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Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that West Ham regularly bringing in an income of more than £200m a year is achievable.

Claret and Hugh reports that West Ham’s turnover for the year is expected to be above £200m (£210m) after a season where the Hammers were able to finish sixth in the Premier League, resulting in an extra £30m.

It is undoubtedly a positive development for the east London club and its supporters, who will want to continue seeing their side compete at the top end of the table, something they should have every chance of doing if the money continues to flow in and is used to strengthen David Moyes’ squad.

Maguire, though, has warned that while possible, such a turnover can only be maintained if West Ham regularly qualify for European football.

“In order for West Ham to regularly achieve income of more than £200m, they’ve got to be playing in Europe, whether that’s Conference League, Europa League, ” The Price of Football author exclusively told FFC. “Clearly their ambition it will be Champions League.

“But they would need to have these additional fixtures coming in. West Ham’s revenue in 2019, which was a pre-pandemic year, was £191m, so it is achievable. And it certainly puts them on a par with Leicester, if not slightly ahead of Leicester.”

Whether Moyes can keep this high standard up remains to be seen. But West Ham fans will surely be feeling optimistic after what they saw from the Scotsman and his team in the season that has just gone.

Celtic are back in SPFL action this afternoon with an away match against Ross County.

The Hoops will be looking to put last weekend’s defeat against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final behind them and add some more league points to their tally to take a step closer to securing the title.

On the chalkboard

One player that started in the defeat at Hampden Park that should not be in the team on this occasion is midfielder Reo Hatate.

Celtic signed the 24-year-old during the previous January transfer window in a deal worth £1.4m from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale.

Since then, the midfielder has made 17 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing three assists along the way.

Despite his efforts in front of goal, his display last weekend was not up to scratch and arguably cost his side a place in the Scottish Cup final.

According to the Daily Record, Hatate was “too often second best in 50-50 challenges and dominated by Jack and Lundstram for long spells,” in addition to his “lack of authority in [the] engine room.”

As well as his defensive shakiness, his attacking output was rather lacking as well, with The Herald saying that he “never really threatened in the final third.”

With this in mind and the fact that Celtic will be looking to pick up all three points before coming face to face with Rangers again in the SPFL next weekend, Postecoglou can’t risk seeing the midfielder put in another performance as he did last time out.

Therefore, it could be worth taking Hatate out of the starting XI on this occasion to see if he would be better off being used as a potential substitute if needed.

Having been slammed for a “nasty” tackle he committed back in March by former top referee Steve Conroy, the £14.5k-per-week midfielder has racked up seven fouls in total in the league.

Moving forward, when it comes to putting his starting XI together to take on County, Postecoglou’s best plan of action could be to leave Hatate out this time unless he’s convinced the Hoops boss in training that his dire display last weekend was just a one-off.

In other news: Sold for £2m, now worth £540k: Celtic struck gold on £17k-p/w dud who “had issues”

Alex McLeish has warned Celtic that they could regret selling young midfielder Ismaila Soro.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Tottenham were monitoring the 22-year-old, having identified him as a ‘holding player of talent who could bolster their squad’.

Soro only joined Celtic from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda in January 2020, penning a four-and-a-half-year deal.

What role has Soro played for Celtic this season?

He had to wait until 13 December for his first league start of this season, but it kick-started a run of 10 successive starts. That streak ended at the beginning of February, and he has only been selected for one Premiership game by John Kennedy.

The £11,000-per-week Ivorian’s involvement in Celtic’s brief European campaign was also limited to 109 minutes.

The midfielder has averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.8 accurate long balls per game when he has featured (via WhoScored).

‘I’m certain Soro understands what it means to play for Celtic’

Former Scotland manager McLeish understands the argument that selling Soro could raise funds, but suggested that he could be a success if he was truly backed.

Asked whether Celtic would be hurt by his potential exit, the 62-year-old told Football Insider: “There’s no doubt about that.

