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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League defender Steve Howey heaped the praise on Sean Dyche for his achievements as Burnley manager but questioned why he doesn’t get touted for the bigger jobs.

Dyche, who has been manager of the Clarets since 2012 has helped establish them as a Premier League regular having remained in the top flight since the 2016/17 season when they finished 16th.

The former Watford manager began to get more plaudits the following season as he guided Burnley to a sixth-placed finish which meant they qualified for the Europa League, the first time in over a century that the Clarets would be playing on the continent.

Since the 16/17 season, which was their second stint in the top flight in three years, Dyche has spent a net total of £58.9 million. His most expensive purchase being Ben Gibson for £15 million in 2018/19 and potentially a reason why Burnley have tighter the purse strings further since that season with the centre back making just six appearances.

Speaking on the work Dyche has been doing at Burnley and how he feels the 49-year old is underrated in the Premier League, Howey spoke exclusively to FFC:

“If you look at the budget that Sean Dyche has had and the way he and his staff have managed to keep Burnley comfortably in the Premier League it’s been nothing short of remarkable.

“They also had one or two seasons where they were pushing into the top half of the league.

“It’s a surprise to me that somebody like Sean who does it year in year out doesn’t get linked more often with the bigger jobs.”

Dyche looks to be on course to guide Burnley to their fifth season in a row of staying in the Premier League as they currently sit four points and three places above the bottom three.

Burnley have a small but determined squad that appears willing to run through walls for Dyche and the club and they reap the rewards of those efforts each season.

According to a report by West Ham United insiders Claret & Hugh, via West Ham News, manager David Moyes will be rewarded with a new two-year contract this summer – but Irons supporters aren’t impressed with GSB as they spot a questionable clause in this alleged offer.

Moyes has debatably done a brilliant job at the London Stadium this season as the Hammers stay within touching distance of a potential European qualifying spot – unprecedented at the start of 2020/2021.

As a result, GSB are reportedly set to offer the Scotsman a new two-year deal this summer – and Moyes will apparently have the option to extend his stay by another 12 months if West Ham finish just ’13th or above’ in his final year.

This latter extension option in the reported deal has prompted much backlash from Irons supporters, who have bashed their owners’ lack of ambition on social media in response.

One Hammers supporter even labelled it as ‘laughable’ – and you can see why given West Ham appear capable of a much higher league finish, as proven by this campaign.

Find all of their reactions to the news down below.

West Ham fans erupt at GSB

“@davidgold 13th? Great ambition you disgrace”

Credit: @Rolphyy14

“13th or above, crikey

That’s real ambition from the owners”

Credit: @JasonHo94454369

“13th or above? Well, it says it all right there. Our owners have no ambition.”

Credit: @SkinSpecialist

“GSB ambition is outstanding.”

Credit: @ScottDavidson26

“Talk about showing ambition eh! Will get an extra year if finish above 13th. Laughable.”

Credit: @AzamWHUFC

“Why GSB have to go . Not because they are offering Moyes a well deserved deal but how low they set the bar for renewal option. No ambition.”

Credit: @WHUFCGeezer

“This tells you everything about their ambitions”

Credit: @AlexFynn

“13th or above. Wow. Shows the owners ambitions right there”

Credit: @Lawrenceee_B

In other news: West Ham insider shares big injury boost, find out more here.

Swansea City face a tough trip to The Den as they face Millwall away from home in the Championship on Saturday, with Steve Cooper’s side knowing that they need three points if they want to re-establish themselves as automatic promotion hopefuls this season.

The Swans have now lost four games in a row and have fallen well behind Norwich City and Watford in the Championship table, with their hopes of automatic promotion this season being seriously depleted in recent weeks.

Cooper switched to a 4-3-3 in the hopes of turning things around against Preston North End on Easter Monday but his side struggled to create chances against the managerless Lilywhites before an unfortunate own goal from Matt Grimes in stoppage time gifted the visitors all three points.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the 41-year-old to line his side up against Millwall on Saturday, with three changes from the side which started against Preston…

There was nothing Freddie Woodman could do about Preston’s late goal on Monday, so he keeps his place between the sticks.

Cooper should perhaps revert to five-at-the-back for this fixture, and that could see Ryan Bennett come back into the defence in the hope that he can help deal with the aerial threat of Millwall.

Jake Bidwell also returns in place of Ryan Manning at left wing-back in the hope that the £1.8m-rated man can rediscover some of the excellent form he showed earlier in the season.

There’s one change in midfield, with Korey Smith returning in place of Jay Fulton, and hopefully his energy in midfield will free up the more creative Grimes and Conor Hourihane.

