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West Ham United will not look to secure a deal to bring Alex Kral to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the club insider revealing that David Moyes will not look to take up the £12m option-to-buy clause for the defensive midfielder. Indeed, they may even look to terminate the 23-year-old’s loan deal before the end of the January transfer window.

In the update, Claret & Hugh said: “West Ham look likely to allow Alex Kral back to Spartak Moscow after the midfielder has been found himself unable to make any impact at the London Stadium so far this season.”

They later added: “The Hammers organised a loan with a permanent deal option at around £12m but given his shortage of any real action, one wonders why the boss agreed to such a move in the first place. Now it looks likely that he could even be back in Russia before the current season comes to an end.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how little impact Kral has made at West Ham since making his temporary switch from Spartak Moscow last year, the news that Moyes is not planning to sign him on a permanent basis is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, so far this season, the £7.2m-rated Czech international has made just one Premier League appearance – coming on for the final minute of the 4-1 win over Watford – in the current campaign, as well as making three appearances in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup.

It is not difficult to see why Moyes is so reluctant to afford the 23-year-old more regularly game-time, as, over his three European outings, the £24k-per-week midfielder has averaged a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.63 – ranking him as the Hammers’ joint fifth-worst performer in the competition.

As such, it is clear to see that the player who Moyes claimed has “bags of energy” is simply not of the standard required to be a first-team regular at the London Stadium. That leads us to believe that the 58-year-old simply must send the Czech Republic midfielder back to his parent club this month.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Haller as West Ham plot bid for “complete” £13.5m-rated machine

David Moyes should consider turning to U23 starlet Jamal Baptiste in light of West Ham’s recent blow to Angelo Ogbonna…

Ogbonna blow

During the Irons’ 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend, the 33-year-old centre-back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and could now be ruled out of action for the next nine months or more.

“After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury,” said Head of Medical Richard Collinge.

“That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery.”

Baptiste bargain

It now leaves Moyes a little short on options in defence. Yes, he does have Issa Diop and Craig Dawson as more than capable back-ups to play alongside Kurt Zouma, but in an ideal world, he’ll like to fill the available place in the squad.

January is still two months away and there’s no guarantee that the Italian colossus will return to the starting XI next year, so it could be wise to look at alternatives and they should look no further than the teenager who Ogbonna has backed to succeed after a pre-season win ove Wycombe Wanderers.

“He played really, really well and as a young player you can make one or two mistakes, but your behaviour has to be the right one, like Dec [Declan Rice] when he starts,” he told the club’s official website.

“Jamal has a lot of work still to do but he is composed. He is still young and has to take things step by step. This was just a pre-season game. He has to follow the senior players and the manager’s instructions and it’s good for him to have people he can look to.”

Meanwhile, Hammers legend Carlton Cole has compared him to Rio Ferdinand, claiming he’s a “massive prospect” to the ‘Irons Inside’ podcast. “He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio, so hopefully we can these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time.”

‘Tall, strong and comfortable in possession’ is how the club’s official website describes the 18-year-old sensation, whilst he claims both Virgil van Dijk and West Ham’s former defender and his academy mentor Matthew Upson as players he bases his game on.

Also dubbed a “monster” who is “one of the finest young prospects at the club” by former academy director Terry Westley to Claret & Hugh, it could be time to see Baptiste as the ‘fourth choice’ in the absence of Ogbonna.

Moyes is certainly a fan, so it would be an easy transition to make. It would mean that the club wouldn’t have to spend big in the upcoming winter transfer window and their finances can be used to bolster other positions, such as upfront.

Baptiste could save GSB millions.

AND in other news, Major GSB claim emerges after Daniel Kretinsky investment confirmed…

Celtic are hopeful of offloading goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas in January, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin. 

The lowdown: Record breaker

Celtic signed Barkas as recently as July 2020, parting with £4.5million to recruit him from AEK Athens.

That actually made him the most expensive goalkeeper in the Hoops’ history.

But after clocking up 22 appearances in his debut season, he’s only featured once this term (in the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland back in July).

The 27-year-old still has three years to run on his contract at Parkhead, but his Transfermarkt value has fallen to £2.52million.

The latest: Time to cash in

A source in Greece has revealed (via The Athletic) Celtic want to sell Barkas in the mid-season window and if that fails, they’ll look to secure a loan move.

Should he leave, Tobi Oluwayemi would likely be promoted to third choice behind Joe Hart and Scott Bain.

