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Roma are considering a January bid to sign Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea, according to a report.

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• Roma looking at new defenders
• Chalobah on Italian team's radar
• Chelsea ready to sell centre-back

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Serie A side are in need of reinforcements at centre-back with Chris Smalling, Diego Llorente and Marash Kumbulla all out through injury.

  According to , Roma are considering bringing in a new defender in the January transfer window and Chelsea's Chalobah has emerged as an option.

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  Chelsea are ready to sell Chalobah in the winter market because he does not have a place in Mauricio Pochettino's plans. The Chelsea youth academy graduate is eager to make a move, too, and came close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer, but the deal fell through.

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  Chalobah is not the only defender Roma have their eye on, according to the report. The Serie A club could opt to reunite Jose Mourinho with Tottenham's Eric Dier, who has not made a single appearance for Ange Postecoglou's team this season. Red Bull Salzburg's Oumar Solet is also on the Giallorossi's radar, while veteran centre-back Jerome Boateng is also seen as an option after Bayern backed out of a deal to sign him.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Roma will likely field the emergency pairing of defensive midfielders Bryan Cristante and Leandro Paredes at centre-back for their weekend clash against Monza.

Despite just being relegated immediately back down to the Championship and finishing 13 points from safety, the West Brom job will still be an attractive one for many people, according to former Wigan Athletic manager Paul Jewell.

The Baggies are on the hunt for their third manager in less than 12 months having already parted ways with Slaven Bilic last December after earning a 1-1 draw away to Manchester City, and it was reported last week that Sam Allardyce would not be remaining as the club’s manager in the Championship.

Reports have suggested that West Brom will target Chris Wilder this summer but may face an uphill battle as the former Blades manager is reportedly willing to hold out for a Premier League job either this summer or into next season.

It is still a massive club that will attract a lot of managers despite now being in the Championship and set to potentially sell their star players, Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone. That’s according to Jewell, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“It will be a well sought after job and I know Chris Wilder has been mentioned, because he did a great job, getting Sheffield United up through the leagues as well as in the first season in the Premier League. So I’m sure his name will pop up.

“It will be a job that a lot of people are interested in because, I worked there very briefly and it’s a huge football club with great supporters, great fan base and good facilities. So it’s got all the infrastructure to be a Premier League club so it will attract a lot of suitors.”

Allardyce was brought in as West Brom manager back in December as they looked to address any relegation fears early on and give the former England manager a transfer window to improve the squad but for the first time in his career, Allardyce saw his side relegated from the Premier League.

West Brom’s Achilles’ heel this season was their defensive frailties having conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season having leaked an amazing 76 goals in just 38 games.

Former Schalke striker Raul has rejected an offer to take over as the German side's coach, it has been reported.

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• Schalke sacked coach last week
• Offered post to former striker
• Spain icon wants Madrid stay

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Thomas Reis was sacked from his post as head coach last week with the Gelsenkirchen side sitting as low as 16th in the 2. Bundesliga.

  Schalke turned to ex-star forward Raul to offer him the job, according to , but the Spain legend has turned down the opportunity.

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  Raul signed for Schalke on a free transfer from Real Madrid in 2010 and went on to make 97 appearances for the club, scoring 40 goals.

  He helped fire them to the Champions League semi-finals in his first season with the Bundesliga side, and the quarter-finals of the Europa League the following year.

  Raul is currently at the helm of Real Madrid Castilla and, according to the report, would prefer to stay there than take over at the German side.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Raul, who won six La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns as a player at Madrid, took charge of the Castilla side in 2020. He has overseen 138 competitive matches and won 59.

  Raul, 46, also guided the Madrid Under 19s to UEFA Youth League success in 2020.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Schalke will look to other options to take over as head coach and lead their bid to escape the relegation zone in the second tier of German football.

Houston Dynamo midfielder Hector Herrera insists that facing Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final is "extra motivation".

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• Dynamo to face Inter Miami
• Herrera excited by prospect
• Messi could be involved

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dynamo are set to go toe-to-toe with Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final this week but there have been some doubts over the fitness of Messi. The World Cup winner missed training on Tuesday, although Dynamo boss Ben Olsen suspects he will play.

