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David Moyes’ West Ham United side ease themselves back into first-team football with a trip to Kidderminster Harriers in the fourth round of the FA Cup this afternoon, a fixture in which the 58-year-old Hammers boss will undoubtedly be looking to rotate his side.

Indeed, the Scotsman recently suggested that he could be set to hand Alex Kral – the Spartak Moscow central midfielder West Ham signed on a season-long loan deal last summer – just his third start since his temporary switch to east London, while the club’s only recognised centre-forward, Michail Antonio, is also unlikely to feature having only landed in England on Friday following his international duty with Jamaica.

So, how many changes will Moyes make to the side that started the 1-0 loss against Manchester United last time out? Here’s how we think West Ham could line up against Kidderminster, along with the latest team and injury news…

With the greatest of respect to Kidderminster, a National League North side should not be giving a team chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League a great deal of trouble this afternoon, something which leads us to believe that Moyes will make nine changes to the team which lined up at Old Trafford before the winter break.

Fours of these changes come in defence, with Ben Johnson taking the place of Vladimir Coufal at right-back, Arthur Masuaku starting ahead of Aaron Cresswell at left-back, while Issa Diop and 21-year-old Aji Alese – who West Ham podcaster Tom Edwards dubbed “gold dust” – being given the nod ahead of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson at centre-back.

In the middle of the park, the rarely-seen £24k-per-week Alex Kral is indeed awarded a start, as is club captain Mark Noble, with both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek being rested ahead of the visit of Watford on Tuesday.

In attack, Said Benrahma makes a return to the XI following his early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations with Alegria, taking the place of Jarrod Bowen on the right, while the £69k-per-week Nikola Vlasic gets the nod ahead of Pablo Fornals on the left – with Manuel Lanzini retaining his spot in the number 10 role.

Finally, the £100k-per-week Andriy Yarmolenko is given a chance to impress in the absence of Antonio up top, with Moyes certainty hoping for a clinical display from the 154-goal forward against Kidderminster – after the manager failed to bring in a backup striker for the first-choice Jamaican during the January transfer window.

In other news: “All I can say is”: Moyes finally addresses transfer failures, WHU fans won’t be happy

An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged ahead of the summer…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the club are set to have a meeting to make big calls over what they want to do in the upcoming transfer window.

Speaking on the Que Golazo YouTube channel, he said:

“I’m told that Newcastle will make some decisions on players they already have and the players they want to sign in May. They have a meeting already scheduled in May to discuss about it. So at the moment, for Saint-Maximin, still nothing concrete, but let’s see in the coming weeks what happens.”

Exciting

This claim will surely leave fans excited for multiple reasons.

Firstly, he has gone some way to allaying fears that the club have decided to sell Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, after 90min reported that the Toon are open to cashing in on the French forward with Wolves showing an interest in him. Supporters will be pleased that they have not made any final decisions on his future as selling him would be a major disaster.

FFC recently published an article explaining why it would be a howler to let him go and that is why fans will be delighted with Romano’s claim that nothing is set in stone in regard to the attacker’s situation.

The St. James’ Park faithful will also be excited by this news as it shows that the club are looking to make their decisions well in advance of the window. Instead of leaving it until close to July and then scrambling about throughout that month and August, they are attempting to get all of their business in order ahead of schedule in order to have the best possible summer window.

PIF may have learned their lesson after they waited too long in January and ended up missing out on two key targets. They failed with deadline day swoops for Hugo Ekitike and Jesse Lingard as they were unable to get those two deals over the line before the window slammed shut.

Hopefully, making all of their key decisions with months to spare will allow them to bring in all of the players they want to sign with plenty of time left to go. Being prepared for the summer in advance could also give them a leg up on their rivals if they are able to make moves for players before opposition clubs are able to come in with offers of their own.

It is now down to PIF and Eddie Howe to follow this through and enjoy an exciting summer window…

AND in other news, Wood upgrade: PIF will be having NUFC nightmares after missing out on £20m “cult hero”…

Leeds United are willing to spend big in one area this transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered an intriguing claim to GIVEMESPORT earlier this week.

The Yorkshire giants rarely conduct business during the winter, not at least under the current regime of manager Marcelo Bielsa and director of football  Victor Orta as there isn’t enough time for any new player to get up to speed with the Argentine’s methods.

However, this month could be very different.

“The one position where I think the Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani is willing to maybe push the boat out and spend a bit more, is for that central midfielder,” he said.

Much-needed addition

Overall this season, the Peacocks have been in pretty dire form.

Their win over Burnley earlier this month moved them eight points clear of the relegation zone but things can quickly change in this division, especially as several teams below them in the standings hold a game in hand on them.

That result, though, was followed up with a premature exit from the FA Cup last weekend, so it only goes to show that Bielsa’s men have struggled and for large parts, that has been down to injuries.

