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Writing for football.london, Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has relayed the progress of youngster Troy Parrott as he continues his loan stint at Ipswich Town in League One – with the reliable journalist sharing how he has steadily improved for the Tractor Boys. 

He is yet to score a goal for Paul Lambert’s side, with his latest outing coming on Tuesday night as the Tractor Boys took on Lincoln City in a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.

Gold relays Troy Parrott update

However, despite still not being able to chalk up his first strike for Ipswich, Gold has relayed that Parrott has been making steady progress in east Anglia.

Indeed, the football.london correspondent shared, before his half an hour cameo against Lincoln on Tuesday as a substitute, that Parrott has racked up a few starts under Lambert recently – playing 87 minutes during a 2-1 win at Accrington and then 68 minutes in a 3-1 defeat to Gillingham at the weekend.

As well as this, the 19-year-old was lavished with praise by the East Anglian Times for his display against Accrington – as football.london quote, they branded him a ‘workhorse’ with ‘plenty of quality’.

Transfer Tavern take

At the centre of a public Jose Mourinho scolding last year, with the Portuguese questioning his attitude, Parrott slowly becoming an ‘asset’ for Ipswich could come as good news.

This isn’t the first time he has been praised this season either, with Millwall boss Gary Rowett branding the Irish starlet as ‘excellent’ after his debut for the Lions on another loan before the new year.

A previous update by Gold highlighted that a decision over Parrott lingers at the end of the season for Tottenham – whether to send him back out on loan or give him a shot in the first team.

Lilywhites supporters will surely be hoping he can live up to his potential and notch that first goal for Ipswich soon.

In other news: Tottenham remain keen on this ‘shining’ attacker, find out more here.

David Moyes could look to upgrade Angelo Ogbonna at West Ham United in the summer transfer window with a successful swoop for ACF Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

What’s the word?

According to Fabrizio Romano, while speaking on the Here We Go podcast via Football-Italia, the Irons have seen a €25m (£21.5m) approach for Milenkovic turned down.

It is not stipulated when the offer was tabled, though co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan revealed to talkSPORT last October that a deal to sign the Serbian had fallen through after talks between West Ham and Fiorentina broke down.

The Hammers targeted Milenkovic with boss Moyes desperate for defensive reinforcements before the arrival of Craig Dawson on loan from Watford, and are expected to again target signings to improve the London Stadium backline this summer.

Moyes and Sullivan would face strong competition in any attempt to revive interest in Milenkovic, with Manchester United now considered the favourites to sign the 23-year-old.

Milenkovic is out of contract at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in the summer of 2022 and is currently unlikely to pen new terms with Cesare Prandelli’s side, though Fiorentina will still hold out for the right fee in the next off-season.

La Viola President Rocco Commisso considers the 26-cap international to be worth €40m (£34.5m), yet it is anticipated that the Serie A side will have to accept a lesser sum given Milenkovic’s contract situation.

The defender, valued by TransferMarkt at £25m, has started all 21 of his Italian top-flight appearances this season while helping toward each of Fiorentina’s six clean sheets.

Should West Ham repursue Milenkovic?

West Ham could face a tall ordeal trying to sign Milenkovic in the next transfer window with Manchester United now considered the favourites for his signature, but Moyes can land a potential Ogbonna upgrade in the €29,000-per-week (£25k-p/w) defender.

Moyes lauds the impact Ogbonna brings to east London, having described the Italian as a “magnificent” and “really important” player following his high ankle sprain sustained in the FA Cup defeat to the Red Devils earlier this month.

Ogbonna had also started all 23 available Premier League fixtures this season and only failed to play the full 90 minutes during November’s 1-0 win over Fulham, having been forced off with half an hour remaining due to a feared groin injury.

Yet the 32-year-old’s efforts in the top-flight lag behind Milenkovic’s Serie A performances to date this term in a number of ways, to suggest that the younger Fiorentina star would be a very useful pick-up if the Irons were to repursue the former FK Partizan Beograd enforcer.