[freshpress-quiz id=“532484″]

Finally, after another less than impressive display, Morgan Whittaker drops to the bench for this one, with Jamal Lowe partnering Andre Ayew up front, although both will have to rediscover their shooting boots if Swansea are to come away with three points on Saturday.

In other news… Swansea handed significant transfer boost in race for “phenomenal” lower league gem

After being one of the early stars of Leeds United’s return to the Premier League, it’s fair to say Mateusz Klich hasn’t quite hit those heights in recent weeks.

The Poland international had managed two goals and five assists in Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s first 16 top-flight games, but since then, there’s been nothing to write home about with no goal contributions whatsoever.

Bielsa has been reluctant to drop him from the starting line-up, however, persisting with the 30-year-old even when times have been tough, and that’s a testament to just how much of a trusted lieutenant Klich has been over these past few years at Elland Road.

But with West Ham on Monday night, Bielsa must seriously consider dropping Klich from his team, and allowing him the time to just regroup and recharge his batteries.

In fact, speaking just in late January, former Leeds man Noel Whelan delivered his verdict on the 30-year-old, saying: “Sometimes you can play too much football and I think that is the case with him right now. It would only be right to give him a little bit of a break. He has played a lot of football in the past 12 months.

“He hasn’t been himself for over a month now. He’s not doing too much. He is drifting through games and that’s worrying.”

Things have continued in that same fashion since Whelan’s comments, with Bielsa even taking him off multiple times during games – he’s completed the full 90 minutes in just the past eight Premier League games, which is a far cry from a run earlier in the season when he played the full 90 in ten out of the club’s 13 opening matches.

As per Whoscored, he hasn’t scored higher than a measly 6.36 match rating in his past ten matches, including multiple instances of performances recorded lower than six. Only Helder Costa is ranked below Klich’s average rating over the course of the season, and that’s a damning statement of just how badly his performances have been.

He may not like it, but Bielsa must be ruthless. The £45k-a-week earning man simply has to be dropped against West Ham.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must start this £17m-rated star vs West Ham tonight…

Has there been a more impressive summer signing than Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa?

The Argentine goalkeeper arrived in the summer from fellow Premier League side Arsenal after helping them to FA Cup and Community Shield success, and had Martinez stayed put at the Emirates and been their number one for this season, nobody would have batted an eyelid.

That’s how good the 6 foot 4 titan has been over the past six to eight months since he first started playing regular first-team football, and on Saturday night against Southampton, he proved why he’s a real difference-maker for Dean Smith’s side.

He made a couple of really crucial saves at important times, not least late on against Ryan Bertrand when the Saints were really pushing for an equaliser.

As per Sofascore, three of the four stops that he made were from inside the box, and his reactions for such a big man are remarkably impressive. His distribution also improved as the game wore on, completing ten of his 25 attempted long balls, which was far higher than his season average of 7.5.

In his post-match player ratings, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece gave him the Man of the Match award with an 8.5 score, and wrote: “The Argentinian started off a bit shaky with a series of nervy kicks which went low and wayward. Martinez was first made to work by Armstrong and saved well at the near post.

“After the break with Saints much more menacing, the stopper produced a really brave save to deny Che Adams as he rushed out to deny the ex-Blues striker after he was slipped in by Ings. Showed good positioning – a strong skill of his – to kick clear when Ings raced away. Martinez saved well from Bednarek at the front stick late on and fully deserved his 10th clean sheet of the season. Saved well from Bertrand at the end as well. Brilliant. Star man.”

Martinez’s latest shut-out takes him to ten for the season in the Premier League, with only Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson having kept more with 12.

But sometimes, the stats just don’t reflect the whole picture. The Argentine’s coolness under pressure has radiated a sense of calm to Villa’s back-line, and that’s something only the likes of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa et al can speak about.

It’s no wonder that The Athletic’s Gregg Evans simply hailed Martinez as “something else” after the game on Saturday night.

