According to reports in Belgium, Everton and West Ham will battle it out to sign Burnley midfielder Steven Defour this summer.
What’s the story?
Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad.be claim West Ham want to sign the tough tackling midfielder, but will face stern competition from the Toffees.
The 29 year-old Belgian has had some injury issues this season, but has still managed 24 league appearances for Sean Dyche’s Clarets.
Both West Ham and Everton could undergo massive squad overhauls this summer, and both sides have glaring weaknesses in midfield.
Defour’s contract runs out in the summer of 2019, though the report from Nieuwsblad.be does say he would be open to extending his Clarets contract.
West Ham or Everton?
Defour is unquestionably talented, and has earned over 50 Belgium caps despite the depth of midfield options in Belgium’s golden generation.
The 29 year-old has one goal and one assist this season, but it’s not his attacking output that makes him appealing as much as what he offers in a defensive sense. Defour will cover every inch of grass, and is the type of player that every manager would want in their team.
He is averaging 1.4 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game in Burnley’s midfield, and his eye for a pass makes him a useful key in unlocking deep defences. He also has that bit of star quality, as he showed with his tremendous free kick goal at Old Trafford this season.
Valued at £6.3million by Transfermarkt, Defour’s reading of the game would be extremely beneficial to either of the linked clubs, but he would be a better fit at Goodison.
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Everton are just missing someone in midfield to link things up between the expensive attacking flair they brought in last summer, and Defour could be the perfect fit.
Everton fans, would you like to see a summer swoop for Defour? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made, Arsenal fans were rubbing their hands at the prospect of a tie against French side Monaco; what many judged the best possible outcome for the Gunners to reach the quarter-finals.
However, after a shock 3-1 defeat at the Emirates, they were somewhat left with egg on their faces and appear to be on their way out of Europe at the same stage yet again.
Despite a poor team performance overall, with the side displaying numerous examples of schoolboy defending, striker Olivier Giroud took much of the criticism for the defeat that night, and somewhat harshly was made the scapegoat.
The French forward missed a number of chances on the night that could have completely changed the complexion of the tie ahead of the return leg next week, and has since made it clear of his personal disappointment over his performance.
Yet with the spotlight very much on him heading into March, Giroud has shown terrific mental strength to find the net in successive league games in wins over Everton and Queen’s Park Rangers; a time when other players may have buckled.
Every player is entitled to a bad game, it’s part and parcel of the sport. It’s all about how quickly they can react and put it behind them that will define an individual, and Giroud has done that brilliantly, something he deserves to be applauded for.
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His latest goals mean he now has eight in his last 10 games, a period that saw him reach the landmark of 50 goals for the club, after 117 appearances – figures that many centre forwards would be pleased with. Despite his goal scoring record, he’s still yet to convince some fans and pundits, who don’t give him the credit he deserves, and are particularly concerned with his ability to deliver in the big games like Monaco, for example.
The fact is, he gets in the right areas to give himself the chances. Continue to do this, and then a player of his ability will score goals, as he as shown in his time at the club. Yes he will miss some, all strikers do, but his movement and ability to find space in the penalty area mean he will also find the net frequently and this is vital to Arsenal, who lack any real alternatives as an out-and-out striker.
Strong and powerful in the air, the forward also holds the ball up extremely well to bring his teammates into attacks, something that can often go unnoticed. And in a side that like to play type of football that Arsenal do, this is invaluable to the side.
And despite the missed chances, some of his recent goals have highlighted once again just how good his finishing can be. No doubt he will strive to improve his shots to goal ratio, but what striker doesn’t? Giroud clearly has mental toughness to put missed chances behind him, and with continued support from the manager and fans, can keep on improving and lead the line for Arsenal for the next few years as he enters what should be the peak of his career.
For Arsenal to have any chance of progressing into the last eight of the Champions League, they will need to score at least three goals in Monaco, which is certainly no easy task given the defensive strength of the French side. But with Giroud in their side, it’s still an achievable one.
With the creative options Arsenal posses, you can bank that he will find himself with a few opportunities to cut the deficit in the tie, and with his hunger to make amends for the first leg, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Giroud lead the comeback and help Arsenal to a famous victory.