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  Herrera, as a result, is excited by the prospect of going head-to-head with a player he regards as the best in the world. Indeed, since his move to the United States, Messi has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 12 games.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Herrera said: "We know that it is going to be a very difficult match that is going to require us to be one hundred percent and concentrated for more than ninety minutes.

  "We are very motivated, confident that we can achieve something important, but we know that along the way there is a very strong rival led on the bench by Tata (Martino) and on the field by the best in the world (referring to Messi), so for us it is an extra motivation."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Inter and Dynamo will go head-to-head on Wednesday evening at the DRV PNK Stadium.

Barcelona midfielder Gavi was left sporting staples in his ear after suffering a nasty injury during a dramatic 2-1 victory over Osasuna.

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• Teenager suffered gruesome knock
• Medical staff forced to stitch him up
• Completed 90 minutes in dramatic win

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 19-year-old playmaker picked up the gruesome knock following a coming together with Ruben Garcia at El Sadar, with the youngster left on the turf with blood pouring down his face. Medical staff were quick to tend to him, with the wound in question swiftly closed up.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gavi was able to complete the game, as he played the full 90 minutes, but does have a painful reminder of how much effort was required in order for the reigning La Liga champions to collect all three points.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Barcelona feared that they had allowed two points to slip through their grasp when seeing Ezequiel Avila cancel out Jules Kounde’s opener. Robert Lewandowski was, however, to have the final say as he converted an 85th-minute penalty after Alejandro Catena had been sent off for the hosts.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Gavi, along with a number of his club colleagues at Camp Nou, is now preparing to head off on international duty during the first domestic break of the 2023-24 campaign. He will form part of Spain’s squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and Cyprus, with fellow Barca starlets Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal also being included in Luis de la Fuente’s ranks.

Former Leeds United striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Patrick Bamford breaking into Liverpool’s team.

This comes after The Athletic (via TEAMtalk) reported that the Reds have an interest in the 27-year-old forward.

Such a development hardly comes as a surprise after the season Bamford has had. He has won many plaudits for his goalscoring exploits this term, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp himself coming out to praise the Englishman.

Despite the exceptional campaign Bamford has had, though, Deane believes Liverpool could be a level too high.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the Merseyside club’s reported interest in £35,000-a-week man Bamford, the ex-Leeds player said:

“I’m not really sure. I think he fits in well because he’s grown with Leeds United. Liverpool have got the likes of [Diogo] Jota, [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mane – that’s another level for me.

“I think, probably, Patrick sits below that group, those well-established international players. I think he’s done well, think he’s a good player and I don’t want to be unfair to him because I think he’s done well, but I don’t see how he comes in and dislodges those types of players.”

“I think that he’ll be staying at Leeds.”

Indeed, there is no guarantee of Bamford breaking into that Liverpool team. Considering that, and already performing in a Leeds side that have shown that they can excel in the Premier League, an Elland Road stay probably looks like the wisest option.

Details about the Costa Rica squad for the Women's World Cup 2023, including the players who may be included and those who may miss out.

A tough task awaits Costa Rica as they enter the biggest stage in Women's football after 2015. Only participating in their second World Cup in their history, Las Ticas will be determined to produce a diligent performance and will be hoping to weave themselves a fairytale heading into the competition.

Long-term manager Amelia Valverde has already set the record straight having dropped star player Shirley Cruz heading into Australia. Cruz who announced retirement this season was planning to head to the World Cup considering it as her last dance but Valverde has stirred the pot by sidelining her.

But with Las Ticas possessing a massive quality of players injected with experience and some up-and-coming products finding their way into the side, Valverde will know that Costa Rica is capable of doing some wonders at the World Cup.

With Spain touted to be the runaway leader of the group, Costa Rica will be fighting with Zambia and Japan to secure themselves a spot in the knockout phases. Valverde would be fully aware that her experienced group of players have the goods to convert themselves from underdogs to challengers.

