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West Ham United risk a tense future in the transfer market with the imminent exit of Head of Player Care Hugo Scheckter.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, Scheckter has opted to leave his position at the east London outfit and will no longer be in charge of ensuring all players are well catered for at the club as of this December.

Scheckter took up his position with the Hammers in March 2018 following a three-year stint working as Southampton’s Player/Team Liaison Officer, and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the department and providing care and support to some of the club’s most high-profile players.

He also oversaw a restructure of staffing and policies at West Ham, deals with any relocation requirements of new players, implemented a system to deal with fan mail, and liaises with the club secretary regarding transport and hotel arrangements for potential signings.

Scheckter is a well-liked member of the Irons backroom staff and has upset other members of staff with his decision, but has opted to vacate his position later this year after growing frustrated at certain decisions being made in east London.

“He will be leaving in December,” ExWHUemployee noted. “He has a great relationship with the players. Obviously, I have a reasonably good insight into what members of staff are popular there and I can honestly say that Hugo had a really positive reputation within the playing squad and other members of staff there.

“[Scheckter’s] a really nice guy, a good laugh and went out of his way to do his best for the players. Unfortunately, he’s got frustrated at things going on at the club and has decided to leave which has shocked and upset a number of people.”

A clear mistake from GSB

Scheckter opting to leave his position at West Ham signals a clear mistake by the Irons ownership of David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady as it appears that their decision making has cost the east London outfit a key and well-respected member of staff.

Replacing Scheckter will now be a vast undertaking by West Ham given the variety of responsibilities he held, along with the importance of those tasks in ensuring all players are well catered for off the field and have everything they need to succeed on it.

West Ham will particularly miss out from his work in managing the arrivals of potential transfers and ensuring they settle in well to their new surroundings, whether that requires Scheckter to source hotels, long-term housing, travel or schooling and English lessons.

His departure could also cause greater ripples through the backrooms in east London, given the upset and angst Scheckter’s decision is said to have caused. While the reasons behind his exit will likely raise questions over what caused him to grow so frustrated that leaving was the only solution.

AND in other news, West Ham risk a Jack Wilshere 2.0 scenario by signing a once-£42.4m-valued outcast backed by a club legend.

Filip Helander was far from his very best in Lisbon on Thursday night after Glasgow Rangers shipped two late goals to draw with 10-man Benfica in the Europa League.

After a terrible start, where Helander failed to clear his lines for Benfica’s first goal, things took a turn for the worse when he slipped again to allow Rafa Silva to score before Darwin Nunez scored an injury-time equaliser to snatch a point for the Portuguese giants.

Speaking after the game, Steven Gerrard admitted Rangers only have “ourselves to blame” after Nunez netted in stoppage time.

“That will certainly sting for a while,” he said.

“But once the dust settles I’m sure it will be a valuable point.

“We’ve got ourselves to blame. We started the game really poor for the opening minute and deserved to be one behind. We also finished the game poorly, so we certainly have a lot to learn from the goals we conceded.”

There were a couple of culprits for the poor performance, as Joe Aribo also struggled at times, although arguably none more so than the 11-cap Sweden international, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights throughout the game.

Per SofaScore, Helander received a lowly rating of 6.2 for his disappointing display – he only won two out of seven duels overall (25%), lost possession six times, and was dribbled past three times, which shows that he was often exposed at the back.

Similarly, GlasgowLive gave the centre-back a low grade of 5/10, claiming he is “normally so dependable but shocking mistake inside the first minute got Rangers off to the worst possible start”, before he “made another error to allow Benfica back into the match for their second goal, and ball was played between himself and Goldson for the third”, whilst The Daily Record gave him an equally scathing assessment, saying that he “held his hand to the early blunder that saw his team fall behind and another led to Benfica’s second goal which gave the hosts hope of a comeback.”

BT Sport pundit and former Celtic striker Chris Sutton slammed the Swede for his “terrible” defending, saying, as quoted by The Boot Room: “He [Helander] had a terrible game. He got caught out. It’ll feel like it is two points dropped.”

