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Marlon Harewood has urged West Ham United to sign Tammy Abraham after the Daily Telegraph reported that they are interested in the Chelsea striker.

Speaking to Football FanCast, the former Hammers forward thinks that the England international should be given a chance at his old club:

“That’s where West Ham should be looking, and I think Moysie [David Moyes] is that sort of person that he will be looking for a striker of that calibre, young, he’s ready to go, he’s been in the Premier League quite a while now. 

“I think he needs a chance, just like (Jesse) Lingard coming from Manchester United obviously not playing coming into the club, got a lot to show, and Tammy is one of them, got a lot to show [too] and would complement Antonio very well.”

West Ham should sign Abraham

If Abraham becomes available for sale in the summer transfer window, then the London Stadium faithful should absolutely jump at the chance to sign him.

The 23-year-old still has a lot of potential, and has scored no fewer than 12 goals and made a further six assists in 30 games in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

It is not just this season that Abraham has proven himself to be a prolific goal scorer either, with a total of 91 strikes combined for both club and country at senior level.

With Michail Antonio currently being the only recognised senior striker at the East London club, he could definitely use some help up top, and Abraham could well be that man.

Currently valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, he certainly would not come cheap, but Abraham is most definitely a player that the Irons should seriously be looking at to sign should he be made available for transfer.

In other news, find out what big West Ham update has erupted fans here!

Speaking recently to This is Futbol, former Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, discussed an incident involving Newcastle United centre-forward Callum Wilson and Everton defender Yerry Mina.

In the 27th minute of Newcastle’s 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday, Newcastle forward Wilson and Everton’s Mina had a coming together, with the latter going down holding his face after contact from Wilson’s arm.

However, after a brief VAR check, Wilson was cleared of any wrongdoing in the clash, and, after treatment, Mina was able to continue in the match.

The Newcastle striker then went on to score a second-half double in the fixture, ensuring that Steve Bruce’s side secured an impressive away victory, which helped to ease relegation concerns for the time being.

Speaking to This is Futbol, ex-referee Halsey suggested that Wilson may have been fortunate to still be on the pitch in order to bag the winning goals for the Magpies.

He said: “We’ve seen players sent off for a lot less this season and I think VAR looked at it, and, obviously, they didn’t feel it was an act of violent conduct – possibly a reckless use of the arm, which is a cautionable offence but obviously VAR don’t get involved with cautionable offences. But you do run the risk, players do run the risk when they raise their arms in that situation.

“Listen, I think it all depends [on] who’s sitting in the VAR chair and how high their tolerance level is. Then you have to question, was it an act of violent conduct? Was it a reckless use of the arm? The ball wasn’t in play, was it? In that situation, when those instances happen and the ball’s in play, then it’s not only [about] is it a caution or red card, it becomes a matter then, is it a penalty?”

So, from Halsey’s comments, it would indeed appear as if the former referee believes that Wilson was rather fortunate to remain on the pitch following the incident with Mina.

However, this will not likely bother many Newcastle fans, who will no doubt be delighted that the striker remains available for selection for their side’s upcoming games – Wilson has already bagged a highly impressive 10 goals over his 19 Premier League appearances for Newcastle so far this term.

In other Newcastle United news, Neil Lennon has finally made a decision on this reported Newcastle target, find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday player Carlton Palmer expressed his surprise over his old club’s decision to appoint Darren Moore as manager.

Following Tony Pulis’ sacking at the end of last December, Neil Thompson was given the reins at Hillsborough on a caretaker basis. However, with Wednesday finding themselves in the relegation zone and in a poor run of form, losing their last four Championship fixtures, owner Dejphon Chansiri has decided to act by turning to Moore, who has left Doncaster Rovers to join up with the Owls.

The Yorkshire club are six points adrift from safety after surrendering their 2-0 lead against Luton Town over the weekend, a setback that has clearly prompted Chansiri into making a change. And while Palmer has admitted that he is a fan of Moore, the ex-England international is still shocked by the situation that has developed.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said:

“I mean, they’re on 28 points. There’s 14 games to go and they possibly need 22 points to be safe – 42 points to play for. Yeah, you know, I’m surprised he’s [Chansiri] done what he’s done. I mean, I don’t understand the things he’s done really.