Costa Rica announced their final squad as Valverde identified her catalogue of 23-players who would get the ticket to fly to the showpiece event, asGOALtakes a look at who made it to the Costa Rica Women's World Cup squad.

• GOALKEEPERS

  Sporting San Jose's Daniela Solera could be given the massive responsibility of guarding her nation between the sticks. Solera was an integral part of her country's qualifying matches and Valverde will once again bank on the veteran to produce the goods.

  Priscilla Tapia and Genesis Perez are two different profiles and are on opposite ends of the age scale. Perez is a budding name in the Costa Rican circle while Tapia has massive experience of wearing the national team's shirt on various occasions and both of them could be a decent backup option for Solera.

  Name	Club
  Priscilla Tapia	Herediano
  Daniela Solera	Sporting San José
  Genesis Perez	UCF Knights

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• DEFENDERS

  The Costa Rican side could field a formation with three centre-back with Herediano's defensive wall Mariana Benavides in the heart of the back line.

  The duo of Valeria del Campo and Fabiola Villalobos will be responsible for keeping the backline organised and maintaining a solid shape considering they are not a physically brutal team. Despite Costa Rica not being the most physical side, Del Campo and Villalobos will not shy away from a tackle and will put their heart out to defend their nation at the biggest stage.

  With the experience of Lixy Rodriguez and Daniela Cruz sidelined by manager Amelia Valverde, Las Ticas will bank on Gabriella Guillen to guard the flanks and also provide attacking threats during counter attacks.

  Name	Club
  Mariana Benavides	Herediano
  Maria Paula Elizondo	Saprissa
  Valeria del Campo	Monterrey
  Fabiola Villalobos	Alajuelense
  Maria Coto	Alajuelense
  Carol Sanchez	Independiente Santa Fe
  Gabriella Guillen	Þór/KA

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  MIDFIELDERS

  Las Ticas' midfield could be the most crucial department if they hope to take their nation to new hearts in the showdown event.

  The most significant names in Valverde's roster are evidently in this catalogue of players and the manager has the responsibility to field a strong midfield to give the side their best shot at galloping towards the knockout phases.

  Portland Thorns' Raquel Rodriguez has bagged 55 goals in her 100 caps for her national side and could be a thorn in the side of the opposing team.

  Costa Rica's vice-captain and Deportivo Saprissa's midfield general, Katherine Alvarado already has 132 caps to her name and she will be vying to produce some outstanding performances for her side. Costa Rica have only scored 3 goals in a World Cup and Alvarado had assisted two out of them and will once again play a crucial role in Australia.

  Glasgow City's prodigy Priscilla Chinchilla will be operating her tricks in between the two lines and the attacking midfielder is touted as a diamond in the making by many pundits heading into the tournament. The 21-year-old has already bagged 20 goals for her country as she approaches her 50th game for her nation

  Name	Club
  Katherine Alvarado	Deportivo Saprissa
  Emilie Valenciano	–
  Raquel Rodríguez	Portland Thorns
  Priscila Chinchilla	Glasgow City
  Mariela Campos	Deportivo Saprissa
  Alexandra Pinell	Alajuelense
  Sheika Scott	Alajuelense
  Gloriana Villalobos	Deportivo Saprissa

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• FORWARDS

  Bordeaux's star Melissa Herrera has thrived as a goalscorer and an attacking midfielder in the recent past for both club and country and will once again be an influential cog in binding the two departments together.

  Creative by nature, Herrera can chip in with crucial goals throughout the course of the game and has an exemplary vision and creative skills to partner up with her goalscoring abilities.

  Valverde has multiple options in her attacking department with the manager most likely to opt for a central striker and another forward to operate right behind the former. Deportivo Saprissa's duo of Sofia Varela and Catalina Estrada could be handed the responsibility of leading the nation's attacking battery.

  While Maria Paula Salas could also be given a start by the manager considering her goalscoring abilities and her knack for smelling an opportunity and unleashing thunderous strikes in the back of the net.

