As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Kelechi Iheanacho is set to leave Manchester City this summer and West Ham are amongst the sides vying for his services.
What’s the story?
West Ham United are looking for firepower to turn them into a more consistent English Premier League force next season and Slaven Bilic is said to be confident of landing his man, say the Manchester Evening News.
The paper reckons that with Pep Guardiola adding ever more star power to the final third next season that the Nigerian international will find himself even further down the pecking order, forcing his exit this summer.
West Ham United lead a group including Everton, Leicester, Southampton and West Brom which could force them into a bidding war if that interest firms up. The report does say though that rumours of a bid and medical for the player at the London Stadium are untrue.
The right fit?
Iheanacho, rated at £8.5m according to Transfermarkt has never quite reached the potential many thought he had at Manchester City, although that may say more about the quality available at the Etihad, rather than the quality of the 20-year-old.
That is still a young age of course and there’s a chance, if he gets regular first team football, that his Premier League potential is still untapped.
While his minutes have been limited in a City shirt this season, he’s still managed to bag himself nine goals in all competitions, including two in the UEFA Champions League.
Can the likes of West Ham United give him a home and some responsibility that allows him to shine?
On Tuesday afternoon, Romelu Lukaku spoke to Belgian press whilst on international duty and all but confirmed his departure from Everton this summer.
When asked whether he could stay on Merseyside next season, the 25-year-old stated: “That’s not really an option, I think. That was quite clear.”
The Belgian also hinted at his possible destination this summer. When asked if he will return to his old club Chelsea, the striker said “No comment. We will see”, before laughing and winking at the watching media. Since then he has started following a handful of Chelsea players on Twitter, including N’Golo Kante and Gary Cahill.
While many Everton fans would have expected comments like this from the want away striker, it is hard to argue that the club will miss their main man when he departs. Lukaku, who has 56 caps for his country, has been arguably the clubs’ best player for the past four seasons and his stock continues to rise with each passing campaign.
On the other hand, Chelsea fans have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts over Lukaku’s mystery comments. It is safe to say that his signing would divide opinion amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful…
Out of the ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League last season, Tottenham can claim they over-achieved the most.
The North-London side managed to finish in second despite having the youngest average age in the league and losing top scorer Harry Kane for eight games due to injury.
Only Chelsea, a side with considerably more resources and a talented squad (albeit one which miserably underachieved under Jose Mourinho) have the bragging rights of finishing above a Spurs side that seems to be growing in stature and confidence yearly under Mauricio Pochettino.
Only Liverpool – back in the Champions League for only the second time in eight seasons – will look back on their 2016/17 league campaigns with similar pride.
Manchester City failed to win any trophies under Pep Guardiola and would have hoped for more of a title challenge under the decorated Spaniard, while both Arsenal and Manchester United missed out on the top four – the former for the first time in two decades.
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Yet while things looked miserable a few weeks ago for the Gunners and Red Devils, their respective FA Cup and Europa League successes have added a sheen to their seasons. For Mourinho, qualifying for the Champions League by beating Ajax even vindicates an unspectacular league campaign that clearly became a nuisance rather than a priority.
Despite their success on the pitch, Spurs fans may well, ironically, be looking at next season with the least optimism.
Chelsea, who looked a shadow of their former selves just 12 months ago, look reinvigorated and ready to challenge at the top for years to come under the passionate and fiery manager Antonio Conte. The Italian has won the league in each of his last four club seasons and – despite the added rigours of European football at Stamford Bridge – will add to his talented side and challenge domestically and abroad.
City fans – the most disappointed with their season bar possibly Arsenal – seem to have acknowledged their project under Guardiola will be a long term one and will be confident of challenging next season – particularly with the additions of Bernardo Silva and Ederson alongside emerging young talent like Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus.
Their rivals on the red side of Manchester will be looking forward to Champions League football, qualifying for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and will be hoping to add big names to an already expensive squad in the aim of mounting a challenge under their trophy-laden manager.
