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Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a fantastic evening at Old Trafford with a comfortable and convincing 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lilywhites have now won four successive matches in all competitions and have scored three goals in each of their last three games, against United, Qarabag, and Coventry City.

Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke scored the goals for Spurs in Manchester, whilst Bruno Fernandes was shown a red card for a challenge on James Maddison in the first half.

Whilst it was a very positive evening for Ange Postecoglou on the whole, there is one player who should be brutally ditched from the starting XI after his dismal display – Timo Werner.

Timo Werner's performance against Manchester United in numbers

The Germany international started the game on the left flank, with Solanke through the middle and Johnson on the right, but failed to justify his inclusion in the line-up with a strong performance.

He ended the match with fewer touches (51) than Tottenham’s goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (53), as the attacker struggled to impose himself on the match at times.

Despite his lack of touches of the ball, Werner still had two huge opportunities to find the back of the net through one-on-ones with Andre Onana, and fired his shot at the Red Devils stopper both times.

Minutes played

77

Goals + assists

0

Big chances missed

2

Dribbles completed

2/7

Duels won

2/5

Possession lost

17x

As you can see in the table above, Werner gave the ball away 17 times and missed two ‘big chances’ for Spurs, whilst also struggling in duels and dribbles.

The German attacker also failed to create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates and only completed 73% of his attempted passes at Old Trafford.

This dismal performance resulted in Werner was summed up by Gary Neville describing him as “really poor” during Sky Sports’ live commentary of the match, after his second one-on-one miss.

Why Postecoglou must ditch Werner

The Tottenham boss must now ruthlessly drop the former Chelsea man from his starting XI for the club’s next clash with Ferencvaros in midweek.

They are back in Europa League action in Hungary on Thursday night and Werner should be dropped down to the bench, to allow teenage starlet Mikey Moore to have a chance from the start.

The 28-year-old forward has produced zero goals, zero assists, and zero ‘big chances’ created in six matches across the Premier League, League Cup, and Europa League this season for Spurs.

Werner scored two goals in 13 top-flight games for Tottenham during the second half of last season, during his loan spell from RB Leipzig, and does not look likely to improve his lacklustre scoring record any time soon.

Moore, who has scored 19 goals in 24 games for the club at U18 level, should now be given an opportunity to show what he can do on the left wing in Heung-min Son’s absence, because the German winger has not done enough to justify his place in the team.

Defoe loved him: £26m Spurs signing became the biggest "flop of the season"

It looked like Spurs had signed a world-beater.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 24, 2024

West Ham have been used to having a “defend first” policy in recent years, and are trying to change this dynamic under new manager Julen Lopetegui, to be more on the front foot, and dominate games on the ball.

Having said that, The Hammers are coming off the back of one of their worst defensive campaigns in recent years, conceding 74 goals during the 2023/24 season, giving them the fourth worst defensive record in the division.

They have already conceded more this season (11) than they have scored (10), which could tempt the Hammers back into the market in January in order to strengthen those defensive options.

West Ham target available on the cheap

According to reports from the Star, via the Evening Standard, West Ham target Harry Maguire could be available for just £10m in January.

The defender is approaching the final months of his deal. Manchester United will want to extract some sort of fee for the 31-year-old defender, who they originally bought for £80m.

Maguire has made 215 appearances for United, scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in 17,193 minutes. He also has 64 international caps for England, scoring seven goals, making his debut in 2017.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Maguire vs Rice comparison

Declan Rice made 245 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 15 goals, providing 13 assists and totalling 20,580 minutes played for the club.

He was named club captain when Mark Noble left the club, and led his side to European glory in 2023, winning the UEFA Conference League with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina.

The 25-year-old made 20 appearances for Ireland in the youth ranks, before making three senior appearances for them.

He then changed alliances and has made 60 appearances for England, scoring four goals in that time, and reaching the Euro finals twice.

It was a big loss, more specifically from a leadership point of view, but Maguire could help make up for that absence. The English defender captained United from 2020-2023, and this sort of leadership could be very valuable to West Ham, who saw Rice head to Arsenal for a mega £105m.

