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David Moyes should urge another West Ham United raid on Slavia Prague to sign striker Jan Kuchta in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Irons joined a number of Premier League clubs in eying a summer swoop for Kuchta after scouting the Slavia Prague star in the Europa League.

It is claimed that the London Stadium natives had scouts observe the 24-year-old in person during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Rangers, where there were representatives of Newcastle United, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion also in attendance.

West Ham already have two of Slavia Prague’s former stars at the London Stadium in eight-goal top scorer Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who Moyes has described as “excellent”.

Kuchta has now caught the Hammers’ attention with his efforts in the Europa League this season, where he has scored twice and assisted two goals in seven games after hitting a brace against Ligue 1 side Nice in the group stage.

He helped Jindeich Trpisovsky’s side eliminate Leicester City from the competition in the round of 32 and could be the next to make a Premier League move as talent spotters look at Czech football as a key market.

The former Czech Republic under-21 international has also ruffled the back of the net 11 times and set up five goals in 17 Fortuna Liga fixtures this term, having excelled on his return to the Sinobo Stadium following a spell with Slovan Liberec.

Kuchta had struggled to establish himself at Slavia Prague before an initial loan move to Liberec which they turned permanent last year, but has kicked on magnificently since being re-signed in the summer.

His haul of 13 goals and seven assists in all competitions has marked the 2020/21 campaign as Kuchta’s most prolific yet, eclipsing the 10 goals and three assists penned across all competitions last term.

Should West Ham sign Kuchta?

Much can change for Kuchta between now and the end of the season, but West Ham are heading on the right path by scouting the 24-year-old.

Kuchta’s return to Slavia was a mostly sombre affair in the early months of his homecoming, but he turned a corner at the start of the year to net seven of his Fortuna Liga goals over his side’s four games played in January.

If the Slavia product is able to keep up a hit rate of that level, Moyes would absolutely have to urge West Ham to launch a swoop for the forward, having seen Soucek and Coufal adapt to the Premier League so quickly and become key components of his line-up.

Trpisovsky has lauded Kuchta for his endless work rate beyond his goals as well, noting [via quotes shared by iSport] how the forward is “an aggressive player who is annoying to the defender”.

The Slavia boss has also claimed of Kuchta: “I think the hardest part is his hard work and hunger. He goes for those situations and that rewards him with goals.

“That’s how it is in football. It’s about quality, the choice of place and teammates who can find it. He works for the team, does not spare a step and is optimistic in the line.”

Coufal’s endless energy is also one of the aspects which Moyes loves most about the right-back, suggesting he could quickly feel the same way about Kuchta if West Ham were to be successful in edging out their Premier League rivals to his signature this summer.

“I couldn’t keep him off the training pitch yesterday [the day after the Aston Villa game],” Moyes told The Athletic last month. “I wanted them to have a rest and just stay in but he’s on a different level.”

In other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…

Rangers-linked John Lundstram has refused to be drawn on his future, saying that “it’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table.”

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months have suggested Rangers are one of several clubs across Europe keen on landing Lundstram from Sheffield United as Steven Gerrard seeks to bolster his midfield options, with The Athletic claiming that the Ibrox side are “admirers” and are “waiting in the wings” with the midfielder’s contract coming to an end this season.

It is understood the Ibrox boss was interested in signing a central midfielder as well as a playmaker last year, with Bongani Zungu and Lewis Ferguson being identified as the club’s main targets.

However, Rangers did manage to sign Zungu on loan during the extended summer transfer window, but it seems Gerrard is still keen on Lundstram as he looks to complete an overhaul in midfield.

The in-form midfielder, 26, made the remarks before Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Bramall Lane.

He said: “It’s the same situation, everything’s still on the table. We’ll see what happens.”Of course, (speculation) is bound to happen but I’m here and while I am here I’m committed, as you’ve seen in my performances.”I’m 110 per cent and no-one can question that. Who knows what will happen but while I’m here, I’ll give everything.” Better than Bongani Zungu?

With Steven Davis’ contract coming to an end in the summer, the 36-year-old’s long-term future at Ibrox still remains uncertain, despite Gerrard’s insistence that the board should offer him a new deal.

Meanwhile Zungu has done very little to suggest that he deserves to stay at Ibrox on a permanent basis, with the Rangers boss giving him just 149 minutes of football in the Scottish Premiership.

In the £4k-a-week earning Lundstram, however, Gerrard could find the perfect replacement for the 124-cap Northern Irish international.

He really burst onto the scene last season, making 34 top-flight appearances for the club predominantly from the midfield, with five goals and three assists to show for his 26 starts. By comparison, Zungu has scored just twice in the past four seasons alone across all competitions, which suggests that he’d offer a far greater attacking threat than the Bafana-Bafana midfielder.

