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West Ham are reportedly considering a move for Stade de Reims manager Will Still as they look for a long-term successor for David Moyes at the London Stadium.

The 30-year-old’s incredible start to life as a manager with the Ligue 1 side has seen him attract attention from across Europe and he could be the ideal man to replace Moyes given the Hammers’ woeful Premier League performances so far this campaign, which leave them in the relegation places with just 12 games to play.

Could West Ham appoint Will Still?

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, the Hammers appreciate Still’s profile for next season and the young Belgian could be tempted by a switch to the London Stadium, given he has already admitted to being a West Ham fan.

The 30-year-old has progressed through various roles in football, starting out as an academy manager for Preston North End, before spending time working as a video analyst under Yannick Ferrera with Sint-Truiden and Standard Liege in Belgium.

Another analyst role with Lierse SK would follow before he became assistant manager, and then manager for eight games, winning seven during his brief time in charge, which saw him change tact and take on more coaching roles with his future clubs.

Still was assistant manager with Beerschot, Stade Reims and Standard Liege, before he returned to France with Les rouges et blancs again in 2022.

After just over 100 days as assistant manager to Oscar Garcia, the Belgian was appointed first-team manager in October of last year and has taken Stade de Reims to ninth in the French top flight.

Still would take the French side on a 19-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1, which included an away draw at PSG and an impressive away win at Monaco, before the run was finally brought to an end with a 2-1 home defeat by Marseille last weekend.

Journalist Robin Bairner labelled the unbeaten period an “incredible achievement” by Still and Reims, and it seems as if the 30-year-old will only continue to win plaudits as a manager, with a long career ahead of him.

Although he doesn’t currently have a professional UEFA coaching license, which sees Reims fined every time he takes charge of game, he has proven himself to be more than adequate in the dugout, averaging 1.95 points per game so far this season.

Considering Moyes has managed just 0.92 points per game in the top flight so far this term, the Scottish manager clearly needs replacing, and who better to succeed him than an exciting young manager in Still who already holds the club close to his heart? It would be a gamble, but perhaps one worth taking for David Sullivan and co.

Aston Villa target Kieran Tierney could be allowed to leave Arsenal this summer after face-to-face talks with Mikel Arteta, according to reporter Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Villa interest

Reports in the week linked Villa with an interest in Tierney, with Football Insider saying that Arsenal could green-light a summer sale and value the player at £30m.

Tierney has dropped down the pecking order under Arteta this season following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival, with the majority of his minutes coming in the Europa League.

Villa could be willing to sell Lucas Digne to make room for the Scot, with Unai Emery already bringing in Alex Moreno back in January.

The Latest: Jacobs’ comments

Jacobs was talking to TEAMtalk regarding Tierney and his future in London. The reporter said that the player has held talks with Arteta and is still valued with the Gunners.

“My understanding with Tierney is that he held face to face talks with Arteta to try and better understand his future and was really just told to fight for his place and that he’s still valued.”

However, he went on to say “there is a very realistic possibility that he leaves if the right offer comes in over the course of the summer.”

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The Verdict: Gamble?

Tierney, described as a ‘warrior’ by Ashley Cole, has struggled for minutes this season, but when he has been on the pitch in the Premier League, he hasn’t impressed statistically, as per WhoScored. The Scot has a top-flight match average of 6.24/10, a lower score than both Digne and Moreno.

Therefore, an expensive £30m move could be seen as a gamble by some, but with Pete O’Rourke believing Emery may not trust Digne, a new left-back could be on the agenda in the Midlands this summer, meaning Tierney could be a name to keep an eye on, especially following Jacobs’ comments.

West Ham’s signing of Andriy Yarmolenko in 2018 would sadly prove to be a financial and footballing disaster for the club, as the experienced winger struggled to impress before leaving on a free transfer last summer.

Was West Ham’s signing of Yarmolenko a disaster?

When West Ham signed the Ukraine captain from Borussia Dortmund on a deal worth £17.5m nearly five years ago, it was seen as something of a coup by the Hammers.

He was only 28 at the time and had shone with Dynamo Kyiv in his home country, notching a remarkable 137 goals and 90 assists in 340 appearances for the Ukrainian side.

