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Arsenal could already be planning for life without Alexandre Lacazette…

What’s the word?

According to football.london’s chief Gunners reporter Chris Wheatley, the north London outfit are likely to target a new striker in the upcoming transfer windows, and Real Sociedad star Alexander Isak is one name in whom they hold an interest.

In a recent Q&A session with supporters, the journalist said: “Arsenal will try to sign a forward in the next transfer windows. Isak would be a great option and there is certainly interest.”

The 21-year-old signed a new contract with the La Liga side in July, a move which also saw a £30m buyback clause from Borussia Dortmund bought out.

It remains to be seen exactly how much the 27-cap Sweden international would command in 2022 but Transfermarkt currently value him at around £36m.

Bye-bye Lacazette

It’s hardly a surprise to learn that Arsenal will be looking for a new frontman in the near future – that’s because Lacazette appears to be on his way out, with his contract due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

On transfer deadline day, football.london reported [via Metro] that the 30-year-old Frenchman had little interest in renewing his deal at the Emirates Stadium and will duly move on next summer.

The Gunners’ hierarchy even tried to move him on during the transfer window in order to bring in Tammy Abraham, who in the end swapped Chelsea for AS Roma, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

In Isak, Mikel Arteta would be getting an ideal replacement, and one who could serve the Gunners for many years to come.

The Real Sociedad talisman is yet to get off the mark in 2021/22 but he enjoyed a phenomenal season last time out, scoring 17 goals in just 34 league appearances, via Transfermarkt.

That form earned him the division’s Young Player of the Year award as well as a glowing endorsement from former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who waxed lyrical about the Swede after their Euro 2020 clash with Spain.

“This kid, Isak, he was a problem today for the defenders in the Spain team,” the former Manchester United centre-back said on BBC’s coverage of the match (via quotes sourced by football.london).

Ferdinand continued: “He was a nuisance. He showed today why he’s got Young Player of the Year in La Liga. He was the outlet.”

The 6 foot 2 marksman has understandably been likened to fellow countryman Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his ‘silky first-touch, near-perfect technique and penchant for goals’.

Meanwhile, Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc once dubbed him a “great talent” when signing him from Willem II.

All in all, Edu Gaspar and co must look to seal a move for Isak as soon as January as they look to fill the imminent void left behind by Lacazette. He’d be the perfect replacement for the Frenchman on the above evidence.

AND in other news, Edu could strike gold over Auba replacement by signing “quick” £60m-rated “world-beater”…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Jordi Osei-Tutu ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Nottinghamshire Live, the right-back looks set to miss out on the visit of Millwall to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon, as he is yet to recover from a hamstring injury which has kept him sidelined since the 2-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers in August.

However, the report added that the Arsenal loanee could be back in action for Forest at the beginning of October, as well as sharing an image the 22-year-old posted on his personal Instagram page, which would appear to suggest that he is indeed nearing a return to full fitness.

Cooper will be gutted

With Steve Cooper heading into his first game in charge of Nottingham Forest this weekend, the absence of Osei-Tutu is sure to have left the 41-year-old gutted, as the defender is undoubtedly a player who boasts plenty of potential.

Indeed, while the £1.08m-rated man has hardly featured for Forest this season, making just two Championship appearances for the club prior to his injury, the right-back previously demonstrated his ability while on loan at German side Bochum back in 2019/20.

Indeed, over his 21 2.Bundesliga appearances that season, the £2.5k-per-week defender scored five goals and provided his teammates with two assists, as well as making 0.9 key passes and taking 0.9 shots per game.

The 22-year-old also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, averaging 0.8 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 0.5 clearances and winning 5.4 duels per match, with these returns seeing him earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75.

As such, the unavailability of Osei-Tutu is sure to come as a blow to Cooper, who will undoubtedly be hoping that his Forest side can get off to a winning start under his leadership against the Lions this afternoon.

