December 9, 2024
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Man who cost West Ham UCL qualification could come back to haunt Hammers

By
Jamie Freeman
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Chirs Kavanagh red card Balbuena

West Ham have been on the end of some horrendous VAR decisions since it’s arrival in the Premier League.

Indeed, we’ve also had some horrendous decisions go our way, too, not least the recent decision to award us a penalty against Man United.

But the bad decisions certainly outweigh the good ones where West Ham are concerned. The list is too long to go into in detail but the one that always springs to mind came back in April 2021 against Chelsea.

West Ham were fourth in the league with six league games left to play and had a really strong chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. But the referee that day had other ideas.

Fabian Balbuena played a long ball forward and his kicking leg caught Ben Chilwell, who was attempting to block the long ball. It all happened in one movement and it was immensely obvious that Balbuena coudn’t stop himself from making content with the Blues defender – it was clear his only intention was kicking the football.

But Chilwell feigned injury, which forced the referee and VAR to check the pitchside monitor for a reason to punish Balbuena. We all know that as soon as a referee is asked to watch anything on the pitchside monitor, he’ll change his mind and do whatever VAR is telling them to do.

So Balbuena was shown a red card and the Hammers went on to lose the game 1-0. Chelsea would finish the season in fourth, two points ahead of West Ham. It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that had West Ham even drawn the game, let alone won, they would’ve finished above Chelsea come the end of that season.

Balbuena v Chelsea

The referee in charge that day? Chris Kavanagh. The same Chris Kavanagh who has also twice failed to give West Ham penalties against Liverpool in the past, one for a clear and obvious handball and the other for a clear and obvious foul.

He is the man many blame for West Ham not qualifying for the Champions League back in 2021 and, unfortunately, he could be about to haunt us again.

That’s because it has been announced that Kavanagh will be on VAR duty when West Ham travel to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle next Monday.

The irony is that West Ham were on the wrong end of one of the worst VAR decisions in history at St. James’ Park last season, so having Kavanagh involved this time around doesn’t fill me with much confidence that we’ll be able to get some justice.

Every single person in the world could tell Kalvin Phillips didn’t know Anthony Gordon was behind when he tried to clear the ball last season, but for some reason the referee and VAR came to the conclusion that he deliberately fouled the England international while also trying to clear the ball from the penalty area.

So next Monday night could be interesting for West Ham, especially as Kavanagh is involved, and it probably won’t be interesting for the right reasons.

Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Troubled West Ham star ‘actively looking’ for way out of east London

By
Jamie Freeman
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Julen Lopetegui West Ham Tim Stiedten

When times are tough at any club, there are always reports of player unrest and players who want out of the situation. 

It’s no different this season with West Ham. Several players have been linked with January exits, while others are reportedly targets for rival clubs.

The likes of Danny Ings and Vladimir Coufal, both of whom have seen their gametime severely limited under Julen Lopetegui this season, are regularly linked with moves away from London Stadium in January.

Meanwhile, there’s talk of the club already deciding Carlos Soler’s loan from PSG will not be made permanent come the end of the season.

And then there’s Lucas Paqueta, whose off field issues have impacted his on field performances this term, being linked with a move back to Brazil.

Now it’s Mohammed Kudus who is making transfer headlines, but this one will hurt fans the most.

The Ghana captain has not been his usual self this season and the out of character nature of his red card against Tottenham last month suggested something has been troubling the forward ever since Lopetegui replaced David Moyes in the summer.

Indeed, he has been heavily blamed for Ghana’s failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations recently, which will no doubt have affected him, but his struggles in claret and blue have also been well documented.

With just two goals and one assist in his first 10 games of the season, Kudus has been far less industrious in front of goal for the Hammers, which many are putting down to Lopetegui’s tactics.

Kudus sent off v Tottenham

But whatever it is, it has reportedly led to him wanting to leave the club. That’s according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri who, in a recent column for Sky Sports, claimed that Kudus is now ‘actively looking to leave West Ham.’

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with the 24-year-old’s signature in the past and if both remain interested in signing him, it would be difficult for the Hammers to stand in the way given they can both offer him Champions League football.

However, it’s believed West Ham will be refusing to accept anything less than his £85m release clause. Whether that might put off any potential suitors when the time comes remains to be seen, but there would be very good reason for any club to try and drive down that price given his current form.

Either way, it’s a serious concern for West Ham if the reports are correct. Regardless of his current form, Kudus remains an integral member of this Hammers squad and we should be doing everything we can to try and resolve the situation so that he’s happy in east London and is no longer looking elsewhere for that happiness.

West Ham line up £20m+ move to fix problem that just won’t go away

By
Jamie Freeman
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Lucas Paqueta

Lucas Paqueta has been made an enormous impact on West Ham since he arrived from Lyon in 2022. 

The Brazilian has scored 15 goals and created 14 others in 97 first-team appearances, including notching the assist for Jarrod Bowen’s 90th minute Europa Conference League winning goal in June 2023.

Despite often blowing hot and cold, especially this season, it would be fair to say he has been worth every penny of the £51m the Hammers paid for him.

But his inconsistency and the fact he’s still facing gambling charges by the FA, which are so serious they could lead to a lifetime ban from the game, means he remains a problem that just won’t go away for West Ham.

Those FA charges were announced at a time when it was expected that Paqueta would be sold to Manchester City for £85m. Obviously that deal collapsed as a result and now, West Ham are anxiously waiting for the outcome of his case while simultaneously dealing with the fact his off field issues are impacting his performances.

It’s a problem for both West Ham and Lucas Paqueta, and it’s just not going away.

Paqueta replacement lined up

It appears West Ham are scouring the market for an imminent replacement, and The Sun claim they are looking towards a player dubbed the ‘Salford Silva’ after Manchester City legend David Silva.