The winger also managed a modest six goals and six assists in just 26 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, so arrived with some experience playing at the top level in Germany.

Unfortunately for the Hammers, his goal record on English soil was far less impressive, as in 86 appearances in West Ham colours, the wide man would manage just 13 goals and seven assists, which was a disappointing return from the forward.

His lack of game time was perhaps the biggest factor in his signing going down in the bad books for West Ham, as injuries plagued him throughout his time in the Premier League, as he only managed more than 20 league appearances in one of his four seasons at the club.

A ruptured Achilles tendon in his first season at the club certainly didn’t help matters but it was arguably his plethora of minor injuries that prevented him from ever really enjoying a run in the team which may have frustrated fans, and no doubt David Moyes, the most.

Last season saw Yarmolenko muster just three goals and one assist for the Hammers in 27 appearances in all competitions, so it was perhaps no surprise that Moyes opted against giving the 33-year-old a new contract at the London Stadium.

He would make the move to UAE side Al-Ain, joining a long list of players who make the move to the Middle East in the twilight of their careers, and has contributed an impressive eight goals and five assists in 22 appearances for his new side.

Considering his lack of influence in the top flight during his time at West Ham, as well as the significant loss the Hammers made on his transfer, Yarmolenko must sadly go down in the history books as another transfer disaster from the east London outfit.

Manchester United enjoyed a decade of dominance in the Premier League between 1993 and 2003, winning eight titles while adding three FA Cups and a European Cup to their trophy haul during that spell.

Sir Alex Ferguson built two incredible teams in the decade-long spell and rarely made any transfer blunders. However, post-2003, his side began to disintegrate and the great man signed players who weren’t of the standard required to compete at United’s level or missed out on excellent talent altogether.

Of course, during the 80s and 90s, Fergie missed out on the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer most notably, yet in the summer of 2003, the Scot could have secured a player who was about to take off and it may have altered the course of English football.

How did Man Utd miss out on Ronaldinho?

With David Beckham leaving Manchester to join Real Madrid, Fergie needed to sign a replacement and was encouraged by Ronaldinho’s displays for both Brazil – who he won the World Cup with the previous year – and Paris Saint-Germain.

With personal terms agreed upon, negotiations were proving to be more than a nuisance with PSG and this prompted Barcelona to swoop in and secure one of the finest signings this century, with the Brazilian claiming “ it was a matter of 48 hours” for a move to the Old Trafford side going through.

Ronaldinho transformed a stagnating Barcelona side, winning two La Liga titles and the Champions League while making over 200 appearances, scoring 94 goals and registering 70 assists his spell at the Catalan club enabled him to win the FIFA World Player of the Year Award twice.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played with the Brazilian at AC Milan, lavished praise on his former teammate, saying: “Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children.”

And how may United’s fortunes have changed during that barren run between 2003 and 2006 had they signed the forward?

It wasn’t all bad, as missing out on Ronaldinho led to United eventually securing a deal for a talented 18-year-old prodigy going by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo, going to show that every cloud has a silver lining.

Although the legendary manager didn’t make many blunders during his 26-year tenure at United, when he did, they proved to be colossal.

Unai Emery should be able to cope with Aston Villa’s current attacking options for the rest of the season after failing to sign a winger in January, Dean Jones has claimed.

What’s the word?

Villa targeted a winger during the January transfer window, with Arnaut Danjuma linked with a move, but they ended the month without signing one.

Emery had stated his desire to add one to the squad, but only managed to complete the signings of left-back Alex Moreno and young centre-forward Jhon Duran, with Danny Ings leaving for West Ham United.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones claimed that although it was a risk not to land a player in Emery’s desired position, the Spaniard has enough options in his squad to see the rest of the season out.

“It’s a risk, because it was the area that was identified by Unai Emery as needing improvement and he has even spoken about that publicly, that they were looking for a specific-style winger.

“They haven’t managed to get it done [but] it’s not like this is a team that lacks attacking options – they’ve got loads. So it should be something that he’s able to fix from within.”

Enough depth

Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey, Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia and even Ollie Watkins are capable of playing on the wings, so Villa should have enough depth to last them the season.

We think a winger should be prioritised in the summer, and they may need some outgoings to make space for a quality addition. Coutinho could leave to make room for a star winger who could elevate Villa’s attack to another level.

