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David Moyes should urge West Ham United to sign Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier as the London Stadium natives line up potential Lukasz Fabianski replacements.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Irons scouts are keeping tabs on Meslier’s situation at Elland Road with a view to launching a summer swoop for the 21-year-old shot-stopper.

Fabianski, who turns 36 in April, is currently due to become a free agent at the end of the season, with his current £65,000-per-week terms set to expire in June.

The Poland international has held talks with the east London outfit over a new deal, but is yet to reach an agreement to extend his time in claret and blue into a fourth campaign, per Football Insider.

West Ham are confident of retaining Fabianski beyond the current term due to a one-year option included in the deal struck upon his £7m arrival from Swansea City in 2018, but are keen to carry out due diligence by weighing up potential replacements.

Meslier has been identified as a top talent who can develop into an ‘outstanding’ option between the sticks, having impressed the Hammers’ talent spotters with his efforts for Leeds since turning an initial season-long loan into a permanent move for £5m last summer.

The Lorient product has started 25 of Leeds’ 26 Premier League games since the west Yorkshire outfit were promoted to the top flight last year, keeping eight clean sheets – including against Everton during the Whites’ 1-0 win at Goodison Park in November.

West Ham have also been linked with Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, Sheffield United’s Aaron Ramsdale and Bologna FC 1909’s Lukasz Skorupski as potential options to replace Fabianski should he leave the London Stadium.

Should West Ham sign Meslier?

West Ham moving to sign Meslier from Leeds could see Moyes and David Sullivan acquire a long-term number one for the Irons, as the France under-21 international has shown a great deal of promise during his first year in the Premier League.

Only West Bromwich Albion’s Sam Johnstone has made more saves (107) than Meslier (99) in the top flight this term, while the Leeds star’s performances have been at such a level that the £10.8m-rated ace boasts SofaScore’s fifth-best average rating for a goalkeeper at 7.04.

Fabianski, who has made 69 saves – the 16th-most, has averaged a 6.85 rating and has made one-third of the number of successful runs out (3) as Meslier (9) has to date, per SofaScore.

Despite being labelled as a “raw” shot-stopper by former England goalkeeper David James on Sky Sports’ The Football Show (8/1) earlier this season, via Yorkshire Evening Post, Meslier has also been lauded by Ben Foster for his performances behind a Leeds backline which ensures he stays busy.

“I’ve watched a few games of him this season and he doesn’t strike you as a big strong kind of goalie, does he?” Foster said on Sky Sports (13/2, 09:35, via HITC). “He looks sort of skinny and sort of fragile. But honestly, he is flying, some of the saves he’s been making. World-class saves, proper world-class saves.

“His first season in the Premier League as well, he’s been on fire. Leeds, as well with their style of play, he’s going to have stuff to do and he’s going to be busy. He’s pulled out the saves and he’s kept a few clean sheets as well.”

Meslier’s stock will only be expected to continue to rise all the while he excels at Elland Road, so if Moyes wants the £20,000-a-week colossus at the London Stadium, West Ham will have to swoop for his services this summer regardless of Fabianski’s immediate future.

AND in other news, West Ham eye the man responsible for “unbelievable” signings that deliver millions in profit…

There are various rumours surrounding Glasgow Rangers’ targets in the January transfer window, but one consistent theme appears to be that a left-winger is Steven Gerrard’s top priority, which won’t come as much of a surprise to Rangers fans.

Rangers let highly-rated teenager Kai Kennedy leave on loan for Raith Rovers after he put pen to paper on a new deal at Ibrox, Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones have been deemed surplus to requirements, and Ryan Kent’s future is uncertain, according to Football Insider.

However, one of their transfer targets could be a like-for-like replacement for Kent in the form of Anderlecht versatile forward Francis Amuzu.

Reports have emerged over the past week linking the £2.8m-rated Anderlecht winger with a reunion with his former teammate Kemar Roofe this month. Belgian outlet Voetbal24.be claims Gerrard is a big fan of Amuzu, who scored against Charleroi this week.

