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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Daniel Pinder, editor-in-chief at Get German Football News, claims it can be tiring for players to work under Julian Nagelsman as he expects a lot from his players.

Nagelsmann was already one of the favourites to replace Jose Mourinho as results began to worsen under the Portuguese manager, however since his sacking he has been reported as Daniel Levy’s first-choice to take the job.

The German coach managed to guide Hoffenheim to the Champions League before getting a bigger move away to fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, and he took them to their first-ever Champions League semi-final last season.

Speaking on what it’s like to work under Julian Nagelsmann and what type of manager he is, Pinder told FFC:

“He expects a lot from his players, which can be tiring because he is known as a laptop manager.

“He uses big drones during training and also has a massive monitor next to the training pitch so he can go over little bits and pieces with the players.”

Tottenham Hotspur are currently five points behind West Ham in fourth with just six games left to play in the Premier League, and also have no European football to play this season.

Daniel Levy pulled the plug on Mourinho’s time at Spurs, just days before their Carabao Cup final match against Manchester City and a Premier League clash against Southampton.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Said Benrahma could “be the one” to step up for West Ham next season.

The winger joined on Deadline Day from Brentford last summer before making his move permanent for £25m plus add-ons in January.

But Benrahma has struggled to replicate his Championship form with the Bees in previous seasons, starting just 11 Premier League games all season, and only four since the arrival of Jesse Lingard.

Benrahma, who’s played just 54 minutes across West Ham’s last four Premier League fixtures, hasn’t yet scored for the Hammers, providing just four assists.

The Algerian had been playing in a central attacking role prior to Lingard’s arrival, but with Pablo Fornals returning to form on the left, Benrahma has slipped down the pecking order under David Moyes.

But with Lingard’s loan deal expiring at the end of the season, Windass believes that the former Brentford attacker could step up in his absence.

He told Football FanCast:

“It was a loan deal then a permanent. And the only reason why he’s not playing is because Jesse Lingard is there, and Jesse Lingard won’t be there next season.

“David Moyes will be saying ‘come back in good shape, get a good pre-season down you’. 

“He has unbelievable ability by the way, and could be the one to step up next season.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee claims that West Ham must look to move on some of their well-paid deadwood this summer.

West Ham have several players who have failed to impress under David Moyes, including Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson, with the latter failing to impress during his loan spell at FC Porto this season, making just nine appearances.

Anderson was sent out on loan to the Portuguese giants last October, however, they will not be making the deal a permanent one and the winger is not set to be in Moyes’ plans for next season.

Speaking on how Moyes will already be planning to move on some players, including the aforementioned trio, in the summer and why some players may decide themselves that it’s time to leave, Lee exclusively told FFC:

“I’m sure David Moyes will be looking to move some players on and to try and raise some money.

“‘I’m sure some of the squad players will want to leave because they want to play football and then the club will try to offload them to raise funds for some sort of transfer budget to buy Jesse Lingard.”

After Yarmolenko scored two against Everton just a few games into his West Ham career, Tony Cascarino likened the £115,000 per week winger to former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid superstar, Gareth Bale. Since then, though, the Ukraine international has struggled to make a consistent impact in claret and blue, mostly due to a horrendous injury record.

David Moyes has reportedly made it a priority to sign Jesse Lingard on a permanent deal this summer, but the midfielder is still yet to decide if that’s the move he wants.

Crystal Palace are facing fresh competition over one of their mooted managerial targets, and it’s not great news for Steve Parish…

What’s the word?

According to an update from Italian outlet Calciomercato, several Ligue 1 teams are also keen on appointing Paulo Fonseca, with Olympique Lyonnais the most interested.

Only a few weeks ago, reports surfaced suggesting that the Eagles owner and CEO had already held talks with the 48-year-old over potentially succeeding Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

The 73-year-old is out of contract this summer and no fresh announcement has been made over his future, whilst his brand of football has come under fire, especially with players like Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze at his disposal.