His captain at Bramall Lane, Billy Sharp, has spoken highly about his teammate’s physicality, athleticism and technique. He said:

“He gives us a lot of energy and he got an assist as well, which is important.“He’s got all the attributes. He runs so much in a game, he provides assists and goals. He’s a real menace to other teams and a great player to have.”

Ross Wilson, therefore, should capitalise Lundstram’s uncertain future and contract status at Sheffield United by bringing the soon-to-be free agent to Ibrox when his contract runs out at the end of this season.

AND in other news, Rangers will regret letting Nathan Young-Coombes leave as he ‘closes in’ on Ibrox exit…

Rangers play on Wednesday evening, where three points would put Steven Gerrard’s side on the brink of winning the title.

The Gers take on fifth-placed Livingston in the Scottish Premiership, as they look to take another step towards winning the SPFL title for the first time in 10 years.

The ‘Gers are fresh from progressing in the Europa League with a 5-2 win against Royal Antwerp to continue their impressive unbeaten run in all competitions, whereas Livingston suffered a 1-0 defeat against St Johnstone in the Scottish League Cup final last time out.

Although Gerrard may be tempted to rotate his side on Wednesday evening, he should perhaps go with his strongest side to ensure that they earn the three points at Ibrox and edge closer to their first title in 10 years.

Here’s how Football FanCast feels the English manager will set his side up on Wednesday, with two changes from the team that started against Antwerp in midweek…

Allan McGregor unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal, with him having been superb so far this season, keeping 14 clean sheets in 21 Premiership appearances.

There’s one change in the defence, as Nathan Patterson warrants a start after his goal from the bench against Antwerp, with Leon Balogun looking uncomfortable in that position throughout the first half, so he drops to the bench, with the rest of the defence staying the same.

There’s one change in midfield, as Steven Davis drops out with new signing Scott Wright handed his first start for the club, having been limited to just substitute appearances so far.

Considering Livingston’s poor recent form, Gerrard’s side should attack from the start, and having the attack-minded Wright in midfield alongside Joe Aribo and Glenn Kamara could prove to be too much for David Martindale’s side.

Finally, the front three stays the same, with Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos having all been superb in recent fixtures.

And, in other news… Get it done: Gerrard should hand new Rangers deal to £18k-p/w beast

Wolves fans heaped praise on defender Romain Saiss despite their side’s 1-0 defeat against Manchester United on Tuesday night.

The 30-year-old started in a back three alongside captain Conor Coady and Max Kilman as the Black Country side came out second best at Old Trafford after a last-gasp winner from Marcus Rashford.

Despite this, the Molineux faithful found positives from the game as the versatile Moroccan put in an impressive display.

Per Whoscored, Saiss was given a match rating of 7.35, managing to get two shots on goal, making 12 clearances and accumulated a pass success rate of 89.7%.

With this in mind, supporters were delighted with his showing and many reflected on that despite the manner of the defeat.

Fans laud Saiss

“Got to look at the bright points – Saiss was Magnificent. Ki-Jana Hoever has given Nuno a really difficult decision to make on Sunday, he was excellent. Vitinha very good as well. Kilman, excellent. We need player(s) for the now in January, but our future is very exciting #wwfc”

Credit: @WolfInDerby

“Devastating Stoppage Time Goal…deserved a point here today. Bright side is deflection aside, Saiss continues to impress, the kids played well and that was Moutinho and Neves best game in weeks. Team just needs to find goals, somewhere, somehow. #wwfc”

Credit: @Jello224

“Romain Saiss Superb. You didn’t deserve that lad”

Credit: @LeamWolves

“Saiss awesome tonight for #wwfc. Probably our best player this month”

Credit: @garyjohnfraser

“Romain Saiss MOTM. Absolutely. Been brilliant tonight #wwfc #MUNWOL”

Credit: @wellygoggs

“Saiss has been immense tonight #wwfc #MUNWOL”

Credit: @MrAndyLowe

In other news, Jamie Redknapp makes huge claim about Wolves star who can go all the way “to the top.”

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to a tweet that Fabrizio Romano has posted about the club, which suggests that there is only one thing left to do to complete the Morgan Sanson deal.

The well-respected Italian journalist reported that the paperwork has been signed by both clubs, and all that is left for the Frenchman to do is have his medical.

The 26-year-old has an abundance of experience for both club and country, which also includes appearances in the Champions League. He is a midfielder who clearly is a threat in attack but one who can also help out the defence too as he has managed an average of 1.9 tackles and 1.1 key passes a game in Ligue 1 this campaign (WhoScored).

With their club now linked to experienced European stars like Sanson, it is easy to see why some Villa fans are excited about this news. Sanson could add the much-needed depth and quality to help the club finish the season in the European qualification places.