Maguire was praised as “one of the best defenders” in the history of English football by international teammate, Harry Kane and one of his best weapons, alongside his leadership, is his aerial prowess for both defending the box, and attacking set pieces.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Maguire

Rice

Zouma

Goals

0.16

0.10

0.08

xG

0.11

0.07

0.05

Progressive Carries

1.01

2.59

0.20

Progressive Passes

3.85

6.62

1.55

Passes into Final Third

3.99

6.60

1.63

Key Passes

0.28

0.98

0.11

Tackles

1.15

2.22

0.76

Blocks

1.79

1.20

1.18

Interceptions

1.25

1.63

0.96

Aerials Won

3.90

0.95

1.89

That shows in the stats, winning 3.90 aerials per 90 and generating 0.11 xG per 90, which largely comes from attacking set pieces. Out of the three players we have compared, he also scored the most goals per 90 with 0.16.

The 31-year-old defender would bring improved defensive numbers ahead of Kurt Zouma who left the club on loan this summer, whilst also adding extra leadership that the club has missed since Rice left the club.

Lopetegui could already have his own Jhon Duran in West Ham machine

West Ham could already have their own Jhon Duran at the club.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 16, 2024

Crystal Palace’s recruitment team are among the Premier League scouts plotting a transfer swoop on a £25 million midfielder, according to a recent report. Palace’s long wait for a Premier League win ended on Sunday as they claimed a surprise 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park. Pressure was mounting on manager Oliver Glasner, but he will hope that can ease as they claim their first league win of the season.

£17m Crystal Palace gem unlikely to play again in 2024 after injury update

It’s a blow for Oliver Glasner.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 27, 2024 Crystal Palace news and updates

The run of poor results has left Glasner fighting for his job despite the positive impact he made last season, so much so that new managers were being linked with the role.

Gareth Southgate was someone who emerged as an option for the Eagles last week, but the chances of Palace securing the former England manager are very slim, as he wants to take a break from football. Former West Ham manager David Moyes was also mentioned as an option, with the Scot interested in the possible vacancy. But Glasner has picked up his first league win this season, and he will be hoping it gives him time to turn around the poor form.

Away from manager news, Palace already have their eye on a potential January or next summer signing despite the club’s poor form in the league. The South Londoners are monitoring Trabzonspor midfielder Batista Mendy, as the Turkish side are open to selling the player for £16.5 million, but not in January, as they would want to keep him until the end of the current campaign.

The transfer news doesn’t stop there for Palace fans, as the club also have their eye on another midfielder, who will cost more than Mendy.

Crystal Palace's recruitment team plotting £25m signing

According to Voetbal24, relayed by Tribal Football, Crystal Palace are one of several Premier League clubs scouting midfielder Raphael Onyedika. The 23-year-old midfielder currently plays for Belgian side Club Brugge and has done so since 2022, when he joined from Midtjylland.

Onyedika has become an important player for Brugge, helping them compete at the top in Belgium as well as in Europe, where he has grabbed one assist in three Champions League games this season, and the form he’s shown has earned him nine caps for Nigeria so far.

Now, according to this report, Palace are among the English clubs keeping an eye on him during this campaign. Brugge are said to be open to selling the midfielder when the January transfer window comes around, with their starting price being 30 million euros, which is roughly £25 million.

Apps

103

Goals

4

Assists

4

Onyedika has had some disciplinary issues on the pitch this season for Brugge, but among the scouts who have watched him, there is no doubt about his talent and potential. The 23-year-old emerged on the radar of Galatasaray during the summer, but their efforts to sign the midfielder were rejected, leaving the door open for a move to the Premier League.

Liverpool’s start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign has been superb. With Jurgen Klopp’s departure after close to a decade in charge at Anfield, the Reds would surely have been forgiven if they had gotten off to a slow start under Arne Slot. However, they are currently flying high in the top flight.

They are currently one point behind top-of-the-table Manchester City, with 22 points to their name so far. The Merseysiders have suffered one defeat, a shock loss at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, and have drawn just one game, too. That was a crucial point away from home against Arsenal.

There have been several players in strong form under Slot so far, with Luis Diaz one of Liverpool’s standout players.

