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Former West Ham United player Frank McAvennie has said that David Moyes made a mistake in not signing Ivan Toney for the Hammers when he had the chance.

The Lowdown: Moyes admits Toney chance

The 25-year-old has impressed so far for Brentford in the Premier League, scoring twice and providing two assists in his opening seven matches (Transfermarkt).

Prior to the Bees’ 2-1 victory over West Ham recently, Moyes admitted that the Irons were interested in signing the striker when he was still at Peterborough (via football.london).

The Latest: McAvennie rues mistake

Speaking to West Ham Zone, McAvennie believes that the Hammers manager made a mistake in not capturing Toney’s services. He said:

“Both my teams were looking at him, Celtic and West Ham.

“It’s one of those situations, there’s no future in the past.

“He made a mistake, I don’t think he’ll make many. He’s one of these guys that when something happens, he will learn from it.”

The Verdict: Missed opportunity

Toney’s star has enjoyed a meteoric rise since he made the move to Brentford. Prior to this season’s impressive form, the £28.8m-valued ace broke the goalscoring record in Championship as Thomas Frank’s side earned promotion to the top flight.  The £5m spent by the Bees (Sky Sports) now looks like an absolute bargain.

West Ham have a fantastic striker on their books at the moment in Michail Antonio, of course, who has already found the back of the net six times in all competitions this season. However, he is the only striker available to Moyes, meaning the Hammers are light up top. Toney would have be a wonderful alternative to, or indeed strike partner for, Antonio, but now we may never know.

In other news, Brighton have competition in the race to sign this forward

Southampton produced a superb performance against Manchester City on Saturday as they held Pep Guardiola’s side to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

The Saints have now drawn four straight games in the Premier League, having picked up a point apiece against Manchester United, Newcastle and West Ham heading into the weekend. This is after they lost 3-1 to Everton on the opening day of the season, with Ralph Hasenhuttl making his side hard to beat since.

Despite the positive result yesterday, one player who struggled to make his mark on the game for the Saints in Manchester was Che Adams.

The Southampton forward was selected up front alongside Adam Armstrong after missing out against West Ham but failed to stake his claim for a place in the starting XI next weekend. He struggled offensively and in general play as he was unable to make his mark on the match.

Going forward, Adams did not make an impact. As per SofaScore, he had one shot (which was off target) and created one chance in 68 minutes, whilst attempting zero crosses, long passes or dribbles. This shows that he did not provide enough quality to test the Manchester City defence, with Ederson untroubled by the Scotland international throughout the match.

His general play was also concerning. As per SofaScore, he lost 69% of his duels on the pitch, losing eight of his 10 aerial battles and one of his three duels on the ground. He also had just 20 touches of the ball, less than half of goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s 41, and lost possession nine times from those 20 touches.

This shows that he was not strong enough physicality to win his 50-50s against Manchester City defenders and also that he was not secure in possession of the ball. He was unable to provide a reliable outlet up front for the Saints, which meant that they were not able to build upon the clean sheet the back four was able to preserve.

It will be interesting to see who Hasenhuttl selects up front against Wolves in the Premier League next weekend after this disappointing performance from Adams. He let the Austrian down, but he may be given some slack given that it was against the reigning champions, with a Carabao Cup clash against Sheffield United potentially giving him an opportunity to redeem himself in midweek.

AND in other news, 86% duels won: Southampton gem repaid Hasenhuttl’s faith with superb Man City display…

A journalist has now revealed the date that Mike Ashley is ‘confident’ that the potential takeover of Newcastle United will be completed by.

The Lowdown: Arbitration adjourned

The arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the stalled deal between Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium has experienced delay after delay over the past year or so, and has now been adjourned until early 2022.

There is also a separate anti-competition claim to deal with as Ashley looks to try and force through a bid.

The Latest: Ashley confident, agreement ‘closer than ever’

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, Graeme Bailey has now revealed that Ashley is ‘confident’ that the proposed takeover will go through in January.

The businessman and his legal team believe that the results of the arbitration hearing are ‘likely’ to go their way, and the consortium remain ‘ready’ to strike a deal with the North East club.

An agreement could be ‘closer than ever’, but the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also hold interest in Inter Milan.

The Verdict: Promising

It certainly is promising to hear of Ashley’s confidence ahead of the arbitration proceedings, and suggests that the potential takeover is still very much alive.

The Toon Army have had to put up with so many delays during the saga, but it looks as if January could be a key month for them.

Nonetheless, it gives them some hope to cling on to of finally seeing Ashley sell up and new owners coming in to inject some life and ambition into a club completely devoid of either.

In other news, find out whose display against Leeds United was criticised by Lee Ryder here!

Former Manchester City defender Steve Howey believes playing in La Liga would suit Bernardo Silva. 

The £63m-rated 27-year-old joined City from Monaco in 2017 and has featured in over 200 games for the club. In his time at the Etihad Stadium, Silva has scored 35 goals and assisted a further 44.

