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Taking to Twitter, Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis has broken some West Ham United transfer news involving RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

The Lowdown: West Ham in striker hunt…

In perhaps the worst-kept secret of the January transfer window, Irons manager David Moyes and new transfer chief Rob Newman have their eyes firmly placed on bringing in a new striker alongside other additions.

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There have been plenty of names linked with a move to east London, including Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa and Blackburn’s Ben Brereton-Diaz, with Moyes and Newman seemingly looking under every rock.

The latter has been tasked with assisting West Ham in the transfer market after leaving his role of chief scout at Manchester City, coming with a big reputation from his time at Eastlands (The Athletic).

As of yet, the head of recruitment has been unsuccessful in clinching any West Ham deals, but he has now set his sights on a new target.

The Latest: Newman eyeing Ajorque…

According to French journalist Denis, West Ham and by extension Newman have set their sights on Strasbourg’s in-form talisman Ajorque amid their drawn-out search for centre-forward options.

The journalist explained on Twitter: “Looking for a 9 for many months, West Ham is interested in Ludovic Ajorque, the Strasbourg serial scorer, current 2nd top scorer in L1 with 10 goals.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee recently claimed that the Irons were looking for talent in Ligue 1, with the French top flight potentially becoming a solution for Newman (West Ham Way).

It is therefore no surprise to see another name from France linked with a move to West Ham, but going by his numbers, Ajorque could be a shrewd option.

Alongside his impressive strike rate this season, the 27-year-old has notched an impressive total of 79 senior career goals and is an imposing threat going forward.

Compared to West Ham’s current squad, the towering 6 foot 5 striker has averaged a colossal 3.7 aerial duels won per 90 over 17 league starts – far more than any Irons player this season (WhoScored).

An aerial threat and proven in front of goal, it’s little wonder the Hammers and Newman now hold an interest in Ajorque.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman also moves to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.

Rangers made it ten goals scored in two Premiership matches as they beat Ross County 4-2 at Ibrox Sunday afternoon.

They thrashed Motherwell 6-1 last weekend, with Fashion Sakala scoring a hat-trick, although a 1-1 draw with Brondby in the Europa League was sandwiched in between.

Ryan Kent scored a sensational long-distance goal to mark his return, with Joe Aribo, Juninho Bacuna and an own goal from Alex Lacovitti securing the points for the Gers.

Kent made his first start for the club since the 19th of September and dazzled with his stunning strike. He picked the ball up on the left flank and cut inside before unleashing a dipping, powerful, shot past the County goalkeeper, to put Rangers 2-1 up at the time and made Ibrox bounce.

The real star of the show, however, was summer signing Juninho Bacuna as he ran the game from central midfield and was pivotal to the result.

Defensively, he put a shift in for Gerrard’s side. Per SofaScore, he won seven individual duels in the match, whilst also making three tackles. He won six of his 11 ground battles and one of two in the air, and was not dribbled past a single time in the game. This shows that he was reliable defensively and did not allow himself to be a liability in the middle of the park.

On the ball, he was exceptional. He scored his first goal for the club as he picked up possession from Joe Aribo and cut inside onto his right foot to fire a strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the box, whilst he was also credited with the assist for Kent’s wonder goal. The midfielder also completed 86% of his passes as he had a whopping 86 touches of the ball and won three fouls for the team, to show off the overall level of his performance in possession.

Therefore, the £17k-per-week dynamo was the real star of the show for the Gers, as Kent did not create a single chance and only won two duels. Gerrard will surely be delighted by his balanced display in midfield as he was able to merge defensive nous with creativity and quality on the ball in the final third. Hopefully, he will now be able to show it on a consistent basis and prove to be a shrewd signing by Ross Wilson.

AND in other news, Kent 2.0: Gerrard could unearth new wing wizard in “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers flyer…

Aston Villa are set to enter a new chapter in their history after Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in the managerial hot seat, and the 41-year-old certainly has some big decisions to make.

