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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

West Ham United are looking to sign a goalkeeper with Premier League experience during the January transfer window, as reported by Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The Hammers’ struggles in goal during Lukasz Fabianski’s absence through a hip injury have been well documented.

High profile mistakes from Roberto, such as his failed punch against Burnley and shocking positioning against Newcastle United, mean that the Spaniard has come under question.

The indication now seems to be that Manuel Pellegrini will be putting his trust in David Martin moving forward, despite the former Millwall man originally being brought in as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper.

With the situation having moved deep into the realm of calamity, West Ham are now said to be in search of a Premier League proven goalkeeper during the January transfer window, though no specific stopper has been named.

A lack of organisation

The mistakes that have been made on the pitch are a direct consequence of those made behind the scenes, with a lack of care and organisation being shown in goalkeeper recruitment.

It has even been revealed by FFC that the Hammers may not have even watched Roberto before going on to sign him as their back-up goalkeeper – something that is absolutely ludicrous.

This latest development feels like a desperate move to improve the situation, but in reality, the damage has already been done due to past negligence.

Fabianski is set to return to full fitness at the beginning of January, so any signing would merely be sitting on the bench, while there are still 7 games to be played between now and the New Year, on top of the 6 league matches Roberto has already played.

A further point is that if the back-up is signed for a period that extends beyond the end of this season, it would put doubt on Nathan Trott being able to come back next season and fulfil the second-choice goalkeeper role.

The whole scenario is shambolic and could have been easily avoided for West Ham if they had shown the required organisation and care in the first place.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Joelinton has not got off to the best off starts at Newcastle but a slight change in playing style could allow him to start repaying his £40m fee.

On the chalkboard

Big things are expected of the Magpies record buy but the Brazilian has just one goal from 12 league games, so he has been somewhat of a disappointment for his side despite the other aspects of his game.

His lack of goals is even more pressing due to the lack of quality in Newcastle’s other options, with Yoshinori Muto and Dwight Gayle seemingly unfavoured and Andy Carroll often not fit enough to start games.

That is reflected by the minutes they have spent of the pitch this season, with Joelinton preferred by Bruce despite his lack of productivity in the final third.

While improvement is needed from the 23-year-old, his lack of form is not all his own doing. If Newcastle played to his strengths, particularly his heading ability, then that could yield more success and more goals and prevent him from struggling to fit into a system that doesn’t suit him.

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Changes needed

Steve Bruce has enjoyed success through his wingers this term, particularly Allan Saint-Maximin, but so far both him and Miguel Almiron have been unable to create chances for Joelinton.

The striker has averaged 5.2 aerial duels won per game, which demonstrates the ability with he possesses with his head, yet he simply hasn’t been given the opportunity to display his skill in that area.

Newcastle have attempted only 169 crosses this season, an amount which betters just two other teams in the division. That goes some way to explaining why Joelinton has struggled so far, and since one of his best attributes lie in that area, questions should be asked of Bruce.

He has to begin playing in a way which can get the best out of his striker, otherwise spending so much money on him is an almost pointless endeavour.

To bring success via crossing, however, both Saint-Maximin and Almiron will have to improve their quality. They have managed 0.4 and 0.1 completed crosses per game respectively, and with that kind of service it is unsurprising that Joelinton hasn’t produced much.

Until things change and the style is adjusted slightly it is difficult to envisage the Brazilian improving markedly, and therefore the striker may have to adapt and add a new dimension to his game in order to start scoring.

Liverpool Echo journalists Matt Addison and Theo Squires have been discussing whether they’d re-sign Raheem Sterling if they were Liverpool on the Blood Red podcast (March 24), eight years after he made his debut for the Merseyside outfit.

What did they say?

Well, Sterling of course came out last night in an Instagram Q&A and said “I love Liverpool”, in quotes reported by The Mirror, which suggest he hasn’t ruled out a future return almost five years after he left for Manchester City.

