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Frank McAvennie has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Ross Barkley’s ability to blow hot and cold would make him a risky signing for the West Ham.

Barkley is currently on loan at Aston Villa for the season, and hit the ground running by scoring spectacular goals against both Liverpool and Leicester.

But a hamstring injury, combined with a loss of form, has seen the midfielder contribute just one goal since December, with the England man failing to start any of Villa’s last seven Premier League matches.

£96,000-a-week man Barkley is expected to return to parent club Chelsea this summer, although Moyes is a big of the midfielder, with reports suggesting that he could become an option for West Ham should his long-term future lie away from Stamford Bridge.

Moyes was Everton manager when the former Toffee was coming through the ranks, and handed Barkley his Premier League debut back in 2011.

Despite the links, whilst McAvennie recognises Barkley’s ability, he exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he isn’t convinced by the Liverpudlian:

“The problem with Barkley is he went to Villa and was on fire. He stuck up a wonderful partnership with Grealish and McGinn.

“And then he went off the boil, and if you’ve got a player like that, I’m not sure if you’d want him. You can spend big money on him and he could do great for six games and go back to his old ways.

“There’s no doubt he’s talented, but out of him and Lingard, I would take Lingard all day long in this form.

“I don’t know if you could do with Barkley. They need to stop bringing in players that want to just see out there time because we’ve done that with Wilshere and Andy Carroll.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenne's Wrexham will be boosted ahead of today's clash with Accrington Stanley knowing they could go level with Stockport.

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• Stockport game with Colchester postponed
• Wrexham could go second in League Two
• Face Accrington Stanley in heated affair

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Stockport County's clash with Colchester United has been postponed after a pitch inspection at the U's stadium ruled the ground to be waterlogged. The postponement gives Wrexham the opportunity to go level on points with Stockport who currently occupy the second automatic promotion spot. However, the Red Dragon's will have to overcome a fired-up Accrington Stanley side.

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  Wrexham are currently in fourth place in League Two and, should they win on Saturday, will put pressure on those occupying the promotion places. However, Stockport will have a game in hand and remain ahead of the Red Dragons at the end of the day on goal difference (unless Wrexham win an astonishing 14-0). Although the game against a resurgent Colchester United will not be a guaranteed three points for Stockport.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wrexham lost 2-0 to Accrington Stanley in the reverse fixture of today's game. The defeat sparked exuberant celebrations from the Accrington players, staff and fans which Wrexham's Ryan Barnett is seeking to avenge today.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  With just 14 games left of the League Two season, the promotion race is heating up. Wrexham are vying for one of the two automatic promotion spots, but may have to settle for the play-offs should they finish between third and sixth.

Some Arsenal fans have been left to slam the display of Granit Xhaka in the first half of their game away at Burnley in the Premier League, after he made a bizarre error to gift the hosts an equaliser.

The central midfield player was guilty of giving the ball away quite cheaply on a number of different occasions for the Emirates Stadium faithful, which eventually resulted in a quite ridiculous goal for Chris Wood.

The Switzerland international does sometimes takes a lot of risks in terms of keeping hold of the ball for too long or trying some ambitious passes, which can lead to him giving up possession to his opponents, and he played a ball across goal into the midriff of the New Zealand international, which ricocheted into the net.

Gunners supporters fumed at his performance in the first half of the match, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the 28-year-old can put that blunder behind him and recover after the break.

Arsenal fan reaction to Xhaka’s first-half display

These Gooners slammed his first-half performance on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far to claim that he is ‘useless’:

“#BURARS good chance for a breakaway, but, no, #xhaka side wards, backwards…”

Credit: @chudds007

“Xhaka starting to lose possession.”

Credit: @FRANXICAN

“Xhaka is useless stop defending stupid players”

Credit: @olalekan_ab

“Xhaka is so negative with going forward its a joke. Definitely glad we bought a forward thinking player in Partey”

Credit: @jed_i_diah

“Xhaka error, normal thing.”

Credit: @TayoSays

“Again. What’s with Xhaka’s bad habit to pull back when we’re breaking forward?”

