West Ham United should try to land the signature of Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook at the end of the season.
What’s the word?
There is no doubt that the club’s midfield has been struggling, as well as their defence, since the campaign began.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men are the only Premier League team not to pick up a point after four games, which has left them at the bottom of the table.
The club brought in nine new faces during the summer transfer window, but things have not clicked into place just yet.
Even though it is less than a year away, West Ham should consider making a move for Bournemouth star Lewis Cook next summer.
Why him?
The 21-year-old is showing signs that he can become one of England’s best midfielders.
The Under-17 European Championship winner – valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – has plenty of confidence and looks comfortable in the Premier League.
Cook is an all-round midfielder, who can find his teammates with a pin-pointed pass but is also not afraid to do the dirty work and get stuck into a tackle.
The young player has the ability to burst from the centre of the park with determined runs, and he could potentially become a star at West Ham.
Mark Noble will eventually have to be replaced, and Cook would likely receive more game time at the London Stadium than he would if he were to join a so-called ‘bigger’ club.
Depending on how the season pans out, the Hammers should certainly keep a close eye on Cook.
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Liverpool are in the race alongside Chelsea and Manchester United for the signature of Fiorentina winger Federico Chiesa, according to Calciomercato.
What’s the word?
The 20-year-old was linked with a move away from the Serie A club in the summer, but all approaches for the attack-minded star were rejected.
Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Juventus and Napoli have all been linked to the youngster, who scored six times in 36 Serie A outings last season.
Calciomercato suggests that Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea are leading the way in the hunt for Chiesa, who is valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt.
The winger came through the youth ranks at Fiorentina, but in the past year he has gone from strength to strength.
Should Liverpool pursue?
There is no doubt that Chiesa has talent, but given the level of interest in the attacker, it is hugely unlikely that he will come cheap.
Liverpool are not exactly short of cash, but some of the clubs that have been mentioned as possible suitors have much more financial muscle behind them, so much so that Jurgen Klopp’s side would lose out in a bidding war.
In addition, the Reds have plenty of attacking stars at their disposal and a handful of quality that can play in Chiesa’s position.
At this moment in time, the Reds are not in desperate need of a new winger, and if they are to strengthen in January they should consider defensive reinforcements.
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Eric Dier joined Tottenham Hotspur from Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon in 2014, and is closing on 200 appearances for the London club in all competitions.
Dier, who played at right-back before switching to central midfield, has also been England captain, which is impressive at the age of 24.
The Englishman’s performances this season have been quite disappointing, however, and the Tottenham fans seem to be losing their patience with him.
The club’s supporters were not best pleased with Dier’s display against Italian giants Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
And now many have taken to social media to blast the 6ft 2in ace once again.
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There are those who simply want Dier dropped to the bench following a poor run of form, but others want him to be sold in the January transfer window.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Tottenham fans can be seen below:
Arsenal have won their last six matches across all competitions but a major transfer decision risks derailing all of the hard work completed by Unai Emery’s side.
Shock reports state that Arsenal have pulled out of contract negotiations with Aaron Ramsey, who currently earns £110,000-a-week according to the Daily Star, and the Wales international is therefore set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season when his current deal expires.
The likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Manchester United and Chelsea are all attributed with an interest in a bargain deal for a 27-year-old that is valued at a whopping £40.5m by TransferMarkt and the fact that Arsenal could get nothing for his services is a major blow.
It’s deja vu for Arsenal, who saw Alexis Sanchez move to Old Trafford in similar circumstances earlier this year, and a big question now needs to be asked as to whether the Gunners should push for a sale in January in order to get a fee.
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With the Gunners now having the same financial power as the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, selling Ramsey when the window reopens would be a good way to provide a boost in Unai Emery’s funds.
Do you agree Arsenal fans? Have your say in our poll below…
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Liverpool signed Naby Keita in the summer of 2017, but it was a long wait before fans of the club were able to see him in a red shirt on Merseyside for the first time.