In other news: Steve Cooper drops claim which is sure to come as music to the ears of Forest fans

Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side head into Wednesday evening’s Championship fixture in a fine run of form, with the Baggies’ picking up ten points from a possible 15 over their last five fixtures.

However, with Albion’s hosts, Swansea City, having secured eight points of their own over their last five games, Ismael will know that the clash with Russell Martin’s side will not be an easy fixture, especially considering the game is being played at the Liberty Stadium – where the Swans have lost just once all season.

So, will the 46-year-old make any changes to the team which started in the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday? Here’s how we think West Brom could line up against Swansea, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Ismael confirming in his pre-match press conference that Grady Diangana will be unavailable for selection for the trip to Swansea – as the 23-year-old is yet to recover from an ongoing hamstring injury – in addition to revealing that Alex Mowatt is also a doubt for the fixture due to a toe injury, we predict the Frenchman will make two changes to the team which lined up against the Blues last week.

The back five remains unchanged – with Sam Johnstone starting in goal, Matt Clarke, Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi making up the back three and Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong starting at left and right wing-back respectively.

The first change comes in the middle of the park, with Mowatt dropping out of the starting XI, and Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Jayson Molumby – who impressed after replacing Mowatt against Birmingham – taking the 26-year-old’s spot in central midfield alongside Jake Livermore.

In attack, Callum Robinson retains his spot up top, as does Karlan Grant on the left-wing, while, in the absence of Grady Diangana, the £38k-per-week Robert Snodgrass is handed his first Championship start of the season, with 30-year-old right-winger Matt Phillips having to make do with a spot on the bench.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

London Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser believes that West Ham United could sign Jesse Lingard in the January transfer window.

The Manchester United star enjoyed a spectacular loan spell in east London in the second half of last season.

In 16 games in the Premier League for West Ham, Lingard scored nine goals and also registered five assists, playing a key role in the club’s qualification for the Europa League group stages, and earning himself a recall to the England squad prior to Euro 2020, although he missed out on the final squad.

Lingard has been a target for the Hammers throughout the summer, as a result, as they look to bring him in on a permanent basis.

Rosser, though, feels that he is currently completely focused on fighting for his place at United, although he may well decide to make a move in the January transfer window, if he does not force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans.

The journalist said: “It might be something that he revisits himself, personally, in January. West Ham will always be there, ready and waiting to take him, but at the moment he’s fully focused on United.”

Many Crystal Palace fans have been left buzzing on Twitter after popular Eagles account HLTCO posted pictures of their players sporting the new home kit in their 3-1 friendly win over Watford on Saturday.

Bringing their pre-season preparations to a successful close, Patrick Vieira’s side comfortably swept aside divisional rivals Watford in an entertaining encounter which saw Wilfried Zaha bag a brace prior to a late strike from Christian Benteke, who had earlier deflected Troy Deeney’s strike into the Eagles’ net. [Mail Online]

Palace will now turn their attention towards the start of their Premier League season, which sees them make the trip to fellow London club Chelsea on Saturday, with a 3pm kick-off.

Aside from the weekend’s win over Watford, many Eagles diehards took to Twitter to discuss their opinions on the new home shirt, which features the traditional red and blue stripes in a diagonal sash pattern.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace page HLTCO on Twitter after they described the kit as a ‘belter’, here is what some supporters had to say about the images of the shirt, which one fan described as “really nice”:

“In about 2 days I went from hating it to loving seeing it in person at Watford (what a game that was as well)”

Credit: @AdamAdimi123

“Wasn’t keen until I realised it was the sash on steroids.”

Credit: @Sarf_London

“It looks 100 times better on the pitch than it did in the studio. Really grown on me”

Credit: @BenH11TON”Love it”Credit: @nialljclark”Actually really nice. The freak out for it was for no reason”Credit: @Bunds_”I agree 100%. Looks great on the pitch!”Credit: @TonyCpfc”If the shorts were red I think it would be top tier”Credit: @RussellMoleIn other news, Crystal Palace are set to miss out on a reported transfer target.

