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West Ham United look likely to win a big race to sign Alex Scott this summer, with Football Insider reporting that the Hammers are in the best position to snap up the midfielder this summer.

How good is Alex Scott?

The Bristol City midfielder has lit up the Championship for the Robins over the last two seasons, having initially broken onto the scene as a young 16-year-old. Having appeared three times for them during that initial second tier campaign, he has since gone on to appear in 83 league games for the side in total.

The 2022/23 season really saw the Englishman's star shine though, as he was handed the Young Player of the Year award for the division.

He played on 42 occasions for the Robins over the course of the year, the most he has managed over his career yet, and even bagged one goal and five assists along the way. He also reached the top ten in the division for through balls (10), had the most blocks of any player in the Championship with 67 and drew more fouls than any other second tier talent with 96. Despite his youth then, he is already standing out as one of the best in the league.

Are West Ham signing Alex Scott?

It's no surprise then to see him linked with a potential move away this summer. West Ham are one of the clubs to have been most heavily linked to Scott, with the Hammers having already spoken over a potential bid to bring in the 19-year-old this transfer window.

Wolves are another Premier League side that have been mulling over an offer for Scott, with the Molineux outfit also being admirers of the youngster.

Now though, according to a report from Football Insider, it's the Hammers who are in the best position to try and add the midfielder to their ranks this summer. It states that the top flight club are "well placed" to land the talent, but he would cost the Premier League side a hefty £25m as that is the Robins' asking price – and they will not budge.

However, if the player himself wants to move and Bristol City are "keen to progress" at that price, as are West Ham, then it will likely happen.

It could be worth it though. He's already caught the eye of those who have seen him in action, with the 19-year-old being hailed for both his current ability and his future potential. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that he has a "big future ahead," with the midfielder already demonstrating his ability to perform to the highest level.

The youth football writer also highlighted a comment from Man City boss Pep Guardiola who, after coming up against the England man in the FA Cup, added that he is an "unbelievable player". It's high praise from one of the best managers in the business – and if West Ham can seal a deal for him, they could therefore have one of the most promising English talents around right now.

Xavi revealed his admiration for Alvaro Morata and stated that he spoke to the striker over a possible transfer to Barcelona.

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• Xavi wanted Morata at Barcelona
• Admires the Spain forward
• Has scored 12 goals in all competitions

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Barcelona manager confirmed that he had a chat with Atletico star Morata and wanted the player to join the Catalan club. He also revealed that he admires the Spain striker and was looking forward to welcoming him in his team but unfortunately the move never materialised.

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  WHAT XAVI SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the coach said: "It's true that I wanted to sign him. There was that possibility. I was talking to him and I wanted him in the team, but it couldn't happen. He's a forward that I really like. Morata is a great forward. He is a generous footballer, who works a lot for the team, he works a lot. He goes very well into spaces and helps his teams a lot. I really like him a lot. With him and with [Antoine] Griezmann, Atletico has a world-class forward line."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Catalan giants reportedly tried to sign the Spanish forward in January 2021 when he was on loan at Juventus from Atletico, according to . The former Chelsea man was not getting too many opportunities to play at the Italian club and was considering returning to his parent club before making a move to Camp Nou. The Bianconeri, though, did not want to release Morata at that point and thus a move to the Blaugrana could not take place.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ALVARO MORATA?

  The 31-year-old has had an impressive outing for Atletico in the ongoing season having scored 12 goals in 17 appearances across all competitions including seven La Liga goals which is the same as Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski. He will be next seen in action on Sunday when Diego Simeone's side lock horns against the defending champions in La Liga.

Paul Mullin could have been playing in La Liga, rather than League Two, with money troubles at Racing Santander dashing his Spanish dream.

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• Striker headed to Europe when leaving Liverpool
• Was all set to agree a deal in Santander
• Returned to England to impress in lower leagues

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The prolific frontman is currently starring for ambitious Welsh outfit Wrexham, having helped to fire them back into the Football League last season. He is working with Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at SToK Racecourse, but his career could have taken a different path had a teenage adventure in Spain not come crashing down around him.

