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Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over big news on Vladimir Coufal.

As well as benefitting from the arrival of recruitment chief Rob Newman in a new Hammers transfer era, manager David Moyes is also eyeing a number of new contracts for his first team stars.

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Indeed, as explained by Claret & Hugh, West Ham have fresh deals for some key players in the pipeline, with Coufal, Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice linked to being offered fresh terms.

According to sources in Italy, Angelo Ogbonna could also sign a contract extension, but now some big news has emerged on Coufal’s situation specifically.

According to reporter Roshane Thomas of The Athletic, the Czech Republic star has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with the option to extend it by a further year.

The 29-year-old was crucial to Moyes last season, averaging the joint-most tackles per game for West Ham in the Premier League and marking himself out as a real fan favourite.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder that numerous Irons supporters have absolutely erupted on social media upon hearing of his contract extension – one even called it the “best news ever”.

Check out some of their best verdicts below.

West Ham fans erupt over big Coufal news…

“Best news of the week!”

Credit: @_samhowell

“SIUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @alex_cvb

“Absolutely MASSIVE news!!”

Credit: @dave_lapointe

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @morgzwhu

“This is absolutely superb news, well done Moyes and the board 👏🏻🔥⚒ Another step in the right direction”

Credit: @MartynHobbs12

“That’s big”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Best news you’ll see today #GSBOUT irons irons irons”

Credit: @joehalford1990

“This is the best news ever”

Credit: @StefGoodridge

In other news: Reliable reporter says West Ham fans ‘should be excited’ by another development, find out more here.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has told Leeds United target Dan James that he’ll be remaining at Manchester United this summer, according to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell. 

The lowdown

James was set to join Leeds in January 2019, back when he was still a Swansea City player, but that move collapsed.

The winger, though, has remained on the Whites’ shortlist because of ‘the way he plays’ – his willingness to work as hard without the ball as he does with it.

The £73million arrival in Manchester of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund may have raised Leeds’ hopes that a deal was possible, for it seemed to nudge James further down the pecking order.

James has made 73 appearances for the Red Devils since he joined ahead of the 2019/20 season, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

James was ‘told earlier this month’ that he wouldn’t be granted a move away from Old Trafford during the transfer window. Solskjaer explained that the player was ‘fully in his plans’ for the season ahead.

Along with Leeds, Brighton and Hove Albion have been monitoring the Welshman, while Leicester City submitted what was described as a ‘tentative enquiry’.

Ultimately, though, any interest has been rebuffed and each club will have to look elsewhere if they want to add a winger to their ranks.

The verdict

Even if the two clubs could have reached an agreement, it’s unclear whether James would have been keen on the move. How much would it really have improved his playing prospects when Raphinha and Jack Harrison seemingly have those wide spots locked down?

Still, Leeds appear to have had alternative targets in mind anyway. Talks over a deal for Club Brugge’s Noa Lang are said to be ‘progressing well’.

Whoever comes in, Marcelo Bielsa is clearly chasing a young player who can provide backup to the aforementioned pair without a significant drop-off in quality.

In other news, Leeds have also been urged to strengthen this position.

Celtic will be aiming to extend their eight-game unbeaten run when they take on St Johnstone in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park this evening.

Ange Postecoglou’s charges have been in fine form in recent weeks, keeping their Europa League hopes alive while closing the gap on the Premiership leaders. The Hoops will turn their attention to the League Cup this weekend as they aim to topple the current holders at the national stadium.

Last season, Celtic ended the campaign trophyless for the first time since 2009/10, so the Glasgow giants will be desperate to put things right this time around, and the Premier Sports Cup is their first opportunity to do just that.

Postecoglou will also be desperate to get his hands on his first piece of silverware after arriving in Scotland in the summer, giving himself some extra time to complete his rebuilding job at Parkhead.

One way in which the 56-year-old may choose to exert some control over proceedings in what promises to be a highly-charged affair is to hand summer signing James McCarthy a rare start.

Time for Celtic to unleash McCarthy

The experienced midfielder has only featured from the off on three occasions this season after joining from Crystal Palace as a free agent, failing to showcase his true ability on each outing. However, on his day, the Republic of Ireland international can be a top-class operator in the middle of the park.

