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David Moyes would only consider swapping West Ham for Celtic if he wasn’t given ample backing in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to former Premier League Golden Boot winner Kevin Phillips, who was speaking to Football Insider.

Give Me Sport reported earlier this month that Moyes had been identified as a possible long-term replacement for Neil Lennon at Parkhead.

Moyes’ outstanding season at West Ham

Having finished 16th and only five points from safety last season, West Ham are fifth ahead of the Premier League run-in with a genuine chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Athletic’s Hammers correspondent Roshane Thomas has even backed Moyes for the English top flight’s Manager of the Year award after the remarkable turnaround.

Moyes said at the end of February that he had ‘no intentions of going anywhere’, but Phillips believes the 57-year-old may reconsider that stance if he isn’t given the tools to properly kick on at the London Stadium.

“It looks he’s enjoying his time there, obviously it’s his second spell so he does like the place and he’s got them flying,” the ex-Sunderland marksman said.

“The big thing for Moyes is whether he gets a kitty in the summer – that’s the only reason I can see him leaving – so he add to that squad and challenge for the top six next year.

“I don’t see him moving to Celtic and obviously he’s in a fantastic position contract wise and he knows exactly what he wants.”

Moyes set to be rewarded

The Scotsman is nearing the end of the 18-month deal he signed on his return to the London club in December 2019.

That contract includes an option for another year, but it’s understood that West Ham want to go one better and award the former Everton and Manchester United boss a long-term contract (via The Guardian).

Transfer Tavern verdict

Unfortunately for Celtic fans, Moyes simply isn’t a realistic contender for the role at this moment in time. Perhaps further down the line the man who played for the Hoops for three years would consider taking over as manager.

However, West Ham are intent on committing the 57-year-old to a lengthy deal, which indicates that he will be given all the tools he needs to ensure that their European surge is no mere flash in the pan.

In other news, a European club is reportedly in talks with Celtic over a deal for £7,500-a-week winger.

In a recent interview, former Premier League centre-forward Kevin Phillips discussed West Ham United’s reported interest in a summer move for John Lundstram.

So far this season, Lundstram has not enjoyed the finest of campaigns for Sheffield United, with the 27-year-old posting averages of 0.5 interceptions, one tackle and 0.8 key passes per game over his 24 Premier League appearances, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.59 – ranking him as the Blades’ sixth-worst performer in the top flight.

However, despite such underwhelming form this season, ExWHUemployee has claimed that West Ham could be interested in the signing of the £25,000-per-week midfielder this summer. Speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that Lundstram could prove a shrewd signing for the Hammers.

He said: “He could be one of those signings like Dawson, going under the radar a little bit. Dawson has turned out to be an excellent signing and Lundstram could be exactly the same. Going there as a bit of backup but if you do well you can find yourself playing. Moyes knows what he wants.

“He doesn’t sign players if he doesn’t know they’re going to do the job. I was surprised when Dawson went there but Moyes knew about him. Lundstram could be a real shrewd signing if they get that one over the line.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Despite his rather unremarkable form this term, a major reason for David Moyes’ interest in the 27-year-old is likely to be his performances last season, in which Lundstram’s five goals and three assists in the Premier League helped to fire Sheffield United to an impressive ninth-placed finish in the top flight.

Considering that the midfielder is out of contract this summer, should West Ham convince Lundstram to make a move to the London Stadium, he could indeed prove a shrewd piece of transfer business, as Phillips suggests.

In other news: This West Ham summer target dropped a big hint on his future – find out more here!

Carlo Ancelotti could discover his dream midfield pairing by unleashing Isaac Price as the Everton product seemingly nears his senior debut.

The 17-year-old was named on the bench at Brighton & Hove Albion as the Blues were held to a draw on Monday night for his first taste of a first-team matchday, as Ancelotti sought to manage an injury-ravished squad.

But while injuries may have helped his sudden promotion, the Liverpool Echo have claimed that Ancelotti would not have included Price if he did not believe the teenager was ready for the challenge.

Ancelotti is understood to have been impressed by how Price has been performing in first-team training sessions ever since he first joined the Italian’s fold earlier this month, and sought to reward those efforts with a seat on the bench at the Amex Stadium.

It marked the latest step in a continued rapid rise for the Northern Ireland youth international, who only signed his first professional contract just over six months ago.

Price impressed club figures with his efforts in Paul Tait’s Under 18s quickly enough that he was awarded his U23s debut by David Unsworth this January, and is already now pushing the fringes of the first-team fold.

