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According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United will push on with their interest in Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham despite his £80,000-per-week wages having the potential to cause ‘unrest’ in the dressing room. 

West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Abraham over the last week, with ExWHUemployee, the Daily Star and Eurosport all claiming that the Irons do hold an interest in the Englishman.

Now, C&H have supported Eurosport’s claim that the Hammers have made a tentative enquiry for Abraham – and the insiders believe that West Ham will push on with their interest – GSB failed to sign a forward in the January transfer window

Reacting to this development, as shared by West Ham news, supporters had very mixed views on social media – flocking to share their range of opinions on Abraham as this transfer claim emerges.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Abraham claim

“No no no, he is dreadful”

Credit: @rogerc32

“Hope this isn’t true doesn’t suit out our system and does miss a fair few opportunities. Although he has got age on his side. Personally would prefer a lump/ beast up front arnie and antonio both fit that mould and have both improved under moyes”

Credit: @bengonzalaz

“He’s just a poor mans Calvert Lewin”

Credit: @Reeko007

“Ok well the wage ain’t a problem because I swear yarmolenko is on above 100k”

Credit: @Reece_WHU_

“Quality players love to be overpriced”

Credit: @DuhigAlan

“Young English striker would love him at West Ham”

Credit: @moower

“Hold me”

Credit: @_JackWHU

In other news: West Ham are also eyeing this Championship star, find out more here.

Amid all the controversy surrounding how Jack Grealish’s injury was leaked before Aston Villa’s Premier League clash against Leicester at the weekend, it’s easy to forget that the club’s talisman may be set to miss a significant period of time.

While Villa boss Dean Smith was quick to reveal that he is hopeful the England international could be back for the game against Leeds, according to BBC Sport, “it is understood he could be out for a month”.

Whether Grealish is out for just one game or more, Smith has a big decision to make about how he goes about replacing his main man – after all, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals and provided a further 12 assists in all competitions this season.

One Villa player who could be set to benefit from Grealish’s potential absence is Jacob Ramsey.

The 19-year-old has firmly established himself as part of Smith’s first-team squad this campaign, making nine appearances in the Premier League, albeit most of them being cameo appearances off the bench.

But perhaps now is the perfect time for him to get a real chance to impress from the off, and given what people have said about him, it’s clear he’s got the talent to be an able replacement for Grealish.

Villa’s former academy manager has previously gone on record to say about Ramsey: “If he continues to match his undoubted technical ability and eye for a goal with the desire and energy to reach the next level, he will have a bright future in the game.”

In fact, Smith himself has gone on record to say that he has an “awful lot of potential”, while former Villa ace Alan Hutton has dubbed him as a “class player”.

There is no questioning that with Grealish out injured, Villa have got a major hole in their side that is difficult to fill.

But if he’s given an opportunity, Ramsey could well step up to the plate and prove to be the club’s next academy breakout, ready to be a part of this side for the next few years to come – after all, it’s only because Grealish was given a chance once upon a time that Villa are blessed with one of the Premier League’s elite talents.

Ramsey could well be Smith’s saviour.

Aston Villa were desperately out of sorts when West Ham put three goals past them in midweek.

It was a performance distinctly out of character with what has been a terrific season for Dean Smith’s team.

After bravely fighting relegation last term they have bounced back in remarkable fashion. Their 1-0 win over Arsenal epitomised everything they’ve become.

It was steely, aggressive and most importantly, it was clinical.

The Villans didn’t need many chances but were gifted the game’s only goal early on. Bertrand Traore seized on possession after Cedric gave it away and he then put the ball on a plate for Ollie Watkins to roll the ball home.

Villa troubled the Gunners on numerous occasions but it was their defensive performance that stood out so much.

They restricted Arsenal to just three shots on target and what typified their resilience was the fact that Alexandre Lacazette failed to have a single touch in the penalty area.

Tyrone Mings was given BT Sport’s Man of the Match award for the performance but we think someone else deserves some recognition too.

That happens to be Matt Targett, a defender who has to go down as one of their shrewdest captures since returning to the Premier League.