Injuries have disrupted a promising career, but McCarthy has often produced scintillating displays for both club and country, bringing guile to an action-packed engine room on many outings.

One such standout performance against Manchester City last year earned the praise of his former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, who lauded the £2.7m-rated maestro’s quality.

“I thought the action that he performed for our equalising goal (against City) on Saturday was quite incredible,” Hodgson gushed.

“To win the ball back that late in the game, to win a difficult challenge, to get himself back up on his feet and produce that pass, that was a real class act I thought. It just shows my faith in him as a class player was being rewarded.

“And his faith in himself and his determination to get back to that level of football, also being rewarded. He deserves an awful lot of credit,” concluded the former England manager.

McCarthy could have a similar impact for Postecoglou if the manager places his faith in the midfielder. The Hoops boss just needs to unleash him from the off for the first time since September and provide him with the platform to illustrate his credentials.

A squad-high average of 2.5 tackles per game at Palace in that 2019/20 campaign illustrates how effective the 31-year-old can be at breaking up play as well as contributing to goals, so today seems like the perfect day for him to return to a Celtic starting line-up.

In other news… Celtic handed huge injury boost ahead of semi-final clash, Postecoglou will be buzzing

Despite managing to pick up a comfortable 4-0 win against Arsenal in their latest Premier League game, Liverpool suffered another potential injury issue with one of their key players.

What’s the news?

During the match against Mikel Arteta’s side, Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota had to receive treatment after a collision with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale shortly before being replaced by Takumi Minamino.

Speaking after the game, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that Jota took “a proper knock against his knee.”

While there has been no confirmation on whether the injury is a serious one or not, Klopp and everyone else at the Merseyside club will undoubtedly be hoping that Jota will be able to make a quick recovery in time for Liverpool’s Champions League match against Porto to keep their winning streak going, especially with Roberto Firmino still out with a hamstring injury.

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As well as Firmino, Liverpool have a number of other senior players out injured at the moment such as Naby Keita, James Milner, Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Harvey Elliott and Andy Robertson, which makes it rather gutting timing for the supporters for Jota to pick up this knock.

Including his latest goal for the Reds against Arsenal, Jota has racked up a total of six strikes and two assists in 15 appearances across all competitions, showing how much of a useful attacking option he is for Klopp and the team.

In addition to that, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £40.5m via Transfermarkt, has managed to rack up an average of 2.2 shots per game and 1.5 key passes per game, highlighting how much of a threat he is on the pitch and why he could be such a loss if he sits out.

Moving forward, if the worst-case scenario were to come to fruition and Jota had to spend a period of time on the sidelines with the rest of his currently injured teammates, this would undoubtedly be a huge setback for the team, the fans, and Klopp, who would have to rely on the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to keep scoring on a regular basis just a matter of weeks before they head to AFCON.

With the duo scoring 18 goals between them in the Premier League this term, it’s safe to say that it would be a real disaster if either of them were to pick up an injury anytime soon.

In other news: FSG could finally secure Wijnaldum heir at LFC with “extraordinary” £81m-rated star – opinion

Having recently appointed Slavisa Jokanovic as the new Sheffield United manager, the Serbian will undoubtedly be looking to build a squad over the summer transfer window that is capable of securing the immediate return of Premier League football to Bramall Lane next season.

One potential incoming signing for the Blades could well be that of Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Dion Sanderson, with the Northern Echo reporting that the Premier League side may be willing to cash in on the 21-year-old this summer, with the club thought to be demanding a fee of around £2m in order to part with the defender.

United are believed to have held a long-term interest in Sanderson, something that even last season’s departure of Chris Wilder has not dampened, and considering the impressive form the youngster was in while on loan at Sunderland last season, it is not difficult to understand why.

Jokanovic must move

Indeed, over his 26 League One appearances while on loan with the Black Cats last term, the centre-back scored one goal and helped his side keep eight clean sheets, in addition to making 0.9 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning 4.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £135k-rated man earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Lee Johnson’s 13th-best performer in the league.

The defender also has Championship experience under his belt, having spent a spell on loan at Cardiff City towards the back end of the Bluebirds’ 2019/20 Championship campaign.

Over his 10 Championship appearances that season, Sanderson provided two assists and helped his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 2.1 clearances and winning 3.7 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the man Johnson dubbed a “Rolls Royce” defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as Cardiff’s joint 14th-best player in the second tier.