The Villans are currently on a five-game losing streak after struggling to cope with the exit of former talisman and skipper Jack Grealish over the summer, a run that ultimately resulted in Smith’s dismissal.

If Gerrard wants to stop the rot and kickstart his tenure with a string of positive results, then he may have to make some bold decisions and recall some tried and trusted performers into the starting XI.

One of those who deserve to be instantly reinstated is Douglas Luiz.

The defensive midfielder is currently missing international duty with Brazil as he makes his continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. The £31.5m-rated gem has been absent from the Villans’ last two fixtures, both of them defeats at the hands of West Ham United and Southampton.

However, Luiz posted a photo of himself in action earlier this season, along with the caption: “I’ll be on the field soon @AVFCOfficial”, which raised hope that the South American could be set to make his comeback against Brighton and Hove Albion.

In his absence, Smith had been utilising Marvelous Nakamba at the base of the engine room, and although the 27-year-old put in some full-blooded displays, he lacks the class and guile of his more technically-gifted teammate.

Following a stellar performance against Manchester United last season, journalist Gregg Evans labelled Luiz an “absolute star” while he’s also caught the eye of former Napoli manager Gianni Di Marzio.

The Italian tactician spent some time talking to TuttoMercatoWeb Radio about some of the up and coming players that have impressed him in the past and recently.

Among them was the Villa star. He said: “During the Toulon tournament, I was impressed by a playmaker called Douglas Luiz, who seems ready for the jump in Italy. He’s 22 and seems to be among the best in his role.

“Now he’s at Aston Villa and has also been called up for Brazil. He’s very technical, he acts like a filter in front of the defence. A little like Miralem Pjanić, so to speak. He anticipates the opponent well”.

And when looking at Luiz’s underlying numbers, his importance to the Midlands outfit becomes evidently clear.

As per FBref.com, the youngster has recorded 1.84 tackles, 2.24 blocks and 2.5 interceptions per 90 this season, bettering Nakamba’s tallies of 1.75, 1.5 and 1.25, respectively.

But Luiz has also outperformed his Zimbabwean colleague when in possession of the ball as well, highlighting his influence over proceedings at both ends of the pitch.

Luiz has made 2.9 Shot Creating Actions per 90 and 1.71 key passes, whereas Nakamba has put up totals of just 0.76 and 0.25.

Therefore, Gerrard must get the Brazilian back into his starting lineup as soon as possible in order to make his spell in the Midlands a success, restoring the balance back to his midfield in the process.

And, in other news…Lange could seal dream AVFC deal with “fantastic” £5.4m-rated ace, Gerrard “loves him” 

Liverpool are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an away clash against Wolves at Molineux in their latest push for the Premier League title. 

After seeing off their Merseyside rivals in midweek with a 4-1 victory over Everton, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in third place in the league table with 31 points, one behind Manchester City and two behind Chelsea heading into this weekend’s fixtures. 

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Klopp could choose to be in his starting XI to take on Bruno Lage’s side, one player that didn’t play against Everton that should be in the mix this afternoon is defender Ibrahima Konate, who Klopp has previously said has “massive potential.”

Given how the Everton game was only on Wednesday, perhaps this could be an area where Klopp could look to rotate his players and kill two birds with one stone by resting Matip, who played in midweek, and giving Konate some minutes under his belt. 

Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Konate has kept three clean sheets in the four league games he’s played in so far this season, showing that he is more than capable of playing at a high level in the top flight. 

One of those clean sheets came during Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford where Konate managed to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently hit the 800 career goals mark, quiet for the day, showing that the Frenchman can battle it out against dangerous attacking opponents.

This performance against the Red Devils led to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders calling Konate a “beast.”

Overall, Konate has managed to rack up an average of 4.8 clearances per game, two interceptions per game and 1.5 tackles per game, as well as winning 69% of duels, which could make him a terrifying opponent for Wolves on this occasion.

