All posts by z3u9t.icu

With David Moyes’ side heading into Saturday afternoon’s 12:30 kick off in something of a poor run of form, having picked up just one point from their last three Premier League fixtures, the 58-year-old must have quietly been dreading table-topping Chelsea’s visit to the London Stadium.

This feeling would certainly not have improved when Thiago Silva headed home Mason Mount’s corner in the 28th minute of the match, with Thomas Tuchel’s side very much dominating the opening half-hour.

However, the Hammers grew into the game as the first half wore on and were gifted a chance to equalise from the spot when Jarrod Bowen latched onto a sloppy Jorginho backpass before Edouard Mendy brought down the 24-year-old. Manuel Lanzini did not waste the opportunity, sending the Blues ‘keeper the wrong way with a near-perfect penalty.

Alas, parity in the fixture did not last long, as Mason Mount turned from provider to scorer in spectacular fashion, volleying a side-footed finish past Lukasz Fabianski from Hakim Ziyech’s whipped cross, seeing the visitors take a 2-1 lead into the interval.

Moyes was forced into a change at half-time, with Ben Johnson coming off due to injury and Arthur Masuaku taking his place at left wing-back – something which The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas dubbed as a “big chance for Masuaku to impress.”

And impress he did.

While Chelsea inevitably enjoyed more possession of the ball upon the restart, West Ham nevertheless proved resolute in defence, with Masuaku’s performance at the back particularly standing out.

Indeed, the £6.3m-rated defender made one clearance and five tackles, blocked one shot and won seven of his eight attempted duels – all while up against arguably the best right-back in the league at present in the form of Reece James.

These efforts played a key role in keeping the Irons in the game, something which ultimately led to Bowen drawing the home side level midway through the second half, the winger netting with a low drive from the edge of the area in the 58th minute.

Against the odds, the afternoon would get even better for Masuaku and his side, when the left-back who Aaron Cresswell dubbed a “fantastic” talent fired a dangerous ball into the Chelsea penalty area with just three minutes remaining, catching Mendy out at his near post and sending the London Stadium wild.

As such, with match-winner earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.9 for his efforts against the Blues – the highest of any West Ham player on the day – it is clear for all to see that Masuaku did indeed seize his chance on Saturday, and he is undoubtedly deserving of a starting spot against Burnley next weekend.

In other news: Rob Newman could secure West Ham’s next Carlos Tevez in swoop for £18m-rated “poacher”

Manchester United face Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening, which should be a good opportunity for them to secure another three points under Ralf Rangnick.

The Canaries are currently deep into the relegation zone, and the 63-year-old will be looking to capitalise on their poor form by putting on a masterclass which should see his side enjoy a comfortable win away from home.

Despite Rangnick trying to take a look at the capabilities of all the players in the squad, rotating as much as possible, there is one player who should be in the starting line-up no matter what this evening.

Mason Greenwood has had an impressive start to the season, despite Manchester United’s patchy form. The 20-year-old has been a standout player for the team, with five goals and two assists in 16 appearances so far in the current campaign.

Rangnick has already seen the potential in the £75k-p/w forward, hailing him as a “massive talent” following the game on Wednesday night which saw United round off their Champions League group campaign.

The youngster was breaking records in Europe midweek, when his goal in the 1-1 draw with Young Boys became his eighth in European competition. No other Red Devils player has scored more at that level before their 21st birthday, with Greenwood overtaking team-mate Marcus Rashford in the record books.

Indeed, the former is eclipsing his 24-year-old colleague in terms of goalscoring so far this season, with Greenwood on five goals compared to Rashford’s three. If it comes down to a straight call for Rangnick on choosing one over the other, that offer a strong clue as to who would be the better option.

The Red Devils boss said of the 20-year-old after the Young Boys game: “I think today he also showed not only the quality because of that beautiful goal, but also the way that he set up the opportunity for Juan Mata was brilliant. He’s a massive talent – left foot, right foot, good on the ball. Also the way that he set up the goal for Fred on Sunday, so it’s about continuity.”

Greenwood must start against Norwich, whose weaknesses lie mostly in their defence, where the likes of Grant Hanley will have a tough time marking the youngster. That could duly open up many opportunities for the 20-year-old to find the back of the net for United later on.Building up Greenwood’s confidence in front of goal should be a priority for Rangnick, and Norwich will be a good test for the forward to have more freedom and space to develop into the game with ease, as well as giving him more experience with linking up with the attacking players around him.In other news: This Red Devils ace has been linked with a move to La Liga

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Porto attacker Luis Diaz…

What’s the talk?

According to Portuguese newspaper Record, via Sport Witness, the Magpies sent scouts to watch Porto’s 1-0 win over SC Braga to see the 24-year-old in action, with the winger scoring the only goal of the game.

The report claims that Newcastle officials were ‘taking notes’ of his performance ahead of the January transfer window next month.

Howe needs him

This is excellent news for Newcastle fans as the club appear to be plotting a deal for the forward, who Eddie Howe desperately needs heading into the second half of the campaign.