Diaz’s stats in the 2024/25 season

It has been a fast start to winger Diaz’s career under the tutelage of Slot. The Colombian forward, already has seven goal involvements in the Premier League, with five goals and two assists in just nine games.

On two occasions, the Reds number seven has scored twice in a game. One of those games was against Manchester United. That day, Liverpool cruised to a 3-0 victory, with Mohamed Salah also getting himself on the scoresheet.

Although the Reds winger scored another two goals just two games after his Old Trafford double, against Bournemouth, he has been devoid of goal involvement. The 27-year-old has gone four Premier League games without finding the back of the net, although he did get an assist at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.

With that being said, Liverpool’s number seven scored in midweek, grabbing one of three goals against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup. The Reds got through to the quarter-finals with a 3-2 victory on the South Coast.

After a fast start to the season, Diaz would surely have hoped to maintain such impressive form. After playing 90 minutes at the Amex Stadium, Slot may well choose not to select him in the Reds’ next outing against the same opponents, at Anfield this time around. Instead, Dutch international Cody Gakpo could get the nod.

Why Gakpo could start vs. Brighton

Unlike his fellow left winger Diaz, 25-year-old attacker Gakpo has not had the best start to the 2024/25 campaign in the Premier League. Although he has played nine times in the top flight, the former PSV Eindhoven winger has yet to find the back of the net and has just one assist.

However, the winger was superb against the Seagulls in midweek. He scored twice to take his Carabao Cup tally for this season up to four goals, having bagged two against West Ham United in the previous round.

The Liverpool winger received a glowing review from This is Anfield journalist Mark Delgado for his performance. He gave Gakpo a 9/10 rating, explaining that he put up a “strong enough showing” against on the South Coast to earn himself another start on the left-wing this weekend.

Aside from his pair of goals against Fabian Hurzeler’s team, the 25-year-old had brilliant stats courtesy of Sofascore. He had 46 touches and created two chances, completing two dribbles and even winning an impressive three duels.

Touches

46

Passes completed

22/30

Pass accuracy

77%

Ground duels won

3

Dribbles completed

2

Chances created

2

Goals

2

Big chances created

1

Slot may well decide to give Gakpo, who was once described as “unstoppable” by football statistician Statman Dave, the start ahead of Diaz this weekend.

Not only might he factor in his fellow Dutchman’s impressive performance against the same opposition, but given Diaz’s tough run of form, may well decide to drop him to the bench, with Mo Salah taking up his position on the right – with Gakpo taking Diaz’s usual spot on the left in the Premier League.

Competition for places at Anfield is exciting, and this is a perfect demonstration of two talented players gunning for one spot. It certainly leaves Slot with a selection headache ahead of another big fixture on Saturday.

Slot must drop Szoboszlai and unleash Liverpool's "outstanding" talent

Liverpool travel to Arsenal this evening looking to win yet another Premier League outing.

1 ByEthan Lamb Oct 27, 2024

Just when it looked like West Ham United were back on track following their victory over Manchester United last week, they came crashing back down to earth on Saturday afternoon.

Julen Lopetegui would have seen the win against the Red Devils as a potential turning point in their season, but a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest will see him head straight back to the drawing board.

The Spaniard wasn’t helped by his side going down to ten men before the halftime whistle, as Edson Alvarez received two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.

Edson Alvarez let West Ham down vs Forest

The midfielder was making just his fifth Premier League start of the season as Lopetegui added him into a midfield partnership alongside Guido Rodriguez, with Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville ahead of them.

During his time on the pitch, Alvarez took 29 touches, completed only 64% of his passes, and won four of his seven total duels contested.

After 39 minutes, he was booked after foolishly tugging Murillo’s shirt, before sliding in to foul Anthony Elanga minutes before the whistle blew for the interval, resulting in him being given his marching orders.

Already trailing by a goal to nil, it was going to be harder than ever for the Irons to recover as they duly conceded twice in the second half to lose 3-0 and suffer another damaging defeat.

Despite the Mexican being sent off, he wasn’t the worst performer in the West Ham side on Saturday afternoon. That honour belongs to Rodriguez.

