the winger has been a costly mistake for the Merseyside club. Iwobi isn’t even a regular starter at Goodison Park, and due to his shoddy performances, his value has fallen by £14.2m in two years. As per Transfermarkt, he’s now rated at just £19.8m.

Marcel Brands is a keen negotiator but he will have every right to be fuming with the attacker for being such an expensive error.

Since signing for the club, the £100k-per-week earner has provided just five goals and five assists in 69 outings. That means that Iwobi has cost the club £6.8m per goal.

On that evidence, it’s hardly a surprise to see that he was described as “embarrassing” by the Liverpool Echo’s David Prentice last season.

The winger has looked a little more promising in the early weeks of 2021/22, registering an assist against Southampton, but he has still done little to prove that he deserves a regular berth in the team.

Brands should be particularly concerned with how this investment has played out over the last few years.

AND in other news, Benitez must axe £15k-p/w “horror show”, he should never play for Everton again…

Paul Stewart has tipped Nuno Espirito Santo to return to his homeland in a bid to strengthen his Tottenham Hotspur squad before the transfer window slams shut.

Nuno was appointed as Spurs’ new head coach, following a lengthy process that saw the likes of former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte linked with the job, in June.

The Portuguese has moved into the hotseat having seen a four-year stint as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ chief end by mutual agreement at the end of last season.

During his time at Molineux, Nuno welcomed a number of Portugal’s leading stars to England. The likes of Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio followed Nuno to Wolves during his tenure.

Since taking charge at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Nuno has welcomed Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy, while Bryan Gil has headed to the Premier League from Sevilla.

Former Spurs man Stewart believes Nuno, with the help of super-agent Jorge Mendes, will look to Portugal and discover another hidden gem, like he did so many times at Wolves.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Nuno might have something up his sleeve, like a Portuguese player.

“We know he is very close to the agent Jorge Mendes, who brought all the players to Wolves. I hope he might have something up his sleeve.”

Graham Roberts has urged Tottenham to get Serge Aurier out of the football club as quickly as they can.

The Ivorian is part of a batch of players that were expected to be moved on this summer, but with just days to go until the beginning of the new season, the right-back remains part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.

In fact, having featured in the pre-season games against Chelsea and Chelsea in recent days, Aurier could make a shock start against Manchester City this weekend, with the right-back position still up for grabs.

Japhet Tanganga looks in line to start, but the youngster hobbled off against Arsenal on Sunday, which could open the door for Aurier to make his first competitive appearance since the beginning of May.

Aurier could play some part against City and still leave later this month, and Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast that the former PSG defender simply must be sold:

“Aurier has to go. Those sorts of players have to go, get them out of the club as quickly as we can.”

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a teasing Aston Villa transfer claim on their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.

What’s the story?

Reports from The Daily Mail suggested that Dean Smith’s side are now eyeing up a swoop for the Jamaica international this summer, and Preece has now delivered an exciting update on the situation.

He said (via Twitter): “Put some feelers out yesterday, and found out that he’s been offered to lots of Premier League clubs. Nothing imminent on that one, but he is on Villa’s list. He fits the profile doesn’t he? A player bang in form, 23, fits the profile and can play in a number of different positions in attack.

“That’s a deal that can be done if Villa want to act on it. So watch this space with that one, and yeah he’s on Villa’s list, I can say that with confidence. He looks the real deal.”

Fans will be excited

Bailey has been a revelation in the Bundesliga with Leverkusen, and was particularly outstanding in the campaign just gone by, scoring an impressive 15 goals and providing another 11 assists.

Ajax’s former youth coach Ronald de Boer once said of Bailey: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Given that they’ve appeared to miss out on Emile Smith Rowe after the Arsenal starlet put pen to paper on a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, a move for 23-year-old Bailey would more than make up for that.

The Leverkusen star also has the added advantage of having played Champions League football in recent seasons with the German club, and would add some more European experience to this growing Villa team.

As Preece says, he “fits the profile” of being young and with a lot of potential, but already with bags of quality as evidenced by his performances last season.

That there’s a deal to be done if Villa want to act on it should have fans excited at the prospect of him joining ahead of the new Premier League season next month.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could sign their new Tony Daley in this star…

Crystal Palace desperately need to score more goals next season, but Dean Windass isn’t surprised that Patrick Vieira hasn’t looked into signing free agent Daniel Sturridge.

The Eagles managed just 41 goals in their Premier League last term, with only six teams netting on fewer occasions – five of which were the bottom five at the end of the campaign.

Last season’s second top goalscorer Christian Benteke has already extended his deal in south London, but Vieira still needs to bolster his front line.

Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham has been linked, as has Ivan Toney from Brentford. However, those two would cost at least more than £30m, with the latter of those closer to £40m.

Someone that would cost Palace nothing is Sturridge, who’s scored 76 Premier League goals across spells with Man City, Chelsea, Bolton, and Liverpool.

However, the former England striker hasn’t played a competitive fixture since February 2020 when he was with Turkish outfit Trabzonspor and was a free agent for the whole of the 2020-2021 season.

