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Stoke City have confirmed the signing of Sam Vokes from Burnley, the club have confirmed via their official website.

The deal sees Peter Crouch move to Burnley in part exchange, per BBC.

What’s the word?

During a seven-year spell at Turf Moor, Vokes scored 64 goals, per Transfermarkt, and now drops down the leagues to link up with Championship outfit Stoke.

The Potters are currently 15th in the second-tier, eight points behind sixth-placed Derby County in the play-off positions.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Stoke have struggled for goals this season, scoring just 33 times in 29 matches. Only the bottom five teams in the table – Wigan Athletic, Rotherham, Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Ipswich Town – have netted less.

Vokes, however, has experience of scoring goals in the Championship and has netted 52 times in 198 second-tier appearances.

A major upgrade

Stoke have got the better end of this deal.

Crouch, of course, is an experienced Premier League campaigner after spells with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but he is ageing and it remains to be seen how often he will be used by Sean Dyche at Turf Moor.

Vokes, however, joins Stoke with genuine Championship pedigree and has twice been involved in promotion campaigns during his career, both with Burnley.

He will have a positive influence on his team-mates and it will take little effort for him to top Crouch’s tally of one goal in 23 Championship appearances thus far this season – again recorded by Transfermarkt.

It’s safe to say that this season has been a disaster for West Brom, who are now sitting in 12th in the Championship table, seven points off the play-offs with eight games to go – after Valerian Ismael’s dreadful spell as manager of the club, which led to him being sacked before being named manager of Besiktas.

While promotion back to the Premier League isn’t mathematically impossible, ensuring they don’t slip up and that all six teams above them do in three games or more is unlikely, and it looks like they will have to re-build this summer in order to mount a better challenge for the title next season.

However, losing one of their key men won’t help with that.

What’s the news?

According to a report from Turkish news outlet Haber365, Besiktas want to initially loan Daryl Dike for around £2.1m to £2.5m, with a view to then signing him permanently for a higher fee.

With the American still just 21-years-old and under contract until 2026, it’s unlikely the Baggies will part ways with the striker just yet, but if they do, they will want to at least recoup the £7m they spent on him to bring him to The Hawthorns in January.

Still time to shine in Midlands

Ismael could yet inflict more misery on the club’s fans, as he is now linked with making a move for new signing Dike.

The Frenchman’s time was marred with inconsistent results and if he returned to claim someone who could prove so vital to the Baggies, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

He’s played just 84 minutes of Championship football due to a hamstring injury suffered in January which he has just recovered from, and will likely take part in the club’s next game on Sunday – against nearby rivals Birmingham City.

If he can replicate the form he showed at Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 games on loan there in the second half of last season, or the form he has shown throughout his time at Orlando City where he has scored 18 MLS goals in 35 games, he will surely become one of the top young strikers in the country.

New manager Steve Bruce needs to hold on to the exciting 21-year-old, and make him a key part of his plans for the rest of the season, as his clinical goalscoring ability could help steady the sinking ship and steer them back towards play-off contention.

That’s precisely why it would be a nightmare situation if he departed so soon, especially after such a sizeable investment too.

In other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £49.5m: WBA will have nightmares over 6ft4 “beast of a man”

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left talking after Sky Sports shared a live TV transfer update involving their club.

Manager David Moyes, seeking to maintain his side’s push for a Champions League-qualifying spot whilst continuing to battle in the FA Cup and Europa League, will need reinforcements before January 31.

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The club have been linked with signing a new striker, central defender, Jesse Lingard and potentially a left-back this month as reliable reports suggest these are the priorities of Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman (The Evening Standard).

Nearly half way through the window, West Ham are still yet to seal any deals, with Sky sharing the latest on their transfer plans on live TV.

As relayed by the broadcast giant on their Transfer Show, presented by Sky reporters Kaveh Solhehol and Dharmesh Sheth, Moyes has personally set his sights on ‘forward and centre-back options’ with the Scotsman revealing he has GSB’s backing.

“David Moyes says the West Ham board have told him he has money to spend if he wants to strengthen his squad,” they explained.

“Moyes is looking at forward and centre-back options.”

West Ham fans react…

Flocking to this Sky update (shared on Twitter by @WestHamViews), many West Ham fans have been left talking, with some optimistic given the positions being targeted and backing from their owners.