Guido Rodriguez’s game in numbers vs Forest

When Lopetegui signed the Argentinian World Cup winner for free in the summer, it was looked upon as a shrewd piece of business.

After nine Premier League starts, the midfielder had yet to demonstrate his class, despite arriving with a solid reputation.

Touches

26

Passes (completed)

17 (23)

Tackles

0

Possession lost

7

Total duels (won)

3 (0)

Key passes

0

Via Sofascore

He was hooked at halftime after a turgid display in the first half where he won zero duels, completed just 17 passes, failed to succeed with any of his four long ball attempts, and lost possession seven times.

Rodriguez even committed a foul – resulting in a booking – was dribbled past once and made zero tackles during his woeful 45 minutes on the pitch.

Tom Rennie, editor of talkSPORT, criticised the South American for his display, as he described him as “ineffective” due to his lack of qualities in midfield.

It now remains to be seen whether Lopetegui will continue to persist with him in the centre of his midfield, after such a poor first-half display from the summer signing, who joined from Real Betis on a free transfer.

The Spaniard is a man under pressure. With a clash against Everton up next, anything other than a positive result could see his position become untenable, which is why he will need to be careful with his team selection and could immediately ditch Rodriguez from the starting XI.

It’s become impossible to ignore: Arsenal’s season is starting to fall apart.

Mikel Arteta’s side have dealt with a number of injuries, unnecessary suspensions and, at best, underwhelming performances on the pitch, which have left them nine points off Liverpool on top of the Premier League.

However, while things look grim for the North Londoners, there is still time to get their campaign back on track, especially if they make the most of the January transfer window.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest that they may well do that, as the latest star touted for a move to N5 is an imposing striker who could be the ideal Kai Havertz replacement and has even been compared to Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report by journalist Rudy Galetti, Arsenal are interested in Juventus’ star striker, Dušan Vlahović.

The respected reporter has revealed that the Serie A giants are “open to letting Dusan go,” and that the Gunners have been “monitoring” his situation and are “expected to meet his agent soon to gather fresh information.”

There is no mention of a potential price in the report, but Transfermarkt values him at €65m, which is about £55m, and with his contract expiring in 19 months, combined with the Old Lady’s willingness to let him go, that seems like a realistic price.

It would still represent a sizeable investment from Arsenal, but given Vlahovic’s ability in front of goal and the comparisons to Haaland and Mbpabbe, it could be one worth making, especially as he could be the dream replacement for Havertz.

Why Vlahović would be an ideal Havertz replacement

Okay, so before we get to the comparison between Vlahović and the man he’d have to displace from Arsenal’s starting lineup, let’s examine this comparison to arguably the best players in the world right now: Mbappé and Haaland.

The comparison stems from an interview with football agent Roberto De Fanti in January 2022, before the Serbian star moved to Turin.

In the interview, De Fanti described the then 22-year-old poacher as possessing “all the attributes to become a big star” and that, due to him being so young and yet so exciting at the time, he was “one of those guys on the list like Mbappé and Halland which all the European clubs will want to buy.”

Now, it would be fair to say that the Belgrad-born marksman has not quite hit the heights of those two just yet, but during his time with Fiorentina, when the comparison was made, it looked like he might, as he left La Viola with an incredible record of 49 goals and eight assists in 108 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.92 games.

With all that said, how does the 31-capped international stack up to the Gunners’ number 29? After all, it’ll be him he needs to surpass to get regular game time in North London.

Appearances

42

47

Goals

14

9

Assists

4

1

Goal + Assists per Match

0.42

0.21

Appearances

38

51

Goals

18

14

Assists

3

7

Goal + Assists per Match

0.55

0.41

Appearances

16

17

Goals

9

7

Assists

1

1

Goal + Assists per Match

0.62

0.47

Fortunately for him, he’s comfortably outperformed the former Chelsea ace over the last few years, as since the start of the 22/23 campaign, the 24-year-old has found the back of the net on 41 occasions and provided eight assists in 96 appearances, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.95 games.

In contrast, the Gunners’ Aachen-born poacher has scored 30 goals and provided nine assists in 115 appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.94 games.

