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Aston Villa confirmed on Monday that young forward Cameron Archer has joined Championship club Preston North End for the second half of the season. 

Consequently, a number of Villa supporters have weighed in with their thoughts on the update via social media.

Archer has impressed in claret and blue this season for both the senior and under-23 sides, scoring 12 goals in as many games. The 20-year-old scored four times in two Carabao Cup games against Barrow and Chelsea and has also made three Premier League appearances this season from the bench under former Villa manager Dean Smith.

He’ll now join up with Ryan Lowe, Steven Gerrard’s good friend, in the second tier until the end of the current campaign. Archer, who signed a new contract at Villa Park last month, could make his debut for Preston on Wednesday night against West Brom.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply to the club’s official Twitter post on Archer’s loan move, with one labelling it as ‘elite’.

“Feel sorry for him”

Credit: @andrewbradley47

“Great move, go tear it up son”

Credit: @Lrd_30

“What an acquisition for Preston. Up there with Tammy and Mings as elite loans to Championship”

Credit: @TheVillaPodcast

“He’s gonna be unreal”

Credit: @Sheaflatley09

“Another big move for one of the youngsters. Big step up, see if he can keep bagging”

Credit: @Reece_AV

“Stevie G helping his mate Lowe at Preston. Hope Archer tears it up there”

Credit: @Richard_Meakin

In other news: ‘Some breaking transfer news’ – Sky Sports drop live TV update on Aston Villa and 9-trophy beast

As per a late night update by ExWHUemployee, via the West Ham Way website, there has been a transfer update involving Chelsea striker and Southampton loanee Armando Broja.

The Lowdown: West Ham line up talks…

According to reports, the Irons are believed to be eyeing a late move for the Albania international who is currently enjoying a terrific temporary spell on the south coast under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

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Indeed, the Hammers are apparently lining up late window talks for the striker, with Football Insider saying that manager David Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman have turned their attention to Broja.

West Ham have already been linked to a plethora of strikers as the window draws to a close, with Ex now sharing what he knows on their interest in the 20-year-old.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee backs interest….

According to his sources, West Ham are ‘very interested’ in signing Broja and he is someone they are set to ‘enquire about’.

However, there are many obstacles to this move, as it will be challenging to get him out of his current loan deal whilst also competing with the Saints who want to sign him permanently.

Chelsea’s sale stance is currently unknown, too, with Ex claiming if anything is to materialise it is ‘most likely’ to happen in the summer rather than January.

The Verdict: Move on?

Given West Ham are fast running out of time to add to their squad in this final hurdle, we believe that the club should swiftly move on from Broja as there are far too many obstacles to deal with.

Chelsea could apparently demand at least £20 million for his services according to The Evening Standard with the 6 foot 3 powerhouse coming as a significant investment of Moyes’ part.

The Albania international could be one to revisit in future, but for now, West Ham are perhaps better putting the ‘battle-hardened’ and ‘excellent’ attacker (Noel Whelan, Football Insider) on their back-burner, focusing instead on someone who can arrive this month.

In other news: West Ham now also weighing late move to sign ‘sensational’ £100,000-per-week striker, find out more here.

Although it wasn’t the sort of statement signing for major money that Newcastle United are now associated with, the Magpies’ late swoop to take Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett on loan for the rest of the campaign could prove to be a masterstroke.

On the chalkboard

The 26-year-old had been a regular for Steven Gerrard’s side this campaign, making 17 Premier League appearances, but the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton meant that Targett’s game time was going to be significantly reduced.

It was a harsh blow for Villa’s player of the season last campaign, who was subject to immense praise from club legend Gabriel Agbonlahor last season, saying: “In the last 15 years, he’s the best left-back Villa have had.

“Even during my time and the left-backs I played with, I look at Matt Targett and he’s the best we’ve had in the last 15 years since I made my debut.

“He’s so good going forward, he has a good connection with Jack Grealish on that side. He can defend, he’s proved this season he can defend against the top teams.

“He’s really comfortable on the ball, if he can continue to put in these performances then there is 100 per cent no reason why he can’t get into the England squad.”

However, the Englishman will still be able to complete a full top-flight campaign as a regular through his temporary stay in the North-East.

There are certainly some areas of Eddie Howe’s squad where numbers are limited, however, Newcastle now have four recognised left-backs in their ranks with Targett surely the best option.

Matt Ritchie has been Howe’s first choice for the majority of the season, making 16 league appearances so far, whilst Paul Dummett (two) and Jamal Lewis (five) have had quiet campaigns.

When you compare both Ritchie and Targett, their core statistics are quite similar, with the latter making one more league appearance this season and both having two-goal involvements each in the league.