Others pitch who the club should sign, but given how far we are into the winter window, there are also some supporters pleading for West Ham to start making moves.

Find all of their best reactions down below:

“Finally the best news all year”

Credit: @Heardy768

“So he is being backed kind of. Get to it then David!”

Credit: @FromTheAnvilWHU

“Time to sort it out david…. we need players in Asap!”

Credit: @fatboyfeaver16

“Would love Origi and Diallo from PSG”

Credit: @HammersMighty

“Moyes has always been known for dithering with regards to signings. I’m satisfied by the only want the right players statement. But I believe the right players are available on 1st of Jan as well as 31st. And we could use those players. Prices are driven down end of window?”

Credit: @dazwhufifa

“Jonathan David please.”

Credit: @matthewpeet87

In other news: ExWHUemployee: West Ham could make move for 63-goal ‘monster’ loved by Irons chiefs, find out more here.

The previous summer transfer window ended up being a rather busy one for West Brom after being relegated from the Premier League last season, followed by Sam Allardyce leaving the club.

As well as securing the appointment of Valerien Ismael as their new manager, Albion also brought in a handful of new players such as Alex Mowatt, Adam Reach, Matt Clarke and Jayson Molumby among others.

Jordan Hugill was also brought in during the summer to strengthen Ismael’s squad and help them secure promotion back to the Premier League this season, but so far his signature hasn’t proved to be a particularly good piece of business from club owner Guochuan Lai.

Signed from Norwich City on a loan deal until the end of the season, the striker has only netted one goal so far during his time with the Baggies.

Having made 20 league appearances and seven starts in a West Brom shirt this season, it’s not as if the 29-year-old hasn’t had the chance to show what he can do either, proving why Kevin Phillips has said that Hugill has not “stepped up to the plate” for the club this term.

As well as his lack of assists and regular goals, his overall performances have not been good enough either, with WhoScored giving him a season rating of 6.31/10, making him the lowest-rated West Brom player to have started more than one league game in the current campaign.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Lai may have dropped a clanger by securing a move for Hugill in the summer, even though it’s just a loan deal and they don’t have to keep him on a permanent basis.

With this in mind, it seems unlikely at this moment in time that the 29-year-old will be staying at West Brom after his loan deal ends.

However, there is still enough time left in the season for Hugill to step up and push the Baggies towards promotion if he can find a consistent run of goalscoring form.

His appearance for the Baggies during the final 27 minutes of their 1-0 defeat against Derby yesterday earned him an overall match rating of 7.1/10, making him West Brom’s joint-third highest rated player on the day according to SofaScore. That illustrates that he is capable of playing well, but he just needs to find the back of the net more regularly.

In other news: Ismael should axe “dreadful” £13k-p/w “stinker” who must never play for WBA again

While deals for Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Robin Olsen during the current January transfer window show that Aston Villa have been keen on strengthening their senior side, the fact that they then signed Kerr Smith suggests that the Midlands club are eager to add some young talent to their ranks that can grow and develop into future first-team players.

Another example of this would be if the club manage to strike a deal for Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil, who has recently been mentioned with a move to Villa Park from the Wearside club.

After working his way through the club’s youth system, Neil made his senior debut for the Black Cats back in March last year in a 1-0 League One win over Swindon Town.

Since then, the 20-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £1.4k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has gone on to make 41 appearances for Lee Johnson’s side across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing eight assists along the way.

Having been likened to a “young Paul Gascoigne” in terms of his “lovely dribbling technique” by Johnson, Neil has proved himself to be an important figure for Sunderland this season with only Ross Stewart and Callum Doyle having played more minutes in League One than the midfield talent.

This and the fact that Neil put pen to paper on a new long-term contract back in October to keep him at the club until 2025 means that it could be difficult for Villa to sign the Englishman, particularly halfway through a season that the Black Cats are attempting to win promotion back to the Championship in.

With that in mind, this could be one situation where Villa rely on their manager’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfield players to try and lure Neil to Villa Park to give him the chance to learn under Gerrard’s management and eventually play in the Premier League.

Given the hype around him at Sunderland and the fact that he has been described as an “exciting” player by Kevin Phillips, it’s definitely worth Villa making a move to sign Neil in the summer to see if he can make the step up in his career to an ambitious Premier League side.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have been left worried following an injury update on midfield star Phil Foden ahead of their weekend clash with Wolves.