The verdict: Forgettable

It’s no surprise that Celtic want to cash in on Barkas, who’s of little use to them at the moment and on a frankly ridiculous £13,500-a-week.

However, they’ll surely struggle to get much of a return on their 2020 investment after he has slipped so far down the pecking order.

Ultimately, the record move has to be regarded a failure for the previous Celtic scouting department, one that Michael Nicholson and co will have to learn from the next time they look to recruit a true no.1.

In other news, Celtic have received a boost ahead of the League Cup semifinal.

Leeds United and Newcastle United are two of the clubs who have been linked with a move for Derby County midfielder Jason Knight, as per a report from Football League World.

The Lowdown: Knight profiled

Knight is a Republic of Ireland international who is primarily a central midfielder but can also play on the right or in an attacking role.

The 20-year-old was labelled a ‘manager’s dream’ by Wayne Rooney and has been a regular for the Rams in recent months in a variety of positions. He has made 93 senior appearances for Derby in total, scoring on 11 occasions, but it seems as if he could be one player set to leave Pride Park, with multiple clubs interested in his services.

The Latest: January move on the cards?

Football League World shared a story on Wednesday regarding a number of Derby youngsters possibly leaving due to the club’s financial issues.

When it came to Knight, they claimed that Leeds, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester City, Newcastle and Wolves are all keen, with the midfielder the prime contender to depart.

The Verdict: Similar to Gelhardt?

Leeds pounced on Wigan’s financial issues last year by bringing Joe Gelhardt to the club in a deal worth just £900,000. The youngster has gone on to star for the club’s under-23s and is now starting to get a chance in Marcelo Bielsa’s first team, so Victor Orta could well strike gold again when it comes to Knight.

He is capable of playing in multiple midfield positions so he could appeal to Bielsa, who is quite short of midfielders at this moment in time.

Knight already has plenty of experience in the Championship, especially for his age, and you’d expect that he’ll only get better, so a cut-price move could be another Leeds masterclass should they win the race.

In other news: The stats show that these were Leeds’ three worst players against Crystal Palace

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer talked up Burnley manager Sean Dyche, suggesting that he would do a good job at Celtic if given the opportunity.

The SPFL club are without a permanent manager following the resignation of Neil Lennon and Dyche has since been mentioned as a potential successor by the bookmakers.

The 49-year-old currently has Burnley sitting above the relegation zone, a common theme during his time at the club despite having only a small budget to work with, something he has discussed in the past.

Since the 2016/17 season, the Clarets have recorded 16th, 7th, 15th and 10th-place finishes, showing the brilliant work Dyche has done at Turf Moor. And that has not gone unnoticed, with Palmer being quick to praise the Premier League boss amid the links to Celtic.

On Dyche and the Celtic job, the retired England international exclusively told FFC:

“I’m a big fan of Sean Dyche. So, I mean, I’m surprised that one of the bigger clubs in the Premier League haven’t had a bat at him, no disrespect to Burnley. He’s been pulling rabbits out of his backside for the last four or five years at Burnley. He’s done an absolutely fantastic job.

“No disrespect to Burnley, I think he’s deserved the chance of a bigger job. And, yeah, I could see Sean Dyche, who’s proven he can work on a shoestring budget, going to Celtic and doing very, very well.”

Whether anything materialises, only time will tell. Nevertheless, it is not hard too see why Dyche is being linked with the Celtic Park dugout.

Focusing on this season specifically, the Englishman has proven his credentials further by guiding Burnley to some impressive victories. The Lancashire club were the first team to beat Liverpool at Anfield in a league fixture in nearly four years, putting an end to their 68-game unbeaten run, while they also managed to inflict defeat on Arsenal away from home.

Plenty of Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Wesley Hoedt is set to return to the club at the end of the season.

Hoedt has spent this campaign out on loan at Italian side Lazio. Not so long ago, it seemed the Serie A outfit were eager to sign him permanently (lalaziosiamonoi.it). However, according to Radiosei (via lalaziosiamonoi.it), it appears the Rome-based outfit are no longer interested in pursuing such a deal.

The change in heart is reportedly down to a number of poor performances. He has actually started just four of the last 11 Serie A matches (Transfermarkt), which shows that Simone Inzaghi does not quite have faith in the £5.4m-valued defender.