That was because Jurgen Klopp’s side had agreed a £52m deal that would see the Guinean international remain at his Bundesliga side RB Leipzig until the summer just gone. Now though, the 23-year-old is making up for lost time.
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The new number eight at Anfield is the first man to receive the shirt since club legend Steven Gerrard retired, and although nobody is suggesting he could go on to have a career like his predecessor, Keita’s early performances have been promising.
Unlike fellow midfield new boy Fabinho who arrived from Monaco, Kieta’s former side Leipzig employed a similar style of play to the high-tempo gegenpressing that Klopp instils in his players at Liverpool. This has meant his integration into the starting XI has been quicker than the Brazilian’s and Reds fans have had more of an opportunity to see what he’s about.
In the 2-1 Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea, Keita was given 90 minutes by his German boss and although the Blues came back from a goal down to win the game, Liverpool fans should be excited by the central midfielder’s performance.
Keita is an unconventional looking player at times and often seems as though he isn’t in control of the ball, but his dribbling ability and energy is often crucial to getting the Reds up the pitch and onto their now infamous counter attacks. Against Chelsea on Wednesday evening, Keita completed two dribbles and his 91 per cent pass accuracy and two key passes prove that he is beginning to use the ball well too.
After watching him closely it’s easy to tell why the bosses at Anfield were convinced enough to part with what was then a club record fee. Keita’s ability to take the ball on the half-turn and create space for himself is unparalleled in the Liverpool squad and hints at his front-foot approach, which he has the energy to sustain for 90 minutes.
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Throughout his career so far, the Guinean has been known for chipping in with a good return of goals from midfield and although he is yet to open his account for the Reds it is clearly not for the lack of trying. In the Carabao Cup tie he had three shots, all of which were on target and forced saves from Chelsea’s stand-in keeper Willy Caballero.
The three tackles that Keita also made in the game point to the defensive side of his game which is just as impressive as his attacking endeavours, as he covers ground in a similar way to James Milner, making the pair a nightmare to play against.
Although he is yet to light-up a game in England, the stats show that Keita is settling well at Liverpool and from the glimpses he has shown, there is much more to come from the 30-cap international.
His selection from the start for the cup tie with Chelsea hints that he could be replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum for the league game between the same two teams on Saturday, even though his energy levels in game make it look like he would have no problem playing two games in a week. There is no doubting though that whether he starts or not on Saturday, Keita is likely to be extremely important in the future for this developing Liverpool side.
Mauricio Pochettino’s has got a lot of transfers right since his move to North London. Between Dele Alli and Toby Alderweeireld, there’s enough success alone for most managers to be deemed a transfer expert.
However, he’s also got more than a few deals wrong, like that which brought Vincent Janssen to the club.
There are some, too, in which the jury is still out. Serge Aurier is a prime example of this. The Ivorian moved to London from PSG, and he was expected to go from strength to strength on the right-hand side of the Tottenham defence.
However, it just hasn’t worked out for him yet, and if things don’t turn around, he could find his days at Tottenham numbered.
The emergence of Kieran Trippier has certainly had a big part to play in Aurier’s inability to hold down a first team spot. His rise didn’t begin at the World Cup with England, though his stock did dramatically rise over the summer. The months preceding and following the departure of Kyle Walker to Man City are what initially gave Trippier his chance, and he took it with both hands. He didn’t look capable of being able to make a continual impact in the English top flight, but a switch flipped and he became one of England’s best defenders – and that was bad news for Aurier. The Ivorian quickly went from a likely starter to more of a rotational option.
Add to that the often inconsistent form of Aurier, and he quickly has a problem. Though he’s decent going forward, the Ivorian has struggled to impress defensively, and in the Premier League, that’s simply not good enough. Lacking a solid defensive engine, he’s rarely been able to impress at the back. Trippier, meanwhile, is able to make an impact at both ends of the field, and his threat going forward has increased exponentially as of late.