“Is it a good appointment? I like Moore, personally, but I have to take personality out of that. I mean, he did a great job at West Brom when he went in there, and I thought he was unfortunate to lose his job. So let’s see, it’s a big club.”

With there still being plenty of points to play for in the remainder of the current Championship campaign, as Palmer alluded to, perhaps Thompson could have turned things around.

Four consecutive defeats, including the recent disappointing collapse away at Luton, however, makes Chansiri’s decision to do something understandable.

Only time will tell, though, whether the correct call has been made, with the massive clash against relegation rivals Rotherham United on Wednesday a great chance for Moore to lay down the marker.

Rob Draper has shared his own insight on the proposed £300m takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The Mail on Sunday journalist reacted to a video of a greeting between the KSA’s Crown Prince in Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), who was very much part of the consortium looking to strike a deal with Mike Ashley, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, as he arrived to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in the Kingdom, which had the aim of settling various disputes between the two countries.

Draper tweeted that the greeting was probably the ‘best hope for a Newcastle United takeover’, given the disputes that the two countries have over the banning of the beIN network in the KSA.

Can the Newcastle takeover be revived?

The settling of the disputes between the Kingdom and Qatar is certainly a step in the right direction in terms of trying to get the takeover bid back on track.

With the banning of Qatari broadcaster beIN in the KSA, games from the Premier League were left to be illegally streamed in the Kingdom, worsening their relationships with both Qatar and those in charge of England’s top division.

However, if beIN were allowed to broadcast matches in the KSA as a result of this settlement, then it could well be a step towards a possible revival of the prospective takeover at St. James’ Park as the piracy issue in Saudi Arabia could become one more problem that’s been resolved.

In other news, find out what takeover claim has been dropped after the latest activity from Jamie Reuben here!

Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be keen on bringing another Real Madrid star to north London…

What’s the word?

According to El Chiringuito TV, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is eyeing up a swoop for versatile right-winger Lucas Vazquez. However, he’ll have to battle old rivals Atletico Madrid to secure his signature.

“Mourinho & Simeone are fighting over a player who has been singled out for his performance in the Super Cup. Tottenham & Atletico love Lucas Vazquez,” said transfer expert Eduardo Inda to the Spanish football show.

Another Moura

It would be a surprise to see Spurs bolster their squad with a winger this window, though the summer opens up far greater possibilities as the futures of Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and on-loan Gareth Bale are by no means certain.

Eurosport’s Dean Jones reported earlier in the month that the north Londoners would be willing to listen to offers for either of the former two, whilst The Times claim a second season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seems unlikely for the Welsh superstar.

The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and after rejecting a recent extension to his current £115k-per-week terms he seems destined to leave the La Liga giants, meaning Daniel Levy may not even need to pay a transfer fee for his services.

But is he worth pursuing? Probably not.

Vazquez could merely be another Moura – a player that can spark glimpses of sheer quality at times but ultimately lacks that proper end product.

That much has been seen this term as Zinedine Zidane has surprisingly deployed him in a right-back role in 52% of his appearances this term.

Indeed, over the course of 227 appearances for Los Galacticos, the nine-time Spanish international has only contributed 26 goals and 49 assists, meaning the £13.5m-rated wide man provides or scores one goal every three outings, per Transfermarkt.

Similarly, this is an issue for the Brazilian attacker over in N17.

He’s scored just once in the Premier League since December 2019, and over the duration of his 134 games for Spurs, he’s contributed only 43 goals, meaning he delivers one goal every 3.1 appearances.

That’s practically mirroring the Madrid star to a tee.

Zidane claims Vazquez is a “reliable” player who “gives everything” while in the past Spanish papers such as Marca have dubbed him “fearless,” though, in terms of attacking output, that just does not appear to be the case.