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  WHAT MULLIN SAID

  Mullin has said in his autobiography of heading to Europe after being let go by the club that he supported as a boy: “So while I was devastated to be released by Liverpool, I still had hope. As it happened, a friend of my uncle’s, Isaac Gutierrez, was a physio at Spanish La Liga club Racing Santander. I went over for a trial and loved it – and they loved me. I ended up staying out there for three months, to the end of the 2010-11 season. I was only sixteen and my grandad Bobby came with me. That was great for me. In Santander, on Spain’s north coast, we were meant to be staying in an apartment belonging to someone we knew but when we got there it was in a bit of a state, full of dust. ‘We’re not staying here,’ Bobby said, and promptly booked us into the best hotel on the seafront. With the team training in the evenings, we’d spend our days messing about on the beach. When he went home, I moved into digs – a good lesson in independence and growing up. Santander wanted me to sign and, after returning home at the end of the season, I went back in the summer to do just that. At which point the club went into administration. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I’d got a great new start in Spain only for the club to end up in crisis, and its owner wanted by Interpol. Instead I was left hunting for a club back in the UK.”

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mullin could have found himself lining up against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid had things worked out differently, with the 29-year-old saying of his early interest in Spanish football and which side he considers to be his favourite: “Joanne (Mullin's sister) has always been amazing with me. She really did spoil me badly, even buying me games for my PlayStation Portable. When we went to Madrid to visit Jonathan (Mullin's brother), who was living out there at the time, she took me to a big shopping centre and bought me a new Atlético Madrid kit – she knew I preferred them to Real.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN?

  Mullin ended up at Wrexham in the summer of 2021, shortly after Reynolds and McElhenney’s takeover of the club, and has hit 85 goals for them through 110 appearances. He is now a firm fan favourite in North Wales and is hoping to see his current employers become a top-tier outfit at some stage in the future.

  Buy your copy of Paul Mullin's brilliant new autobiography My Wrexham Story on Amazon.

The Norwegian ended his drought in emphatic fashion as the Premier League champions got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over the Seagulls

Erling Haaland describes himself as a "zombie" and you can never take your eye off him for long, as Brighton found out to their detriment in a 2-1 win for Manchester City on Saturday. The Norwegian had not scored in his last three outings and had had only one shot in his last two Premier League games, but he needed just a sniff of danger to make Brighton pay a heavy price, slamming the ball into the net from outside the area to double the lead.

City had taken an early lead with a one-touch strike from Julian Alvarez, after a breathtaking run from Jeremy Doku, who frightened the life out of Brighton every time he got on the ball. The Seagulls, however, rallied late in the game, and after Ansu Fati reduced the deficit, they started to scare City, with Kaoru Mitoma running Kyle Walker ragged.

Things got more precarious for Pep Guardiola's side when Manuel Akanji was sent off for a second booking, but there were only two minutes of added time left. City, therefore, survived to ensure they got back on track and back to the top of the Premier League table, at least for a short while.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Stefan Ortega (6/10):

  Such a surprise choice that he was not even on the initial team sheet. Had little to do but stayed aware and thwarted Mitoma with clever footwork. Before then, his kicking was a little suspect.

  Kyle Walker (5/10):

  Struggled against Mitoma for most of the afternoon, particularly in the build-up to Brighton's goal. Couldn't get forward.

  John Stones (7/10):

  Made his first start of the season and looked as assured as at his peak. Helped City boss the midfield for most of the game.

  Manuel Akanji (4/10):

  Struggled to get a grip on Brighton's counter and his sloppy clearance was gobbled up by Fati for the visitors' goal. Things got worse when he was sent off in added-time, meaning he will miss next week's derby at Manchester United.

  Josko Gvardiol (6/10):

  Getting more accustomed to City's play with each week.

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  Midfield

  Phil Foden (6/10):

  Had a nice understanding going with Doku on the other flank. Dictated the play but not as influential as usual.

  Bernardo Silva (6/10):

  A crucial cog in City's passing machine.

  Rodri (7/10):

  Restored control and order to the midfield after three games out, all of which City lost. Is it any coincidence they won on his first game back?

  Jeremy Doku (8/10):

  In an electric mood and every time he got the ball, the crowd took notice and Brighton shuddered. Set up the opener and could have scored twice himself.

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  Attack

  Julian Alvarez (6/10):

  A classy one-touch finish to put City in front. Dropped deep a lot to try and create more. Should have done better when presented with an open goal, albeit 40 yards out.

  Erling Haaland (7/10):

  A crashing, no nonsense goal to end his three-game drought. Picked up the loose ball and only had one thing on his mind.

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  Subs & Manager

  Jack Grealish (6/10):

  Gave City some tactical discipline and some fight when he came on.

