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West Ham will host Lyon at the London Stadium in the first leg of their Europe League quarter-final challenge tonight, and David Moyes must hit the ground running by capitalising on the home advantage, however, there has been a setback in the team ahead of the clash.

What’s the word?

The Hammers manager took to his pre-match press conference to deliver some uncertainty surrounding Coufal’s fitness, despite being on the substitutes bench against Everton last weekend.

Moyes told the press: “Vladimir [Coufal] we’ve brought back and we’re still not totally convinced he’s 100 per cent, so he might just need a bit more time.”

Moyes will be gutted

This European game against Lyon is the biggest clash of the season for the Hammers, so potentially losing out on the opportunity to play one of the most important defensive players in his system will surely leave Moyes gutted ahead of the clash.

Coufal looked likely to make his return in the Premier League last weekend, but the Scottish manager chose to keep him rested and was likely hoping that further time on the bench would make him available for tonight’s game, however it is now looking likely he won’t be selected to start.

The 29-year-old right-back has been out since February after needing groin surgery following an ongoing problem but has been effective in his game-time prior to that with three assists in the Premier League this season whilst averaging two clearances and 1.7 tackles per game, as well as winning the majority of his duels combined (53%) and creating four big chances for the Hammers, according to SofaScore.

With that being said, Ben Johnson has been confirmed available which will surely be a huge boost for Moyes and the team going into the difficult game this evening and the 22-year-old defender should be able to offer enough defensively to make up for Coufal’s absence against Lyon.

West Ham will need to aim to get a good head start against their opponents whilst they have their home advantage in the first leg, with the decider game taking place against the Ligue One side in France a week today.

In other news: Moyes axes £38k-p/w “threat” & “incredible” 22 y/o returns in WHU predicted XI vs Lyon

Journalist Rahman Osman believes Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira could drop Vicente Guaita to stick with Jack Butland against Chelsea this weekend.

The Lowdown: Palace’s run to the semi-final

Palace have enjoyed a solid and sometimes exciting first season under Vieira and are now preparing for a Wembley showdown with their London rivals.

The Eagles have defeated Millwall, Hartlepool United, Stoke City and Everton on their way to the last four, conceding just twice.

Butland has played every minute of domestic cup action this season, with Guaita first choice in the league, and Osman thinks the Spaniard, who Roy Hodgson labelled as ‘excellent’, will be dropped following the 2-1 loss to Leicester last time out.

The Latest: Guaita to be axed?

Osman shared a story on London World on Wednesday, looking at three Palace stars Vieira may leave out this weekend.

One of those was Guaita, with the reporter believing Vieira will ‘break the heart’ of the 35-year-old by sticking with Butland at Wembley.

The Verdict: Right decision?

Some managers decide to bring back their first choice ‘keeper in the latter stages of cup competitions, but it only seems fair for Vieira to leave Guaita out and stick with Butland – just look at how Caoimhin Kelleher rewarded Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final this year.

Butland made a big blunder against Millwall in the third round but hasn’t been troubled much in the FA Cup since then, though he could be a much busier man on Sunday.

We will soon find out what Vieira decides in regards to selection, however, bigger calls may have to be made outfield, especially with injury concerns to Tyrick Mitchell and Michael Olise.

In other news: Vieira now wants Parish to bring 25-assist star to Palace; club preparing to lose their player

Crystal Palace got themselves a superb win this weekend as they saw off Leicester City 4-1 at the King Power Stadium.

An inspired showing got the Eagles just the sort of result they needed heading into the crucial last few months of the season, and it was a fine display which showed the players are right behind manager Roy Hodgson as he looks to guide them to safey.

The summer transfer window will be one thing which is already entering the mind of Hodgson too, and we here in the Tavern think a couple of shrewd additions from the Championship could be the way the club could go if they don’t want to delve into the European market.

And one man we feel is ready for top flight football after impressing for Sheffield United is defender John Egan, who has been superb since moving from Brentford in the summer.