  Name	Club
  Melissa Herrera	Bordeaux
  Cristín Granados	Sporting San José
  Catalina Estrada	Deportivo Saprissa
  Sofia Varela	Deportivo Saprissa
  Maria Paula Salas	–

West Ham United have another new striker on their shortlist ahead of the summer…

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, the Irons are tracking Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata ahead of the upcoming window as they fear Tammy Abraham could be out of reach financially.

It’s claimed that David Moyes will have around £35m to spend on a new forward but that is still short of Chelsea’s £40m valuation, and that’s on top of his desired £140k-per-week wages.

Zapata provides an interesting alternative and sits alongside Brentford talisman Ivan Toney and Sparta Prague’s Adam Hlozek on Hammers’ priority list.

Sign him up

If Abraham is too expensive, then Moyes should absolutely target the Serie A goal machine instead. It’s no secret that his squad needs another forward and at the very last that’s one extra frontman.

GSB never replaced Sebastian Haller after sanctioning his exit during the January transfer window after just 18 months at the London Stadium, meaning the Scottish manager was left with an injury-prone Michail Antonio as his only senior option.

The 30-year-old powerhouse has proven to be a prolific marksman in Italy throughout his career and this season he has been in fine form, providing 18 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-team-injury-news-gsb-update” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

That has taken his overall tally for Atalanta to a whopping 65 strikes in only 126 appearances, which is around a goal every other game.

His physical attributes make for the most appeal as at 6 foot 2, he has the stature to cause many Premier League defences nightmares, and that is something that his former teammate, Papu Gomez, alluded to last season.

Speaking on Instagram (via Goal), he claimed:

“Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big. Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!'”

Furthermore, ex-Colombia boss Jose Pekerman praised Zapata after his international debut and suggested that they “need him with his power.” He has since gone onto land 16 caps for his national side.

It remains to be seen how much of that £35m would be eaten up by a move for the Atalanta sensation but given CIES value him at €30m (£26m), he should certainly come a lot cheaper than Abraham, who is yet to deliver as consistently as Zapata.

Moyes will also finally get another option up front, ending the nightmare of the last few months.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Moyes handed injury setback, Irons star “may not play again this season”…

The Reds are expecting a busy window as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his defence and midfield significantly

There's no denying it; Liverpool are set for a busy summer transfer window. The disappointment of this season, in which the Reds have somehow managed to miss out on Champions League qualification, has focused minds at Anfield, with significant moves expected in the close season.

Departures have already been confirmed. Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all leave on free transfers, while others could follow, as Jurgen Klopp looks to build a squad capable of challenging for major honours once more.

That means signings, and good ones at that. Midfield is an obvious target area, but don't be surprised to see Klopp looking to reinforce his defence too, given some of the struggles of key personnel this term.

Links with potential targets, as they always are with Liverpool, have been plentiful. Here are the players most likely to end up at Anfield this summer…

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  Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton)

  We'll start with the obvious. Mac Allister has, following the decision to walk away from a potential deal for Jude Bellingham, emerged as Liverpool's top summer target, the Reds impressed by the Argentina World Cup winner's superb form for Brighton.

  It is understood that the 24-year-old would be keen on a move to Merseyside, although Chelsea, Manchester United and even Manchester City have also been linked. Anfield sources have dismissed recent speculation that a £70 million ($87m) deal is close to being agreed, but it is clear that Mac Allister is high on Liverpool's list, and it would be no surprise to see this transfer completed.

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  Mason Mount (Chelsea)

  Another player to have been repeatedly linked with Liverpool in recent months is Mount, the Chelsea and England attacking midfielder. The 24-year-old is about to enter the final year of his contract, and talks over an extension are understood to have stalled some time ago.

  Liverpool are long-time admirers, and have received encouragement that Mount would be open to the idea of moving to Anfield. Arsenal and Manchester United have, though, also been linked, and recent reports have since suggested that a move to Old Trafford would be Mount's preferred choice if a deal could be struck.

  Regardless, much will hinge on how hard Chelsea and new manager Mauricio Pochettino push to keep their academy graduate, or indeed how much they demand for the player should they look to sell up.