  Ruben Dias (6/10):

  Made a rare appearance on the bench, immediately brought on to tighten things up after City conceded.

  Nathan Ake (N/A):

  Came on in added time.

  Pep Guardiola (6/10):

  After talking up De Zerbi's qualities before the game, it was Guardiola's side who dominated most of the proceedings. However, he will be disappointed with how his side lost their grip on the game late on.

Luis Diaz's disallowed goal for Liverpool in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Tottenham should have stood, English football's refereeing body has admitted.

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• Diaz scored in first half
• VAR did not change offside decision
• PGMOL says goal should have counted

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Colombia international thought he had given the Reds the lead in the clash at Spurs but the goal was flagged for offside.

  A VAR review was conducted but the decision was allowed to stand and Spurs went on to score a goal of their own moments later.

  Liverpool managed an equaliser but, having been reduced to nine men, ended up conceding a late own goal by Joel Matip right at the end to lose 2-1.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The game was overshadowed by controversial decisions, as before Diaz's disallowed goal, Curtis Jones saw an initial yellow card changed to a red after a VAR review for his collision with Yves Bissouma.

  The Reds ended up down to nine men in the second half when Diogo Jota was dismissed with two bookings in the space of a minute, although he did not seem to foul Destiny Udogie for his first booking.

  Coach Jurgen Klopp complained after the game that he "never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions."

• WHAT THEY SAID

  The Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), which oversees the referees in English football, conceded that the decision to chalk Diaz's goal off was wrong.

  "PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool," a statement read. "The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

  "PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error. PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error."

  The statement did nothing to soften the blow for Reds boss Klopp, who said: "Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Man United game. Did Wolves get points for it? We will not get points for it so it doesn't help.

  "Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in, it might make things easier. I don't know why the people are that much under pressure. Today, the decision was made really quick for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game so that's how it is.

  "We score that goal, it was top, top, top, outstandingly well played. In a game where you don't get a lot, it's super important information. This is how we can hurt them, this is how we can beat them. So it was super difficult."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Liverpool will try to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they take on Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League on Thursday.

Aston Villa have missed out on signing Real Madrid ace Marco Asensio, however the Villans are reportedly in the mix to capture another star from the Spanish capital.

Unai Emery has given the club a significant pull ahead of the summer transfer window, both on the pitch in sealing European football and off it with his individual accolades in his lucrative managerial career.

Villa shouldn’t feel discouraged by Asensio’s decision to join Paris Saint-Germain, with another option suggesting a new candidate to join Villa Park.

What’s the latest on Joao Felix to Aston Villa?

As reported by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Aston Villa have emerged as one of the options for Portuguese ace Joao Felix to relocate this summer.

The report states that Emery would be “delighted” to sign the 23-year-old, speaking in a press conference earlier this season regarding Felix’s move to Chelsea.

At the time, the Spaniard suggested the youngster was “better” than Villa, however with the club securing European football next campaign, the tides could change this summer.

What could Joao Felix bring to Aston Villa?

Lauded by Jose Mourinho as being an “incredible talent”, the forward has an impressive array of experience in European football behind him, despite being just 23.

The youngster has contributed to a total of 107 goals in his budding career, scoring 72 and assisting 35 playing at Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea – as per Transfermarkt.

After having disagreements with Diego Simeone, Felix has been searching for a new home, with Chelsea declining the option to sign the player permanently after a loan deal that came at a tough time for the Blues.

Despite playing in a disjointed Stamford Bridge squad, the forward showed his worth, scoring four goals in 11 starts in his debut season in the Premier League.

The attributes that the forward could offer Villa are endless, especially as Philippe Coutinho looks likely to depart this summer, with the Atletico gem being the perfect upgrade to the underachieving Brazilian.

When comparing the two, the Portuguese starlet gives a glimpse of what Coutinho could have been at Villa, and what he could give the club should he opt to join Emery’s project.

The £195k-per-week ace averages a mammoth 0.35 goals per 90, as well as being a live wire in the final third, as shown through his average of 4.04 shots on goal per 90 – as per FBref.

The former Liverpool magician falls short in both areas, averaging 0.11 goals per 90 and 2.40 shots per 90, showing that Felix would be a firm upgrade in the advanced areas.

A similar pattern is highlighted in the duo’s progressive play, with Coutinho averaging 2.06 progressive carries to the former Chelsea forwards’ 3.11 per 90, communicating his desire to get forward which is integral in Emery’s set-up.

