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As West Ham United shared news that defender Arthur Masuaku started for their Under-23s side yesterday evening, enjoying competitive match action for the first time since his knee surgery, plenty of Irons have buzzed over his return to the pitch and cannot wait for him to be selected once again by David Moyes for the first team.

The Congolese ace, who was a regular under Moyes before announcing his decision to go under the knife, rectifying troublesome knee issues, is now edging back into his plans as Masuaku takes a significant step.

Masuaku was gifted the opportunity to turn out for the Hammers youngsters at Rush Green, with plenty of supporters now eagerly anticipating his first team return as they flock to this ‘huge’ news.

Given he was arguably crucial for Moyes as a wing back, completing more dribbles than any West Ham United player this season on average (WhoScored), it’s little wonder why Irons are ecstatic at his taste of minutes.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Masuaku news

“Im actually buzzing

So happy to have him back”

Credit: @LukaSkaric2

“The king returns!”

Credit: @Chaz_B_Cole

“Arthur is huge for us. So excited for him to come back into the squad”

Credit: @westhamhour

“Masuaku back is huge – 5 at the back formation lacks so much in attack with Johnson starting over him”

Credit: @SamWhite1998

“Yay masuaku”

Credit: @gvomikez17

“MASSSSS OMG”

Credit: @Jaxkxc

“Masuaku happy days”

Credit: @bioniclilz

“The king is nearly back. The rest of the Barclays is terrified”

Credit: @billy_grimmel

In other news: West Ham fans reacted to this transfer claim, find out more here.

When Kyril Louis-Dreyfus walked through the door as Sunderland’s proud new owner, there was a huge sigh of relief from many supporters.

After all, Stewart Donald’s time at the club was marked with overspending and, ultimately, a failure to get promoted.

It was the perfect Christmas present for the Mackems, as Louis-Dreyfus was announced late on 24th December.

Since he entered the Stadium of Light, he has had some very clear policies. One of them has been to improve the club’s academy and the pathway to senior level.

With the likes of Sam Greenwood, Bali Mumba and Joe Hugill all exiting the northeast in recent years, it’s led to an unhealthy academy. The under-23s didn’t win a single game last term, for instance.

However, we are already seeing the fruits of the new owner’s labour. In the Papa John’s Trophy final, young talents Dan Neil, Benji Kimpioka, Jack Diamond and Ollie Younger all appeared on the bench.

Diamond has received plenty of minutes this term but we believe Younger is now ready for a few more opportunities.

The 21-year-old played three times during the Black Cats’ run to Wembley in the EFL Trophy and has recently earned his league debut. That came in a 2-0 win over Rochdale, a match where Younger didn’t really put a foot wrong.

Traditionally a centre-half, the academy gem played at right-back on that occasion. Younger didn’t look out of place, winning 50% of his defensive duels and completing 80% of his passes. The defender also helped his side to record a clean sheet.

Speaking before that game, Lee Johnson waxed lyrical about the youngster, saying: “I do trust Ollie Younger, I think he is a great kid.

“I haven’t seen him enough in games yet to know whether he can handle that situation, but as a personality and in terms of his performances in training, he has been really impressive.”

With defensive injuries still plaguing the Sunderland squad – Jordan Willis, Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan are all out – he should be entrusted more often.

That starts with the clash against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. They currently sit in the relegation zone, so on paper it’s a good match in which to trust Younger.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for £1.2k-p/w “danger in the box”, he’s shades of Bergkamp…

David Sullivan will risk a major blunder if he fails to see West Ham sign loanee Jesse Lingard from Manchester United permanently this summer.

The Irons have been backed to do whatever it takes to keep the England international at the London Stadium by Barry Fry, who has been speaking exclusively with Football FanCast.

Peterborough’s Director of Football believes David Gold and Sullivan will pull out all the stops to keep Lingard in claret and blue, should they receive the green light from manager David Moyes.

