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West Brom’s relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last weekend but with three games still left to play, they ought to go down with their head held high.

Of course, it has been a disastrous season at The Hawthorns and things could quickly get worse with Liverpool in town as they look to bolster their top-four claims.

However, Sam Allardyce’s men caused them a lot of trouble up at Anfield in the reverse fixture back in late December and will be wanting to do the same here.

Given that they know their immediate fate, the 66-year-old could do with keeping one eye on next season. The Express & Star believe he is in line to stay at the Baggies, so he should look to some out-of-favour stars here this afternoon.

Some big-name players have struggled for minutes under Big Sam, particularly since the January transfer window, where Albion’s squad was bolstered by plenty of loan additions – but none of them are likely to be around next season, so there is very little point in playing them.

One star that has quickly become a forgotten man in the Midlands is £18m summer signing Grady Diangana.

The 23-year-old dynamo started up in Merseyside but has only played in four league games since, in which just two have been starts. In fact, the former West Ham academy gem has played only 85 minutes in 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

Diangana, who is now valued at just £9m, was one of West Brom’s star performers in the Championship last season, providing eight goals and seven assists.

He earned rave reviews as an “explosive” threat that is a “total nightmare” to defend against and considering the Baggies are heading back there, Big Sam must give him a run-out in these remaining matches to prove he’s worthy of redemption next term.

Interestingly, the 5 foot 11 wide man put in a very industrious and solid showing against the Reds last time, so perhaps he can be the man to give Jurgen Klopp and his team those ‘nightmares’ once again.

As per SofaScore, Diangana made three tackles, registered two interceptions and picked up two free-kicks, helping his defence thwart the threat on offer from Mo Salah and co, which would have undoubtedly left the German boss a little frustrated.

If West Brom want to cause a major upset and end their season on a high, then Allardyce could do no harm in unleashing a player with a big point to prove.

The rarely-seen gem must be part of the starting XI later today.

AND in other news, Albion given big manager update amid Allardyce claim, Dowling now has tricky dilemma…

Newcastle United have been dealt a blow in their bid to appoint Ramon Planes as their director of football.

What’s the latest?

According to reports from Spain (via Chronicle Live), Newcastle are one of a number of clubs interested in making a move for the former Barcelona technical secretary, who is thought to be interested in taking up a role away from Spain for his next job.

However, in a further twist to the story, 90min has claimed that AS Roma have now initiated talks with the 54-year-old, while Bayer Leverkusen are also believed to be interested in the Spaniard.

Fans will be furious

With the January transfer window edging closer with each passing day, the fact that Newcastle’s new owners appear no closer to appointing a director of football is sure to have left fans of the club furious.

Indeed, the Magpies have been linked with a host of names regarding the position, with Michael Emenalo, Marc Overmars, Michael Edwards, Brian Marwood, Paul Mitchell and Luis Campos all being touted as potential targets for the club.

However, in recent comments cited by Chronicle Live, Mark Douglas suggested that the club are no closer to making an appointment, with the journalist stating: “It may not be the news people want to hear, but I think there’s still a fair bit of work to be done on getting the power lines sorted behind the scenes.

“Some elements of the consortium would go one way and others another way. Michael Emenalo has been mentioned and has several rounds of talks with the hierarchy but it’s getting those things decided.

“I heard a few weeks that they hadn’t decided fully on the structure so that is ponderous in my opinion and they need to get it all sorted before January. It’s something they do need to resolve fairly quickly.”

As such, the news that PIF look set to miss out on yet another target for the role in Ramon Planes, something that it would appear is due to their inability to agree on the club’s overall direction, will undoubtedly be a huge cause for concern amongst fans, who will certainly be hoping the club can make an appointment well ahead of the turn of the year.

After watching talks with Unai Emery fall flat, fans should be concerned over the strength of Amanda Staveley and co’s negotiation skills.

In other news: PIF could “easily” seal NUFC deal to kickstart Howe era in £76m-rated “golden boy”

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has been urged to turn down any advances from Newcastle and only consider offers from ‘clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United’. 

The lowdown

The Northern Echo’s Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson reported over the weekend that the Magpies had sounded out the possibility of appointing the 51-year-old, as well as his sporting director Marc Overmars.