With the side currently sat 19th in the Premier League table, an investment could be required in January in order to mount a survival push. The existing first-team squad has not been good enough over the first 16 games to warrant being out of the relegation zone, suggesting that upgrades need to be signed.

In the £22.5m-rated Porto gem, Howe could find exactly what he needs in the final third. Newcastle only have two players who’ve scored more than one goal and one who has netted more than three goals in the Premier League this season, highlighting the lack of consistent attacking quality in the squad.

Meanwhile, Diaz has 13 goals and three assists in all competitions this season, including 11 in 14 league matches.

His Porto teammate Sergio Oliveira previously lauded him as ‘extraordinary’ after an impressive showing against AC Milan, saying: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level. The best for him will also be the best for us as a team.”

Therefore, he could potentially have the quality to come in and provide Newcastle with an additional spark in the final third. He has shown that he can score and set up goals on a regular basis for Porto, and he could solve Howe’s issue in terms of consistent goalscorers in the English top flight.

PIF could improve the club’s chances of avoiding relegation by landing a deal for Diaz as his contributions from out wide could win valuable points in the Premier League. Of course, it is impossible to say definitively whether or not he will be able to adapt to English football, but his statistics for Porto suggest that he could be an excellent addition to the Magpies’ ailing team…

AND in other news, PIF must seal £21.3m NUFC deal for “tough dog” who’s a “gladiator”, Howe would love it…

talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, speaking live on air yesterday (via TEAMtalk), has now broken some West Ham United transfer news involving Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton.

The Lowdown: Striker hunt on…

Nearly a year since club record signing Sebastien Haller left the London Stadium for Ajax, West Ham have still not officially signed his replacement despite the many links and confirmed bids made.

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Manager David Moyes admitted over the summer window he was ‘desperate’ to sign a striker as competition and back up for Michail Antonio, with that position, an emergency centre-half and Jesse Lingard thought to be his priorities for January.

Some new names have emerged recently, like New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos, with talkSPORT journalist Crook now breaking news on yet another target.

The Latest: Crook makes live on air claim…

Speaking live on air yesterday, via TEAMtalk, the reporter says that West Ham have now joined the race to sign Rovers striker Brereton following his impressive Championship campaign so far.

Making a claim on the South American, Crook name dropped the Irons as an interested party.

He explained:

“We understand he is attracting interest from the likes of Leeds and West Ham in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Outstanding new target…

The Chile international with three goals in just nine caps has been a revelation for Rovers this campaign, scoring 17 goals and assisting one other in just 22 English second tier appearances.

Scoring 34 goals in the Championship overall since the beginning of his senior career, Brereton has come on leaps and bounds in front of goal – leaving little wonder why he is attracting Premier League interest.

Called a ‘beast’ by Rovers boss Tony Mowbray, it is unclear at the moment how much the club will want for their star man, but he could be a solid outside candidate to be targeted by West Ham.

In other news: ‘Pleeease’, ‘I would cry’…West Ham fans erupt as Moyes offered ‘quality signing’, find out more here.

A crushing transfer blow has emerged on Newcastle United target Ousmane Dembele, regarding his current contract situation.

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Magpies target looks set for a new contract at the Nou Camp, with Barcelona confident of striking a deal with the forward.

He tweeted: “Newcastle approached Ousmane Dembélé and his agents weeks ago to make a proposal – but the feeling is still optimistic for his contract extension with Barcelona. #FCB #NUFC Barça are confident to reach the final agreement in the next days, and Xavi is pushing to keep Ousmane.”

Gutted

Newcastle fans will surely be gutted by this crushing update as it suggests that their chances of seeing Dembele in a black and white shirt any time soon are slim. The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of this season as it stands and the Magpies could, in theory, sign him on a pre-contract in January.

However, this latest claim from Romano suggests that he will extend his current terms with the Spanish giants and that would rule out any possibility of him joining Newcastle for nothing. Dembele being willing to sign a new deal would also indicate that he is happy at Barcelona and that could make it increasingly difficult for PIF to snap him up ahead of next season.

Fans will be gutted by this as Dembele could have been an excellent signing for the club. He is an exciting young winger who has shown quality in Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and La Liga, whilst also picking up 27 caps for France – winning the World Cup with his country.

The forward has 30 goals and 23 assists in 126 games for Barcelona, having racked up 10 goals and 22 assists in 50 games for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He started his career in France with Rennes, scoring 12 and assisting five in 29 matches. This shows that he has the ability to both score and create goals from wide positions and has proven that he can do so in three different countries at the top level, which suggests that he would have a strong chance of doing the same in England.

Therefore, supporters will be disappointed that the attacker is set to sign a new deal in Spain instead of signing for Newcastle in January or next summer. Eddie Howe may need to find alternative targets to bolster his squad now that a move for Dembele appears to be off the cards.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wilson: PIF can stun NUFC fans by signing “unpredictable” £268k-p/w ace…