Watch this space!
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At quite what point Emmanuel Adebayor transcended the line between an struggling passenger and a figure of derision within this Tottenham Hotspur team is somewhat unclear.
But with any existing goodwill seemingly in desperately short supply at White Hart Lane after a string of fruitless appearances, the heat upon the Togolese international is beginning to become intolerable. And it shows no sign of relenting anytime soon.
While it would be verging on the uncouth to suggest supporters doubted the sincerity of the former-Manchester City man’s injury during last weekend’s North London derby, it will perhaps come as little surprise to some that Adebayor’s stretcher-requiring issue might not suppress his availability for the weekend’s tie with Liverpool.
Regardless of the severity of his knock, perhaps in some ways, a spell out of the firing line is what Adebayor needs at the moment. As much as he’s looked a man bereft of the capability to stick the ball in the back of the net, he’s also looked like a striker bereft of anything resembling one iota of confidence. And for as delighted as supporters may be that Jermain Defoe now appears ready to return to the fold, their faltering striker’s lack of self-belief is something that they can’t sweep under the carpet.
With Defoe now back involved with first-team affairs following nearly a month out with ankle ligament damage, it’s very much a case of out of sight and out of mind, when it comes to the notion of Adebayor for some. However you wish to dress it up, the Togolese has had an extremely poor season and for all the issues that he had in getting his season off the ground – his first start didn’t come until the 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City back in November – his contribution in front of goal simply has not been good enough.
Yet even when Defoe’s been struggling for goals in this side, Villas-Boas’ team have still managed to produce the goods, the fact is that Emmanuel Adebayor still has an important part to play should the Lilywhites wish to fulfil their ambitions of both Europa League progress and Champions League qualification. And part of that process involves extending their patience towards their faltering just a little longer.
This doesn’t involve chanting his name, praising him from the stands or necessarily showing him much in the way of anything approaching affection. Merely ensure that the atmosphere towards him isn’t one that starts turning toxic.
Quite where his long-term future stands at White Hart Lane could well be anyone’s guess after this season. Regardless of his questionable goalscoring output, following his mucking around over his decision to go to the African Cup of Nations and his subsequent delayed arrival back from the competition, it’s been widely reported that neither Villas-Boas nor chairman Daniel Levy were particularly enamoured with his behaviour. And for Adebayor, it’s upsetting the latter that may have potentially burned an irreparable bridge in N17.
Although regardless of a potential breakup, the one time-Real Madrid striker isn’t going anywhere for the moment and with Spurs fighting on two fronts as we head into the final straight of what could be a defining season for the club, they’re not going to achieve all of their goals with Jermain Defoe playing every minute of every match until the end of the season.
Like it or not, we’ve not seen the last of Adebayor in a Tottenham shirt and if he’s going to start returning to the sort of form that saw him play a starring role in the side that attained a fourth placed finish last term, he’s not going to do so underneath a hail of pelters from the Spurs fans.
Now that might not have happened as of yet, but after another disappointing showing against Arsenal on Sunday, the tides of patience are beginning to renege, and fast.
But although some will argue that he’s not done much to warrant any more goodwill from the home fans, Adebayor hasn’t cut this caricature of disinterest and petulance that many like to make out. The goals haven’t been coming and his movement’s not been anywhere as sharp as it should be, but he’s still putting a shift in and working hard.
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As ridiculed as he was in the aftermath of the North London derby, he may not have done much with the ball, but it was his peeling run that freed up Gylfi Sigurdsson’s line of sight to see up Gareth Bale for the first goal. Reinventing the wheel it most certainly was not, although when Defoe did a similar sort of thing against Manchester United back in September to allow Bale to score, he was heralded as hard-working genius.
Clearly Adebayor doesn’t hold anywhere near the same sort of lofty standing as Defoe does with supporters and most prominently, he’s not been scoring enough to allow him much in the way of a reprieve, either.
But for however frustrated supporters may feel towards Emmanuel Adebayor, they can’t let that frustration boil over into substantial malaise. He’s still got an important part to play in their team’s season and if he is going to start scoring goals in the near future, he’s unlikely to do so within a backdrop of simmering ridicule.
