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David Moyes should consider turning to U23 starlet Jamal Baptiste in light of West Ham’s recent blow to Angelo Ogbonna…

Ogbonna blow

During the Irons’ 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend, the 33-year-old centre-back sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and could now be ruled out of action for the next nine months or more.

“After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury,” said Head of Medical Richard Collinge.

“That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery.”

Baptiste bargain

It now leaves Moyes a little short on options in defence. Yes, he does have Issa Diop and Craig Dawson as more than capable back-ups to play alongside Kurt Zouma, but in an ideal world, he’ll like to fill the available place in the squad.

January is still two months away and there’s no guarantee that the Italian colossus will return to the starting XI next year, so it could be wise to look at alternatives and they should look no further than the teenager who Ogbonna has backed to succeed after a pre-season win ove Wycombe Wanderers.

“He played really, really well and as a young player you can make one or two mistakes, but your behaviour has to be the right one, like Dec [Declan Rice] when he starts,” he told the club’s official website.

“Jamal has a lot of work still to do but he is composed. He is still young and has to take things step by step. This was just a pre-season game. He has to follow the senior players and the manager’s instructions and it’s good for him to have people he can look to.”

Meanwhile, Hammers legend Carlton Cole has compared him to Rio Ferdinand, claiming he’s a “massive prospect” to the ‘Irons Inside’ podcast. “He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio, so hopefully we can these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time.”

‘Tall, strong and comfortable in possession’ is how the club’s official website describes the 18-year-old sensation, whilst he claims both Virgil van Dijk and West Ham’s former defender and his academy mentor Matthew Upson as players he bases his game on.

Also dubbed a “monster” who is “one of the finest young prospects at the club” by former academy director Terry Westley to Claret & Hugh, it could be time to see Baptiste as the ‘fourth choice’ in the absence of Ogbonna.

Moyes is certainly a fan, so it would be an easy transition to make. It would mean that the club wouldn’t have to spend big in the upcoming winter transfer window and their finances can be used to bolster other positions, such as upfront.

Baptiste could save GSB millions.

AND in other news, Major GSB claim emerges after Daniel Kretinsky investment confirmed…

Dermot Desmond’s self-sustaining ownership model at Celtic is a perfect example for other clubs to use, according to financial expert Dr. Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Desmond’s successful era

The Irishman is the majority shareholder at Parkhead, fulfilling a lifelong dream by owning the club he has supported since childhood.

During Desmond’s tenure, Celtic have racked up Scottish Premiership titles galore, among numerous other domestic trophies, and another league crown looks to be coming their way this season.

The 71-year-old has run the club in shrewd fashion too, ensuring they are in a healthy financial situation and not getting themselves into worrying amounts of debt.

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The Latest: Expert hails Celtic owner

Speaking to Football Insider, Plumley praised Desmond’s model at Celtic, saying other clubs should take a leaf out of his book:

“It’s always a plus if you can stand on your own two feet. They are set up so they can manage themselves in their own right. We see it too often where a club is solely dependent on one owner.

“If the owner is in trouble, the club’s in trouble. It’s very different at Celtic. You have to class that as a benefit that they aren’t too worried about the owner’s finances.

“This is a blueprint for all clubs. Make them more self-reliant so when the owner does take a hit, they aren’t collateral damage.”

The Verdict: Credit where it’s due

Desmond deserves undoubted credit for the manner in which he has kept Celtic afloat, running the Hoops far more intelligently than some of the more reckless owners elsewhere.

Liverpool owners FSG are a good comparison to use in some ways, with their supporters not always enamoured by a lack of mega-money transfers but the Reds in a strong financial position compared to some of their rivals.

Supporters will always be critical of Desmond – it is the nature of a football fan to never be happy – but he may only be fully appreciated when he eventually sells up.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle put in a valiant display on Monday night as they held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park in the Premier League.

It was a result which ended a run of three successive defeats for the Magpies, having lost to Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester City in recent weeks.

Allan Saint-Maximin handed Eddie Howe’s side the lead in the first half as he improvised a stunning finish into the top corner whilst falling off balance. However, Edinson Cavani equalised in the second half for the away side as he collected a rebound from his own shot to slice an effort into the corner, with Martin Dubravka given no chance to save it.