Unfortunately for the German, not even his average of a goal involvement every 2.34 games for the Gunners is better than the man who may soon replace him.

Ultimately, while it won’t be cheap, adding Vlahovic’s goals to the team in January is a no-brainer, even if it impacts Havertz’s game time. Therefore, Arsenal should act on their interest as soon as possible.

Arsenal must finally sell £3m flop who was supposed to be the next Saka

The promising youngster couldn’t make it work since his big move to Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 19, 2024

An “exciting” young midfielder is “set to finally join” Chelsea next year, after rejecting a move to Stamford Bridge years ago in favour of Arsenal.

Chelsea face Leicester City in the Premier League

Enzo Maresca faces off against his old side in the early kick off this afternoon, with Chelsea looking to get right back to winning ways and maintain their charge for a place in the Premier League top four at the end of this season.

Chelsea demand £100m from Real Madrid for "world class" ace after approach

The west Londoners have “communicated” their asking price.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Nov 22, 2024

They were dealt a blow when news emerged that star right-back Reece James picked up another injury, meaning he’ll miss today’s trip to the King Power Stadium, but Maresca is excited to return to his old stomping ground.

“First of all, excited and also thankful because it was a fantastic season,” said Maresca on returning to Leicester today.

“I met people that are very difficult to find in football; the owner, his family, they are fantastic human beings. They care for the players, the staff, all of the people who work inside the club. You can see that.

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

Tottenham (home)

December 8

Brentford (home)

December 15

“It was a fantastic season because I met good people and then in terms of players, it was top, it was fantastic. It was a fantastic connection between the players and the staff. This is something you need to create and I will be thankful for all of my life to that squad.

“Most of them, I am still in contact with them, so there is still a connection. For me, it was a fantastic season.”

Off the field, co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are busy planning for the future.

Chelsea have signed a host of teenage stars under their watch, including a high-profile deal for Brazilian sensation Estevao Willian, among others, and this trend is likely to continue well down the line.

Now, according to a report by The Secret Scout, a reliable source when it comes to academy players, it is believed the west Londoners are set to “finally” sign a young midfielder who’s been on their radar for years.

Chelsea set to sign Mathis Eboue from Watford

Indeed, Mathis Eboue will join Chelsea in 2025, as per The Secret Scout, coming after the 15-year-old rejected a move to the Cobham academy to join Arsenal when he was in the Under 8s.

The teenager has been in excellent form for Watford’s academy and for England at youth level, according to Felix Johnston, and he’s apparently a very exciting prospect.

“Eboue looks an exciting player,” said Johnston via X.

“Been ripping it up for Watford and England this season, already playing for their 21s and training with the 1st team at 15. 2-footed, very coordinated, excellent dribbler, powerful, great ball striking and eye for goal.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be hoping their team can put together a top run of form to move away from the relegation spots soon, with their performance levels somewhat topsy-turvy of late.

The recent 4-2 defeat to the Cherries in the Premier League was understandably a major blow to their confidence, especially after downing Fulham 4-1 on the road just before this dire performance, but Gary O’Neil’s men managed to somehow play even worse than this loss to Bournemouth when folding 4-0 to Everton last time out.

He will just be praying that his team can push out of the relegation spots soon or he will inevitably be facing the sack, with the pressure on his back extreme now ahead of West Ham United up next.

January could come at the best possible time for O’Neil if he does stick it out at Molineux, with the transfer window giving him time to add some fresh faces into the group, after the Old Gold have suffered from some terrible windows in the past.

Wolves' disastrous 2023 window

The window before the 2023/24 season got underway was nothing short of a car crash for the Old Gold, as a number of important first-team personnel jumped ship.

Whilst Pedro Neto and Max Kilman leaving this summer were obviously damaging to morale, Wolves would end up losing large chunks of their quality in the form of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins and Raul Jimenez all in a short space of time last year.

O’Neil should be commended for the job he did last season, therefore, in steering the depleted side to a respectable 13th position in the Premier League, considering how much of a rebuild was required.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

There’s a name that hasn’t even been listed yet from this mass exodus that has also very much hurt the West Midlands outfit when he departed the building, with this former star on the books at Molineux for a number of seasons before exiting for pastures new.