Reports by Claret & Hugh have previously claimed that Moyes has marked retaining Lingard and the arrival of a new centre-forward to support Michail Antonio as his priorities for the summer market.

West Ham face paying Manchester United as much as £30m for Lingard, despite the £100,000-per-week dynamo entering the final year of his contract at Old Trafford this June.

Lingard also has interest from elsewhere in the Premier League and from abroad, with The Sun citing Arsenal as plotting a potential rival bid and ESPN listing Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain among a host of European suitors monitoring his situation.

But Fry does not expect outside influences to detract Gold and Sullivan from signing Lingard if the midfielder is Moyes’ man.

“Knowing the West Ham owners, I think they will try their best if David Moyes wants Lingard permanently,” he told FFC. “I think they do everything in their power to get him at West Ham.

“He’s obviously got a relationship with David Moyes, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone there in the first place.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

“He’s been absolutely fantastic. He’s got back in the England squad and showed his worth and he’s been outstanding for West Ham. Lingard’s special.”

Lingard, for his part, is not yet thought to have decided where he wishes to play his football next season, but the 28-year-old is expected to prioritise a club that has Champions League action to offer.

The England international’s goals have helped fire West Ham into the conversation of a top-four finish, with Moyes’ side sitting fourth in the Premier League table and only a point behind Leicester City on level games played with the Foxes plus rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

West Ham were five points behind Liverpool when Lingard made his Irons debut away to Aston Villa, but have enjoyed an eight-point swing since thanks to the playmaker’s eight goals and three assists in only nine appearances.

His double against Leicester on Sunday to help to a 3-2 win at home to the Foxes was particularly vital, yet Moyes argued after the game that “he has been crucial before that”.

It is no wonder, then, that Sky Sports reported earlier this month that West Ham are willing to ‘do whatever it takes’ to keep Lingard at the club, and why Fry has since seemingly supported that claim.

Sullivan would surely risk a major blunder by now failing to get a deal to retain Lingard over the line, and seeing the midfielder replicate his exploits elsewhere while having to pay a similar or even higher fee to find a replacement who can consistently offer the same output or better.

AND in other news, David Moyes eyes a summer reunion with £75k-p/w enforcer who looked “like he’s on roller-skates” in 2020…

Reports have suggested that Manchester United are unwilling to meet Tottenham Hotspur’s asking price for striker Harry Kane.

The England captain has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford for a considerable amount of time. With Edinson Cavani quickly approaching the twilight of his career having only signed a one-year deal at Old Trafford, albeit with the option of a second, the Red Devils have to make a move for Kane.

The Tottenham forward’s Premier League record really does speak for itself.

Now rated at £108m and being paid £200k per week at Tottenham, he has plundered an eye-watering 159 goals in 235 league appearances, an astounding record.

He has hit double figures in each of the last seven campaigns, even notching 30 during the 2017/18 season.

This all means that Kane has a strike rate of 0.67 goals per game, which is better than Marcus Rashford’s 0.31, Anthony Martial’s 0.33, Mason Greenwood’s 0.19 and of course Cavani’s record of 0.33.

With the mercurial Bruno Fernandes teeing Kane up with his 2.8 key passes per game, then an extremely fruitful relationship could well be in the offing in the future.

It won’t just be Kane’s goals that United will benefit from though. The 27-year-old’s creativity has improved just this season.

With ten Premier League matches to go in 2020/21, he already has 13 league assists, having added to those in his exhilarating performance in the 4-1 thumping of Crystal Palace.

The positives of Kane’s arrival at Old Trafford do not end there. Near neighbours Manchester City have also been backed to make a move for the Tottenham superstar in the near future.

If United manage to get there first, it could potentially signal a swing in power, not only in Manchester, but also in the Premier League.

So, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly keen to recruit a striker as soon as this summer, no target makes more sense than Harry Kane.

AND in more news, take a look at Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s brilliant performance in the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory in the Manchester derby…

Many Aston Villa fans have been talking about a tweet from Gregg Evans that recently emerged on social media.