The 21-year-old has been in decent nick for Vincent Kompany’s side this season, with a goal and an assist in just ten starts in the Jupiler Pro League so far.

It’s easy to see why Gerrard is so keen to sign him too, given his decent return for Anderlecht, as he could add a natural threat on the left-hand side of the pitch and still has room to improve at the age of 21.

Whilst he has largely failed to establish himself as a regular starter under Kompany, his performance levels haven’t dipped in the slightest; he currently averages more shots, key passes and dribbles per game than Barker and Jones. Although Kent’s attacking contributions are superior in almost every area, Amuzu has actually been fouled more times, which shows he can be a real handful for any defence.

If fans still need persuading otherwise, Kompany previously told Voetbal Primeur: “I think Francis can teach our team a lot. I know there is no unanimity about the boy, but as a trainer, I will stay calm about that.

“Francis makes progress and always offers something. The competition will only make him better.”

Signing Amuzu would be an immediate upgrade on the likes of Barker and Jones and give Kent some much-needed competition – against Charleroi, he was rated as the best player on the pitch for both sides by WhoScored in the 3-0 win at Lotto Park. There’s no doubt he could be a fine fit for the 54-time Scottish champions should Kent depart Ibrox in the near future.

AND in other news, Rangers can sign perfect Steven Davis successor in Nnamdi Ofoborh…

Considering how poor Celtic have been this season, the idea of adding nobody to their squad in January seems hard to believe.

Yet, that’s the conclusion we look to be reaching. Despite sitting 23 points behind Rangers in their quest for a tenth SPFL crown in a row, they are seemingly happy with their squad.

If we’re searching for positives then they have at least kept hold of their best players. Kristoffer Ajer is still in Glasgow while the highly sought after Odsonne Edouard remains a Hoop for now.

Though, they do look as though they’ll see Olivier Ntcham walk through the exit door. The Frenchman has been out of Neil Lennon’s plans in recent months and is now being linked with a loan move to Newcastle. If that does materialise, it’s likely there will be an option to buy in the terms.

Celtic arguably needed an extra protective layer in their midfield anyway but if Ntcham leaves, that only becomes even more important.

Fortunately, they have a player on their radar that could fix a number of their problems. That happens to be former Stoke City midfielder Giannelli Imbula.

The 28-year-old is out of contract and available on a free transfer after departing Sochi earlier this season so represents a fantastic option in the market. Not only would he give them more depth, but he’d help to replace Ntcham and also potentially make the Bhoys better defensively.

Celtic have been terrible at the back this season and have shipped 13 more goals than Rangers in the league, despite playing two fewer matches. An eye-watering number of individual errors have plagued their backline but in signing Imbula, it could ensure that the ball doesn’t reach the centre-backs as regularly.

That’s because the Frenchman is a tough-tackling brute in the middle of the park, earning comparisons to one of the greatest box to box midfielders we’ve ever seen. During his time at Stoke, Xherdan Shaqiri only had praise for Imbula, saying: “You can compare him to Patrick Vieira, only Gianelli is all left-footed.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-celtic-transfer-news” title=”Read this week’s Celtic transfer news!”]

At his peak, the midfield general won 2.4 tackles per match for Marseille. With someone like that added to Celtic’s ranks, just imagine the incredible force they’d have with both Imbula and Ismaila Soro.

The Ivorian has very quickly become one of Lennon’s most important players and has won a colossal 3.7 tackles per game in the Europa League. He’s also recorded 1.8 successful challenges per match in the Scottish Premiership.

Only a few days ago, Soro made as many as eight tackles in a Man of the Match display against Hamilton. He may have given more protection to this Celtic team but they are still leaking goals, something emphasised during the 2-1 defeat to St Mirren.

Therefore, signing another defensive midfielder in the shape of Imbula is vital. Celtic recruiter Nick Hammond must get this deal done if Celtic have any desires of improving at the back.

