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Following the 3-2 loss against Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United didn’t tweet a thing for over 24 hours.

This is presumably due to the fact that they knew any post would be met with an endless stream of negative comments about Manuel Pellegrini, Roberto and the team in general, as they extended their run of games without a win to eight in all competitions.

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When they did eventually come out of their brief hibernation, the admin did so with a video of the U23s’ impressive win over Aston Villa.

Unlike the first-team, the U23s have been in superb form this season, winning every Premier League 2 game they have played, aside from a 2-2 draw against Manchester United.

With this in mind, many Hammers fans feel that the young players should be given a chance to impress in the first-team.

Nathan Holland is among the most popular options Manuel Pellegrini should be choosing from, with it being questioned what he has to do to be included for a league game.

The video has only intensified that feeling, as it shows him getting a goal and two assists.

However, most aren’t being especially picky about who it is, as long as they see the academy products bringing something fresh to the first-team.

However, there has also been the opinion given that the achievements of the U23s should not be used in order to cover up for the first-team’s shortcomings.

Whether it be through calls for Pellegrini to be sacked or condemnation of the performance against Spurs, some were keen to hold the team to account.

One fan even suggested that the U23s should be given their own Twitter account, so they weren’t used as an excuse for the seniors’ failures not to be recognised.

In other news, the potential sale of a veteran could see one youngster get the opportunity he has been waiting for.

Could Patrick Roberts make his return to Celtic this summer?

The winger spent three seasons on loan at Celtic Park, notching 18 goals and providing a further 26 assists in just 78 games across all competitions.

But having returned to parent club Manchester City, Roberts has had a tough time of it in the last couple of years, enduring less than stellar loan spells at the likes of Girona, Norwich and Middlesbrough.

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However, according to TEAMtalk, Celtic have made a new approach to sign the 23-year-old on a permanent basis, although it is suggested that City have yet to make a decision on his long-term future.

After hearing about their links to Roberts, Celtic fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their former ace.

Some Celtic fans however seemed to be rather more reluctant to see Roberts back, with one supporter suggesting that they have “wasted enough money over the past few years”.

With the footballing world having to adjust their summer plans due to the current climate, luring Roberts on a cut-price deal could be a shrewd piece of business from Peter Lawwell and co.

The winger already knows what it’s like to play at Celtic Park and wouldn’t need too much time to get back into the swing of things.

Celtic, just like every other club, will have to play it smart in the summer, and a reunion with Roberts would be exactly that.

West Ham United are reportedly still keen on the permanent signing of Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek, according to Football.London.

What does the report say?

Soucek joined West Ham on loan from Slavia Prague in January and made four appearances before the suspension of the season.

According to Football.London, the club are keen on making this deal permanent for around £16.9m, although this will leave the Hammers with little money to spend elsewhere.

In three Premier League starts, the 25-year-old defensive midfielder has averaged two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances per match and the club are said to have been impressed with his impact.

However, given the financial situation that is likely to affect plenty of football clubs this summer, £16.9m is likely to take up much of the club’s summer budget.

New trends

With clubs likely to have less money than ever before, free transfers and loan deals are set to become commonplace.

The Hammers know they have wasted too much in transfer fees in recent seasons and with big names like Andriy Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller struggling to show their best on a consistent basis, it will be interesting to show how a change of strategy might work.

Of course, maintaining their Premier League status remains their priority, but with an eye on the summer, they will have to start identifying young talent more effectively than they have in the past.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have hit out at women’s sporting director Eniola Aluko for her comments on the furlough rule.

With football at a standstill due to the recent pandemic, many clubs have been forced to put their staff on the government furlough scheme, which has now been extended until October.

The scheme sees employees receive 80% of their monthly wages of up to £2,500, whilst the country works through the pandemic and begins to come out of the recent lockdown.

BBC Sport recently reported that Villa’s women’s side, who sit top of the Women’s Championship, have been furloughed.

Aluko, who won 102 caps for her country and represented the likes of Chelsea, Birmingham City and Juventus, commented earlier this week on the scheme, suggested it created a “do-nothing” mentality and “culture of entitlement”. Her comments have now been attacked by Villa fans.

Villa women’s sporting director has since apologised for her comments, but the 33-year-old has seen her reputation amongst fans of the Claret and Blue club now take a hard hit.

Reacting to a tweet on the comments via Twitter account @HeartOfTheHolte, fans gave their opinion on Aluko with one suggesting her tweets were “embarrassing”:

What do you make of Aluko’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below…

As Mikel Arteta heads into his first summer transfer window in charge at the Emirates, all eyes will be on what kind of players he will manage to bring in to continue his revolution in north London.The Spaniard was named the permanent successor to Unai Emery back in December, and picked up some notable results before all of football was postponed, including a 2-0 home victory over Premier League rivals Manchester United.