Ten Hag, who has previously turned down Tottenham Hotspur, is still under contract at the Johann Cruyff ArenA for another two years, so Newcastle would need to pay a compensation package if they are to entice him to Tyneside.

The 51-year-old led Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League, claiming the scalps of Juventus and Real Madrid along the way. He has also steered the team to two Eredivisie titles and twice been named the Dutch league’s manager of the year (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

Speaking on Studio Voetbal, Dutch journalist Arno Vermeulen admitted that he was baffled by the links and feels that the ‘much smarter’ move for Ten Had would be to wait for an offer from a club which has already ‘established’ itself at the top level.

“Why in God’s name would he go to Newcastle, I wonder?” he said, as quoted by Ajax Showtime. “He’s really smart. He started working at Ajax in the top of the Netherlands.”

Vermeulen later added: “Wouldn’t it be much smarter to wait for clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United? Clubs that are established. If you win prizes with that for a few years, that is very valuable.”

The verdict

The attraction of Newcastle is clear. It’s a transformative project being bankrolled by immensely wealthy owners, and while they may not be ‘established’ now, they may well have the means to be challenging for the top prizes by the end of the decade.

Will Ten Hag be interested in the job? It’s almost surprising that he’s still at Ajax more than two years on from that incredible Champions League run, but this might be the opportunity which tempts him away from Amsterdam. His CV certainly makes for good reading.

In other news, read this major update on an another managerial candidate

With 25 strikes conceded in the Premier League so far this season, Aston Villa have let more goals in than Burnley, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Taking this into account, the upcoming January transfer window could provide the Midlands club and Steven Gerrard with the opportunity to bring some reinforcements into the club, particularly in the defensive areas.

One deal that the club could look to do to strengthen the squad up at the back is by signing Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson, who Villa are reportedly in the frame to sign in January according to journalist Peter O’Rourke.

It was previously reported that Goldson had rejected the chance to sign a new deal with the Scottish club in an effort to join a Premier League club, which could pave the way for Gerrard to reunite with the defender after the 29-year-old made a total of 182 appearances under the current Villa boss at Rangers, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists in the process.

Labelled as a player with “incredible leadership” on and off the pitch by Gerrard, signing Goldson in January could be a dream move for the Villa manager to help give some guidance to Villa’s younger defenders such as Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause and Axel Tuanzebe.

Since joining Rangers back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Brighton in a deal worth a reported fee of around £3m, Goldson has gone on to make 188 appearances for the club across all competitions, showing how vital he has been for the team since his arrival and why they would presumably prefer to keep hold of him for the remainder of the season.

This season has seen the defender, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £27k-per-week according to Salary Sport, play in all but two of Rangers’ games across all competitions, completing the full 90 minutes in all of them, highlighting him importance to the club.

With Villa also linked with a move for Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez, Goldson could be a much cheaper alternative than the England international.

That’s when you take into account his advanced age and the presumption that the Reds would want more money for their player than Rangers would want for their asset, especially with his contract set to run out at the end of the season.

In other news: Lange must avoid transfer catastrophe at AVFC over “magnificent” £28.8m-rated machine – opinion

According to a report by club insider Claret & Hugh, West Ham United medics and backroom staff have ‘growing confidence’ behind the scenes that star defender Angelo Ogbonna could soon be available for the game against Leicester City or ‘certainly’ away to Newcastle United.

West Ham insider shares big Ogbonna injury boost

Ogbonna, who has been out of match action recently after suffering an ankle injury, is said to be making progress in his rehabilitation at Rush Green with his comeback potentially coming soon after the international break.

The Italian limped off just 16 minutes into West Ham’s FA Cup defeat away to Manchester United last month, but Irons insider Claret & Hugh has provided a positive update.

It is understood by the outlet that medics and backroom staff have ‘growing confidence’ Ogbonna will return shortly after the international interval and could be available again for the home game against Leicester.

Barring that, C&H relay that West Ham officials believe the 32-year-old will ‘certainly’ be back for the trip to St. James’ Park soon afterwards.

Transfer Tavern take

This is a big injury boost for manager David Moyes – Ogbonna was a mainstay under the Scotsman and one of the first names on his team sheet before an untimely absence – starting 23 Premier League games in total (WhoScored).