Support in football is a two-way street. But for as little as he may have done in front of goal, Tottenham haven’t exactly been loosing too many games when that Emmanuel Adebayor has featured in this season, too. He must do a lot more but when he next takes to the field, he must do so within an atmosphere of amiability, as opposed to one of mild disdain.
Liverpool are interested in signing teenage sensation Christian Koffi from Monaco, according to L’Equipe.
What’s the word?
The 17-year-old has been catching the eye in Monaco’s youth ranks this season for his attacking performances.
Koffi draws similar comparisons to one of Liverpool’s current players, Sadio Mane, due to his positioning and ability.
L’Equipe reports that a number of top European clubs are interested in signing the teenager, but Liverpool appear to be the frontrunners as they plan to hold talks with the youngster in the coming days.
Jurgen Klopp has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal at Anfield, therefore Koffi would be a signing for the future.
Would he get a chance at Liverpool?
In a similar way to Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino, Klopp has been known to give young players a chance at first-team level.
The German helped developed numerous stars at Borussia Dortmund, while Ben Woodburn and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been handed opportunities under the manager.
The latter, in particular, has been featuring regularly in Liverpool’s first-team squad.
On Wednesday night, Klopp put faith in Alexander-Arnold to mark Leroy Sane in the team’s 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Manchester City.
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The 19-year-old passed the test with flying colours, which would give any young player encouragement if deliberating over a move to Liverpool.
Koffi would also suit the Reds’ playing style, but due to the abundance of attacking quality available, the youngster would have to be patient.
The footballing equivalent of those dreaded celebrity gossip magazines that quote ‘inside sources’ on Kim Kardashian’s alleged argument with her postman, the British tabloids’ constant spewing of fact-less transfer rumours rarely produces a true story.
But every now and then, the odd rumour comes to the surface that appears to have some weight behind it, providing you’re prepared to read between the lines.
And we may be amid the Premier League’s silly season, with the January window now upon us, but there’s a few stories involving Tottenham Hotspur this month that might actually materialise into something genuine.
Just to prove it, here’s FIVE we at Football Fancast are tipping to be the real McCoy.
EMMANUEL EMENIKE
Despite the recent heroics of Harry Kane, the glaring inadequacies of Tottenham’s strike-force desperately require Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino’s attention this month – especially if the Lilywhites are planning on a late charge for a Champions League spot.
There’s quite a few names in the mix, but rumours linking Spurs with Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike have been consistent over the last week or so.
The Nigerian international was spotted in London with agent Erdem Konyar earlier this week, who has since confirmed that Tottenham are interested in his client.
Boasting impressive returns of 63 goals in 51 appearances for Karabukaspor, 36 in 42 for Spartak Moscow and 25 in 40 for Fenerbahce however, the 27 year-old has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool before, who could both revive their interest.
Right now however, the Lilywhites seem to be the front-runners. Despite a £16million release clause, it’s claimed the Turkish side could settle for just £8million.
PAULINHO
Having never really hit the heights expected since moving to White Hart Lane for a then-club record £17million in summer 2013, and since been reduced to a bit-part role after some borderline woeful performances at the World Cup, rumours of Paulinho being put up for sale this January will hardly come as a huge surprise to Tottenham fans.
Indeed, the Brazil international scored six league goals last season but has spent the majority of the current campaign on the bench, seemingly ill-fitting to Mauricio Pochettino’s high-pressing philosophy – which is finally starting to take effect. Thus far, he’s seen just 135 minutes in the Premier League.
Spurs need to sell before the 26 year-old’s value further depreciates and according to the tabloids, there are a number of suitors emerging from the woodwork. Brazilian side Cruzeiro have been fairly public about their ambitions to sign Paulinho on loan, but the north Londoners would unquestionably prefer a permanent departure.
In that regard, The Independent claim Inter Milan, Schalke and former club Corinthians could all be interested in the £12million-rated midfielder.
MOUSA DEMBELE
Another midfielder that appears unable to adapt to Mauricio Pochettino’s methods, Mousa Dembele has been issued just three Premier League starts since the Argentine’s arrival in the summer.