However, what makes his level of performance over these loan spells all the more impressive is that Sanderson is still just 21 years of age, meaning that the Wolves U23 star still has much growing and developing left ahead of him in the professional game, something that would appear to bod extremely well for his future.

As such, with Jokanovic hoping to build a side that is not just capable of securing promotion next season, but also remaining in the top flight for years to come, the addition of a player with Sanderson’s obvious potential would appear to go a long way to helping the club achieve this feat.

Furthermore, for a fee of just £2m, a deal to sign the Wolves academy graduate would be an extremely affordable one to get over the line for a club of Sheffield United’s stature, further adding to the argument that Jokanvoic must do all he can to land the centre-back in the coming weeks.

In other news: Get it done: Jokanovic must sanction Sheff Utd swoop for 20 G/A machine this summer

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been left in awe of news he’s seen at Tottenham Hotspur surrounding their deal to sign young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr during the summer window. 

The Lowdown: Spurs snap up Sarr…

During the last fortnight, Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici showed he was not done on the transfer front in north London as he snapped up both Sarr and defender Emerson Royal.

The former, who was also courted by the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Man United, eventually decided to try his hand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the Lilywhites paying a £15 million fee and sending him back out on loan to FC Metz.

Touted as a very promising player, Robinson has certainly been left impressed by this piece of Spurs business.

The Latest: Robinson reacts to Sarr deal…

Speaking to FI, the former England international has had his say on Sarr after doing some research.

Judging by his verdict, it’s safe to say supporters can start getting excited by the prospect of him battling his way into Tottenham’s future first team plans.

“I’ve done a bit of research on him,” Robinson explained to Football Insider.

“He’s been described as the future of Senegal. Idrissa Gueye is meant to have said he’s the best player to come out of Senegal for years.

“Wow, that’s really impressive because Gueye has had a lot of nice things said about him during his career.

“Tottenham weren’t the only club interested so they have done really well to get him at the price they have.“

The Verdict: Exciting times…

Amid the plethora of young stars coming through Tottenham’s academy, with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Nile John and Dane Scarlett all turning heads, it can’t hurt to add another into that mix.

Despite being just a teenager, Sarr started an impressive 18 matches for Metz last season whilst averaging two tackles per 90 in that time – more than a majority of senior Spurs players over 20/21 (WhoScored).

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder his signing has excited some figures in the media.

In other news: Report lifts lid on Tottenham player’s deadline day exit U-turn, find out more here.

If you were initially left perplexed by Everton’s transfer business in the window, then you can forget about criticising them for now.That’s because the Toffees have taken seven points from nine available in the first three games of the season, despite spending just £1.7m in the market.What’s the word?That being said, the end to the ongoing window could be a bizarre state of affairs for the Merseyside outfit.Rafa Benitez is still intent on concluding some business, with Luis Diaz potentially arriving from Porto in a swap deal with James Rodriguez.That deal is certainly a cunning one, but a prospective move which fails to make much sense is Salomon Rondon. Everton have been interested in the powerful Venezuelan forward for a while now but they have actually opened negotiations just a few days before the deadline.That’s according to Alan Myers, who delivered the following seven-word update via Twitter on Sunday evening: “Everton in talks to sign Salomon Rondon.”Fans must be annoyedBenitez knows Rondon incredibly well from his time at Newcastle United. In fact, the striker was one of the most swashbuckling attackers in the Premier League. If he had more goals in him, he’d be incredibly difficult for defenders to handle.In total, the Venezuela international racked up 26 goals in 61 appearances under the Spaniard, but the way in which Everton could sign Rondon in the coming hours should leave supporters aghast.That’s because he’d be replacing Moise Kean in the squad. The Italian’s days have been numbered at Goodison Park for months now and he appears to be on the cusp of re-joining Juventus.He was in red hot form for PSG last season, however, scoring against Barcelona in the Champions League on his way to netting 17 goals for the club in all competitions.On that evidence, it’s tricky to suggest that he’s not up to the standard to play for Everton. Combine that with the fact that Kean is only 21 and it makes the decision to axe him even more peculiar.Bringing in a young player as his successor would be smart work but Rondon is a strange replacement. For starters, he is now 31 years of age, and secondly he is set to command a pretty hefty salary judging by his £8m-per-year (£154k-per-week) wages in China.Kean is a talented individual who possesses immense potential but the former Newcastle forward is at the opposite end of his career.He might well offer valuable back-up but this whole sequence of events should leave Everton fans angry at the club’s transfer plans.AND in other news, Everton keen on signing “explosive” £42.8m-rated gem, he could be another Walcott…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts does not like the idea of the club appointing Roberto Martinez as manager.