As well as this, out of all the first team regulars with 14 league starts or more over 2020/2021, Ogbonna has averaged the most league clearances per 90.

News that he could return very soon after the international break will delight Moyes, especially as the Hammers chase an unprecedented finish in the European qualifying spots.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this footage, find out more here.

Everton may be offered the chance to sign both Aaron Ramsey and Douglas Costa in the summer transfer window as makeweights to sell Moise Kean.

That is according to Tutto Juve, who claimed that Juventus would look to bring in their former striker if they can persuade the Goodison Park club to sell him once his loan spell at Paris Saint Germain concludes at the end of the season.

According to Transfermarkt, Ramsey and Costa are valued at £18m and £10.8m respectively, and the Serie A club would reportedly be willing to add more money on top of that in order to sign Kean.

Everton could use Ramsey and Costa

Both Ramsey and Costa could be very useful squad players to have for Everton should they proceed with this swap deal with Kean.

The former has considerable experience of playing in the Premier League with Arsenal, with a total of 91 goal contributions in 262 games over 11 consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

Costa would give Carlo Ancelotti another handy option out wide, and having played 34 times under the Italian, the manager will likely know how to get the best out of the Bayern Munich loanee.

Kean would have to be a sacrifice, but the Toffees potentially getting these two players in exchange should only serve to strengthen the current squad.

In other news, find out whose display against Manchester City was slammed by numerous Everton fans.

Aston Villa transfer target Geoffrey Kondogbia looks likely to stay at Atletico Madrid this summer, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.  

The Lowdown: Gerrard scouting trip

Steven Gerrard is making preparations ahead of his first full season in charge in the Midlands, with midfield reinforcements seemingly high on his wish list.

The Villa manager personally made the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano earlier this month to watch Kondogbia in action against Manchester City.

Villa view the 29-year-old as a serious target and the club are thought to be confident of getting a deal over the line, but a worrying update has now emerged.

The Latest: Talbot’s post on Kondogbia

Talbot took to Twitter on Monday to share an update on Kondogbia for TEAMtalk, revealing that it seems probable that the midfielder will stay in Spain unless Villa were to come forward with ‘a massive offer’.

The reporter tweeted: “Have been told Geoffrey Kondogbia will likely remain at Atletico Madrid unless Aston Villa come in with a massive offer.”

The Verdict: Kamara is an alternative

Kondogbia isn’t the only midfielder Gerrard has recently watched live, with the Villa manager, Johan Lange and Christian Purslow all looking at Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara.

The 22-year-old is out of contract at the end of June, so Villa may well look to secure his services on a pre-contract agreement after this update on Kondogbia.

Kamara is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also line out at centre-back and is valued at £22.5m, so a free transfer to Villa Park could be a shrewd move given the concerning update from Talbot on Kondogbia.

In other news: Gerrard and Villa chiefs eyeing move for new defender with same agent as four AVFC players

Writing on Twitter, reliable journalist David Ornstein of the Athletic has dropped an encouraging six-word West Ham transfer claim in a social media message – going on to say that, while the pursuit for Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri looks all but over, GSB haven’t given up in their quest sign a striker before deadline day.

Hammers boss David Moyes recently confirmed that the club have made numerous enquires for forwards in attempts to get a deal over the line as soon as possible (football.london), but so far, West Ham have had little luck.

Ornstein’s encouraging West Ham claim

Ornstein, dropping an update on social media, has shared words of encouragement for Irons in a message on Twitter – revealing, despite the setbacks, they still ‘aim to sign a striker pre-deadline’.

Numerous reports have cropped up in the past few days alone, with Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard now an option (The Daily Star), as well as GSB allegedly being offered the chance to sign former Premier League striker Edin Dzeko (Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness) and Ornstein reports that the club are still keen to bring in a new forward.

Transfer Tavern take

Until Moyes manages to land a new addition, speculation will continue to arise over who could walk through the doors in east London – but it appears that West Ham have no shortage of attacking candidates.

Ornstein’s message indicates that the chase is still very much on, and Irons supporters will be hoping for a meaningful update very soon in regards to finally signing a striker.

In other news: West Ham fans loved this update from ExWHUemployee, find out more here.

Speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily), David Ornstein of the Athletic has shared a potential ‘glimmer of hope’ for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane as he allegedly seeks an exit from north London this summer. 

