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West Ham United are said to be one of the teams keen on signing Yves Bissouma ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Star, who have claimed that the Irons have made inquiries to Brighton and Hove Albion over the potential of signing their star midfielder.

However, it is thought that Premier League rivals Arsenal are leading the race to secure his signature, whilst Everon and Spurs are also mooted with interest.

The 24-year-old has two years still to run on his Seagulls contract and is thought to be valued at around £30m.

Dream Rice replacement

A new central midfielder likely won’t be top of David Moyes’ priorities given that he so desperately needs attacking options, in particular an alternative to the injury-prone Michail Antonio, but things could quickly change.

The Hammers are on the verge of achieving something extraordinary in qualifying for the Champions League but even despite that, Declan Rice’s future continues to be shrouded in mystery.

According to the Mirror, Manchester United are eyeing him up as a potential replacement for Paul Pogba at Old Trafford, whilst Moyes did reveal that he would consider any huge bids that come forward for his talismanic midfielder.

Bissouma would be an ideal successor, should West Ham lose out on the 22-year-old, who has been hailed as the “future captain” of the club. Rice would evidently leave some pretty big boots to fill but the Mali international has been a rare bright spark in Brighton’s poor campaign.

In terms of reading the game and possessing the ability to thwart the opposition, the former Lille man stacks up well to Moyes’ current options, averaging more tackles per game (2.8) than Rice (1.9) and Tomas Soucek (1.9).

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Whilst in terms of interceptions, Bissouma (1.7 per game) is ahead of the Czech midfielder (1.6) and only just behind Rice (two). He also offers a little more going forward than the England international too.

As per WhoScored, the Seagulls powerhouse likes to drift forward with the ball, averaging 1.5 dribbles (vs Rice’s 0.9) and also likes to have a pop at goal, just like Soucek (1.6), having averaged 1.2 attempts per game this term.

Bissouma’s ex-teammate at the Amex Stadium, Dale Stephens, waxed lyrical about his ability to local reporters in 2019. He said: “He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players. His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”

Whilst his former manager Chris Hughton, now in charge of Nottingham Forest, dubbed him a “wonderful talent” to The Argus (via Goal). Gary Lineker lauded him as an “exceptional footballer” and Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher believes teams will be queueing up to bid for him this summer.

The praise is endless.

With a similar playing style to Yaya Toure, there are certainly comparisons to be had with Rice and if Moyes were to lose such a big talent, then GSB should look no further than Bissouma as the man to replace him.

If they do choose to sell Rice this summer, GSB must look to beat Arsenal to Bissouma’s signature and provide Moyes with a suitable successor.

AND in other news, 5 key passes, 4 shots: West Ham’s £18m-rated “team player” fired Moyes a huge message…

Once the current international break comes to an end, West Brom will be back in Championship action at the weekend with an away clash against Huddersfield Town next up for Valerien Ismael’s side.

On the chalkboard

With this match in mind, one player that should definitely be in Ismael’s starting XI for this match is defender Kyle Bartley, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £15k-per-week at The Hawthorns according to Salary Sport.

Taking into account how Dara O’Shea is still out with an ankle injury and the fact that Kean Bryan has now been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury, this should make it an easy decision for Ismael to give Bartley a place in the team for the match against the Yorkshire club.

In addition to this, after coming on in the 19th minute to replace Matt Clarke who picked up an injury in West Brom’s 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough before the international break, Bartley managed to make two tackles, two clearances and blocked one shot, as well as winning eight out of his 13 duels, showing how vital he was for the team from a defensive point of view.

As well as this performance against Middlesbrough off the substitutes bench that earned him an overall match rating of 7.4/10 from SofaScore, making him the highest-rated Baggies player on the day, Bartley has managed to prove himself as a solid defender for the team throughout the current season with an average of 4.4 clearances per game in the league under his belt, as well as winning 65% of duels he’s been involved in, further proving why he should be in the starting XI to face Huddersfield.

With the match against Carlos Corberan’s team in sight this weekend, while Ismael may have little choice but to play Bartley, who has been praised for having an “unbelievable” attitude by the Baggies boss, as a result of their current defensive injury issues, the player has very much earned the right be in the starting XI on this occasion through merit.

However, if Bartley does play against Huddersfield, he will have to make sure he doesn’t pick up a yellow card in the match or else he will receive a ban as it would be his fifth of the season.

