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David Moyes may soon have improved competition for places at West Ham United as Andriy Yarmolenko has returned to training after sustaining knee ligament damage.

That’s according to images shared on the Irons’ official club website, which have since been picked up by the Ukraine Football Federation, after it was noted that the 31-year-old is back amongst the action at Rush Green.

Yarmolenko has missed the Hammers’ last five Premier League fixtures after suffering damage to his knee during last month’s FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester United.

The Ukraine international had started the action at Old Trafford in a centre-forward role in the absence of Michail Antonio, who had been rested due to showing serious fatigue against Fulham.

Yarmolenko now appears to be stepping up his rehabilitation with a return to the grass pitches at West Ham’s Rush Green facilities, having joined his teammates as they prepared for last Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to the Red Devils.

Moyes did not address Yarmolenko’s road to recovery when discussing the fitness of his squad last week, but offered updates on Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku after they returned to training and showed positive signs of progress.

The Irons boss had opted against putting a time scale on Yarmolenko’s return in the immediate aftermath of his injury, instead noting that he hoped “that the damage is not serious”.

Images of Yarmolenko now working with the West Ham squad would suggest the forward is nearing a potential return to selection alongside Ogbonna and Masuaku. He was also recently named in Andriy Shevchenko’s expanded Ukraine squad for the upcoming international break.

Having Yarmolenko available for West Ham’s run of fixtures beyond the March internationals will come as a boost to Moyes, with the east London outfit still to face a few of their rivals for a European qualifying berth in Leicester City, Chelsea and Everton.

Yarmolenko may be unlikely to feature in Sunday’s London derby with Arsenal, given Moyes did not address his progress when speaking to the media while discussing Ogbonna and Masuaku last week, but the Ukraine winger’s return could soon be a boost.

Moyes has previously dubbed Yarmolenko as offering “good competition” for places at the London Stadium, and has praised the £7m-rated forward as being a “very talented player”.

That competition can come in both his natural wide role to challenge Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma for minutes, but also in providing depth behind Antonio given the striker is Moyes’ only recognised centre-forward after Sebastien Haller’s winter exit.

Yarmolenko started two of West Ham’s FA Cup ties this season in a striker role and netted with composure in the fourth-round win over Doncaster Rovers, after which West Ham assistant coach Alan Irvine praised his performance.

“It was very encouraging the way Yarmo performed. He has played there before and we know the ability he has got and we know that if we get him through in those kinds of situations one v one with the goalkeeper, he is a very, very good finisher,” said Irvine, via quotes by football.london.

Goals have not been an issue for Antonio in most throughout Yarmolenko’s spell on the sidelines, netting against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, but the 30-year-old was often invisible at Old Trafford on Sunday and helped to leave Moyes feeling underwhelmed with his offence.

Yarmolenko is not the ideal option to offer cover and support at striker, but he has proven to be an adept back-up who may soon provide Moyes a welcome boost upon his full return.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

Farhad Moshiri must sanction the sale of Everton outcast Bernard at the end of the season.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Bernard is one of a clutch of first-team players who are facing uncertain futures at Goodison Park ahead of the summer transfer market.

The Toffees are expected to limit their activity in the off-season to the arrivals of two or three players, as Carlo Ancelotti strives to build on last year’s signings.

Work will also be done to trim the fringes of the squad with the removal of those currently operating below the required standard, and are prepared to sell striker Moise Kean for the right price amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

The Merseyside future of Joshua King is also noted to be up in the air, while Bernard is expected to be sold after a January exit fell through.

Bernard was heavily linked with move to Al Nasr during the winter market, but a deal to join the United Arab Emirates outfit broke down on Deadline Day.

Reports by The Telegraph had suggested Everton valued Bernard at £9m in efforts to trim the club’s wage bill, although later claims by Fussball Transfers alleged that an agreement was reached over a loan that carried a €5m (£4.5m) obligation to buy.

Bernard has struggled to prove himself to Ancelotti since the closing of the winter market, with the 28-year-old playing only three times in Everton’s last nine Premier League games.

Should Everton sell Bernard?

Bernard has lived life on the fringes of Ancelotti’s plans all season, with the Brazilian only starting three Premier League fixtures and making a further six appearances from the bench.

Only three outfield players currently at Goodison Park have featured less often in the top-flight this term than Bernard, with his return of 393 minutes only greater than the 69 minutes given to Niels Nkounkou, 118 awarded to King and 212 Fabian Delph has played.