Quite why Helander, who earns wages worth £9,300-per-week, played the full 90 minutes we will probably never understand, especially when you consider the fact that Leon Balogun remained an unused substitute on the bench. Admittedly, hindsight is a wonderful thing. He has been in decent form recently for club and country but will want to forget all about his latest blunders, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, No better than Arfield: Glasgow Rangers must resist urge to sign Sampdoria midfielder Jakub Jankto…

Amidst all the takeover talk that had dominated Newcastle headlines earlier this summer, it’s easy to forget that a year prior, the club was also looking it was on the verge of seeing Mike Ashley’s era come to an end.

Reports back in May 2019 had suggested that the current Magpies owner was in talks to sell the club to Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and that the potential deal was worth around £350m.

It was even claimed by the Bin Zayed Group that terms had been all agreed, and that they had hoped to complete the takeover at the “earliest opportunity”.

Of course, that all failed to materialise, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to make their mark on English football. They now currently own Derby County after agreeing a takeover earlier this month, and have now made the decision to appoint Steve McClaren as technical director.

As well as the Bin Zayed group, McClaren is also a familiar name on Tyneside, having managed at St James’ Park a few years ago and ending up being sacked after just nine months in charge.

The former England boss opened up on his time at the club earlier this year, saying: “It was a difficult club at that time to manage and, again, I thought I had all the experience. Time is something you don’t get at a football club and that club needed time to turn around, and I knew after six weeks, 10 weeks in the dressing room that it needed changing around and that might have taken a year, two years.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t given that time and that’s what happens in football. You’ve still got to win in the short-term and plan for the long-term. That has always been the motto and always will be. Unfortunately, I ran out of time.”

And after hearing about his appointment at Derby, Newcastle fans made it clear that they seem to have had a lucky escape with the Bin Zayed takeover falling through.

If their appointment of McClaren is an indication of how they may have run things at Newcastle, then it’s fair to say the Magpies may have dodged a bullet. Having billionaire owners come in and take over is all well and good, but if they don’t get the key personnel decisions right, then it all goes to pot.

Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate Kazaiah Sterling looks like he’s heading for a dismal end to his career in north London. Like many other players, the striker hoped he would follow in similar footsteps to club legend Harry Kane but unfortunately, he has fallen short of the mark.

Despite showing his skill in the club’s reserve leagues, Sterling has failed to make it count during his loan spell with Southend United this season. In fact, all of the 22-year-old’s loan stints have been disappointing and he has struggled to replicate his form from playing in the Tottenham youth sides.

As it stands, the striker has made just two senior appearances for Spurs and it doesn’t look like he will get any more chances.

His current contract is due to expire next summer and there have been no talks of integrating Sterling into the first team. Despite Mauricio Pochettino handing him his debut in the Champions League in 2017, the forward has struggled to grab the attention of current boss, Jose Mourinho.

Sterling has featured ten times for Southend this campaign but has only managed to score the one goal. His strike came in a 6-1 demolishing at the hands of Colchester United which knocked them out of the EFL Cup. He is also yet to score in the league and has been on the winning side just once out of eight matches played, via Transfermarkt.

It’s not a promising look for a 22-year-old Spurs prospect to struggle to find the back of the net in League Two. It’s certainly not likely that he will return from loan and begin training with the senior squad, especially with Mourinho now firmly setting his sights on winning the league with the Lilywhites.

Sterling will have the likes of Troy Parrott and potentially Carlos Vinicius to contend with when he returns too.

Despite former coach Ugo Ehiogu lauding Sterling as a “combative” attacking player, the reality is that he just isn’t up for the task of Premier League football.

In other news, Jean-Philippe Mateta has Mourinho green with envy following 38-minute hat-trick…

Ralph Hasenhuttl was quick to praise the efforts of Shane Long earlier this week and insisted that the 33-year-old is still a key part of his squad, despite his lack of minutes in the Premier League this season, but really the Austrian should be looking to promote Nathan Tella ahead of the Irishman.