Fonseca will leave the Serie A side at the end of the season, opening the door for Palace to strike if they so wish but now they face fierce competition.

Bad news for Parish

If Parish has indeed already spoken to the Portuguese manager, then this latest development will come as a gutting blow as it means the mid-table straddlers will have to compete with a team that are likely to be competing in Europe next season.

And whilst the chance to manage in the Premier League is an attractive prospect in its own right, the opportunity to display your talents in the Europa and Champions League may be much more tempting.

Fonseca has a very respectable record, too. At Roma, he has accrued a 52% win rate, yet the Italian club feel that Jose Mourinho is the man to take them onto the next level.

By comparison, Hodgson has won only 33% of his matches in charge of the Eagles.

One downside to hiring the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss would be the fact that he’s never managed in England before but having left a long coaching career in Portugal, where he transformed Pacos de Ferreira from relegation candidates to European contenders, for the obscurity of Ukraine, he should have no problem in adapting to new conditions.

However, Palace’s chances of now clinching him would appear to be a lot slimmer than they were several weeks ago, and that won’t please Parish whatsoever.

AND in other news, Next Crystal Palace boss in line for major Wilfried Zaha boost…

Celtic-linked Josh Doig has said that his current club Hibernian is a ‘great pathway to go to higher places’ but insisted that he ‘absolutely adores’ being at Easter Road.

The lowdown

Sky Sports reported in January that Celtic, along with Arsenal and Chelsea, were monitoring the young left-back, who this weekend has been named the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award, seeing off David Turnbull and Nathan Patterson.

Hibs team-mate Joe Newell was among those to congratulate the 18-year-old on an ‘amazing achievement’ in his breakthrough season.

Doig, who is valued at just £450,000 by Transfermarkt, has made 26 league appearances for Hibs this season, scoring once and providing four assists. He has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 clearances, 0.7 interceptions and 1.3 successful aerial duels per game (via WhoScored).

The latest

Doig was asked about outside interest in an interview with The Scotsman. Whilst he did hint at a desire to ascend the footballing ladder, he insists that Hibernian is an ideal setting for his development.

The youngster namechecked John McGinn, who moved from Hibs to Aston Villa in 2018 and is now a Premier League regular.

He said: “It’s crazy because I’ve grown up watching all these clubs and for any of them even to show an interest…

“Whatever happens happens. But as long as I’m playing football, whether it’s here, at Barcelona, or back at Queen’s Park, that’s what I want.

“I absolutely adore it here at Hibs.

“You can see with the likes of John McGinn, I know Hibs is a great pathway to go to higher places but it still a massive club in itself.

“We could finish third this season.

“I don’t think there’s a better place than Hibs to develop as a player.”

The verdict

It does sound as if Doig would like to remain in Edinburgh for the time being. He really has spoken of his club in glowing terms, although the use of phrases like ‘whatever happens happens’ and ‘great pathway’ could leave the door somewhat open for a future move elsewhere.

Having already caught the eye of Arsenal and Chelsea, though, perhaps he’s looking to go straight from Easter Road to the English game just as McGinn did.

In other news, Celtic are said to be keen on this English League One starlet.

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ryan Bertrand could be an option for the club this summer.

The Southampton defender is out of contract at St Mary’s this summer, and it was confirmed on Wednesday reports that his seven-year stay on the south coast will come to an end once his deal expires at the end of the season.

Bertrand, who was heavily linked with Arsenal in January, has still been a regular under Ralph Hasenhuttl despite growing concerns surrounding his future, appearing in all but five of the Saints’ 35 Premier League games this term.

Meanwhile, Leeds could need another left-back, with Ezgjan Alioski having reportedly signed a pre-contract with Turkish outfit Galatasaray, whilst Barry Douglas is out of contract and expected to move away from Elland Road.

The versatile Stuart Dallas has often slotted in at left full-back, but the Yorkshire side and owner Andrea Radrizzani may well be looking to add to that department in the summer window.