AND in other news, Celtic could have their Frimpong heir in rarely-seen 20 y/o with “excellent pedigree”…

Crystal Palace centre-back Gary Cahill played through the pain barrier on Saturday afternoon but this wasn’t enough to prevent The Eagles from conceding seven goals against Premier League leaders Liverpool at Selhurst Park.

What’s the word?

Despite his best efforts, the Eagles fell behind early on after Sadio Mane set up Takumi Minamino, who slotted home from close range to score his first Premier League goal. Mane doubled Liverpool’s advantage shortly before the break and Roberto Firmino scored finished off a lovely move to further rub salt in the wound just before half-time.

Jordan Henderson scored a screamer just after the restart before Firmino bagged his second of the game and Mo Salah added the extras.

Palace’s chances were few and far between, although Jordan Ayew forced a fine save from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, but the Eagles were unable to get a foothold on the game.

Speaking in the post-match conference, Roy Hodgson cut a sorry figure as he delivered his verdict on the shocking manner of the defeat. The Palace boss confirmed Cahill has suffered a reoccurrence of the hamstring injury that saw him miss the start of the season, saying:

“That was a bit frustrating because we did ask him on many occasions if his hamstring was ok, but he kept ensuring us it was ok and that he could carry on, but then in the last 10, he felt it even more and, of course, we had to sort of push him up front and labour on with 10 men.

“Again, one of those things I suppose that’s going to happen in a game of football sometimes. There’s so much more for me to ponder and concern myself with and be very, very sad about today than whether Gary should have come off or not.”

Get it done, Eagles

Should Cahill be sidelined for the foreseeable future, it’s highly likely Hodgson will be forced to call Scott Dann into action, which is precisely why Steve Parish must reward him with a new contract as his current deal will run out at the end of the season.

Having started seven out of his nine appearances in the Premier League so far this season, the Liverpudlian was left as an unused substitute on the bench as Jurgen Klopp’s side put the Eagles to the sword.

We’ll be the first to admit that we’ve criticised Dann on occasions, as he was largely at fault for the abysmal display against Newcastle United.

However, given his status as one of the elder statesmen at Selhurst Park, it’s clear Hodgson has a lot of faith in the defender. His reliability at the back could prove useful in the absence of Cahill, who was run ragged by the Reds as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson caused havoc on the wings.

Valued at £2.5m by Transfermarkt, Dann has become an integral part of Hodgson’s side as they’ve cemented their place in the Premier League. Once lauded as a “terrific” true professional by his former manager Alan Pardew, in 16 appearances in the top flight last term, he averaged a staggering 4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

With the 33-year-old recently linked with the Selhurst Park exit amid interest from Fulham, Parish would be wise to sanction an extension for the veteran, as there’s no doubt he will have a big part to play between now and the winter break.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Burnley boss Sean Dyche tipped to replace Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace…

MatériaMais Notícias

Alecsandro falou grosso no intervalo do jogo entre Palmeiras e Botafogo-SP, na noite deste domingo: disse que a bola não estava chegando até ele e que finalizar só duas vezes em 45 minutos era muito pouco. Na etapa final, bastaram 15 minutos para Lucas cumprir uma “promessa” ao fazer ótimo cruzamento para o camisa 29 marcar de cabeça.

– Me interpretaram em tom de desabafo no intervalo, mas não foi. É que a verdade tem que ser dita, e nós jogamos um primeiro tempo ruim. O Palmeiras não pode dar dois chutes no gol em 45 minutos. A minha cobrança era essa. Antes do jogo, o Lucas me falou que uma bola ele acertaria. Eu falei: “Você está me colocando em xeque, porque se você acertar uma, eu vou ter que fazer o gol” – contou o centroavante, abraçado por todos os companheiros na comemoração, incluindo o goleiro Fernando Prass.

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Ele valorizou a união do grupo e disse ter recusado três propostas de clubes brasileiros por acreditar que este ano pode ser “muito bonito” para o Palmeiras.

– Um dos motivos de eu estar aqui no Palmeiras foi pelos meus companheiros, tive três propostas do futebol brasileiro, uma financeiramente melhor. Preferi bancar, ficar no Palmeiras, dar a volta por cima, jogar uma Libertadores. Depois desse jogo de hoje, tenho certeza que 2016 vai ser um ano muito bonito – completou.