Sheffield Wednesday are in grave danger of repeating an all too familiar mistake.The Owls’ emerging star Liam Shaw has entered the final six months of his current contract at Hillsborough Stadium.IfÂhe were to depart come to the end of the season, the south Yorkshiremen could regret not tying him down in the same vein as former academy reject Jamie Vardy.According to Football Insider, Scottish giants Celtic have reportedly held talks and agreed to personal terms with the 19-year-old sensation ahead of his deal expiring at Wednesday.The Owls aren’t giving up hope of keeping hold of him, but the odds may be firmly stacked against them right now.Vardy was in the system at Hillsborough until the age of 16 before he was released. Now he’s bypassed the Wednesday to become a superstar in the Premier League and once, on the international stage.Shaw has bags of potential and is arguably the best player to emerge from the academy set-up in recent years, the other being young striker George Hirst, who the club ironically lost to Leicester City over a year ago.Dejphon Chansiri simply cannot afford to keep letting these mistakes happen as whoever the next manager is, he should be building his squad around the likes of Shaw, Osaze Urhoghide and many more.The versatile central midfielder, who can also play at the back, has now started 11 of his 14 appearances in all competitions, showing the faith that ex-boss Tony Pulis and then interim Neil Thompson have had in his talents.Shaw caught the eye of ESPN FC editor Dale Johnson earlier this campaign when driving from defence to provide a last-minute assist for the Owls’ winner at Exeter City. He tweeted:

Pulis also dubbed him a “very, very promising young player” whilst Garry Monk believed Shaw “has got the capability of playing everywhere.”

He’s been a huge hit with the supporters too, as seen by reaction published by Football League World only last month – fans we’re calling hin everything from the “real deal” to comparing him to Chris Waddle.

Evidently, letting him join Celtic is a recipe for disaster – if Vardy wasn’t already enough to learn from; missed profits, missed talent – so Owls chairman Chansiri must do all he can to convince the teenage gem to remain at Wednesday.

AND in other news, 75 touches, 4 tackles: Sheff Weds dynamo outshone Harris to steal the show…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer heaped praise on Jesse Lingard for the level of influence he has had at West Ham since joining the club.

The 28-year-old arrived at the London Stadium from Manchester United on loan during the January transfer window and has not disappointed.

Lingard has managed to score four goals and provide one assist in just six appearances. One of those goals came against London rivals Tottenham in a 2-1 win, while his sole assist was conjured up versus Manchester City, showing the high level that he has been playing at.

For Palmer, it is no surprise that Lingard has been performing in the manner that he has been, with the retired England international convinced that he is a good player overall.

In an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“I think Jesse’s a good player and I think he is suited to West Ham’s style of play. I think the balance of the Man Utd side, the way it was, didn’t suit Jesse in the end. I mean, you know, Jesse was playing for his country and he was playing very, very well. I think he’s a talented player. 

“I think going to West Ham, he’s a big fish there. At Man Utd, he’s a small fish in a big pond, whereas at West Ham, they’ll have been delighted that he went there. He’s given the whole place a lift and he can play, he can definitely play and in the position he’s playing, which is his favourite position, it can cause a lot of problems and he’s scored a lot of goals.”

If £75,000-a-week man Lingard maintains this current level of form, you would expect West Ham to try and make his loan deal a permanent one.

Alongside the likes of Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals, Lingard has helped the Hammers to form an attack that is currently aiding a push for Champions League football.

Glasgow Rangers have cemented their place at the top of the Premiership after defeating Celtic, but perhaps they require that one final signing to add the finishing touches to an already impressive squad.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have dropped just four points from 22 games in the Scottish top flight and, although they have three games in hand, Celtic are now 19 points behind them at the top of the table.

However, if there’s one criticism that can be made, Neil Lennon’s side exposed the Light Blues’ lack of a cutting edge in a similar way to how teams used to frustrate Gerrard during his time as a player at Liverpool.

Celtic dominated the early stages as they largely starved Rangers of the ball in the first half, winning most of their individual battles in the midfield, although the Gers came into their own after their arch-rivals were reduced to ten men.

Despite beating the Bhoys, other than Kemar Roofe’s injury, Gerrard would have had one major concern coming out of the game, as they were over-run in the midfield early on and struggled to get a foothold in the game during the first exchanges.

Even Steven Davis, so often the hero at Ibrox, cut somewhat of a peripheral figure as both sides wrestled for control, whilst new summer recruit Bongani Zungu came off the bench in the closing stages of the game.

Rangers were linked with a number of midfielders in the summer as Gerrard bid to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row, none more so than former academy prospect Lewis Ferguson. The 21-year-old nephew of Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has adapted to the pace and intensity of Scottish football like a duck to water, with the club idol calling him an “exceptional” talent.

It’s not quite worked out for Zungu, who has struggled to adapt to life in the Scottish Premiership.

The same can’t be said for Ferguson, who has come on leaps and bounds since he signed a pre-contract agreement with Aberdeen in 2018.

He supplied five assists in 14 appearances for Hamilton Academical before joining the Dons, where he has got 20 goals and 21 assists in over a hundred games across all competitions for Aberdeen.

