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According to Sporx, West Ham United have failed with a £10.5m bid for Fenerbahce midfielder Josef de Souza, but the Hammers could return with an improved offer.

What’s the story?

West Ham are expected to be extremely busy in this summer’s transfer window, with new head coach Manuel Pellegrini given funds to improve the squad ahead of the new season.

According to Sporx, Pellegrini has identified Souza as the perfect player to improve the team’s midfield, but Fenerbahce have rejected West Ham’s opening offer of £10.5m.

The report, however, claims that the London club are considering returning with a new bid for a player who scored four times and registered two assists in 41 appearances for his Turkish club during the 2017-18 campaign.

Souza is renowned for his tough tackling, but can also call upon assets in the shape of passing, vision and the ability to score goals.

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It is not a surprise that Fenerbahce rejected such a low bid from West Ham, but there is every chance that Pellegrini’s team will return with a new offer in the coming days.

West Ham really need to boost their midfield

To be blunt, the Hammers are crying out for fresh midfield options this summer.

Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes both struggled with injury last term, whilst Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate faced criticism for some lacklustre performances.

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West Ham will be desperate to fight off Manchester United’s reported interest in Marko Arnautovic, but they need at least one new central midfielder to play behind Manuel Lanzini.

The Hammers desperately tried to sign a new midfielder during the January transfer window, but were unable to get one over the line.

According to Sporx, Fenerbahce may well accept an offer in the region of £13m for Souza, and West Ham should do all they can to make sure an agreement is reached.

SkyBet have placed Middlesbrough as the 4/6 favourites to bring Robert Huth back to the Riverside Stadium this summer.

What’s the story?

Huth is available on a free transfer this summer following his release from Leicester City.

The centre-back played a key role in Leicester’s 2015-16 title-winning Premier League campaign, but did not turn out for the Foxes last season due to ankle and foot injuries.

The 33-year-old still wants to continue in the professional game, however, and is bidding to be fit for the start of pre-season next month.

SkyBet have placed Boro as the favourites to sign the German defender, and if the bookmaker is to be believed, they are well ahead of the likes of Stoke City and Aston Villa.

Huth turned out for Boro between 2006 and 2009 – making 63 appearances for the club before leaving to return to the Premier League with Stoke City.

Would Huth be a good signing?

There will be concerns over Huth’s fitness following a long period on the sidelines, but there is no question that he is a fine defender when fit.

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Boro are expected to be in the market for a new centre-back this summer when considering the interest surrounding Ben Gibson, who has been linked with Everton and Southampton.

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Gibson has been a terrific servant to Boro, but Huth’s arrival this summer would certainly soften the blow of his departure.

Huth, who is valued at £2.3m by transfermarkt.co.uk, would also be the perfect player to guide young defender Dael Fry, who is being tipped by the club’s supporters to make a big impression next season.

The former Germany international is no spring chicken, but he is a terrific centre-back, and could turn out to be an inspired signing for a Boro side hoping to make another push for Premier League promotion in the new season.

Jon Flanagan came through the ranks at Liverpool and earned himself a plenty of backing from the fans.

The full-back was put through the ringer with injury problems and once he regained fitness, he struggled to find a way into Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Flanagan’s fall from grace was in January, though, when he was sentenced to a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend in December last year.

At the end of the season, Liverpool confirmed that the 25-year-old has been released from his contract.

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Now, it has been widely reported that Flanagan will be given another chance, but this time at Rangers.

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Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard became the new manager of Rangers in April, and according to Wednesday’s report in the Evening Times, Flanagan will join the Scottish outfit on a free transfer.

The Liverpool connection is clear to see, but some fans of the Merseyside outfit are disappointed that Gerrard has decided to sign the full-back following his assault conviction.

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Leicester City attacker Ahmed Musa scored a brilliant brace for Nigeria in their 2-0 win against Iceland in their second 2018 World Cup fixture on Friday, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to sign the exciting 25-year-old star.

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The versatile forward, who can play as a striker or on the wing, has endured a difficult time since he joined the Foxes in 2016, scoring just five goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

The Nigerian spent the second-half of the 2017/18 campaign on loan at former club CSKA Moscow, and he showed his qualities in Russia again on Friday with a brilliant touch and strike for his first, before ending a solo run with a calm and composed finish for his second.