While Ogbonna has offered 0.9 successful tackles per game in the Premier League this season, Milenkovic has produced 1.6 for Fiorentina in the Serie A, per SofaScore.

The Serbian also provides a higher number of interceptions (1.4) than the Italian (1.0) and is more successful in the air, with 3.5 duels won to 2.2. He further retains possession and plays the ball more adequately after winning it back, with 47.2 accurate passes (86%) to the Hammers ace’s 28.8 (80%).

Ogbonna’s only true leading trait over Milenkovic is in clearances (4.4 to 3.2), suggesting Moyes would not only land an upgrade in winning the ball back in the Manchester United target, but one who would see West Ham improve their ability to play out from defence as well.

It remains to be seen how willing Commisso is to lower his valuation and reduce the €15m (£13m) difference between his asking price and West Ham’s rejected offer.

Yet the Irons should at least return to the table to express their interest again.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover West Ham’s next Dimitri Payet in a 24-y/o whose protected by a £258m release clause…

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, via West Ham news, defender Fabian Balbuena has made up his mind over leaving east London and will depart at the end of this season when his contract expires.

Balbuena, who briefly forced his way back into the team under David Moyes, partnering Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell consistently in a back three at the back end of the last calendar year, will now leave according to C&H.

Indeed, with no new deal on the table for him, the Paraguayan has apparently made up his mind and has decided to move on from West Ham when his current contract officially runs out.

The 29-year-old has recently had to watch summer signing Craig Dawson take his mantle in the starting eleven, and when Ogbonna succumbed to injury, Issa Diop was the chosen defensive partner by Moyes.

Flocking to this update, many Hammers fans had their say – find all of their best comments down below.

West Ham fans react to Balbuena development

“Noooo I rate this lad”

Credit: @daggers496

“How stupid though, great squad depth. Wont even get a fee for him”

Credit: @szn_bowen

“Very bizarre we aren’t keeping him. We have 3 senior CBs left. Reports Alves will step up but I feel we need another senior.”

Credit: @westhamtransfer

“This hurts but it’s completely understandable

He is good enough to be starting every game”

Credit: @MattIngram28

“Day ruined”

Credit: @WhuJosh

“Bang out of order alienating him like that. Was injured then got COVID which extended his absence but he hasn’t put a foot wrong for us this season”

Credit: @DanOCon23169711

“Another good player going for nothing”

Credit: @HarryZippyAx

“Big shame. I like the guy and he’s a good squad player who knows the club.”

Credit: @WesthamVan1

In other news: West Ham fans also flocked to a transfer claim, find out more here.

After seeing Kalvin Phillips limp off in the dying minutes of Leeds’ 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be sweating over his talisman’s fitness during this week.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed after the game that it was “too early to say” about the midfielder, but considering that he initially seemed to go down with a calf problem, he faces a real race against time to make the Premier League game against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.

But in Jamie Shackleton, Bielsa could find his saviour.

The 20-year-old has been on the fringes of Leeds’ long-awaited return to the Premier League, playing just 296 minutes of football in the top-flight.

And quite recently, Bielsa hasn’t even turned to him as an option off the bench – barring the two minutes that he came on to replace Phillips against Palace last time out, Shackleton remained an unused sub for the past four Premier League matches.

But with question marks over Phillips’ availability, Bielsa must unleash Shackleton on Sunday when they travel to north London to take on Arsenal.

Speaking after his cameo in that 5-0 win over West Brom earlier this season, the Leeds boss said: “Good organisation, energetic, he’s quick, he can surprise opponents, plays in a position which has many varieties as a box-to-box midfielder.”

Shackleton wouldn’t exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Phillips, but his extra energy and dynamism could counter Arsenal’s young guns well.

The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been two of Arsenal’s stand-out players in recent weeks, and Shackleton’s own youthful endeavour could be key to combating that – his average of 0.8 interceptions per game in the Premier League ranks him seventh among his Leeds teammates, while he actually gets dribbled past the least amount in the squad, just 0.5 times per match.

