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According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United have already held talks with representatives over potentially signing star Brentford striker Ivan Toney – with many Hammers fans flocking to give their verdicts on the big claim.

Before today’s action, Toney netted an incredible 29 goals and 10 assists in 42 Championship starts for the Bees and has marked himself out as a revelation over 2020/2021.

As a result, he has entered the West Ham fray as a striking target and the club have even reached out to the player’s agents in discussion over a possible summer move.

The 25-year-old, dubbed ‘unplayable’ by ESPN journalist David Cartlidge on Twitter for his stunning form, is now at the centre of debate from supporters on social media in response to this big C&H claim.

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While some supporters are simply excited over the thought of signing Toney, others believe that this report is too good to be true.

Find their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans flock to big Toney claim

“YESSSS”

Credit: @SaidMuv

“Please”

Credit: @conyard_adam

“I would absolutely love this! Class striker him proper 9 oi oi”

Credit: @bobbycrush6

“really hope this one happens”

Credit: @boleynbridges

“Lingard, Toney and Abraham would be great.”

Credit: @usukgoose

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“This is bonkers! We’re gonna have a full team of strikers with all the names we’re paired with! Get a grip!! But Toney’s great and I wouldn’t say no!”

Credit: @CraigardH

“Please be true”

Credit: @whukyle

In other news: West Ham also ‘dreaming’ of this signing, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 278 appearances during his career, has claimed that he would not be surprised to see Marcelo Bielsa leave Leeds United to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Spurs and Daniel Levy are currently on the hunt for their next manager after parting ways with Jose Mourinho just days before their eventual Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester City.

Ryan Mason, who came through Tottenham’s academy, has been placed in temporary charge until the end of the season with the 29-year old winning his first and only game in the Premier League thanks to a 90th-minute penalty from Son Heung-min.

Speaking on why he would not be surprised to see Bielsa at Spurs next season and how he comes across as a manager, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“Bielsa seems like a strange man to be honest and very intense. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him there next season because nothing does surprise me in football.

“Nothing surprises me in football when you’re talking about players being sold and bought and also with managers coming and going. So it wouldn’t surprise me.”

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Bielsa is still yet to sign a contract extension past this summer and the Leeds hierarchy have started to plan for potentialy life without the Argentine.

Leeds find themselves comfortably mid-table with just four games left to play in the Premier League this season.

Peterborough United Director of Football has lauded the job done by David Moyes at West Ham United as the club continue to push for European qualification in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The Hammers boss has overseen a remarkable rise up the league this season and they are currently pushing for qualification to the Champions League.

After this weekend’s clash with Chelsea, they are now three points adrift of the fourth-placed Blues, but are still in with a chance of securing a top-four finish with a strong end to the campaign.

It is a remarkable turnaround from last season, when Moyes was brought in to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.

Indeed, in 2019/20, West Ham took 39 points in total; this season, after their game against Chelsea, they have 55 points with five games of the season remaining.

Fry has been impressed with the way the ex-Everton boss has managed the club, and believes even the most optimistic West Ham fan will have been shocked by their unbelievable run into the top four.

He told FFC: “They (the owners) will be proud of bringing David Moyes back and the job that David Moyes has done in the past year.

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“He’s turned them from a relegation struggling outfit into an entertaining side, challenging for the Champions League.

“No disrespect to West Ham fans but I don’t think one of them would have thought that was possible within the year.”

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he expects Steve Bruce to remain at Newcastle United.

With the Magpies having found themselves in a relegation battle this season, some supporters have called for the 60-year-old to be sacked.

They have managed to find some form of late, though, picking up good results against Tottenham, Burnley and West Ham and no longer look to be in danger of going down – especially after Fulham failed to hold onto their 1-0 lead away at Arsenal.

Some fans may still not be happy, but Hendrie cannot see a change in the St. James’ Park dugout happening anytime soon.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Bruce’s future, the ex-Villa player said:

“I don’t actually think Steve Bruce will go if I’m being quite honest. From sources that I know and speak to, they’ve got no thought of changing him at this current time.”

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While Bruce’s short-term future at the club looks safe as Newcastle continue to remain out of the drop zone, it will be interesting to see what happens in the summer.

Talk of a takeover continues to rumble on. If one eventually does happen, the new regime may want a new man in the dugout.

West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee claimed earlier this week that the London Stadium natives were in talks with Joao Mario’s agent over a potential return to the Premier League, which could see David Sullivan acquire superb midfield depth for David Moyes.

The Irons are expected to strengthen their engine room in the upcoming off-season, to add numbers to a unit currently featuring just Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice and veteran captain Mark Noble.

Mario may emerge as an option for the east Londoners as he will enter the final year of his Inter Milan contract this summer, and is currently on loan with Liga NOS giants Sporting CP.

The Leoes are keen to retain Mario beyond his temporary spell, with reports by O Jogo last month stating that discussions were already underway after Inter Milan let it be known that the 28-year-old is available for a fee of €10m (£8.5m).

