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West Ham, like almost every other Premier League team, desperately need to do some recruiting during the summer transfer window, if they want to push to where they think they belong in the league. Indeed, fans will have loved the taste of success the Manuel Pellegrini era has teased them with this season, but more is certainly needed. 

European qualification simply has to be the ambition this season but with that now being a longshot, the Hammers must look to buy some more quality to ensure it’s at least a better possibility next season. Indeed, Pellegrini is surely a manager the West Ham board can trust with a hefty budget as it has to be said that the Hammers do need a number of new players.

Starting with another midfielder due to the injury problems West Ham have sustained specifically in that position.

This season, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Manuel Lanzini have all suffered long-term lay-offs, so the ambitious East London side should look to sign a player like Napoli’s Amadou Diawara.

Diawara, (who is valued at £14.4 million on Transfermarkt) is a defensive-minded midfielder that has all the quality to be a top player in the game. Pellegrini has often utilised a midfield trio of Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Robert Snodgrass but with Amadou Diawara in the mix as well, he would bring an injection of pace and overall quality.

The 21-year-old – who was linked with a move to the London Stadium by Tuttomercato Web in January – has only been able to make 11 starts for Napoli this season, something that will disappoint the youngster, concerning how highly-rated he is.

Nevertheless, if he opted for a move to England, West Ham would be a terrific option for him considering how badly they need a midfielder like him. Around such a talent, the phasing out of Noble could begin, giving the Irons a long-term heir.

It may take a hefty sum for West Ham to try and push through a deal but Diawara has so much potential that definitely makes him worth investing in.

West Ham fans, would you back such a move? Do you think the hunt for a Mark Noble successor needs to start soon? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Leeds United completed the signing of Mateusz Bogusz from Ruch Chorzow in the latter stages of the January transfer window.

And the 17-year-old has revealed that he rejected interest from the Premier League in order to move to Elland Road last month.

What’s the story, then?

Bogusz told Sport Express:

“Yes. I was in both of these clubs before I signed the contract. Leeds came over to me, I thought it was the perfect place for me to take another step in my career.

“The club, all its facilities, my development plan. Everything that Leeds offered me was convincing.

“Hence a two-and-a-half-year contract with the possibility of extension. And in perspective, I hope, playing in the Premier League.”

Bogusz had been operating in the second tier of Polish football ahead of his move to Leeds, but Napoli are said to have offered him a trial last year.

As it transpired, nothing came of the potential interest from Naples, but the teenager has revealed that he had the chance to move to the Premier League.

When asked whether he had received an offer from Brighton, Borgusz responded “yes” before going on to reveal the reasons why he choose Leeds.

It remains to be seen whether the Polish midfielder can forge a successful career in England, but Leeds have again showed that they are a huge pull despite currently operating in the second tier of English football.

What are Bogusz’s credentials?

Following a certain Kiko Casilla to Leeds meant that his arrival in the latter stages of the January window went slightly under the radar.

Bogusz penned a two-and-a-half-year deal upon his arrival, however, meaning that he is contracted to the Whites until the summer of 2021.

The youngster had managed six goals in 34 appearances for Ruch, while he has also been capped at youth level by Poland.

Capable of operating as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder or in the number 10 role, there is no question that Bogusz can be a huge asset.

And Leeds will be hoping that the 5ft 9in ace can impress in the second half of this season with the view to becoming a future first-team player for the club.

Following last summer where they failed to sign anyone, Tottenham once again saw no new arrivals in the transfer window last month.

The north London club, however, did seem to be interested in signing a new striker with Harry Kane out injured if latest rumours are to be believed.

The Breakdown

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham made an approach for Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic which, unsurprisingly, was rebuffed with the west London outfit uninterested in doing business, especially at the £27m fee reported.

And with the 24-year-old leading the club’s survival push, it is not hard to understand why. In 26 Premier League games, he has managed to find the back of the net on 10 occasions while his all-round centre-forward play has been top-notch, making Tottenham’s interest make some sense.

That being said, Mitrovic does not come without baggage with the Serbia international’s discipline having often come into question in the past, while a reported bust-up with former team-mate Aboubakar Kamara (Sky Sports) can be seen as another red flag.

Considering that, bringing in the Fulham man may not have been worth it in the end. Fernando Llorente has also sparked into life in recent weeks, giving Mauricio Pochettino a solid alternative to the injured Kane.