It has been no surprise that Ancelotti has often overlooked Bernard, even when Everton have been trailing in games, as the 14-cap maestro has only had a direct influence on the scoreline once when he scored in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

His last Premier League assist came in January 2020 when Bernard set Kean up to open the scoring in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, some 22 appearances ago.

All the while, Bernard has been stealing a living at Goodison Park as Everton’s joint highest-earner with Yerry Mina on a £120,000-per-week contract, which has effectively seen Moshiri pay Bernard close to £1.1m for each start in the Premier League this term.

It has been 27 weeks since the Toffees kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, seeing Bernard earn £3.25m in wages to take his total income since joining the Blues on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 to £16.5m.

Bernard would be due a further £8m in wages if he sees out the remaining 15 months of his contract, making it vital that Moshiri cuts both his, and Everton’s, losses this summer.

AND in other news, Farhad Moshiri is set to back Everton as Carlo Ancelotti eyes a 29-y/o he described as “the best” in the world…

Rangers return to Premiership action on Sunday as they take on Hibernian at Ibrox, with Steven Gerrard’s side still in with a chance of finishing the league season unbeaten.

The 40-year-old manager rang the changes for his side’s 4-0 win against League One Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup last time out, so will likely be back at full strength for the game against Hibs this weekend and the bookies featured at bookmaker-ratings.com have reflected this in their odds on the Champions picking up three points.

Unfortunately for Scott Arfield, that should see him drop out of the team, as his performances in recent fixtures have been far from good enough and you could definitely argue that Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis are all ahead of him in the midfield pecking order on current form.

The Canadian international started the game against Cove Rangers but failed to provide a goal or an assist in the 90 minutes to continue his recent barren run. The 32-year-old’s last goal contribution came in the 3-2 win against Standard Liege back in December, meaning he has failed to register a single goal or assist in 2021 thus far.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/rangers-news-ibrox-steven-gerrard-ross-wilson-gers-rfc” title=”Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The former Burnley man has made 25 appearances in the Premiership so far this season and has averaged a less than impressive 6.65 WhoScored rating for his performances, which ranks him as the worst performer in Gerrard’s squad of those who have made at least five starts in the Scottish top flight.

Despite his poor run of form, Gerrard was full of praise for Arfield earlier this year, saying: “Scott epitomises what we want. Out of possession he shows grit, he shows fight, he’s there for you and in possession, he’s always available.

“He stands up to be counted at important times, so we’re extremely happy with Scott at the moment.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

However, the former Liverpool captain will surely be aware that the midfielder’s performances have declined in recent months and therefore he should drop him against Hibernian in order to give his team the best chance of picking up all three points and continuing the unbeaten run.

In other news… Sold for £1m, now in League One: Rangers axed one of their “top performers” at the perfect time

Carlton Palmer does not believe that Tottenham Hotspur will sack Jose Mourinho, telling Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the ex-Chelsea boss will be given at least two seasons to prove his worth in north London.

Spurs have endured a difficult spell this season and fell as low as ninth in the Premier League table.

That has led to reports of interest in rival managers, including both Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers and RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Palmer, though, does not think that Spurs will be looking to sack Mourinho any time soon.

Indeed, reports suggest that it would cost the club around £30m to sack the Portuguese.

While Palmer, an ex-England international, thinks that Mourinho’s position may come into doubt if the club fail to finish in the top four, he expects him to be given the 2021/22 season to shape Spurs in his own image.

He told FFC: “I don’t think Spurs will be looking to relieve Mourinho of his duties. But I certainly think that they’ll be, with the money that’s been invested in bringing Mourinho in, I think they would have been expecting to finish in the top four.

“I don’t know if that’s possible for Spurs this season. If you’re looking at Man United and Man City, Chelsea, they’ve taken a very, very strong manager. And so I see them finishing in the top four. And that leaves one space.

“So what would happen if they’ve finished outside the top four for Mourinho? I don’t know.

“But listen, I’m a big fan of Mourinho and it takes time to build a winning mentality, to build a winning team. And he should be at least given two seasons and I think he will be given two seasons to try and improve Spurs’ fortunes.”

Spurs’ link with Rodgers is interesting, given that one report has claimed that chairman Daniel Levy attempted to appoint him after he sacked Harry Redknapp, but ended up bringing in Andre Villas-Boas instead.

Palmer is surprised by the link, and he has pointed out that the ex-Liverpool boss seems to be touted as a potential appointment whenever a top manager runs into difficulties.