In other news: Ismael could unearth the next Townsend at West Brom with “excellent” 19 y/o prodigy – opinion

Steven Gerrard got his reign at Aston Villa off to the perfect start with a 2-0 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.

The Villa Park faithful had to be patient, but great finishes from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings in the 84th and 89th minutes respectively were ultimately enough to give the hosts all three points.

However, not every player enjoyed their best game in a Villa shirt, as The Transfer Tavern use statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who Villa’s three worst players (to have played at least 45 minutes or more) were on the day:

Emi Buendia (6.5)

Buendia takes third spot with a 6.5 overall rating given by SofaScore.

The former Norwich City star was hauled off after the 74th minute for Ashley Young with the score still at 0-0, summarising how little impact he had on the game.

He lost out on five of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, losing possession 11 times, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates.

Danny Ings (6.4)

Villa’s joint-worst player in terms of SofaScore rating (6.4), Ings takes second for only being on the pitch for 66 minutes in total.

The striker would have been disappointed not to get on the scoresheet – in fact, he did not have a shot on goal.

The 29-year-old also made no key passes or dribble attempts and lost out on six of his duels.

Jacob Ramsey (6.4)

Young Ramsey is perhaps unfortunate to be rated as the worst Villa player on the pitch, as SofaScore only gave him a 6.4 overall rating.

Taken off for Anwar El Ghazi just before both goals went in, Ramsey lost six duels and also failed to record a single shot.

The midfielder was unsuccessful in two of his dribbles and made no key passes, but will be sure to do better as he progresses under Gerrard’s management.

In other news: Villa have been backed to sign this ‘excellent’ striker

Craig Hope has now revealed five players that Newcastle United are targeting ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Bodies needed

As the St. James’ Park faithful are currently lurking in the relegation zone, it is clear that reinforcements are needed next month in order to give them the best possible chance of surviving.

Survival means everything to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, as they can then kickstart their long-term project in the summer, and thus be able to attract bigger names to the North East given that they would still be playing in the top flight.

The Latest: Five targets

As per Hope, Lloyd Kelly, a player Eddie Howe signed back in 2019, as well as central defenders Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon and Sven Botman, are among the Tyneside outfit’s January targets.

The Daily Mail journalist is ‘also told’ that Mohamed Elneny is an option in the middle of the park for the new owners.

The Verdict: Kelly, Elneny plus one centre-back

Kelly is of course a player that Howe knows well – in a 2019/20 season plagued by injuries, he started eight out of the nine games that he was available under the manager (Transfermarkt).

A player that Howe has a lot of admiration for, he would certainly know how to get the best out of Kelly, providing that he can stay free of injury.

Elneny offers a lot of Premier League 30 goals so far in the top flight, the second-most out of any team.

Rodon offers that Premier League Botman have played at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League.

Nonetheless, bringing at least three of those players in would certainly help bolster up the squad, and give them the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.

In other news, find out which former Magpies NUFC are eyeing in a shock transfer here!

It would be fair to say that since his summer move to Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara has received plenty of criticism.

Particularly in the Premier League, the Spaniard has seemingly struggled to get up to speed with the English game and the demands of the reigning champions.

However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth against RB Leipzig in Budapest on Wednesday evening.

As Liverpool secured their place in the competition’s quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate success, 29-year-old Thiago quietly turned in an extremely impressive showing.

Partnered with Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum in the centre of the park, the £43.2m-rated former Bayern Munich man was instrumental in limiting the German side throughout the clash.

According to WhoScored, he contributed six tackles, which was more than any other player on the pitch. He also managed one interception and two clearances.

These defensive contributions were key as they helped silence RB Leipzig’s supremely talented midfield trio of Marcel Sabitzer, Kevin Kampl and Dani Olmo.

Thiago wasn’t quite finished there though as he also got involved in the attacking side of the game too, having one shot on target, making one key pass and also completing a dribble.

He was also extremely reliable on the ball, having only been dispossessed once throughout the 90 minutes, an extremely impressive count considering that he was firmly involved in the battle arena of midfield.

Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp was also supremely impressed with Thiago’s showing throughout the game, labelling criticism directed the Spaniard’s way in the first-half of the campaign as “rubbish” as a result.

Considering his somewhat slow start to life at Anfield, Thiago’s display against Leipzig was the type of all-action performance that Liverpool, and the player himself, needed to justify his place in the side.