“I’m certain, the foreign players understand what it means to play for Rangers and Celtic in the same way as Scottish players do.

“The money could go into helping the rebuild this summer, that’s got to be taken into consideration.”

It should be noted that, according to the Daily Mail, ‘there would be obstacles’ around Soro earning the work permit required to represent Tottenham Hotspur. An appeal would be necessary if Spurs were to escalate their interest.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Celtic are in need of a rebuild, but the lion’s share of the funds should come from the prospective sales of Odsonne Edouard and Kristtofer Ajer.

If the price-tags floated by the Daily Mail are to be believed, those deals could generate £23m to reinvest (£15m for the French striker and £8m for the Norway defender).

The new manager should be given the chance to assess Soro rather than him being flogged elsewhere without getting a fair opportunity to prove his worth.

In other news, read about this development in the transfer race for Edouard. 

Everton have been interviewing candidates to replace recently sacked Rafa Benitez at Everton over the last week, with no official offers being made so far and now there has been a further development for the next candidate to enter talks with the owner and the board at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Everton insider, Alan Myers, has revealed on Twitter that Frank Lampard will hold talks with Everton this week to see if the position is something he would be interested in and whether he would be the right man for the job.

Myers tweeted on Tuesday afternoon “Lampard to discuss role this week.”

There are several key pieces of information in the tweet Myers has posted, with it confirming that Pereira will continue talks with the club as well and no contact had yet been made with fan favourite Wayne Rooney.

Fans will be delighted

Lampard is a manager that has been thrown into the mix several times this season when positions have become available at Premier League clubs, with the Chelsea legend reportedly close to taking the Norwich job back in November before Dean Smith was appointed at Carrow Road, and Everton fans have already taken to social media to share their delight in Lampard’s potential for taking the job in Merseyside.

One fan tweeted: “Moshiri and Everton should give the fans Lampard, if it doesn’t work it will be on us. But he must give him the best environment to be successful.”

There is no doubt that the 43-year-old Premier League legend would add something different to the Everton job with his success as a player and winning mentality representing something that would be a huge positive influence in a dressing room that lacks confidence after a series of poor performances from the Toffees this season so far.

He would also attract quality players to the team due to his connections at Chelsea, which could help get the deal for Malang Sarr over the line in time for Deadline Day next week, a player that Everton have been linked with over the last week.

In terms of Lampard’s managerial career, he definitely has what it takes to put up a fight, with Derby County knocking Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup on penalties during his tenure and leading the Championship side to the play-off finals against Aston Villa, but was unfortunately unable to get the club promoted.

He then moved onto Chelsea during their transfer ban season, developing young players like Mason Mount into the regular starter and England star he has become today.

Overall, the former midfielder would not necessarily be the worst choice that Moshiri could make in hiring a new manager, he can offer a fresh perspective on the current problems at Everton, something that could potentially inspire a U-turn in the Toffees campaign by developing a positive mindset in the players that could help them win games and climb back into safety in the Premier League.

In other news: Insider reveals update on Duncan Ferguson’s position

Many Southampton fans have been left to slam the display of Moussa Djenepo in their 2-0 loss to Leeds United in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.

In a game played in front of thousands of supporters at St. Mary’s Stadium, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team did not really offer them too much, and in the end Marcelo Bielsa’s side strolled to victory with goals from Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts.

Djenepo did not have the best of games, losing out on six of his duels, as well as failing to record a single shot on target or successful dribble (Sofascore).

The Mali international also lost possession of the ball on five separate occasions, and never really made any impact on the match, recording fewer touches (32) than his own goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (39) (Sofascore).