Mitrovic is certainly a good No.9 who could have added something to this Tottenham side but, given some of his history, plenty of supporters are likely to be delighted with his failed transfer and might actually see it as a bullet dodged.

Leeds United can be quite happy with their performance against Brentford on Tuesday night.

Ok, they only drew, and they’ve still only won once in 2020, but picking up a point away from home against any team in the top six isn’t a bad result.

On top of that, the Whites absolutely dominated proceedings – they had 67 per cent of the possession, and they also had three times more shots on target than their opponents.

You can’t dominate in such fashion without some individuals putting in some top performances, and one man who was in fine form was Mateusz Klich.

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The Pole played more final third passes than anyone else on the pitch, won more ground duels than any other player and had the most successful take-ons on Tuesday.

The stats show just how good he was, and fans were mightily impressed by what they saw at Griffin Park.

Supporters took to social media to share just how impressed they were by the midfielder.

While Klich was impressive, some believed that his solid performance wouldn’t have been possible if Kalvin Phillips wasn’t alongside him in the midfield.

Many commented that Phillips played a huge part in the 29-year-old’s showing, stating that the pair complement each other well in the middle of the park.

In other news, Leeds fans have been ripping into one player after Tuesday’s game.

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Everton shelled out a huge fee when they bought Richarlison from Watford back in the summer, parting with an initial sum of around £35m to bring the Brazilian international to Goodison Park – as reported by the BBC, clauses in the deal could take the fee to around £50m, which would eclipse the club-record £45m spent on Gylfi Sigurdsson.

How has he done so far?

The 21-year-old started his Premier League career with the Hornets in impressive fashion, quickly introducing himself as a typically skilful Brazilian flair player, but with the ability to turn his mercurial talents into goals and assists.

However, after Marco Silva was sacked, Richarlison’s form nosedived, and he finished the 2017/18 campaign with just five goals and four assists to his name at Vicarage Road, as seen on his Whoscored page.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

There seems to be a good relationship between Silva and the former Fluminense forward, with that suggestion further reinforced when the Portuguese manager convinced his new bosses to splash the cash to bring his favourite to Merseyside.

It mustn’t be forgotten that Richarlison is a very young player, and arrived on these shores as a youngster who had never played his football outside of Brazil, so his debut season can be forgiven. This term, however, he has looked far more mature in a central role for the Toffees, scoring nine league goals in 20 starts, as per Whoscored, and proving to be far more efficient and consistent in his movement and end product.

The Verdict

At such a young age, and taking the state of the current market into account, the deal for Richarlison could be considered a snip in a few years if he continues his upwards curve.

It is encouraging to see that he has almost doubled his tally for goals from last season just over halfway through the current campaign, and most importantly, he is playing under a manager who trusts him and will give him sufficient game time to develop.

One stat which also catches the eye is the amount of aerial duels that he has won. The 21-year-old averages 2.3 aerial duels won per game in the league, as per Whoscored, which suggests that he is learning how to use his broad frame more effective in the physical English game.

He has been an astute signing who has impressed hugely, and so long as Silva is at the helm, he should continue his rapid rise as a footballer which has seen him score three times in his six appearances for Brazil – his form has also attracted glances from the Camp Nou, with Barcelona keeping tabs on his progress according to The Daily Star in December.

West Ham United are expected to head into the January transfer market this winter to improve their options in the striking department.

The Hammers currently have Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll all available at the moment, but it is believed Manuel Pellegrini wants to add further depth to his ranks.

And, according to a report by HITC Sport, it is understood that Charlie Kelman is on their radar after impressing for Southend United.

The teenager is thought to be one of the most promising strikers in the game at the moment and has attracted plenty of interest from a number of Premier League sides.

The likes of Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion are thought to have taken note, along with Aston Villa, of the 17-year-old who had netted 61 goals at the youth level last season for the League One outfit and sent scouts to watch him in midweek.

The Verdict:

Kelman is certainly an exciting prospect at the moment and could thrive at West Ham’s famed academy that has produced a number of big names in the past.

The striker would cost a rather nominal fee if they did try and sign him, as Southend would only be entitled to compensation for their training costs of the American Under-18 international squad member.

And, West Ham could have an advantage in signing Kelman, as they are closely based to where he is currently situated in the UK.

However, he is not an addition that would immediately improve them, which if that is what Pellegrini wants to do this winter, then he will need to look further afield.