Asked on the podcast whether they would have him back, Addison said (19:30): “For me, yeah. I think he’s a fantastic footballer and it’s the same sort of thing with Philippe Coutinho. I think if he was available and at the right price, then 100% I’d take him back. Having said that, I can’t see it happening. I don’t think he’d fancy coming back to Liverpool anytime soon.”

Squires replied (20:10): “Say Sadio Mane left, Sadio Mane wanted to go to Real Madrid. There are probably three or four players you’d look who could replace him, and that’s Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho, Sterling probably is in that conversation. You’d probably prefer a Mbappe or a Sancho then you would Sterling. They’re young players, they’re better players. Nah, don’t want Sterling back.”

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

Could he really ever come back?

It surely seems doubtful.

He may be a quality player – he has 89 goals and 72 assists in 230 games for City – whose performances suggest he would be perfect for Jurgen Klopp’s front three, but the way he left Liverpool previously and the general poor reception he receives every time he returns to Anfield tells you all you need to know.

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Why would the German manager want to risk disrupting what is such a tight-knit club at all levels with the addition of Sterling?

It’s not only from Liverpool’s side either, and despite his comments on the recent Instagram Q&A, surely the England international would be wary when it came to considering what it would actually mean to re-sign for the Reds.

All in all, the Merseyside outfit would be better signing up Jadon Sancho, who they have been linked with and will cost £100m+ this summer according to Sky Sports.

In other Liverpool news, Jose Enrique has labelled Wayne Rooney as a legend on Instagram following his comments on the Reds…

It’s safe to say that the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti has really helped hoist Everton out of a hole this season.

The Toffees have gone from battling relegation to being just six points away from a spot in Europe, but the work isn’t done yet. If the Toffees want to find themselves taking on some of Europe’s best teams, they need to nurture the young talent they have and most importantly, offload the deadwood players that are slowing the side down.

Everton’s midfield this season has been a real cause for concern. Red flags have been popping up everywhere after some questionable displays from the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies.

Thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, the Merseyside outfit have managed to return to scoring ways, but their engine room needs to be vastly improved. Between Davies, Sigurdsson and Morgan Schneiderlin, Everton have tallied just two goals and two assists in this Premier League campaign – that’s simply not good enough from the middle of the park.

With local lad Davies, there’s still plenty of time for him to play in the U23s and build himself into the Premier League player Everton fans know he can be. Perhaps he was integrated into the senior squad too soon? However, Sigurdsson – who now sports the armband – may have outstayed his welcome at Goodison Park.

The 30-year-old has seriously regressed since last season. His performance against Chelsea was arguably his worst in an Everton shirt, after he attempted no shots, no dribbles, won no duels and made just 26 passes.

With Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate both signing new five-year contracts, Ancelotti must look to completely refurbish Everton’s midfield and keep in tone with this youthful, talented side. With better service coming from the middle three, the Toffees’ chances of success will rapidly improve, but not until stagnant players are shown the door.

With Hugo Lloris not covering himself in glory this season, the goalkeeping position at Tottenham is certainly one that is up for grabs ahead of next season.

The Frenchman has had his fair share of howlers, not least that nightmare moment away at Brighton when he simultaneously managed to gift the Seagulls a goal, and also injure himself in the process.

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The likes of Paulo Gazzaniga and Michel Vorm have had their chances to stake their claims, but according to Eurosport journalist, Manu Lonjon, Spurs are in talks with French side Lille over a possible move for shot-stopper, Mike Maignan, in case of Lloris’ potential departure.

After hearing about the report linking them with Maignan, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the 24-year-old.

One fan in particular meanwhile jokingly renamed their club “Lille Hotspur” – this no doubt in reference to the number of players from the French side Spurs have been linked to in recent weeks and months, including Maignan, Boubakary Soumare and Victor Osimhen, amongst others.

One Spurs supporter however admitted they aren’t too enthused by the prospect of Maignan being Lloris’ potential replacement.