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Arsenal supporters, who are desperate for their club to sign another £67.5m World Cup attacker who would likely compete with Mesut Ozil, were quick to have their say on Musa’s display via social media, and while one said “we should sign Musa and give Iwobi in return”, another said “replace Iwobi with Musa quickly”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Southampton supporters in the Transfer Tavern are eagerly anticipating the 2018/19 Premier League season following the news that Mark Hughes has penned a long-term deal to remain as the club’s manager.

The 54-year-old took over at St Mary’s back in March following the sacking of Mauricio Pellegrino, who had up until that point overseen a shambles of a league campaign, and one that left the Saints in danger of losing their top-flight status. Yet former Stoke City chief Hughes led the side to safety with key victories over Bournemouth and Swansea City, eventually ending up 17th in the Premier League table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

Regardless, many of our resident Southampton fans will be expecting a lot better this time round, and as such are likely to be intrigued by recent reports suggesting that Jack Grealish is seeking to leave Aston Villa this summer.

But with Tottenham reportedly in pole position for the £4.5 million-rated sensation (as per Transfermarkt), Hughes’ Southampton must seek to hijack their move for the 22-year-old during the close season.

Ultimately, while there is no doubting that the lure of working with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, given his track record of developing young talent, is going to interest Grealish, he must be somewhat concerned that he is likely to find it difficult to get into the starting eleven, what with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-min enjoying decent seasons last term.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here

Yes, Pochettino is likely to give him the opportunity to shine, as he has done with messrs Alli, Eric Dier, and Harry Kane during his stint in North London, but with Spurs eyeing major honours and perhaps a Premier League title challenge this term, Grealish may find it tough to command the regular football he wants at Tottenham.

Whereas given Southampton’s struggles in the final third of the pitch, alongside their own willingness to develop and nurture young talent, the 22-year-old may find St Mary’s the best destination for his progression.

The Saints only managed 37 goals in 38 Premier League games last term to underline their supreme difficulties in the attacking department, with the likes of Sofiane Boufal, Nathan Redmond, and Dusan Tadic (bar from his brace against Bournemouth) failing to live up to expectations.

And if the South Coast outfit are serious about reaching the top half of the division again, having done so in each of the four seasons prior to the last one, Hughes will have to improve the attacking ranks – Grealish’s arrival would do just that.

The 22-year-old may only have scored three goals and laid on six assists for Aston Villa last term, but there is no doubting that he developed a maturity that hadn’t been seen in his career to date, perhaps suggesting that he is ready to return to the top-flight.

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And having failed to do so with Villa, having got agonisingly close in losing the Championship play-off final in May, the 22-year-old reportedly appears willing to leave his boyhood club this summer – Southampton should be his destination.

Thus, Hughes’ men simply must seek to hijack Tottenham’s move for the English youngster, to potentially offer him the best place for his development in the years to come.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Mohamed Salah had a disappointing end to a scintillating season for Liverpool as he dislocated his shoulder in the Champions League final and limped out of the group stages at the World Cup with Egypt.

His mood has certainly changed now, though, as he has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract at Anfield.

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The club have not specified the length of the deal, but according to the Liverpool Echo, Salah is now tied to the Merseyside outfit until 2023, and more importantly, a release clause has not been inserted.

During the attacker’s prolific first season at Liverpool, in which he scored 44 goals in all competitions, he reportedly attracted interest from other clubs.

In the past, the Reds have lost key players, including Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho, to Barcelona, and fears grew among the fanbase when Salah started getting linked to Real Madrid in the media.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

News of his contract extension, which is likely to include a huge pay rise, will allow supporters to relax for a moment.

However, Coutinho also signed a new deal before leaving the club less than a year later, so fresh contracts do not always equal long-term commitment.

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Nevertheless, Liverpool fans have been left overjoyed by the news that Salah does not have a release clause written into the new terms.

