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Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal to bring Emiliano Marcondes to The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Chris Hughton’s side have opened talks with the out of contract Brentford attacking midfielder regarding a move to Forest this summer.

The report continues by stating that Hughton is looking to revamp his squad in the summer transfer window following a disappointing campaign last time out, with the 26-year-old looking set to become the club’s first summer signing.

Fans should be buzzing

Considering how impressive Marcondes has been for Brentford since joining the club back in January of 2018, the fact that Forest appear to be close to landing the former Denmark U21 international this summer, especially on a free transfer, should leave fans of the club buzzing.

Arguably the £2.52m-rated man’s best campaign for the Bees came in 2019/20, a season in which Marcondes actually spent half a year out on loan at FC Midtjylland.

Having joined the Superligaen team in September, the 26-year-old went on to feature 12 times for Brian Priske’s side, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots and making 1.8 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the £12k-per-week midfielder earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as Midtjylland’s second-best performer in the top flight of Danish football.

Upon his return to Brentford, Marcondes went on to make 25 Championship appearances for Thomas Frank’s side, scoring two goals, registering seven assists and creating four big chances, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 1.2 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the man Frank dubbed a “remarkable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Brentford’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football that season, playing a huge role in the club making it all the way to the play-off final.

As such, with Forest having struggled to find the back of the net last season, with only Derby County scoring fewer than the Garibaldi’s 37 Championship goals, should Hughton go on to land Marcondes this summer, and the midfielder is subsequently able to recreate his form from 2019/20 in Forest colours next term, the Reds will see their likelihood of both creating and scoring chances dramatically increase – something that could prove the springboard for Forest’s climb back up the Championship table.

In other news: Taylor drops significant Nottingham Forest off-field update, fans should be buzzing

Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick will be aiming to secure his second consecutive victory when BSC Young Boys visit Old Trafford in their Champions League encounter this evening.

The German tactician’s reign got off to a perfect start over the weekend when he guided the Red Devils to a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

But it wasn’t just the result that would have pleased Rangnick. United recorded their first clean sheet on home territory in the Premier League since March on Sunday, having previously kept just three clean sheets in the current campaign.

Rangnick didn’t just manage to shut up shop by adopting a defensive, backs-to-the-wall approach, though.

United won back possession of the ball 12 times in the final third of the pitch, a record number for the 20-time English champions since Opta began recording such data.

“Possession won in the final third was a massive one,” said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville in his analysis. “What they did is they sustained attacks, and they stopped teams cutting through them, and they stopped counter-attacks. They won the ball back quicker.

“Everyone assumed it would be Jurgen Klopp-style heavy-metal football. They did not run more but what they did do was work smarter.”

And now Rangnick must give other players an opportunity to impress in his new-look set up for the visit of Young Boys, unleashing the likes of Mason Greenwood into the starting XI.

He could be a game-changer

The 63-year-old already revealed in his pre-match press conference that fringe players Dean Henderson and Donny van de Beek will be afforded rare opportunities to impress from the off, with United already assured of their place in the last-16.

Therefore, Greenwood should also be brought back into the fold. After suffering from the ongoing pandemic last month, the versatile forward has failed to start a game in all competitions since 6 November and is currently enduring a five-game goal drought.

The £45m-rated forward’s recent showings in front of goal have been in stark contrast to those in the opening weeks of the campaign when he bagged three strikes in his first three league games.

“The kid is on fire,” said David de Gea after he well-taken finish at Wolves. “Top finisher, he is clinical, he has the goal in his mind all the time, so he’s being very important for us at the moment.

“Hopefully he can keep the level up and keep scoring goals like he did today.”

Unfortunately for Greenwood and United, the youngster hasn’t been able to maintain that form as De Gea had hoped, but today’s clash could be the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track.

After all, he has the potential to be better than a host of club legends according to pundit Jason Cundy who once said: “Every game I see, he gets better and better and better.

“He is better than Marcus Rashford, he will be better than David Beckham, he will be better than Ryan Giggs.”

The youngster’s deadly combination of intelligent movement, natural pace and unerring finishing always has the ability to change any game, and if he puts in an impressive display, it could alter the course of his season under Rangnick.

And, in other news…Rangnick could seal bargain Man Utd swoop for £287k-p/w “phenomenon” compared to CR7

The future of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos may depend on ‘what happens with [Giovanni] van Bronckhorst’, Danny Mills has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

Morelos’s £33,000-per-week Rangers contract is due to expire at the end of next season.

That means this summer could be the club’s last opportunity to cash in, with Morelos able to line up a free transfer to a foreign club from January unless he pens an extension.

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The frontman stated back in the autumn that he hoped he would be soon be allowed to leave Glasgow.

Morelos has scored 113 goals in 224 appearances for the club, better than one every two games, and is their all-time top European goalscorer.