Looking ahead to the Wolves match, this could be a great test for the £70k-a-week earning Konate to play against some of Wolves’ attacking players such as Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Hwang Hee-chan as the Old Gold will presumably be on the attack given how they’ve only managed to pick up two 0-0 draws in their two previous games.

In other news: Big relief: Klopp given major LFC boost as transfer claim emerges, fans surely buzzing – opinion

Manchester United are some way off the league crown this season, lagging 14 points behind rivals Manchester City.

One way that the Red Devils are reportedly attempting to close the gap is by making a big-money move for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

It is easy to see why they, and as a matter of fact, many clubs around Europe are interested in the forward.

Since joining the German giants from Red Bull Salzburg, he has plundered an eye-watering 43 goals in just 45 appearances. Pundits such as Jermain Jenas have even labelled him as “complete” at just 20 years of age.

However, it could be argued that the Red Devils simply do not need the forward despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly being “in regular contact” with the player and therefore seemingly keen on a deal for his compatriot.

In having the likes of Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and even Bruno Fernandes already at the club, United are more than capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Indeed, they are the second-highest scorers in the league this season with 53 goals. It is simply not their goalscoring which has left them lagging behind Pep Guardiola’s men.

It is instead at the other end of the pitch where their standards have fallen low. United have already conceded 33 goals in the Premier League this season. Only Everton in the current top six have shipped more.

With it being reported that recruiting a new centre back is being considered by the club, the fee that it would take to bring Haaland to Old Trafford could be spent more smartly.

Currently rated at £99m, it might well be suspected that an even higher fee could be demanded by Dortmund for them to even contemplate letting their star depart – eliminating a vast chunk of United’s transfer budget.

A lack of a move could anger Solskjaer considering his apparent interest in his fellow Norwegian, but the funds being spent on other parts of the squad make a lot more sense at the current time for Ed Woodward and the Old Trafford hierarchy.

AND in other news, read why we believe Dean Henderson has to stay in goal even when David De Gea returns to action…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa should urge the club to make a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that the Frenchman was on the Premier League side’s radar, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, with the forward staying put at Celtic Park.

Now, former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Leeds to make a fresh attempt at signing Edouard, insisting that he could prove to be great value for money.

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson said: “I think there’s a need in the summer to bring a striker in. £15m for Odsonne Edouard is a really great deal. If anyone can get him for £15m, it would be amazing.

“I’d love to see Leeds hijack that deal. Edouard can play as a nine and he’s strong. He’s a player who can also play behind the striker. If you can get him for £15m… I’d like to see Leeds hijack that deal but I think a lot of other clubs will be in for him too.”

Better than Bamford

While Patrick Bamford has led the line well for Leeds in their return to the Premier League this season (he’s bagged 13 goals in the top-flight alone), there’s no questioning that the Whites could do with someone to compete with him – he’s played every single game in the league so far.

In Edouard, Leeds could actually find someone who might actually be better than Bamford.

Described as “talismanic” by former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, the Frenchman has already netted 20 goals in just 33 games this season for the Hoops, and that’s for a side who are in some turmoil given their surrender of the Scottish Premiership title.

One of the crucial things in Edouard’s favour over Bamford is his sheer clinical nature in front of goal. It’s been one of the main criticisms levelled at the Leeds striker over these past few seasons that he needs a number of chances to score, and again, even this season has seen him fit that description – he’s missed 17 big chances and has a conversion rate of 18%.

In comparison, Edouard has missed just ten big chances and a far better conversion rate of 25% – to put that into context, Tottenham star Harry Kane is at 21%.

And, aside from being more ruthless in front of goal, Edouard also offers more in the way of his all-round game. Compared to Bamford, he manages more key passes per match (1.2 to 0.7), more successful dribbles (1.6 to 0.5), and wins more duels too (3.6 to three) – given Leeds play with just the one striker, having someone who can lead the line and excel at multiple areas of the game is hugely important.

