West Ham United midfielder Keenan Appiah-Forson has been called up to first-team training ahead of the club’s upcoming meeting with RSC Anderlecht.

What’s the latest?

In a recent video posted on the West Ham YouTube channel, the 20-year-old can be seen taking part in a number of drills with David Moyes’ first-team squad at the London Stadium ahead of the Hammers’ trip to Belgium on Thursday.

Appiah-Forson’s fellow West Ham U21 teammate, centre-back Levi Laing, can also be seen in training with the senior side, something that would suggest the youngsters may well be a part of Moyes’ Europa Conference League squad to face Anderlecht.

The next Kante

Considering just how much hype there is surrounding the future of Appiah-Forson, the fact that the defensive midfielder has now been called up to first-team training is undoubtedly an extremely exciting development for everyone involved with West Ham.

Indeed, the £270k-rated talent has been an ever-present part of Mark Robson’s U21 side so far this season, featuring in all nine of the youth side’s nine fixtures in all competitions in 2022/23, with his latest performance being particularly eye-catching.

Despite the Hammers’ 2-0 loss to MK Dons in the Football League Trophy, the 20-year-old was undoubtedly the Irons’ standout performer in the fixture, enjoying 57 touches of the ball, boasting a pass completion rate of 96% – the best of any player to feature in the match – and finding his man with his one attempted long ball.

The £350-per-week youngster also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, winning both of his duels – a success rate of 100% – making one interception and drawing two fouls for his side, with these returns seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.8 – the best of any West Ham player on the night.

Furthermore, from these metrics, it is easy to see why Terry Westley – the club’s former U21 manager – went as far as to compare the youngster to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, stating of Appiah-Forson in an interview with The Athletic last year:

“Keenan’s small but he’s such a tough boy. He’s similar to N’Golo Kante in terms of his work ethic because he’s so difficult to mark. Keenan has a lot of potential and it’s great that young players are getting an opportunity at West Ham under David Moyes. Keenan could be next.”

As such, while it remains up in the air as to whether or not the academy starlet will play a part against Anderlecht tomorrow evening, the midfielder’s future at the London Stadium appears much more concrete – with Moyes’ trust in the 20-year-old potentially resulting in the unearthing of West Ham’s very own Kante.

Fabrizio Romano has shared more information on Douglas Luiz’s new Aston Villa deal, which runs until 2026.

The Lowdown: Luiz signs new deal

On Friday, it was confirmed that Luiz has extended his stay at Villa Park, signing a new long-term contract after months of speculation regarding his future.

Arsenal tried to sign the Brazilian a number of times on deadline day, but to no avail, and with his old deal expiring in 2023, many felt his departure was a given.

Instead, Luiz has committed his future to Villa, in what is undoubtedly a positive piece of news for the club.

The Latest: Romano provides more info

Writing on Twitter, Romano explained the length of the deal and revealed that both parties were actually in talks over an extension immediately after the summer window closed:

“More on Douglas Luiz. Understand new deal with Aston Villa will be valid until June 2026, four year contract.

“Negotiations started right after the end of the market as Arsenal had three bid rejected for Douglas on Deadline Day.”

The Verdict: Great news for Gerrard

This is a massive boost for Gerrard and anyone associated with Villa, considering what an influential figure Luiz has been in the middle of the park, being described as ‘fantastic’ by journalist Gregg Evans.

The 24-year-old has appeared in eight Premier League games so far this season, averaging one tackle per game, and while his form hasn’t necessarily been at its best, the Villans are stronger when he is involved.

Not only that but if Luiz does demand a move next summer, Villa are now in an extremely strong bargaining position, being able to demand huge money for his services.

Former Glasgow Rangers striker Steven Thompson was critical of the performance of Rabbi Matondo in the Premiership at lunchtime.

The Lowdown: Nervy win

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side held out for a nervy 2-1 win in the end, as it took until the second half for them to take the lead through Malik Tillman.

John Lundstram added another goal for the visitors, then Stuart McKinstry pulled one back from a corner for the hosts.

Rangers started to give some needless free-kicks away towards the end of the game but managed to see out the win through to take all three points back to Glasgow.

