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Backing reports made through the media, Sky Sports have now dropped their own update on manager David Moyes’ situation at West Ham United.

The Lowdown: Moyes new deal?

Moyes has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks after a phenomenal 2020/2021 season with West Ham.

Indeed, the Scotsman guided them to what was an arguably unexpected Europa League finish, especially given they ended the season prior in 16th place – narrowly avoiding relegation.

As a result of his brilliant job at the London Stadium, the club recently rewarded him with the offer of a new deal – but Everton’s managerial situation threw a spanner in the works.

After Carlo Ancelotti left the Toffees for Real Madrid, Moyes became linked with a return to Goodison Park and worry emerged over his future in east London.

The Latest: Sky back reports of Moyes development…

Backing other claims, Sky Sports have now come out with their own update on the Moyes’ contract situation.

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Indeed, in what is good news for West Ham fans, the broadcaster say Moyes has in fact agreed a new three-year deal.

“David Moyes, we’re hearing, agrees a new three-year contract,” explained Sky (via Football Daily).

“A very much deserved reward for the season he guided West Ham through.

“There have been talks of him going perhaps elsewhere, even Everton, a return there.

“But, it looks like he’s staying at West Ham, the terms have been agreed, it just needs to be finalised.”

The Verdict: Great news for the Hammers…

News of Moyes committing his future, with it now looking like he is indeed staying, definitely comes as great news for the Hammers.

The 58-year-old has done a fine job for West Ham, re-installing faith and excitement with a big 2021/2022 campaign looming.

West Ham have qualified for the Europa League group stage through their sixth-placed finish last season and supporters will be ecstatic to hear Moyes won’t be going anywhere.

In other news: West Ham now want to sign this ‘dangerous’ 25-goal monster, he’s ‘similar’ to van Nistelrooy…find out more here.

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass wants to stay at Sheffield Wednesday despite their relegation to League One.

The 27-year-old still has more than 12 months remaining on his Hillsborough contract, but has been linked with several Championship clubs since the Owls officially dropped into the third tier earlier this month.

Windass’ nine goals and six assists in 41 league appearances weren’t enough to save Wednesday from going down but have caught the eye of West Brom and Fulham following their own relegation.

The attacker has only ever played at Championship level since leaving Rangers back in 2018, and his impressive numbers in a struggling Owls side would explain why he’s on the radar of some of the division’s best.

Windass contributed to more than 35 percent of Wednesday’s league goals this term, which means the Hillsborough outfit might consider cashing-in on one of their best players to avoid a situation where he could leave for nothing next summer.

But Windass senior told The Transfer Tavern that his son’s focus remains on Sheffield Wednesday until told otherwise:

“I’ve got no positive information. I know that he’s had a meeting with Darren Moore, and those discussion will stay with Darren, Josh and myself. Darren wants to keep him, and Josh wants to stay.

“Yes, there’s a lot of speculation about a lot of football clubs that are after him, but he was very upbeat and positive about his meeting with Darren.

“There’s speculation these clubs are after him, but he’s chilling out in Portugal and will be back for pre-season training unless he gets told any different.”

Nottingham Forest have been handed a huge boost to their chances of bringing Joe Pigott to The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to a statement posted by AFC Wimbledon on Twitter, the 27-year-old centre-froward will be leaving Plough Lane at the end of his current contract with the League One side, which is set to expire next month.

It has been reported throughout the season that a number of Championship clubs, including Nottingham Forest, have been keeping a very close eye on the situation of Pigott ahead of a potential move in the transfer market.

Hughton will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Pigott has been for Wimbledon this season, the news the striker will be available on a free transfer this summer will undoubtedly have Chris Hughton buzzing.

Indeed, over the £2.1k-per-week forward’s 45 League One appearances for Mark Robinson’s side this term, he scored 20 goals and registered five assists, as well as taking an average of 3.5 shots and making one key pass per game.

These metrics saw the 27-year-old earn a seasonal WhoScored match rating of 7.20, ranking him as Wimbledon’s best performer in the third tier.

And, with the caveat that the football in League One is not of the same standard as the Championship, when comparing his returns to that of Lewis Grabban and Lyle Taylor, Pigott beats the Nottingham Forest duo hands down.

Over his 28 league appearances, Grabban managed six goals and one assist, in addition to taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game, seeing the 33-year-old earn a seasonal WhoScored match rating of 6.47.