Southampton fans on Djenepo display

These Saints slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the 22-year-old is a ‘Championship player’:

“Need to get rid of all this deadwood in the summer, Championship players like Redmond, McCarthy, Stephens & Djenepo. Just not good enough at this level #SaintsFC”

Credit: @mattyharwood

“Redmond and Djenepo have to be nowhere near the starting line-up next season. Both offer nothing. #saintsfc”

Credit: @Jcase3037

“Not enough from Walcott and Djenepo for me in this half, I think Stephens and Vestergaard have been more creative #SaintsFC”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“Salisu has looked solid up against Raphinha. Djenepo offered very little, Walcott the same but has doubled up with KWP quite well to help against Harrison. We’d probably be ahead if Ings was on the pitch. #saintsfc”

Credit: @andrewhal20

“McCarthy, Redmond, Djenepo and Stephens all played tonight and shouldn’t be anywhere near our team, shows how much of an overhaul we need this summer to get us back on track. #SaintsFC #SOULEE”

Credit: @Benlarrrr

“@SouthamptonFC can you please tell me how Djenepo and Stephens are professional footballers? Both absolutely shocking. Please get rid of both in the summer!! #saintsfc”Credit: @william_hullIn other news, find out which Premier League ace compared to Michael Ballack Southampton are eyeing here!

To say it was a frustrating season for Stoke City would be an understatement, with the Potters struggling for a positive run of results in the 2020/21 campaign, whilst under the management of Michael O’Neill.

Stoke finished 14th in the Championship table after running out 2-0 winners over AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on the final day of the season.

That doesn’t tell the full story to Stoke’s season though, with the club’s supporters having to endure a disappointing run of results prior to that win over the Cherries in May.

A six-game winless run from April to May saw them tumble down the second-tier standings at an alarming rate, and they’ll be eager to turn their attentions to the upcoming league campaign.

It’s likely to be a summer of change at the bet365 Stadium though, with players being linked with departures, whilst others have been linked with moves to the club ahead of the new season.

One of those to be linked with a move to Stoke this summer is former Norwich City midfielder Mario Vrancic, with The Telegraph’s John Percy revealing that the Potters are close to finalising a deal to land the 32-year-old’s signature, with a medical having already taken place.

It’d be a shrewd bit of business by the Potters

Vrancic caught the eye with a number of impressive showings during his time at Carrow Road with the Canaries, which includes playing his part in their two promotion-winning seasons.

The German midfielder signed for Norwich in 2017, and went on to score ten goals and provide seven assists for his teammates in their promotion-winning season in 2018/19.

He then made 20 appearances for the Canaries in the Premier League, before making 34 appearances for Daniel Farke’s side in the 2020/21 season, as they returned to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

But Vrancic left the club upon the expiration of his contract at Carrow Road this summer, and seemingly is set to return to the Championship in the near future.

Stoke would be signing a player with experience at this level, and with his promotion-winning experience, this could turn out to be a shrewd signing by Michael O’Neill’s side.

Daniel Farke has previously claimed that Vrancic can produce ‘magic moments’, which will be pleasing to hear for the Stoke City supporters, who will be hoping that Vrancic can make an instant impact with the club.

“I try to judge him in a balanced way. From the outside, he is always judged strangely. When he is on the bench, and he produces magic moments, then it is the head coach is so stupid, this lad has to start every game.”

It would solve a problem position for Stoke City

It’s previously been reported by Football Insider that Stoke are willing to listen to sell Sam Clucas this summer, providing their £3million valuation is matched, and so it makes sense for the Potters to look at adding another midfielder to their squad.

Additional depth is certainly needed within the Stoke squad, and they couldn’t do much better when it comes to having a somewhat ‘safe signing’, as there won’t be any concerns over whether Vrancic can adjust to the physical demands of the Championship, having featured regularly in the second-tier.

It’d be a real statement of intent by Stoke if they can strike an agreement to land Vrancic’s signature ahead of their season opener against Reading on Saturday 7th August, O’Neill will be delighted to get such a good player in his squad.

BBC pundit Kevin Phillips has backed Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths to shine in 2021/22 after he agreed a one-year contract extension at Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Celtic look to mount 2021/22 title bid

Moving towards the new season, Ange Postecoglou will be determined to put together a title-winning side as the Celts look to put forward a serious bid to regain their Premiership crown.