There is confidence at the Estadio Jose Alvalade that Mario will stay at the club, and it is believed that he is likewise keen to secure a permanent move following the performances of Ruben Amorim’s side this season.

But Irons insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Mario’s agent has been in touch with the London Stadium natives to sound out any interest in a return to the Premier League, following a loan spell for the latter half of the 2017/18 season.

A return is expected to hinge on whether or not Moyes feels Mario can still perform in the English top-flight, yet word of a potential reunion has excited some supporters.

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Moyes was at the West Ham helm when Mario moved to England in the final days of the 2018 winter market, and was left impressed by the 46-cap Portugal international’s performances over the following months.

“I think Joao Mario has done well since he came in,” Moyes said that April. “He brings a little bit of flair, he’s good on the ball, and a bit of natural talent. What goes unnoticed is that he’s actually a really hard-working boy as well.”

Mario only scored twice and offered one assist over his 14 appearances in claret and blue, but his importance on the pitch helped the Hammers to stave off the threat of relegation after arriving with the club just four points clear of the bottom three.

A return to Inter Milan only saw him start 12 of 20 Serie A outings before a move to Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow and later Sporting CP for the current term, where the midfielder has been a mainstay missing just two Liga NOS fixtures and starting 19 of 22 appearances.

His creativity has again been lacking for the Leoes with two goals and one assist to date, but the hard-working £88,000-per-week maestro has offered a box-to-box presence that could offer Moyes superb depth if signed this summer.

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Mario has offered Sporting a higher average volume of shots from central and holding midfield positions per 90 minutes (0.9) this season than West Ham have seen from Rice (0.8) in the Premier League, and records 1.4 tackles to the Englishman and Soucek’s 1.9, per WhoScored.

He further carries possession up the field more successful with 2.1 dribbles per 90 to Rice (0.9), Noble (0.8) and Soucek (0.4), and provides more key passes (1.3) than each of the Irons trio (0.7 Rice, 0.5 Soucek, 0 Noble).

Mario may not prove to be a ground-breaking signing if brought back to the London Stadium, but Sullivan would add experienced depth capable of delivering when needed if he convinces Moyes to accept a summer transfer.

AND in other news, David Moyes could discover his Jesse Lingard replacement in a “gifted” £18m-rated maestro…

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to news regarding midfielder Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on social media.

The club revealed on Monday morning that the 18-year-old has signed a professional deal with the Eagles.

Rak-Sakyi becomes the fifth Palace youngster to sign pro-terms with the club this season, following in the footsteps of David Omilabu, Tayo Adaramola, Fionn Mooney and Jadan Raymond.

Roy Hodgson included the young midfielder in the Palace squad for the first time in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea over the weekend.

He was a target for Bundesliga sides Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke, as well as Scottish giants Celtic and Premier League duo Everton and West Ham.

Rak-Sakyi is reportedly regarded as one of the brightest talents to emerge from Palace’s academy since right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Palace fans react

These Palace supporters were all delighted at the confirmed update regarding Rak-Sakyi on Monday morning, with one describing the professional deal as ‘huge’.

“Let’s goooooo”

Credit: @J_CPFC

“Wow, what a relief………I mean…….I mean…….of course he did, everyone wants to be Palace right?”

Credit: @gazbod

“Huge”

Credit: @mitchweaver_

“Great to see this young man commit to our club. This is what palace is about as a club and what we all love to see.”

Credit: @BrakePaul

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“Content you love to see”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“Good job, best talent we have imo”

Credit: @RodriguesJayJay

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to links to World Cup winner, find out more here. 

After seeing off relegation-battling Fulham last weekend, Aston Villa return to Premier League action when they take on champions Liverpool at Anfield this afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side had to come from behind to beat the Cottagers at Villa Park, with goals from Trezeguet and Ollie Watkins sparking a second-half comeback.

While a trip to the reigning champions may sound like a daunting prospect, Villa will have fond memories of the last time they played Liverpool in the league, a 7-2 drubbing which saw Ollie Watkins grab a hat-trick.

Aside from Jack Grealish’s continued absence, Smith doesn’t have too many injury concerns with which to contend, but might opt to make a couple of key changes considering how the game against Fulham panned out.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up against Liverpool.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be looking to keep a clean sheet after going three Premier League games without one, while the back four should also remain unchanged.

The midfield could see January signing Morgan Sanson drop out of the starting line-up, with John McGinn coming back in alongside Douglas Luiz.

After bagging a brace against Scott Parker’s side last week, Trezeguet has surely done enough to warrant a place in the first team, and he could replace Anwar El Ghazi just like he did at Villa Park six days ago.

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The other big change could see the rarely-seen Keinan Davis start up front alongside Ollie Watkins in a slight tweak in formation, with the 23-year-old – who has played just 103 minutes of Premier League football this season – having sent an emphatic message to his manager with a superb cameo against Fulham.