The Latest: Matondo slammed

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Thompson slammed the performances of Matondo and Scott Arfield after they were taken off in the second half, claiming that the former ‘doesn’t do anywhere near enough’.

The 43-year-old said: “Matondo doesn’t do anywhere near enough. In this match he had one run, where he carried the ball 50 yards but then mis-controlled it. No surprise to see Arfield go off either, he’s not had any impact on the game.”

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The Verdict: Must do better

Matondo must do better than this latest performance if he is going to keep his place in the Rangers team.

The winger lost out on eight of his duels and failed to record a single shot on goal, key pass or accurate cross, having just 25 touches of the ball in total (SofaScore).

Matondo is yet to score for the Gers, and if he is not taking any shots at goal, he will struggle to rack up too many from now until the end of the season.

The Light Blues need him to chip in to help the likes of Antonio Colak up top, and the 22-year-old Wales international needs to find a way to get himself more involved in matches.

Everton travel to Tottenham Hotspur this evening knowing that it will take a very strong performance to come away with points against a team who are yet to drop any at home in all competitions this season.

Coming off the back of a disappointing performance and result at home to Manchester United last weekend, Frank Lampard will be keen to see more from his team today. However, he will be wary of how he lines them up in north London, as his decisions in this fixture last season led to a 5-0 rout for the hosts.

One positive from the defeat to the Red Devils was the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who came off the bench to earn vital minutes for Everton.

This marked his first appearance in the Premier League this term, having been ruled out initially with a knee injury and then suffering numerous smaller recurrences which kept pushing back his return date.

However, he finally seems fit and ready to return to action fully, and hopefully bring a new element for Lampard to utilise up top.

The £20k-per-week striker has been plagued with injury since his standout season under Carlo Ancelotti, when he scored 16 goals in just 33 league games in 2020/21.

When given a chance, Calvert-Lewin does have the ability to take it with lethal precision. However, he offers this Everton team far more than just goals.

Standing at 6 foot 3 but possessing frightening speed, he has a wonderful ability to occupy a whole backline all on his own. He has ranked in the top 4% among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won over the last 12 months, meaning he might be able to trouble Spurs’ back three and link up with whichever wingers Lampard might deploy.

With Anthony Gordon suspended this evening, the Sheffield-born striker will be a particuarly welcome addition to the forward line to hopefully feed off the deliveries of Dwight McNeil.

Josh Wright of WhoScored has dubbed the England international “a beast in the air”, and Calvert-Lewin will need to be just that to potentially score an all-important goal to grab some points for Everton.

Whilst Neal Maupay offers some bite and relentless running up front for the Toffees, he is no match for the physical marvel that is Calvert-Lewin. If fit, the 25-year-old must start against Tottenham today.

iNews journalist Mark Douglas reports Newcastle United still ‘retain an interest’ in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby ahead of the January window.

The Lowdown: Summer interest

The St. James’ Park outfit reportedly held an interest in Diaby in the summer, but a move never materialised despite interest from multiple suitors, and he has stayed at Leverkusen.

In 13 appearances so far this season, the winger has managed two goals and four assists over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: January move?

Writing in his latest piece for iNews, Douglas says that the North East club ‘intend to move again’ for new players in January, after spending over £120m in the summer.

Among the targets that they ‘retain an interest’ in is Diaby, although they are also still looking at Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison, with whom they were also linked with a move for in the summer.

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The Verdict: Statement signing

Diaby would certainly be a statement signing if the Tynesiders can pull it off.

Hailed as a player with ‘electrifying pace, good with both feet + fearless on the ball’ by The Chronicle journalist Aaron Stokes, he claims that it would be a ‘remarkable deal’ should Eddie Howe’s side be able to sign him.

Last season, the France international managed a very impressive 17 goals and 14 assists in total across all competitions, mainly playing out wide (Transfermarkt), and at 23 years of age, his ceiling is still so high.

Nonetheless, it would be a real coup if the Magpies were able to sign him and Maddison in 2023.