Evans recently tweeted out an article about the club’s recent form. The tweet stated that the club’s squad will look more complete when the signing of Morgan Sanson is complete. It also talked about why Villa should sign a striker this month, saying that Ollie Watkins is the only striker in the Premier League who has played every minute of every game.

But the Englishman will need to rest at some point in the campaign and because of that, Villa may need to sign another striker in the ongoing January transfer window.

Evans’ article for the Athletic states that owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens will continue to back head coach Dean Smith in the market whenever the need arises. Adding another striker could mean that Villa could have the ‘perfect’ January window and it would allow them the chance to finish as high as possible.

It also states that Villa are in a better financial position than other clubs this month but despite that, January is a tough market to do business in. It also talked about the fact that having another striker wouldn’t hurt them.

Evans’ tweet caught the attention of many Villa fans, who gave their opinion about what the article said.

What did Villa fans make of Gregg Evans’ tweet?

“Think it will be a massively missed opportunity if we don’t sign another Striker to help Watkins. A loan would work and less risky.”

Credit: @chris_dolan

“I know he’s young but we should start thinking about integrating Barry into the first team squad a little.”

Credit: @_porsalin

“Does seem silly to only go with 1 recognised striker, if Watkins gets injured then the whole thing potentially falls apart due to his work rate and ability to occupy the whole back 4 on his own. We seen last season what an injury to your only striker can do.”

Credit: @VillaWayne

“I’d be surprised if we sign a striker. Traore would play up top if anything happened to Ollie with EG or Trez on the wing. Who, of real quality, would come to us knowing they would be just the back up? No time to panic. Address this in the summer. Re Barry, trust the coaches.”

Credit: @BrumRadioPete

“A striker addition with a loan to buy option would make sense for us to help Ollie take a breather and rest and rotate a bit, if ever he gets injured our European football adventure may end.”

Credit: @UTViIIa”Another striker is essential Gregg, Loan out Davis and have Barry around the first team … Watkins over Christmas was shattered.”Credit: @Naathan_loweIn other news, Fabrizio Romano has issued an update about an Aston Villa target – read more here.

Nottingham Forest continued their good form in the Championship as of late, with a 1-0 victory away at Rotherham on Tuesday night.

Chris Hughton’s side took home all three points thanks to a goal from Ryan Yates in the second-half, but while the midfielder may take a lot of the headlines for his match-winning strike, it was Cyrus Christie who arguably his manager’s true hero.

The right-back, who arrived on loan from Fulham back in the summer, has been a permanent fixture for the club, playing the full 90 minutes in all but two Championship games this campaign.

And on Tuesday, he looked at his formidable best, being a really strong presence defensively, and getting forward time and time again to try and test the Rotherham back-line with his crossing.

As per Sofascore, he sent in four crosses on the night, which was the most of any player for Forest, while his total of 86 touches was by far a game-high – the man in second, Gaetan Bong, had just 57.

It was a testament to just how much of an influence Christie had on proceedings, with a lot of Forest’s good work on the night coming down the right flank as the full-back charged forward.

But it wasn’t just offensively that the £20k-a-week earning ace stood out, instead also sticking to his task defensively. He won an impressive ten duels, which again was the most of any Forest player, while he also put his body on the line by blocking two shots, another team-high.

After the game, Rotherham boss Paul Warne couldn’t help but express his admiration for Christie, saying: “‘Wowza, their right-back can run. What a game he had.”

Yates may have scored the match-winning goal, but it was Christie’s contributions that really stood out for Hughton.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard this summer and the Saints must ensure that they don’t end with a repeat of the situation that has seen Virgil van Dijk become one of the best centre-backs in the world after leaving the South Coast club.

According to the Mirror, Jose Mourinho is contemplating a move for the 28-year-old ahead of the summer as he looks to improve his defensive options at the North London club.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach man has established himself as a key player under Ralph Hasenhuttl this season and has been one of the best performers in the top-flight, having contributed three goals in 21 top-flight appearances, which has helped him average an impressive 7.09 rating.