Both teams had chances to win the match, with Jacob Murphy hitting the post and David de Gea producing a stunning save from Miguel Almiron, whilst Cavani fluffed an opportunity to score after Dubravka dropped the ball at Jadon Sancho’s feet in the penalty box.

Lightweight

Despite an impressive showing from the Magpies, one player who let Howe down on the night against Ralf Rangnick’s team was Javier Manquillo, who lined out at left-back.

For the equalising goal, the Spaniard was dragged out of position initially by Cavani and was left scrambling to get across to Diego Dalot on the switch. He then failed to stop the cross as he turned his body and allowed the Portuguese full-back to produce a cutback to the Uruguayan striker, who eventually turned the ball into the back of the net.

This shows that the 27-year-old was partly to blame for Newcastle failing to pick up all three points as he was unable to stop Dalot from creating the goal. However, this was not the only error in his game as his all-around performance was lacking in quality.

Defensively, he was poor throughout. As per SofaScore, he lost six of his 11 duels and was dribbled past a whopping four times in the match. This shows that he was a lightweight in his physical battles and was nowhere near good enough in his defending as he allowed himself to be beaten in the dribble on four separate occasions.

He also offered little in possession. As per SofaScore, he only completed 72% of his passes, with a mere 13 overall. He also failed to complete a single cross and failed with two of his four attempted dribbles. This aspect of his performance could be excused as he was playing on his weaker side, usually lining out at right-back, but it was a disappointing display from Manquillo all the same and he let Howe down with his performance.

AND in other news, Forget ASM: Newcastle’s “unplayable” beast who won 8 duels stole the show vs Man Utd…

Leeds United could still make a move for Derby County midfielder Jason Knight in the January transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Knight impressing at Derby

The Rams may be experiencing a torrid time off the pitch at the moment, with the future of the club even in doubt, but Knight has been a rare positive this season.

The 20-year-old has become a key figure at Pride Park, scoring two goals and setting up another two in 20 Championship appearances, not to mention captaining the team on a handful of occasions.

Leeds have been linked with a move for the Republic of Ireland international as they eye up midfield reinforcements this month.

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The Latest: Journalist talks up Leeds move for Knight

O’Rourke believes that this motted transfer could potentially happen, telling GiveMeSport that Knight could be a player who flourishes under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.

The journalist claimed: “He’s one that maybe could fit the bill for Leeds. If they get him now, they could then mould him into the type of player that Bielsa wants.”

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The Verdict: Strong long-term addition

Knight may not be the big-name midfield signing that Leeds are seeking in the final week of the transfer window, but he would be a long-term addition who can already add quality to the squad.

Derby manager and England’s all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has even compared the youngster to himself as a player, which speaks volumes, and the fact that he is already captain of a Championship team at 20 says a lot about his maturity. Indeed, the Rams boss quipped of the youngster: “His attitude in training and his performances have been first-class.”

Knight is someone who could initially come in and make up for the loss of Kalvin Phillips to injury, perhaps becoming an eventual replacement for the England midfielder further down the line.

In other news, Phil Hay has confirmed a serious injury for one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Everton will return to action today at Goodison Park hosting Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round, with newly appointed manager Frank Lampard leading his first starting eleven out in front of the home fans.

There are a number of injuries to take into consideration, with both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph confirmed to be out for at least a month in a club statement and in his pre-match press conference the new Toffees boss has revealed the first blow to his squad as Dominic Calvert-Lewin has picked up a knock and won’t be available for the game this afternoon.

Lampard also faces another blow to his squad, as both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli remain cup tied, but it could be a blessing in disguise as they will be raring to go when the side take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Lampard to line up his first team against Brentford…

We expect to see four changes from Duncan Ferguson’s line up that lost to Aston Villa in the Premier League before the winter break, with Jonjoe Kenny axed from the side in place of youngster, Nathan Patterson.

Patterson, who was hailed “amazing” by his Scotland team mate Che Adams, could make his debut in the first team for Everton today after he was spotted in Lampard’s initial training sessions this week.

This could be the perfect opportunity for the 20 year old to make his mark on the team and make a good first impression on his new manager, who is renowned for developing and giving debuts to young players with potential.