Credit: @Arsenal_LINY

In other news, find out whose display was slammed against Leicester City here!

Germany legend Andreas Brehme has passed away at the age of 63 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

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• Brehme died in Munich hospital on Monday night
• Partner confirms his passing
• Tributes pour in for Germany legend

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  As per , Brehme's partner Susanne Schaefer confirmed his death in a statement, which reads: "It is with deep sadness that I announce on behalf of the family that my partner Andreas Brehme died suddenly and unexpectedly tonight as a result of a cardiac arrest. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time and refrain from asking questions."

  The report adds that Brehme was admitted to Ziemssenstrasse Hospital near his apartment in Munich after suffering the heart attack on Monday night, but he couldn't be saved.

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• BREHME'S LEGACY

  Brehme, who is survived by Schaefer and his two adult sons from his marriage to Pilar Martinez, won 86 caps for Germany and played for Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan at club level. During his decade-long international career, the defender featured in three World Cups, and famously scored the winning goal in the final of the 1990 tournament against Argentina.

  As a modern full-back who never hesitated to push forward, Brehme was a popular figure among supporters and boasted an impressive goal record for a defender. He also won two Bundesliga titles during his time in the German top-flight, and earned a Serie A winners' medal with Inter before going on to play for Real Zaragoza. Brehme eventually retired in 1998 after a second spell at Kaiserslautern.

• CLUB TRIBUTES

  Tributes started pouring in for Brehme on Tuesday morning, with Bayern among the clubs to pay their respects to their beloved former player. "FC Bayern is deeply shocked by the sudden death of Andreas Brehme," the club said in a statement. "The German record champion is united in mourning with his relatives and friends. We will always keep Andreas Brehme in our hearts – as a world champion and even more so as a very special person. He will always be part of the FC Bayern family. Rest in peace, dear Andi!"

  Kaiserslautern said in their own statement: "The FCK mourns the loss of Andreas Brehme. He wore the Red Devils jersey for a total of ten years and became German champion and cup winner with FCK. In 1990 he shot the German national team to the World Cup title with his penalty and finally became a football legend. The FCK family is deeply saddened and its thoughts are with Andi Brehme's relatives and friends. We will honour his memory."

  Inter also said goodbye to Brehme in a post on social media, which reads: "A magnificent player, a true Interista. Ciao Andy, forever a legend ⚫️🔵"

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  A TRUE LEGEND OF THE GAME

  Brehme's death comes just over a month after the passing of another Germany icon in Franz Beckenbauer. says Brehme was "deeply affected" by the loss of Beckenbauer, who coached him for the German national team. After hanging up his boots, Brehme moved into coaching himself, taking charge at Kaiserslautern and Unterhaching before spending a year at Stuttgart in an assistant role.

  Lothar Matthaus famously described Brehme as the most talented footballer he played with, and he will forever be remembered for the lasting impact he made on the game.

Following magician Dynamo's amazing magic acts in the Sky Sports studio, Roy Keane had the audience in stitches with a typical Keane reaction.

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• Magician Dynamo performs magic in Sky studios
• Leaves Micah and Carragher in stunned disbelief
• Keane has a fun reaction to the magic trick

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Bradford-born magician was at the Etihad on Sunday for the Premier League encounter between Manchester City and Spurs. He was joined by Sky pundits Micah Richards, Jamie Carragher, and the former Manchester United skipper Keane. When the British magician performed an amazing ice-cube illusion on former City defender Richards on Sunday afternoon, it left everyone in a state of shock. Soon after, Dynamo would pull off a card trick that left commentators and fans equally perplexed and even caused the normally unaffected Keane to react.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• WHAT KEANE SAID ABOUT THE MAGIC

  Roy Keane was questioned by Sky reporter David Jones on the "extraordinary" occurrences shortly after the performance.

  Desperate to obtain Keane's first reaction, Jones remarked, "I mean, you've been to David Copperfield, you were trying to look at the other hand to see what was going on."

  The United great replied in typical fashion. "It's his job, isn't it?"