Only James Ward-Prowse has scored a higher rating in the Premier League so far this season, which emphasises just how important the Dane has become at the South Coast club, so it would be a big loss if the £13.5 million-rated defender were to leave.

Losing such a key defender would perhaps be similar to the deal that saw Van Dijk join Liverpool in 2017, with the Dutchman departing the Saints in a club-record deal and helping to revolutionise Jurgen Klopp’s side, helping them to success in the Premier League and Champions League.

Vestergaard’s performances this season have earned him comparisons to Van Dijk from Martin Keown and considering the 6 foot 6 man’s impressive ability in the air, it is easy to see why.

However, the Danish international has also developed his ability on the ball, averaging an 83.7% pass accuracy rate this season compared to a 77.1% accuracy during  the last campaign.

Hasenhuttl is clearly a big fan of the defender, having described him as a “role model”, whilst his partnership with Jan Bednarek at the back was a big part of Southampton’s impressive form earlier in the season.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should do everything he can to keep hold of the centre-back this summer, as he is clearly an important part of this Saints side, and losing him to a side like Spurs could well lead to a repeat of Van Dijk’s incredible rise after St Mary’s.

And, in other news… Forget Forster: Saints can sign serious McCarthy upgrade in £8.6m beast

Mike Ashley must sanction a Newcastle United deal to sign Spezia Calcio striker M’Bala Nzola amid rival interest from West Ham and AC Milan.

What’s the word?

According to Club Dorla 46, Spezia are prepared to brush off any attempts to sign Nzola during the January transfer window as they strive to retain their dynamic marksman.

Nzola has burst onto the scene in the Serie A this season with nine goals and one assist in 13 games, including his side’s initial equaliser in a 2-1 win over SSC Napoli last week, after helping the Stadio Alberto Picco natives secure promotion to the top-flight last term.

Nzola was the star attraction on Monday night when he again found the back of the net to seal a 2-1 win over UC Sampdoria, with Milan said to be scouting the game as they weigh up an offer for the 24-year-old Newcastle and West Ham striker target.

Sampdoria, too, are keen on a deal which would appeal to Nzola, who is highly sought-after through his central expertise and ability to play on either wing, but Spezia are loath to grant a mid-season move and will demand an important offer to sell now or in the summer.

The £3.5m-rated forward initially moved to the Stadio Alberto Picco last January on loan before securing a free transfer to Vincenzo Italiano’s side in October, where his impressive efforts are said to have sparked talk over a new contract and pay rise to ward off any interest.

Imagine Nzola and Wilson

Newcastle could forge a formidable forward line with a successful move to sign Nzola this month, but Steve Bruce will need to urge Ashley to put pen to an important offer with the Toon owner understood to be reluctant to commit to any major outlays in January.

Nzola is proving to be a lethal marksman in the Italian top-flight with his nine goals in 13 games already this season, despite never playing a minute in the Serie A before helping to secure Spezia’s promotion.

His efforts that have sparked table-toppers Milan to be keen have made Nzola irreplaceable in Liguria, yet a price is clearly on the Frenchman’s head, which Ashley must meet to help Bruce deliver a more appealing Newcastle than the defence-first, relegation-worriers currently seen at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle, as a team, are offering just 8.9 shots per Premier League fixture as the division’s third-quietest unit – only Sheffield United (8.4) and West Bromwich Albion (8.2) strike fewer, per WhoScored – and could do with a player of Nzola’s calibre with Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick the only Magpies to have scored multiple top-flight goals this term.

Nzola is offering an average of 2.1 shots and 1.3 key balls a game in the Serie A while making 1.0 successful dribbles and winning 4.5 duels, per SofaScore, as he commands the opponent’s territory in a side that has won just four of their 17 league fixtures thus far.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem embarrassed his teammates as Steve Bruce’s only positive at Arsenal…

Spurs will be hoping that they can continue their impressive run of form as they take on league heavyweights Manchester City as domestic football returns.