In a titanic tussle at the top of the Championship table, Leeds walked away from the Hawthorns with a valuable point against West Brom.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side needed a reaction after going 1-0 down to the Baggies, and in a fine comeback, they equalised through an own goal from Semi Ajayi. And one man who could really claim to be at the forefront of Leeds’ impressive performance, was Mateusz Klich.

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The 29-year-old has been an ever-present for the Whites this season, making 26 appearances across all competitions, and proving his worth to his manager by playing in three different positions – attacking midfield, central midfield and left midfield. Against West Brom, Klich ran the show in the middle of the park.

Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?

As per Sofascore, he completed all three of his attempted dribbles, made two tackles, provided two key passes and won seven total duels too. And after seeing his display, Leeds fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the midfielder.

Some Leeds supporters even felt that Klich’s display was his best for the club in some time.

A couple of fans suggested Klich would be their choice for the man of the match award, with one supporter in particular claiming that he fended off competition from several others for it.

With a 7.3 match rating as per Sofascore, Klich was in the top three of Leeds performers on the night. And when looking at underlying numbers it is easy to see why. He helped immensely in the battle for midfield supremacy, and can be incredibly pleased with his work. Bielsa will be wondering whether a sustained role in the centre of the pitch rather than further forward or out wide is the way to go.

Meanwhile, Leeds may encounter the same problems as they did with Eddie Nketiah if they end up signing this Premier League striker.

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King is confident that the club can beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round of 16, per BT Sport.

What’s the word?

Spurs were paired with the Bundesliga leaders in the knockout draw, avoiding the likes of Barcelona, PSG and Juventus.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea were all handed tough draws, having been pitted against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.

Jose Mourinho’s men, then, appear to have had a fortunate draw, even though Leipzig have lost just twice in the Bundesliga this season, and lead the table by two points from Borussia Monchengladbach.

King, though, believes Spurs have what it takes to progress to the quarter-finals.

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He said: “It’s going to be a tough task.

“They’re a good side and they play with a lot of pace and intensity. They’ve been a bit of a surprise package so far. It’ll be a tough game. You do not get much tougher than Bayern Munich (who Spurs played in the group stages).

“Going to Germany is tough, and Leipzig are a good side and one we won’t be taking lightly. Having been a club that have been in the Champions League for the last five or six seasons, I’m hoping that we can use that experience to get through tasks like this against teams that are quite new to the tournament. I’m quite confident.

“The manager has been there and done that, and he has won the Champions League. His experience will rub off on the players and hopefully help them through.”

Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…

Two managerial targets

Football FanCast sources confirmed that Spurs were very interested in appointing Julian Nagelsmann, the Leipzig boss, during the latter part of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as manager.

They were unable to prise him away from the German side, though, with Nagelsmann only appointed in the summer and enjoying an excellent time at the club too.

As a result, they brought in Mourinho instead and he has overseen an improvement at the club, winning four out of his first five Premier League games.

This will be a match-up of experience against youth; Nagelsmann is currently the youngest manager in the knockout stages and Mourinho is 24 years older than the Leipzig boss.

King might be right that experience will see Spurs through but this could be seen as something of an audition for the former Leipzig boss; he will be desperate to win.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has delivered his verdict on Spurs’ win over Wolves.

As another summer transfer window comes and goes for fans of the Premier League and European football alike – bringing with it its fair share of excitement for some and the usual disappointment for others – the Emirates faithful once again go into the rest of the season under a distinct cloud of transfer-fuelled frustration.

Although Arsenal certainly didn’t lose any star players throughout the ever-competitive summer months, a notion Arsene Wenger’s side would have nonetheless reluctantly bowed down to in seasons past, the Gunners ultimately proved equally inactive in terms of sourcing fresh new talent for the rest of the 2015/16 campaign.

For one reason or another, the previously conceived pattern of sourcing at least one marquee name every summer for a decently sized investment – such as the signing of Mesut Ozil in 2013, followed by Alexis Sanchez’ arrival in 2014 – simply failed to re-surface once more at the Emirates this summer, marking a clear statement of intent from the club itself.

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If Arsenal can’t land the specific targets seemingly placed on their already conservative radar, then it looks like the Gunners aren’t particularly interested in signing anyone at all these days.