The former Saint was charged with defending Bukayo Saka for the majority of the game and once the full-time whistle was blown, he would have looked inside his pocket and found the dazzling Arsenal winger sat there.

Saka has been one of Arsenal’s main creators this term but Targett stifled him and fellow youngster, Emile Smith Rowe, in dominating fashion.

He won nine of the 14 duels he completed, losing out just once aerially. This had the potential to be a tricky encounter for the 25-year-old but he made it look comfortable.

Only Marvelous Nakamba (6) won more tackles than Targett’s five. That was a tally which just so happened to severely usurp Mings. As for aerial duels, only Watkins won more than Targett’s four.

This was as complete a performance as they come from the Villa defender. Saka tried time and time again to get down the right but he failed to complete any of the four dribbles he attempted. That was a testament to Targett’s magnificent display.

The Arsenal academy graduate has been their match-winner on a regular basis in recent weeks so this was a pivotal fight on the pitch. The fact that the £35k-per-week Villa earner overcame the challenge made him Smith’s true hero.

AND in other news, Villa may rue not signing 5 ft 11 gem with “unique pace”, Dean Smith will be worried…

West Bromwich Albion fans have been reacting to the news that their club are set to receive a fine for their agreement with West Ham in regards to Robert Snodgrass.

Snodgrass made the move to the Baggies from the Hammers earlier this month (wba.co.uk). However, to get the deal over the line, manager Sam Allardyce revealed that the Midlands outfit had agreed not to play the 33-year-old against the Irons on Tuesday night (via The Times), a game The Hammers won 2-1.

Such an agreement is actually against the rules, and there has since been an investigation into the deal by the Premier League. It seems that the Baggies are set to be hit by a fine as a result.

The news was shared on Twitter by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, and these West Brom fans replied in their droves as they gave their opinions.

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

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

Credit: @hoare_neil

“And breathe…”

Credit: @RobPaddock16

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @leo_woodfield

“Thank the lord”

Credit: @StevoSmith0

“There’s our transfer budget gone then”

Credit: @jackggriffiths

“Dodged a bullet but again woefully poor from the recruitment department to put us in the situation in the 1st place”

Credit: @CarlAlexander74

In other news, West Brom enter talks for this 26-year-old international.

With Celtic badly depleted ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Hibernian on Monday night, it was a much-changed line-up from the one that lost to Rangers last time out.

And one of the changes came up front, where 19-year-old Cameron Harper got a rare chance to impress – the American hadn’t made a single competitive appearance for Neil Lennon’s side before then.

The Hoops, who had Gavin Strachan in the dugout at Parkhead, badly needed the teenager to offset the loss of both Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths, but sadly for both him and the team, he just struggled to deal with the pressure.

As per Sofascore, he won just two out of the seven duels that he contested, whilst he just couldn’t get involved in the game either, making a measly total of 13 passes.

Apart from one effort that saw him hit the side-netting, Harper didn’t look anything remotely like someone who could be challenging for a first-team spot at Celtic Park anytime soon.

GlasgowLive gave him a match rating of 5 for his performance, saying that whilst he had “lots of energy”, he “didn’t have the end product to match”.

And it was a display that left some fans really scratching their heads about whether he can make a real career at the club, with a few insisting that he just looked so out of his depth.

Harper was gifted an opportunity to really put a marker down and send a message to Lennon about being involved in the first-team for the rest of the season.

But instead, he badly fluffed his lines, and once both Edouard and Griffiths return, it’s hard to imagine Harper seeing any meaningful action anytime soon.

It has been reported recently in The Athletic that Southampton are willing to let Michael Obafemi leave in the January transfer window, should they agree a deal which suits both parties, meaning he could be allowed to leave on loan or permanently.

The Irishman has struggled for game time for the Saints this season, with Ralph Hasenhuttl rarely deviating from his front two of Che Adams and Danny Ings.

Even when Ings has been sidelined through injury, the Austrian manager has preferred loan signing Theo Walcott up front, whilst it seems as if youngsters Dan N’Lundulu and Nathan Tella have both moved ahead of Obafemi in the Saints pecking order.