Adama Traore's form since leaving Wolves

Wolves would have begrudgingly allowed Adama Traore to move on last year, with the explosive attacker joining Fulham on a free transfer deal, having allowed his contract to run down.

After all, Traore was a long-standing servant of the West Midlands club before walking away for Craven Cottage, amassing 14 goals and 18 assists across 194 appearances.

Wolves’ loss is ultimately Fulham’s gain, however, with the slick 5 foot 10 ace impressing those in West London this season to date.

After an injury-derailed first campaign for Marco Silva’s men saw Traore be fit for just 17 top-flight clashes, the Spanish forward is now already onto 13 league games for this season, with one goal and three assists coming his way as a full-throttle force.

His reputation as a direct and rampaging forward has even seen comparisons be drawn between his performances and those of AC Milan star Rafael Leao, as per FBref. That is noteworthy considering that the former Lille man was boldly given a £150m price tag above his head this summer after starring for the Rossoneri.

The Portuguese winger only has three more goal contributions than Traore in Serie A too this season – as Arsenal allegedly watch on to try and tempt him to the Emirates Stadium soon – with Wolves left to wonder what the 28-year-old could offer now if he was still on their books to complement the likes of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha firing in goals for fun.

Stat – per 90 mins

Traore

Leao

Total shots

2.61

2.87

Shot-creating actions

4.29

4.76

Progressive passes

3.53

3.99

Progressive carries

5.97

5.36

Successful take-ons

2.52

3.15

Touches in attacking penalty area

5.63

6.75

Progressive passes received

9.24

10.93

The real kicker for O’Neil’s relegation-threatened troops is the fact Traore – who was described as a “monster” by Scotland star, Che Adams – exited for nothing, especially when you see his similarities to the likes of Leao in the table above, who is worth a mammoth amount in contrast.

Still, Wolves’ focus – away from their former Spaniard excelling elsewhere – will be purely focused on staying up in the Premier League, with some crunch months left to come.

Wolves must regret selling a "superstar" who's now even better than Cunha

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been left to curse offloading this star.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 3, 2024

A “sensational” Arsenal player close adviser is apparently pushing for him to leave the club in January, with the winter transfer window soon upon us, as reports begin to heat up surrounding both potential incomings and outgoings at the Emirates.

Players who are most likely to leave Arsenal in January

Despite Mikel Arterta being forced to deal with a host of injury problems so far this campaign, which has already threatened to extinguish their bid to win a first Premier League title in 21 years, there are suggestions that first-team squad members could depart north London as early as next month.

Arsenal hold talks with £58m striker via reps as January deal possible

The Gunners want an alternative to Kai Havertz.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Dec 12, 2024

Left-back Kieran Tierney, after recovering from a hamstring injury which kept him sidelined since Euro 2024, has been re-introduced to the first-team squad by Arteta – with the Spaniard confirming that he could hand the former Celtic star for his first senior appearance since the 2023 Community Shield final.

“He is ready, he’s training really well and he’s going to have an opportunity for sure,” said Arteta on playing Tierney.

“The way the team is looking at the moment, he is going to do that for that reason and because he’s earned it. The way he’s behaved, the way he’s been with us because he’s willing to do it and when that happens, you have to give those opportunities to players.”

Everton (home)

December 14

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Ipswich Town (home)

December 27

Brentford (away)

January 1

Brighton (away)

January 4

Tierney has been an unused substitute in all of Arsenal’s last five games in all competitions, first making his way back on to the bench for their 5-1 win away to Sporting Lisbon at the end of last month, but this certainly isn’t an indication he won’t be going anywhere in January.

Reliable journalist Charles Watts stated that Tierney is likely to leave Arsenal when the window reopens, and the plan was always to ease him back into the first team in a bid to attract potential suitors.

“He has been included in Arsenal’s Premier League squad for the season so he could play once fit, but I struggle to really see that happening,” said Watts, who also claimed Tierney is not in Arteta’s long-term plans.

“He will hope to get a move in January, probably on loan.”