Hailed as being “special” by the Villa coach himself, Felix could thrive in the Spaniard’s project at Villa, becoming one of the club’s star players and having an area to enjoy his football under a manager that can accommodate his playing style.

Newcastle United 'will be looking' at Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes this summer as Eddie Howe seeks to strengthen his squad in the summer at St James' Park, according to journalist Keith Downie.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harvey Barnes?

As per Football Insider, Leicester City are set to demand over £50 million for Barnes this summer, regardless of whether they stay in the Premier League or suffer relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

The outlet report that Newcastle United are keen on the 25-year-old, who is also attracting attention from Tottenham Hotspur and a number of clubs in the English top flight.

90min claimed last month that the Magpies were tracking Barnes ahead of the off-season as they plan to 'invest heavily' in squad additions in order for Howe to beef up depth on Tyneside ahead of 2023/24.

Barnes is open to a new challenge and is willing to leave the King Power Stadium and could be joined by teammate James Maddison, who has also attracted interest in his services, namely from Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Downie thinks that Newcastle should be targeting players like Barnes and Maddison as they prepare for next term: “For any of these players, Newcastle must be an appealing place to come right now, with everything you see on matchdays.

“They could be playing Champions League football next season, and the club is on the rise. Without a doubt, those are the sort of players Newcastle will be looking to bring in.

“The biggest challenge is whether they can fit into the wage structure.”

How has Harvey Barnes faired for Leicester City this season?

Barnes, who has been described as almost being a "superstar", has been a rare bright spark for Leicester City this season, though he may not be able to dig them out of their relegation trouble.

In 2022/23, the England international has made 38 appearances in all competitions, registering 12 goals and three assists, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored shows that Barnes has been a constant offensive threat for the Foxes this term, managing to take an average of 2.2 shots per match in the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, his high goal tally means that Barnes, compared to his positional peers, ranks favourably in the metric of non-penalty goals across Europe's top five divisions, as he has achieved 0.40 per 90 minutes over the last 365 days, placing the £35k-a-week ace in the tenth percentile for this statistical curation, as per FBRef.

Newcastle United may need to enter the market for a winger this summer as uncertainty over the future of Allan Saint-Maximin continues and Barnes could fit the bill as a capable replacement.

Pakistan fielding coach Steve Rixon has warned England that conditions in Manchester should suit the Pakistan bowling attack more than those at Lord’s

George Dobell20-Jul-2016Pakistan fielding coach Steve Rixon has warned England that conditions in Manchester should suit the Pakistan bowling attack more than those at Lord’s. Pakistan won the first Investec Test to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, with Yasir Shah claiming ten wickets in the match.But Rixon said the extra bounce anticipated in the Old Trafford wicket will assist both Yasir and Pakistan’s seamers and feels that Mohammad Amir, with his much-anticipated return behind him, will be able to relax and produce improved performances in the rest of the series.”This pitch will suit both forms of our attack,” Rixon said. “I think our seamers will do very well here with the extra bounce. They had a role to play in the last game, but probably didn’t start as well as they would have liked.”Amir can move on now. And I do congratulate the Lord’s crowd again because they absolutely embraced him. They could have made life very hard for him, but they were very good. Fair play to them.”Comparing Yasir’s exceptional control to that of Shane Warne, Rixon suggested that all Test teams would struggle to play him. Yasir went to the top of the Test bowling rankings as a result of his haul at Lord’s and requires 14 wickets from the next two games to break George Lohmann’s long-held record for being quickest to 100 Test victims.”Generally speaking, Yasir will have a major effect in any game of cricket,” Rixon said. “It doesn’t have to turn a lot for him to have an impact.”When you have magnificent control you are in the game and there are very few who have had that. Shane Warne is one and Yasir is rightfully sitting at the top of the tree for that reason.”Most countries around the world play wristies (wristspinners) quite poorly to be honest, so to see someone master it and play them well is a treat to see but I haven’t seen a lot that do that yet.”Rixon also praised the spirit within the Pakistan camp. Impressed by the fitness and preparation of the team after their boot camp in Pakistan and prolonged training camp in Hampshire at the start of the tour, Rixon talked of “building a culture” within the squad.”What we’ve got is a group of youngsters who we are getting up to speed and building a culture,” he said. “I wasn’t there for the boot camp but it obviously did make a big difference. It was part of an overall culture change. Now we have to rebuild that culture and make sure everyone is on the same page.”But Rixon has warned Pakistan they should expect a strong reaction from England and expects both James Anderson and Ben Stokes to play in Manchester.”Jimmy Anderson is a great bowler and he’ll be a treat in any side,” Rixon said. “He and Stokes are very fine cricketers. They will add to the England attack and overall composition of the side. We are expecting as hard a game as we’ll get in the series right here.”Having won at Lord’s, the pressure is probably on us. So we need to get our game in order. If we do that and win here, then happy days. But if we lose here and the momentum swings the other way then we have two games in Birmingham and The Oval which create a lot of pressure for our youngsters. So it’s very important we get it right here.”