The U17 international, who represented England at U15 level, has only made eight appearances in Unsworth’s side thus far, with his latest coming in a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers last Friday.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-everton-news-and-views” title=”Latest Everton news and views!”]

Price also has a further keen supporter in Everton legend Leighton Baines, who is noted to have helped the leggy midfielder settle both socially and professionally as he made the step up from U18s to U23s and now the first-team.

Unsworth now expects Price to be given further opportunities to impress Ancelotti, and is excited to see how the youngster continues to develop.

“Isaac is a box-to-box midfielder. He is a great passer, he’s got a bit of everything,” Unsworth said. “He still has to develop physically, as you can see, he’s not the finished article physically, but that will come.

“That’s just time, hours and hours in the gym, which he already does on his own individual programme. That’s something that will come naturally in time.

“Another pre-season will help him, whether that is with us or the first-team, it really doesn’t matter. It’s really exciting and I’m looking forward to working with him next season.”

But Ancelotti looking to unleash Price much sooner than the summer could see the Everton boss begin to discover potentially his dream midfield unit, and realising that his ideal Andre Gomes upgrade is already at Finch Farm.

The characteristics that Unsworth praises Price for in being a box-to-box presence with “a bit of everything” echoes similar claims that Ancelotti has previously laid at Abdoulaye Doucoure, his £20m summer signing from Watford.

“Abdoulaye is a fantastic midfielder, a complete midfielder,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by FourFourTwo, earlier in the season. “He can defend well. He is a box-to-box midfielder. He can bring energy to the club and a different quality.

“We don’t have midfielders with his kinds of characteristics. We have midfielders with quality and midfielders who are tactically good. He is the only one who is box-to-box.”

Ancelotti may soon get the chance to see a pairing of Doucoure and Price in training with the Frenchman expected to overcome his fractured foot to play again this season, which could see the Everton boss discover a box office unit if the youngster is unleashed.

AND in other news, an “outstanding” talent is keen to join Everton this summer, but there’s a hitch…

According to a Tottenham Hotspur source, speaking to Football Insider, Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho is planning to start Gareth Bale in ‘virtually every game’ over these final few months of the season – with an exciting behind the scenes claim emerging that he is looking like a ‘world beater’ whilst being ‘lean, fit and hungry’. 

Bale has recently returned to form following months of being overlooked by Mourinho, but Football Insider explain this was down to being careful rather than indifferent to the 2020 summer signing.

Mourinho set for Tottenham plan

Indeed, the Portuguese boss apparently devised a tailored plan for the 31-year-old after he spent two seasons barely featuring for parent club Real Madrid.

It is claimed that Bale’s lack of cameos was to steadily ease him back to full fitness, with this Spurs source explaining to Football Insider that Mourinho is now planning to play him in ‘virtually every game’.

Transfer Tavern take

The Tottenham boss is apparently set to unleash the Wales international as he is convinced that Bale is now fully fit and ready to cope with the demands of Premier League football.

This Football Insider source also explained that Bale is looking like a ‘worldbeater’ behind the scenes, not to mention ‘lean, fit and hungry’.

And going by this exciting claim, it’s safe to say Spurs supporters could be about to see a lot more from Bale in the next few weeks.

In other news: Tottenham transfer message exposes failed Levy coup, find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers fans are disgusted at Ian Crocker after the Sky Sports commentator continually criticised Alfredo Morelos on Wednesday.

The Gers beat Hibernian 1-0 at Easter Road as they maintained their 23-point lead at the top of the Premiership (BBC). Morelos scored the only goal of the game in the second-half, but he was arguably lucky to still be on the pitch after an apparent stamp on an opponent in the first 45 minutes.

Crocker was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, and he was outraged by the incident, even demanding retrospective action to be aimed at the Colombia international. He then proceeded to spend the remainder of the match complaining about the 24-year-old.

It is fair to say the Gers supporters were absolutely livid at the pundit, and they took to the social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Crocker below

“@SkyFootball absolutely shocking, biased commentary from Crocker and Walker. For so called ‘neutral’ pundits, their constant reference to Morelos’ challenge and the need for the compliance officer to get involved was a disgrace! Why are they still commentating on Rangers games?”

Credit: @Al74lan

Ian Crocker’s anti-@RangersFC bias is embarrassing. Relentless criticism of Morelos.