The big Irish defender has become the key man at the back for the Blades as he holds the fort while the lacks of Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell maraud from the back and into attacking positions.

It’s this sort of defending from Egan which makes him standout, and he’d be a shrewd capture for Palace as they look to shore up their defence with plenty of interest bound to be shown in the impressive Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer.

Egan fits the bill nicely. He is big, powerful, good in possession, and someone who can improve further. Roy Hodgson knows how to improve and bring the best out of players too, and Egan would surely only flourish more working under the former England manager.

Celtic have opened talks with Tottenham over the structure of a potential permanent deal for Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sky Sports report.

The Lowdown: Scott links

The update on Carter-Vickers isn’t the first Celtic transfer update from Sky Sports this week.

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The Hoops have reportedly been in talks over a move for Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott.

Premier League side Brentford have also been name-checked with an interest, however, Bayern Munich are looking to keep hold of their young attacking midfielder, who, at this moment time, is out of contract in the summer.

The Latest: Carter-Vickers updates

Sky Sports shared a story late on Tuesday evening, looking at 50 players who could be involved in transfers this summer.

One of those was Carter-Vickers, who, as we know, could make a full-time switch to Parkhead due to Celtic’s option to buy clause in a season-long loan.

They added that talks are underway regarding the structure of a possible full-time deal, which would cost an initial £6m.

The Verdict: Parkhead move inevitable?

You’d like to think that talks will go well between the two clubs and Carter-Vickers will make the move to Scotland on a permanent basis.

He has slotted into Ange Postecoglou’s side with ease, making more appearances in green and white than any other side during a career scattered with various loan spells.

The American has also been Celtic’s best-rated centre-back, as per WhoScored, so the player himself may well be keen on making a move permanent, despite Premier League interest from Leicester and Wolves.

In other news: ‘As well…’ – Journalist drops claim on more exit news at Celtic Park; it’s a potential ‘bonus’. 

Antonio Conte is ‘pushing hard’ for Tottenham to sign Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, Football Insider report. 

The lowdown

£31.5million-rated defender Rudiger is currently poised to leave Chelsea on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer.

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Tottenham’s London rivals are currently  unable to discuss terms with the centre-back under the sanctions imposed by the UK government.

The German is thought to be demanding a £200,000-per-week wage, more than doubling his present salary of £90,000.

According to FI, he’s been a target for Spurs since last summer, and they tried to secure a pre-contract agreement in January.

The latest

A Spurs source has informed the publication of a fresh behind-the-scenes ‘twist’, with Conte putting pressure on the club to seal the transfer. As a result, it’s become a ‘major test’ of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy ‘and his ambition’.

Levy is said to be aware of the ‘potential repercussions’ if he fails to deliver the 29-year-old for Conte.

Tottenham face some daunting competition from across Europe, with the report naming FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as rival suitors.

The verdict

Signing Rudiger would be a major boost to Spurs, and a bitter blow for Chelsea, as they look to close the gap on the Premier League’s top three next season.

Their backline already includes Cristian Romero, whom The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare has placed in the same bracket as Virgil van Dijk and Ruben Dias, and would look all-the-more formidable with the addition of Rudiger.

The former Roma man featured in last year’s Champions League Squad of the Season after helping Chelsea win the competition. Rudiger has even stunned Rio Ferdinand, who’s dubbed him ‘amazing’ and noted his penchant for ‘screaming’ at the opposition.

On top of his defensive abilities, he showed against Brentford earlier this month that he’s capable of the spectacular, scoring what Goal.com’s Nizaar Kinsella called a Puskas-award worthy long-ranger.

In other news, Conte could ruthlessly sell one ‘resurgent’ star. 

Aston Villa are already looking at a summer move for Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Late bid for Hickey

Villa got their January business completed relatively early, with Calum Chambers the last of four senior additions to join Steven Gerrard last month.

There were no deadline day twists at Bodymoor Heath when it comes to incomings, although there were rumours that Villa launched a €10m (£8.35m) bid for Hickey which included a 20% sell-on clause. Bologna turned down that proposal, but it seems as if Villa will go back in for the Scottish teenager at the end of the season.