He added: “Well, Brendan Rodgers must have a brilliant agent, every top job when the manager is in slightly a bit of doubt, he gets linked with, he got linked with the Arsenal job before Arteta went in there.

“He must have a brilliant agent for doing that. But I mean, don’t get me wrong, Brendan Rodgers has done a fantastic job at Leicester City.”

According to a report by the Daily Star, West Ham are set to push for Celtic star Odsonne Edouard before the end of January – with GSB now potentially about to join the race for a striker also currently linked with a move to Leicester City (talkSPORT).

Edouard, who has debatably been one of Celtic’s only positive points this season, still managing to net seven goals in 12 SPFL starts despite the Hoops currently being some way off arch-rivals Rangers, is now attracting even more interest – this time from West Ham.

West Ham set to join Edouard race

As per the Daily Star, David Moyes is ‘desperate’ to sign a forward this month, with the club now turning to Edouard as a solution and they are expected to push for him in a late January move.

However, while this report claims that the 23-year-old is yearning for a Premier League switch and ‘fancies’ a move to London in particular, it doesn’t appear to be for a transfer ti the Irons.

Indeed, Edouard is apparently more keen on English capital rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, but that is only his ideal scenario – with a move to West Ham seemingly not ruled out.

Given the fact Celtic are ‘ready’ to ‘cash in now’ for the correct bid, and that both north London clubs won’t be able to move until summer, West Ham could hold a slender hope in potentially signing him.

As a result, GSB are reportedly set to attempt a swoop before the closure of this transfer window, with Moyes reportedly having him watched north of the border on several occasions.

Transfer Tavern take

Recently described by Hoops boss Neil Lennon as ‘magnificent’ after a 3-0 win over Hamilton in December (Glasgow Live), it’s little wonder why Moyes is keen – especially taking into account his excellent goal tally over 2020/2021 (WhoScored).

However, a late swoop may prove difficult – with it being hard to imagine GSB forking out his £35 million price tag.

In other news: West Ham have been ‘offered’ this striker, Di Canio is a huge fan…find out more here.

Ahead of the double Gameweeks 24 and 25, and with just under half of the Fantasy Premier League season to go, it’s make or break time for many FPL managers. We take a look back at the first half of the season and pick 22 players that you’ll want to consider picking up when making your next transfers.

FPL Goalkeepers 

Our top goalkeeper choice is Burnley number one Nick Pope. Pope has played 90 minutes in all but one of the Clarets 22 matches this season recording 7 clean sheets and 85 saves for a total of 102 points – making him the second best performing shot stopper in the FPL this season. 

His £5.5 price tag may put some managers off but with a double gameweek against Crystal Palace and Fulham in week 24 he’s got a good chance of recording double-digits points.

FPL Defenders 

Defenders who score goals, get assists and keep clean sheets are always highly sought after by FPL managers and sports betting punters alike and many managers make sure they have defenders from the teams that are most likely to win the Premier League in their squad.

With this in mind, Man United Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.6 – 2 goals, 3 assists, 8 clean sheets) and Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (£7.3 – 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 clean sheets) are two high scoring players who fit the bill. 

Then there’s also City’s men Rúben Dias (£6.1 – 1 assist, 13 clean sheets) and João Cancelo (£6.0 – 1 goal, 2 assists, 10 clean sheets) who are among the top 10 best performing defenders thus far and are staring down the barrel of their upcoming double gameweek.

If you’re looking for bargain defenders then West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell (£5.7 – 8 assists, 8 clean sheets), Leeds’ Stuart Dallas (£4.8 – 4 goals, 2 assists, 6 clean sheets) and Southampton’s recently returned Jannik Vestergaard (£4.7 – 3 goals, 5 clean sheets) are all worth a shout with the last two being especially valuable right now considering Leeds and Southampton’s double fixtures in week 25.

FPL Midfielders 

Midfielders are the money players in most FPL teams because they gather points for clean sheets, assists and goals and because they generally get the biggest bonuses.

The best performing midfielders so far are Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£11.5 – 169 points), Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah (£12.7 – 155 points) and Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son (£9.7 – 155 points) all of whom are consistently favored to score on online betting websites around the world as well.

Filling the fourth (or fifth) spot in your midfield can be tough so some value for money midfielders to go for include City’s Ilkay Gündogan (£5.9 – 104 points), Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse (£6.0 – 98 points), Fulham’s Ademola Lookman (£5.0 – 65 points), and Leeds’ Jack Harrsion (£5.4 – 86 points) and Mateusz Klich (£5.3 – 73 points) who are all great buys ahead of the double Gameweeks 24 and 25.