His manager Derek McInnes has recently accepted there will come a time where he will move on after the nature of these performances, saying: “Lewis has been pivotal to us from day one really and he just continues to be more important as he goes along.

“He’s outstanding.

“Lewis is a young man who does everything right and is such a key performer for me.

“He was signed with the intention of developing him and have good moments with us over a period of time, but you know eventually he will move on.

“But, while he is in our team, he will continue to do what he’s done.”

With Davis’ current deal set to expire at the end of the season, this sort of presence in the midfield would be most welcome in the Govan side of Glasgow and to be able to nab a midfielder who has the potential to be a future Scotland star for a mere £1.5m would be a shrewd bit of business.

AND in other news, Rangers must seal swoop for Filip Helander alternative in Preston North End’s Ben Davies…

Glasgow Rangers ran riot over Hamilton Academical in a stunning 8-0 win at Ibrox to stay nine points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Rangers were three-nil up inside 19 minutes after goals from Scott Arfield, Kemar Roofe and Joe Aribo gave Steven Gerrard’s side a well-deserved lead, and Roofe and Aribo scored again before Brandon Barker came off the bench to finish off a fine team move. James Tavernier added a penalty and another strike to take his tally to 12 goals and 9 assists in 20 games in total this season so far.

Roofe, 27, joined the 54-time Scottish champions in the summer from Belgian side Anderlecht after bagging seven times in sixteen games for the Brussel club.

Regular readers of this column will be well aware that we think the Gers could be on to something with the former Leeds United striker. However, Roofe copped a fair amount of criticism from former players and pundits alike after his poor performance against Lech Poznan in the Europa League last month, and he was replaced by Alfredo Morelos in the starting line-up in recent weeks.

But the uncapped Jamaican bounced back in style by bagging a brace against Hamilton which will have sent Gerrard a timely reminder of his obvious quality after Morelos’ heroics in the European competition.

SofaScore gave the £4m-rated ace a score of 9 for his impressive performance – he won five out of ten duels in total, took three shots on target, one shot off target and had one shot blocked, whilst he completed 27 out of 34 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 79% and took 53 touches of the ball. By comparison, even Aribo only had two shots on target, as per SofaScore.

Roofe was recently described as a “world class” player by the Ibrox boss after his “moment of genius” against Standard Liege, whilst Barry Douglas insisted that his former teammate is a “real talent.”

He has now scored four goals and supplied one assist in seven games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.1 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Granted, Gerrard isn’t exactly short of striker options, as he can also call upon the services of Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe. However, Roofe has once again reminded everyone that he cannot be written off so easily. Now he just needs to find this kind of form on a regular basis, which will be easier said than done when Rangers return from the international break.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must keep Ryan Kent at all costs after Leeds reports…

Big things were expected of Wesley Hoedt when he joined Southampton in a £15 million deal back in 2017 but it is fair to say that things did not go to plan for the defender at the South Coast club.

However, it now seems as if there could be a way out for the Dutch centre-back, as Lazio, where he is currently on loan, are reportedly keen to make his stay permanent in the January transfer window, in a deal that would see them re-sign the 26-year-old.

In his three years with Southampton, Hoedt has managed just 45 appearances, in which he contributed one goal and one assist (per Transfermarkt).

The Dutch international has spent time on loan with Celta Vigo and Royal Antwerp in his time with the Saints but never looked likely to re-establish himself in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side when he returned in the summer and was sent back to Lazio on loan shortly before the transfer window shut.

In fact, the centre-back is yet to make a first-team appearance under Hasenhuttl, suggesting that he has no future with the South Coast club whilst the Austrian remains in charge.

Therefore, the club will surely be relieved that Lazio are reportedly considering making his move permanent in the January transfer window, although they will surely have to take a loss on the £15 million they spent on him in 2017, considering he is now valued at just £5.4 million.

Hoedt’s performances in Serie A this season have been less than impressive, as he has averaged a disappointing 6.41 rating for his performances, so really, Southampton will be lucky to receive any sort of fee for the 26-year-old.

However, with his Southampton contract set to expire in June 2022, they may be better accepting whatever Lazio might offer in January, rather than holding on to him and potentially seeing him leave on a free transfer in 2022.

Whilst things didn’t work out for Hoedt at Southampton, it seems as if it would be best for both parties if he just left the club for good in January, to bring an end to what has been a nightmare three-year spell with the Saints.

And, in other news… Southampton can sign 22 y/o beast likened to Frenkie De Jong in January…