Meanwhile, despite starting in each of the club’s last three games in all competitions, Poland international Jakub Kiwior continues to be heavily linked with a move back to Italy.

Jakub Kiwior's agent pushing for him to leave Arsenal in January

The 24-year-old has done well to fill in for the injured Gabriel Magalhaes lately, helping to shut out both Man United and AS Monaco alongside William Saliba, but there is a belief among the Italian press that Arsenal are prepared to sell Kiwior outright next month – amid interest from Napoli.

Now, newspaper Il Mattino (via Gooner Talk) has provided another update, and they write that Kiwior’s agent is pushing for him to leave Arsenal in January – with the player’s representative eager to secure a move away for the defender.

Once Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko return to the fold, you can make a case that the former Spezia starlet will once again be confined to Arteta’s bench for the foreseeable, so you can see why those close to Kiwior are in favour of him quitting N5.

However, from Arsenal’s perspective, it would be very risky to let the “sensational talent” leave when injuries have been such a reoccurring theme of their campaign.

West Ham United have agreed to let a “fantastic” player leave after the man in question communicated that he wants to depart Rush Green, with a January exit now expected as the winter transfer window fast approaches.

Julen Lopetegui survives West Ham sack after 2-1 win over Wolves

Under-fire Irons boss Julen Lopetegui has survived the looming West Ham axe yet again, following his side’s 2-1 win over fellow Premier League strugglers Wolves at the London Stadium on Monday.

Manager open to short-term West Ham contract after "massive U-turn"

The Hammers hierarchy have changed their minds about hiring him.

4 ByEmilio Galantini Dec 7, 2024

Tomas Soucek, who paid a touching tribute to Michail Antonio with his goal, opened the scoring against Wolves with Mohammed Kudus then having the first of his two strikes chalked off by VAR – denying West Ham a two-goal cushion.

Lopetegui was then handed a heart-in-mouth few minutes when Matt Doherty equalised for the away side, but luckily for the Spaniard, it wasn’t long before a moment of sheer brilliance from winger Jarrod Bowen put them right back into the lead late on.

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#17

09/12/2024

Wolves (H)

Premier League

2-1 win

#16

03/12/2024

Leicester City (A)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#15

30/11/2024

Arsenal (H)

Premier League

5-2 loss

#14

26/11/2024

Newcastle United (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#13

09/11/2024

Everton (H)

Premier League

0-0 draw

#12

02/11/2024

Nottingham Forest (A)

Premier League

3-0 loss

The score finished 2-1, and the result has kept Lopetegui in the dugout for now, as West Ham reportedly decide to give the 58-year-old more time to turn the club’s fortunes around.

“FOR NOW. We do NOT want to make a change,” said a top club source to insider ExWHUemployee (via West Ham Way).

“But we are not stupid and realise we have to improve. Last night was NOT a great performance and long term we have to do better.”

If that stance changes, which could well be the case going by West Ham’s topsy-turvy form over these last three months, then there are options for Tim Steidten and chairman David Sullivan.

Graham Potter is prepared to accept a short-term West Ham contract until the end of the season, with other linked managerial candidates including Sergio Conceicao, Kasper Hjulmand, Roger Schmidt, Thomas Frank, Massimiliano Allegri, Matthias Jaissle and Maurizio Sarri.

Luizao tells West Ham that he wants to leave with January exit expected

In the meantime, a lot of talk will also centre on the ins and outs for January. West Ham have been linked with a new forward for the winter window, among other squad reinforcements, while it is believed some members of the squad could potentially depart.

One of them who is apparently all-but-set to leave is forgotten signing Luizao, with the Brazilian starlet, brought in by David Moyes in 2022, unable to kickstart his career and break into the senior matchday squad.

According to South American news outlet UOL, Luizao is expected to leave West Ham in January, and the east Londoners are prepared to green-light a loan with the option to buy later.

The 22-year-old has expressed his desire to leave the London Stadium and return to Brazil for personal reasons, where clubs in the country’s Serie A have targeted him since the summer.

Called a “fantastic” young defender by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Luizao’s regrettable stay in England looks likely to end soon.