The news was relayed by Twitter account @SouthamptonPage, and it is fair to say that some Saints supporters are not best pleased with the update as they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hoedt news below

“Stealing a living”

Credit: @stevebr27075195

“His arrogance gets in the way of everything”

Credit: @griffryan

“We’ll have to release him and lose a lot of money.. not being funny but no one is going to want him”

Credit: @WillsfcMitchell

“Probably one of the worse signings we’ve ever made. We signed him after he had a fight in training at Lazio with Felipe Anderson, was awful for us and now we can’t even give him away”

Credit: @Extr3me_Matrix

“Loan him out to Acrington Stanley for a year for a packet of hob-nobs and 241 vouchers at Chesington World Of Adventure.”

Credit: @bfgfox

“Such a failure for what we paid for him. The frustrating thing is there is a player in him, it’s his own ego and concentration that lets him down”

Credit: @HebbesAlex

In other news, Southampton enquire about this Premier League striker.

Leeds United sent scouts to watch Timo Hubers in action this weekend, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that the Yorkshire giants were in attendance as FC Koln defeated Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon.

The 25-year-old centre-back played the full game but conceded an own goal in their 3-1 win, though he seemingly impressed. He registered five clearances and three interceptions, whilst he also won seven duels, per SofaScore.

United are in the market for a new central defender and the club have stepped up their interest in the 6 foot 3 German colossus, who is also believed to have a £6.7m release clause at the RheinEnergieStadion.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch mission

After the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, only rock-bottom Norwich City (69) have leaked more goals than the Whites (68), so it’s abundantly clear that manager Jesse Marsch needs to bolster his backline heading into next season.

Their fortunes defensively have gradually improved but he is still light on solid and reliable options, so Hubers represents a cheap but viable option.

Indeed, journalist Pete O’Rourke believes he’d be an ideal signing for the former RB Leipzig boss. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a talented young player from Koln as well, so he definitely fits the bill for Leeds United because they’ve been forced to have a bit of a makeshift central defence this season.”

Hubers has been Steffen Baumgart’s standout player with Koln on the cusp of qualifying for a place in Europe, having averaged a squad-high average WhoScored rating of 7.09.

Only one other player is winning more aerial duels per game than the 25-year-old (2.5), whilst he leads the way for interceptions (2.7 per game) and isn’t far behind for tackles either (2.1 per game).

Once lauded for being an “exemplary” professional by Hannover 96’s sporting director Gerhard Zuber, it certainly appears as if Hubers would be a player that Marsch would love to sign heading into next season, one that wouldn’t take too much out of the transfer kitty.

After sending scouts to watch him excel, it seems only right that the German titan is amongst their top targets this summer.

AND in other news, Orta had a Leeds disasterclass on “outrageous” £50m dynamo, he’s better than Rodrigo…

Some Manchester United fans have been destroying the display of Mason Greenwood despite his side winning 1-0 against Wolves in the Premier League.

The England international did not have the best of games at all for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team as his blushes were spared when Marcus Rashford scored in injury time to give the Red Devils the three points at Old Trafford and move them up to second place in the table.

He was subsequently subbed off for Anthony Martial just after the hour mark, having been largely ineffective in the match, losing out on five of his duels while also failing to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble, all while losing possession of the ball no fewer than nine times in the clash (Sofascore).

Manchester United fan reaction to Greenwood display

These supporters destroyed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even describing the 19-year-old striker as ‘selfish’:

“What has actually happened to Mason Greenwood?? He has been so bad this season #MUNWOL”

Credit: @Manutd_Daily123

“I have no idea what Wolves have done to deserve this loss. Idk which match is Ole saving Van De Beek for? Idk what Pogba, Greenwood & Wan Bissaka really offer to this side? Idk whether a RWB or RW is a required by Ole but I’d buy one to have an attack from the RW. #MUNWOL #MUFC”

Credit: @A_s_h_C_a_r

“Greenwood is so overrated… Just shoot and inshallah…. I am a United fan and there are almost 5 youngsters better than him.. Terrible footballer #MUNWOL”

Credit: @_itarex_

“Can someone pls ask Ole, what more does he need to see from Greenwood in this game? He’s lost at sea, he needs to make way for someone with experience. Btw, is someone going to have a quiet word with Bruno or what? Losing ball possession like he’s entitled to it #MUFC #MUNWOL”

Credit: @kayblow76

“Greenwood is selfish it’s so disgusting #MUNWOL”

Credit: @Mohauolva

“Greenwood is so arrogant with the ball. He has so much to learn. Doesn’t know how to pass yet. #MUFC #MUNWOL”

Credit: @TheSethWyatt

In other news, find out who was destroyed for his display versus Leicester here!