Former Rangers midfielder Nacho Novo has urged the Light Blues to ‘do something very soon’ as they face the prospect of losing an ‘incredible’ player.

The latest

Mills, a pundit for Sky Sports News, says there are plenty of factors that may determine Morelos’ next move, including Van Bronckhorst’s future.

“It will depend on where Rangers finish in the league, what happens in the Europa League and what that means for their finances,” he told Football Insider.

“Then what happens with Giovanni van Bronckhorst going forwards? There is a lot in the mix at Rangers and it depends on these next few weeks, effectively.

“If they finish behind Celtic, how far will they finish behind Celtic? Can they turn it around in the Europa League?

Mills warned that Rangers may be forced to sell the Colombian to fund further recruitment.

But on the other hand, the opportunity to play in the Champions League could compel him to remain at Ibrox.

“What is the plan going forward?” he said. “Do they need to sell a player like that to get some money to help bring players in?

“If they were to overtake Celtic and win the league, get in the Champions League with all that money they might be able to keep him and he will want to play in the Champions League.

“If not, they might need to reassess the situation.”

The verdict

There are two possible routes for Rangers into the Champions League – winning the Scottish Premiership and winning the UEFA Europa League.

The first looks decidedly unlikely after Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 earlier this month to open up a six-point cushion at the top of the table. There is still one more Old Firm to play, though, which would could revive the Gers’ hopes.

As for the European path, Rangers will first have to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Braga on Thursday. That would earn them a place in the semifinals, but RB Leipzig or Atalanta would be the favourites for the tie.

Rangers, then, have only an outside bet of making it into Europe’s premier club competition, but it could prove to be a trump card if they can get it done.

Many of the clubs interested in Morelos – like Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton – won’t be playing at that level next season.

In other news, a significant contract update has emerged.

Leeds United moved out of the relegation zone with a much-needed victory over fellow Premier League strugglers Norwich City on Sunday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa has two of his attacking players to thank in Raphinha and Rodrigo after they scored a pair of sublime solo goals to seal all three points at Carrow Road.

The Brazilian winger dribbled past three of the Canaries’ backline before firing home and the Spanish attacker bagged the winner from range after Andrew Omobamidele had levelled almost instantly after their opener.

In reality, it was quite a tight affair and even though the Whites edged it on the day, it could have easily gone the other way. And that has got to concern the Argentine in the visiting dugout.

He should be less than impressed with the performance of Jack Harrison, too.

The 24-year-old winger was Leeds’ lowest-rated player (6.5) and it’s easy to see why as he offered Bielsa very little in attack.

As per SofaScore, the former Man City graduate failed to register a shot on or off target and managed just one successful dribble from three attempts. He also did not put in a single accurate cross and made only 18 passes, managing the lowest accuracy of any outfield Leeds star.

Harrison was also weak with and without the ball, having lost it 11 times, on top of winning only three of 13 duels (23%) and being dribbled past three times.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross was less than impressed with the winger as he graded him a 4/10 in his post-match column. ‘Another meek performance on the whole, though. Not bringing anything to the party around the box,’ he wrote.

Indeed, it’s a disappointing outing from one of Bielsa’s biggest influences in the attack. He managed fewer touches (37) than even goalkeeper Illan Meslier (41), which speaks volumes itself.

The £60k-per-week dynamo is yet to score or assist in eight appearances, a stark contrast to last season when he provided eight goals and eight assists

It now leaves the Whites boss with plenty to ponder heading into their clash with Leicester City next weekend as he cannot afford to carry passengers when they are still in dire need of results.

The win took them out of the dropzone but only just, they still remain in 17th place. Harrison’s form is a big cause for concern.

AND in other news, Leeds eyeing “super talented” 40-goal machine, he’s a massive Tyler Roberts upgrade…

Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold has provided an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: January exit

The Netherlands international was at the centre of heavy transfer speculation during the January window.

Ajax were extremely keen on bringing the 24-year-old back to the Eredivisie and even had a £15m bid rejected for the player, with Spurs demanding closer to the £27m they paid for Dutchman in 2020.

However, this deal seemed to fall through and Bergwijn has warmed the bench ever since, barring one miraculous cameo in the win against Leicester City.

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The Latest: Gold’s update…

In football.london’s latest QnA, Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold received questions over the future of Bergwijn.

In response, Gold claimed:

“I think it’s going to depend on Steven Bergwijn himself and perhaps how hard Ajax push for him this summer. Conte likes him a lot and if it was down to him, he would keep him. The Dutchman is full of confidence right now after his three international goals in two games and the strike against Newcastle but he’s just unfortunate that Spurs’ front three are flying at the moment.

“Opportunities will arise next season and there should be plenty of matches to be played, but for Bergwijn he will obviously want to be a regular starter rather than a bit part player.