James McAtee impressed immensely over two loan spells with Sheffield United but has spent much of this season as an unused substitute in Pep Guardiola’s team. The 22-year-old has played just one minute of Premier League football this term and appeared in just two of City’s four Champions League fixtures.

The attacking midfielder is widely considered to be a top talent, which is explained by the comparisons with David Silva, but that talent is being wasted on the bench, even if it is at the best team in the world.

James McAtee

Sooner or later he is going to have to leave the club in order to fulfil his full potential, just like many other City youngsters have done before him – Morgan Rogers, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, James Trafford, Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap are just a few names who opted to leave the Etihad to flourish elsewhere.

Meanwhile, The Sun’s report claims West Ham are prioritising the attacking midfield position as an area to strengthen in the January transfer window, and McAtee is the player they are most interested in bringing to London Stadium.

McAtee fits West Ham’s profile

When Julen Lopetegui arrived at West Ham he stated that he planned to build a young and hungry squad of players, but after a squad churn of nine players in and 12 out in the summer, the average age of the team is the oldest in the Premier League at 28.7 – and that’s with one of the smallest squad sizes in the division.

So replacing a 27-year-old, and all the problems that come with that particular individual, with a 22-year-old with lots of hunger and potential, makes total sense and fits the manifesto laid out by Lopetegui and Tim Stiedten in the summer.

The report claims it would take at least £20m, probably more, to prise McAtee away from the Etihad.

However, with Paqueta reportedly wanted by Brazilian Botafogo, any money from his departure should cover whatever it costs for Man City to agree to sell their young star.

It’s fair to say West Ham’s chances of getting £85m for the attacking midfielder are over, but it’s also not beyond the realms of possibility that we’ll get at least half of that for his signature.

That would roughly represent a break even point on the deal that brought Paqueta to east London in the first place and, even if it’s a slight loss, that would still go down as a fantastic piece of business for the club given the impact he’s had on the famous claret and blue.

West Ham insider reveals ‘powerful’ influence behind the scenes as ‘major problem’ intensifies

By
Jamie Freeman
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Julen Lopetegui West Ham Tim Stiedten

While things haven’t exactly been going swingingly on the pitch for West Ham this season, it appears things are just as bad behind the scenes.

Julen Lopetegui is under immense pressure after winning just three of his first 11 Premier League games in charge, which has led to calls amongst the fanbase for him to be sacked already, while reports within the media are linking the club with managerial alternatives.

It does appear that the Spaniard will remain in his position beyond the current international break but with a trip to Newcastle and a home clash against Arsenal up next, his immediate future in east London looks incredible precarious.

Meanwhile, Technical Director Tim Stiedten has also had his credentials questioned amongst the fanbase. The German was involved in the decision making behind Lopetegui’s appointment, while many of his summer signings have worked out so far this term. Some fans have been calling for him to leave the club, too.

And while both Stiedten and Lopetegui have been getting a share of the blame, owner David Sullivan has also come under fire for his role in the situation the club currently find itself in.

That means it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that there are increased tensions behind the scenes at the club right now.

That’s according to former West Ham senior scout Mick Brown, who has been speaking to Football Insider about what he’s heard about the issues going on behind the scenes at West Ham right now. He also revealed that Stiedten’s influence at the club is essentially more powerful than the manager’s, that goes for Lopetegui or any manager in the future.

He said: “From what I’ve heard, the two of them [Lopetegui and Stiedten] haven’t exactly got off to a great start.

“Several of their signings haven’t turned up so far, and then that comes back and the manager is the one who has to deal with it.

“So it’s a bit tense between them, and understandably so from the manager’s point of view.

“I see that to be the major problem at West Ham. It was part of why they let Moyes go, and it’ll probably be what gets Lopetegui sacked too because Stiedten has been put in a more powerful position than the managers.”

None of what Brown said will come as much of a surprise to fans, but it’s an interesting insight into the power struggle managers who like to have an element of control over how they do things will have at the club, now and in the future.

Watch: Exciting front runner for West Ham job explains his tactics in historic UCL run

By
Jamie Freeman
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Edin Terzic Mbappe

It’s becoming increasingly accepted that Julen Lopetegui is on very thin ice at West Ham.

Reports this week claim the board are giving serious consideration towards making a change in the dugout after the Spaniard has won just three of his opening 11 Premier League games in charge.

With that in mind, there is a lot of speculation surrounding who might replace the former Real Madrid boss at London Stadium.

GiveMeSport reported earlier this week that two out of work managers had been put on standby – Graham Potter and Edin Terzic – before later claiming Potter was no longer being considered as a possible candidate to replace Lopetegui.

So that leaves Terzic as the alleged front runner to take the job, while Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed the German would be open to returning to the club where he was assistant manager to Slaven Bilic between 2015 and 2017.

Terzic famously led Borussia Dortmund to last season’s Champions League final, topping a group that consisted of PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle before beating PSV, Atletico Madrid and PSG again on the way to the final.

It was a run that earned Terzic a reputation for being one of the brightest young managers in the game right now, and should give West Ham fans some hope that the club can manage to bring him in if things under Lopetegui continue to go south.

And if you’re wondering what style of football we might expect from Terzic if he should become West Ham’s new boss, he has been speaking to Coaches’ Voice in detail about the tactics he used to beat PSG in last season’s Champions League semi-final.

Over two videos, the 42-year-old explained in detail how his Dortmund side overcame the likes of Kylian Mbappe,, Ousmane Dembele, Fabian Ruiz and Goncalo Ramos via a 2-0 aggregate scoreline over two legs.

So if you’re wondering what to expect from Terzic, what the two videos below…

Part 1

Part 2

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