We predict that due to the two cup tied new signings being unavailable, Andre Gomes will play alongside Allan in the deeper midfield roles to cover for Doucoure’s absence through injury and Anthony Gordon will take the 10 role behind Richarlison who is pushed up front in place of an injured Calvert-Lewin.

This season’s joint top goal scorers for the Toffees so far, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray, are expected to be on hand to link up with Richarlison to seal goals and cause problems for the Brentford defence today.

Lampard will be hoping he can give something to the fans that they can be happy about after a number of protests took place just before his arrival and progressing in the domestic competition could really help to build confidence in the players going forward ahead of important must win Premier League games, where they need to pick up points to avoid a relegation battle.

In other news: Lampard must unleash Anthony Gordon against Brentford

West Ham United are in the hunt for Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Matthias Ginter ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, who claims that the Hammers are watchingÂthe defender – who is also subject to interest from Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus – ahead of a potential swoop this summer.

The 28-year-old would be available on a free transfer ahead of the expiration of his contract with the Bundesliga club at the end of the current campaign.

The East London outfit currently have just two fit senior centre-backs after first-choice Kurt Zouma sustained an ankle injury last weekend, which could rule the Frenchman out for the remainder of the campaign.

Issa Diop and Craig Dawson were excellent on Thursday night as the Irons remarkably beat Lyon 3-0 in the south of France to advance to the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the latter scoring the Hammers’ first goal.

However, both have been subject to inconsistency in claret and blue, particularly Diop – who has been criticised heavily at times this term, particularly after a poor performance in the FA Cup against National League North side Kidderminster Harriers – with Jack Rosser dubbing the Frenchman “shocking” in this fixture.

By signing Ginter, West Ham would certainly be bolstering their defence whilst it could also provide an opportunity to finally part ways with the £61k-per-week flop.

West Ham must sign Ginter

Although they’ve juggled four competitions excellently this term, particularly managing the new experience of European football, the east London side could certainly do with a bigger squad next season – especially if they are to compete in Europe once again.

However, the Irons’ defence has been a cause for concern at points this term, with Moyes’ side ranking joint 10th in the Premier League for clean sheets with seven in 32 matches, despite being sat in sixth place.

By landing Ginter, the Hammers would be adding quality as well as experience to their backline, something that will be vital if they are to continue progressing into a regular competitor in continental competition.

The Germany international is still a regular fixture in his country’s squads, having been part of the World Cup-winning side in 2014 whilst racking up 46 caps.

In terms of the current campaign, the 28-year-old has also been a regular for Gladbach, missing just three Bundesliga matches all season.

However, in general, it’s been a disappointing campaign for the North-Rhine outfit – who currently sit 11th in the German top flight with European football looking extremely unlikely next term.

The £21.6m-rated centre-back currently averages a whopping 80.2 touches per league game, whilst completing 84% of his passes and making 1.3 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and three clearances per game.

To put that into context, Diop’s league numbers are considerably worse in some areas. The 25-year-oldÂmakes almost half the amount of touches at 40.5, whilst making 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 3.1 interceptions per fixture.

In fairness, the Frenchman’s passing is slightly better at 85%, but he also makes just 28.3 accurate passes a match compared to Ginter’s 56.2.

Although, something which could be a cause for concern is that the 28-year-old has, aside from Gladbach, only played for Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg – perhaps suggesting it would take him a while to adapt to the Premier League.

However, the centre-back has established himself as a quality defender in the German top-flight, with Germany legend Lothar Mätthaus even comparing Ginter to Sergio Ramos.

“Ginter has become a leader at the back, in a similar way to Ramos at Real,” Matthaus said to Sky Germany. “He doesn’t just give instructions to his teammates, but leads them as well. That’s what Ginter is doing really well at the moment. He reminds me of Ramos.”

There’s clear evidence that the German defender would be a quality addition to West Ham’s backline. Moreover, to secure the 28-year-old on a free transfer would be an excellent bargain with the deal being low risk.

AND in other news: Forget Rice: WHU’s £52k-p/w “set piece savant†with 67% duels won was “superb†vs Lyon

As per SofaScore, Tottenham Hotspur trio Ben Davies, Steven Bergwijn and Giovani Lo Celso struggled for Nuno Espirito’s Santo’s side as we analyse the number’s from their 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Burnley.