“It would be Spurs’ loss if he were to go and Conte will no doubt attempt to convince him to stay, but much depends on where the player’s head is at and just how much Ajax can throw at a transfer they desperately want to make.”

The Verdict: Would be a big loss

Whilst the winger has now dropped to the bench since the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski in N17, Bergwijn would be a big loss to Antonio Conte, given his ability to come on and make an instant impact on a game.

This was illustrated in Spurs’ away clash at the King Power Stadium, when the attacker came off the bench in the dying minutes and scored two emphatic injury time goals to secure the Lilywhites a 3-2 win.

Furthermore, given Conte’s own assessment of Bergwijn being a “quality” player, a move away from Hotspur Way would comes as a big blow to Tottenham’s squad.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold drops verdict on the futures of Lo Celso and Ndombele

West Ham United return to Premier League action as they welcome newcomers Brentford to the London Stadium this afternoon.

It’s the seventh match in three weeks for the Irons, who have started the 2021/22 campaign on fire, losing just once across all competitions thus far.

With another international break soon on this horizon, David Moyes will want to sign off in style with yet another victory, though after defeating Rapid Wien in the Europa League on Thursday night, the Scotsman is facing plenty of selection headaches.

Just two places split the two teams heading into kickoff, so the newly-promoted Bees aren’t a side that can be taken lightly.

Moyes has utilised squad rotation to some extent with these midweek matches, so players like Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma should come straight back into the starting XI, though one name that shouldn’t feature is fellow summer signing Nikola Vlasic, who has looked very underwhelming since joining the club.

As per SofaScore, the £27m-rated Croatian playmaker was the only Hammers player to record a rating below 7.0 as his early-season struggles continue at the club.

He flattered to deceive on his debut for the Hammers – as explained by Football FanCast here – despite it being in the most perfect of circumstances after returning to his home country to face Dinamo Zagreb.

Against Wien, he managed to record fewer touches (25) than goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (28) and he also registered the fewest touches of any West Ham starter (nine) and that’s the last thing you want from your creative option in the no.10 role.

The 23-year-old midfielder may well come good for the Irons eventually but in games like this, Moyes is better off turning to his tried and tested, such as Pablo Fornals, instead.

Moyes has already been impressed by what he’s seen from Vlasic on the training pitch, revealing to reporters:

“He can play several roles for us which is important, but we also want to give him the chance to adapt and adjust. He’s only been really impressive since he’s been at the club and we’re really hopeful that he’ll turn into a really good player for us.”

But the former Everton flop has struggled for weeks now, so he must not keep his place in the starting XI for this encounter. Brentford pose plenty of threat themselves, having beaten Arsenal and drawn to Liverpool already this campaign.

Moyes may well like what he sees in Vlasic but at the London Stadium this afternoon, he must be brutal and leave the 5 foot 10 maestro on the bench. His faith in the summer signing is yet to be rewarded with any sort of promising performance, so he must now be axed from the starting XI.

AND in other news, Newman could become an instant hit at West Ham by signing £36m-rated “world-beater”…

West Ham United may have received their biggest boost yet in their pursuit of Jesse Lingard…

What’s the word?

Irons boss David Moyes made it no secret of his intentions to try and secure the Manchester United loanee on a permanent basis at the end of last season.

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player,” Moyes told the Evening Standard following their final game of the season. “But I hope Jesse realises we’ve been good for him as well, and that he joined a club on the up.”However, the East Londoners have faced plenty of bumps in their attempts to bring him back. Last month, The Athletic claimed that Lingard wanted to stay at Old Trafford to fight for his place, whilst Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed he was part of his plans for the new season to Sky Sports.But it has now been suggested by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News that United are prepared to offload him before the transfer window closes on August 31st, especially as they need to sell before there are any more incomings. Has the door now opened?

If this fresh development is to be believed, then the Hammers have surely been given a free shot at securing last season’s loan sensation, who provided nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Lingard is in the final 11 months of his £75k-per-week contract and hasn’t started for United in the league since New Year’s Day in 2020. He is likely to be the one player available for transfer that could garner a substantial amount of finance.

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Transfermarkt currently value him at £19.8m, which seems fair based on his exploits at the London Stadium last term.

The 28-year-old playmaker ended the campaign as Moyes’ second-best player, as per WhoScored ratings, which shows just how important he was to the side as they recorded a phenomenal sixth-place finish, one year on from avoiding relegation with just one game to spare.

Moyes must now urge a move for Lingard as it seems that United are very much prepared to sell him, it would be inexcusable not to, at this point, considering they have only signed one senior player all summer – a back-up goalkeeper on loan.

Plenty of the Hammers faithful are just as eager to see Lingard return as the manager, so this major update should come as rather encouraging news.

If the 29-time England international can make a sensational return to the Irons before deadline day, then supporters and Moyes will be absolutely buzzing.