It’s exactly why Robinson is right. Bielsa should absolutely urge Leeds to go back in for Edouard this summer

Meanwhile, this Leeds target could wreak havoc with Raphinha…

Rangers have been hit or miss in the transfer market over the previous few years, with the Premiership side often reluctant to splash out on transfer fees and in turn, this results in free transfers and loan signings at Ibrox.

This campaign has been no different, under both the ex-manager and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Some players such as John Lundstram and Fashion Sakala have turned out quite well after a slow start, whereas Juninho Bacuna was back down in the English Championship after only five months in Glasgow.

With the club six points clear at the top of the league in January, the onus was on the new manager to strengthen, which he didn’t.

Bringing in Amad Diallo who is young and raw hasn’t paid off and the club should have moved for a player former Rangers legend Brian Laudrup called a “crowd-pleaser”, the Denmark international Andreas Skov Olsen.

The Ibrox side were perennially linked with Olsen during the summer and January transfer windows to no avail, as Club Brugge’s Champions League riches won the battle as they signed him for £6.3m from Bologna.

The right-winger’s stats have been fantastic since moving to Belgium, scoring five times and laying on seven assists for his teammates in only 12 matches since January.

Compare this to Diallo’s stats since his arrival; eight matches, one goal, and no assists and you can see which player Rangers really should have pushed the boat out for.

Hopefully, this is a lesson for Ross Wilson, although the Ibrox side are now traditionally a selling club, signing players who will immediately improve the first team will more often than not pay the club back with performances and excellent stats.

Club Brugge prevailed where Rangers didn’t take their opportunity and it was a poor choice from Wilson.

AND in other news, Gough 2.0: Van Bronckhorst could save Rangers millions with “superb” rarely-seen 18yo

One of Sam Allardyce’s former signings wants a reunion with him at West Brom, though if the Baggies have any sense, they’ll stay well clear…

What’s the word?

Speaking to ‘The Beautiful Game’ podcast earlier this week, ex-Everton frontman Oumar Niasse issued a ‘come-and-get-me’ plea to his old boss, Big Sam,  he still remains without a club.

The 30-year-old said:

“I’m always on the phone with my agent. Big Sam is a guy I’ve worked with and we had a good relationship in his time at Everton.

“When he was appointed West Brom manager, it’s kind of something open. Right now the only thing on my mind is, if I get to a team in England, the opportunity to get on the pitch and to do exactly what I’ve been missing all this time.

“I know with Big Sam I have a good relationship, as I said. He knows how I am, he knows me personally. That can be a very good thing and, to be honest, I’m open.”

Continuing the trend

Niasse has been out of work ever since his release from the Toffees in the summer, meaning he’s not featured in a competitive fixture since a two-minute cameo last January. That’s nearly a year without playing.

His record in the top-flight is hardly inspiring, and certainly doesn’t suggest to him being the solution to their problems in front of the net – in 65 appearances, the Senegalese striker has scored only 12 goals, via Transfermarkt.

At the Hawthorns, they never seem to get the attacking department right and Luke Dowling isn’t going to buck that trend if he allows Niasse to sign on a free, nearly five years after costing Everton £16.5m amid interest from even the likes of Spurs and Chelsea.

Kenneth Zohore, Victor Anichebe, Rickie Lambert to name just a few examples. Though, a move for Niasse could bear similarities to Brown Ideye, who struggled big time in the Midlands, scoring seven goals from 31 appearances after a record-breaking £10m move.

Neither Niasse nor Ideye are your typical Big Sam target man, but rather someone adept in playing off the bigger striker and that’s just not something Albion have in their armoury right now.

Whilst at Everton, the free-agent was slammed by Noel Whelan, he said to Football Insider:

“As a player, to say no to playing Championship football is a foolish mistake. He’s going sit there rotting away, doing nothing. A real opportunity missed in my opinion and kind of stubborn, a stubborn attitude from probably a spoiled player who’s spat his dummy out. Go and play your football, go and ply your trade, go and prove people wrong.”