Jose Mourinho’s side are unbeaten in their last seven games and have banked impressive results including their shock 6-1 win over Manchester United. Despite the fact the team has suffered a few injury blows, including losing Tanguy Ndombele to a foot injury, Spurs will be favourites going into the match based purely on form alone.

Whilst Ndombele being out will be a blow for Mourinho, it presents new signing Giovani Lo Celso with a perfect opportunity to show what he’s all about.

Tottenham signed the attacking midfielder from Real Betis over the summer on a £27.2million deal worth £60,000 per week. His final season in Spain saw him rack up a handsome 16 goals and six assists, numbers he could may well replicate for Spurs, but is yet to really get going.

So far this term, Lo Celso has struggled to make his mark on the Premier League and has no goalscoring involvements in six appearances. However, all but one have come from off the bench, so today could be the day he puts pressure on his teammate and fights for his place in the starting lineup.

Man City are currently tenth in the table and are in desperate need of banking some points. They are currently six behind league leaders Leicester, which may not be a huge deficit but it doesn’t bode well for Pep Guardiola and his men to be on the border of the bottom half of the table. They will likely come out all guns blazing in order to strike first, which will give Spurs ample opportunity to catch them on the counter-attack.

With both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both in impeccable form, Lo Celso could help pull the strings from the midfield and notch up an assist or two. He certainly has the backing of many, with teammate Harry Winks labelling him as an “exciting player”. Now he must repay their faith.

In other news, Mourinho should deploy this Spurs man as shock Bale replacement vs City…

Mike Ashley can hand Steve Bruce an ideal upgrade on Dwight Gayle by signing Aberdeen’s lethal striker, and rumoured Newcastle United target, Sam Cosgrove in January.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, Bruce is determined to bolster his attacking arsenal in the winter market, feeling the Magpies currently lack adequate depth behind Callum Wilson and club-record signing Joelinton.

The Toon have sent scouts on regular missions to monitor the merits of Cosgrove whilst he continues to bounce back from knee cartilage damage, with the towering 6 ft 4 centre-forward making his fourth Premiership start of the season at St. Mirren on Saturday.

Cosgrove played an influential role in proceedings when he earned his campaign debut at home to nine-in-a-row title-holders Celtic in October by providing the assist for Aberdeen’s second in a 3-3 draw after just seven minutes on the pitch.

He followed the assist with a goal in the victory over Hibernian next time out and he could be signed for as little as £2million plus add-ons, after seeing a move to Ligue 2 side En Avant de Guingamp fall through this summer after an astounding 23-goal season across all competitions.

Forget Gayle, sign Cosgrove

While Cosgrove has not yet hit the same heights as last term as he continues his comeback from knee cartilage damage, a bargain £2m fee and his insane record in front of the net last season should be all the reasons that Ashley needs to get the cheque book out in January.

Bruce would be de delighted to have a player of Cosgrove’s ilk serving as the deputy to Wilson and Joelinton, as the Aberdeen ace’s towering physique and similar style of play to Andy Carroll will hand the Newcastle boss a game-changing option to call on when the Toon must ditch the original game plan.

The Magpies do not currently have regular goalscorers as backups as Carroll or Gayle are both yet to score this season, or in Gayle’s case, yet to even feature for a single minute in any competition.

Reports suggest that Bruce and the Newcastle hierarchy are unlikely to accept offers for Gayle in the upcoming winter market fearing a lack of depth in attack, but signing Cosgrove would allow the St. James’ Park natives the chance to listen to offers, rather than see the forward leave for free next summer.

Gayle’s future is certainly set to be away from Tyneside whether they keep him or sell him in January, so it would be foolish not to seek a replacement as soon as possible and accept whatever compensation can be found for the former Crystal Palace frontman.