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A number of West Ham supporters have been reacting in shocked fashion to the facial injury Tomas Soucek picked up in the win over Everton.

The Hammers faced a testing trip to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon but they passed with flying colours. David Moyes’ men were the better team throughout the contest and deservedly took home all three points thanks to Angelo Ogbonna’s goal, which sealed a 1-0 victory.

It means West Ham have jumped to seventh place in the Premier League table, putting them level on points with Manchester United.

Soucek was typically impressive for the Hammers, winning three tackles and five duels and misplacing just one of his 46 passes, but he didn’t get through the match unscathed, picking up a horrible injury after being kicked in the face by Salomon Rondon.

After the game, West Ham fan Tom Atherton (@Athers32) shared a photo of the midfielder on Twitter, showing the extent of the damage.

West Ham fans shocked by Soucek injury

These Hammers fans reacted to the “disgusting” image with shock and fury over how it was inflicted by Rondon.

“Yup, game should’ve been stopped. AND a head injury seems too. Crazy VAR needs to be able to stop the game if the referee makes a mistake”

Credit: @WestHamInOz

“Yikes”

Credit: @hammerslibrary

“@salorondon23 you know what you did. That was disgusting, nasty and despicable”

Credit: @woodysworld1

“What in the world?!”

Credit: @DarynTedric

“Crikey”

Credit: @tomdown1984

“Unbelievable, split lip open, slashed across his nose. cheekbone cut open. No foul or freekick!!!”

Credit: @deanrmarsh

In other news, some West Ham fans were unhappy with one player’s first-half performance against Everton. Read more here.

Everton have had an outstanding start to the season, and after their opening four games, Rafa Benitez’s side have amassed the same number of points as the league leaders.

The Spanish coach needed a quick start to life at Goodison Park after his controversial appointment but fortunately he’s managed to achieve results while his team plays eye-catching football.

Demarai Gray has hit the ground running and has now scored in three successive matches for the Toffees. They will need him to continue that record against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, though, because they will be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin again.

The striker had to withdraw from the latest England squad due to a broken toe but his injury problems have mounted, and according to Benitez, his situation is not improving.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager commented: “It’s what I said after the game. We have to wait some weeks, we don’t know exactly how many but he will not be available for two or three weeks.”

Calvert-Lewin currently has a quadriceps problem, but despite Everton winning and scoring three goals against Burnley last Monday, he will still be a huge loss on Saturday evening.

After all, he is the club’s star man and has become one of the most frightening strikers in the country.

The 24-year-old is a big figure at 6 foot 2 but he combines that frame with scintillating pace.

A nightmare for any defender in the division, he started the campaign by scoring three goals in three matches, continuing where he left off from last term – 2020/21 represented the best season of Calvert-Lewin’s career to date.

He beat the goalkeeper on 21 occasions in all competitions, becoming the first Everton player to register more than 20 goals in a season since Romelu Lukaku in 2016/17.

Furthermore, the Englishman joined an illustrious club of just Lukaku and Yakubu in scoring more than 15 goals for the Toffees in one campaign during the Premier League era.

On that evidence, not having him available at all times is a mighty blow to Benitez. The Spaniard will be gutted to be without the 24-year-old for a number of weeks.

AND in other news, Everton may have their new Godfrey in rarely-seen 17 y/o who Unsworth dubbed “superb”…

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a double fitness boost ahead of their upcoming Championship clash.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Birmingham Live, Matt Clarke has taken part in full training with Valerien Ismael’s side this week, with the centre-back appearing well ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury, while Kean Bryan is also in contention to make his Baggies debut against Queens Park Rangers on Friday.

The former Sheffield United defender, who was signed on a free transfer in order to provide cover for the injured Dara O’Shea, played 45 minutes for the West Brom U23 side against Aston Villa last Friday and looks to be getting close to full fitness.