At 24, Maignan isn’t even in that age bracket where goalkeepers are usually expected to hit their prime. He has plenty of time to grow and learn, and having had experience of the Champions League with Lille this season, he may not be as overawed by the prospect of playing for Spurs.

If Lloris does go, and the £19.8m-rated Maignan comes in, there may not be too many tears shed in north London.

Meanwhile, Alasdair Gold offers a transfer update.

Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has revealed that both Alan Curbishley and Sam Allardyce tried to sell him during his time at Upton Park, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

What did he say?

Cole spent nine seasons at West Ham between 2006 and 2015, arriving at the club shortly before Alan Pardew was fired.

The forward scored 68 goals during his 293 appearances for the club, but spent a number of spells out of favour at Upton Park.

However, Cole was often able to win over the manager in charge and he revealed how his relationship with Curbishley changed.

“When Curbishley came in he didn’t take to me as I thought he would, but only because I was supposed to go back to Charlton for a second loan season from Chelsea and I chose not to do the second year,” he told Football FanCast.

“He held that against me, I know he did. He tried to get rid of me and Paul Konchesky straight away when he came in, because Konch had a bust-up with him before he left Charlton.

“Shortly after he came in there were a load of injuries, after we stayed up at Old Trafford. He wanted to get rid of me that summer but I did well in pre-season and managed to get a chance. Teddy Sheringham left, Dean Ashton got injured on international duty, so suddenly there were spaces open for me and I knew then I had to graft.

“All I wanted to do was leave an impact so they would always miss me if I wasn’t playing. I needed a run of games, all young players need a run of games to get momentum. I needed to make sure I was invaluable to the team and to my teammates and that’s how I got in the team, then the goals came after. Curbishley then saw that he’d got me playing the way he wanted and he couldn’t drop me after that.”

Following West Ham relegation in 2011 Cole had the opportunity to leave the club again, but decided to stay and enjoyed his best goalscoring season as a result.

“Under Allardyce in the Championship, I could’ve gone to Stoke and stayed in the Premier League but I didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do,” he told FootballFanCast.

“I knew I had to stay at West Ham to try and get them up but Allardyce did want to get rid of me. But I said I wasn’t going anywhere, even though he didn’t really trust me. But then we had a midweek game at Watford and I started because he had to rotate the team, and I scored. That was the start of me being first choice again because I started scoring goals.

“He couldn’t drop me either but I had to battle to stay there.

Proving his worth

Cole was often an underdog as West Ham but as his career showed, he was always able to prove his doubters wrong.

With nearly 300 appearances for the club in total, Cole played a crucial role in their promotion back to the Premier League during the 2011-12 season and scored regular goals in the top-flight.

A great servant to the club, it is hard to understand why he was so often under-estimated by his managers.

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Plenty of Manchester City fans have reacted with bewilderment to a transfer report from Italy which involves Joao Cancelo.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Portugal defender is part of a reported three-pronged transfer exchange between City, Inter and Barcelona which would see him moving to Serie A, Lautaro Martinez joining the La Liga side and Nelson Semedo coming to the Etihad Stadium. News of the complex transfer arrangement was shared by @City_Xtra on Twitter.

Cancelo only came to England last summer as part of an exchange deal which saw ex-Manchester City defender Danilo take his place at Juventus but the 25-year-old has started only eight Premier League games this season, with Pep Guardiola often preferring to start with Kyle Walker at right-back.

Spanish media outlet Sport had claimed [via Sport Witness] that Guardiola has been eyeing up a possible move for Semedo, who has featured in 29 games for Barcelona in the current campaign.

These Manchester City fans on Twitter seemed rather baffled and mystified upon reading the transfer report from Corriere dello Sport:

Man City fans, should the club give Cancelo more of a chance and would he be preferable to Semedo? Have your say by commenting below!

Newcastle United have been awaiting the decision regarding their prospective £300m takeover for nearly two months now.

It’s still with the Premier League, who are conducting their owners and directors test alongside having to get the 2019/20 campaign back underway.