Klopp has continued to keep faith in Thiago and last night, the Spaniard repaid that faith. If he can replicate that in the league, he will be well on the way to banishing his critics for good.

AND in more news, the Reds must make a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen…

Arsenal could sign a potential Granit Xhaka upgrade in Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.

What’s the story?

The Blades are currently bottom of the Premier League table and look nailed-on favourites to be relegated back to the Championship at the end of the season.

Jeunes Footeux have now claimed that both Arsenal and north London rivals Tottenham are keen to take advantage of that possible situation with a potential move for Berge.

The report claims that both clubs are “on alert” over the Norway international’s potential availability this summer and that Sheffield United are ready to let him leave for a fee of around €26m (£22m).

Potential Xhaka upgrade

Speaking after his mistake against Tottenham earlier this season, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness slammed Xhaka, saying: “Big players, leaders, don’t allow that to happen on the football pitch.

“As a central midfield player, as a holding central midfield player – I don’t know what Xhaka is, it’s been about six or seven years and I’m not quite sure what he is – the alarm bells are ringing.”

Those errors and mistakes have been something which has plagued Xhaka throughout his Arsenal career – even this season, he has had two errors leading directly to goals, including that shocking one against Burnley last week.

In Berge, they would be getting someone who appears to be a lot more reliable (no errors leading to goals or even a shot this season), and a bit more dominant in terms of his presence.

Former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said: “Sander has been unique. He is the one who has stood out for us. He is a complete midfielder. He can play as 8s and as 6s. He can play in different formations. The wonderful thing about Sander is his attitude.

“Complete midfielders are like that. Look at Jordan Henderson (FWA’s Footballer of the Year last season). Sander should gain enormous confidence that he can play so well in various positions in the Premier League.”

When you compare some key stats between Xhaka and Berge, the Norwegian actually comes out better in many cases. He averages more shots, dribbles and key passes per game in the Premier League this campaign, while defensively he also seems to be a lot more of an anchor. He wins back possession more, gets dribbled past half as often as the Swiss man and commits far fewer fouls. In essence, the way Berge defends is that he’s just as aggressive, but isn’t prone to the same mistakes made in transition.

With Thomas Partey nailed on as one of the starters in Mikel Arteta’s midfield given his big-money arrival from Atletico Madrid last summer, Berge could well be the man to partner him come next season. Edu could sign a real upgrade for the Gunners in the Sheffield United powerhouse.

Meanwhile, Arsenal should unleash this young talent next season…

Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Morgan Gibbs-White can become a regular for Bruno Lage next season.

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who believes the 22-year-old may well be a key figure for the Old Gold.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I think it’s a big opportunity for Morgan Gibbs-White this summer to go back to Wolves and show that he is capable of becoming a regular in that team.”

With that in mind, he could be the man capable of taking Leander Dendoncker’s place in the squad next season.

Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport (via GetFootballNewsItaly), claim Wolves look as though they are set to lose their Belgian star of four years to Lazio this summer. Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has identified Dendoncker as a replacement for the departing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who will reportedly be sold “in order to ease the club’s financial burden.”

On the chalkboard

With Dendoncker expected to leave the Molineux this summer, Gibbs-White may just get his chance to fulfil his potential in front of the Wolves faithful.

The England U21 international has made the most of his time at Bramall Lane, netting an impressive ten goals and notching up eight assists in 33 appearances throughout a role that has seen him function as an attacking midfielder.

The Staffordshire-born midfielder, who has been described as an “enormous talent” by Laurie Whitwell and hailed for the “filth” at which he plays with by Tim Spiers, has added another string to his bow under Paul Heckingbottom, in a switch that has seen him discover his goalscoring touch.

Though, Lage will have to decide on his position. Gibbs-White has functioned more-or-less as an attacker in the Championship, though his defensive stats suggest he could fill the boots of Dendoncker in the middle of the park, whilst bringing a more fruitful bout of attacking threat.

Despite his attacking excellence, the young Englishman has almost matched Dendoncker’s defensive output this season with both averaging one tackle per game and he has also bettered the Belgian when it comes to passing this season; having made an average of 39 passes per game in comparison to Dendoncker’s average of 26 passes.

Gibbs-White could cover Dendoncker’s defensive duties in the team whilst offering a much higher dose of attacking threat if Lage will give him a chance in a box-to-box role within the Old Gold midfield next season.

In other news: Agent talks: Crazy Neves claim emerges out of Wolves, it’ll leave supporters fuming