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  Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich)

  Having been linked with Gravenberch in the summers of both 2020 and 2022, Liverpool have completed the hat-trick this year. The Dutch international has endured a disappointing first season at Bayern Munich, and reports suggest the 21-year-old is eager to move in search of more regular football.

  Representatives from the Reds are believed to have met with the talented midfielder's father back in March, though the mood music since has suggested that Bayern, understandably, are reluctant to sell the former Ajax man after only one season in Bavaria. Any move may depend on Gravenberch's desire to make life difficult for the Bundesliga giants.

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• Jurrien Timber (Ajax)

  With Trent Alexander-Arnold revelling in a new hybrid full-back/midfield role, finding defenders capable of covering for the England international will be key this summer. And in that sense, Ajax and Netherlands star Timber fits the bill.

  His ability to play as both a right-back and a centre-back, his pace and his ball-playing ability make the 21-year-old an interesting option, with reports in the Netherlands suggesting that contact has already been made by Liverpool.

  A move, however, could depend on what happens with both Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, neither of whom have had the best of seasons, and both of whom could have opportunities to move in the summer.

The Gunners fought back from two goals down away from home to level their European semi-final in a thrilling first leg in Germany

Arsenal made a remarkable recovery from 2-0 down away at Wolfsburg on Sunday to level their Women's Champions League semi-final tie ahead of a home leg at the Emirates Stadium.

A disastrous start for the Gunners saw Ewa Pajor punish some slack defending before Sveindis Jonsdottir benefitted from a massive error when Arsenal were playing out from the back, with the home side two up in the first 25 minutes.

But Rafaelle, the Arsenal defender whose pass Jonsdottir put into the back of the net, pulled a goal back with a brilliant header before the break, and the Gunners would make it 2-2 with just over 20 minutes to go, Stina Blackstenius capping off a lovely team goal.

🏆 TOP STORY: Messi set to leave PSG for free this summer

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Which players should Wrexham target this summer?

🚨 MUST READ: Most painful Premier League title slip-ups ever

GOAL rates the Arsenal players after a terrific fightback in Germany…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Manuela Zinsberger (6/10):

  Couldn't do anything about either goal and didn't have too much else to do otherwise.

  Noelle Maritz (6/10):

  Needed to get closer to Jonsdottir for Wolfsburg's opening goal but she recovered well in the game to have an impact going forward as well.

  Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):

  Also didn't cover herself in glory for the opener but improved and played a lovely pass in the build-up to Arsenal's equaliser.

  Jen Beattie (7/10):

  Costly error playing out from the back for Wolfsburg's second goal but got a lot better as the game went on, defending well and showing qualities in the build-up play.

  Rafaelle (7/10):

  Was also at fault for Wolfsburg's second goal but would make amends in a great way with a thumping header to pull a goal back.

  Steph Catley (7/10):

  Her wonderful set-piece delivery for the first goal marked a solid return to action for the Aussie.

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  Midfield

  Lia Walti (7/10):

  Dictated play well in spells and competed hard in the midfield, winning every single tackle she went in for.

  Frida Maanum (6/10):

  Couldn't get into the game, really. Showed good movement to get a shot off in the box in the first half which was then turned behind for the corner that Arsenal scored from.

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  Attack

  Katie McCabe (6/10):

  Worked hard on both sides of the ball and grew into the game more as it went on.

  Stina Blackstenius (7/10):

  Provided bright moments even when her team were struggling, worked exceptionally hard and tapped home the equaliser after doing well to lose her marker.

  Victoria Pelova (8/10):

  Arsenal's liveliest player across the whole game, with a great performance capped off by the assist for the equaliser.

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• Subs & Manager

  Laura Wienroither (6/10):

  Replaced Catley for the final 20 minutes and immediately got stuck in with her defensive work as Wolfsburg began to turn the screw.

  Kathrine Kühl (N/A):

  Couldn't make an impact after coming on in the final minute of the match.

  Jonas Eidevall (7/10):

  Was never going to make an impact in terms of making substitutes given the injury crisis Arsenal have, but his decision to change to a back three was a very effective one as his team recovered from a terrible start to secure a huge result.