The Belgium international’s immense talent remains undoubted – he looked like a world-beater in the making at former club Fulham and has attracted interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid, to name a few, in the past.
But that’s rarely corresponded into immense performances for the Lilywhites and he’s now at his furthest from Spurs’ starting Xi since his £15million arrival in January 2012.
Everton were alleged as potential suitors earlier in the season and could now view Dembele as the ideal signing to end their current malaise. Admittedly however, the rumour has lost traction over the last few months.
Jay Rodriguez
It’s not a transfer saga that’s received too much attention this month, but Tottenham’s long-term interest in Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez remains undoubted.
The England international flourished under Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership at St. Mary’s, finishing last term as the Premier League’s third top-scoring Englishman with 15 goals in 33 appearances, despite missing its final two months with an ACL injury.
Pochettino clearly likes the powerful winger-forward’s style and he would address a few problems for the Lilywhites – particularly their lack of depth on the left flank and at centre-forward.
Furthermore, my hunch tells me that the Saints could be prepared to sell; after all, they’re a completely different side now and have excelled in the 25 year-old’s prolonged absence, rising to fourth in the Premier League table.There will be a temptation to cash-in whilst he’s still in demand.
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Rodriguez is still struggling with his knee injury according to friend and Burnley striker Sam Vokes however, which could force the Lilywhites into seeking alternatives this month.
FABIAN DELPH
Aston Villa contract rebel Fabian Delph has been linked with a number of bigger Premier League clubs over the last few months, most particularly Tottenham and Liverpool.
Spurs desperately need more bodies in the middle of the park if Dembele and Paulinho are to leave as expected, and the 25 year-old shares the gutsy, energetic styles of Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb that Mauricio Pochettino has continually found himself depending on this term – epitomised by the above goal against Chelsea last season.
And it’s been a solid twelve months for the talismanic midfielder, earning the Villain of the Year award at the end of last season and more recently a spot in Roy Hodgson’s England squad, with three caps since his September debut.
He suits Tottenham’s style of play perfectly and with his contract now into its final six months, Mirror Football alleged a £3million offer from the north Londoners earlier this week.
The Express, on the other hand, believe Delph will wait until the summer before deciding upon his next club. Paul Lambert has also recently stated that the England international isn’t for sale.
Newcastle’s transfer movements this month have seen them bring in five players from Ligue 1, taking their first-team tally to 10, plus four more that were born in French-speaking countries, but the question that is on everyone’s lips is will this foreign invasion of sorts have a negative and potentially destabilising influence further down the line?
Of course, the evidence of such an impact was not visible during the club’s 2-1 win against fellow Premier League strugglers Aston Villa on Tuesday evening, their first away victory in the league all season, with new signings Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran both impressing on their debuts and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa being introduced late on.
Cast your eye around the Newcastle squad, though, and the spine of the team next season is likely to be French. Captain Fabricio Coloccini, while he may have been forced to stay at least until the end of the season, may still angle for a move away closer to home in the summer and the Yanga-Mbiwa purchase must be seen as an insurance policy ahead of a likely departure. It seems perfectly feasible next term to see Mathieu Debuchy, Mbiwa, Yohan Cabaye, Gouffran, Sissoko and Hatem Ben Arfa all line-up in the starting eleven; seven out of eleven players hailing from outside of these shores is a bold, but given the personnel available to Pardew, entirely logical next step.
You can clearly see where the club are coming from; the French league offers value for money quite like no other in Europe, with each of the five fresh faces brought into the club this month not only all affordable, but secured on long-term deals as they enter the peak of their careers. Head scout Graham Carr must have opened a boulangerie in Paris given all the work he’s done in the region this past year. Nevertheless, the sheer volume of French influence at the club is precisely what has attracted such interest, speculation and criticism.
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Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier warned last month of the potential negative that lies ahead, telling reporters: “You can’t stop the French speaking French. The dressing room will be unbalanced. There will be problems.” Considering the 65-year-old has managed the France national team in the past, plus trying to integrate several players from his time at Anfield, you suspect he knows his eggs on this subject. Obviously trying to head off such criticism, Pardew revealed last week: “They have to learn English or they will face penalties and hopefully they will grasp it.”