Journalist Jonny McFarlane has suggested that Rangers could cash in youngster Leon King this summer.

What's the latest Rangers transfer exit news?

Thanks to rules put in place by Brexit, it's now harder for Premier League sides to sign youngsters from the EU.

As a result, the youth talent from within Scottish clubs is suddenly quite an attractive prospect. Indeed, when the changes occurred in 2020, one Scottish Premiership chief executive told The Athletic: “We become their second-biggest market overnight behind other English clubs."

With that being the case, if Michael Beale and co are looking to raise some funds for the upcoming summer market, they could look to offload some unwanted youth options.

Indeed while speaking about this on the latest edition of The Rangers Review, McFarlane suggested that 19-year-old King could be sold to raise some unexpected cash.

He said: "We know that Brexit has really, really disrupted how Premier League teams recruit, and has made them much more focused on Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

"So with that in mind, does Leon King have a really, really strong market value – you know, could you turn him into three million quid? Well, if you could…

"I mean, I think there's a strong argument to say it doesn't really look like he's going to be Michael Beale’s cup of tea at this point.

"Perhaps that is the kind of transfer where Rangers can generate cash that you're not expecting."

Will Rangers want to sell Leon King?

Despite his age, the young centre-back still has plenty of experience in the Rangers senior setup. Indeed, he has 28 games under his belt in total.

However, as McFarlane suggests, he might not be too fancied by boss Beale. After all, King has played just one minute of football since the new manager arrived in November.

Before then, he'd been well-trusted by Giovanni van Bronckhorst – playing 25 times in total – so it's not as though he hasn't shown he can play at this level.

With that being the case and the fact he's still a teenager, perhaps an English Championship or even Premier League club could come in for King in the summer with a reasonable bid.

As referenced before, due to Brexit, it's harder for English clubs to snap up talent from overseas nowadays, but this could open the door to a summer transfer exit at Ibrox – which would be a bit of a shock seeing as the 19-year-old was trusted in six Champions League games earlier in the campaign.

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is expected to sign a two-year extension on his current deal at Stamford Bridge imminently, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Kante’s future up in the air

The Frenchman has endured a frustrating 2022/23 season for the Blues, with injuries constantly robbing him of playing time under both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.

In fact, Kante has only managed to appear in two Premier League matches throughout the campaign, which are his only outings in all competitions.

At 31, there has been speculation surrounding the midfielder’s future at Chelsea, especially with his current deal expiring at the end of the current campaign.

Some reports have linked Kante with a move away from west London but a new update suggests that he could now be set to extend his stay with the Blues.

The Latest: Two-year extension ‘on the way’

According to Calciomercato, Kante is very likely to sign a new two-year deal at Chelsea ahead of the summer, with the official confirmation ‘on the way’.

Inter Milan and Juventus are noted as potential suitors to sign him in the report, hence the interest from the Italian media, but they fully expect to miss out.

The Verdict: Great news for Chelsea

This has to be considered positive news from a Chelsea perspective, with Kante still an important player even though injuries have clearly become an issue of late, once being hailed as ‘world-class’ by none other than Cesc Fabregas.

The 53-time capped Frenchman is such an experienced head, when fit, with his ability to cover ground so influential, too, and he averaged 2.5 tackles per game in the league in his two games this season.

Granted, Kante may no longer be considered a guaranteed starter for Chelsea, given his age and the fact that Enzo Fernandez has come in – more midfielders are also needed during the summer transfer window – but he can continue to be a great asset for another two years, at which point an exit will make sense.

This is someone with two Premier League titles to his name, not to mention one World Cup and Champions League apiece, and he also won the PFA Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year awards back in 2016/17.

Some may feel that offering an extension to an injury-prone figure is a needless risk, but Kante could remain so important upon his return, proving to be a great foil for the younger players around him.