And, after he produced a tigerish performance against Aston Villa, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross wrote: “Settled in so quickly and linked up the play between midfield and attack beautifully. So important for his confidence and visualising himself in this team going forward. Tireless running and helped Klich win that midfield battle with McGinn and Barkley.”

On Sunday, Leeds will need every bit of that tireless running as they try and find a unique way to replace Phillips. Shackleton’s introduction to the starting eleven could prove to be a masterstroke from Bielsa and one that helps the Whites boss forget all about his main midfield man.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can find his next Klich in this Leeds transfer target…

Liam Kennedy has dropped a reassuring claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after a fan questioned him on Twitter.

The Shields Gazette journalist has claimed that the £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is ‘still live, and possible’ in what may come as a much welcome relief to some members of the St. James’ Park faithful.

What next for the potential Newcastle takeover?

The KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) still need to come back onto the table if the original bid from the consortium is to be revived.

There is also the issue of a pending arbitration hearing between the North East club and the Premier League in order to settle their legal disputes, which if the Tyneside club were to get the better of could spark a kickstart back into the proposed takeover.

However, there are some fears that relegation from the English top flight could end up scuppering the deal, as the Magpies would surely not be seen as much of an attractive club if they were down in the EFL Championship.

Steve Bruce’s team are currently a mere six points ahead of the dreaded drop zone in 17th spot in the table (BBC Sport), and relegation may dent the Toon Army’s takeover hopes.

In other news, find out what inside claim on Mike Ashley has been dropped by one former NUFC man here!

Said Benrahma was David Moyes’ unsung hero as Jesse Lingard scored a brace on his West Ham United debut to help his new side beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Lingard joined the Irons on loan until the end of the season late in the winter market, having failed to play a second of Premier League football for Manchestr United this term.

Moyes wasted no time in introducing the 24-cap England international into his starting line-up, with the decision returning the Hammers’ second and third goals against Dean Smith’s Villans after Tomas Soucek opened the scoring with his eighth strike of the league campaign.

After a scoreless first half, Soucek broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when the Czech Republic international drilled the ball into the far corner of Emiliano Martinez’s net following a piece of superb link-up play between Michail Antonio and Benrahma.

Lingard soon hit Moyes’ men’s second of the night to make the visitors’ pressure count after they’d been dominating play for long periods of the game, and he later restored West Ham’s two-goal lead after Ollie Watkins pulled one back for his ninth goal of the top-flight campaign.

But, despite Lingard rightly getting plenty of attention after netting a debut double, Benrahma also shone brightly at Villa Park having played a pivotal role in the Irons’ attacking moves throughout the night, to leave Birmingham with a third assist of the league season as his wait for a maiden goal continues.

Benrahma registered his assist with a precision first-time pass threaded through the Villans backline for Soucek to score, while his decoy run allowed Antonio to find Lingard open on the edge of the Aston Villa penalty area to score his first of the night five minutes later.

Benrahma’s threaded pass left Aston Villa’s backline helpless, with Tyrone Mings only able to watch the ball roll through to Soucek to score. The £23,000-per-week maestro could have ended the night with further assists in his pocket, too, after recording three key passes – only Jack Grealish (4) created more goalscoring opportunities on Wednesday night, per WhoScored.

Not only was Benrahma creative with the ball at his feet, but Moyes further saw the £20m winger prove safe in possession with a 93% pass accuracy rating thanks to completing 28 of his 30 passes. No player who stared for either side completed a higher percentage of their passes than the 25-year-old.

The Algerian additionally came close to finally ending his Premier League goal drought and would have done just that had his volley gone a few inches lower.

Moyes would surely have loved what he saw from Benrahma at Villa Park as he linked up well with Lingard, who slotted in seamlessly to West Ham’s starting line-up, as the London Stadium natives closed to within two points of Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp’s side fell to defeat at home to Brighton.