West Bromwich Albion are in ‘advanced talks’ to appoint Carlos Corberan as their new manager, and a deal ‘could be completed’ within the next 24 hours, according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

The Lowdown: Extensive manager search

The Championship side have been on the hunt to find Steve Bruce’s successor following his sacking earlier this month and have been linked to several candidates, one of those being the 39-year-old.

The Spaniard is reported to have held two interviews with the Hawthorns hierarchy, and it now sounds like he is close to taking over the reins in the Midlands.

The Latest: WBA in talks with Corberan

Taking to Twitter, Dorsett revealed that West Brom are in the final stages of negotiations with Corberan, and he could be unveiled as the new boss imminently should he accept to join. He wrote:

“#wba in advanced talks with Carlos Corberan over head coach vacancy. A deal could be completed by the end of the weekend.”

The Verdict: A perfect fit

Corberan is a much younger profile of manager than the Baggies would normally go for, but he would be the perfect candidate given his previous track record in England.

Last season, the 4-3-3 attacking boss led the Terriers all the way to the Championship play-off final and was just one game away from achieving promotion to the Premier League.

The Cheste-born coach is also a free agent meaning that there will be no compensation to pay for his services, making this an ideal move for both parties.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a move for AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per Calciomercato, the north Londoners – along with Premier League rivals Manchester United – are seemingly keeping tabs on the England international at present, with the 25-year-old having thrived since his move to the Stadio Olimpico in the summer of 2021.

The former Chelsea marksman – who left Stamford Bridge to join Jose Mourinho in the Italian capital for a reported fee of around £34m – currently has just under four years still to run on his existing deal with the Serie A outfit, although reportedly plans on a return to England in the future.

Recent reports have suggested that the Blues had included a £67m buyback clause as part of the deal to take the 11-cap menace to Rome which comes into effect next summer, although Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well try to steal a march on the club’s top-flight foes.

Imagine him and Kane

It has been a promising move abroad for the £96k-per-week goalscoring machine over the past year or so, with Abraham having notably netted 27 goals in a stunning debut campaign for his current side last term.

While goals have proven harder to come by this time around, with just two to his name in all competitions so far in 2022/23, the £45m-rated ace has proven himself a reliable figure in front of goal throughout his career, scoring 30 goals in 82 games during his time in west London.

That spell at his former club also saw the towering striker enjoy profitable loan stints in the second tier, memorably scoring 26 goals during the 2016/17 season at Bristol City, before matching that tally a couple of years later at Aston Villa.

A potent threat in the final third, his arrival at N17 could well see Antonio Conte form a truly mouthwatering partnership with him alongside current Spurs talisman Harry Kane, with the latter also a reliably “deadly” asset in front of goal, as described by journalist Liam Twomey.

Partnering the England skipper – who has netted 259 goals in 402 games for the Lilywhites to date – alongside his international colleague in attack could well be a lethal partnership, particularly with Conte currently favouring a 3-5-2 formation.

The Spurs coach previously enjoyed success deploying Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez together in attack during his title-winning spell at Inter Milan. The two marksmen netted 41 league goals between them during that glorious 2020/21 campaign, and there is no doubting the potential for Conte to replicate that fearsome duo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the English duo.

With the playmaking Kane – who is “one of the best passers of the ball in the Premier League” according to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher – teeing up that man Abraham in the forward ranks, and indeed getting himself in on the action, it could potentially be goals galore if Paratici can strike a deal for the latter.

Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur has been hailed for his performances in a Lilywhites jersey as Sky reporter Michael Bridge shares his unseen ‘quality’.

The Lowdown: Cheap as chips…

The Uruguay international has proved a real bargain since his £20 million move from Juventus at the start of this year.

Bentancur has evolved into a midfield mainstay alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with both men starting nearly every week in manager Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.

The South American and Hojbjerg played a key role in Spurs’ qualification for the Premier League top four last season and have continued to be imperative this campaign.

Referred to as an ‘undroppable’ in Conte’s eleven, Bentancur has only missed one top flight match so far, with Sky reporter Bridge now explaining why he is so important to the north Londoners.