Bernardo has also helped the Cityzens win a plethora of trophies in his time at the Etihad. The club have won four successive Carabao Cups, three Premier League titles, two Community Shields and an FA Cup.

Whilst he has been highly successful in his time with City, it appears he could be looking for a fresh challenge as Pep Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News: “He’s our player. Not just Bernardo, there are two, three or four players that want to leave but they are our players under contract and when they bring some offer and their agents come here and they want to leave we are open to discuss absolutely everything, but it depends on them.”

Mundo Deportivo reported earlier this month that both Spanish giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were interested in the Portuguese international, with former City assistant manager and now Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also interested in Bernardo according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

Bernardo doesn’t appear to be short of options should he choose to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, but Steve Howey believes a move to La Liga would suit the playmaker, telling Transfer Tavern: “You’ve seen his performances whilst he’s been at City, you know, a fantastic player. I think technically, playing in La Liga would probably suit him as well, so I think it could be a move which could suit all parties, but ultimately, only if Man City get the money that they want for him.”

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes that new West Bromwich Albion striker Jordan Hugill will surprise a few people.

The 29-year-old has signed a season-long loan deal with the Baggies from Premier League side Norwich City and made his first appearance for West Brom off the substitutes’ bench in their 1-0 victory against Peterborough United over the weekend.

Hugill made 34 appearances in all competitions for the Canaries last season scoring five goals but only ten of those appearances were in the starting XI.

The Baggies have been linked with a move for a striker this summer and Hatfield believes that Hugill will surprise a few people, telling Football FanCast: “I think fans will be pleasantly surprised by Hugill and the performances he puts in.

“If he’s on his game he will offer something different for Albion, he will offer the ability to play with his back to goal, someone who will work hard, press defenders. I think they could be pleasantly surprised by him.”

Hugill knows the Championship well having played for Preston North End, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City in the division and has a good goalscoring record also, as he has found the back of the net on 46 occasions and also provided seven assists.

The Baggies are the second top scorers in the Championship so far, scoring 12 goals and goal difference only separates them and top-of-the-table Fulham, with both clubs collecting 13 points from a possible 15.

Rafael Benitez has identified Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso as a potential defensive target for Everton, according to Fichajes.

The lowdown

Atletico signed the 26-year-old from Espanyol ahead of the 2019/20 season for a fee of £22.5m and he has gone to make 61 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side.

He averaged two clearances, 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in La Liga last season (via WhoScored) as he played his part in Los Rojiblancos’ title triumph.

The 26-year-old is primarily a centre-half but was also used at left-back on seven occasions over the course of the campaign.

The latest

The report from Fichajes stated that any move for Hermoso won’t be ‘easy’ because Atletico aren’t under pressure to sell the player, although they would be willing to consider offers from the €35m (£29.6m) mark.

Everton are one of three Premier League clubs said to be in the frame for his signature. Benitez has been ‘following’ the 26-year-old closely and has wanted defensive reinforcements ‘from the first moment’ he took the reins at Goodison Park.

Aston Villa, who have a ‘significant sum of money to strengthen’ their squad following the £100m departure of Jack Grealish; and Arsenal, who have already signed Ben White this summer, are the other clubs mentioned as prospective suitors for Hermoso.

The verdict

Bringing in a top-quality centre-back could help to propel Everton up the table as they seek to improve upon the tally of 48 league goals conceded from last term.

Hermoso, a title winner last season with Atletico, would appear to be an excellent addition and is a player who still has plenty of years left at the top level while also coming into his peak now. His tackling record in 2020/21 matched that of Ben Godfrey and was twice as good as Yerry Mina’s, while only four Toffees players bettered his interceptions per game average (WhoScored).

Everton have ‘next to no wiggle room’ when it comes to Financial Fair Play after years of ‘significant losses’, but they also have an abundance of deadwood. Clearing it could enable a balancing of the books and help to facilitate prospective new signings such as Hermoso, but that is of course easier said than done.

In other news, many Everton fans were left raging by this transfer update. 

Last season Wolves were rocked by significant injury blows throughout the season.

As the Old Gold collapsed to a 13th-placed finish, they witnessed a campaign play out without Raul Jimenez for the vast majority of it. Jonny, Fernando Marcal, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto were further players to pick up nasty injury problems.

Although Jonny and Neto are set to miss the opening weekend’s clash against Leicester, Wolves have received good news on the injury front. That’s because Jimenez is fully fit and ready to take on the Foxes at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference yesterday after being asked whether the Mexican was ready to return, Bruno Lage revealed: “Yes. We worked for six weeks very well. Progression OK with the doctor. No problems. He is fit and ready to go.”

This news will come as a monumental boost to Wolves’ hopes of winning their first match under the new management team.