Queens Park Rangers will look to complete deals to bring a number of their loan stars back to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to the Rs’ manager Mark Warburton, who, speaking to West London Sport, claimed that he would like to bring all four of Charlie Austin, Stefan Johansen, Sam Field and Jordy de Wijs back to the club ahead of next season.

He said: “With Charlie, Stefan, Jordy and Sam we have been very lucky. They have adapted to our style of play and it suits their games and they have suited us perfectly. That doesn’t often happen. You can get loans where it is difficult and you have young players who can’t adapt, but in this case, it has worked out really well for us.

“They have embraced the way we play. They are footballers who want to get on the ball, be brave and play forward. All these things you hear managers say, they sound like the same old rhetoric, but the fact is that every party benefited.

“Do they enjoy coming to work to play for QPR? I think the answer is yes. I hope very much we can [sign them] but you never know and you always have to have alternatives.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive all four of the players Warburton discusses have been for QPR since arriving at the club in the January transfer window, it is unsurprising to hear that the 58-year-old would like to bring them back to west London once again this summer.

Arguably the most impressive performer of the quartette has been the Hull City defender De Wijs, as, over his nine Championship appearances for the Hoops, the £1.08 million-rated centre-back has made an average of 1.3 interceptions, one tackle and 5.1 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.19 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the second tier.

The £1.8 million-rated Fulham midfielder Stefan Johansen has also highly impressed during his short time at the Rs, scoring four goals, providing two assists and making an average of 1.6 key passes over his 21 league appearances, with his average SofaScore match rating of 7.00 ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the Championship.

The West Bromwich Albion duo of the £1.8 million-rated Charlie Austin and the £900,000-rated Sam Field have also been in fine form for the club, with Austin bagging eight goals and providing one assist over his 21 league appearances, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, while Field has made an average of 1.1 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 clearances over his 19 Championship fixtures, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.74.

As such, considering the impact all four have had on QPR’s form since their January arrivals, with Warburton’s side winning 13, drawing two and losing seven of their last 21 fixtures – results that have left them sitting in fourth place in the Championship table over this 21 game period – the fact that Warburton is keen to bring the quartette back to the club this summer is likely to have fans buzzing, as retaining these players would appear highly beneficial in terms of the Rs mounting a promotion push next season.

In other news: Get him gone: Warburton must axe £7k-p/w QPR flop this summer, fans have had enough – opinion

Celtic-linked Josh Doig has said that his current club Hibernian is a ‘great pathway to go to higher places’ but insisted that he ‘absolutely adores’ being at Easter Road.

The lowdown

Sky Sports reported in January that Celtic, along with Arsenal and Chelsea, were monitoring the young left-back, who this weekend has been named the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award, seeing off David Turnbull and Nathan Patterson.

Hibs team-mate Joe Newell was among those to congratulate the 18-year-old on an ‘amazing achievement’ in his breakthrough season.

Doig, who is valued at just £450,000 by Transfermarkt, has made 26 league appearances for Hibs this season, scoring once and providing four assists. He has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 clearances, 0.7 interceptions and 1.3 successful aerial duels per game (via WhoScored).

The latest

Doig was asked about outside interest in an interview with The Scotsman. Whilst he did hint at a desire to ascend the footballing ladder, he insists that Hibernian is an ideal setting for his development.

The youngster namechecked John McGinn, who moved from Hibs to Aston Villa in 2018 and is now a Premier League regular.

He said: “It’s crazy because I’ve grown up watching all these clubs and for any of them even to show an interest…

“Whatever happens happens. But as long as I’m playing football, whether it’s here, at Barcelona, or back at Queen’s Park, that’s what I want.

“I absolutely adore it here at Hibs.

“You can see with the likes of John McGinn, I know Hibs is a great pathway to go to higher places but it still a massive club in itself.

“We could finish third this season.

“I don’t think there’s a better place than Hibs to develop as a player.”

The verdict

It does sound as if Doig would like to remain in Edinburgh for the time being. He really has spoken of his club in glowing terms, although the use of phrases like ‘whatever happens happens’ and ‘great pathway’ could leave the door somewhat open for a future move elsewhere.

Having already caught the eye of Arsenal and Chelsea, though, perhaps he’s looking to go straight from Easter Road to the English game just as McGinn did.

In other news, Celtic are said to be keen on this English League One starlet.