The Latest: Preece’s claim

Preece ran a Q&A on Birmingham Live in the final hours of the transfer window and he was quizzed about the club’s left-back ranks following Matt Targett’s loan move to Newcastle, revealing that Villa are already ‘looking’ at a move for Hickey.

The journalist outlined: “It’ll be Digne and Young from now until May with no recall option in Targett’s deal. Villa looking to go back in for Hickey in the summer.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Hickey, who has been likened to Gareth Bale, is known for his athleticism and pace and appears to be a future star. He has also been linked with Manchester City, so securing his services ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side could be a major coup for Villa.

Since leaving Hearts for Bologna, the 19-year-old’s Transfermarkt valuation has rocketed from £540,000 to £11.7m, and he has also played as a left midfielder in 2021/22, earning vital experience in Serie A on top of his previous outings in the Scottish Premiership.

On that basis, securing a summer move for him and midfield target Yves Bissouma could be a brilliant decision by Villa in the long run, possibly making Hickey the perfect eventual successor to Lucas Digne in years to come.

In other news: Villa may now sign ‘unbelievably talented’ midfielder in cut-price move despite transfer window shutting

Celtic underwent a massive overhaul during the previous summer transfer window by bringing in several players, as well as moving many out of the Parkhead club.

After then seeing some more players move around in January, Ange Postecoglou has been able to take his side six points clear at the top of the SPFL table with just a handful of games left to play.

With the next summer window on the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see how the Hoops follow up their previous transfer windows this time around.

One deal that should be at the top of the club’s priority list is to turn Jota’s loan deal into a permanent one.

Having signed from Portuguese club Benfica on a temporary basis until the end of the campaign, the winger has been a solid addition to Postecoglou’s squad.

With 36 appearances under his belt across all competitions, the attacker has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists along the way.

To highlight how much of an attacking threat he has been on the pitch for the Hoops, Jota currently has the highest number of crosses made (203) in the SPFL than any of his teammates.

He also has the second-highest number of shots on target (25) behind Liel Abada (37).

In addition to his consistent attacking prowess, his overall performances have been rather eye-catching as he is currently listed as the highest-rated player in the Celtic squad with a rating of 7.59/10 from WhoScored.

Praised for his “outstanding” performances for the Bhoys by Postecoglou, it’s safe to say that the 56-year-old is a big fan of the winger and would be delighted to see him remain at the club beyond his current loan deal.

The Hoops reportedly have an optional purchase fee of £6.5m to keep Jota at the club, which was labelled as being a “mouth-watering prospect” for the Hoops by Noel Whelan.

With all of this in mind, it seems as though the 23-year-old has already done enough to warrant the club splashing out that money and keeping him where he is.

Moving forward, if the Bhoys can secure the league title in the coming weeks and then manage to secure Jota on a permanent deal, this would surely have plenty of Hoops fans bouncing.

In other news: Ange can raise the roof at Parkhead as Celtic plot “huge” move for “immense” £10m gem

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has revealed that he met Christian Eriksen last weekend and wouldn’t rule out a future move for the Brentford man, Alasdair Gold reports.

The Lowdown: Eriksen links

Eriksen signed for Brentford last month on a six-month deal until the end of the season.

Spurs insider John Wenham wouldn’t rule out a return to Tottenham days before the January window opened, though, whereas pundit Paul Robinson also believed a north London return could be on the cards.

Described as a ‘ruthless playmaker’ by Jamie Redknapp, Eriksen may well be a free agent once again in July, with Spurs having already made the former fan favourite a target ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, per The Daily Mail.

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The Latest: Conte’s comments

Reliable reporter Gold took to Twitter on Wednesday lunchtime, sharing a link to a football.london story where Conte discussed Eriksen.

This is what he had to say in his social media post, revealing the pair have met and that a future move hasn’t been ruled out.