Nos treinos de pré-temporada, o dono da vaga no comando de ataque era Lucas Barrios. O paraguaio, porém, se recupera de uma inflamação lombar e não foi relacionado para o duelo em Ribeirão Preto. Ele também não disputou a Copa Antel, no Uruguai, para aprimorar a forma física em São Paulo. Na ocasião, Alecsandro também foi titular, mas passou em branco nos dois jogos.

MatériaMais Notícias

Novo reforço do São Paulo, Lugano não esconde a felicidade de voltar ao clube. O zagueiro disse que está realizado um sonho ter a oportunidade de encerrar a carreira no Tricolor paulista. Segundo o uruguaio, hoje ele é um são-paulino fanático. Ele prometeu jogar com a mesma vontade que apresentou e foi sua marca durante a primeira passagem, de 2003 a 2006.

– Terminados os trâmites relacionados a rescisão de contrato, amanhã (terça-feira) eu estou viajando para São Paulo para cumprir o meu último sonho no futebol: jogar a última etapa da minha carreira no futebol no clube que eu devo quase tudo e onde eu sempre fui tratado como um filho da casa e eu me tornei um torcedor fanático!!! 13 anos atrás, viajei ao Brasil pela primeira vez, muitas coisas mudaram, mas a única coisa que não mudou é a emoção e a vontade de cumprir com as pessoas que confiam em mim!!! – escreveu o jogador em sua conta no Facebook.

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Lugano disse que o principal motivo da sua volta foi a torcida do São Paulo. Classificando o momento que está vivendo como mágico, ele agradeceu o apoio de todos os torcedores.

– Decidi pela rescisão de contrato com o Cerro Porteño para poder voltar ao São Paulo após quase dez anos. É uma sensação incrível e realmente não posso acreditar que este momento chegou. A torcida é responsável pela minha volta, e quero agradecer de coração todo o apoio que recebi. Os torcedores foram fundamentais nesta nova etapa da minha vida, porque voltar ao São Paulo é um momento mágico – disse ao site oficial do São Paulo.

Leeds United had a great transfer window this summer and while their near-£100m outlay saw them add a plethora of new talent to their ranks, it shouldn’t be forgotten that they missed out on their number one target.

Indeed, Ben White isn’t a Leeds player after a summer-long transfer pursuit, and it seems as though they may never land him.

The centre-back, rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, has predictably taken to the Premier League like a duck to water after a somewhat shaky start in his first two games.

White has really come into his own in recent weeks, and his performance against West Brom over the weekend showed that perfectly.

The Seagulls star was brilliant against the Baggies, making four tackles and three interceptions, while his ball-playing abilities were abundantly evident as he completed two dribbles and had a pass accuracy of 91.7%.

One of the main things White was criticised for last season was his lack of aerial presence, with Noel Whelan saying:

“He is not as dominant in the air as centre-backs like Harry Maguire and Pontus Jansson. But he is better on the ball than Jansson and just as good as Maguire.”

However, he’s seemingly improved on that this term as well, winning five aerial duels against Crystal Palace last weekend.

Leeds may have landed Robin Koch and Diego Llorente at centre-back, but they should still be kicking themselves over the fact that White didn’t come through the door.

He was so highly rated at Leeds and it was easy to see that he was a ready-made Premier League star, with Whelan often waxing lyrical about him.

“Ben White ticks every box,” Whelan told Football Insider. “He is a brilliant defender who’s only going to get better in the years ahead. He does everything really well – mobile, athletic, great distribution, confident on the ball, makes good decisions, his positioning is good.”

The fact that he’s been touted as a potential Virgil van Dijk replacement at Liverpool tells you all you need to know about him, he’s a top-quality defender and at the age of 23, he still has room to improve.

Leeds may forever regret not breaking the bank to sign him.