However, the Scotland international has been part of a much worse side, particularly regarding defence, than his new teammate.

The Tyneside outfit are the Premier League’s second-worst defenders having conceded 43 goals in 21 games, whilst Villa have let in 11 fewer in the same space of time.

Moreover, Ritchie is yet to keep a clean sheet in the top-flight this season whilst Targett has three, which is arguably a reason why the former hasn’t featured for Newcastle in the league since mid-December.

Alongside the Englishman, Newcastle added Kieran Trippier to their squad on the other side of the defence in January, another player who could certainly prove vital in the final months of the season.

Howe is going to have to find a way to improve his side’s defence, otherwise, they could well be on course for a second relegation to the Championship in six years. Having the services of the £35k per week left-back for the rest of the season could prove to be the deciding factor.

AND in other news, “From what I’ve heard”: Waugh drops behind-scenes PIF claim that’ll intrigue NUFC fans…

Newcastle return to action tonight after an extended break as they host Everton at St James’ Park in the Premier League.

The Magpies face off against the Toffees in their first competitive match since 22 January, having had two weekends off due to the winter break and being knocked out by Cambridge in the third round of the FA Cup.

Eddie Howe will be looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time during his tenure on Tyneside after beating Leeds 1-0 in his last match.

How many changes will he make to the team for tonight? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side from the win over Leeds, with Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett and Miguel Almiron all coming in.

January arrival Dan Burn looks set to miss out with a toe injury, which means that Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar may keep their partnership going at centre-back. However, there will be a change at left-back as Paul Dummett has also suffered a knock, opening the door for Matt Targett to come in and make his first appearance since joining on loan from Aston Villa.

In midfield, Howe could start Guimaraes and hand him a debut in front of his new fans. The January signing averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.30 in Ligue 1 during the first half of the campaign, showing that he is capable of delivering consistently high-quality performances.

We published an article explaining why Joe Willock should be axed from the team. The £80k-per-week dud has not been good enough this season and he could therefore be the player who makes way for the former Lyon man to start in the middle of the park.

Finally, we are predicting that Almiron will take up a place on the wing ahead of Ryan Fraser. The former MLS gem works his socks off defensively and that could be crucial against an Everton team who cause problems down the flanks with Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray.

Almiron has averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game this season, whilst Fraser is only averaging one per match in the Premier League. This suggests that the Paraguayan is able to offer more protection from wide areas and that could be pivotal to Newcastle winning the match, as the supply to Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be cut off at source.

AND in other news, Time’s up: Howe must brutally axe “passive” NUFC lightweight who lost 70% of his duels…

Tom Collomosse has dropped an update on the future of the reported West Ham United transfer target Youri Tielemans.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the Daily Mail journalist stated his belief that – with the 24-year-old entering the final year of his Leicester City contract this summer – the Foxes will struggle to command a fee similar to that of Ben Chilwell’s £50m move to Chelsea back in the summer of 2020.

This will likely come as reassuring news to West Ham, who, alongside the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle United, are reported to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the Belgium international ahead of a potential cut-price swoop during the summer transfer window.

Speaking about the future of the central midfielder, Collomosse said:

“The slight problem they have is if he’s only got 12 months left, then you’re not in a strong position as if you’re selling say Ben Chilwell and he’s got four years left – that’s a big price. I certainly think if he was available, which he would be with only 12 months left, he would suit any of [the interested who are interested] squads.”

Imagine him & Rice

Considering just how impressive Tielemans has been for Leicester since his £40m transfer to the King Power back in the summer of 2019, it is easy to see why David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team would be interested in a move for the midfielder.

Indeed, the £49.5m-rated Belgian has consistently been one of the Foxes’ best performers in the Premier League, averaging seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 7.25, 7.00 and 7.15 in his three full seasons for Brendan Rodgers’ outfit.

It has been a similar story in the current campaign, as, over the £120k-per-week maestro’s 18 league outings, he has already bagged six goals, registered two assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

The central midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 44.6 passes and winning 4.7 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the 24-year-old, who talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed an “outrageous talent”, average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.24, not only ranking him as Leicester’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 21st-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, considering the fact that West Ham already have a world-class central midfielder in Declan Rice, the prospect of the player who The Athletic’s Rob Tanner labelled a “creator” lining up alongside the England international is certainly an extremely exciting one for fans of the Hammers.

However, with a considerable amount of interest already being registered in a cut-price deal for Tielemans’ services, should West Ham fail to seal a top-four finish in the league this season, it would appear as if a move for the midfielder would be extremely difficult for Moyes to get over the line this summer.