Here is what Villa fans said following the update:

 “Here we go! We have a new hard-working, energetic, creative midfielder, with good scoring ability! #avfc”

Credit: @espenstrand

“THERE WE GO FABRIZIIOOOOOO”

Credit: @maarkeelfdz

“High key W”

Credit: @douggyluiz

“Boom”

Credit: @jutin_

“My club is on the rise again.  The recruitment is just getting better & better.”

Credit: @RyanABAOPod

“Say them 3 magic words, you beautiful man”

Credit: @tomcarlin66

In other news: Gregg Evans backed Villa to land this star instead of Josh King, find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard recently admitted there will be more outgoings than incomings at Ibrox in January but he may be about to change his mind if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

Reports back in the summer suggested Sturridge was a target for Gerrard’s side, and now, according to The Daily Record, the striker could still be an option, with the former Liverpool forward available on a free transfer after his contract was terminated by mutual consent at Trabzonspor.

Premier League club Sheffield United were also credited with an interest in the ex-England international striker in the summer but they opted to bring Rhian Brewster to Bramall Lane in the end instead.

The 31-year-old had been in prolific form for the Turkish Süper Lig side last season, with four goals and four assists in the top flight, before he left the club in acrimonious circumstances after he received a four-month ban for breaching betting rules.

Bye-bye Greg Stewart?

Jermain Defoe picked up a calf injury in January earlier this year and Rangers never really recovered after that.

In his absence, Gerrard’s side slid down the table, as they slumped to three defeats and two draws in nine games, which gave Celtic an unassailable 13-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Gerrard is hardly short of striker options, as he can also call upon the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe, but Sturridge could give the Gers a cutting edge in their bid to regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Roofe and Itten’s arrivals in the summer have seen Greg Stewart fall even further down the pecking order, having played just 113′ minutes of first-team football so far this season.

With Stewart seemingly destined for an eventual exit, bringing a fit-again free agent in Sturridge should be a tempting option, as he scored 68 goals and supplied 26 assists during his time at Anfield, via Transfermarkt.

His former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised the “fantastic” Sturridge back in 2018, saying: “He is a fantastic football player. He had a full pre-season and he is in the best shape since I have known him. It’s as simple as that. It’s really cool. I am really happy for him. He works hard. He is just a good lad, that is how it is. When he came in the dressing room, after doing 20 interviews, it was pretty loud. The boys are all happy for him. He really is in a good moment.”

This sort of work ethic would be most welcome in Glasgow and signing a striker of Sturridge’s calibre would be an extremely smart bit of business, as he won’t cost Ross Wilson a penny.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit drops major claim on Gerrard’s Rangers future…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has tipped new West Brom boss Sam Allardyce to swoop for one of his former players in the upcoming January transfer window.

The 66-year-old replaced Slaven Bilic last week on an 18-month contract and suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Aston Villa in his first game in charge on Sunday evening.

He told reporters that he will be backed next month, and Windass has suggested that Everton outcast Yannick Bolasie could be one to make the switch to the Hawthorns.

The 31-year-old originally joined the Toffees in a £25m deal from Crystal Palace in 2016 under Ronald Koeman but would go onto play more times for Allardyce than the Dutchman.

He scored just once in 17 appearances, whilst 53% of his matches at Everton have come under Big Sam, per Transfermarkt.

The DR Congo winger wasn’t registered for their Premier League squad this season and is expected to leave the club in January as Carlo Ancelotti revealed in October.

And the ex-Hull marksman believes he could end up in the Midlands…

He told FFC:

“Yeah, pace in the wide areas.

“He’s been Everton’s forgotten man but yeah [I’d take him].

“Listen, Sam will know, Sam will have it in his mind who he needs.”

The wide areas have been a problematic issue at the Baggies this season.

Grady Diangana hasn’t been able to continue the form that helped spearhead them to Championship promotion last term, whilst Bilic often went to a back five to mask his lack of trust in a true right-winger – neither Matty Phillips, Kamil Grosicki or Kyle Edwards could nail down that spot.

Bolasie could somewhat solve the issue short-term as he’s vastly experienced in the Premier League having made 119 appearances in his top-flight career.

Although, the £70k-per-week Toffees misfit would arrive with plenty of fitness concerns given he’s not played a competitive fixture this season.

Bolasie’s last senior appearance came in Sporting Lisbon’s 4-1 thrashing by Istanbul in the Europa League back in February.

AND in other news, West Brom exclusive: Pundit drops scathing Luke Dowling claim after Slaven Bilic sacking…

Speaking to Football.London, via Twitter, journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that Spurs ‘rebuffed’ loan moves for winger Jack Clarke over the EFL transfer window, going on to claim that he has been ‘really impressing’ Jose Mourinho. 