Carlton Palmer reckons Valerien Ismael will reunite with Daryl Dike at West Bromwich Albion if Sam Johnstone seals a move away from the Hawthorns.

Ismael was appointed as Sam Allardyce’s successor after the former England manager opted against remaining with the Baggies following relegation from the Premier League last season.

The 45-year-old has moved into the Hawthorns dugout after an impressive stint in charge of Barnsley, who he led into the Championship play-offs before falling short of promotion in May.

It was during his time at the Barnsley helm where Ismael teamed up with Dike, having signed the American striker on loan from Major League Soccer outfit Orlando City in February.

The 21-year-old went on to score nine goals in 22 appearances for the Tykes and is thought to be on Ismael’s radar ahead of the transfer window closing at the end of the month.

However, former West Brom midfielder Palmer believes the Baggies will only be able to afford the United States international if goalkeeper Johnstone departs.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “He did really well at Barnsley and played really well for Ismael but a lot of things will depend on whether Sam goes.

“If he goes then I’m sure they’ll give him funds to reinvest. If Sam doesn’t go, they’re on a tight budget.”

Many West Ham United fans are delighted after it was revealed the club have agreed a fee to sign Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax before the end of the transfer window.

The Hammers have taken far too long to get their business done this summer. Until just a couple of days ago, Alphonse Areola had been the only new arrival at the London Stadium. However, they did capture the services of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea (whufc.com), and it seems that Nikola Vlasic (Sky Sports) could also soon be on his way to London.

It appears that the Irons aren’t done there, either. As per journalist Mike Verweij, David Moyes and co have agreed a fee of €12m (£10.3m) for Nicolas Tagliafico. The Argentina international has made 141 appearances for the Ajax since making the switch from Independiente in his homeland (Transfermarkt) and featured prominently in the Amsterdam outfit’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

The news has been doing the rounds on Twitter, and it has attracted plenty of attention from West Ham supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the prospects of the 28-year-old coming to east London, with one describing it as a “masterclass” from club co-owner David Sullivan.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Tagliafico news

“Sully masterclass”

Credit: @HammerzOliver

“YO IF THIS IS TRUE”

Credit: @WestHamLozza

“David Sullivan is on a mad one”

Credit: @Nathan37439978

“wait what???”

Credit: @BillyCoyi

“Very very good player”

Credit: @BobLaundryll

“Probably be 17m by the time Sully and Brady have finished their negotiations”

Credit: @RobF_WHU

In other news, West Ham are set to have talks with this Premier League ace.

A major West Ham transfer update has emerged this weekend…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the Irons’ plans to sign a new defender will be accelerated due to the pre-season injury suffered to first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna.

“I can confirm, as I have done before, that the centre back position is the position that the club wants to complete first,” he revealed to The West Ham Way’s Patreon site.

“This is where our attention is focused at the moment and should be where the next signing is made.

“There are a couple of players in the mix but the club hopes to complete soon, although nothing is that close at the moment. If I had to pick, [Kurt] Zouma would be the number 1 choice at the moment but this could change based upon the negotiations.

“Ogbonna’s injury has sped up this priority.”

Reason to be excited?

After the departure of Fabian Balbuena during this off-season, Hammers boss David Moyes has been left short in defence, especially with his lack of trust in Issa Diop to regularly start matches, having featured from the off just 15 times in 2020/21,

Heading into the new campaign, his likely first-choice pairing would be Ogbonna and Craig Dawson, but with the former looking to be out for the foreseeable future, it’s no wonder the club want to bring in reinforcements as a priority.

It’s believed that the Scotsman already wanted to sign a top-quality centre-back and, a result, they have been linked with some rather exciting names, ranging from Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma – as mentioned by Ex – to the likes of Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car.