The Austrian manager left Long out of his squad to face Sheffield United last weekend, as the Saints recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory, which led journalists to question the striker’s future with the South Coast club.

He replied, saying:

“There was a reason why we signed another contract with Shane because he is always a guy we can take and we can use as a sub, or from the beginning.

“He gives everything for the team and for the club.

“Even if he is not playing or not in the squad, he is always positive. He always tries to support the others.

“For every player comes the moment when he gets older, that he is more on the bench. I had the same situation, I was playing until I was 37.

“I knew in the last three or four years I was more a sub but a good sub because I was always scoring, always positive and tried to push the team, because I knew I had a powerful 30 minutes.

“I must say he is still very fit. He can still play 90 minutes without a problem – but even as a sub, I think he is important for our team.”

However, the experienced striker has featured for just 61 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, even in the absence of Danny Ings whilst he was out injured, so it seems as if Hasenhuttl cannot find a place for him in his starting eleven right now.

The Austrian manager must also consider the performances of Tella with the youth academy, as the youngster has impressed since moving up front, scoring an impressive four goals in the Saints’ 5-2 win against the Leicester City academy side at the weekend.

Hasenhuttl spoke about his change in position recently, saying:

“We need to think about what the best position is for him and it seems more and more that he seems more confident on the nine than on the ten, so let’s push him there and get the best out of him and we will have a lot of fun with him.”

He has also suggested that the youngster has “no fear” in the past, so it seems strange that he hasn’t made more senior appearances for the South Coast club.

Therefore, it seems as if Tella’s future with the club is as a striker, and after his impressive displays with the academy, Hasenhuttl must consider promoting him to the senior side, with Long perhaps likely to be the man to drop out in order to accommodate him.

The former Arsenal youngster has just five senior appearances to his name at Southampton and keeping him out of the first-team for a 33-year-old Long who looks to be well past his best, could prove to be a mistake by Hasenhuttl, especially if Tella’s head is turned by another club offering more regular first-team football.

Hopefully, Tella can add to those appearances during the busy Christmas period, as it certainly looks as if Southampton have a real talent on their hands.

And, in other news… KWP 2.0: Saints must sign 20 y/o beast who’s as “brave as a lion” in Janaury…

West Brom’s impressive draw at Manchester City was marred by speculation that a decision had already been made over the future of Slaven Bilic, which was confirmed by the club Wednesday lunchtime.

The Baggies came from behind to snatch a point at the Etihad Stadium, thanks to central defender Semi Ajayi, whose header cannoned in off Ruben Dias to cancel out an early strike from Ilkay Gundogan.

After the match, the ever-reliable John Percy at the Telegraph revealed that the Croatian is facing the sack in the next 24 hours, whilst The Times’ Matt Lawton quickly named Sam Allardyce, Nigel Pearson, Mark Hughes and Eddie Howe as contenders for the job.

Well, if any of the four managers were watching last night’s game, then they’d probably be buoyed by the fact that the draw moved Albion to within two points of safety.

However, they will also be discouraged by the performance of some players, and in particular, Matty Phillips.

Bilic kept the faith in the Scotsman after a decent showing at left wing-back last time out, only this time, he was deployed in his natural right-wing position but flopped immensely.

The 29-year-old was graded as the Baggies’ worst player by SofaScore, pulling in a rating of just 6.2.

In 87 minutes of action, Phillips also won just one of nine duels (11%), lost possession ten times from only 35 touches, failed to deliver a single successful dribble from two attempts, and made only 12 passes all game – even Sam Johnstone between the sticks managed more.

This was his third start of the season, all of which coming in their last three outings, so clearly he’s done enough in training to impress Bilic and warrant a spot in the starting XI.

Though, with performances like that, the wing liability should be running scared should the 52-year-old face the chop as it’s unlikely a new man is going to play him having witnessed that shocker on Tuesday evening.