Sky Sports, via The Daily Mail, reported earlier this week that the former Everton boss has entered into talks with Spurs over the possibility of replacing Jose Mourinho as the club’s manager.

It remains to be seen if he will reach an agreement with the club, as he is set to manage Belgium in the European Championships this summer.

Roberts, though, doubts the potential appointment of the former Wigan Athletic boss.

Indeed, he does not think that his CV will be that appealing for Spurs, as he has yet to win anything with Belgium, and only succeeded at a small club.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, the UEFA Cup winner said: “Why would you go for a foreign manager that you know nothing of?

“Martinez, Wigan, okay, little club. Belgium manager, if you can’t manage those players at Belgium then well… If he doesn’t win the trophy this year he’s failed because he’s got the best players. That’s not for me.”

Indeed, Martinez has only ever won the FA Cup during his career, though he did guide Swansea City to promotion from League One in 2007/08.

Belgium also finished third at the 2018 World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could make Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni his top defensive target ahead of the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Bastoni linked with Spurs

Despite his desire to bring one in during January, Tottenham failed to sign a central defender for Conte. As a result, the Italian has ended up employing left-back Ben Davies as a makeshift left-sided centre-back.

However, according to Spanish sources, Spurs are already in the process of bolstering their defensive options and have submitted a £42m bid for Bastoni.

Inter remain reluctant to sanction a sale, so the 23-year-old remains on a list with the likes of Sven Botman, Josko Gvardiol and Nico Schlotterbeck as potential additions (via The Athletic).

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The Latest: Jones’ claim on Bastoni

Jones believes that Conte will make a big push to sign Bastoni from his former club.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reporter claimed: “I think there’s a good chance that Bastoni will emerge as the guy.

“At this stage, I keep being told there is no order at the moment, that they’ll see at the end of the season where they’re at and they’ll go from there.

“They have a shortlist, but it’s not in any sort of ranking, as it stands.”

The Verdict: Great signing if it comes off

Described by journalist Mario Sconcerti as a “young Bonucci”, Bastoni is clearly valued quite highly in Italy. This praise is warranted by his underlying statistics – the 23-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes received, the 94th percentile for shot-creating actions and the 91th percentile for progressive carries (via FBRef) among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

With Conte’s preferred back-three formation, Bastoni would suit playing on the left-hand side of the defence, with his ability on the ball complimenting this style of play.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see Conte make a big push for the Inter centre-back, who certainly seems like he would be an ideal signing in terms of what the Lilywhites boss is seeking in a defender.

In other news: One Tottenham man could lead a potential N17 mass exodus

Many Everton fans have been left gushing as footage emerged featuring Yerry Mina.

As shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter page, the defender stepped up for Colombia in a penalty shootout against Uruguay in the Copa America and placed his effort nicely into the corner.

He then sucked his thumb and started dancing in celebration, much to the delight of many of the Goodison Park faithful.

Mina was a key player for the Toffees in the 2020/21 season, averaging more clearances (4.5) and shots (0.7) per game and having a higher passing success percentage (90.1%) then Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane (WhoScored).

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Everton supporters will be hoping that he can return from the Copa America fully fit and ready to start the new campaign well under new manager Rafa Benitez.

Everton fans on Mina footage

These Blues were left gushing over Mina as the footage of his penalty and celebration was shared on Twitter:

“Get that lifetime contract out @Everton”

Credit: @JamesPMcCann97

“Somebody slap a lifetime contract in front of him, please”Credit: @LewMelia”I love that man”Credit: @Jordinho88″He’s a treasure”Credit: @trevor_p_malco”Hahahaha boss that”Credit: @jonnysmith1878″What a pen by the way”Credit: @peterlarlewisIn other news, find out what Phil Kirkbride update has left these Evertonians buzzing