However, the main quotes doing the rounds this past week come from Pardew’s time at West Ham back in 2006, railing against a transfer policy at Arsenal very similar to the one that Newcastle now have: “I saw a headline saying Arsenal are flying the flag for Britain and I kind of wondered where that British involvement actually was when I looked at their team. It’s important that top clubs don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s the English Premier League and English players should be involved.”
Devoid of context, the quotes make Pardew seem fairly ridiculous and will have left him somewhat red-faced at being reminded of them, but it’s clear that while the Newcastle academy hasn’t produced any players of top flight quality these past few years, even if it doesn’t quite explain why they’ve aligned themselves so clearly with one country when the global game is a potential smorgasbord of talent.
With Danny Simpson set to leave in the summer when his contract expires, and Mike Williamson little more than a back-up centre-back, only really Steven Taylor stands a chance of consistent selection for the first-team out of the English players in the squad. Shola Ameobi, James Perch and Ryan Taylor are useful squad players to have, while Sammy Ameobi, James Tavernier and Shane Ferguson all represent viable prospects for the future, but there’s little to suggest any of them can make an impact on the starting eleven within the next year or so.
The club were in desperate need of recruits going into the January transfer window, with Pardew’s explaining their policy in greater detail recently: “There is slightly more value in the French market. Obviously, we have exploited that. Zaha is a typical example of trying to take a young player out of the Championship. I like him. I wanted to take him but, seriously, we had no chance. We just can’t pay that. We got four players for that. It suited our needs better to strengthen several positions for that sort of money. None of them was a knee-jerk reaction; otherwise we would have bought a 31-year-old from a squad in the Premier League.” There is nothing wrong with that assertion whatsoever.
The fans have urged owner Mike Ashley to invest this month or further run the risk of getting sucked into an ugly and increasingly messy relegation battle and the win against Aston Villa put breathing room between them and the bottom four once more. When the French market has worked so well for them these past couple of years, why even bother to try and look elsewhere? They have a strong scouting network in the country and the value for money is excellent.
Moreover, with the world shrinking (in an economic and communicative sense, not literally), the days when clubs could field a number of players from the academy are long gone and plenty of other sides in the top flight have fielded solely foreign-born sides and been no more worse off for doing so. To put this into context, the squad that got relegated back in 2008/9 contained 11 Englishman – do you forsake some sort of local pride and a lose connection with the surrounding community for success? The higher up the ladder you climb, it’s inevitable and to pretend otherwise is naive.
Pardew is clearly not in charge of transfers at the club, with the recruitment committee of Carr, managing director Derek Llambias and club secretary Lee Charnley all influential figures that report directly to Ashley. There is no recipe for success in the league, just different paths. Buying domestic players at the prices they cost these days is simply not an option for a club that’s ultimate aim is to balance the books.
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They are being sensible over their financial future, and should be applauded for not being as reckless as many of their rivals. They are bringing in established international players from a hotbed of talent that traditionally adapt well to the English game. The club clearly need to make improvements in integrating local players and academy prospects, but if they’re not good enough in the first place, then what’s the point?
A balance needs to struck in the future, but for the time being at least, needs must and the new recruits look certain to provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the entire squad while simultaneously boosting their fragile confidence, which should go a long way to ensuring their top flight status for another year. For those that want to bang the jingoistic, vaguely xenophobic drum that the Magies are beginning to represent everything about the decline of the English game, well I’m afraid that ship sailed a long time ago.
As reported by The Sun, Liverpool’s pursuit of Roma goalkeeper Allison has suffered a setback after his agent played down a move away from the Italian club this summer.
What’s the story?
Both Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet have failed to impress consistently between the sticks for the Reds this season and as such fans see the goalkeeping position as a top priority when the transfer window opens.
One player they’ve been linked with in recent months is £62m-rated goalkeeper Alisson, currently impressing in Seria A with Italian giants Roma.
However, the prospect of him leaving the club now seems further away after his agent played down recent transfer speculation, directly referencing the Reds.
As quoted by The Sun, Ze Maria Neis said:
Alisson is certainly one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He loves Roma, 100 per cent. Will he sign a new contract? Now he is focused only in Serie A and on the Champions League. We have a great relationship with Roma. We never spoke with Liverpool about him. Now Alisson only thinks in present time.