Palmer was asked whether Leeds could look at bringing Bertrand in on a free this summer. He told Football FanCast:

“At the end of the day he’s not signed a new contract yet and he’s played regularly for Southampton. He’s a very steady player.

“Clubs like Leeds will be looking at him. Maybe he feels he can pick up a club that can do better. It boils down to finances.

“I don’t know the guy and have not spoken to him, but again, it’s about playing football and he’s played regular football at Southampton.”

Leeds United could land an exciting winger in VfL Wolfsburg Josip Brekalo amid a major transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are interested in signing the 22-year-old in the summer transfer window, and that the Whites were among those to have watched the Croatian in action over these past few months in the Bundesliga.

Now, Italian publication TuttoMercatoWeb claim that Leeds are set to face significant competition from Jose Mourinho’s new side AS Roma, as well as French outfit Lille.

Imagine him and Raphinha

After seeing the success of Brazilian star Raphinha in his debut campaign in English football, the prospect of him being joined at Elland Road by Brekalo is exciting to say the least.

The Croatian has enjoyed a fine season in the Bundesliga this season for Wolfsburg, netting seven goals and providing another three assists in 28 games in the top-flight, including scoring a hat-trick earlier this month against Union Berlin.

Goal’s Bundesliga journalist Ronan Murphy said on Twitter: “The less said about his off-field antics the better, as he should leave his on-field performances do the talking. Able to unlock defences and strong cutting in to shoot, he will torment defenders everywhere.”

And, when you look at his key attacking numbers, it’s easy to see why he would be such a threat in the Premier League.

As per Whoscored, he averages 1.7 shots, 1.3 key passes and one dribble per game in the Bundesliga, all of which rank him in the top five for each category among his Wolfsburg teammates.

The left-winger, who can play on the opposite flank too, has got the ability to be a real dangerous player in the coming years, and at just 22, has still got plenty of time to grow and develop under someone like Bielsa.

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

With Raphinha on the right and Brekalo on the left, Leeds would have a pair of direct wingers who come inside onto their stronger foot and can “torment defenders everywhere” as Murphy says.

Meanwhile, this Leeds man sent Bielsa a huge message against Southampton…

Plenty of West Ham fans have praised Pablo Fornals on social media for his display against Southampton on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes knew prior to kick-off that just a point will be enough for his side to qualify for the Europa League next season, and the Scot made two changes to the side which beat West Brom 3-1 on Wednesday evening, with Lukasz Fabianski and Jarrod Bowen coming in for Darren Randolph and Said Benrahma respectively.

However, it was Fornals‘ performance which had a number of Hammers fans talking on social media following his starring role at the London Stadium.

He was making his 31st start of the Premier League campaign and 36th appearance in all competitions. The Spaniard only scored three league goals this season prior to the final game of the season but he netted twice in the opening 45 minutes to put the Hammers on their way to the 2021/22 Europa League. He also won several tackles and duels, as well as having a high passing completion rate, to give an all-round stellar performance against the Saints.

West Ham fans react

Here is what these Hammers supporters had to say about the attacking midfielder, with one fan describing him as ‘brilliant’ and another excitedly comparing him to Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, who was renowned as a passing maestro and had a decent scoring record.

“Pablo Fornals has turned into some player”

Credit: @joe200953

“Pablo Fornals you are something else man”

Credit: @ewansm38

“Fornals is the new Iniesta”

Credit: @FloydWHU

“FORNALS IS QUALITY WE NEED TO KEEP HIM”

Credit: @datwag1

“Fornals has been brilliant”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Pablo Fornals is such an intelligent player it’s always his end product that lets him down. Technically he’s terrific and that second finish was brilliant, he always has that knack of being in the right place.”

Credit: @AzamWHUFC

In other news: Hammers leading the race for Championship star, find out more here. 