Over Taylor’s 39 Championship fixtures, he scored four goals and provided no assists, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per appearance, receiving a seasonal WhoScored match rating of 6.22.

As such, the Wimbledon man dubbed a “quality” player by Neal Ardley would very much appear to be an upgrade on Hughton’s current options at centre-forward.

And, when adding in the bonus of the 27-year-old being available on a free transfer, a deal for the striker would almost appear too good to be true for Forest this summer.

In other news: Major contract development emerges on “interesting” NFFC ace, Hughton will be buzzing – opinion

This has been a disastrous season for Celtic and, when the Bhoys face their fiercest rivals this weekend, it will be a match with little riding on it.

It’s not often you can say that about an Old Firm derby but the Hoops have been so abject that the title never stood a chance of coming back to Parkhead

Celtic could finally put a stop to their competitors’ unbeaten campaign but that feels like an uphill task when you consider what happened in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

John Kennedy’s men were made to bemoan a set of catastrophic defensive mistakes as they lost 2-0 to Rangers and were knocked out.

However, the Green Brigade will surely have a better chance of celebrating a win this team after they were handed a positive injury boost on Friday afternoon.

James Forrest has been missing for a few weeks now with an injury and failed a late fitness test to face Rangers last time out.

However, he is completely fit this time, with the winger now back in training. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, interim boss Kennedy said: “James has trained all week. He’s been good. Mikey’s trained this week so we’ve got a better squad in terms of options going into the game.”

This will represent a massive boost to Celtic’s chances and, despite Rangers’ dominance in 2020/21, it should leave Steven Gerrard a tad wary.

That’s because Forrest is a player who can make magic happen. The Scotland international scored 16 times last season and racked up 22 assists, proving to be a constant thorn in opposition defences.

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Forrest has been described as a “big game player” by Frank McAvennie and it’s easy to see why. He has two goals and six assists against the Gers in his career. For context, he has only registered more assists against Motherwell, Aberdeen, Inverness and St Mirren in Scottish football.

He has been a menace against Rangers down the years, and to welcome him back on Sunday will be welcome news for Celtic.

They have lacked a threat like Forrest’s for a considerable period of time. Ryan Christie has only scored one goal in his last 19 league games, for instance, so that would be the most obvious change for Kennedy to make this weekend.

It feels like the long-serving attacker holds the keys to preventing an unbeaten league season for the Gers.

AND in other news, Celtic move closer to landmark appointment after big twist, Desmond will be elated…

If you thought Celtic were close to the appointment of Eddie Howe then think again.

This has been a tired old saga but the Hoops still aren’t in a place where they can announce his arrival at Parkhead.

That’s despite now being in talks with the 43-year-old for six weeks.

What’s the word?

Howe is still very much at the centre of Celtic’s thoughts with talkSPORT revealing last week that a deal had been agreed.

However, according to the Daily Record, any sign of an announcement in the early stages of this week won’t be forthcoming.

They report there won’t be any news to the London Stock Exchange on Monday with their sources seemingly adamant that he won’t become the new Hoops manager in the first few days of the week.

The newspaper pinpointed Monday 17th May as a landmark day in their chase for Howe with the Premiership season concluding a day before.

Though, for the time being, John Kennedy remains in interim charge.

More setbacks for McKay

The incoming CEO has only been at the club for a matter of weeks but he’s already tasted the rather hopeless atmosphere that’s surrounded Paradise all season.

Howe has kept Celtic waiting now for well over a month, issuing a number of demands to the club’s hierarchy.

First, he didn’t want to return to football until the summer before it was suggested he wasn’t keen on Fergal Harkin becoming their new director of football.

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It’s thought Howe has now loosened his stance on the matter but problems surrounding his backroom staff still lingers.

McKay will be eager to get this move through the door as quick as possible. With Celtic’s season finishing, it means the focus needs to switch from on-field matters to off-field recruitment.

The top brass in Glasgow cannot achieve that without a first-team manager in place, however.

When a deal actually occurs is anyone’s guess but it could be that Howe is waiting on the result of Bournemouth’s play-off charge.

The Cherries are competing for a spot in the Premier League and will face Brentford in the semi-final first leg this on Monday. The second leg takes place on Saturday 22nd before a potential final awaits them on Saturday 29th May.