While ambiguous enough to not rule out anything, it’s clear that the goalkeeper nor his representative are interested in forcing a move away from his current club, but should Liverpool ramp up their interest him with a firm bid?
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How good is he?
Helping Roma to an impressive 18 clean sheets so far this term, the Brazilian number one is considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.
His side are currently in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and while they are struggling to challenge for the Serie A title, they certainly have ambitions in that regard too, aided by elite talents like Alisson.
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If Liverpool are to challenge for major honours too, they need as stable a defence as possible and after adding Virgil van Dijk to the squad, bringing in a quality and trusted number one behind him is crucial.
Alisson certainly fits the bill and even though speculation about his exit from Roma has cooled, the Reds should keep their thoughts on his situation.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is confident that Reds starlet Raheem Sterling will be fresh and ready to terrorise Premier League defences once more when he comes back to the club from a mid-season break.
The 20 year-old was allowed an extended break by Rodgers following Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City on New Year’s Day, with the Reds boss desperate to ensure that one of his most prized assets does not suffer from burnout in what will be a crucial last few months of the season for the Anfield outfit.
Sterling has played more minutes than any other outfield player in the Premier League this term – making 26 starts and two substitute appearances for Liverpool in all competitions.
He was also a key member of the Liverpool side who nearly clinched the Premier League last season, and after a whirlwind 18 months in football which has propelled the England international to global fame, Rodgers feels that a rest for Sterling is richly deserved.
“If you focus just purely on the here and now then of course you wouldn’t want Raheem to miss anything,” Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.
“But he’s a young player and you have got to look after the needs of the player and ultimately the team and the club.
“He has been outstanding for us in recent months. A period of rest and the recuperation will do him the world of good. It’s been a gruelling first half of the season for him with a lot of matches and a lot of work.
“This is the break I had always planned to give him. It will set him up for the rest of the season.”
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Following Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday, Sterling is expected to return from his holiday in Jamaica ready for the trip to Aston Villa.
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Sam Allardyce is hoping his depleted squad will once again cope well with adversity, when West Ham visit Reading on Saturday.
The Hammers boss saw his side reduced to ten men against Everton last Saturday following Carlton Cole’s controversial red card. While the outcome of the appeal is yet to be heard, Allardyce is planning for the trip to Berkshire without last season’s top scorer.
And Big Sam has admitted in an interview published on the Hammers’ official website, that the club would badly miss Cole, if the appeal against his ban proves unsuccessful, while fellow striker Andy Carroll continues to be sidelined through injury.
“We couldn’t afford to lose Carlton Cole, not just the fact that we went on to lose the game because of that but because he may now miss at Reading. That is a massive blow to us,” Allardyce said.
“We will appeal Carlton Cole’s sending off because we need Carlton for Reading. Losing him for three games will be a severe blow that we can’t cope with Andy Carroll being out as well.”
With Ricardo Vaz Te still out injured, West Ham’s only other fit recognised forward is Modibo Maiga, but Allardyce feels the Malian lacks the necessary Premier League experience to make the starting XI.
The 25-year-old, who can also play on the wing, moved to Upton Park this summer from French club Sochaux for a fee of £5million.
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“Modibo has made an impact from the sub’s bench but we don’t think he’s ready to start a game in the Premier League as it’s a big jump from the French league to the Barclays Premier League,” the Hammers boss added.
Fair play to Newcastle United attacker Ayoze Perez.
The Spaniard has revealed that he played against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon just three days after his grandmother had passed away.
The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes of his team’s 3-0 win over the Saints, and was extremely impressive in a forward position.
On Monday, Perez took to Twitter to reveal that he featured despite a family tragedy, and the Newcastle fans, who are absolutely delighted with head coach Rafael Benitez at the moment, have been paying tribute to the former Spain Under-21 international.
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Perez, who has scored four times and registered three assists in 29 appearances for Newcastle this season, is currently in his fourth straight season with the Magpies.
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He now seems to be part of the furniture at St James’ Park, and his classy Twitter post at the start of this week will only increase his popularity at the Premier League club.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: