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David Moyes should be happy to pay the £21.5m fee that West Ham United could have to pay in order to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Kicker, via Sport Witness, Stuttgart are setting the market for Kalajdzic at €20m to €25m (£17-21.5m) as his name starts to hit transfer shortlists all around Europe.

The Bundesliga outfit are open to the fact they will have to sell some of their star players at the end of the season to fund arrivals, as Sporting Director Sven Mislintat strives to take the Mercedes-Benz Arena natives to the next level.

Kalajdzic has been in sensational form under head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo this term, netting 13 goals in 24 Bundesliga games – including eight in his last seven outings – to help fire Stuttgart to eighth in the table during their first year back in Germany’s top-flight.

His efforts are said to have put West Ham’s scouts on alert whilst Moyes strives to discover the eventual heir to Sebastien Haller, having opted against replacing the Ivory Coast forward during the winter market following his £20m move to AFC Ajax.

Other unnamed Premier League clubs are also keen on Kalajdzic, who has admirers at RB Leipzig and Serie A outfit AS Roma, but the 23-year-old is refusing to be drawn on speculation on his future.

“I am not concerned with this. I can well imagine an extension of the contract,” he told Kicker.

Kalajdzic is currently not scheduled to become a free agent until the summer of 2023, with his £7,500-per-week terms still having two more years to run.

Should West Ham sign Kalajdzic?

West Ham certainly appear to be emerging as a potential landing spot for Kalajdzic should the striker prove to be one option Stuttgart cash in on this summer, after recent reports claimed he was viewed as a cheaper alternative to Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Slavia Prague’s Abdallah Sima.

A potential £21.5m asking price would not be overtly cheap, given the Irons passed up on paying Stade de Reims €15m (£13m) for Boulaye Dia in January, yet Kalajdzic should not be scrubbed from thinking at the London Stadium.

The Stuttgart star has been setting Germany’s top-flight alight during his first year in the Bundesliga and struck two of his recent goals against Bayer Leverkusen despite losing 5-2 away to the Champions League qualifying hopefuls.

He also netted against Eintracht Frankfurt to put a dent in the Deutsche Bank Park natives’ top-four hopes and struck the equalising effort in a 1-1 draw with Leverkusen in October, as he lives up to the billing of being “important offensively” in the eyes of Mislintat.

Dia was rightfully overlooked in the winter market despite having 12 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games to his name by January 9th, as the 24-year-old has since failed to find the back of the net in any of his subsequent 10 French top-flight outings.

After scoring on the first day of the campaign away to title-hopefuls Monaco, Dia has also failed to fire home against a top side, instead, he’s been bullying the middle of the table and bottom-half clubs.

Kalajdzic may be just as unproven in England as Dia, but he is proving in Germany that he is worth taking a punt on once the transfer market re-opens for business this summer.

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

Alfredo Morelos has left Glasgow Rangers in a position where Steven Gerrard must unleash Cedric Itten against Hamilton Academical after Kemar Roofe struggled on his first game back having made a full recovery from injury.

Rangers have recently accepted a three-game ban handed to Morelos after being cited for violent conduct against Hibernian following a stamp on Ryan Porteous.

As such, he will not face Hamilton and Kilmarnock, which has deprived Gerrard of his first-choice striker ahead of the trip to New Douglas Park on Sunday.

The Colombian’s reckless behaviour means Roofe, Jermain Defoe, Greg Stewart and Cedric Itten remain Rangers’ recognised senior centre-forwards, with Gerrard in a position now where he may be forced to choose between the first two to lead the line. It’s unlike Stewart will make a rare appearance having hardly featured at all since the start of this season.

Yet if Gerrard opts for Itten and makes him a key cog in his attack, it could be his chance to stake his claim in the starting line-up against the Accies.

Itten’s development has been somewhat hindered by Gerrard so far this season, with the majority of his appearances coming off the bench. However, Gerrard rewarded him for his patience with a start against Lech Poznan in the Europa League and must now put his faith in his potential after he opened the scoring.

The 24-year-old boasted a pretty remarkable record for his former club St. Gallen, having scored 20 clubs goals for the Swiss side before sealing a move to the 54-time Scottish champions in the summer. He has since made 26 appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues and has five goals and two assists to show for his six starts.

However, while Itten was afforded 24′ minutes against St. Johnstone, he entered the action halfway through the second half and has been barely seen at all this season.

Gerrard clearly has high hopes for the Switzerland international, hailing him for his “fantastic” performance after the 2-0 win over Lech Poznan, and even admitting that he is someone who “deserves to play more”. Well, it’s about time the Ibrox boss put his money where his mouth is and gave him another shot instead.