Howe is keen to bring Simon Weatherstone and Stephen Purches with him from Bournemouth but they need to wait until their season has finished for talks to conclude.

As a result, we are unlikely to receive any formal announcement this week.

The soul-destroying aspect is that Purches and Weatherstone are not guaranteed to come to Glasgow. After all, if the south coast side are promoted, picking up jobs in the top-flight of English football could be more appealing to them,

The frustrating and tiresome wait goes on for McKay and the club’s supporters.

AND in other news, Celtic can axe Griffiths by landing “terrific” 18-goal gem, he once embarrassed Bitton…

According to recent reports, Ralph Hasenhuttl is considering a move for Brandon Williams this summer, in a bid to add more depth to Southampton’s full-back options.

Having failed to bring Williams to St. Mary’s on a loan deal back in January, a recent report by The Sun claims that Hasenhuttl’s interest in Williams has not subsided in the time since the winter transfer window, with it being claimed that the 53-year-old could once again make a move for the Manchester United starlet this summer.

The Sun go on to claim that the 20-year-old’s ability to play from either left or right-back is a huge bonus for Hasenhuttl, as well as suggesting that Saints are hopeful that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is now more open to allowing the England U21 international to leave Old Trafford, with the United boss having rejected the South Coast side’s bid for Williams in January.

Transfer Tavern Take

With Ryan Bertrand being linked with a move away from Southampton this summer, it is not overly surprising to see reports claiming that Hasenhuttl is already eyeing up replacements for the 31-year-old, and with Gary Lineker previously dubbing Williams as an “exciting” prospect, the defender could represent something of an intelligent signing for Saints.

And, considering the £9 million-rated ace has been awarded just two Premier League appearances so far this season, perhaps Manchester United could indeed contemplate loaning the youngster out to Southampton this summer, in order for the left-back to continue his development as a Premier League player.

In other news: ‘I hope so’ – Southampton’s £21m summer target dropped a huge hint on a potential Premier League move – find out more here!

Many Southampton fans were livid with the performance of Theo Walcott during their 3-0 defeat on Monday evening in the Premier League.

The Saints were defeated by 19th-placed West Bromwich Albion in a very poor display at The Hawthorns. Matheus Pereira, Matt Phillips and Callum Robinson were all on hand to net against the visitors’ defence, leaving Ralph Hasenhuttl with plenty of work to do ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Leicester City next Sunday.

The display of Walcott in particular will have disappointed the Austrian. The 32-year-old landed just 71% of his attempted passses, prevailed in only three of his eight duels (SofaScore) and spent much of the game as a passenger on the right of the midfield four. Given his showing, it was unsurprising to see him hauled off first by Hasenhuttl.

These Saints supporters were far from happy with what they saw, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts. One frustrated fan even branded Walcott as “useless”.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Walcott below

“Sorry to offended all the nostalgia bashers but Theo Walcott is a washed up baller just because he ‘suits our system’ doesn’t mean he plays well in it”

Credit: @JackKnutsen_

“Ask him why he never changed it at half time, also tell him to drop Walcott Sunday, absolutely useless”

Credit: @saintsfcloyal

“Walcott – shockingly bad !”

Credit: @saintcullen70

“Yeah no way we sign Walcott on a permanent, he’s just not it”

Credit: @RahilMajid

“If we give Walcott a contract after his performances this season it just goes to show we have no one at the club with any understanding of how a football club is meant to be run. Good lad, atrocious footballer.”

Credit: @SaintMatt7

“Why sign Walcott! He’s had his day. We need hungry young players. Invisible tonight”

Credit: @COYSaints

In other news, many Southampton fans rage at these Hasenhuttl comments.

Liverpool have once again been linked with a move for Trabzonspor goalkeeper Urgucan Cakir.

The Reds have consistently been rumoured to be considering the five-cap Turkish international, with latest reports from Asist Analiz indicating that the club have continued to scout him and he remains firmly on their transfer shortlist.

Talked up by current Leicester City Head of Recruitment and former Chelsea scout Lee Congerton as “one of the best goalkeepers” he has seen, Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards must ensure they snare the 24-year-old in the summer.

Cakir has enjoyed a brilliant season with Trabzonspor throughout 2020/21. He has conceded just 29 goals in 28 appearances, keeping ten clean sheets in the process.