West Ham fans – thoughts?

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In our first episode we focus on the huge opening Premier League weekend clash between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium.

James Jones, Christy Malyan and Chris McMullan talk in depth about what we can expect to see from Arsenal under new manager Unai Emery, whether Man City are hungry enough to replicate their record-breaking achievements of last season and how they see the final day of the transfer window unfolding.

The lads are also joined by City Watch’s Adam Wareing, who gives his own insight in to what we should expect from Man City this season and how he thinks Sunday’s game against the Gunners will pan out.

You can listen to Episode One below or you can also find us on iTunes, Spotify, aCast, Google Podcasts and several other podcast platforms. Just click here to subscribe. 

For the first time ever, the summer transfer window will close before the start of the season in 2018.

Indeed, following a summer in which a number of managers were unable to adequately plan for the start of the new campaign due to the uncertain futures of their high-profile players, 14 top flight clubs voted last week to end the transfer window before the first game of 2018/19.

Gunners gaffer Arsene Wenger spoke out in support of the change before it was officially passed by the Premier League and it certainly wouldn’t have affected Arsenal on the inward front during the summer, with both of their signings arriving before the end of July.

However, foreign top flights will still be able to buy players from the Premier League until the end of August, something which could cost the English game dearly next summer when the World Cup will be hosted in Russia.

So, Arsenal supporters, when do you think the transfer window should close? Let us know by voting below…

Following successive away wins at automatic promotion rivals Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town, it appears as though Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is already starting to prepare for life in the Premier League.

The Magpies are currently 11 points clear of third-placed Huddersfield with 11 matches of the season left, and the Spaniard has been linked with a £12m move for Hull City defender Harry Maguire by The Sun. It appears to be a bid to try and tighten up a defence that was largely responsible for their relegation to the Championship last season.

In order to try and ensure that they don’t suffer the same fate again, Benitez looks to be making early plans to make sure his side are strong at the back, and supporters would certainly back a move for the former Sheffield United man.

The 24-year-old has been one of the highlights in what has been a tough campaign for the Tigers, who look to be in danger of dropping out of the top flight as they currently lie in 19th position, four points from safety.

In 20 appearances this season, Maguire has put in a number of brilliant performances at the back – making 34 tackles, 93 clearances and 50 interceptions, while he hasn’t made a single defensive error.

But one thing that the centre-back also has in his locker – and something that will impress Benitez – is his ability to bring the ball out from the back.

Maguire has completed 18 take-ons in the Premier League this term and has often proved to be a threat in the opposition penalty area too, going close on a number of occasions in his side’s defeat to Chelsea in January.

Manchester United are riding a three-year Premier League title drought,which equals the longest in the club’s storied history. Jose Mourinho walks into a situation with monumental expectations.

‘The Special One’ has plenty of recruiting to do, and he doesn’t have to look any further than the EUROs. Group F, comprised of Portugal, Austria, Hungary and Iceland, in particular holds potential targets.

Portugal boast the most talent of these squads, and some Portuguese players have already been the subjects of transfer rumours. Mourinho should focus on these FIVE players from Group F as he enters his first season at Old Trafford…

Cristiano Ronaldo

As if acquiring legendary manager Mourinho wasn’t enough to make headlines this off-season, imagine if Ronaldo joined him? Arguably the world’s top player, Ronaldo officially broke out onto the scene at Old Trafford and has elevated himself from being a promising winger to a fearsome all-round attacking force. If the Real Madrid ace returns, which is far from expected, expect one of the most lucrative deals in history to take place.

João Mario

United have shown interest in the Portuguese midfielder, and for good reason. Mario is only 23-years-old, a brilliant playmaker and an ideal replacement for many of the ageing Man United midfielders.

David Alaba

His transition from defence to midfield was effortless. Alaba is one of the world’s top players and undoubtedly Austria’s most dominant force. However, with Real Madrid showing interest in Alaba, acquiring him will take plenty of doing and money, of course.

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Joao Moutinho

Moutinho is a consummate midfielder whose passing is pinpoint and shooting dangerous. With Man United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and Juan Mata ageing and struggling to maintain pace, restructuring the midfield is a top priority for Mourinho.

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Adam Nagy

More of a long-term investment, Nagy is only 20-years-old but has shown an ability to pass and operate in tight areas. Man United’s midfielders are slowing down, and restructuring is needed. The Hungarian has potential to play in a top league.

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