Clarke, who was previously tipped to leave north London on a temporary spell and suffered through two sub-par loan moves already last season at Leeds United and QPR, has reportedly worked his way into Mourinho’s favour at Hotspur Way.

Clarke staying put

The youngster was signed for around £10m back in the summer of 2019 after impressing in flashes and was then immediately loaned back to his former club Leeds.

However, after failing to replicate his influence off the bench, he was sent out to QPR in an attempt to rediscover form, but that spell in west London didn’t work out either.

Now, after ‘impressing Mourinho’ in training, Spurs have done a U-turn on approaches for Clarke, rebuffing any interest in clubs wanting to take him on loan.

Indeed, according to what the journalist was ‘told’, Tottenham’s wish for the teenager is to learn from the likes of Gareth Bale and other superstars at the club in an effort to nurture his development.

Transfer Tavern take

Given that Daniel Levy and co invested a significant amount to bring him to Tottenham, sending him out on numerous spells away may not have been the wisest plan.

Letting the 19-year-old settle at Spurs while getting him to learn from the likes of Bale in training could be the best method in truly justifying the £10m fee through his sky-high potential in future seasons.

Tottenham fans, will Clarke become a future star at the club? Have your say in the comments section below…

Not that he’d be one to admit it, but Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard will surely be regretting his failure to sign former Dunfermline striker Kevin Nisbet back in 2019.

Rangers will still be smarting after shipping two late goals to draw with 10-man Benfica, but they battered Hamilton Academical at home to go some way towards restoring their injured pride.

Without Alfredo Morelos leading the line in the attack, Gerrard’s side have, at times, looked static and short of any ideas. Whilst that has somewhat changed with Kemar Roofe stepping up to the plate in recent weeks, things aren’t exactly perfect for the Gers as Cedric Itten has failed to find the back of the net since he opened his account with a late brace against Motherwell in September.

According to a report from The Glasgow Times at the time, Rangers were keeping tabs on Nisbet after his strong start to the 2019/20 season in the Championship, having scored 11 goals in 19 games for the Pars at the time of the report. It seems the Gers had other ideas, though, as they ended up signing Itten and Roofe in the summer instead.

Hibernian went on to sign the 23-year-old for an undisclosed fee, which is believed to be in the region of £252k, on a four-year deal. Since then, he has turned out to be a bargain buy, scoring eight goals and supplying two assists in 14 appearances for Jack Ross’ side so far this season.

By comparison, Rangers duo Roofe and Itten have only managed to score seven goals between them in all competitions.

When you consider the fact that Ross Wilson spent more than ten times that amount on the 3-cap Switzerland international, it seems the Light Blues missed the boat with this one.

It’s no wonder the Hibs striker has been labelled a “fantastic” beast by his strike partner Christian Doidge – 74 goals and 17 assists in 159 games in all competitions in his club career so far is an impressive return, via Transfermarkt.

Despite Itten’s poor run of form in recent weeks, Rangers are still nine points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, so fans probably won’t be too bothered about this anyway.

However, Morelos isn’t going to be around forever, and Nisbet could have been the perfect replacement for the Colombia international in the long run, so Rangers may live to regret this missed opportunity in the not too distant future. An initial £250k fee would’ve been an absolute steal, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Rangers handed huge boost after Steven Davis returns to Northern Ireland training…

Former Portsmouth player Gary Roberts has praised the club for what he calls a ‘great signing’ after Michael Jacobs arrived at Fratton Park on Monday.

The 28-year-old was released by Wigan Athletic earlier this summer after featuring 32 times in the Championship last season.

Having previously worked with Pompey manager Kenny Jackett at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a deal has now been completed, seeing the midfielder sign a two-year contract. Jacobs becomes Jackett’s fourth signing this summer, following Sean Raggett, Cameron Pring and Callum Johnson in making a move to the League One club.

Following his arrival on Monday, Portsmouth boss Jackett is quoted as saying by BBC Sport: “Michael’s an exciting player with good Championship experience.”

Those comments have now been followed up by an endorsement from former Pompey player Roberts who took to Twitter to give his view on the transfer deal. In a simple tweet, Roberts said: ‘Some player crackers – great signing’.

In total, Jacobs made 188 appearances for Wigan, appearing 79 times in League One for the Latics during his five-year spell (via Transfermarkt).

Finally, Jackett makes another signing for Portsmouth.

With the new season underway, it was becoming a slight concern that little transfer activity had developed over the last few weeks at Fratton Park, but Jacobs’ arrival could be the start of a couple more between now and the end of the transfer window.

Do you think Jacobs can go on and become a key player for Portsmouth this term? Let us know your views in the comments section below…