Pep Guardiola’s side ended their Champions League Group A campaign top of the pile, albeit closing the curtain with an underwhelming 2-1 defeat away to RB Leipzig, but the biggest cause for concern was arguably Foden and defender Nathan Ake’s withdrawals.

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Ake was taken off a few minutes from full time with back problems while Guardiola replaced Foden at half time in a safety move following issues with his ankle (The Mail).

The 21-year-old, a majorly key player for the Sky Blues last season, only just returned from the same injury last week and The Daily Mail have now provided an update.

As per their information, despite Guardiola saying he withdrew Foden as a precaution, City are ‘left sweating over the fitness of Foden’ amid his ‘latest setback’.

City fans livid…

City’s boss is due to provide an update on both men during his Friday lunch time press conference and but it’s safe to say Sky Blues are concerned about Foden’s condition.

The England starlet, picking up a nomination for the 2021 senior men’s Ballon d’Or, was a revelation under Guardiola and for City over last campaign – playing a major role in their run to the 2021 Champions League final.

As Guardiola’s has had to cope with player ’emergencies’ recently, the last thing fans want is yet more time on the sidelines for their fan favourite.

Here’s how Citizens reacted to the Mail’s claim down below:

“Returned too early probably, really should stop rushing him back like this”

Credit: @jdp433

“Kompany, Aguero and now Foden. All world class players being ruined by Manchester City because they pick up an injury and this club is too impatient to let them fully recover. They re-aggravate it again and again until it becomes permanent.”

Credit: @mcfcleo_

“The coach must take the blame. Still can’t understand why he started all those players when we have already topped the group. Why didn’t he play the kids?”

Credit: @Muhd_Shafie02

“Oh come on man”

Credit: @Dvdsm3

“Absolutely livid ngl”

Credit: @BernardoTouch

“I’m done”

Credit: @lg_h99

“NOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @izmcfc

“oh you have to be kidding me”

Credit: @EklavyaChawla16

In other news: ‘Oh my days’, ‘I love this club’…Man City fans buzzing over ‘best news’ out of Eastlands, find out more here.

Noel Whelan says Everton could benefit from bringing a re-energised Ross Barkley back to Goodison Park. 

The lowdown

TEAMtalk reported last week that the Blues were keen on signing Barkley on loan in January.

This comes as Chelsea consider whether to sanction a mid-season move for the 27-year-old.

Newcastle United were said to be ‘leading the chase’, with Leeds United also in the running.

Barkley, who spent last season at Aston Villa, has made eight appearances for Chelsea in all competitions this term.

Thomas Tuchel selected him in the starting line-up for the draw with Burnley prior to the international break.

Barkley apparently earns £5million a year at Stamford Bridge, which equates to about £95,000 per week.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said he could envisage Barkley donning the Toffees’ shirt once again.

He’s impressed by the desire Barkley has shown in his outings for Chelsea of late and feels he could rediscover his best form at Everton.

“I think that would be a good signing and I can see it happening,” he said.

“We’re seeing a different Ross Barkley right now to the one we saw at Aston Villa last season – he’s got his mojo back.

“He’s got that hunger; he wants to impress when he comes off the bench at Chelsea – he’s pressing and hustling the opposition really well.

“He’s also capable of getting into that final third and causing teams problems in there, as well.

“I was disappointed with his performances at Aston Villa, he had a real opportunity to make the grade there and step into that Grealish-shaped hole this season.

“He’s not hit the heights of his potential, but he could get back to his best back at Everton.”

The verdict

Barkley played 179 games in his first spell at Everton, scoring 27 goals and providing 28 assists (via Transfermarkt).

But the manner of exit in January 2018 upset some supporters, and so a return would probably generate a mixed reaction.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Goodison turning on Barkley fairly quickly if his form dipped.

Perhaps it’s better for both parties to consider that chapter closed.

In other news, fans loved this man’s comments.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Luka Jovic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), which claims that all three of Spurs, West Ham United and Arsenal are interested in a move for the Real Madrid centre-forward at the end of the current campaign, with Carlo Ancelotti thought to be more than willing to cash in on the 24-year-old this summer.

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The report goes on to state that the Serbia international himself is also desperate to secure a move away from Santiago Bernabeu ahead of next season, as he has become fed up with continually being left out of the Italian manager’s matchday squads.