Obviously, Morelos will resume his place as Gerrard’s first-choice striker after he has served his suspension, but in terms of his backup options, the £12.5k-per-week earning Itten deserves his chance given that he has waited patiently while slowly being eased into life in Scottish football.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should unleash Rangers defender Calvin Bassey against Hamilton Academical…

When Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan and Jordan Willis were all ruled out with injuries, Sunderland supporters would surely have been fearing the worst.

With the club looking to ramp up their promotion efforts, losing three centre-halves wasn’t the best news. However, in their place, Dion Sanderson and Luke O’Nien have been exceptional.

They have kept three clean sheets in their last four outings and with it, Lee Johnson’s men are moving up the League One ladder.

After defeating Swindon 1-0 on Tuesday, they are now in fourth place. Johnson has engineered some tremendous form and is getting the best from a number of players.

One of those happens to be O’Nien. The former Wycombe man missed the first month of the new manager’s tenure through a dislocated shoulder but since his return, he has been nothing short of exceptional.

He’s featured in central midfield for Johnson but despite finding a home at full-back under Phil Parkinson, he has now proven himself to be a capable centre-back.

The 26-year-old isn’t the tallest of players but that doesn’t seem to matter. With Johnson at the helm, he has been as consistent as anyone in the side. Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady have been the main influencers in attack, but defensively, it’s O’Nien who has been first-class.

Against Swindon he showed as much. The Hemel-Hempstead born defender won a total of nine duels; that tally was only bettered by Wyke out of all players to take the field at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

Six of those duels happened to be won in the air, a number that surpasses his season average of 3.1 aerial duels won per game.

O’Nien was also comfortable on the ball, playing out from the back on a regular basis. He succeeded with 11 of his 14 long balls and finished the match with a pass success rate of 92%. Again, that was the highest of any player yesterday evening. His 97 touches, meanwhile, was only bettered by Max Power.

This performance has become a regularity for the Sunderland man. Under Johnson, he is very quickly becoming one of his key men.

Only last week, the boss admitted: “I think he could be the best utility player I’ve ever seen.”

Johnson added: “I’ve still not see him at right-back, but he’s been outstanding at centre-half and was very good in an attacking midfield role.”

That’s very fine praise indeed. With Wright, Flanagan and Willis out, he has stepped up to the plate admirably. O’Nien’s performances have defied expectation by some margin.

AND in other news, Better than Vokins: SAFC must rue not landing £1m gem, Ross thinks he’s “brilliant”…

According to La Nazione, Leeds have got a “concrete” interest in signing Fiorentina striker Christian Kouame.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been a revelation in the Premier League this season, and head into the New Year off the back of a 5-0 thumping of fellow top-flight new boys West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Despite that, it seems the Whites are keen on making some reinforcements in the January transfer window, and Italian publication La Nazione (via Sport Witness) claim that Leeds are very much interested in the 23-year-old Kouame.

The report adds that Fiorentina are just waiting on Leeds to make an offer, before eventually considering the kind of proposal on the table for the Ivory Coast ace.

Orta heading for disaster

At 23, Kouame has got plenty of time to develop into a star, but his performances for Fiorentina this season have been nothing short of woeful.

He hasn’t been a regular starter for La Viola, but a record of just one goal in 15 games in all competitions should surely be seeing Leeds head in the opposite direction.

The Whites have got to be smart with their spending, and Andrea Radrizzani will no doubt be keeping a close eye on just how Victor Orta and co do in the January transfer window.

Spending money on bringing the £12.6m-rated Kouame, when he has yet to really prove anything in European football, would be nothing short of inexcusable.

Radrizzani will surely be fuming at the fact Orta has his eyes set on a 23-year-old with no senior international caps to his name, and has only broken double figure in goals for one of the six clubs he has played for.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Noel Whelan has reacted to reports that West Ham could land Watford star Ismaila Sarr in January – with journalist Alan Nixon claiming David Sullivan is ‘keen’ and the Irons are preparing a £30 million bid. 

Sarr, impressing for the Hornets again this campaign, has started 19 Championship matches as he remains a mainstay for Watford – coming after his head-turning exploits in the Premier League last year.

Over his 2020/2021 campaign so far, he has racked up four goals and assisted two others whilst averaging an impressive 2.2 shots per 90 (WhoScored) – leaving little wonder why teammate Andre Gray called him a ‘beast’ and likened him to Lionel Messi recently (Watford Observer).

Whelan reacts to Sarr swoop

Now, Whelan has joined in on the act amid claims West Ham are preparing a swoop with Sullivan ‘keen’ on signing the 22-year-old.

“He would definitely be a good signing. You have Manchester United sniffing around him as well, that says a lot,” he told Football Insider.

“It would be a short move away from Watford to West Ham, he would not have to relocate. They will have the funds now from the Haller deal and it would probably take £20-25million to sign him I would imagine.