Acquiring new personnel may prove vital to this mission, but enhancing current club assets could also provide a roadmap to success.

The 30-year-old may well fall into this category. Following months of uncertainty surrounding his future, the Scotland international recently penned a 12-month deal keeping him in Glasgow for the foreseeable [Daily Record].

Phillips has reacted positively to the news in an exclusive interview with Football Insider.

The Latest: Phillips backs ‘indispensable’ Griffiths to shine this season

Speaking about whether Griffiths could potentially step up to replace Odsonne Edouard, who has been continuously linked with a move to West Ham, the 47-year-old told Football Insider:

“Yeah, I think he can.

“He’s got it in him. He’s also had his issues but everyone does.

“He has definitely shown enough to warrant a new contract, he’s got the ability.

“He scored goals and he can score from set plays, as we’ve seen over the years.

“It’s a no brainer as long as he wants to stay. You have someone who is indispensable and can score goals at that level.”

The Verdict: If Griffiths can stay fit, he could fire Celtic to glory

Phillips correctly points out the consistent nature of Griffiths’ goalscoring throughout his seven years at Celtic. Signing for the Hoops in 2014, the Edinburgh-born forward has gone on to become an iconic figure in the club’s modern history, scoring 123 goals in 262 games for the Bhoys [Transfermarkt].

Griffiths chipped in with nine goal contributions in 26 appearances last term, with seven goals and two assists to his name [Transfermarkt].

Needing to keep himself fit after well-documented fitness problems in recent times, he will be hoping for a mini-renaissance as a player under Postecoglou.

Instinctive poachers are very hard to come by in modern football, and Celtic will hope that Griffiths can stay in condition to fire them to glory in 2021/22.

In other news, Celtic face Champions League competition in their pursuit of an 18-goal striker.

Newcastle fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin has revealed that everyone at St. James’ Park felt ‘disappointed’ when the owners visited to share the news that Steve Bruce had been sacked.

The Lowdown: Bye bye Bruce

Bruce’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday, after taking charge of his 1,000th game in management last weekend, falling to another defeat against Tottenham.

The 60 year-old certainly can’t argue this wasn’t coming, winning just 28 of 97 games with the Magpies, a measly 29 per cent winning rate.

Of course, that worrying record doesn’t mean the manager didn’t have some positive influence on Tyneside, and perhaps the biggest silver lining of his tenure was the emergence of Saint-Maximin.

The Latest: Saint-Maximin reveals all

The 24 year-old shared a heartfelt thank you message to his gaffer on Twitter this week, before speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily) about the mood in the dressing room.

“It was a bad day, so they didn’t come in like ‘we enjoy, Steve Bruce is sacked’, that’s not what happened.

“Everyone feels disappointed and even the owner, to be honest, about what’s happened.

“So they just talked about the situation at the moment, they said if we need anything to make everything better, we just have to talk, because at the moment we need to feel comfortable.”

The Verdict: Fonseca time?

There is no question Saint-Maximin has thrived under the tutelage of Bruce, regardless of the manager’s poor record on Tyneside. The dazzling winger had never been able to add consistency to his game in France, but has bagged two goals and three assists in eight top flight appearances this season.

That said, the only way the club can feel ‘comfortable’ again is if they start putting points on the board, something they will look to kick-start at Crystal Palace this weekend when Graeme Jones leads them to Selhurst Park.

The rumour mill is heating up with new manager links too, with Paulo Fonseca seemingly the front runner at the moment.

And, given that the Portuguese tactician was hailed as ‘one of the greatest coaches I’ve had in football’ by Euro 2020 winner Alessandro Florenzi, perhaps he will have the perfect man-management style to continue to bring the best out of Saint-Maximin.

In other news, the KSA consortium are already eyeing up a ‘fantastic striker’ who Shearer loves! Find out more here…

Former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak could be released from his current employers Schalke this summer in order to allow him time to find a new club, amid continued speculation surrounding his future [Liverpool Echo].