GSB must act, fast.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Antonio: West Ham must seal move for “special” £31.5m-rated goal-machine…

An update has emerged on Liverpool dynamo Divock Origi, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Northern Echo, the Belgian forward is one of a number of players Eddie Howe is eyeing ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that he is being considered as a potential loan signing, with his game time at Anfield currently limited.

Imagine him & Wilson

Newcastle could land a dream deal by signing Origi on loan in the January transfer window for multiple reasons. Firstly, he could form an exciting partnership with Callum Wilson at the top end of the pitch for the Magpies in the second half of the season.

Origi has 38 goals and 16 assists for Liverpool in his time at Anfield and has produced three goals and two assists in seven games this season, showing that he has the quality to make a difference in games. Wilson, meanwhile, has 16 Premier League goals since the start of last term and has proven that, like the Reds attacker, he can score goals at this level.

The Belgian forward is capable of playing out wide on the left and could play off Wilson in a front three along with Allan Saint-Maximin. Therefore, with Origi and Wilson’s ability to score goals, they could create a promising strike force that should get fans excited.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once hailed the forward as ‘unbelievably important’ and praised the different qualities he offers. He said:

“Div is unbelievably important for us.

“We knew it before but Div needs a good feeling, needs to be in a confident mood and then everybody knows what he is able to do. If you compare him with other players in our squad then they are all different, they all have different qualities and very often we used three other players up front, but Div was always so important for us.

“Then it’s really nice as well that he can show his importance in a game like this, which was obviously very important for all of us. Scoring these kinds of goals showed extra class, they were exceptional.”

Secondly, a loan deal could be a dream financial move for the club. They are currently 20th in the Premier League and a loan with an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season could be perfect for the Magpies, as it means that they do not have to commit to paying his wages if they are relegated to the Championship.

AND in other news, Shearer 2.0: Howe could get St. James’ rocking with NUFC deal for “incredible” beast…

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side come up against Brentford in the Premier League at St James’ Park on Saturday in the former Bournemouth manager’s first game in charge of the Tyneside club.

The 43-year-old is the third man tasked with winning a league match for the Magpies this season, with Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones falling short before him.

One of the problems Newcastle have faced this season has been their lack of defensive solidity and the inability to keep clean sheets in the top flight. They have recorded zero shutouts and conceded 2.2 goals per game on average in 11 matches this term.

Schar could solve a key issue

One player he could unleash against Brentford to solve this key issue is Switzerland defender Fabian Schar.

We published an article earlier this month explaining why Howe must axe Ciaran Clark from the team. In that piece, we pointed out that the Irishman’s poor average SofaScore rating of 6.66 across nine starts places him below both Schar and Federico Fernandez in the Newcastle squad this season. This suggests that he does not deserve his place in the XI, which is why the Swiss ace must now be unleashed against Brentford.

It remains to be seen what formation Howe wants to deploy at St James’ Park, but it could dictate who is selected across the rearguard. Jones lined up with a back five against Brighton prior to the international break, with Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles and Clark as the three centre-backs. If Howe wants to play with a traditional back four to include more attack-minded players in the starting XI, then Krafth and Clark could both be dropped in order for Schar to start alongside Lascelles.

The £40k-per-week Swiss titan has previously shown that he has the quality to put in top-drawer performances at Premier League level. He averaged SofaScore ratings of 7.14 and 6.89 respectively in his first two seasons for the club and Howe could benefit from trying to get the best out of him in the coming weeks.

Unleashing him against Brentford from the start could be a good first step in getting Schar back to his peak form, as it would be a sign of faith from Howe in his first match in charge. It would then be down to the 29-year-old to prove that he still has more left to offer, because he could solve Newcastle’s defensive woes if he is able to put in the level of displays he previously showed, as they kept 11 clean sheets in that time.

AND in other news, Offer on the table: PIF working to land NUFC deal for beast which will leave fans buzzing…

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming as news emerged on their ticket allocation for one of their upcoming friendlies.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have only received an allocation of 1,458 tickets for their away trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in a friendly game on Saturday 7th August.

Considering that the stadium can hold 76,000 people, the allocation does seem a little scarce, added to reports that the Community Shield clash between Leicester City and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium will be played in front of full capacity next month.

Nonetheless, supporters of the Merseyside club will be desperate to be going back to attending as many matches as possible, even if they are just friendlies.

Everton fans on ticket allocation

These Toffees fumed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘terrible’:

“What a pathetic allocation”

Credit: @Lammylad88

“That is a terrible allocation for a friendly that.”

Credit: @CoppellRob

“That’s ridiculous”

Credit: @AK4INSURANCE

“That’s poor”

Credit: @GrahamDavies4

“Joke”

Credit: @Chrisgill95

“Is that it? Shocking”

Credit: @Ashleyk39869181

In other news, find out what confirmed news has Evertonians gushing here!