In other news: Huge blow: West Ham dealt yet another injury setback, David Moyes will be fuming

Antonio Conte must decide whether to freshen things up or stick with the Tottenham Hotspur side that romped to victory at the weekend when his side face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round this evening.

Spurs thrashed Leeds United 4-0 on Saturday, a result which saw Marcelo Bielsa sacked from his position, whilst it’s still four defeats in six outings for the Italian head coach.

This competition provides one final chance of silverware in his maiden season at the club, having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the Europa Conference League.

And there’s still a place inside the Premier League’s top four up for grabs, too.

It will certainly be interesting to see what sort of lineup he’ll opt for up in the northeast, here’s what we are predicting ahead of kickoff…

There could be four changes from the weekend as Conte looks for fresh legs without losing their quality.

The 52-year-old is never one to change goalkeeper, regardless of the competition, so skipper Hugo Lloris remains between the sticks but there are two alterations to the back three in front of him.

In come Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez to partner Ben Davies. They will hand Eric Dier and Cristian Romero a much-needed rest as they have only recently returned from their respective injuries.

Conte will need them for the remainder of the season, so he may not want to risk them.

A resurgent Matt Doherty keeps his spot over Emerson at right wing-back, whilst the third change sees Sergio Reguilon return to the side after missing five of the last six Premier League outings.

Ryan Sessegnon has deputised well but the 25-year-old Spaniard is the first choice and desperately needs some minutes under his belt.

In midfield, due to the lack of alternatives, both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks are expected to remain with the likes of deadline day signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp still absent through injury.

The fourth and final switch could be in the attack as Steven Bergwijn is gifted a rare start, taking the place of another January addition in Dejan Kulusevski, who has made an instant impact at Spurs.

He could be rested, so the Dutch international joins Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in the attack, where Conte will undoubtedly be wanting them to make a quick mark before being withdrawn early on.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth Tottenham’s next Skipp in 20 y/o terrier once dubbed a “coach’s dream”…

West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal could be set to leave the London Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Paddy Kenny, with the former Premier League goalkeeper revealing in a recent interview with Football Insider that, following West Ham handing Ben Johnson a two-year contract extension last week, the Czech Republic international could look to secure a move away from East London this summer – should he believe he will be David Moyes’ number two in the position next season.

Speaking about the 29-year-old’s future at West Ham, Kenny said: “He’s an unbelievable player who might be losing his place. West Ham clearly believe this young lad is going to be the future.

“It’s a long season so there will be plenty of chances for the both of them to play. If Moyes starts picking Johnson over Coufal then Coufal might just think about leaving.

“He probably has another big move in him and he won’t want to spend the next few years on the bench. West Ham have to make a choice about who their number one right-back is. If Coufal thinks he’s number two he will be off and he will definitely be able to find a move.”

Moyes can axe Coufal by unleashing Ashby

Despite Coufal having suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, generally speaking, since his £5m move to the London Stadium back in the summer of 2020, the defender has proven an extremely astute signing by the Hammers.

Indeed, over his 34 Premier League appearances last season, the £12.5m-rated right-back was in remarkable form for the Irons, helping his side keep nine clean sheets, registering seven assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 key passes, 1.2 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 2.6 clearances and winning 5.1 duels per game.

These returns saw the £31k-per-week man earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Moyes’ joint fifth-best player in the top flight of English football.

However, when considering that, over his 13 Premier League outings in the current campaign, the 22-year-old Johnson has outperformed the 29-year-old – with the youngster averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, in comparison to Coufal’s 6.81 – it would indeed appear as if the £6m-rated academy graduate will naturally become West Ham’s first choice in the position next season.

And, with a prospect as talented as the 20-year-old Harrison Ashby also having broken into the West Ham first-team squad this season, largely as a result of highly impressing for the club’s U23 side – having scored three goals and registered five assists over 19 appearances – it would seem as if Moyes is not lacking in depth on the right of his backline.

Indeed, West Ham podcaster Sam Delaney clearly believes that the Scotland U21 international has an extremely bright future in the game, stating of the £270k-rated youngster: “He’s big as well. He’s like a big unit. He’s only young, but he’s like a giant. Usually, you’re used to seeing smaller players in those wing-back positions, but he looked big, strong, he was very fearless, decent on the ball.”

As such, while Coufal is undoubtedly a fine option at right-back, should the 26-time capped international indeed push for a move away from East London this summer, it could well be wise for Moyes to cash in on the defender while his stock is high and subsequently unleash the highly-rated Ashby in his place.

In other news: Moyes can finally axe “frightening” £67k-p/w dud as WHU eye “incredible” 24y/o “beast”

Leeds United have been dealt a fresh blow over captain Liam Cooper as he recovers from his hamstring injury…

What’s the latest?