Liverpool will be excited to see what they can produce under the popular Jurgen Klopp as they take to the European stage. Despite having the weakest squad on paper, they boast the last manager in the Premier League to reach a Champions League final (Klopp was on the losing side with Dortmund in 2013) and were just one step away from winning the Europa League final last year.
Spurs’ North London rivals, Arsenal may not have had too much to shout about lately, but with a trophy under their belt, Wenger signing a new contract and pledging to mount a title challenge and signals pointing to Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil remaining at the club, there are at least whispers of optimism.
While everyone has something to shout about, Tottenham have had little to celebrate and will worry about regressing should the big boys around them improve. They also have the move to Wembley to contend with.
Spurs had the best home record in the league last season at White Hart Lane – winning 17 and drawing two games of 19 and conceding only nine goals in the process – but would do well to repeat that in their new surroundings, particularly when you consider they won only one European game there this season and drew with lowly Gent in the Europa League before being dumped out.
They’ve struggled domestically too, losing 4-2 to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi finals – their fifth consecutive cup loss there since 2009.
With that in mind and no real news of big names looking to join the club, Spurs fans may now be looking at the next season with trepidation rather than excitement. Something that seems almost unthinkable considering how much they’ve achieved.
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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has listed Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli as one of two main targets that he wants this summer, according to Spanish media outlet Don Balon.
What’s the story?
The Premier League champions have been linked to numerous targets over the course of the last few weeks, but so far, the club have not brought in any new faces that will affect the first XI.
A sensational report from Don Balon claims that the club are keen on bringing Alli to Stamford Bridge, but they would have to get close to the world record to get him.
It is believed that an offer in the region of £87m could potentially prise the midfielder away from the North London club, but it is unlikely.
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is the other main target on Conte’s list, according to Don Balon.
What should Tottenham do?
We all know that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is shrewd when it comes to transfer business, and £87m would go a long way in building the squad even further.
However, Alli is a crucial member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team and Spurs should be looking to bolster with him, not replace him.
At just 21 years of age, the England international has become an established Premier League player.
Last season, Alli scored 22 goals and created seven assists in 50 appearances in all competitions, and he is only going to improve over the next few seasons.
Tottenham should do everything that they can to keep Alli, who joined the club from MK Dons in 2015.
It is no secret that Liverpool fans are keen to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, and they still remain hopeful despite numerous obstacles coming their way.
In June, the Reds were forced to issue a public apology to the fellow Premier League club after being accused of tapping up the Dutch defender.
The club also claimed that they had withdrawn their interest in the 26-year-old, but that has not stopped the rumours from rumbling.
Chelsea were also linked to Van Dijk, but a recent report in The Mirror has claimed that the £50m-rated player has told Southampton that he only wants to join Liverpool.
Today, though, there was a disappointing development for the Merseyside outfit after the centre-back pictured boarding a plane to Austria with his Southampton teammates.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have headed to the European country to begin their preparations for the 2017-18 season.
Despite Van Dijk’s attendance, Liverpool fans remain hopeful that a deal will be done.
West Ham United could be in danger of missing out on signing Montpellier playmaker Ryad Boudebouz due to Real Betis tabling a bid, according to France Football.
What’s the word?
The Algerian international is said to have attracted interest from numerous clubs this summer.
West Ham have been tracking the midfielder for a while, but it seems that Betis have made the first move.
France Football claims that the Spanish outfit have tabled an offer of £6.2m, which is lower than Montpellier’s valuation of £7.15m to £8.94m.
Bayer Leverkusen are also thought to be interested, while Sampdoria have reportedly been keeping tabs on the player.
What should the Hammers do?
If Montpellier are willing to let Boudebouz leave for less than £10m, then it would be ludicrous for West Ham not to even consider putting in a formal bid.
