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Sharing his information via The West Ham Way website, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has backed some reports out of the club as they eye Lille striker Jonathan David.

The Lowdown: West Ham linked…

Claims have emerged involving the red hot Ligue 1 forward over this last week as West Ham become touted with a possible move.

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Calciomercato were the first to mention David Moyes’ side, going on to claim that the player himself is open to joining the club and ‘likes’ the idea of signing for West Ham.

Meanwhile, Fichajes say that interest is very much reciprocated from the side of the Hammers as Moyes looks to strengthen his attacking options.

The Latest: Ex backs reports…

Sharing information via The West Ham Way website, ExWHUemployee backed reports that West Ham are interested in the Canada international – but insists that many other sides will also be keeping tabs.

He namedrops Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal specifically whilst putting the Hammers’ odds of signing David as fairly slim by comparison.

The Verdict: Would be sensational…

If Moyes could somehow jump ahead of the stiff competition and land the £45 million-valued man, it’s safe to say that recruitment chief Rob Newman would be pulling off a masterclass.

The ‘elite striker’ has been attracting major plaudits for his form in France this season with Ligue 1 football expert Adam White even likening him to Luis Suarez (The Guardian).

Elsewhere, Combate Global commentator Maximiliano Bretos branded the 21-year-old ‘phenomenal’ for his exploits on the international stage. Scoring 15 goals already in all competitions for Lille, it’s little wonder he is so highly sought after.

In other news: ‘Can’t wait’, ‘Best news today’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘amazing’ update has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

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

Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips backed Xherdan Shaqiri to ‘shine’ if he joined Celtic.

Football Insider reported at the end of April that Shaqiri is looking for a new club.

And they asked Phillips this week whether Celtic should pursue the wantaway Switzerland international.

“Shaqiri has got a lot of quality and I think he would shine up in that league,” he told FI.

“That would be a great signing for Celtic so long as they did not have to break the bank to get him in.”

Shaqiri is valued at £12.6million by Transfermarkt, a touch under Liverpool’s £13million outlay in 2018.

The 29-year-old has just over two years left on his contract however, so perhaps there could be some wiggle room on that value seeing as he has started just five league matches this season, via Whoscored.

‘Shaqiri sometimes goes missing’

Phillips says one worry for Celtic would be the consistency of Shaqiri’s performances.

“He is a good player but I’d be concerned that sometimes he goes missing,” he said.

“You need perform week in, week out because it is paramount that they win the league next season.”

Shaqiri has played a total of 788 minutes for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists.

Klopp has predominantly deployed him as an attacking midfielder but he’s also been used on the right-hand side.

After Shaqiri teed-up Diogo Jota’s winning goal against West Ham at the end of October, Graeme Souness labelled him a ‘door opener’ who ‘sees a pass and can deliver on it’.

Transfer Tavern verdict

It seems a little harsh to question Shaqiri’s consistency levels given that he’s rarely given a sustained run in the side, such is the quality in Liverpool’s squad even despite their faltering campaign.

Were he to head to North, he would be the most successful player in the entire league – let’s not forget this is a man with English, German and Swiss league titles to his name as well as two Champions League, two Super Cup and two Club World Cup medals, via Transfermarkt.

The unfortunate truth is that he might be aiming a little higher than the SPL, but if Celtic could convince the playmaker to reignite his career north of the border, it would be one hell of a coup.

In other news, could this player head the other way? 

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

Peterborough Director of Football Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ralph Hasenhuttl is fortunate to have avoided getting the sack at Southampton.

The Austrian appeared on the verge of losing his job following Southampton’s forgettable 9-0 defeat to Leicester back in October 2019, but ended up turning things around and led the St Mary’s outfit to an impressive 11th-place finish.

Hasenhuttl’s Saints side then started this Premier League season in outstanding form, and topped the table in November after beating Newcastle.

But Southampton have endured a wretched run of form since mid-December, beating only rock-bottom Sheffield United, and although his side are in the FA Cup semi-finals, they’re just seven points above the relegation-zone and suffered another 9-0 defeat at Manchester United back in January, part of a six-match winless run.

And Fry told Football FanCast that Hasenhuttl losing his job still isn’t ruled out.

“In the present day of football I would say yeah, nobody survives that [two 9-0s]. There’s been a lot of talk about him going, but then he had a magnificent run and Southampton are playing superb football.

“He’s had one or two key injuries, but they’re a club Southampton in the Premier League that have got a good team if they pick their best XI. But they haven’t got a big squad and haven’t got strength in depth.

“Can I see them getting rid of him? Possibly.”

According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have joined the race to sign Bologna star Takehiro Tomiyasu alongside Tottenham Hotspur and Atalanta.