Ismael will be buzzing

While it remains unclear whether Clarke will be deemed fit enough to play a role in Friday’s game, the defender’s rapid recovery from injury, coupled with the likely availability of Bryan for the QPR fixture, is sure to have left Ismael buzzing.

Indeed, Clarke had impressed over his three Championship appearances for the Baggies following his loan switch from Brighton & Hove Albion, making an average of 2.3 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning 7.3 duels per game.

These returns had seen the centre-back average a SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as West Brom’s eighth-best performer in the second tier.

However, should Clarke not be fit enough to feature against Mark Warburton’s side, the left-footed Bryan could nevertheless allow Ismael to provide his back-three with a great deal more balance – something that, considering their recent run of poor form, it seems the Frenchman has desperately lacked.

As such, the news that both Bryan and Clarke appear to be nearing a return to first team action is undoubtedly a major boost for Albion, as the club will certainly be looking to get their promotion push back on track against an impressive looking QPR side on Friday.

In other news: Journo drops fresh claim on “exceptional” £28k-p/w ace, West Brom fans would be gutted

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing Jack Hendry from KV Oostende this summer but in reality, Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn’t need him in his squad at St Mary’s.

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton have joined Newcastle United, Burnley and West Brom in showing an interest in the Scotland international, who only joined Oostende on a permanent deal earlier this summer.

However, the report suggests that the Belgian side would be open to the idea of selling the 26-year-old and making an immediate profit, after paying just £1.8m to sign him from Celtic after a successful loan spell.

Do Southampton need him?

Hasenhuttl suggested recently that if Southampton are to sign another player before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday evening, then it will most likely be a defensive-midfielder who can play ‘as a six’ and compete with Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo.

The Saints have already brought in Lyanco as Jannik Vestergaard’s replacement and considering they also have Jack Stephens, Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek competing for a starting spot at centre-back, it would be strange to see them bring in another player in that position.

Hendry was named as the Player of the Year in the Belgian Pro League last season, so is clearly a talented player but it is difficult to see where he fits into Hasenhuttl’s squad without displacing players with Premier League experience.

The former Celtic man, who is currently valued at £3.15m by Transfermarkt, is already 26 and therefore you feel that he doesn’t have too much room to improve his game, and his signing could block the development of players such as Salisu and summer signing Dynel Simeu.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, if there is any truth in this particular transfer rumour then Southampton fans should hope that Martin Semmens doesn’t look to sign him, as you feel their money could be spent better on an area of the squad with less quality in depth.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Obafemi: Southampton should seal late swoop for “shining light”

This summer has been an interesting first couple of months for Bruno Lage at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Nuno Santo surprisingly left Molineux behind which meant his fellow Portuguese manager had to pick up the rubble after a disappointing campaign.

On the chalkboard

This has been a quiet transfer window for Lage who has prioritised keeping what he already has at his disposal.

Ruben Neves and Adama Traore were consistently linked with the exit door but it looks as though the duo are set to stay in the Midlands.

Neves had attracted the interest of Arsenal while Leeds were appealed by the idea of landing Traore.

Wolves were going to have to sell these players in order to build funds for further recruits but they are now taking a different approach.

The Athletic’s Tim Spiers reported last week that Romain Saiss, Patrick Cutrone and Rafa Mir would all be allowed to leave.

Saiss played a huge part during Nuno’s tenure but has made several mistakes in the last year or so that have lowered his status with supporters.

Indeed, after he gave away a reckless penalty against Celta Vigo last weekend, he angered fans further. One supporter described him as a “walking red card” while another dubbed him an “absolute liability.”

With the Moroccan already halfway through the exit door, Lage must step up the club’s attempts to move him on.

After all, he let the club down on countless occasions last season and is showing no signs of improving his discipline.

One of his most questionable performances came against Aston Villa. Although Saiss helped to keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw, he gave away possession easily, completing just 70% of his passes. He also missed a simple chance to win the game from just a matter of yards out.