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  In one of his riskiest acts to date, the 40-year-old magician will bury himself alive on live television later this month. But first, Dynamo will take viewers on a two-hour special that will be "of both loss and hope" before being "killed and reborn" on a live TV programme that airs on December 14 including interviews with celebrities including Demi Lovato, Cara Delevingne, Coldplay, Tyson Fury, and Steven Bartlett. After struggling with his identity and mental health, Dynamo is claimed to have reached his "rock bottom." However, the magician found the courage to tell others about his journey to rehabilitation and rebirth.

Manchester City cult hero Pablo Zabaleta, as relayed by an exclusive with the Mirror, is in talks over an emotional return to Eastlands nearly four years after his departure – with the Argentine open to taking up different roles for the club following his retirement from football in October.

Zabaleta, who made 333 appearances for the Sky Blues before emotionally saying goodbye at the end of the 2016/2017 season, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield at the Etihad, could now make a dream return in a non-playing capacity.

The Argentine is a fan favourite for the club, being one of the only players signed before the takeover to survive in City’s squad for years thereafter.

After his departure from the Etihad, Zabaleta could come back in a non-playing role – as the Mirror relay CFG have approached him over a return in some capacity as he will continue to negotiate.

The 36-year-old hinted he could even take up a coaching role as supporters flock to this ‘awesome news’ shared by City Xtra on social media, and it’s little wonder why they’re excited given the love for ‘Zaba’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Man City fans wowed by ‘awesome’ Zabaleta news

“Get in Zaba”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“#ZABACK SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @gundo8ii

“YEA!!!! Awesome news…!”

Credit: @MCFCTone

“YEEESSSSSSS”

Credit: @jontekarlsson02

“Can’t wait to have Zaba back in any capacity. His genuine love for mcfc

is unmatched.”

Credit: @dippyalone

“Please make this happen”

Credit: @Mr_C_Walsh

“The king shall return”

Credit: @_TrueInBlue

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @mcfcsaif

In other news: Man City fans weren’t impressed by this claim, find out more here.

Chelsea's new starboy Cole Palmer has explained his altercation with Erling Haaland after he tried to earwig a Manchester City team chat.

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• Palmer starred and scored in 4-4 thriller
• Tried to earwig City's free-kick chat
• Claims Haaland "found it pretty funny"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The City academy graduate came up against his former club on Sunday, showing them the player they let go with a stellar display capped off with an ice-cold stoppage time penalty to make it 4-4. Palmer was heavily involved in the action all match, and almost scored another from an Eden Hazard-esque individual run. He also attempted to wind up his former team-mates, as he tried to earwig City's late team huddle.

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• WHAT PALMER SAID

  Palmer has since lifted the lid on that incident, which saw Erling Haaland push him away roughly, as he told reporters on Wednesday: "No I didn't hear anything [from the team chat], I was just having a laugh to be honest! I think Erling found it pretty funny, I don't think the others did."

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  Palmer's jokey actions will only have endeared himself even more to the Chelsea faithful, after his impressive start to life in west London has already made him a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge. It also saw him earn a call up to the England senior squad from the Under-21s set-up – a decision which he revealed he thought was a joke.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Palmer has been involved in eight goal contributions in 11 matches for Chelsea this season. He tops the club's assists rankings with four to his name, alongside midfielder Conor Gallagher.

Arsenal are not planning to cancel their sleeve sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda, despite a UK Supreme Court ruling on deportations to the country.

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• Arsenal have Visit Rwanda on their sleeve
• Gunners not planning to cancel that sponsorship
• UK court rules plan to deport refugees is unlawful

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The UK Supreme Court ruled this week that the Conservative Party's plan to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda is "unlawful".

  Lord Robert Reed, the president of the court, said Rwanda has a "poor human rights record" but there is not expected to be any change to Arsenal's agreement with the country, per .

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  Visit Rwanda first appeared on Arsenal shirts in 2018, but the deal was reupped in 2021 and is worth £10m ($12.5m) per year to the Gunners. The club claims the agreement is about promoting potential tourism, as opposed to supporting the country's leadership, or any of their politics.