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Now, according to French publication Le10Sport, Arsenal are dreaming of bringing in Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho back to English football, and that they have even “made their arrangements to start the first discussions with his agent,ÂKia Joorabchian”.

After hearing about the links to the Brazilian play-maker, fans of the north London side flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about their rumoured transfer target.

Like a few Gunners fans have suggested, there may be a concern that the north London side are relying a bit too heavily on super-agents and contacts to sign new players.

Coutinho’s qualities are undoubted given that he is played for the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in recent years, but simply bringing in him because his agent has a good relationship with the hierarchy would not be a move with the right intentions.

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has hailed Rangers for getting Ianis Hagi at a “snip”.

What did he say?

The Gers confirmed the permanent signing of the Romania international for a fee believed to be around £3m, with the club’s director of football, Ross Wilson, revealing that they had renegotiated a deal less than what they had initially agreed on when he joined on loan.

Now, Whelan has hailed the Scottish side for bringing in a player of quality at such a low fee, and insisted he will go on to be a major success at the club.

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He said: “It’s a snip, isn’t it? When you look at the quality of player, you’ve got to look who you’re looking at as well. You’re not looking at an Aberdeen – though even Aberdeen would probably pay £3m for a player.

“For a club like Rangers, to get a player of his age and his ability, in the Scottish Premiership, I don’t think £3m is a lot of money, I really don’t, not when you’re talking about a giant of Scottish football in Glasgow Rangers.

“They’re not going to worry about £3m when they’re getting a fantastic player in who’s going to serve them for three or four years. That looks like quite good business to me.”

Bargain

After arriving in January from Genk, Hagi really showcased why it was such a coup for Rangers to lure him to Ibrox.

In just 12 total games for the club, he managed three goals and two assists, with Gers boss Gerrard waxing lyrical about him after a particularly impressive display against Hibernian.

He said: “Ianis is a top talent. I thought his performance grew as the game wore on. In the first half he was getting used to the game in Scotland, people knocking him about. Second half he was much stronger.

“He’s a brave player. He’ll receive the ball in any situation, in any area of the pitch. Even if he makes a mistake, he won’t shy away. He was outstanding.”

As Rangers look to dethrone Celtic as the champions of Scotland, Hagi could play a pivotal role in ensuring the title ends up at Ibrox next season.

Mikel Arteta favoured a lot of his youth over experience in Arsenal’s recent fixture against Manchester City and it looks like he will continue to do so. The manager was full of praise for one young star in particular following the match.

The Gunners lost the fixture 3-0 but this was more due to the disasterclass of David Luiz than the performance of the whole squad, and there were some positives to take.

Clearly Arteta has noticed this and he spoke highly of forward Eddie Nketiah, as he said (via Arseblog):  “I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Nketiah managed to get a 6.8 rating on SofaScore and, bearing in mind his side lost 3-0, this is a respectable rating to achieve from the match and was also the best out of the whole Arsenal team.

He was starved a lot of the ball due to the red card that Luiz received, but he managed to win four out of his six ground duels playing as a forward and shows some promising glimpses against one of England’s best teams, which makes you wonder how he struggled for game-time at Leeds.

The 21 year-old has a decent scoring record ever since he played for the under-18’s at Arsenal, as he has scored 57 goals in 104 appearances, per Transfermarkt. He has also already managed one goal in his six Premier League appearances and, with Arteta in charge and trusting in youth, we could really see Nketiah grow into a top striker.

With Aubameyang now 31, the Gunners are going to need a new leading striker soon, and it will be great for all parties if Nketiah could be the one who steps up and replaces him.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on Nketiah? Comment below with your views!

Manchester United do not intend to reintegrate Marcos Rojo into their first team squad after his loan with Estudiantes has turned out to be a complete and utter disaster. 

The Red Devils have tried to sell Rojo in four of the past five summer transfer windows but have been unsuccessful so far.

According to The Manchester Evening News, the veteran has not returned to Manchester and is still in Argentina even though the domestic season is currently suspended.

Rojo, 30, has hardly featured at all for his boyhood club, as a combination of injury and bad luck has limited him to one solitary appearance so far.

The exiled outcast was spotted breaking the lockdown rules in Argentina and his parent club have reminded him of his responsibilities.

Bizarrely, Estudiantes don’t seem to mind his behaviour, as they are desperate for him to stay at the Jorge Luis Hischi Stadium.

United have tried to get rid of him for a number of years, but it finally looks like their wish has been granted.

The Argentine earns roughly £160,000-a-week and his contract is set to expire next year.