The 31-year-old is currently training with newly-promoted La Liga Real Mallorca as he looks to return to playing once again.

But when asked whether he’s shocked Palace didn’t attempt to bring him to Selhurst Park, Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s too injury prone. He’s an unbelievable footballer, unbelievable talent. Daniel Sturridge, would he get me goals? Yes, he would, but how long would he play for?

“If I’m in the trenches, will he dig me out? No. His days are numbered in English football. You can’t rely on players like that, every little niggle. He’s had his time.”

Paul Stewart reckons that Tottenham should assess Troy Parrott’s situation at the end of the season and has urged the teenager not to be written off.

The 19-year-old was handed his first-team debut by Mauricio Pochettino in an EFL Cup tie in September 2019, one of his four senior appearances for the club – all of which came in the 2019-2020 campaign.

However, Parrott’s first real taste of men’s football came when he was loaned out to the EFL last season.

The striker spent the first half of last season at Millwall, but he was recalled by Spurs before dropping down a league when he joined Ipswich after failing to score in 14 appearances for the Lions.

Parrott fared slightly better in League One, netting twice in 18 outings, although the entire campaign proved a huge learning curve for the teenager.

Since the season ended, Parrott scored his first two international goals in Republic of Ireland’s victory in Andorra, and Stewart exclusively told Football FanCast that the best might yet still be to come:

“I’ll probably refer to what happened to Kane. Nobody thought he was going turn into the player, goalscorer and captain that he’s been because he was loaned out all over the place.

“I would loan him out this season and then make a call at the end of next season and there’s expectation around him, so I wouldn’t write him off.

According to a report by Viola News, West Ham United have ‘asked for information’ over recent weeks in an enquiry to sign colossal Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski.

The Lowdown: Hammers searching for a shot stopper?

Despite reports indicating that manager David Moyes’ summer priorities are a new striker, new centre-half and permanent deal for Lingard (Claret & Hugh), West Ham have also been touted to bolster other positions.

One of those is in between the sticks, with current number one Lukasz Fabianski arguably approaching the end of his West Ham career despite recently signing a one-year extension in east London.

The Hammers could be on the lookout for a new shot stopper as his possible heir this summer and the club have already been linked to the likes of Sam Johnstone.

The Latest: West Ham enquiry now made for Dragowski

As per local Florence outlet Viola News, the Irons have now made an enquiry to sign Dragowski amid the search for a possible new keeper.

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Indeed, West Ham have apparently asked for information in recent weeks but are not the only club looking into a possible deal for the 23-year-old.

They face stiff competition from the Premier League with Tottenham, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers all placing Dragowski on their radar.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse started 36 matches for Fiorentina over the 2020/2021 Serie A campaign, keeping eight clean sheets in that time (Transfermarkt).

The Verdict: Promising but not a priority…

Drawgowski comes as a decent prospect in the goalkeeping department, having made his international debut already at just 23 and playing at a consistently in a top league throughout 20/21.

However, given West Ham’s considerable lack of depth going forward, with star striker Michail Antonio in and out of the side due to reoccurring fitness issues, the Irons have bigger priorities.

A permanent deal for Lingard and new centre-forward should sit top of the pile when it comes to West Ham’s transfer agenda.

The east Londoners should also be monitoring new centre-backs ahead of new keepers, especially given the club’s decision not to renew Fabian Balbuena’s current deal.

Fabianski’s extended stay means West Ham can bide their time in search of a new keeper, but the same cannot be said for other positions in Moyes’ squad.

In other news: ‘Have started negotiations’…Journalist makes exciting West Ham transfer claim, find out more here.

Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell believes Ezgjan Alioski’s time at Leeds United will come to an end this summer, following reports suggesting as much on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Alioski’s future up in the air

It is expected to be a busy summer at Elland Road, with Marcelo Bielsa bringing in new signings and other players heading the other way.

Alioski is now officially a free agent, following the expiration of his contract on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen if he will sign a new deal.

A move to Galatasaray has been mooted, but he could also stay on and look to add to his tally of 22 goals in 171 appearances for Leeds.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Pundit tips left-back to leave

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell claimed Alioski would likely leave this summer, assuming Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo comes in, as expected:

“It can go one of two ways. It will either kick him on to sign a new contract and fight for his place or he more likely will go, ‘Right, I’m off.’

“I know he is not a left-back but that was his slot, let’s be honest. If I am Firpo, I am coming to Leeds to play every week so it would suggest to me that Alioski’s time is up.

“The club have waited and waited and waited. He had a decent Euros as well so he probably feels he can move on.”

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The Verdict: Right time to move on

Alioski has been an excellent servant for Leeds, not only providing quality and versatility but also proving to be a big character in the dressing room.

Despite this, it makes sense for him to move on ahead of next season, with a more natural, younger left-back in Firpo bringing a freshness to the team.

At 29, Alioski is unlikely to get any better – he may regress, if anything – and taking him off the wage bill could free up funds for other new signings.

In other news, a pundit is ecstatic over a piece of news regarding one Leeds target. Find out who it is here.