Leeds’ squad has been decimated with a long list of injury problems regularly throughout the campaign. Against Arsenal only last month, Bielsa was missing as many as 11 players, nine of which could be considered first-team regulars.

It got so bad that he had to name a 15-year-old on the bench for a Premier League clash.

One of the longer-term absentees is academy graduate turned club favourite, Kalvin Phillips. His presence at the base of midfield is sorely missed and some of their disappointing results could be attributed to his absence.

And he is not due back until February at the earliest, which is cause for concern and exactly why the addition of a new midfielder should be a priority.

The Yorkshiremen were already on the lookout for one but the England international’s injury increases that need tenfold and must force Radrizzani’s hand to spend this month.

So for O’Rourke to suggest that the Italian supremo is willing to put his hand into his pocket to do so is hugely encouraging. It should leave Bielsa absolutely buzzing that he’s going to get at least one reinforcement in a very key area.

Reading playmaker John Swift and Marseille powerhouse Boubacar Kamara are just two exciting names to have been linked with a switch to Elland Road in recent weeks.

Either of those would be solid additions.

AND in other news, Leeds eye 1st January signing in “dominant” 37-cap titan, he could be another Lasogga…

Despite having an average squad age of 26, Southampton have a handful of players who are in and around the twilight years of their careers.

One of those is 30-year-old midfielder Oriol Romeu, who signed for the club back in 2015 from fellow Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the Spaniard has made a total of 221 appearances for the Saints prior to their Premier League clash against Burnley this afternoon, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the process.

With the midfielder’s current contract at St Mary’s set to expire in 2023, we feel there’s a chance that Romeu could leave the club by that point, but we also believe that the Saints could already have an ideal replacement for him if he does leave.

That man is 18-year-old Ryan Finnigan, who has been described as an “excellent” player by the club’s academy director Matt Hale. A product of Southampton’s youth system, he has made 15 appearances for their under-18 side, scoring one goal, with one assist in seven games for the Saints’ B team.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is apparently a big fan of Finnigan, who has made one senior appearance for Southampton, which came during their 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup back in January.

Moving forward, if the teenager can continue developing in Southampton’s youth sides and make the most out of any future opportunities he gets in the first team, we think he could well go on to become a regular for them in the future as a potential long-term replacement for Romeu. That might save the club millions of pounds in potential transfer fees trying to sign a new midfielder, as well as seeing him join a long list of players to come out of the club’s youth academy to go on and have big careers in the Premier League.

In other news: Southampton could already have their next Gareth Bale in “quality” 17 y/o starlet

According to a report by 90min, sharing news on the Tottenham Hotspur manager search, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy remains ‘infatuated’ by Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers.

The Lowdown: Rodgers heavily linked to Spurs…

The 48-year-old has attracted major interest from Tottenham since Jose Mourinho was starting to feel the pressure, with reports from as far back as February detailing Levy’s interest in Rodgers (Football Insider).

He was quick to play down the reports linking him with Spurs recently whilst openly committing his future to Leicester, but that still didn’t stop speculation in the media. The Daily Mail recently claimed, despite Rodgers’ stance on the Tottenham job, that Levy has no intention of giving up in pursuit of the Northern Irishman.

The Latest: Levy still ‘infatuated’ by Rodgers…

90min disclosed that Levy and Spurs very much remain interested in the former Celtic boss as a top target to replace Mourinho in north London. The report went as far as to say the Lilywhites chairman is ‘infatuated’ by Rodgers and sees him as the ‘perfect’ managerial candidate for Spurs.

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He is also prepared to hand the Foxes boss a huge salary and make him the second-highest earner of any manager in the Premier League bar Pep Guardiola.

However, regardless of his intent, Levy is fully aware that he faces a fight to appoint Rodgers at Tottenham given his public admission over the role.

The Verdict: Rodgers should be number one…

We’re inclined to agree with the Tottenham head honcho on this one, especially given Rodgers’ record of superb man management (Leicestershire Live). The former Liverpool boss apparently has an ‘open door’ policy, with his players free to chat one-to-one at any time.

Rodgers has also been revered by sections of the press for making fringe players feel like they’re more involved, as opposed to a Dele Alli-style shun from the likes of Mourinho.

Five Leicester youngsters have made their debuts under the current manager, with Tottenham said to want someone who has proven experience in developing talent from the academy (The Athletic).

With Rodgers described as one of the Premier League’s ‘outstanding’ manager (Sky Sports), if Levy can pull off this appointment, it could be a real no-brainer.

In other news: many Tottenham fans flocked to this development, find out more here.

Celtic may reignite their interest in Liverpool centre-back Ben Davies this summer.

That’s the views of pundit Paul Robinson, with the former goalkeeper believing that a possible deal will come down to the identity of Neil Lennon’s successor as Hoops manager.