يستقبل فريق برشلونة الإسباني، اليوم الأربعاء، دينامو كييف الأوكراني، في إطار مباريات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة برشلونة ودينامو كييف في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. إعلان التشكيلين

ويحل دينامو كييف ضيفًا على برشلونة، على ملعب “كامب نو”، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الثالثة لدور المجموعات في دوري الأبطال.

برشلونة لم يحقق الفوز في الجولتين الأولى والثانية، ويتذيل المجموعة، بعدما تعرض لهزيمة من بايرن ميونخ بنتيجة (3-0)، ومن بنفيكا بالنتيجة ذاتها.

ويتذيل المجموعة برشلونة بلا نقاط، أما بايرن ميونخ يحتل الصدارة بـ6 نقاط، يليه بنفيكا ثانيًا بـ4 نقاط، ثم دينامو كييف ثالثًا بنقطة واحدة. معلق مباراة برشلونة ودينامو كييف

يعلق على المباراة رؤوف خليف عبر قناة beIN sports 1 HD Premium.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

علق روبرت ليفاندوفسكي نجم هجوم بايرن ميونخ الألماني، على ابتعاده عن الأهداف خلال المباريات الـ4 الماضية، قبل أن يسجل ثنائية ضد ليفركوزن.

ليفاندوفسكي قاد بايرن ميونخ لاكتساح باير ليفركوزن بخماسية مقابل هدف في الشوط الأول فقط، ليستعيد العملاق البافاري صدارة الدوري الألماني.

وقال ليفاندوفسكي في تصريحات لشبكة “DAZN” الألمانية ضاحكًا: “ما هي الـ4 مباريات التي غبت فيها عن الأهداف؟ هل تقصد التدريبات؟”.

وأضاف: “لقد خضنا مباراة دوري أبطال أوروبا قبل مواجهة فرانكفورت وسجلت هدفين، لكني شخصيًا أشعر بسعادة عندما يلاحظ الناس متى سأحرز الهدف التالي، هذا يدل على توقعاتهم مني وما سأقدمه”.

وأشار ليفاندوفسكي: “في بعض الأحيان تكون الكرة ضدك، ولكن عليك أن تتحلى بالصبر وتنتظر متى ستسجل، اليوم نجحت في التسجيل مرتين”.

واختتم: “فزنا اليوم بخماسية وبعد 45 دقيقة كان من الواضح أننا سنعود إلى ميونخ بالثلاث نقاط، وفي الشوط الثاني حصلنا على الراحة ولعبنا بهدوء”.

After signing from Nice last summer, Allan Saint-Maximin has enjoyed a superb debut campaign in English football with Newcastle this season.

In 25 games across all competitions, he has managed four goals and seven assists, and produced one of his best displays in a Magpies shirt in the 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth, setting up his teammates three times.

Naturally, that has led to some speculation suggesting other clubs are taking notice, and The Daily Mail now claim that French giants PSG are interested in luring him away from St James’ Park this summer.

The report claims that PSG scouts “believe he has kicked on under Bruce and have been impressed with how quickly he has adapted to the Premier League against better class defences”.

And after hearing about Saint-Maximin potentially leaving the club, Newcastle fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions to the news.

Some fans refused to believe that the Saudi consortium who are in the process of taking over the club, would be willing to do business with the Qatari-owned PSG, with one supporter saying they would “block that straight away”.

One Magpies fan meanwhile brought Yohan Cabaye’s name into the conversation, and suggested Saint-Maximin would go the same way as the former if he left to join PSG – the former Newcastle midfielder made just 57 appearances for the Parisien giants.

Bruce came out in his pre-match press conference and was adamant that Saint-Maximin would be staying at the club this summer, and brushed off any speculation suggesting he could be heading for the exit door.

Can you name every one of the Magpies’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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And with the kind of performances the winger has put in, and the current financial climate, it’s difficult to see how clubs could potentially meet the Magpies’ potential valuation of their talisman.

Simply put, unless a quite ridiculous offer comes in, Saint-Maximin is likely to remain at Newcastle for the foreseeable future.