It would certainly be a big call to go with two up top against a team like Liverpool, but it could well be the kind of tactical surprise which catches out Jurgen Klopp’s side.

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Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Traore, Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet; Watkins, Davis.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith must start this “unbelievable” star vs Liverpool today…

Glasgow Rangers fans are loving comments from Steven Gerrard on the bans the SFA dished out to the five Gers players who broke health protocols.

Earlier this year, Calvin Bassey, Bongani Zungu, Nathan Patterson, Dapo Mebude and Brian Kinnear all broke coronavirus regulations to attend a house gathering. In the aftermath, they have since been banned for six games – although, following an appeal from the 55-time Scottish champions, the players will be able to play against Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth round later this month (Sky Sports).

Rangers face Hibernian on Sunday, and Gerrard was speaking at his pre-match press conference. He was asked about the reason behind the appeal, and he revealed the Gers do not believe the punishment dished out was consistent with sanctions they have given in other cases – he also specifically cited Celtic’s trip to Dubai as an example.

The comments were shared on Rangers’ official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Gerrard below

“Kennedy with the assist and Gerrard fires it into the top bin..”

Credit: @Walker_2603

“Great from the Gaffer”

Credit: @bigdibs89

“Outstanding, Gaffer. Simply outstanding.”

Credit: @55titles2021

“Superb for Gerrard”

Credit: @chr1s_g1llen

“Savage but well put.”

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Credit: @KeyWorkerGav

“Can’t be underestimated how much the manager has developed as a political operator in his time with the club. 3 years ago he’d have been sucked into providing a tabloid soundbite. Now he’s swatting these drafties away with a swift, concise and witty response. Delicious.”

Credit: @AuldBaldAaron

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this broadcaster’s comments.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves during his career, has claimed that Fulham and Scott Parker’s survival bubble may have burst already.

A few weeks ago Fulham were 10 points behind Newcastle United, however, they are now just two points and one place behind the Magpies thanks to positive results against the likes of Sheffield United, Liverpool and Everton.

Fulham have been beaten by more than one goal just once in their last nine games, which was a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City. During those nine games, they have only tasted defeat three times against Man City, Tottenham and Leeds.

Speaking on why Parker’s side may have peaked too early in the relegation battle and how two wins may be enough to stay up, Bull told FFC:

“I think Scott Parker’s bubble has burst a little bit a moment. I think they were riding on a bit of wave earlier but you aren’t going to win every single game of the season.

“Steve Bruce has been on a bit of a helter-skelter at the moment, sometimes winning, drawing and losing but the results haven’t been going for him recently.

“To win two or three games in the Premier League is a lot so I think like Aguero’s title-winning goal for City, it’ll be like that down the bottom this season.”

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Steve Bruce will be hopeful of welcoming back Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson to the starting line up against Tottenham on Sunday.

On the final day of the season, Fulham welcome the Magpies to Craven Cottage in what could be a winner takes all game.

When it comes to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ summer transfer plans, they are focused solely on improving their attack.

You can hardly blame Jeff Shi’s thought process. With Raul Jimenez missing since November, the Old Gold have looked a shadow of their former selves.

The Mexican has been out with a fractured skull, which has left Wolves to fall into the bottom half of the Premier League.

New signing Willian Jose is yet to score since penning terms in January while Fabio Silva’s £35.6m price tag has not been worth it; he has netted only twice since arriving.

The likes of Goncalo Guedes and Trincao have been linked but it’s Lucas Ocampos who stands proud as one of their most attractive targets.

Boasting a release clause of £62m, he presumably won’t come cheap, but judging by his previous accomplishments, he’d be an excellent pickup for Wolves.

The Argentine has scored seven times in 2020/21, providing four assists in the process. It’s hardly a surprise that Shi and Nuno Santo are interested in prising him away from Sevilla, however.

That’s because Ocampos demonstrated firsthand what he can do when the Spanish outfit defeated Wolves in Europe last season. Sevilla ultimately knocked the Old Gold out of the Europa League and it was largely thanks to the flying Argentine.

Playing on the left-hand side at the MSV-Arena in Duisburg, Ocampos tore Wolves to shreds and gave Matt Doherty a particularly tough evening.

The 26-year-old scored the goal which separated the two sides, while he was a constant menace with the ball at his feet.

Ocampos completed an eye-catching five dribbles during the contest, a number which happened to usurp Adama Traore’s tally on the night. That is certainly no easy achievement.

On top of that, Ocampos provided two crosses and managed four shots during his time on the field. Doherty had a night to forget as he was constantly pressured by the Wolves target.

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The Irishman completed only 55% of his passes and failed to block a single shot from the boot of Ocampos. He did manage four successful tackles but that was indicative of what the Sevilla winger was doing to him.

Based on that night back in August, the 26-year-old would be a wonderful acquisition for Wolves.

AND in other news, Wolves could find big Adama upgrade in “unpredictable” gem with a £427m release clause…