Credit: @londonbluenose

“It’s not really commentary is it folks? More of an agenda led vendetta by messrs Crocker and Walker against Morelos. @ScotlandSky”

Credit: @uberhonda

“Ian Crocker has an unhealthy obsession with Morelos”

Credit: @Barisic_Baldy

“Sort it out @ScotlandSky. Crocker and Walker constantly bleating and basically begging for action against Morelos last night was pathetic. I pay for balanced opinion not downright hatred.”

Credit: @stevie_cat

“”Goal from Morelos, who should’ve been sent off.” Sky’s coverage summed up by Crocker’s misery when Morelos scored. Not how intelligent Morelos was; dragging Porteous out wide to collect the ball, then cutting in to receive the ball onside and scoring. No. It was a witch-hunt.”

Credit: @missteeray

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this SFA decision.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes that Celtic’s sale of Jeremie Frimpong will counteract some of the financial damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Maguire reacts

The 20-year-old left Parkhead in January to sign for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for £11.5m, in what was an unexpected move for the Bhoys to make.

In his replacement, Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny was brought in on loan until the end of the season. However, doubts have been cast over Celtic’s willingness to pay his wages, if the deal is made permanent next summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire believes that the club will significantly benefit from offloading Frimpong, which may explain the Hoops’ decision to sell him.

“Celtic have a fanbase that will turn up as soon as they are able to do so, which is great,” he said. “The downside is that the club is more dependent on matchday income than the vast majority of clubs in Europe.

“Scottish Premiership clubs generate a greater proportion of matchday income than any other of UEFA’s 55 members.

“That’s great because it shows the fanbase is so committed. But it also means that when fans can’t attend, the club itself becomes more vulnerable to a downturn.

“The one thing they have which will counterbalance those losses is the sale of Frimpong.

“We only have a rough idea of the fee and we don’t how much the sell-on clause might be but at least it will help to counterbalance the losses.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

After the £3.7m payout they received in competition funds, being knocked out of the Europa League at the Group Stage will mean that they lost out on further vital assets.

This will only pile the pressure on manager Neil Lennon more. Not only are they not where they want to be on the pitch, but the Hoops are also suffering away from it.

Time will tell whether the board change their stance in the summer, with whispers of mass changes at the club due to take place.

In other news, Alan Hutton drops Neil Lennon claim regarding why he remains at Parkhead.

Celtic are set to lose defender Jack Hendry this summer, with Belgian side KV Oostende planning to make his move permanent.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claimed that Oostende will activate their £1.75m clause to sign Hendry long-term.

Premier League interest in Hendry

The likes of Aston Villa, Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Newcastle United, West Ham and Wolves have all been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old recently, with a £10m fee being touted.

However, Football Insider believe that the fee would likely be half that sum at £5m, still resulting in a nice profit for the Belgian side.

Transfer Tavern talk

The Hoops signed Hendry for £1.44m back in 2018 from Dundee. It seems as if they’ll make a £310,000 profit on the central defender, but it could have been so much more for the Parkhead club.

It appears as if a £5m move to England could materialise ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, meaning Celtic will have to watch on and miss out on a potential £3.56m profit had they shown more patience with him.

Hendry, who has made 23 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, was still under contract at Celtic until 2022. However, due to the inclusion of the aforementioned clause, it looks as if he’ll be moving on for good over the coming months.

In other news: Former Celtic director makes bold Desmond ownership claim, find out more here.

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce is reportedly eyeing a reunion with one of his former players this January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to the Sunday Mirror [10/01, page 72], the Baggies could want Bordeaux striker Josh Maja on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit could sign him permanently in the summer should they keep their top-flight status, which right now looks to be in serious jeopardy.

Maja was a 17-year-old rookie at Sunderland when Big Sam was in charge back in 2015/16.

Shades of Berahino?

The need for a new striker at the Hawthorns has increased tenfold in recent weeks.

Allardyce’s side already ranked among the Premier League’s worst attacks having scored just 11 goals in 17 outings – only better than two other teams in the division.

And now they have moved on Charlie Austin, who has rejoined former club QPR on loan, despite the devastating injury blow to summer signing Karlan Grant, who is now out for the next six weeks at least.

Against Blackpool in the FA Cup on Saturday, the 66-year-old had to deploy a strikerless formation which saw Matheus Pereira act as a false nine – they were subsequently knocked out, so it clearly didn’t go to plan.

The 22-year-old, who earns a reported £57k-per-week, could be an interesting solution to this nightmare.