So then, in light of such an emotive talking point currently circulating in and around the Emirates faithful at the moment, has Arsenal’s somewhat embarrassing lack of transfer activity turned them into the unforeseen laughing stock of Europe this summer?

Well, although such a statement may initially seem slightly over-stated, perhaps there is an undeniable truth behind it that even the most biased Arsenal supporter would have to acknowledge with all things considered. It just doesn’t seem right that a club as widely backed as this one, with ambitious dreams of landing the league title this term, felt the need to act so indecisively throughout the entire summer transfer period.

Since the Gunners only saw fit to contribute a meagre £11 million to the incredible £850 million spent across every Premier League club this transfer window, Arsene Wenger’s side have clearly shown themselves to be a tad careful when it comes to splashing the cash this season.

Although such a seemingly unsustainable approach admittedly feels like it will eventually end in disaster somewhere down the line, no team in the English top-flight can compete in the modern era unless some strong squad improvement is taken out each summer.

The likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, with their relatively recent influx of externally sourced resources, are partially the ones the blame for such an increasingly alarming trend within the Premier League at the moment – but if Arsenal ultimately want to be competing with them for the league title once in a while these days – then Arsene Wenger simply has no other choice but to join his rivals in the hunt for impressive new talent with every passing season.

After all, it’s not as if Wenger currently reigns over a fully-fit squad with enough strength in depth to launch a meaningful challenge on the Premier League title or among the Champions League this season, is it? When it all comes down to it, Arsenal simply needed players this summer to match their fans’ increasingly impatient desire for more silverware, yet the North Londoners somehow go down as the only team in Europe’s top five leagues who failed to sign an outfielder this summer.

Francis Coquelin now remains the only standout name for Arsene Wenger in the defensive midfield position, so if the inevitable eventually happens and the Frenchman suffers a frustrating injury at some point this term, the Emirates faithful could potentially be watching Mathieu Flamini once again operating in the starting XI. No matter which way you look at it, such a change in fortunes would nonetheless represent a clear step backwards for Arsenal Football Club.

As each of Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and the now injured Danny Welbeck, all seemingly look somewhat out of place in Wenger’s preferred system of attack in the modern era, the Gunners have also given themselves a potential headache in the striking department to contend with as well this season.

In the end, it seems Arsenal simply aren’t as ambitious as their fans have been led to believe. The Emirates faithful may be targeting that all important league title this season – but amongst the financially driven boardroom staff behind the scenes at the club – staying in the top four is seemingly all that really matters.

For a team that once proved oh so ‘invincible’ in the Premier League, such a flat outcome ultimately remains nothing more than a mere joke in the cold light of day.

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Chelsea star Ramires has signed a new contract despite the ongoing crisis surrounding the club, according to reports from the Daily Star.

The Blues are currently struggling in their title-defending campaign, with Jose Mourinho’s men already losing five league games compared to losing only three in the entirety of last season.

WANT MORE? >> Chelsea Transfer News | Latest Transfer News

However, this has not stopped Brazilian midfielder Ramires from extending his time at Stamford Bridge, penning a new contract which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2019.

And the former Benfica ace is delighted with the deal, stating that he and his family are extremely happy in London.

“I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea,” the 28-year-old said.

“My family and I are very happy here in London and in the past five years the club has lifted every major trophy.

“I hope to be an important part of many more successes in the next four years.”

This will come as a major boost to Chelsea and Mourinho, with the extension coming not long after reports claimed that there is mutiny within the squad.

“There is no mutiny against Mourinho,” Ramires told ESPN Brasil.

“If you take our last games you will see how everyone is running relentlessly, putting their lives on the line on the pitch, as we say.

“Whenever we’re in bad form, it’s only natural that negative speculation arises, but the whole group isn’t paying attention to the outside.

“We are focused on doing what Mourinho asks us to do and, consequently, helping Chelsea to get back to winning.”

There have also been suggestions that if the Blues lose to Liverpool at home this weekend, then owner Roman Abramovich will sack Mourinho just a few months after the Portuguese guided the club to a Premier League title.

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