AND in other news, Forget Johnson, Baggies beast who won 10 duels stole the show for Bilic…

This has been a wretched season to support Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls are staring down the barrel of relegation and not even sacking Garry Monk has helped them in their pursuit to beat the drop.

However, with fans hoping and praying for some festive cheer in an arduous year, Tony Pulis has now recorded encouraging results in two successive games.

His side defeated Coventry last weekend and on Boxing Day, they drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers. Given their league position of 11th place, that certainly wasn’t a bad result for Wednesday. Although, they do need to start picking up wins quickly in order to move out of the relegation zone.

That is unlikely to be achieved with someone like Liam Palmer in the side, though, a player who was particularly average against Rovers on Saturday.

It’s been difficult to conclude that the Scot has had a good campaign and on today’s evidence, it only proved why Pulis can’t afford to rely on him.

Although Joey Pelupessy arguably could have done more to prevent the equaliser, it was Palmer who provided the least amount of impetus in the entire squad.

On the right flank, he failed to provide a much-needed injection and going forward, failed to complete a single cross or key pass. Defensively, the Scotland international was also distinctly average.

He won just 33.3% of the duels he contested which included only two tackles. Palmer made one clearance but didn’t intercept a single attack and had fewer touches – 33 – than goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.

Having gone a goal ahead, this game was there for the taking but the football was languid and Sheffield Wednesday ultimately didn’t create many chances. Of course, that isn’t Palmer’s primary objective in this side but like a few players out there, including Pelupessy, he rarely offered anything positive to the team.

With Sheffield Wednesday in such dire straits, Pulis needs to work out whether Palmer is the right man for the job. On this showing, he isn’t good enough.

The right-back has to improve.

AND in other news, Pulis can end Sheffield Wednesday NIGHTMARE with 18 y/o gem who can “unlock defences”…

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Celtic look set to miss out on centre-back target Mark McKenzie.

What’s the story?

Reports over the summer had suggested that Neil Lennon’s side were very much interested in signing the USA international, and now, The Philadelphia Inquirer have revealed that the Hoops had a bid rejected for the 21-year-old.

It’s added that McKenzie’s side, Philadelphia Union, have agreed a fee with Belgian top-flight outfit Genk, and a move could be on the cards for next month.

The report states the transfer fee isn’t known yet “but since the Union turned down Celtic’s bid, it’s a safe bet that they’re going to make more money from Genk.”

Lawwell has to intervene

Despite only being 21, McKenzie is already earning rave reviews for his performances, and appears set to enjoy a fine career.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Total Soccer Show, Daryl Grove said: “I love the idea of Mark McKenzie going to Celtic. If you’re not familiar with Mark McKenzie, he really is a great centre-back.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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“He is so good at getting around the other side of you and just getting to the ball first. He’s also really good with the ball, some really nice passing out of the back, and I think, maybe most importantly, he appears to be one of those natural leader-types.”

Described as a “Rolls-Royce of a player”, McKenzie could come straight into Lennon’s starting eleven at Celtic Park and nail down a spot.

Make no mistake about it, Lawwell just has to come back in with an improved bid and pip Genk at the finishing post.