West Ham have only made one senior signing this summer, amongst the fewest in the Premier League right now, so this news should be rather exciting as it seems that their plans will be ramped up in the coming days.

The Irons also need to find a replacement for Jesse Lingard, as well as cover for central midfield and full-back, but as Ex claims, their focus is now on finding Moyes that centre-back for which he is longing.

Whether it’s Zouma, Milenkovic or someone else, the London Stadium faithful should be buzzing by this major update.

AND in other news, West Ham fans will surely love exciting Sky Sports transfer claim on £65k-p/w “beast”…

Rangers have been linked with a move for Alhassan Yusuf recently and he could be the ideal man to replace Glen Kamara in Steven Gerrard’s squad at Ibrox this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Score Nigeria, Rangers have contacted IFK Goteborg about potentially signing the 20-year-old midfielder, who has impressed during his time playing in the Allsvenskan, winning the young player of the year for his performances in the 2018/19 season.

During his time with the Swedish side, Yusuf has made 76 appearances, contributing two goals and nine assists and he usually features as a defensive-midfielder, suggesting that he would be deployed in a similar position to Kamara should he arrive at Ibrox this summer.

Would Yusuf be a good signing for Rangers?

The Nigerian midfielder is currently valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt and his contract with Goteborg is set to expire in November next year, which suggests that they would be willing to cash in on him this summer for a relatively low fee, rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2022.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Rangers transfer rumours and news!”]

Chief scout at Goteborg, Olle Sultan, was full of praise for Yusuf in his first season at the club, saying:

“I have believed in him very much all the time. He has learned on the way to becoming less naive. The touch is very nice and he is always so oriented and has such control on the ball. The press game is good and he is aggressive. When he eventually gets a little more power, he will be a good ball winner as well. In addition, he is a great guy who flows into the group nicely.

“A ball winner and game genius in one. There’s a bit to learn, that’s it, but he can really be great.”

Yusuf certainly seems to have a lot of potential and from how Sultan describes him, he could be the ideal man to replace Kamara at Ibrox this summer, should the Finland international complete a move to the Premier League.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

After some impressive performances for Rangers and Finland in recent seasons, it seems as if the 25-year-old could depart this summer, and the Gers will need someone with aggression and energy in defensive midfield to step up as his replacement, and given time, Yusuf could prove to be that man.

And, in other news… Reliable journalist drops Rangers transfer update that’ll delight Gers fans

Writing for football.london, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has lifted the lid on a promising off-field development.

The Lowdown: Tottenham making moves off the field…

Spurs have been making plenty of moves off the field over these last few weeks, starting with the appointment of new managing director Fabio Paratici.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that Tottenham are also close to finally sealing a deal for their stadium naming rights in what could be a big financial boost (The Daily Mail).

The Latest: Spurs set for another appointment?

As per Gold, writing on his social media, Spurs are set to appoint a new ‘head of emerging talent’ in Chris Perkins and are about to poach the club chief from Premier League rivals Everton.

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“Understand Spurs are set to appoint a new ‘head of emerging talent’ in Chris Perkins, who is at Everton and was at Derby before that,” the journalist said on Twitter.

Currently on gardening leave until he leaves Goodison Park, Perkins will join up with Paratici and be tasked with bringing the best and brightest young talents between 17 and 21 to north London (football.london).

The Verdict: Boost for Tottenham…

Perkins has quite the reputation for scouting potential future stars as evident by his time at Derby County, where he oversaw a high percentage of first team players coming through the academy into their first team.

Spurs already have many promising youngsters coming through the ranks with high expectations, with Dane Scarlett and Nile John the latest to come through their ranks and dazzle on-lookers.

The arrival of Perkins only further reinforces Tottenham’s chances of producing even more starlets over the next few seasons in north London in what could be a real off-field boost.

In other news: ‘News regarding Tottenham’…Sky Sports drop big transfer update on live TV, find out more here.