The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing defensive additions…

As reported by Claret & Hugh, West Ham have identified a new centre-back as one of the priorities for this summer alongside a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard and new striker.

The club have also been linked with new additions at full-back, with Junior Firpo said to be on the radar according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.

Now, as per La Gazzetta, Tomiyasu has entered West Ham’s thinking – with the Japan international capable of playing both as a centre-half and right back.

The Latest: West Ham join Tomiyasu race…

Indeed, Tottenham and Atalanta were thought to be the main competitors for Tomiyasu, but West Ham have now joined contention according to this update from Italy.

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A fairly cheap fee of around €20 million (£17m) could even be enough to see him leave Bologna this summer, but it will depend on whether an auction occurs with all the interested parties.

The Hammers and Spurs are also thought to be frontrunners, with Serie A side Atalanta believing it may be futile to compete in a bidding war.

The Verdict: Do it…

We believe that Tomiyasu could be an extremely fruitful option for West Ham given his potentially meagre price tag and many years to come at just 22-years-old.

The 6 foot 2 gem has also been lavished with praise for his performances by Bologna teammate Mitchell Dijks, who called him ‘very strong’ and a ‘warrior’ whilst speaking in a press conference this season (Tuttosport).

Indeed, this may well be a fruitful move to keep an eye on for West Ham, but competition will be stiff from their London rivals.

In other news: West Ham fans flock to club announcement, find out more here.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and BBC Radio Leeds regular Noel Whelan has been left in awe of Tottenham Hotspur after their approach to sign Miralem Pjanic on loan from Barcelona.

The Lowdown: Spurs make Pjanic approach…

As per Spanish publication Sport, Tottenham’s managing director Fabio Paratici asked the La Liga giants about loaning Pjanic in a recent transfer approach.

The Bosnia international is being linked with a move away from the Camp Nou this summer after featuring only sporadically last season in La Liga. Pjanic was handed just six starts by Catalans boss Ronald Koeman, with Tottenham now making an approach to take him to north London.

The Latest: Whelan in awe of Pjanic call…

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC pundit Whelan has praised Tottenham and Pjanic after this development, calling the midfield maestro a signing fans want to see.

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He also hailed the former Juventus star as an ‘amazing player’, saying: “Fans will want to see players like that coming to Tottenham.

“Despite them not being in the Champions League, they’ve got to find quality somewhere.

“Players that are going to accept not playing in those sort of competitions. Someone who is looking to the future to put themselves back in contention to play there.

“It’s vital as a manager that you don’t just go out there looking for 21-year-olds. There’s been a lot of criticism of how they’ve dealt with picking the manager.

“He’s a Bosnia international. He’s been at Barcelona, he’s an amazing player, he’s competitive. That’s what’s Tottenham need to be again. They need to find that nice balance.”

The Verdict: Avoid…

Over the league games in which he did feature, Pjanic averaged an excellent 91.4% passing accuracy in the middle of the park, highlighting his quality as a ball-distributor. However, his wage demands – reported to be around £210,000 per week – far exceed anything he can bring to the table for Tottenham.

It seems unlikely that chairman Daniel Levy would be willing to pay this hefty salary as Barcelona seek to trim their enormous wage bill. With Gareth Bale going back to Real Madrid, Pjanic’s current paycheque would make him the highest-paid player at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Bosnian would come as a man with proven quality, but this move could be too detrimental financially to Spurs, especially with Pjanic now 31 years old.

In other news: ‘Understand’…Alasdair Gold backs big news coming out of Tottenham, find out more here.

Rangers have been boosted by Steven Davis, Allan McGregor, James Tavernier and Leon Balogun signing new deals at Ibrox in recent weeks but Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson shouldn’t stop there, and should now prioritise handing Connor Goldson a new contract.

As per This is Futbol, journalist Scott McDermott has claimed on a recent episode of the Record Rangers podcast that he believes the Light Blues will be offering the former Brighton man new terms in the near future.

McDonald said: “I expect him to sign it, I think he’ll be the next one. I’d be really surprised. Probably with him, there’s a wee bit of debate just because of his age – you know, would he want to go back to England, he’s only got a year left.

“He might feel as if he’s still got a bit of unfinished business in the Premier League, for instance, we don’t know, but from the outside looking in, the other three that you mentioned, I’d be amazed if Goldson wasn’t next on the list.”

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The 28-year-old centre-back has played every single minute of Rangers’ league campaign so far this season and has undoubtedly been one of Gerrard’s top performers, contributing four goals and two assists and averaging a superb 7.38 WhoScored rating. This is enough to rank Goldson as Rangers’ fourth-best performer so far this season, with only Tavernier, Ryan Kent and Borna Barisic currently ranked higher.