  The Rwandan government has been accused of multiple human rights abuses and Visit Rwanda is a governmental division.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Arsenal are not the only club to have an agreement with Visit Rwanda. Both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have also entered into sponsorship deals with the organisation.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  The Gunners return to action following the international break on November 25 against Brentford. They will then be in Champions League action against French club Lens.

Crystal Palace ended their season poorly with a lacklustre performance against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-0 to the former champions.

In what was Roy Hodgson’s last game in charge of the Eagles, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend failed to capitalise on promising situations in the opening period of play, allowing the Reds time to settle, and find their rhythm.

After Townsend had put his effort narrowly wide of Alisson Becker’s post when one-on-one with the Brazilian shot-stopper, it was largely one-way traffic at Anfield, and Sadio Mane poked home a close-range finish from a corner on the 36-minute mark.

The Senegal international grabbed a second late on to seal the three points for Jurgen Klopp’s charges and condemned Palace to a second consecutive 14th-placed finish.

It was a tame ending to Hodgson’s commendable, steady four-year stint in south London, but one man more than most let the former England boss down over the weekend.

As per SofaScore, James Tomkins received a meagre 6.4/10 rating for the 58 minutes he was on the pitch, the joint lowest score received by any player to feature in the game.

The 32-year-old defender had just 27 touches of the ball over the weekend and recorded a passing accuracy of only 63%, managing to pick out a teammate with 12 of his 19 passes before he was forced to exit with an injury.

To top off an underwhelming display from the experienced centre-back, Tomkins was also unsuccessful with all three of his attempted long balls as Palace failed to make an impression on proceedings and he was one of the Eagles stars who let his manager down at Anfield.

It’s set to be a summer of big changes at the capital club, with several first-team players approaching the end of their current contracts, but Tomkins still has 12 months to run on his £55,000-per-week deal and is likely to help smooth over the transitional period when Hodgson’s successor arrives, although he’ll need better performances than the one he put in on Sunday in order to do that.

And, in other news…Fewer touches than Guaita: Palace flop who lost 67% of his duels let Hodgson down 

Ralph Hasenhuttl has been handed a surprising, yet very welcome, boost at Southampton this week, after it was revealed that Oriol Romeu has returned to training after injury.

The Spaniard was expected to be out for the season after breaking his ankle in a 3-0 defeat against Leeds United back in February but Hampshire Live has confirmed that he is back on the pitch at Staplewood and could even return for some of Southampton’s remaining fixtures.

The Saints have five games remaining of the Premier League season and whilst they are not yet mathematically safe, Fulham would need to pick up at least 10 points and hope that Southampton pick up none, if they are to catch up to Hasenhuttl’s side.

To have Romeu back before the end of the season would be a huge boost for the Austrian manager, as he and James Ward-Prowse formed a superb partnership in midfield earlier in the campaign, which was a significant factor in their impressive start to the season.

The 29-year-old, who joined for £5m from Chelsea in 2015, has averaged an impressive 6.97 rating across his 20 appearances in the top-flight this season, which ranks him as the third-best performer in Southampton’s squad so far this campaign.

Southampton have seriously struggled in his absence, with Ibrahima Diallo flattering to deceive as his replacement, which has forced Hasenhuttl to play Armstrong in central midfield on occasion, which doesn’t suit the Scottish international.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Therefore, if they can welcome back Romeu then the South Coast side can revert back to using the midfield which helped them briefly go top of the Premier League back in November and hopefully, they can finish the season strongly after a shocking run of form in 2021.

Romeu’s influence cannot be underestimated as, ahead of their meeting in December, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the defensive midfielder, saying:

“He (Hasenhuttl) has experience at the back and has one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, Romeu.”

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Romeu’s return ahead of schedule is certainly some good news for Southampton and hopefully, they can get him fit enough to feature in some of the remaining Premier League fixtures, as it would be a huge boost to have him back on the pitch.

And, in other news… Semmens disaster: Southampton missed out on “brilliant” PL gem perfect for Hasenhuttl