Spurs edge into quarter-finals…

Lucas Moura bagged the eventual winner as Spurs edged into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, easing some pressure off the under-fire Nuno following a regrettable week of action.

Defeats to both Vitesse and bitter London rivals West Ham had attracted heavy fire but the Lilywhites’ victory against Burnley ensures they remain fighting on all fronts for now.

Here, we take a take a statistical look at Tottenham’s three worst players from the night with the trio of Davies, Bergwijn and Lo Celso sticking out in particular.

Giving away the ball 50 times, losing 19 duels and spurning one big chance in total, it’s safe to say they didn’t enjoy the best outings.

Steven Bergwijn: 6.4/10

The Dutchman had been one of the Spurs players actually looking revitalised under Nuno at the start of the season, attracting praise from the Portuguese in particular as a ‘very talented’ and ‘unique’ asset.

However, since returning from his injury lay-off, you could make an argument that he hasn’t hit those same heights and it showed against the Clarets last night.

Coming in as Tottenham’s worst player on the night to start and play the majority of the game, being hauled off after 66 minutes, Bergwijn was handed a 6.4/10 match rating having lost possession 17 times whilst losing half of his duels and three in total (SofaScore).

Giovani Lo Celso: 6.7/10

Lo Celso is one player who has attracted criticism over the beginning of 2021/2022 and it’s safe to say his performance was once again in question last night.

The 25-year-old hasn’t evolved into that Christian Eriksen-type creative figure badly needed by Spurs and Nuno with Lo Celso’s numbers, again, hardly worthy of celebration.

He ranked in as Tottenham’s second-worst performer behind Bergwijn, again having started and played the majority against Burnley.

While he did make two key passes in the final third, Lo Celso also spurned a big chance to get on the scoresheet – giving away possession 16 times and losing the vast majority of his duels, seven out of nine to be exact (SofaScore).

 Ben Davies: 6.8/10

The best of the worst, Davies still didn’t particularly enjoy a great evening against Sean Dyche’s men and it would have done little to silence his critics.

The Wales international, being ranked a 6.8/10 and playing the whole game for Tottenham, was dribbled past twice on that flank and lost nine of his duels.

As well as this, Davies gave away the ball 17 times and recorded no accurate long balls or crosses from out wide (SofaScore).

In other news: Talks ongoing…Sky Sports journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim involving ‘phenomenal’ star, find out more here.

Manchester United lost 1-0 to Everton at Goodison Park this afternoon, leaving their chances of a top four finish and Champions League football next season in serious doubt.

The Toffees are currently the fourth-most out-of-form in the Premier League over the last six matchdays, and after today’s defeat the Red Devils have become the seventh-most out-of-form, losing their eighth top-flight game of the season.

Despite having 67% possession, more shots on target and over twice as many passes completed today, United could not take anything from their clash on Merseyside, with players such as Alex Telles summing up their wastefulness on the ball, losing possession a team-high 28 times.

The Toffees took the lead in the 27th minute when Anthony Gordon’s shot deflected off Harry Maguire into the back of the net behind David de Gea. The visitors had more than hour to redeem themselves but failed to impose themselves successfully on Frank Lampard’s resilient Everton side.

One player who put in yet another nightmare performance for the Red Devils was Marcus Rashford, who failed to make a sufficient impact in the game, perhaps becoming more of a hindrance than a help.

According to SofaScore, United’s golden boy – who Gary Neville called “terrible” – was the worst-rated player on the pitch (5.9) and for good reason, losing all seven of his ground duels and 87.5% of his duels overall.

The forward also lost possession of the ball every 2.7 touches and failed to complete any of his three dribbles before he was hooked by Rangnick in the 64th minute, being replaced by Anthony Elanga.

It has been reported that the 24-year-old is intending to leave Old Trafford this summer after coming through the club’s academy and breaking through into the first team; and when you consider the season he is having, it would be no surprise if his desire to leave the club will be heard and delivered by United.

Rangnick will need to hope that the teams immediately ahead of them suffer the same fate during their fixtures this weekend to give his side a slight chance of redemption to keep their Champions League chances intact. One thing is for sure; Rashford did not do United’s top-four push too many favours today.