ChronicleLive reporter Mark Douglas has revealed some insight into the goings-on where he claims that someone involved in the process believes it is the ‘most complicated’ takeover they’ve ever had to deal with.

In a recent Q&A, he said:

“Just impossible to put a date on it, so I won’t put my neck on the line. This has been – in the words of someone I spoke to – the most complicated takeover they’ve ever presided over. With that and the restart to deal with, I’m not surprised it’s taken longer than usual.”

With the situation continuing to drag out, plenty at St James’ Park are starting to get worried by the prospects of it not being passed by the PL.

This hasn’t been aided by fresh reports that have thrown the whole takeover into doubt. The Guardian revealed that the World Trade Organisation had found the Saudi state to be involved in pirate streaming service beoutQ, which broadcasts English top-flight games illegally.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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However, it must be proven that those involved in the Magpies’ takeover are indeed involved in the controversy.

AND in other news, Paul Smith delivers PL update over Newcastle takeover…

Aston Villa fans have reacted to a report claiming that manager Dean Smith will remain in charge until the end of the season.

The Midlands based side sit in the bottom three of the Premier League and have their top flight status very much hanging in the balance.

A poor restart to the 2019/2020 campaign after the pandemic has Villa struggling and the 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend further enhanced their problems on the pitch.

With such poor form, Smith’s time in charge of the club has been questioned, despite helping the Villa Park outfit to promotion from the Championship play-offs last season.

Despite those question marks, Villa have reportedly handed Smith a vote of confidence and will stick with him until the end of the season.

Fans have now reacted to that news which was relayed by journalist John Percy of The Telegraph and shared via Twitter account @villareport. It seems that opinion is split, some think it is the right decision to keep him, probably due to the fact he got them promoted and that there is barely any of the season left. However others aren’t as keen, likely due to their lowly league position…

Do you think Villa are right to stick with Dean Smith until the end of the season? Let us know in the comments section below…

Brighton manage Graham Potter has given a measured update on the fitness of Steven Alzate, who is unlikely to start regularly when the Premier League returns.

As per The Argus, the midfielder had been due to undergo a minor groin operation when the season was halted in March, only for that plan to be put on hold after he showed symptoms of coronavirus and was further delayed due to the priorities of medical services lying elsewhere.

The Colombian is fit to feature against Arsenal on Saturday but Potter has told the Seagulls faithful not to expect him to be a fixed presence in the team sheet.

The 45-year-old told The Argus: “He is looking okay. We are having to manage him a little bit – just his load and manage him through this bit.

“He is probably not going to be able to play Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday or whatever it is. But we have to just take that into consideration and make sure he is able to play the time that he can and feel good but he is looking okay.”

In what has been a breakthrough season for Alzate at the Amex Stadium, he has featured in 19 Premier League games so far, starting 12. Having enjoyed a run of starts upon his introduction to the side in the autumn, he hasn’t featured from the kick-off since the defeat at Bournemouth in January. [via TransferMarkt]

The 21-year-old has been a wonderfully versatile option for Brighton, playing in no fewer than seven positions already this term, with his diversity of roles stretching from the right-back position he has occupied more times than any other to a brief substitute outing at centre-forward. [via TransferMarkt]

That versatility, along with some decent yet unspectacular attributes, mark Alzate out as something of a Jack-of-all-trades, although there is one area where the Colombian stands out – his average of 1.8 successful dribbles per game is the highest of anyone in the Seagulls’ squad (as per WhoScored).

Alzate has been a frequent yet not constant presence in Potter’s first XI this season and that looks set to be the case for the remainder of the campaign, with the manager clearly taking the approach of bedding him in mildly during his first year at Premier League level.

Even if the 21-year-old isn’t in a position to start every game until the end of 2019/20, the variety of positions to which he can adapt should make him an excellent option to have on the bench.

Brighton fans, have you been impressed with Alzate this season? Comment below with your views!