His agent Jonathan Barnett, who also represents Daniel James, told Stretty News earlier this month “I couldn’t comment on what Solskjaer thinks but I think it’s obvious, I think with Rojo, probably [a move] is more than likely somewhere else.”

Rojo reportedly wants to remain in his homeland and hopes his loan deal can be made permanent.

It is worth pointing out the Los Pincharratas are facing mounting financial pressure and may only be able to afford another short-term deal.

Regardless, Rojo seems destined for the exit, irrespective of whether or not the two sides can work something out.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward should sell Marcos Rojo this summer? Let us know down below!

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

Florin Andone tasted relegation with Deportivo La Coruna in 2018 but he was soon back playing top-flight football with another team in blue and white stripes as, later that summer, he completed a £5.4m move to Brighton (as per TransferMarkt), who had beaten the drop in their first season in the Premier League.

The 25-cap Romania international came to the Amex Stadium with a decent scoring record in Spanish football and was expected to provide a fresh alternative to the ageing Glenn Murray, on whom the Seagulls relied heavily for goals in the 2017/18 season.

How did Andone fare after his transfer to Brighton?

Andone had to be patient for his chance under Chris Hughton, not making his first Premier League start until December. However, goals in successive games against Huddersfield and arch-rivals Crystal Palace hinted at a sign of good things to come – his solo goal against the Eagles was a gem.

He netted a couple of times in the Seagulls’ run to the FA Cup semi-finals but found league starts hard to come by, while two of his three league goals in an underwhelming first season came against a Huddersfield side who collected a meagre 16 points.

Even when finding the net against West Brom in a cup tie, the Romanian also made headlines for sinister reasons, elbowing Sam Field in the face and subsequently receiving a three-match ban.

Andone’s second season as a Brighton player

Andone’s first year at Brighton wasn’t a memorable one and the £19.8m acquisition of Neal Maupay last summer left him with an even greater challenge to win over new manager Graham Potter.

He got his 2019/20 campaign off to a good start, scoring as a substitute in the opening day 3-0 win at Watford, but then his nasty streak came to the fore again a couple of weeks later. A rash knee-high challenge on Southampton’s Yann Valery saw him shown a straight red card and prompted a shocked Paul Merson to say that it was “worthy of five red cards”. Even Potter admonished him afterwards for the excessive severity of the challenge.

That remains his last appearance for Brighton as he was soon dispatched on loan to Galatasaray for the season, where a cruciate ligament injury limited him to only 12 appearances in which he scored just twice (as per TransferMarkt).

What does the future hold for Andone at Brighton?

Andone’s loan spell in Turkey was cut short in June after suffering a knee injury and he now finds himself back at Brighton, where Maupay hit double figures in the 2019/20 season and Aaron Connolly broke into the first team to feature regularly under Potter.

The 27-year-old has endured a torrid time since his move to Sussex in 2018 and, with the likes of Maupay and Connolly impressing at the Amex in recent months, the Romanian could face a bleak future at Brighton, where he has managed only six goals in 30 appearances since his £5.4m move two years ago.

Brighton fans, have you felt short-changed by Andone during his time with the club? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

Even though it might’ve been hard to imagine Bayern Munich ever letting themselves get into this position in the first place, the Bavarians are, according to a new report from Bild, at a stalemate in regards with David Alaba’s contract renewal.

This could indeed pave the way for Manchester City, or other interested parties, who would love nothing more than to grab the world-class player with a significant discount.

The same news outlet states the problem, as is usually the case, lies in the wages proposed by the club. So much so that the two parties have reportedly reached a stalemate since the Bavarians are refusing to offer collective wages that exceed €20m (£18m).

For the 28-year-old, that is simply not enough and his agent could now even be threatening the scenario of Alaba leaving on a free once his current deal with Bayern expires. This, needless to say, has immediately alerted both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who would love to snatch the player up for a significant discount, or better yet, on a free transfer next summer.

Pep Guardiola himself is said to be a big admirer of Alaba and knows the player well from the time they worked together in the Bundesliga. Of course, if an agreement with the player can’t be reached, it’s largely expected Bayern will rather sell him for cheap now than wait a year longer to then offload an unhappy camper as a free agent.

For that reason, a move to the Etihad could be on the cards for the 28-year-old star.

Verdict

Needless to say, Man City are currently in an ideal situation – either they buy a world-class player for ‘peanuts’ now or wait an additional year to scoop him up for free. But, Guardiola should also be wary of other teams’ interest as well and PSG definitely have the financial power to give Alaba what he wants.

Seeing how versatile and how talented the 28-year-old is, it does seem like he just might be worth every penny.