The Brazilian is yet to start in the Premier League under Emery and is one of Villa’s top earners (as per FBref), so the Spaniard could see a twofold benefit if he is able to secure the attacking talent he desires.

Villa are improving under Emery, but with no cup competitions to compete in this season, a winger was a deal that could wait until the end of the campaign, rather than an urgent priority now.

Manchester United are unlikely to sign Ajax and Ghana star Mohammed Kudus currently but they have sent scouts to watch him in action, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kudus shining for club and country

The 22-year-old has become a highly sought-after player in recent times, with his performances for club and country catching the eye hugely.

Kudus was particularly impressive at the 2022 World Cup, scoring twice in three appearances for Ghana and averaging 3.3 dribbles per game from midfield. Only three players – Kylian Mbappe, Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala – mustered more dribbles per game in Qatar.

United have been linked with a move for Kudus recently, but a fresh update isn’t the most positive, in that respect.

The Latest: United update

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano said that the Red Devils have scouted Kudus but there are no talks over a move currently:

“At the moment, I’m told that there are no negotiations. I think we have these rumours because Manchester United scouts, as many others from the Premier League, four or five clubs from the Premier League, sent their scouts to follow Mohamed Kudus at the World Cup, with Ajax.”

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The Verdict: One for the summer?

This is a disappointing update from a United perspective, with Kudus someone who could give Erik ten Hag’s squad an injection of quality midway through the season, both as a midfielder and a forward.

That being said, they are nicely stocked in midfield areas, with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes a strong first-choice trio, so a summer move could make more sense.

At that point, the £10,000-a-week Kudus will surely be looking for a move away from Ajax, and with Eriksen and Fernandes turning 31 and 29 this year, respectively, fresh legs in midfield could be required.

The Ghana star could be the man to fit the bill, being hailed as a ‘star boy’ by international teammate Calvin Bassey and scoring 15 goals in 65 appearances for Ajax.

Manchester City are interested in West Ham United star Declan Rice stemming back to reports from October 2022 and his potential arrival at the Etihad could allow Pep Guardiola to get rid of summer flop Kalvin Phillips.

According to ExWHUEmployee (via Caught Offside), West Ham are still keen on the England international having failed to sign him from Leeds United in the summer.

He said: “Kalvin Phillips is someone that West Ham, David Moyes especially, 100% rates. I know categorically, factually, that we spoke about signing him in the summer and in January before that, that we really, really wanted [him].

“I get the feeling that patience is running thin with him and I’ve always said that it wouldn’t surprise me if Man City were to offer Phillips in exchange for Rice at the end of the season.”

This could be an ideal opportunity for Guardiola to get rid of a player who has failed to start a single game in Manchester City colours since his £45m switch in 2022, while also bringing in one of the world’s most exciting midfield talents.

Phillips has endured a number of injury problems since signing his £150k-per-week contract at the Etihad but was still deemed fit enough to travel to the World Cup in Qatar, but returned “overweight” in the words of his manager, and hasn’t featured since.

£150m-valued Rice, meanwhile, is desperate to play in the Champions League and looks unlikely to achieve that dream at the London Stadium, given that the Hammers are currently embroiled in a relegation battle after a shocking start to the season.

If we compare Rice’s stats from last season to Phillips’ stats from the same campaign, it seems clear that the 23-year-old would be a big upgrade at the Etihad.

Rice averaged a 7.10 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League, compared to his England teammate’s measly 6.45 average rating.

He also averaged more interceptions (1.8 vs 1.2), key passes (0.7 vs 0.5) and dribbles per game (1.4 vs 0.4), which suggests that he is a far better all-round package in midfield.

Fabrizio Romano has previously described Rice as “untouchable” in the transfer window but the Hammers captain’s reluctance to sign a new deal, as well as the Irons’ interest in Phillips, could just give City the edge in any potential deal for the England star this year.

Leeds United’s move for Birmingham City starlet George Hall in January will depend on the fee the Championship side demand.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, following a number of reports linking Victor Orta with a £3m move for the 18-year-old, whether or not the director of football manages to get a deal over the line for the central midfielder this winter will depend on how much Birmingham command for the youngster.