The 24-year-old has also been bestowed with the captain’s armband in 22 occasions in the league, indicating a huge amount of leadership responsibility on his relatively young shoulders.

Whilst it is tough to potentially see Cakir usurp current Reds number one Alisson at Anfield, his arrival as a second choice would likely benefit Klopp’s squad as a whole.

According to SofaScore, the Turk is bettering both the Brazilian and Adrian with his performances. He is making more saves at 3.4 per game, whilst the Spaniard is perhaps surprisingly getting closest to those numbers with 3.3 – Alisson sits at just 2.3.

Meanwhile, Cakir is averaging fewer goals conceded than the current Liverpool duo with just one per game, whilst Alisson is at 1.1 and Adrian at three.

A more competent deputy with potentially Alisson being unavailable would of course be beneficial, but another addition could also potentially see the former AS Roma man get back to his best.

So far throughout 2020/21, the Brazilian has made three errors leading to goals, whilst conceding one penalty. Meanwhile, Cakir has not conceded a goal due to an error.

With yet more high-quality competition, this could certainly see Alisson return to the heights to which Liverpool supporters have become accustomed.

Valued at just £14.4m, Cakir would certainly be an affordable arrival for the Reds and one which Edwards must secure.

AND in more news, the Reds should bring back a former Kop hero to Anfield in the summer…

Manchester City will be looking to continue their hopes of winning the quadruple this season as they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side take on the Bundesliga outfit in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and will be confident of a positive result ahead of the return fixture next week.

Erin Tedzic’s side have slipped to fifth place in the Bundesliga in recent weeks after a poor run of form, and will seemingly be without Jadon Sancho for the game against the Premier League leaders.

The Citizens have won five games in a row following their surprise 2-0 defeat in the Manchester derby last month and look to have a fully fit squad to choose from for this Champions League clash.

Here’s how we think Guardiola will line his team up on Tuesday, with four changes from the side which started in the 2-0 win against Leicester at the weekend…

Ederson retains his place in goal after keeping another clean sheet in the dominant 2-0 win against Leicester last time out.

There are two changes in defence, as John Stones returns in place of Aymeric Laporte to continue his partnership with Ruben Dias in central defence, whilst the “amazing” Joao Cancelo seems likely to start after being rested against Leicester, and he replaces Benjamin Mendy at left-back.

In midfield, Ilkay Gundogan comes back in to partner Rodri, with Fernandinho dropping out despite his impressive performances of late, with the German international also sitting out the win at the King Power Stadium.

Finally, after a worryingly poor display at Leicester, Sergio Aguero is benched by Guardiola, with Gabriel Jesus replacing him up front after featuring on the wing against Brendan Rodgers’ team. That allows Bernardo Silva to come back in on the left-hand side, with Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez completing the attack.

In other news… Man City handed huge boost ahead of tonight’s clash as “perfect” Dortmund star is ruled out

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Celtic will need to sack the Head of Football Operations Nick Hammond to recruit a Director of Football.

Hammond out?

Reports back in January suggested that the transfer chief’s position is on the line as huge changes are due to take place next summer.

Neil Lennon resigned as manager after the Hoops fell further behind arch-rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table, with any hopes of winning 10-in-a-row almost certainly gone.

Hammond brought in Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and Shane Duffy on loan last summer – all of which have been heavily criticised during their stay in Glasgow after a series of abject performances.

Speaking with Football Insider, Maguire insists that Hammond needs to step aside to implement the changes that the Hoops want.

“I think there would be issues because you’d end up with duplication of responsibilities,”

“That doesn’t necessarily sound good because you’ve got two people thinking they should each be making a decision.

“Equally, there will be some areas that they want the other person to take care of.

“So you either expand his role so he becomes director of football or I’m not quite sure what the alternative would be.

“Too many chefs spoil the broth and you can have too many people at one level in an organisation.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Hammond’s exit is something that large segments of the Parkhead faithful will welcome, especially if it results in the implementation of a Director of Football at the club.

There is no getting away from the fact the recruitment during the 2020/21 campaign has been nowhere near good enough – and has played a huge part in the Bhoys’ failures domestically.

Time will tell whether Hammond will be released by the club or be merged into the new role to take Celtic forward.

In other news, More upheaval at Celtic as fresh sacking claim emerges behind-the-scenes.