As a result, he has made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League so far this season, which will undoubtedly be disappointing for the 20-year-old when you consider that last season saw him make 21 appearances in the top-flight.

Hasenhuttl has criticised the youngster’s professionalism in the past, saying:

“The problem with Michael was always he would play one good game and then fall back a little bit and was not professional enough to force or keep his position in the team or in the squad.”

However, he has still shown himself as capable of being a threat in the Premier League, having contributed four goals and three assists in 29 appearances in the top-flight.

With Ings now sidelined after picking up a hamstring injury, you would hope that Obafemi would be given an opportunity to impress in the Saints’ upcoming fixtures, instead of goal-shy 33-year-old Shane Long, who started the Boxing Day fixture against Fulham.

Unless Obafemi can impress Hasenhuttl with his work rate in training, however, he is unlikely to be selected to replace Ings. The England international has proved to be a constant threat with his pressing in recent seasons, something which Obafemi hasn’t really shown so far in his time with the club.

The Republic of Ireland international is still just 20-years-old though and considering his contract is set to run until 2022, Martin Semmens and the Southampton board shouldn’t rush into a decision on the youngster in January, simply because he isn’t featuring as much in the first-team this season.

A loan move would perhaps be sensible, to ensure that Obafemi’s progress isn’t stifled too much, as they could definitely end up regretting selling the £4.05 million rated forward, as he showed enough last season to prove he can be a part of this Saints squad in the future.

Certainly, with Ings’ future still hanging in the balance, with the former Liverpool man yet to agree a new contract with the club, it would make even less sense to let Obafemi leave permanently, as the youngster could well prove to be the natural successor to Ings, provided he can start to show a bit more professionalism and prove to Hasenhuttl that he deserves to start.

It will be interesting to see whether the 20-year-old gets his chance in the Southampton first-team in the coming weeks but even if he doesn’t, the South Coast club shouldn’t allow him to leave permanently in the January transfer window.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl must make a brutal decision on “unbelievable” ace not good enough for the PL…

Things do not seem to be going to plan for long-serving Tottenham Hotspur star Erik Lamela this season.

As it often is, his campaign has been blighted by persistent injury troubles, and now he’s in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Over the festive period, the Argentinian winger was pictured alongside Spurs teammates Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon in what was a clear breach of the government’s lockdown measures.

It resulted in major fines for all three players.

And if anything, it was a complete act of betrayal to manager Jose Mourinho, who despite all of the doubts in the £85k-per-week attacker, has often kept the faith in him.

For all of his time on the treatment table, the ‘Special One’ has backed him to the point of calling him an “amazing guy” and a “fantastic player,” as per talkSPORT.

Indeed, Lamela has missed at least 108 matches through injury since making a €30m (£27m) move from Roma in August 2013, whilst he has been restricted to just 524 minutes of action in all competitions this term.

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, the winger is a player that Spurs could look to move on this transfer window in order to raise funds to bolster Mourinho’s squad.

And maybe it is time they should.

Former Leeds man Noel Whelan slammed Lamela’s recent antics in an interview with Football Insider, he said:

“This is one thing that has really gone against Erik Lamela. The club cannot trust him. Those players have broken the trust with the management and hierarchy. It is not as if he is even playing regularly and maybe that is why he thought he could do whatever he wanted. Maybe he’s not fussed anymore.”

It wasn’t too long ago that he took fire from Graeme Souness. The Sky Sports pundit dubbed him “pathetic” for getting Anthony Martial sent off during their 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United (via football.london).

Perhaps the latest controversy is enough to entice Daniel Levy into cashing in this transfer window.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Daniel Levy urged to sign out-of-contract UCL star…

It’s been a rough first half of the season for Arsenal, and speculation over Mikel Arteta’s future as manager is mounting.

The Gunners are in the midst of their worst start to a league campaign for a number of decades, and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in mid-week with ease by Manchester City.

And with Chelsea next up for them in the Premier League on Boxing Day, the north London side could be staring at yet more festive disappointment.