So, we get to the real crux of the debate. Aurier isn’t likely to be happy with a backup role at Tottenham, and his poor performances mean that he’s not exactly a continually reliable option at Spurs. He needs to buck up his ideas and improve, then, or he could find himself replaced.
It’s been three years since Jurgen Klopp joined Liverpool as the man to replace former manager Brendan Rodgers, and the club’s fans feel their beloved Liverpool are in a much better place now than the day he took over.
The German has become a real favourite among the club’s fans and won their hearts over with his charismatic and positive personality, and of course the passion he shows on the touchline.
The Merseyside outfit’s competitiveness has certainly grown and improved in the time he has been at Anfield, and it is no surprise that the Reds are considered Premier League title contenders this season.
Despite being in three finals since Klopp took over and failing to win any of them, Liverpool fans are still optimistic that the former Borussia Dortmund boss can steer them to success. The club’s exceptional Champions League campaign last season has sparked a great deal of belief that the current team could win their first piece of silverware in six years this term.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions by Liverpool fans:
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On Saturday afternoon, West Ham United shall host Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League clash at the London Stadium. The home side will be looking to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat inflicted upon them by Brighton last time out, whilst Spurs shall be seeking to continue their good form which has so far seen them record their best ever start to a Premier League campaign.
The Hammers’ season got off to a dreadful start under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. However, the East Londoners have turned things around recently with seven points from their last four outings. The Chilean coach has named the same starting XI for each of those last four matches.
Many expect him to name the same starting line up yet again on Saturday, which would see the veteran right-back Pablo Zabaleta retain his place in the side. The 33-year-old has been in fine form in recent weeks and deserves to be included from the off against Spurs.
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However, summer signing Ryan Fredericks will be keen to usurp the Argentine in the team and will be hoping that his extra pace and aggression is favoured over Zabaleta’s experience for the Spurs clash.
We asked Hammers fans who they’d like to see taking up the right-back berth on Saturday, and 75% put their faith in Zabaleta. See the full results below.
Loads of West Ham fans have been reacting to a worrying moment in the clash against Tottenham, as Andriy Yarmolenko was forced off with a serious injury.
West Ham fell one behind shortly before half time against Tottenham, but it’s not the goal that fans are really worried about.
Yarmolenko, who recently found form with a stunning brace in the win at Everton, went down clutching his ankle just before Spurs’ opener.
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The summer signing had to wait for his opportunity after his move from Borussia Dortmund, but has looked extremely threatening cutting in from the right wing onto his wand of a left foot.
He went to ground with no one around him during a West Ham attack though, and he looked to be in very serious pain.
Whether it is an ankle or an achilles problem is not yet clear, but the 79-cap Ukraine star seems almost certain to miss quite a bit of time after being stretchered off.
The most worrying part is that the winger had formed a brilliant understanding with Felipe Anderson and the popular Marko Arnautovic, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions to this setback down below…
Southampton host Newcastle on Saturday in what is already looking set to be an early six-pointer with both clubs having had poor starts to the season so far.
The Magpies head into the game rock-bottom of the table, whereas Southampton sit just one point and two places above the relegation zone but having failed to win any of their previous five Premier League matches.
Saints boss Mark Hughes is under pressure to turn things around, but it seems as though he still hasn’t decided on his best starting XI, or even formation. The 54-year-old has switched between a back three and a back four and has rotated his centre-backs far too frequently for successful relationships to be built.
However, the South Coast side did keep a clean sheet in their draw with Bournemouth last weekend and that should convince Hughes to stick with a back four. Jack Stephens came into the side and impressed and he should retain his place.
Summer signing Jannik Vestergaard should then come in alongside the 24-year-old, with the ever-present Premier League starter Wesley Hoedt dropped, to finally offer Saints a solid base from which to build.
So, Southampton fans, would you agree with our pairing? Have your own say by voting in the poll below.