Jimenez has been missing since fracturing his skull towards the end of November, when the Midlands outfit took on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The striker wasn’t seen again until pre-season when he finally made a sufficient enough recovery to return.

When he was on the sidelines, Wolves struggled significantly. Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves ended the campaign as the club’s joint-top scorers in the league but they amassed just five apiece.

Club-record signing Fabio Silva could only find the net on four occasions while Willian Jose beat the goalkeeper just once after his six-month loan deal from January onwards.

All of that culminated in a dismal end to the season for Wolves. Their ambition of achieving European football swiftly faded away as they finished in the bottom half of the table for the first time since being promoted in 2018.

Jimenez has scored an impressive 48 goals in 110 outings for the club, which means he is undoubtedly their star man up top, so to have him fit for the start of the campaign should leave Lage absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their own Pedri in “outstanding” rarely-seen 17 y/o weapon…

Sheffield Wednesday have reportedly agreed personal terms with former Middlesbrough midfielder Marvin Johnson, according to Yorkshire Live.

What’s the story?

Johnson has been a free-agent since leaving Middlesbrough at the end of the 2020/21 season, having departed when his contract expired.

The midfielder made 103 appearances in total for the Championship side, and is seemingly set to find a new club ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

He’s set to sign for Sheffield Wednesday though, with the Owls reportedly agreeing personal terms, whilst a medical has also been completed ahead of the new season.

Yorkshire Live also claim that Hull City, Blackpool and Millwall were rumoured to be keen on reaching an agreement to sign Johnson.

It’s a real statement of intent by Sheffield Wednesday

Johnson has caught the eye with some strong performances for Middlesbrough over the years, whilst also impressing out on loan, as he went in search of regular minutes.

The 30-year-old spent time on loan with Oxford United, and chipped in with six goals and 11 assists for the League One club in the 2016/17 season, as they narrowly missed out on promotion into the second-tier of English football.

Therefore, he’s shown that he can perform to a more than good enough standard in League One, and it’s a statement of intent by Sheffield Wednesday to beat the likes of Millwall and Hull City to his signature this summer.

Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has previously labelled Johnson as ‘reliable’, whilst the 30-year-old found game time hard to come by at the Riverside.

“He has been ever so unlucky and I’ve told him a few times in the last couple of weeks how unlucky he is. I brought people in in January and I feel I want to play them. But Marvin is the most reliable player I’ve got in that position.

“I never worry about Marvin because he’s a 9/10 every week for me – I know exactly what he’s going to give me.“

At ‘Boro, Johnson was on wages of £7,900 per-week according to Salary Sport, and will be eager to make a positive impact with the Owls if he arrives at Hillsborough this summer.

Sheffield Wednesday are set to take on Charlton Athletic in their first match in the League One season, in what is likely to be a tricky test up against Nigel Adkins’ side and they look likely to have Johnson in their squad to help them battle for the three points, and that news will have Owls fans buzzing as they look to have a much better campaign this year compared to last.

Steve Howey believes Patson Daka could be the ideal long-term replacement for Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.

The 22-year-old Zambian striker has joined the Foxes from RB Salzburg in a £23million deal.

Daka was prolific during his spell in Austria, with him scoring 54 goals in 82 appearances in the top flight.

While Vardy is continuing to score goals for Leicester, having hit the back of the net 17 times in 42 outings last term, he is now 34 and boss Brendan Rodgers could be looking at who will be the former non-league star’s long-term successor as the Foxes’ first-choice frontman.

Daka has penned a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium and will further Rodgers’ attacking options after Kelechi Iheanacho found his best form in Leicester colours towards the end of last season.

Leicester agonisingly missed out on a Champions League place after suffering a final day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last term, but former Foxes defender Howey is excited by what Daka could bring to the side.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “He is only 22 so is a good long-term option.

“I think Jamie Vardy still has a lot to offer. I would have thought Brendan Rodgers will start to rest Vardy at times and put him on the bench.”

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming as news emerged on their ticket allocation for one of their upcoming friendlies.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have only received an allocation of 1,458 tickets for their away trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in a friendly game on Saturday 7th August.

Considering that the stadium can hold 76,000 people, the allocation does seem a little scarce, added to reports that the Community Shield clash between Leicester City and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium will be played in front of full capacity next month.

Nonetheless, supporters of the Merseyside club will be desperate to be going back to attending as many matches as possible, even if they are just friendlies.

Everton fans on ticket allocation

These Toffees fumed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘terrible’:

“What a pathetic allocation”

Credit: @Lammylad88

“That is a terrible allocation for a friendly that.”

Credit: @CoppellRob

“That’s ridiculous”

Credit: @AK4INSURANCE

“That’s poor”

Credit: @GrahamDavies4

“Joke”

Credit: @Chrisgill95

“Is that it? Shocking”

Credit: @Ashleyk39869181

In other news, find out what confirmed news has Evertonians gushing here!