Spiers claimed the miss “defied the laws of physics” while The Express & Star were even more damning in their assessment of the defender, saying; “His passing was inconsistent throughout. But it’s the miss of the season that will cause the Moroccan international some sleepless nights.”

He was abject against Burnley later in the campaign too. Once again the defender was guilty of gifting possession away and on this occasion, it led to a goal for Chris Wood after he was robbed of the ball.

Taking to social media at full-time, Spiers commented: “Saiss, Coady and Boly all play at centre half for their countries but it feels like Darren Peacock and Simon Coleman are back in defence today. A catalogue of basic errors.”

Conor Coady and Willy Boly have since proved their worth to the club but the £22k-per-week Saiss is expendable.

Lage has to sanction his exit at the nearest available opportunity.

AND in other news, Lage must seal Wolves swoop for £17m “phenomenon” who plays like Marcel Desailly…

Steve Howey doesn’t think that failing to bring in another striker could result in Newcastle re-signing Andy Carroll.

Following a disappointing second spell with his boyhood club, Carroll was released at the end of last season after scoring just once across all competitions last season.

Carroll’s departure leaves Steve Bruce with just three strikers at his disposal, and two of them in Dwight Gayle and Joelinton have struggled to add goals in recent seasons.

But despite Carroll’s exit being confirmed almost one month ago, Newcastle’s tight transfer budget means that Bruce has been unable to sign a replacement and help first-choice Callum Wilson with the workload.

The capture of Joe Willock should take the pressure off him, but an injury to the ex-Bournemouth striker could leave Bruce short on numbers.

However, whilst Carroll has been unable to find another club and therefore remains a free agent, Howey doesn’t think Newcastle will consider bringing him back to St James’ Park.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I thought he was on that [short-term] deal anyway, but I’ll be surprised if he goes back, because they let him go.”

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Barcelona wonderkid Ilaix Moriba, as rival interest from RB Leipzig has emerged this weekend [Sunday Express].

The Lowdown: Moriba at the centre of a contract wrangle at the Camp Nou

No stranger to the limelight, Moriba has become something of a thorn in the side of the Barcelona hierarchy after failing to sign a new contract at the Catalan giants this summer [GOAL].

He has allegedly asked for around £100k-p/w to renew terms, angering Camp Nou chiefs and eventually being frozen out of their squad [Sport Bible].

The youngster is regarded as one of the most prodigious talents to come through the famed La Masia academy in a long time, once even labelled ‘the future of the club’ by Ronald Koeman [GOAL].

However, that future may lay elsewhere.

The Latest: Future set to be decided in the next 24 hours

Tottenham are set to find out the trajectory of the 6 foot 1 ace’s next move in the next 24 hours, with his current employers open to cashing in on his services due to their financial difficulties [Sunday Express].

RB Leipzig are also hot on his tail, potentially creating a problem for the Lilywhites due to the German outfit’s reputation of offering regular first-team football to young stars.

Though they are reportedly £5 million short of matching the valuation set by Barca, the Bundesliga side are said to have offered tempting personal terms which Spurs would be unable to match.

The Verdict: Tottenham should prioritise Moriba

Likely to cost a pretty penny in terms of wage expenditure, any advancement in Tottenham’s willingness to lure the 18-year-old to N17 should be on the premise that he features regularly in a senior environment.

Bringing a bustling presence in the midfield, the Guinean-born anchor man showcased his capabilities effortlessly last term, registering four goal contributions from 18 appearances from deep; one goal and three assists [Transfermarkt].

Backing up plaudits, his successful pass accuracy rate of 91.6% across the campaign would help to bring some control to the Spurs midfield, potentially being a vital asset in high-profile encounters [WhoScored].

He was once dubbed as ‘incredible’ by ex Barca B coach Garcia Pimenta, and surely improve further with more first XI exposure [SB Nation].

Should they be able to offer Moriba the guarantees of being an imminently important figure in their starting line-up, there is no reason why Tottenham should not look to close the deal and add another future midfield star to the signing of Pape Matar Sarr.