“It is a deal that makes sense and that is perhaps why they got rid of Haller so quickly. I would be very surprised if West Ham did not sign a replacement this month. They will want that to happen as quickly as possible.”

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not the Irons get this deal done remains to be seen, but judging by his accolades so far, it could be a real coup for GSB and the east Londoners.

In other transfer news: West Ham contact has been made for this bargain, find out more here.

Glasgow Ranger goalkeeper Allan McGregor has heaped praise on Robby McCrorie and tipped the youngster for the very top…

What’s the word?

Livingston re-signed the 22-year-old stopper from Rangers on a season-long loan in the summer after he impressed at the Almondvale Stadium during his brief initial loan spell before the 2019-20 Scottish Premiership campaign was cut short because of coronavirus.

McCrorie has become a first-team regular starter for the Lions with ten starts in 13 appearances so far this season, although he was forced to miss several games after testing positive for coronavirus whilst away on international duty with the Scotland U-21s.

McGregor has spoken of his admiration of the Rangers youngster, with the veteran keeper admitting he was “impressed” by his performances on the training pitch in pre-season training.

He told the club’s official YouTube channel: “I rate Robby very highly. The first day I came in, when we were in Spain for pre-season, he looked very, very good. I was really impressed by him so hopefully he can progress, move on, keep his feet on the ground and do really well.”

“He is doing what I did and going out and playing. He has probably played a lot more games than me at that age so it can only be beneficial for him.”

McGregor has now challenged McCrorie to seize the opportunity with open arms, with Kai Kennedy, Jake Hastie and Stephen Kelly all plying their trade elsewhere this season.

“I said to Robby and Colin Stewart that it is a must. To go and get experience and play for something.

“I think it will be really good for his career, massively beneficial for him. A lot of young guys are away on loan to get experience and that can only be beneficial for the club and the players.”

McGregor’s heir apparent

The twin brother of fellow Auchenhowie graduate Ross, McCrorie hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the 54-time Scottish champions.

With the academy product still yet to feature for Livingston caretaker manager David Martindale’s side since he recovered from coronavirus, the step-up to the next level may still be a while off, although it’s worth remembering he received his first call-up to the senior Scotland side back in October, which will no doubt have caught Steven Gerrard’s attention as the Ibrox boss keeps a close eye on the club’s famed academy.

McCrorie made a strong start to the season, with two clean sheets in ten games in the Premiership, but has found himself playing second-fiddle to Polish shot-stopper Max Stryjek in recent weeks.

However, he has shown enough to earn the respect of McGregor, which speaks volumes, whilst he made one save, three high claims and took 53 touches of the ball to keep a clean sheet against St. Johnstone, as per SofaScore, bringing confidence, control and stability at the back.

Once lauded as an “excellent” player by his former boss Gary Holt, if the Scotland U21 international can continue to progress at such a rapid rate, it may not be too long before Gerrard starts to seriously consider him as a potential replacement for the 38-year-old, who’s current contract with the club will run out in the summer.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must bite the bullet and sell Jordan Jones in January…

Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from disappointing displays against Manchester United and West Brom recently with three points against high-flying Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

The Citizens are currently in ninth position ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, whilst Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side sit third after a superb start to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.

After their draw with relegation-threatened West Brom last time out, Guardiola is likely to ring the changes in his starting XI ahead of the trip to St Mary’s, to give his side the best chance possible of picking up maximum points.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against Southampton on Saturday, with four changes from the team that started against West Brom…

There are two changes in defence, as Kyle Walker returns at right-back, with Joao Cancelo taking over from Benjamin Mendy at left-back, whilst John Stones returns to the defence, in the hope that he can continue his excellent partnership with Ruben Dias.

Guardiola has heaped the praise on Mendy in the past, saying:

“He has incredible physicality when he is fit when his mind is in the right position.

“He’s in an extraordinary player. Now, they have to fight between them – each other – and we will decide who plays at left-back.”

However, his defensive ability is definitely questionable, so the Spanish manager should favour Cancelo at left-back for what could be a tricky game against the Saints’ dangerous front line.

The midfield trio stays the same, with Kevin De Bruyne extremely unfortunate to not be on the winning side against West Brom as the Citizens wasted two late chances after superb crosses from the Belgian midfielder.

There are two changes in attack, as Ferran Torres replaces Riyad Mahrez on the right-wing, whilst Sergio Aguero could solve City’s goalscoring problem by adding some much-needed finishing instinct in the opposition box, as Gabriel Jesus’ lack of goals this season have proved to be a big issue for Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki Nightmare: City look set to repeat Sancho mistake with “incredible” academy sensation

Earlier this week we discussed how Steven Gerrard should start Glasgow Rangers ace Ianis Hagi against Standard Liege in the Europa League so that the 21-year-old gains valuable experience in his football career, but there’s a certain player in particular we forgot to mention who should be in contention to start at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne too.