The former Bastia player has bags of flair and creativity that would be ideal for the East London outfit this season.
Following the acquisitions of Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, Boudebouz could provide vital service by sitting behind the front man.
Slaven Bilic has had a positive summer in the transfer window, bringing in players well-versed in the Premier League.
So far, the club have recruited Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Arnautovic and former Manchester United striker Hernandez.
Boudebouz would add extra quality to the mix, and at a bargain price to boot.
Newcastle United will look to get their 2017-18 Premier League campaign off to the perfect start when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Championship holders will enter the match off the back of successive wins over Wolfsburg and Hellas Verona during what has been a successful pre-season.
As expected, a number of Premier League players have been active on their social media accounts this week as they look ahead to the start of the new campaign.
It was Ayoze Perez’s turn on Wednesday as the Newcastle forward revealed that he could not wait for the new league season to begin.
Arsenal face Leicester City in the opening Premier League fixture on Friday night, before a full programme takes place on the first weekend of the new campaign.
The 24-year-old managed six Premier League goals for Newcastle during the 2015-16 season, and a number of the club’s supporters have backed the attacker to shoot down Tottenham on Sunday.
As reported by The Daily Express, Everton are interested in signing Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic this summer.
What’s the story?
With Romelu Lukaku’s spell at Goodison Park now ancient history by football standards, Ronald Koeman needs to replace the many goals he brought to the table last season if the Toffees are to achieve their aims this season.
Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez have already arrived but it seems that Koeman is intent on adding one more forward to the mix before the transfer window shuts.
The Express say that they’re interested in Fiorentina man Nikola Kalinic, who the Serie A side rate at £22.5m.
Can he fill Lukaku’s boots?
Direct comparisons to Lukaku will always be unfair on any striker coming in, the Belgian is one of the greatest strikers to play at Everton in decades. Kalinic may not be a match for the Manchester United man, but he does have a fair goalscoring pedigree that can certainly be useful to Ronald Koeman.
His most impressive season to date came last year when he scored 20 goals in all competitions for Fiorentina, both domestically and in the UEFA Europa League, pointing to a player ready to make the transition to the English Premier League.
With prolific seasons behind him at the likes of Dnipro and Hajduk Split, the former Blackburn Rovers man can hit the rich vein of form required to make him a favourite on Merseyside.
In his prime at 29 years of age, he has a lot to offer the Toffees should they make a move for him.
A video of a player showing some impressive skill or scoring a wonder goal in training tends to be well received by supporters, but it was a different story for West Ham United fans on Tuesday.
The club uploaded a clip on Twitter of Mark Noble sending the ball into the top corner during a training session.
The club captain has divided opinion among the supporters over the last season or so, with many questioning his ability to influence games.
It has not been an ideal start to the season for the East London club as they are yet to pick up a point in the Premier League.
Slaven Bilic’s side have lost all three top-flight fixtures and conceded 10 goals in the process, while only managing to score two at the other end.
As expected, fans have been left frustrated with the performances on the pitch, so the majority were not best pleased with the club’s social media activity.
Crystal Palace suffered their fourth successive defeat without scoring at the start of the Premier League season following a 1-0 defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday, but Eagles fans are divided on the future of manager Frank de Boer.
The Dutchman was only appointed during the summer but he is already under huge pressure with the south London outfit failing to find the net or register a point on the board this term.
The Daily Telegraph had previously reported that the former Inter Milan boss had one game to save his job prior to the clash against the Clarets, but it remains to be seen whether he will get the boot.
De Boer’s side went behind in the early stages as Lee Chung-Yong’s short back-pass was capitalised on by Chris Wood, but they reacted well and will count themselves unfortunate to lose considering they had 23 efforts at goal and Scott Dann missed a sitter late on.
Crystal Palace supporters were quick to have their say on the latest loss via social media, but they are divided on their manager’s future with some believing he has to go, while others say it would be “madness” to sack him after four league games.