In other news – “Erik ten Hag has..”: Romano drops exciting Man Utd update this morning, it’s great news

West Ham United remain interested in a deal to bring Layvin Kurzawa to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness), who claim that David Moyes’ side remain in the race for the Paris Saint-Germain left-back this month, although the 29-year-old is not believed to be near the top of the 58-year-old’s list of targets in the current market.

The report goes on to state that the likes of Lazio, Inter Milan and Napoli are all also interested in a move for the France international, while Chelsea are believed to have rejected the chance to sign the former AS Monaco defender.

He’d be a huge upgrade

While Kurzawa may not be high on Moyes’ list of priorities in the January window, with the Irons manager prioritising the signing of a centre-back and centre-forward this month, considering the experience and ability the signing of the 29-year-old would bring to the left of the Hammers’ backline, it would appear highly advisable for the boss to indeed make a move for the PSG defender this month.

While it is true that the £8.1m-rated man has struggled to hold down a starting spot in the PSG side in recent seasons, he has nevertheless demonstrated previously that, when given the opportunity to do so, he can be an extremely useful player for a side challenging at the top of the league table.

Indeed, over his 19 Ligue 1 appearances in his debut campaign following a £22.5m move from AS Monaco back in 2015, the £89k-per-week left-back scored four goals, registered five assists and created six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.1 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position that season, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 3.3 interceptions, 2.7 tackles, 2.2 clearances, 43.4 passes and winning 7.2 duels per fixture – with a success rate of 62%.

These returns saw the player who labelled himself as a little “crazy” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.49, ranking him as the fourth-best player in the entirety of the French top-flight that year.

As such, should Moyes be able to help Kurzawa refind this form following a potential switch to West Ham this winter, the 29-year-old would not only appear to be a huge upgrade on Arthur Masuaku, but he could well push the Hammers’ first-choice left-back, Aaron Cresswell, for his starting spot at the London Stadium.

In other news: Moyes must now launch WHU bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon” as key transfer twist emerges

It’s safe to say that Giovani Lo Celso’s time at Tottenham Hotspur has hardly been inspiring.

After joining in a club record-equaling £55m deal from LaLiga outfit Real Betis in the summer of 2019, his career has been blighted by injuries and inconsistencies.

At the time, the 25-year-old was widely touted as a ready-made replacement for Christian Eriksen, who had entered the final year of his deal before joining Inter Milan later that winter.

If that was the case, then he has certainly failed to live up to the same standards set by the playmaking Dane.

As per Transfermarkt’s figures, Lo Celso has provided just five assists in 79 appearances, also finding the net eight times. That’s a direct contribution once every 338.5 minutes – nearly once every four outings.

Irrespective of Eriksen’s record, those sorts of returns are quite frankly abysmal, but for context, the former Ajax gem delivered a goal or assist 151.6 minutes across 305 appearances.

The contrast is alarming.

However, the Argentina international, who teammate Cristian Romero solely credits for their Copa America success this summer, could be in line for a lifeline under Antonio Conte as Spurs are crying out for someone capable of providing some much-needed influence in the final third.

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Only Norwich City (10.7) have averaged fewer shots per game than the north Londoners (10.9), whilst they rank inside the bottom seven for expected goals, despite being only two points adrift of the top four in the overall standings.

When delving into the deeper numbers, Lo Celso has actually been one of the more creative options this season. He just isn’t getting any results from the service he’s been providing – hardly a surprise when Harry Kane has bagged just the one Premier League goal all season.

As per WhoScored, the Argentine maestro, who Jose Mourinho once lauded as “phenomenal”, has averaged 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes, which currently leads the squad and is even more than Heung-min Son (1.8) and Lucas Moura (1.5).

That would certainly back up the point that the £70k-per-week flop been somewhat unlucky and deserves a run in the side with Spurs struggling so much in the final third.

Given that the English top-flight has barely seen his talents in the past two-and-a-half years, Lo Celso could well emerge as a secret weapon, particularly if he can get someone on the end of the aforementioned service.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their next Mousa Dembele in “complete” £27m-rated “playmaker”…