Arteta will surely have to make some big calls and key changes to liven up his team, and with that in mind, below is a look at how they might line up against Frank Lampard’s Blues.

After making the controversial call to leave him out of the quarter-final against City, Arteta will no doubt bring Bernd Leno back into the starting line-up, and hope that the German can bring a bit more calmness to the Gunners back-line.

The likes of Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney should also all return to the first-team, with the trio among those names rested in mid-week – only Gabriel should keep his place, having served his one-match suspension against Everton last weekend.

In midfield, Mohamed Elneny hasn’t quite the heights like he did against Manchester United in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford, and the Egyptian could make way for Granit Xhaka.

One of the more surprising omissions from Tuesday night was Reiss Nelson, and the England U21 international will surely be hoping that was because Arteta sees him as a potential starter against Chelsea.

And having made his comeback against City, Gabriel Martinelli will look to give Arsenal an extra edge in attack as long as he shakes off the knock he picked up in the Carabao Cup.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Ceballos, Saka; Nelson, Lacazette, Martinelli.

Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani has claimed that Celtic submitted a second bid before he decided to stay in Italy.

Rrahmani snubs Paradise

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead for the past 18 months, dating back to the summer of 2019 before he moved to the Serie A side for £12.6m from Hellas Verona, but was loaned back to Gli Scaligeri for the 2019/20 campaign (via TransferMarkt).

Rrahmani made 35 appearances in his debut season in Italy and is yet to make a first-team outing for his new club. But the Hoops ultimately missed out, not just on one occasion.

Cited by the Daily Record, Rrahmani revealed that Lennon was interested in his services, but explained why he decided to stay in Naples as opposed to joining up with Celtic and the Irish tactician.

“Napoli have invested a lot in me,” he said. “I had offers from Celtic and Standard Liege but in the end, I chose to sign for Napoli. This is the most important step of my career.

“They had a strategy to sell (Kalidou) Koulibaly but the coronavirus changed the scenario. I’ve been told that I’m still an important member of the squad and that my time will come soon.”

Transfer Tavern take

Rrahmani would have definitely bolstered Lennon’s defensive assets, and certainly looks the part. Winning two league titles in Croatia and gaining experience in the Europa League shows why Celtic were interested in him.

In the end, Shane Duffy made the move on loan from Brighton and had started well before some recent bad form, scoring twice from his first seven league games (Whoscored).

If the Irishman can perform at a consistent level for the Bhoys, Rrahmani will not be missed by the Parkhead faithful.

In other news, pundit warns ‘disinterested’ Celtic star who could be doing a Ntcham.

Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster TV2, rumoured Aston Villa transfer target, Josh King, has opened the door to potentially leaving current club Bournemouth in January.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested the Cherries striker has been on Villa’s radar, with some outlets even claiming that a late, deadline-day beating move was on the cards.

That however, failed to transpire, with King unable to secure a move away from the Vitality Stadium. However, his recent comments suggests that he is already lining up an exit in the January transfer window, and that will surely alert the Villa hierarchy to a possible deal.

He said (as quoted by The Birmingham Mail): “If you had asked me two months ago if I thought I would be in Bournemouth (now), I would have answered 110 per cent no.

“It is a bit special to be a football player who has nine months left on his contract. We’ll see if I go now or in January. Had it been up to me, I would have already signed for a club and started the season, played four games and been in top form.”

Lange’s work isn’t done yet

Having been unable to secure a last-minute deal for King in the final hours of the transfer window, Johan Lange’s attentions must already be turned January, when he will have another opportunity to lure the Norway international to Villa Park.

The fact King, once described by former Cherries boss Eddie Howe as being “unique”, has openly suggested a winter exit is on the cards, and also that he will only have a few months remaining on his current contract at Bournemouth, further strengthens Villa’s hand.

Lange can secure Dean Smith a vital addition to his forward ranks, taking the pressure off new boy Ollie Watkins somewhat. King’s arrival could be the kind of new signing that ensures Villa’s bubble doesn’t burst in the New Year.

And in other news, Aston Villa dodged a bullet by not signing this Premier League man for £5m.