Whether he’s a player who Mourinho wants truly remains to be seen, but on the above evidence, it would seem a pretty pointless move. They’d be better off keeping Moura.

AND in other news, Shades of Klinsmann: Spurs must seal “ruthless” £31.5m-rated gem for one big reason…

David Sullivan will not solve David Moyes’ offensive woes by luring Montpellier HSC striker Gaetan Laborde to West Ham United in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the Irons have been handed a huge boost in their efforts to sign Laborde as the financial implications of the global pandemic has left the Ligue 1 outfit chasing income this winter.

President Laurent Nicollin has confirmed the Stade de la Mosson natives are facing debts of €20m to €25million (£18.2m to £22.8m) after failing to make any sales in the summer, while playing games behind closed doors is causing further losses of €500,000 (£456.4k) a match.

As such, Nicollin may have to accept cut-priced offers for some of manager Michel Der Zakarian favoured players, including Laborde, who is now said to be available for €12million (£10.95m) amid interest from both West Ham and Newcastle United.

Both Premier League sides are understood to have scouted Laborde throughout the current Ligue 1 campaign after showing an interest in the summer, with the 26-year-old striking three goals and five assists in 13 top-flight fixtures.

Not the answer

While Laborde has brought a creative touch to Zakarian’s offence this term, the former France U20 international has only struck once in his last 11 league appearances and boasts just 21 goals in 84 games across all competitions for Montpellier since signing in 2018.

Moyes is in need of offensive reinforcements in the winter market with Michail Antonio sidelined again with a hamstring injury, while doubt lingers over Sebastien Haller’s future at the London Stadium after reportedly leaving the Scot underwhelmed.

The West Ham boss was at his wits end following Saturday’s defeat at home to Manchester United with his players being so wasteful in the final third, believing the Irons let the game slip away after enjoying a period of dominance throughout the first half.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight,” said Moyes after the game, via football.london.

Laborde would not be the answer to Moyes’ woes as while he could be available for little at £10.95m, the 5 ft 11 centre-forward is relentlessly wasteful with his chances.

Across his 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season, of which he has started each, Laborde has averaged 2.4 shots a game yet has scored just 0.2 times a game while missing three big chances to find the back of the net, per SofaScore.

He only offers 10.9 accurate passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch per game, too, while losing possession 12.2 times, committing 1.8 fouls and losing 66% of his ground duels and 48% of his aerial contests.

Laborde may be cheap, but West Ham would be better served to focus their efforts away from the Stade de la Mosson this winter.

AND in other news, a “powerful” West Ham dud has given David Moyes all the evidence in the world to why he will never be trusted.

The proposed £300m takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium has been dealt a big blow as the Premier League have agreed to extend its Middle East/North Africa deal with beIN Sports to cover the period of 2022 to 2025.

That is according to The New York Times journalist Tariq Panja, who went on to tweet that the deal is worth $500m (£367.3m) over the three years, which is the same as their current contract.

Panja also said that there was “no sign of a Saudi bidder”, given the past disputes over piracy in the KSA and the illegal streaming of games in the English top flight through Saudi broadcaster beoutQ.

The extended deal has come as a “major boost” to England’s highest division given the added revenue that they will generate, but it does also mean that fans in the KSA will continue to have to rely on illegal streams to watch matches in the EPL amid the ongoing ban of Qatari broadcaster beIN in the Gulf country.

Newcastle takeover dealt big blow

The prospective deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group has now suffered a big blow considering the conflicts between the league and the KSA as a result of the controversies to do with piracy.

The fact that supporters in the Kingdom would not be able to watch games involving the St. James’ Park faithful legally as well is an added problem that may not be able to be resolved if the bid were to be pushed through.

In other news, find out which Magpie has been tipped for a new deal here!

Newcastle surely look back at the summer of 2018 with a bit of regret, after missing out on key striking target Alassane Plea.

What was the story?

Sky Sports claimed that the Magpies were interested in signing the Frenchman who had scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 the season before. It was revealed that the Tyneside club had seen a £27m bid rejected by Nice, with the likes of West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham also interested in his services.