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has claimed that the centre-back’s return to training does not mean that he will be back sooner than expected.

The Premier League Injuries site owner has explained why the Scotland international may not be back in the team in the immediate future.

He told Football Insider: “We always thought it was going to be around three months but I think that mid-March is realistic now.

“Just because you’re back training, that doesn’t mean you’re ready to be part of the first team. It can actually be a bit of a red herring.

“There are lots of exercises to complete and hoops you need to jump through before you get to that stage.

“Leeds need Cooper to be ready when he does come back. If it adds a few weeks on the timeline for the sake of not rushing him, it’ll be worth it.”

Fuming

Leeds fans will surely be fuming with this claim as Cooper’s return to training may have led them to believe that he would be back in contention in the early parts of March.

He was not involved in the matchday squad against Leicester and Dinnery’s comments suggest that he may not be back for the massive clashes with Aston Villa and Norwich at Elland Road. Having the captain back for successive home matches against bottom-half sides would have been a huge boost as his leadership on the pitch would have been a lift to the side.

Instead, Jesse Marsch will need to deal with the current crop of defensive options who have been letting the club down all season. Leeds have conceded the most goals (61) in the entire division this season and have only kept three clean sheets in 27 matches.

All three of those shutouts came in Cooper’s 15 appearances to date. This highlights the difference between him being in and out of the side, as the Whites have failed to keep a single clean sheet in the 12 matches that he has been absent for.

Therefore, Leeds are in desperate need of his presence at the back to improve their defence and improve their chances of avoiding relegation to the Championship. This is why fans will be fuming that his return to training will not see him return for another couple of games, at least, according to Dinnery.

AND in other news, “Definitely”: Insider drops teasing Elland Road claim that’ll have Leeds fans buzzing…

David Moyes’ West Ham United side finally return to European action this evening, with the much-anticipated 17:00 kick-off against Sevilla fast approaching.

However, with Jarrod Bowen picking up a heel injury in the 1-0 loss to Liverpool on Saturday, as well as Declan Rice having been absent from the trip to Anfield due to a virus, the 58-year-old looks set to have a number of tough calls to make regarding his team selection ahead of the tie.

So, how many changes will Moyes make to the side that started the defeat to Liverpool on Saturday? Here’s how we think West Ham could line up against Sevilla, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With it being recently revealed that Declan Rice has made the trip to Spain with the rest of the West Ham squad, while the aforementioned Bowen, as well as longer-term absences Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimir Coufal, are set to miss out, we predict that Moyes will make three changes to the side that lined up at Anfield last weekend.

The first of these changes comes between the West Ham sticks, with Moyes opting to go for the £138k-per-week Alphonse Areola – who Thomas Tuchel dubbed an “exceptional” talent – ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, while the back four of Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma, Craig Dawson and Ben Johnson remains untouched.

In the middle of the park, Declan Rice returns alongside Tomas Soucek in central midfield, while Manuel Lanzini returns to his favoured role in the number 10 position.

On the left wing, Pablo Fornals keeps his starting berth, while the 24-year-old Nikola Vlasic – who Moyes labelled an “important” player – makes way for the return of Said Benrahma – who starts on the right in the place of the stricken Bowen.

Finally, Michail Antonio leads the line for the Hammers, with the centre-forward undoubtedly hoping to add to his total of one Europa League goal so far this season at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

AND in other news: “We understand…”: Insider hints at early West Ham team news, Hammers will be buzzing

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘made contact’ over the possibility of signing Paulo Dybala on a free transfer in the summer.

The Lowdown: Set to leave

Dybala is now set to leave Juventus as a free agent this summer, after failing to agree on a new deal with the Old Lady.

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Currently rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, the club who end up signing him would be getting a real bargain on their hands, signing a player who has racked up 14 goals and six assists this season.

The Latest: Contact made

Taking to Twitter, reliable ESPN journalist James Olley has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful are one of a number of clubs to have ‘made contact’ with the representatives of Dybala over a potential move in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Arsenal have also done the same, although nothing is at an ‘advanced stage’ yet, and Dybala is ‘assessing’ his options.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Signing a player of Dybala’s quality on a free is surely a no-brainer for the North East club.

The Argentina international has recorded over 200 goal contributions for both club and country over the course of his career so far, and is in his prime at 28 years of age.

Described as ‘world-class’ and ‘phenomenal’ by former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson, brining in Dybala would pave the way for other stars to arrive on Tyneside, which would really help elevate Eddie Howe’s squad.

In other news, find out what big NUFC injury update has now emerged here!