In other news, a Tottenham legend has dropped their verdict on a Lilywhites defender. Find out more here.

Southampton fans are far from happy with Aston Villa’s £25m bid for midfielder James Ward-Prowse, an offer they believe to be far too low.

The Saints are preparing for the new season under Ralph Hasenhuttl, and £27m-valued Ward-Prowse (Transfermarkt) is likely to once again play a huge role for the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit.

He is the club captain, after all, and has incredibly played in every single Premier League game across the last two campaigns (Transfermarkt). The nine goals and eight assists he managed last term also illustrated his attacking threat.

Aston Villa clearly see his ability, and have made a bid of £25m. That was rejected by the Saints (Sky Sports), but the Southampton supporters are still far from happy with the offer – they clearly believe he is worth far more than that.

The news of the bid was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Southampton supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one calling it a ‘joke’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ward-Prowse news

“Wouldn’t even accept double that”

Credit: @sam_ratliffe

“Obviously! Insulting!”

Credit: @bfgfox

“Worst bid I’ve ever seen”

Credit: @IngsIsKing

“25 million bless their cotton socks!”

Credit: @KevanBrown05

“joke of a bid”

Credit: @sotonianwill

“£25m for the best set piece taker in the world LOOOOOL villa is a joke, they’re shaking in their boots now grealish is gone”

Credit: @sfctom_

In other news, Southampton fans were livid at this transfer news.

A number of Manchester City fans are gutted after it was reported that Phil Foden could miss the final of the European Championship through injury.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few days, you will be fully aware that England are playing Italy tonight in the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley. It will no doubt be the biggest occasion in the lives of everyone in the Three Lions squad, and it will be a game they will not want to miss.

Unfortunately, it seems that £72m-valued Foden (Transfermarkt) may not make the cut. He missed England’s final training session on Saturday before the final having picked up a knock (The Mirror) and, according to Charlie Whyett of The Sun, he is almost certain to sit out the match with a foot injury. Even though he is just 21 and may well have more chances to reach an international final in the future, the Manchester City star will no doubt be distraught to miss out on this historic occasion.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Foden’s likely absence tonight.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Foden update

“World just a cruel place”

Credit: @emanbsry

“pain”

Credit: @arusio3

“Gutted for you @PhilFoden”

Credit: @Jackie39033438

“Nooooooooooo”

Credit: @ohzai17

“He’s really not had a good time at the Euros. Sad for him”

Credit: @KDBallondor

“his first injury and missing the second biggest game in England’s history, pain”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

In other news, some Man City fans raged at this man’s comments.

Sky Sports shared Aston Villa’s interest in Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey on Wednesday evening, which left a number of Villa fans excited on social media.

The Daily Mail shared the initial links to Bailey on Wednesday morning, suggesting Villa were eyeing up a £30m offer for the Jamaican.

Sky Sports’ piece confirmed The Daily Mail’s report and claimed that Bailey is indeed a target for Villa.

The 23-year-old has been offered to Premier League clubs this summer, with Villa turning their attentions to Bailey after failing in their attempts to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal.

Bailey scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists for Leverkusen last season, playing in four different positions for the Bundesliga side.

Villa fans react

Well-known Villa outlet @villareport shared Sky Sports’ claim on Bailey on Wednesday evening.

This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one ‘buzzing’ and many excited with Sky Sports now sharing Villa’s interest in Bailey.

“WE’RE WINNING IT ALL”Credit: @catrinedwards18″imagine bailey grealish and buendia behind watkins”Credit: @DanAV___”Buzzing with this news real class talented player”Credit: @firebundem”It’s happening….. SkySportsNews are reporting it….”Credit: @TheVillaHome”Honestly, in my 20+ years of supporting Villa, I have never been this excited as to where we are heading under this ownership, staff and players!”Credit: @Amir_R_Mir”Cheers Sky”Credit: @KyleBillingham_

In other news: Everton ace keen on Villa move, find out more here.