West Ham United’s priority this summer remains the addition of a new striker…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, there have been two names heavily linked with the Hammers – Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Czech Republic wonderkid Adam Hlozek.

Last month, the Irons’ interest in the 18-year-old goalscoring sensation was ramped up amid interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, who are renowned for their shrewd operations in the transfer market.

It’s thought that the Sparta Prague teenager is available for between £15m and £20m, as per Football Insider, which could represent stunning value for money.

Huge signing

It’s no wonder that David Moyes is longing for a new forward to bolster the Hammers’ squad as he has been woefully short on options in the role since the January transfer window, when club-record signing Sebastian Haller was sold to Ajax.

If the east Londoners are to stand a chance at repeating this season’s exploits, on top of giving a good account of themselves, then they need a player who can take them to new heights.

That man can be Hlozek.

Abraham, who was snubbed from Chelsea’s entire squad for their Champions League final triumph this weekend, is expected to cost in excess of £40m, which seems a little absurd for someone who cannot make the 23-man cut for such a historic match.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip-gsb-moyes-striker-future-signings” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

Hlozek could instead be the answer for a much cheaper and realistic fee.

The young talisman capped off his phenomenal season with four goals against Zbrojovka Brno at the weekend, taking his total to 15 goals and nine assists in just 19 appearances, via Transfermarkt. Much of his campaign has been derailed by injury, yet he’s still managed to contribute a goal or assist every 63 minutes.

It’s no wonder he has been lauded as an “incredible talent” and a “phenomenal player” by football scout Jacek Kulig as well as being dubbed “hugely talented” by manager Pavel Vrba.

At just 18, he would represent a change of direction for the Hammers as they very rarely invest in young players with huge potential. For example, fellow Czech natives Vladimir Coufal (28) and Tomas Soucek (26) are considerably further in their development whilst Craig Dawson (31) has provided plenty of experience at the back.

Hlozek could fit right in with two of his compatriots already at the London Stadium, which surely only bolsters West Ham’s claims in their attempt to secure him this summer.

Forget Abraham, the club’s GSB ownership must sanction a move for the impressive Czech wonderkid. He could be the one to take the Irons onto the next level, while he could net them plenty of profit in the future. It could be a game-changer of a signing.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops exciting West Ham transfer update…

Everton are set to open talks with Crystal Palace managerial front runner Nuno Espirito Santo, according to Sky Sports, with Eagles fans flocking to Twitter to have their say on the matter.

Previously, the former Porto boss was thought to be in talks with the Eagles about taking the reigns at Selhurst Park [Daily Mail]. Seemingly on the radar of a whole host of clubs, the Portuguese manager has also been linked with Tottenham in recent weeks [The Sack Race].

An exciting candidate, he can list winning the EFL Championship, consecutive finishes in Premier League European spots, as well as a Europa League quarter final among his achievements at previous club Wolverhampton Wanderers [Sky Sports].

Enjoying four successful years at Molineux, his reputation is more than intact despite a faltering final campaign.

Capable of getting teams to play exciting but tactically astute football, he would be the ideal candidate to rebuild an ageing Crystal Palace side. As expected, the Palace faithful took to social media to share their feelings regarding the latest development, with the Toffees seemingly stealing a march on a possible deal.

Palace fans react to Nuno latest

“People are worrying as if he wasn’t gonna be linked with other clubs as well”

Credit:@CPFCMax9

“That’s our chances gone”

Credit:@FPLWILSON

“Oh right, there’s a Plan B, is there? Plan A was so brilliantly devised I wouldn’t have thought we’d need a Plan B”

Credit: @rileyeagles

“It’s mark hughes”
Credit:@Kevbartleyy

“Would love if sky sorted their sources out. Or has Nuno got the keys to the DeLorean….?”

Credit: @CPFC_Curt

“Fun while it lasted”
Credit:@ohjoewalker

In other news, fans flock to share their thoughts on former Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray retiring from football.