In response to a supporter asking for an update on Leeds’ interest in the reported Everton and Liverpool target, Nixon said: “Been after him before… would come down to the cost.”

A big signing

Considering just how exciting a prospect Hall very much looks to be, the argument that Orta could seal a big signing by beating the likes of Everton and Liverpool to the addition of the teenager this winter is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, the £1.6m-rated talent is already beginning to establish himself as a key figure in John Eustace’s first-team squad, having scored one goal, registered one assist and created two big chances over his 18 Championship fixtures – five of which have come as starts – this season, as well as taking an average of 0.3 shots, making 0.2 key passes and completing 0.2 dribbles per game.

These displays have seen the £577-per-week starlet – who is able to operate from central, right, left and attacking midfield – come in for a significant amount of praise, none more so than from Eustace, who said of the 18-year-old last year:

“George is a fantastic young player who’s a big player for us and for the team… he’s a top young player. But all I want to do is to keep on developing George in the right way, which I think we have done so far.

“For me, George Hall is one of the top young players in the league. He’s a very effective player whether he starts or we have him coming off the bench. He’s only just turned 18 – and he’s got an opportunity to showcase himself here. We don’t want George Hall going anywhere.”

As such, while a figure in the region of £3m is undoubtedly a great sum of money to spend on a player who has played just 20 senior fixtures in his career to date, considering the sheer amount of potential for future growth the midfielder possesses, it is easy to make the argument that for the sake of the future of Leeds’ midfield, this would be a big acquisition.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Bryan Gil is ‘very close’ to joining RCD Mallorca on loan with talks advancing, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Gil watches on…

The Spaniard has been forced by manager Antonio Conte to watch on from the sidelines with Gil struggling for Premier League game time.

Signed from Sevilla in a swap deal with Erik Lamela in 2021, Gil came to Spurs with much potential and comparisons to footballing legend Johan Cruyff.

Praised as a ‘wonderful prospect’, Conte still claims he isn’t physically ready for the robust nature of English football and another loan move could well be on the cards this winter.

The Latest: Gil ‘very close’ to Mallorca…

As per reports out of Spain, it appears Gil is edging close to a move back to La Liga with Mallorca.

Diario de Cadiz reports journalist Thierry Enric’s claim the 21-year-old is ‘very close’ to joining the direct rival of Cadiz and the Balearic club are in ‘advanced negotiations’ over a loan deal.

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The Verdict: Get it done…

A loan move for Gil to develop his all-round game is arguably much-needed and the player is better served moving away again than sitting on the Spurs bench.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici, however, may need to source a potential replacement from the January transfer market given the large volume of games from now until the end of the season.

Newcastle United are reportedly strongly interested in signing Frankfurt central defender Evan Ndicka ahead of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Ndicka is out of contract in the summer, meaning that he can leave on a free transfer or for a cut-price in January.

The Frankfurt ace can also sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the winter window, and is sure to attract plenty of interest around Europe.

The likes of West Ham United, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been linked over the past few months, so a move to the Premier League could well be on the cards.

The Latest: ‘Strong’ interest

As per Italian news outlet Romagiallorossa.it, the St. James’ Park outfit, as well as fellow top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur, hold a ‘strong’ interest in Ndicka, as well as Serie A sides Roma and AC Milan.

Other clubs in the Premier League are also thought to be interested, so it will be interesting to see if they look to try and sign Ndicka in January, or as a free agent in the summer.

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The Verdict: No-brainer

Signing a player of Ndicka’s quality, especially for a cut-price, is surely a no-brainer for the North East club.

The Frenchman, who was unlucky not to make the France squad for the FIFA World Cup, has been described as an ‘exciting’ talent by Frankfurt journalist Christopher Michel at just 23 years of age, while Michel has also hailed his goal threat from centre-half as ‘enormous’, and his injury record as ‘incredible’.

Aside from the six-foot-two colossus’ defensive qualities, where he has won more aerial duels and made more clearances per game than any of his team-mates in the Bundesliga this season (WhoScored), the fact that he has an added goal threat makes him such a dangerous player in both boxes.

Indeed, Ndicka managed an impressive four goals and four assists in the Bundesliga from centre-back last term (Transfermarkt), and the fact that he stays injury-free is an added bonus which could really help the Magpies in the second part of the campaign.