The Englishman’s current contract is set to expire at the end of next season, so it would not be a surprise to see some interest in the defender in the near future unless Rangers can tie him down to a longer deal.

Although he is already one of the top earners at Ibrox, reportedly receiving £25,000 per week, it is clear that Goldson is a leader in this Rangers side and is clearly rated highly by Gerrard.

Earlier in the season, the 40-year-old manager was full of praise for his centre-back, saying: “Connor has been an absolute mountain for this team, a true warrior. He’s had a lot of stick over the years, wrongly in my opinion. But he’s continued to improve and has been one of our most consistent players. I wasn’t too happy with the back line in Belgium on Thursday but if you look at the big picture, Goldson has been absolutely immense.”

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Therefore, following the claim from McDermott, Wilson should act quickly to make Goldson the next player to commit to a new deal with the club, as otherwise we may see an English Premier League side register an interest in him in the near future, which might prove enough to turn his head.

In other news… Sold for £1m, now in League One: Rangers sold one of their “top players” at perfect time

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has dropped a claim on former manager Mauricio Pochettino amid his links to a sensational north London return.

The Lowdown: Pochettino linked with Spurs reunion

In recent days, reports have emerged linking Pochettino with the Spurs managerial vacancy around a year and a half after he was sacked by chairman Daniel Levy. 

Indeed, the Sun recently claimed that Levy is considering the Argentine as a candidate with Pochettino himself seriously thinking about returning to the Spurs managerial helm.

Pochettino is currently struggling with Ligue 1 giants Paris-Saint Germain with a possible return to Spurs now being touted.

The Latest: Gold drops Pochettino claim

Writing on Twitter, football.london journalist Gold believes that while he isn’t currently a candidate, he would ‘come into the frame’ if his situation changes at PSG and he showed genuine interest in the role.

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“On Poch, understand Spurs are pushing on with recruitment process, hoping to appoint within 7-10 days,” Gold explained on his social media.

“Poch is not currently a candidate, but if his situation changes at PSG and he showed interest, he would come into the frame.

“Let’s be honest, the ideal candidate profile is him.”

The Verdict: Ideal candidate indeed…

It is reported that Spurs want a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ manager to succeed Jose Mourinho in north London (The Daily Mail), with the Athletic even stating Levy wants a coach ‘in the image’ Pochettino.

In this case, who better than the man himself?

However, as per Gold’s claim, he is not currently a candidate and unless something changes in the next few days, Spurs will indeed have to settle for a manager with similar traits but not quite the 49-year-old.

Lauded as a ‘football genius’ by former Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes in an interview with ESPN Brasil near the end of last year, as translated by Sport Witness, Lilywhites supporters may be hoping he does indeed ‘come into the frame’.

In other news: ‘I hear from a reliable source’…Journalist drops major Harry Kane claim, find out more here.

Southampton travel away to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as they look to end a run of three straight draws in the Premier League.

The Saints are currently sat on three points after four games and are still looking for their first win of the league campaign, with a trip to the champions next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

West Ham held the south coast outfit to a 0-0 draw in their last league outing, with Southampton starting with a 4-1-4-1 formation instead of their usual 4-2-2-2.

How many changes will Ralph make? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side, with Ibrahima Diallo, Kyle Walker-Peters and Che Adams coming in.

Starting with Diallo, we are predicting £59k-per-week beast Oriol Romeu to drop out to give the Frenchman an opportunity to impress. The Spaniard was taken off in the 53rd minute against the Hammers for the 22-year-old to come on, having given possession away eight times in the first half, completing 75% of his passes. That substitution may have given an insight into his team selection for this game, with Diallo potentially starting ahead of the ex-Chelsea man.

Valentino Livramento has started all four of Southampton’s Premier League matches this season, but it could be time to give the teenager a rest. He lost six of his eight duels against West Ham and gave possession away 17 times, whilst making zero tackles or interceptions.

This suggests that it could be the perfect opportunity to hand him a rest and start the more experienced Walker-Peters. The 24-year-old started 30 Premier League matches last season and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.84, showing that he knows how to perform consistently at this level. This is why he should come in and start ahead of Livramento for this clash.

Finally, in a change which will see the return of the 4-2-2-2, we are predicting that Adams will come into the side to replace Djenepo. The Mali international played out wide on the left last week, with Mo Elyounoussi in central midfield, and this change sees the latter go out wide with Adams partnering Armstrong up front.

We published an article on Friday explaining exactly why Adams should be unleashed against Manchester City, with his Premier League record in general, and indeed against today’s opponents, taken into account.

AND in other news, Hasenhuttl provides fresh Southampton setback update which could frustrate supporters…