Jermain Defoe was surprisingly omitted from the Europa League squad to make room for Bongani Zungu due to a lack of homegrown players. Whilst some may argue that the 29-cap South Africa international is just making up the numbers, as Gerrard was full of praise for his midfield after the Gers romped to a 2-0 win over their arch-rivals Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season, we think that he could be given his first-team debut on Thursday night.

Glen Kamara put in a tremendous performance at Celtic Park, as he won seven out of nine ground duels whilst neutralising the attacking threat of Celtic wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, so he could be rested for the Europa League clash.

And ex-Ibrox midfielder Neil Murray seems to agree, saying: “The manager has another big decision to make for the Liege game and you could see Kamara missing out if he switches it up.

“You hope that healthy competition, where no players are guaranteed to play in that midfield, keeps everyone on their toes.”

If Kamara does indeed drop out, then this will create space for the South African to slot into place alongside Ryan Kent, who is almost certain to start, as he has made 13 appearances for the Light Blues this season so far.

In any case, competition for places is important, so Zungu should be given the chance to show what he can do. He was denied the chance to feature in the Old Firm derby after being forced to quarantine due to coronavirus restrictions in Scotland.

Once hailed as a “special talent” by Flavio Meireles, the sporting director from Vitoria de Guimaraes, the 28-year-old made 21 appearances in Ligue 1 for Amiens last season, whilst he made one clearance and more than one tackle per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Kamara is only averaging 0.7 tackles per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, as per WhoScored.

We don’t envy the tough decision at all, that’s for sure. What better way for Zungu to make a good impression than by making a statement in the European competition? One thing is for sure, it’ll be interesting to see if and when he will make his debut for the Gers. All eyes will be watching.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must take a gamble on long-term target Jack Wilshere…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has claimed that the Baggies have a future star in Grady Diangana.

The 22-year-old made his loan move permanent in the summer for a whopping £18m, leaving behind his boyhood club West Ham United.

Last season during Albion’s promotion-winning campaign, the England U21 international provided eight goals and seven assists, per Transfermarkt.

And Palmer believes he could go onto become a player worth £40m to £50m but only on one condition, he told FFC:

“You can’t go and spend 60 or 70 million on a player.

“Still, for West Brom, you know, 12 million with add-ons I think it goes up to 18 million. It’s still a lot of money, but at least it’s a young player who’s only going to get better.

“And then at some point in the future, he might be worth £40m+ if he gets his head down and works hard.”

Diangana has found the adjustment to life in the Premier League a little bit tricky, scoring just the one goal in eight appearances.

On Sunday afternoon, manager Slaven Bilic dropped him from the starting XI for the very first time this season before he came on for a 23-minute cameo against Spurs.

His numbers across the board have regressed with the step up in quality too, averaging fewer dribbles (1.6), shots (1.1) and key passes (0.5) per game, via WhoScored.

That form earlier in the year earned him high praise indeed with Michael Brown telling Football Insider that the English talent was “unplayable at times” but we’re yet to truly see that in the big time.

He’s evidently got a long way to go and as Palmer suggests, he’s going to have to get his head down and work hard to do so.

But maybe in the future, the Baggies will have a mega-money star that they could well profit from having invested a considerable chunk of their budget on him this summer.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland tips 66 y/o to replace Slaven Bilic…

Wolves have been big spenders over the past few seasons, but now they’ve been the beneficiaries of a hefty sale with Diogo Jota joining Liverpool for £45m.

The Portuguese winger’s departure has seen Jeff Shi handed a big windfall, which he now has a few weeks to spend if he wants to.

However, unlike the usual scenario of a team scrambling for a replacement for a departing first-teamer, the Midlands club are in an incredibly strong position after selling Jota, as his replacement is already at the club.

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The fact that Jota started just two of Wolves’ last six games shows that he was becoming something of an afterthought in Nuno’s plans towards the end of his time at Molineux with Daniel Podence emerging as the preferred option down the left-wing.

Add into this the fact that Pedro Neto is already at the club as the depth option, and it goes to show that the club don’t need to rush to grab a replacement and that they can actually use this money to become a stronger side than they were when Jota was at the club.

There is £45m waiting to be spent, and if they do a full audit of the squad and highlight the spots that are most in need of strengthening they could land a top-class player for such a fee.

Wolves have been smart in the transfer market for years at this point, and we don’t expect them to start panic buying anytime soon, but the worst thing they could do right now is to get overly-excited after a sale and start spending immediately when a more concerted effort would get them better players for better prices.

Nuno and his team can afford to be patient after Jota’s sale, because the squad hasn’t actually gotten significantly weaker after his departure.