A stark contrast to U23 boss David Unsworth calling his attitude “incredible” and that he is “just infectious,” whilst Big Sam was always a fan at Goodison.

Dowling must look for better if he’s to give Allardyce a genuine chance of survival at West Brom.

AND in other news, Allardyce heading for FIRST Baggies mistake if he signs £26m “liability”…

Sheffield United take on Crystal Palace at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side looking to build some momentum ahead of their return to the Championship next season.

Although the Blades are rock bottom and already relegated, they showed some resilience with a 1-0 win against Brighton in their last home fixture and will be looking to re-establish Bramall Lane as a place to be feared ahead of next season, with their home form having been a key aspect of their promotion to the top flight and their impressive 2019/20 campaign in the Premier League.

There is likely to be plenty of changes from Heckingbottom after the Blades were thrashed by Tottenham in their last Premier League fixture, after a Gareth Bale hat-trick and Heung-min Son stunner earned the hosts a 4-0 win.

Here’s how Football FanCast thinks Heckingbottom will line up on Saturday, with two changes from the starting team which lost in north London…

Aaron Ramsdale keeps his place in goal, with the summer signing one of few players to escape this season with little criticism, as he has made some impressive saves and looks set for a bright future.

Due to a lack of defensive options, Heckingbottom goes with the same back five, as Ethan Ampadu and Jack O’Connell are still sidelined, with the latter having been a huge miss for the Blades this season after an excellent 2019/20 campaign.

There is one change in midfield as Sander Berge earns a start after making his return from injury as a substitute against Spurs. He replaces Ben Osborn, who struggled in North London, losing six of his 10 duels and giving the ball away 13 times.

David McGoldrick continues up front as Sheffield United’s main goal threat and he is partnered by the energetic Oliver Burke, who replaces Rhian Brewster. The youngster, who reportedly earns £27,500 per week at Bramall Lane, was anonymous once again in the defeat against Spurs, completing a pathetic total of three passes. The £23.5m signing is still awaiting his first Blades goal after 28 appearances.

In other news… Sheffield United should swoop for “top-class” £3.15m-rated gem likened to Messi

After beating Newcastle 2-0 at the weekend, Aston Villa return to Premier League action on Wednesday night when they travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley.

Dean Smith’s side have looked in imperious form this season, finding themselves just six points off a top four place but with three games in hand on West Ham.

Burnley, meanwhile, just appear to have picked up a bit of form, first beating Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, before dispatching Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.

With a European spot firmly in their sights, Smith will no doubt look to go as full strength as possible for the game against the Clarets tonight. And with that in mind, below is a look at just how Villa might line up.

The back-five should remain unchanged with Smith clearly settled on Emiliano Martinez in goal, and Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matty Targett in front of him – they’ve mainly been responsible for Villa conceding just 18 goals in 17 league games this season.

In midfield, with Burnley’s better defensive solidity compared to Newcastle from the other night – Sean Dyche’s side have let in just 22 goals compared to the Magpies 34 – Smith may be tempted to start Jacob Ramsey to give Villa a bit more offensive thrust alongside Douglas Luiz.

Further forward, Ross Barkley could drop out of the starting line-up after a disappointing performance against the Magpies, with the England international being substituted in the second-half after tiring quite badly.

The Birmingham Mail gave the 33-cap ace a 6.5 match rating, the lowest of any Villa starter, and said: “Back-to-back starts now for Barkley after such a long layoff. He felt it in terms of his fitness as the game went on and was rightly taken off as he was breathing heavy.”

If Barkley’s given a rest, Jack Grealish could move inside, with Bertrand Traore on one flank and Trezeguet potentially returning to make a start on the other after his own comeback from injury.

And up front, Ollie Watkins will be hoping to continue from where he left off the other day, after breaking his goal-scoring drought.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Ramsey; Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

Meanwhile, Villa could land a Barkley upgrade in this Brazilian…