FPL Forwards

Strikers Harry Kane (£11.0 – 151 points) of Tottenham and Jamie Vardy (£10.0 – 117 points) of Leicester are back from injury and remain a centrepiece in most fantasy squads but finding the right men to go alongside them can be tough.

Leeds’ Patrick Bamford (£6.7 – 124 points) and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6 – 120 points) are two of the cheapest and most valuable strikers on the market and when you include Southampton’s Che Adams (£5.8 – 82 points) you’ve got a great trio of attackers that won’t break the bank and that all have 3 games coming up in the next two FPL gameweeks.

If you’re willing to gamble a little, Burnley’s Chris Wood (£5.8 – 63 points) is set to return from injury soon to join his team for their double gameweek against Fulham and Crystal Palace. 

Although the New Zealander hasn’t produced the goods this year his ten goals in each of his last three seasons has made him one of the top buys in recent FPL history. Wood is also one the most bet-on FPL strikers to score at all of the sports betting sites in New Zealand.

Rangers took another huge step towards title glory with a comfortable 3-0 win against St Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, with Steven Gerrard’s side superb once again to extend their unbeaten run.

Goals from Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi secured the win for the Gers, who were rarely troubled by Jim Goodwin’s side.

The result means that, should Rangers’ Old Firm rivals drop points away at Dundee United on Sunday, Gerrard’s side will be crowned champions for the first time in 10 years.

Whilst there were plenty of standout performers at Ibrox, including Kent for his superb goal and overall display, Connor Goldson produced another near-perfect performance.

As per SofaScore, the former Brighton man earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, with only Kent earning higher and getting the man of the match award as he was rated 8.7/10 for his performance.

Goldson was superb from a defensive point of view, as he contributed three tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and one blocked shot during the 90 minutes, as per SofaScore.

For context, the centre-back has averaged 1.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 2.9 clearances and 0.5 blocked shots per game in the Premiership this season, which emphasises that he really raised his game on Saturday to help bring Gerrard’s side one step closer.

It was not just his defending which was excellent on Saturday however, as he also completed 72 of his 80 passes during his time on the pitch, resulting in an impressive 90% pass accuracy – which again is an improvement on the 84.1% he has averaged in the Scottish top-flight so far this season.

One of those passes found Kent for the opening goal, as the 28-year-old earned his second assist of the campaign at Ibrox.

Goldson also won nine of his 13 duels during the game, resulting in a 70% success rate, whilst St Mirren striker Colin Quaner failed to win any of his aerial duels during the game, which demonstrates just how well the Rangers defence were able to shackle the Buddies target man.

Therefore, whilst Kent might have stolen the show for his goal, it was arguably Goldson who was the star performer at Ibrox for Gerrard’s side.

And, in other news… Rangers’ “big talent” is proving he can challenge in Gerrard’s side next season

According to Sports Journalist and transfer market ‘expert’ Nicolo Schira, West Ham United have opened talks with Inter Milan to sign Christian Eriksen on loan – prompting many Irons to react as they drop their verdicts on the would-be ‘quality’ GSB move. 

Eriksen, who left Tottenham for the Serie A giants last season in January, could now move on just one year after his highly anticipated move – with club CEO Giuseppe Marotta confirming he is on the transfer list for next month.

The Denmark international could attract an array of suitors once the window opens, and Schira is reporting that West Ham are already attempting to land their foot in the door.

Indeed, as per this report, talks have commenced over bringing in the ‘special’ star on loan – with this report attracting the attention of many Hammers.

Find all of their best verdicts on the move down below.

West Ham fans flock to Eriksen news

“Please @WestHam”

Credit: @WestHam_Way

“Solid source is Nicolò, I doubt we’ll agree wages I imagine he’s on about 200k a week and our best players in that position already can’t break into the starting XI. WHU just trying their luck here”

Credit: @theforexgoat 

“Wow 👀”

Credit: @BillHorganWHU

“Only former Spurs player I liked. Quality. Can’t see us signing him though.”

Credit: @rsstanford88

“Very good creative player.”

Credit: @BillHefferon 

“Literally hahah be such a good signing but we all know he’s gonna come on for the last 5 mins”

Credit: @TheLukeEvans17 

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee tweet, find out more here.