The Lowdown: Kane exit saga dominates the media

Since Sky Sports lifted the lid on Kane’s reiterated desire to leave Tottenham, there have been no shortage of reports linking clubs to the forward.

Indeed, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are the Premier League sides watching him closely, meanwhile one unnamed club abroad is said to be ‘extremely interested’ and have even ‘been in touch’ (Sky Sports via Football Daily).

Judging by it’s start, it seems as if the Kane saga looks set to be with us all summer long.

The Latest: Ornstein shares ‘glimmer of hope’ for Kane

While there are sides eyeing a move and Kane allegedly wants to quit, all the cards are held by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

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However, Ornstein, speaking to Sky (via Football Daily), has shared a ‘glimmer of hope’ for Kane when it comes to him potentially sealing an exit.

“If he’s going to win major trophies, he’s going to have to leave Tottenham,” explained the journalist.

“But, he’s under contract until 2024, so it’s going to be incredibly difficult – it seems like he’ll keep positioning himself, he’ll keep making some public statements here and there.

“One thing I do think is that’s really upsetting the Tottenham hierarchy.

“They’re not happy with his conduct at all, and perhaps that presents a tiny chink of light, a glimmer of hope if Harry Kane is going to move away.”

The Verdict: Won’t be enough…

As Ornstein went on to explain, Levy will not drop his asking price for anybody, meaning a move away for Kane in 2021 looks far more unlikely than possible.

It is even claimed that Spurs could demand an eye-watering £200 million for the Englishman and any club would surely be priced out of a move (Eurosport).

Even City, who are touted as favourites, would have to more than triple their club-record transfer to sign Kane if around £200m is what Spurs are demanding.

Given Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland will be available for just €75 million (£64.5 million) in June 2022 thanks to a release clause (CBS Sports), the Sky Blues could feasibly bide their time and sign the Norwegian over Kane next year.

This would deal a hammer blow to the 27-year-old’s hopes of leaving Spurs, with the only other likely option remaining arguably Paris-Saint Germain and a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino.

As Levy holds all the aces, Kane could be set for a big battle behind the scenes.

In other news: Spurs could now be offered this £250,000-per-week star who Carrick called ‘unplayable’, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are still looking to formally select their next managerial appointment and it’s believed that Erik ten Hag is still in the running…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke, who claims the 51-year-old is ‘a leading contender’ for the Spurs job despite signing a new two-year contract at his current club, Ajax.

This ties in with information from Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

He suggested that the Dutchman did not reject an approach from the North London outfit after their attentions turned to him following setbacks over Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers.

Dream appointment?

Pitt-Brooke also states that the other names in the running are former RB Leipzig man Ralf Rangnick, current Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez and Graham Potter of Brighton.

Of all these candidates, it is easy to see why ten Hag would be a front-runner. He’s certainly a mouth-watering prospect for what Levy is looking for – he could even be his dream hire.

The Guardian believe the Lilywhites chairman is on the lookout for an ‘attack-minded’ coach that has ‘strong credentials in the development of young players.’

Almost as if they were looking for Mauricio Pochettino, mark two.

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Ten Hag has just clinched his second Eredivisie title in Amsterdam, where he holds a mightily impressive 73.6% win rate since being appointed in December 2017.

His playing style has been described as ‘Total Football 2.0’ and takes inspiration from two huge influences on his coaching career, Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff.

That would certainly tick one box for Levy.

The 51-year-old has also seen the progression of many a young player, and eventually raking in huge profits for Ajax, as a result.

Frenkie de Jong (£65m to Barcelona), Matthijs de Ligt (£67.7m to Juventus) and Donny van de Beek (£35.7m to Man Utd) are just three prime examples, so it would be another tick next to ten Hag’s name.

Furthermore, he has received glowing praise from Liverpool’s title-winning boss Jurgen Klopp, who described the Dutchman as “one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football.”

All in all, on the above evidence, it’s no wonder that Spurs see the Ajax chief as their best candidate now.

He matches so many of Levy’s requirements.

So if he can tempt ten Hag to swap the comforts of the Champions League-bound Dutch side for the faltering North Londoners, then he could well be onto a winner.

AND in other news, Forget Reguilon: £26m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost possession 21x betrayed Mason vs Villa…