Enjoying a profitable spell on loan at the Reds, making 13 appearances as he helped the club qualify for the UEFA Champions League [Transfermarkt].

Earlier in the window, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reportedly turned down the chance to secure his services for £18 million [Liverpool Echo].

After talks with Crystal Palace fell through, it is now said that he could have his contract in Gelsenkirchen terminated before the end of August due to his high salary.

The Anfield side are not believed to be interested in Kabak, however this hasn’t stopped loads of Liverpool diehards taking to Twitter to voice their desire to snap him up on a free transfer.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool fan outlet LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about a prospective move for Kabak:

“Sell Phillips bring in Kabak and loan him out”

Credit: @lfcjason1″That’s crazy, surely someone will snap up @ozankabak4 he’s better than 80% of Premier League CBs.”Credit: @oldhairy1

“Get him on a free even better. Get him and then loan him out for a season”

Credit: @Matthew46012930″Get him in for Phillips.”Credit: @SchwarzHertz”Edwards is a genius”Credit: @YaasinEdoo”Liverpool get him if they terminate his contact all u have to pay is his contact”Credit: @LiverpoolFan_20In other news, a Liverpool ace is nearing a new contract.

This was a difficult summer for Wolverhampton Wanderers. They lost Nuno Santo early on due to a rift over recruitment and it’s probably just as well he left.

The Portuguese had been informed by Jeff Shi and co that he’d have to operate in a market that revolved around loan deals.

Bruno Lage, however, was keen to come to the Premier League and has worked duly with what he’s been given at Molineux.

Trincao arrived from Barcelona and South Korean speedster Hwang-hee Chan was also signed on a temporary basis from RB Leipzig.

Both players are eye-catching additions but beyond that, there was little to shout about in the market.

Wolves looked to complete deals on deadline day but ultimately fell short in their pursuits of Kieffer Moore, Sven Botman and Renato Sanches.

The Old Gold came into the final day of the window looking as though they’d sign the latter. They were in talks with Lille over landing the midfielder on a loan deal before paying to sign him next summer.

However, with the 23-year-old injured and a disagreement over the future fee, a deal fell through.

It was a gut-wrenching blow for the club who were keen to bring in one of the most promising central players in Europe.

Sanches’ previous spell in the Premier League with Swansea had been unsuccessful but he’s come on leaps and bounds since moving to French football.

He was involved in four goals throughout the league campaign and was tantalising with the ball at his feet.

The Portuguese dynamo recorded a pass success rate north of 85% and registered 1.7 dribbles per game.

Yet, they shouldn’t be too disheartened about missing out on Sanches. After all, Lage may already have Wolves’ very own Renato lying within their ranks.

That happens to be Chem Campbell, the new darling of the Wolves academy.

Of course, he’s not at the level that Sanches currently is but his future at Molineux and in the game, in general, is huge.

The 18-year-old was courted by Borussia Dortmund last year and was named in The Guardian’s 20-best players at Premier League clubs for 2019.

Writing in that piece, Paul Doyle said: “He is a skilful, direct dribbler with a knack for bursting forward from central midfield.”

That reminds us of Sanches, a skilful ball carrier who is capable of dragging his team up the pitch.

Campbell became the second-youngest player to feature for Wolves at senior level when he played in the Carabao Cup back in 2019/20.

He’s not played a first-team game since but has taken part in the EFL Trophy, gaining regular football against senior professionals.

The teenager is one of the most vibrant players in the academy and a glowing review from former U18 boss Steve Davis says a lot: “[He can] go as far as he wants in the game,” Davis began.

“He can produce things out of nothing.

“Defensively he’s got work to do in terms of his responsibilities but with the ball he can create things just with his skill. He catches the eye.”

Campbell has a long way to go before he becomes a regular part of the furniture at Molineux but the midfielder has plenty of potential.

After missing out on Sanches, Lage should look to unearth it.