Celtic’s Ben Davies saga

Celtic were first linked with Davies back in August 2020, but they waited until the New Year before lodging a bid to tie up a pre-contract for the 25-year-old.

It looked as if they got their wish regarding Davies, with Sky Sports claiming that a summer deal had been agreed. However, just 24 hours later, the centre-back penned terms with Liverpool.

Davies is yet to feature for his new club, though, and talking exclusively to Football Insider, Robinson tipped the Hoops to go back in for the former Preston man, saying:.

“It seemed like a strange addition at the time. To get to the last day of the window… I think they were shopping in places they did not want to shop.”

“If you look at Liverpool’s squad, when all of the centre-halves are fit or even Henderson and Fabinho are fit, he will not play or even get in the squad.”

“Celtic may re-visit it in the summer but it will be very dependent on who comes in there.”

Transfer Tavern take

Liverpool have seven natural centre-back options in their squad, so when the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez return from injury, we feel as if Davies won’t get a look-in at all.

Based on that, we agree with Robinson in believing the Hoops could go back in for the £2.7m-rated ace. He’ll surely want to be playing regularly, and you’d imagine he’ll know all about the Hoops after almost penning terms at Parkhead.

In other news: 47-year-old makes contact with Celtic board to give his thoughts on vacant manager’s role, find out more here. 

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that if Rangers sell striker Alfredo Morelos, he’ll be almost irreplaceable.

Since arriving at Ibrox from Finnish outfit HJK, the Colombian has been the Gers’ main source of goals, scoring at least 15 times in each of his four seasons in Glasgow.

The 24-year-old has continued his goalscoring form this season, striking 11 times in the Scottish Premiership to help Steven Gerrard’s men ended their 10-year wait for a major trophy and bring Champions League football back to Ibrox for the first time since 2011.

But Morelos’ outstanding form since joining Rangers has led to constant uncertainty surround his future.

He still has more than two years remaining on his current deal, and McAvennie believes that no Rangers fan would want to see the striker depart this summer.

He told Football FanCast:

“I don’t know if you can replace him, he’s such a talent. Since Defoe has gone there, he’s become a better player, he’s been a good inspiration for him. His temperament has got better, he’s still doing the odd thing but I don’t mind that.

“He’s a talent. Every year there has been people saying he’s moving to this one. He’s been all around the world, but he’s still here.

“I think Rangers will have a price, but if that price gets matched, he’ll be gone. I would like to see him leave, but that’s on a personal level.”

Morelos has previously been reported to have been on the radar of the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, but does the ex-Celtic frontman believe that Colombian is good enough to play in the Premier League?

McAvennie added:

“I think he would do well, I think he would score goals. Rangers play better when he’s playing. But I don’t think he’s the finished article, I think he can get better. If I was a Rangers fan I wouldn’t want him to leave, but everyone has got a price.”

The agent of Ruben Neves has provided an update regarding the future of the Wolves midfielder.

What’s the word?

That is according to Sport, via Sport Witness, who claim that the 25-year-old’s name has “been on the table at Barcelona for months now.”

With the Blaugrana reportedly “willing to study carefully” the potential signing of Neves, Jorge Mendes is “working to make it a reality in June.”

According to the outlet, Barcelona have “reactivated” their interest in Neves, after initially discarding him as an option, as they look to secure a long-term successor for Sergio Busquets.

According to Sport Witness, super-agent Mendes has been “convincing Barca’s sports management and Xavi for months.” With Neves said to be “crazy to join” the Catalan giants – even if it’s through a loan deal.

The new Busquets

Mendes clearly wants to afford his client the opportunity to step into the shoes of the legendary Sergio Busquets, who has been the metronome in that Barcelona side for 14 seasons.

Sport Witness claim that “Barca’s sporting leaders have given their approval for his arrival”, though the economic aspect of the deal is yet to be discussed.

In truth Neves offers a more well-rounded service in midfield, with both Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage’s three at the back systems the cause of this development.

Though Neves’ previous and now current manager opting to use a 3-4-3 formation, Neves has not been afforded the chance to slot into the role of a defensive midfielder.

As such, his numbers reflect this, with his defending stats slightly overshadowed by the Barcelona captain.

And although he shares similar passing numbers on the whole to Busquets, the Spaniard is slightly better when it comes to passes completed, boasting an average of 70 passes per 90 minutes. Neves completes an average of 56 passes per 90.

They are evidently quite similar, both positionally and stylistically, but Barcelona’s gain would clearly be Wolves’ loss.

After all, this is a player who has played 207 times for the Old Gold, helping them achieve promotion, cement themselves in the top-flight, and reach promotion.

He is a vital player to the cause and seeing that Mendes, someone who has been so beneficial in bringing players to Molineux, tout his services to other clubs is likely to leave supporters aghast.

In other news: John Percy: Wolves now eye swoop for the “next Mbappe“, he’s better than Jimenez…