Maja enjoyed a very decent run in Ligue 1 last term, bagging six goals, primarily from the bench as 15 of his 21 appearances were as a substitute, though this season, he’s not been able to replicate such form with just two goals in 11 starts, per WhoScored.

Despite the way he acrimoniously departed the Black Cats in 2018, the young striker still received many plaudits from his time at the club – former boss Jack Ross lauded him “fantastic” to work with on and off the pitch, whilst his ex-Bordeaux manager Paulo Sousa dubbed him a “scorer” with “sharp and strong qualities.”

At 5 foot 11, he’s the exact same fit and profile of former Albion frontman Saido Berahino, especially as Jermain Defoe mentored him at the Stadium of Light – a player who Victor Anichebe compared to the controversial striker in 2013.

Two years later, Berahino bagged 14 goals in 38 games for West Brom in the top-flight, Allardyce would surely love to see Maja come in and replicate such form.

Once dubbed a “unique talent” by local Sunderland journalist Phil Smith, Maja could be a bargain solution to Big Sam’s increasing problems.

AND in other news, Allardyce must axe £38k-p/w disaster after another pathetic display…

As Spurs continue to stamp their mark on the Premier League this season, Danny Rose finds himself out in the cold more than ever before. Daniel Levy splashed the cash on new arrival Sergio Reguilon during the summer window and he has become Jose Mourinho’s first-choice left-back.

Ben Davies is still heavily involved in the squad as well, which leaves no room for Rose at present. The 30-year-old has recently returned from a loan spell with Newcastle and since then, he has been reduced to just one appearance for the club’s reserve team.

It’s extremely tough going for Rose, who has 29 England caps and has been with the club for 13 years. Marlon Harewood spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about the situation and admitted that he finds it baffling.

“He’s a top player,” the former striker said. “This is what I don’t understand about football. Obviously, everyone has their differences but despite to the dispute, you’ve got a top-class player there – a top-class left-back who can do a good job.”

Rose was an inconsistent starter last season under Mourinho, making just 12 appearances for Spurs before he was shipped off to Newcastle for the rest of the season (via Transfermarkt).

In their behind-the-scenes documentary All or Nothing, the left-back and his manager could be seen having a heated discussion over Mourinho’s decision to drop Rose after his performance against Liverpool. Since then, their relationship has been tarnished and it doesn’t look like there’s a way back.

“You don’t have to be friends,” Harewood expanded. “Just go out there, work hard then go into the changing rooms, get changed and go home.”

With just over six months left on his current contract, it looks like Levy and co aren’t even interested in making some money off the defender. With no senior minutes in the tank, it’s very unlikely that he will be given a new contract and will simply be forced to endure an agonising wait until at least January.

In other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt makes bold Spurs Premier League claim…

Celtic are reportedly looking to offer a new bumper deal to reserve goalkeeper Conor Hazard. That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that Peter Lawwell is looking to increase his terms after the 22-year-old stepped up to the plate in Celtic’s last two matches.

Hazard started ahead of Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas against both Lille and Kilmarnock, helping the Hoops return to the winning streak they are more than capable of maintaining.

It’s likely that Neil Lennon will now turn to the youngster for the remainder of the season. Celtic are playing catch up as they hope they still have time to close down rivals Rangers and take back the top spot in the Premiership.

Big responsibility for Hazard

Summer signing Barkas has had a disappointing debut season so far after struggling to cement himself as his new club’s first choice. Bain took over from the Greece international after he struggled with a back injury and he has rarely been seen since. But now, even his teammate has disappointed Lennon and he has been forced to call upon Hazard to step up.

Before his back-to-back starts, the Northern Ireland international had featured just one other time for the Celtic senior team. This was way back in 2017, in a cameo appearance against Partick Thistle in the league (via Transfermarkt). However, being just a teenager at the time, he clearly wasn’t viewed as a reliable option to integrate into the team.

His patience and hard work has paid off though and he could now be looking at becoming Celtic’s No.1 next season. With Lawwell acknowledging his work ethic and eagerly lining up a new deal for him, this could spell a very fruitful career for Hazard at Parkhead. It’s also a smart piece of business from the Englishman, who will be more than aware of other clubs noticing the goalkeeper’s progress.

Tying him down whilst he is still on the rise is essential for the Bhoys if they want to return next season and punish Rangers.

In other news, Mark McKenzie is ideal signing amid potential Ajer departure…