In the end, Plea left France to join Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, where he’s cemented himself as a proven finisher, capable of delivering big moments in big games.

Imagine him and Saint-Maximin

With Allan Saint-Maximin’s arrival from Nice in the summer of 2019, Newcastle have seen first-hand what a player from the south of France can do for them. And whilst Plea was with the current Magpies star in Ligue 1, they both developed a fine understanding together.

As per Transfermarkt, in Saint-Maximin’s professional career, the most goals he has combined for with a teammate, is with Plea. That link-up would have been incredible to see further grow at St James’ Park, and the French duo could have help tear the Premier League to shreds.

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Instead, Newcastle didn’t go further than their initial bid, and the striker has gone on to perform well at Monchengladbach. If any Magpies fan was watching the Champions League in mid-week, when the German side took on Real Madrid, then they would have seen Plea set up both of his team’s goals in a very impressive 2-2 draw.

Rated at £27m by Transfermarkt, Plea really would have been a fine signing for Newcastle.

Liverpool missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It could have been worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side, however, had Kevin De Bruyne not put his first-half penalty wide of Alisson’s post, following a handball from Joe Gomez.

Diogo Jota was handed a start by the German boss for the game against Pep Guardiola’s side, although he seemed to be playing slightly deeper than he has in recent games, perhaps to accommodate for the inclusion of Roberto Firmino.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the Portuguese international was unable to have the same impact as he did against Atalanta in midweek, when his superb hat-trick earned him a lot of plaudits, with Michael Owen suggesting following the win that it was “a stunning hat-trick” (per Daily Mail).

As per SofaScore, the former Wolves man picked up a 6.2 rating for his display, which was the joint-worst of any Liverpool player during the game.

Whilst Jota was very accurate with his passing, with 23/25 of his efforts finding their mark, he managed just 41 touches during the game and made zero key passes, suggesting that he wasn’t able to have any real impact on the game in an attacking sense.

It can also be argued that Manchester City’s defence and midfield got the better of the 23-year-old, as he was able to win just three out of 11 of his ground duels during Sunday’s game.

However, it has still been an excellent start to life at Liverpool for Jota, with him having scored seven goals in 11 appearances for the Merseyside club since joining from Wolves in the summer, and at just 23-years-old, it can be argued that he still has a lot of time to improve in this Liverpool side.

The forward will be hoping to get back to his best in the Reds’ next fixture, which sees them take on top-of-the-table Leicester City in a crunch clash at Anfield following the international break.

Leeds United have been one of the most active teams in this transfer window, and this week their spending spree continued with the arrival of Diego Llorente from Real Sociedad.

The Spaniard’s arrival came from out of the blue earlier this week, as no sooner was he linked had he signed, fortunately bypassing any sort of long, boring saga.

However, he wasn’t United’s first-choice signing at centre-half, with the club’s pursuit of Josko Gvardiol being highly-publicised, but an inability to convince the player saw that deal collapse, with the Croatian now tipped to join RB Leipzig.

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As much as Gvardiol could have been a star, signing an 18-year-old with no experience in a top European league is never advisable for a newly-promoted side, especially when he is going to cost you the best part of £20m.

Victor Orta may have wanted Gvardiol over Llorente, but his failure to close out that deal may have inadvertently led to one of his best decisions yet.

Gvardiol’s inexperience is a huge red flag, especially for a club that has conceded seven goals in their opening two league games this season, so it’s clear that a 27-year-old Spain international with over 130 games in La Liga to his name was the safer option than signing an 18-year-old who could easily flop.

Time will tell whether or not Gvardiol turns out better than Llorente, but Leeds aren’t in the same position as a club such as RB Leipzig where they can wait for players to develop, they need results right now, and that’s exactly what Llorente should provide them.

Taking risks isn’t something you want to be doing straight after promotion, and while Orta wanted to take a punt on Gvardiol, he may end up taking a huge sigh of relief when he looks back on this one with hindsight.