Imagine him & Kane

While it is true that Jovic’s reputation in the wider footballing world has declined somewhat since his €60m (£52.4m) move to Spain back in June 2019 – with only 13 of his 49 appearances for Los Blancos coming as starts – the centre-forward is nevertheless a player who boasts an incredible amount of potential.

Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances in the season prior to his move to Madrid, the €30m (£25m) hitman was in sensational form for Eintracht Frankfurt, bagging 17 goals, registering five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £152k-per-week player who Mladen Krstajic dubbed both “courageous” and “dangerous” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as Eintracht’s third-best performer in the German top-flight that year.

That same season, Jovic – who Lionel Messi labelled a “magical” talent – also caught the eye over his 14 Europa League outings, scoring a quite remarkable ten goals, providing one assist and creating two big chances, with these metrics seeing the Serbian average a SofaScore match rating of 7.26.

As such, should the player who Zvezdan Terzic once tipped to “become the best striker in Europe” be able to refind this kind of form after a potential switch to Spurs this summer, Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy would have undoubtedly formed an incredibly attacking exciting duo alongside Harry Kane – something Tottenham have been desperate for in recent years.

AND in other news: Paratici can seal biggest Spurs deal yet with £42m machine “everyone is talking about”

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming over some news involving Graeme Sharp.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have now appointed the Merseyside club legend to their Board of Directors.

Sharp will become a non-executive Director and, while he will remain the Players’ Life President, he will relinquish all other duties in order to focus on his role on the Board.

While Toffees supporters will have fond memories of Sharp and what he achieved with them as a player, it does seem like an easy appointment to make, and he is in danger of becoming a ‘yes-man’ as a result, at least according to Toffees on Twitter.

The club do have history of appointing club legends in senior roles too, such as Duncan Ferguson and David Unsworth, and so it can be perceived as lazy by the board that they are not properly researching a candidate outside of the club most suitable to take on each position.

Everton fans on Sharp news

These Blues fumed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it is ’embarrassing’:

“Embarrassing. Genuinely.”

Credit: @EvertonBlueArmy

“Do we never learn anything?”

Credit: @roymc1980

“This is another backwards step for the club”

Credit: @simmy1878

“What an absolute joke we are”

Credit: @Mikejohnsonefc

“Yeah this club’s finished”

Credit: @efcleo2

“Find this bizarre personally”

Credit: @benjwinstanley

In other news, find out what Marcel Brands revelation Evertonians have flocked to here!

As per a Tottenham Hotspur source, speaking to Football Insider, the club have now green lit an exit for ‘rising star’ Rafferty Pedder in what is a ‘surprise move’.

The Lowdown: Spurs academy flourishes…

Over the last few seasons, chairman Daniel Levy has seen a plethora of young stars emerge from Hotspur Way in what is surely a boost for the club.

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Oliver Skipp, Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett are perhaps the most high profile Tottenham talents who are making the most noise, but there are plenty of signs that they certainly won’t be the last.

Dilan Markanday, for example, has been in sparkling form for their Under-23s side this season having managed 10 goals and two assists in 10 Premier League 2 starts.

Pedder was another name said to be making waves at Spurs, having been offered his first professional contract earlier this year, yet now it appears Tottenham have made a firm decision on his future.

The Latest: Spurs green light exit…

As per Football Insider’s sources, Tottenham are set to green light Pedder’s exit from N17 in what they describe as a ‘surprise’ move – telling the midfielder he is ‘free’ to find a new club.

Spurs have also informed the ‘rising star’ he is being let go upon the expiry of his deal 2022 and have granted him permission to trial at other clubs.

Pedder has already been training with Queen’s Park Rangers this week amid this big update on his Spurs career.

The Verdict: Blow for Pedder…

Given the serious amount of talent coming through at Spurs, it would be a miracle if they all somehow made it in the first team, yet this is still a blow for the 19-year-old personally.

Pedder, a versatile attacker who can play across the front, hasn’t managed to make his mark for the Under-23s despite being a regular a U18 level – where he managed 16 outings over 2019/2020.

On trial at QPR, having played a game for their U23s side against Blackburn Rovers recently, the teenager will be looking to establish himself across London as Tottenham make the decision to let him go.

In other news: Journalist says ‘worldbeater’ could now be tempted to join Spurs, find out more here.