AND in other news, West Ham eye future swoop for prolific £30m striker with “absolutely superb” movement…

On his day, Olivier Ntcham is a player with plentiful energy. He is a boundless midfielder capable of bullying opponents and brushing them to one side with enormous power.

Yet, he can also be lackadaisical and careless. There are two sides to every player, but in Ntcham, it’s become a big concern.

The Frenchman has been a valuable asset to Celtic, scoring 24 goals in 147 outings for the Hoops, but this season has been a complete write-off.

That’s not just for Neil Lennon’s team, but for Ntcham himself, someone who has cut an isolated and frustrated figure.

He has started just seven Premiership matches and is being linked with a move away on a regular basis. One suitor is West Brom in England, and if they are indeed interested, Peter Lawwell needs to sanction his sale.

The fact of the matter is that he should have left the Celtic chief fuming. His attitude has been far from desirable this term and for a fee of £4.5m, he is not living up to his billing.

After signing from Manchester City he should have been set for a bright future but that’s dwindling the more he sits on the sidelines.

It’s not often you’d agree with an assessment on talkSPORT, but Alan Brazil hit the nail on the head with the Frenchman last year. “Ntcham, he looks as if he’s tools down and not bothered,” he remarked (via Glasgow Times).

That simply isn’t good enough for a player of his quality and considering his salary of £14k-per-week, moving him on is for the best. He’s now being dropped from the squad completely and against Rangers, he wasn’t even brought off the bench.

It’s got to a point where Ntcham doesn’t look as though he wants to play for the club. Similarly, Lennon doesn’t want to utilise him.

In a Celtic squad that’s 19 points off top spot, that speaks volumes. This is the worst set of players we’ve seen at Parkhead in a decade and the 24-year-old can’t even get himself into the XI.

This will be an unsavoury way to end his stint in Glasgow if he does indeed depart, but he must do so before he upsets the hierarchy even more.

AND in other news, Forget Laxalt: Celtic must swoop for 21 y/o who makes defenders do “very silly things”…

Leeds made a big mistake by letting Premier League rivals Crystal Palace edge them out of the race for rising talent Eberechi Eze.

The Eagles snapped up the attacking midfielder from Queens Park Rangers during the summer window, landing a deal worth £16million, plus a reported £4million in add-ons (via Sky Sports). He is reportedly earning a respectable £30,000 per week – not a deal that has broken the bank at Selhurst Park by any means.

For Leeds, who didn’t hold back when it came to splashing the cash over the summer, it was an odd decision to let talks with Eze falter.

Particularly at the moment, the Whites would hugely benefit from having a new attacking midfielder as their current roster is under threat. Tyler Roberts was recently predicted to undergo a January loan move and Pablo Hernandez has disappointed Marcelo Bielsa following his blow up during the Leicester game.

Orta dropped the ball by not signing Eze

Victor Orta has signed some brilliant players for Leeds over the years, but this is a deal that he will be disappointed not to have landed. The 22-year-old has already opened up his account for Crystal Palace, tallying a goal and an assist and proving that he can adapt easily to the high demands of the Premier League.

It’s no surprise though that he has taken to life at his new club so easily as his 2019/20 stats for QPR were astonishing. The midfielder notched a superb 14 goals and eight assists in the Championship, outscoring Jordan Hugill and finishing only behind striker Nahki Wells, who netted 18 for the league campaign, in the QPR top-scorer charts.

These numbers are hugely impressive for a midfielder and the Premier League is currently undergoing a new birthing of playmakers exactly like Eze. With the addition of the likes of Kai Havertz and Bruno Fernandes, England’s top flight is boasting an array of world-class goalscorers from the engine room. Eze could certainly be up there as one of the league’s best if he can recreate last season’s numbers on a consistent basis for Palace.