For Wolves, signing any player this January for an expensive fee seems far-fetched.After spending so much last summer, it would appear the coffers are empty, but that won’t stop the rumour mill from circulating at Molineux.What’s the word?According to 90min, Wolves have made an enquiry to sign colossal Celtic defender Jack Hendry this month.The centre-back is currently on loan in Belgium at Oostende where he’s caught the eye significantly at the heart of their backline.Celtic have made it known that they don’t see a future for the 25-year-old in Glasgow and thus, could be open to shipping him on at the nearest opportunity.It’s thought that a number of teams are interested in Hendry, from Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth to Bundesliga sides Freiburg and Werder Bremen.No fee is mentioned but Celtic signed him for a price of just £1.5m from Dundee.The next Boly One thing instantly stands out when you look at Hendry – his almighty height of 6 foot 4. Instantly that’s comparable to their current stalwart in defence; Willy Boly.The Frenchman stands at 6 foot 5 and is a colossal presence in defence, especially when it comes to winning aerial duels.The 29-year-old has won 3.2 per game in the Premier League this season, a tally that Hendry comes close to replicating in the Belgian top-flight, winning three per match.That being said, both players are also graceful on the ball, a talent that’s not easy to achieve when you’re so tall. Hendry and Boly can both play out from the back with relative ease, completing a high portion of their passes. The former has amassed a success rate of 86.5% this term, while Boly completes 81.5%.Although it hasn’t worked out for Hendry at Celtic, he possesses an enormous amount of quality and if he comes to Molineux, he could help a number of the younger players out. That’s because his leadership stands tall above everything else.Speaking about Hendry last year, his manager at Oostende Alexander Blessin said: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him. He’s been a tower of experience for us.”Blessin continued: “Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.”Although Boly isn’t the quickest, the rest of Hendry’s qualities have huge similarities to the Wolves defender. He’d be an astute acquisition this month.AND in other news, “Could be a good fit” – EXCLUSIVE: Pundit says Wolves should consider swoop for 24-cap warrior…

Five of the starting line-up that beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday night were players West Ham United have signed since the appointment of David Moyes. One, though, in Tomas Soucek, will make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to pick apart.

Soucek was the absolute star of the show as the Hammers comfortably beat the Eagles 3-2, on a night the scoreline would have been far wider had Michail Antonio not squandered a hat-trick’s worth of chances to fire past Vincente Guaita.

Instead, the Irons were indebted to Soucek for guiding them to glory over their London rivals with a brace as he took his tally for the season to seven, with what has become a trademark late run and a powerful header from the Czech Republic international.

Soucek does not do anything overly fancy or try to go on a dazzling 40-yard dribble past half a dozen players like a stereotypical Brazilian in their prime. Instead, the 25-year-old excels at anticipating where a chance is going to come from and pre-empting the path of the ball to ensure he glides in, often unnoticed, to the right place at the right time.

His ability to reach the ball at the optimum moment against Palace left Moyes rightfully impressed with his £19m summer capture, who the former Manchester United boss was never going to let leave the London Stadium after his initial loan spell for any reason other than relegation.

“He has done brilliantly since he came to the country, it was this time last year when we signed him, and to come in and hit the ground running in the Premier League is really difficult at any time,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london, following Tuesday’s win.

“I can’t put him in a Steven Gerard mould but midfielders who can get into the box and score goals is a great thing and Tomas is that. He’s a wee bit old-fashioned in many ways but his attitude and commitment to the team is second to none. He is a joy to work with.”

But for how long Moyes can enjoy working with Soucek remains to be seen, as the Czech Republic international’s exploits will be sure to make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to circle and not just those looking to sign the supposed cherry of Frank Lampard’s eye Declan Rice.

Reports have already emerged in recent months suggesting Bayern Munich and a clutch of European outfits are now monitoring Soucek’s situation following his sublime first year in claret and blue, as he went from an unknown quantity to a pivotal part of a top Premier League side.

West Ham would be nine points worse off were it not for the goals that Soucek has scored in the league this season, with the £27m-rated beast’s strike in defeat to Manchester United the only effort to have not returned a win or a draw thus far.

Soucek offers far more than just goals, too, with Vladimir Coufal (45) and Rice (38) the only members of Moyes’ squad to have recorded a greater number of successful tackles (37) in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Rice is also the only one to intercept the ball more often (39) than Soucek (29), as the pair sniff out danger before it can threaten Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and dictate how West Ham operate with the second (975) and third-most (808) total passes, only behind Aaron Cresswell (984).

Moyes should fittingly be lauded for his masterclass in polishing the diamond that Soucek has become in his year in east London, but the midfielder he lauds for being “brilliant” will soon put the Scot’s resolve to the test when offers no doubt come flooding in thick and fast from Europe’s elite.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s links to £7m-rated striker…