The Latest: Bridge raves over Bentancur…

Speaking in an interview, the journalist says Tottenham’s winter signing differs to Hojbjerg for one key reason.

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Bridge explains that, while the Dane is ‘everywhere’, Bentancur’s contribution is the element of surprise.

He stated to GiveMeSport:

“I’m a fan, I’m a big fan, where you’ve got Hojbjerg, who is literally everywhere and will run around everywhere and you will see him run around, the quality of Bentancur is that you just don’t see him, he just gets the ball and you think, where’s he come from? His brain is everywhere, whereas Hojbjerg’s engine is everywhere, Bentancur’s brain is everywhere.”

The Verdict: Promising partnership…

Already, both Bentancur and Hojbjerg have been revered for their understanding and formidable partnership in front of Tottenham’s back four.

If the Lilywhites are to seal Champions League qualification again, the Spurs duo will need to remain fit and available, with the likes of Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp kept out largely thanks in part to their fine form.

Tottenham Hotspur insiders/sources have now shared an exciting naming rights update, according to a recent report.

The Lowdown: Spurs enter talks…

Spurs have entered ‘meaningful talks’ with big name technological giant Google in recent weeks as chairman Daniel Levy and chief commercial officer Todd Kline attempt to end the club’s three-year long search for a sponsorship deal.

The Lilywhites have been trying to find a buyer for their lucrative naming rights since moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019 – a state-of-the-art new ground estimated to cost £1 billion.

Amid these discussions with Google over sealing the naming rights, it has been reported that fellow major company Amazon are ‘still in the running’.

Such an agreement would gift the north Londoners a financial off-field windfall as Spurs seek a potential deal worth around £25 million-per-year.

The Latest: Tottenham insiders expect record-breaking deal

Now, according to a report in the last 48 hours, an exciting naming rights update has come out of Spurs.

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It is claimed two Tottenham insiders/sources have told Football Insider that the north Londoners are plotting to announce a huge naming rights deal before Christmas with a timeline now set.

As well as this, it is reiterated both Google and Amazon are still competing for a ten-year deal which could be worth around £25m-per-year.

The report mentions both Levy and Kline specifically with the Spurs chiefs attempting to agree a never-before-seen naming rights deal with an ‘English record-agreement’.

The Verdict: Great news…

Under the guidance of manager Antonio Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici, the Hotspur Way side have enjoyed a steady rise on the field, currently sitting in the Premier League’s top three.

Now, it is up to Levy and Kline to assist the Italians by securing a multi-million pound windfall for the club, and with any luck, a fair portion of it will be re-invested into the first team.

Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez ‘needs to prove his worth’ after a lack of Premier League game time this season, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

The Algerian has had an underwhelming opening to the new campaign, making just three league starts, and was most recently an unused substitute during last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Having slightly fallen down Pep Guardiola’s pecking order, the 31-year-old finished in 12th place in this year’s Ballon d’Or awards, and will no doubt be keen to get back out onto the Etihad pitch as soon as possible to show what he can do.

The Latest: Campbell’s support for Mahrez

Asked by Football Insider whether Mahrez not starting games more frequently was a surprise, Campbell said:

“It is a slight surprise but he is coming off the bench a lot.

“We tend to see him more in the second half of the season.

“Mahrez is a quality player. He will get his games this season. It is just a case of when you get them with Pep Guardiola.

“If Mahrez was upset with his game time he would address the situation, I’m sure. I do not think he feels that way though. Sometimes you don’t get picked, that is the reality of football.

“Mahrez needs to prove his worth on the training ground. Managers want players that are hungry.

“Mahrez will get his game time. Listen, how are the rich ever going to survive? It is embarrassing how many good players they have got.”

The Verdict: Deserves an opportunity

City haven’t been giving Mahrez a fair run in the team, and it’s what he deserves given his previous track record in the final third.

The winger has clocked up a remarkable 112 goal contributions in 202 appearances for the Sky Blues, and already has a goal and assist to his name in just four Champions League outings this term (WhoScored).

Guardiola will need squad depth with the increased amount of fixtures after the World Cup break, and that could provide Mahrez with the perfect opportunity to stake his claim in the starting XI.