Mark Warburton heaped praise on the 22-year-old for his contributions to QPR and labelled him as a “tremendous talent”. If Eze does start to really showcase his goalscoring abilities, Bielsa and Orta will have their heads in their hands after missing out on him.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer not surprised Marcelo Bielsa has succeeded with Leeds…

Celtic are reaching a point where they can no longer consider a future without Mohamed Elyounoussi. The Norwegian’s form this season has been nothing short of spectacular, outscoring star man Odsonne Edouard across all competitions so far. But with Elyounoussi only being in Glasgow temporarily, Neil Lennon and co need to scramble to make sure they can sign him on a permanent deal.

Darren Bent recently predicted that Southampton would be willing to cash in on the St Mary’s outcast, who has made just 19 appearances under Ralph Hasenhuttl, in which he is yet to find the back of the net. With the Saints flying in the Premier League at the moment, it’s difficult to envisage room for Elyounoussi in their current squad.

Indeed, Bent believes that the south coasters will sell up, providing they can recoup all, of if not in excess of, the £16million they signed him for (via Football Insider).

Celtic must not flinch Elyounoussi transfer fee

Whilst this is a hike from the original reported £8-10million quoted price tag, it’s not something that the Hoops can afford to shy away from. Elyounoussi has popped up with some crucial goals this season and has kept their Premiership hopes alive, despite currently trailing to Rangers by nine points.

His performance against Lille also gave Celtic a foot back in the door – bagging a brace to force the Europa League match into sharing the spoils. Undeniably, Lennon’s side would look very different without the influence of Elyounoussi. Tom English recently lauded Elyounoussi as a “dangerous player”, following his brace-scoring performance in Celtic’s 6-0 win over KR Reykjavik.

With talks of Edouard being “unhappy” at the club and top sides like Arsenal eyeing up a move for him, the Bhoys simply cannot afford to lose two top-class forwards at once. A £16million fee will mean Celtic will set a new transfer record, going above Edouard’s signing price of £9.2million (via Transfermarkt). Whilst this will be a big thing to consider, it makes perfect sense.

Elyounoussi has already established himself as a fan favourite too. Many are on board with bringing the 26-year-old to Parkhead permanently as surely without his influence, Lennon and his men would seriously struggle next season.

In other news, Celtic must take chance on injured starlet if they lose Mohamed Elyounoussi…

According to reports, Aston Villa will try again in the January transfer window to sign Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.

What’s the word?

Reports back in the summer suggested that Villa’s fellow Premier League side Burnley were keen on putting together a £15m deal to entice him away from France, but that failed to come to fruition, with Simakan staying put.

Now, an intermediary for the defender, Francesco Di Frisco told Italian publication Calcio Mercato that Villa, and a number of other clubs across Europe could make a renewed attempt to sign him.

He said (via Sport Witness): “There were many teams on Simakan: Lyon, Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, especially the Germans tried until the last hours of the market. In January, I think these clubs, including Milan, will try to push again. The boy has picked up where he left off, showing his qualities and it’s possible that his admirers will also increase.”

Lange must win the race

At just 20-years-old, it’s little wonder that some of European football’s most prestigious sides are often Simakan.

The starlet, who is capable of playing at either centre-back or right-back, has all the qualities to become a real top defender at the highest level, especially when you consider that Strasbourg’s club president, and former France international, Marc Keller, said he had shades of Real Madrid star Raphael Varane.

Simakan has already established himself as a key part of his team’s starting eleven, playing the full 90 minutes in every single Ligue 1 game this season. Despite Strasbourg’s lowly position – they currently find themselves 18th – the 6 foot 2 powerhouse putting in some exemplary individual displays.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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As per Whoscored, he is averaging an impressive 2.1 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game in the French top-flight. To put that into context, among all players in the division, he ranks 44th and joint-20th for those two stats respectively.

With Tyrone Mings being left-footed, and also capable of playing in a back-three as shown by his performances with England, Simakan’s own versatility of being able to play at full-back could see him become the perfect partner for the Villa ace. Johan Lange must surely do everything he can to win the race to sign him in January.