“Antonio Conte bumped into Christian Eriksen at the weekend, at the hotel they’re both staying at, and the Spurs boss would not rule out managing the Dane at Tottenham after this season.”

The Verdict: One to watch

Eriksen may well make his Bees debut this weekend when Thomas Frank’s side hosts Crystal Palace, and with Conte refusing to end speculation over the former Spurs star, a summer move could be one to keep a close eye on.

Should he impress for Brentford in their final 14 Premier League games, Conte may well decide to explore a free transfer, especially as he doesn’t have an attacking midfield option on the books after Dele Alli left for Everton.

It would be an incredible return, should it materialise, with Eriksen contributing to 159 goals in 305 games during his first stint as a Tottenham player.

In other news: £110,000-per-week ‘monster’ eyeing move to England as Spurs make contact! Find out more here.

Newcastle United will do what’s necessary in the transfer market to make ‘significant strides’ next season, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie says.

The lowdown

Newcastle have lifted themselves away from relegation trouble with a run of 20 points from their last ten Premier League matches.

They’ve now climbed up to 14th place in the table, nine points clear of the drop zone ahead of the run-in.

That means they can afford to look up rather than down in this final stretch of games.

Newcastle’s new owners shelled out nearly £90million on five new signings in January, the largest winter spend from a single club in Premier League history.

The latest

Downie says a strong finish to the season would reduce the pressure on Newcastle ‘to go mad’.

But he still expects a ‘big’ spend in order to take the team to the next level.

“If the team does really well towards the end of the season, there’s not the need to go mad, but they will want to make significant strides in that first season, I think,” he told GiveMeSport.

“So, that’s why I expect them to spend big in the summer.”

The verdict

How much will Eddie Howe and Newcastle’s recruitment team have at their disposal this summer?

Well, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards says it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact figure, but he’s ‘been told’ that it will be ‘less’ than the sum they spent in January.

He adds, though, that they can inflate that budget through player sales, and that they can bring players through free transfers and loan deals as well.

And it’s worth stressing that a spend of, say, £80million, would still be fairly sizeable. That would have ranked Newcastle sixth in last summer’s spending table, for instance.

A reasonable goal would be to banish any relegation fears and finish in the league’s top ten next season.

In other news, a source has made this admission about the relationship between Howe & Saint-Maximin.

Newcastle United have been hit with a fresh injury setback over winger Ryan Fraser ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed that the Scotland international has to have another scan on his blow to determine the severity of it after an inconclusive first assessment.

Fraser was absent from the matchday squad as the club beat Leicester 2-1, thanks to two goals from Bruno Guimaraes, in the Premier League on Sunday.

Journalist Jordan Cronin Tweeted: “Potential setback for Ryan Fraser, who is going for another scan on his hamstring this week. Eddie Howe: “We had an initial scan and had two conflicting opinions, so we’re re-scanning.”

Supporters will be gutted

This update will surely leave the St. James’ Park faithful gutted as Fraser being out is a big blow for the Toon, given his form earlier this year.

He managed two goals and two assists in his last ten matches for the club, with Newcastle only losing three of those games, as he showcased his quality in the final third. The attacker’s last match came in the 1-0 win over Wolves and it now remains to be seen how long he will be out for, which is a setback for the Magpies because of the goal contributions he was popping up with.

Miguel Almiron is Howe’s alternative option on the right wing and he has been nowhere near good enough this season to be relied upon as a regular starter. In 24 appearances, including 14 starts, he has failed to provide a single goal or assist in the Premier League as he has been unable to make a positive impact at the top end of the pitch.

He works hard for the team and does average 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game, which shows that he offers defensive protection to his full-back, but he is in the side to deliver in the opposition’s box and he has been poor in that regard.

His poor statistics in the top-flight suggest that he is not up to the standard required to adequately replace Fraser in the starting XI. The Scot has been able to chip in with goals and assists and this means that he offers a greater threat in attack, which is why fans will be gutted with this worrying update as it remains to be seen when he will be able to return.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wilson: NUFC can seal dream pairing with “unplayable” £25m “monster”…