Fulham winger Anthony Knockaert is not enjoying the best time in the Championship with Nottingham Forest and the Cottagers should perhaps consider selling him permanently in the January transfer window.

The Frenchman only joined Fulham on a permanent deal in the summer, having spent the 2019/20 season on loan with Scott Parker’s side in the second division.

After he contributed to nine goals last season, the West London club opted to make his loan stay a permanent one but it seems as if Parker quickly decided that the 28-year-old wasn’t going to be a regular starter in the Premier League, as he was sent on loan to Forest in October, and is currently set to stay there until January (per Transfermarkt).

The winger did feature in all three of Fulham’s League Cup fixtures earlier in the season and grabbed an assist in the 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday (per WhoScored) but he failed to play a single minute in the top-flight.

Unfortunately for both Fulham and Forest, the former France U’21 international has not impressed in his first five games for the City Ground outfit, as he has contributed to no goals and has averaged a less than impressive 6.61 rating (per WhoScored).

The decision to sign Knockaert for £10.53 million in the summer already looks to have been a costly mistake by the Fulham board, as he is now valued at just £4.5 million by Transfermarkt.

He also currently earns £35,000 per week at Fulham, which is a hefty wage for someone who seemingly isn’t going to be playing for them in the Premier League anytime soon, so perhaps the Cottagers should just admit their mistake and cash in on him in January, rather than continuing to pay his wage for the duration of his contract which runs until 2023.

During his time at Brighton, the winger was sent off for a horror tackle in a 5-0 defeat against Bournemouth, which led to Match od the Day pundit Danny Murphy slamming him, saying:

“Sometimes you try to have an understanding and I can’t have any for this. It’s dangerous and irresponsible and more importantly he’s let everyone down.” (per Brighton and Hove Independent)

The decision to sign Knockaert permanently looks to certainly have been a strange one by the board at Fulham and considering his poor start to life at Nottingham Forest, it would perhaps not be a surprise if the Cottagers attempted to cut their losses on the winger in January.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was left a passenger of Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive tactics as Everton beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday.

The Italian reverted to his tried-and-tested four-man defence following further injuries to an already depleted unit, with Fabian Delph joining Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman in needing treatment after suffering a hamstring strain at Burnley.

Delph’s absence saw Ancelotti lean on central defenders Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate to start at full-back, but struggles to stay on the ball allowed Chelsea to dominate proceedings and leave Goodison Park having held 72 per cent of the possession. Though, crucially for Everton, without a point.

Everton’s inability to get on the ball and stay in possession saw Calvert-Lewin often be left out in the cold, having to hassle Frank Lampard’s visiting side for any real hope of maintaining his goal-a-game average in the Premier League after 11 strikes in 11 games.

But his run is at an end, for now at least, after failing to record a single on-target shot on Saturday, with the £36million-rated star only able to unleash one attempt on Edouard Mendy’s net though seeing his effort blocked, via SofaScore.

Calvert-Lewin saw so little of the ball that he registered fewer touches than Jordan Pickford, as well, with the Toffees’ shot-stopper recording 35 touches to the forward’s 33.

Worse for the 23-year-old was that of his 33 touches, only three came inside the Chelsea penalty area and with such little of the ball, Calvert-Lewin was only able to play 21 passes, of which just 13 found teammates.

He was busy in the air, though, with 15 duels, yet won just seven of his contests – a distant comparison from his success in five of six ground duels while attempting and winning two dribbles.

Calvert-Lewin left his most telling imprint on proceedings early in the first-half when he went on a rampaging run through the Chelsea defence, shrugging the experienced Thiago Silva to the side before inviting Mendy to have a rush of blood to the head.

The 28-year-old unnecessarily charged off his line and clattered into Calvert-Lewin, leaving referee Jon Moss with no choice but to point to the spot, awarding a penalty which Gylfi Sigurdsson would convert for the only goal of the game.

Everton’s top-scorer was lauded at half-time during BT Sport’s coverage of the match by former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole for his ability to do away with Silva with ease, noting:

“Calvert-Lewin is something else.

“To do what’s he done to Thiago Silva, who has seen every type of player – the athleticism to win the flick on and get after the ball [was brilliant].”

Calvert-Lewin will no doubt have preferred to have left his mark on the match through his goals, but a defensive Everton side left their star forward a passenger of the win instead.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands has landed a huge break in his bid to final rid Everton of Steve Walsh’s £42m blunder.