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West Ham United will be looking to get back on track when they return to Premier League action this evening.

David Moyes’ side have suffered successive defeats, seeing them drop out of a place in the top-four but they now head to Burnley knowing that a victory would see them cut the gap to Chelsea.

It was the Blues who narrowly defeated the Hammers last time out, winning 1-0 at the London Stadium and the 58-year-old manager now has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection.

You could argue that the Irons more than held their own throughout the 90 minutes, given the scoreline, but the statistics tell a different story as the visitors dominated possession (56%) and enjoyed eight more attempts at goal, as per SofaScore.

It was certainly a tough task in the absence of some key players like Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell. However, those that stepped in failed to deliver and have to be at risk of Moyes wielding his axe.

One name that should be ruthlessly chopped from the starting XI is Ryan Fredericks. He played at left-back, out of position, and that proved to be a very problematic area of the pitch as Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta dominated for large spells.

The 28-year-old lost possession 13 times and was particularly wasteful with the ball, too, completing only 67% of his passes and failing to provide a single accurate cross.

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It left Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen, who spearheaded Moyes’ attack, with very little to feed off, so it was no wonder they managed four fewer shots on target than Chelsea.

Ben Johnson has often been the man to go to left wing-back if either of Cresswell or Arthur Masuaku are missing, and perhaps he would be the better option against the more defensively-minded Clarets.

The 21-year-old academy gem “really impressed” Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville last season, with the former Man Utd right-back also claiming that he “looks an excellent defender.”

Whilst he was rather unlikely to lose his place for the Chelsea encounter, considering he was a rare positive in the defeat to Newcastle United a week earlier.

In terms of consistency, Fredericks is amongst Moyes’ worst performers, registering a paltry 6.47 average on WhoScored. And his returns of 0.5 crosses and 0.8 key passes per game rank as the worst when compared to Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal and Masuaku.

The £40k-per-week star just isn’t good enough to be starting for a West Ham side competing for a fierce European spot. He was shocking against Chelsea and has very rarely looked the part this term.

Moyes must show no mercy and axe the Hammers lightweight tonight.

AND in other news, GSB’s wrath: West Ham “monster” continues to crash under Moyes, transfer value has DROPPED 48%…

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now revealed some fresh Newcastle United transfer news involving Sven Botman before the trip to Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Two-way fight

As per The Times, the St. James’ Park faithful are now set to battle AC Milan to sign Botman in the summer, after failing to land him in the January transfer window.

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Lille stood firm on their valuation of the Netherlands international, but could now be tempted to sell if the price is right.

The Latest: Botman update

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Jones has revealed that Milan are ahead of the Magpies in the race for Botman, although that could change ‘very quickly’:

“Right now, AC Milan are up there, and Newcastle were still down here. That could change very quickly, but at the moment, they’re still up there.” The Verdict: Difficult

It will be difficult for the Tyneside outfit to beat Milan to Botman’s signature, based on where the two clubs are at.

The Italian giants are currently top of the Serie A, and look likely to secure their place in the UEFA Champions League for next season, if not win the league on top of that.

On the other hand, the Toon are not guaranteed safety in the Premier League just yet, and are only at the start of their long-term project.

Nonetheless, it is likely that Botman would choose Milan over them right now, but that is not to say that the North East club could not come back in for him in the future.

In other news, find out who NUFC have now ‘agreed’ to sign here!

Former Granada boss Diego Martinez is the ‘front-runner’ to replace Marcelo Bielsa as Leeds United manager, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Bielsa’s future unknown

The 66-year-old Argentine has been an incredible manager for the Whites since taking charge back in 2018, guiding them back into the Premier League and leading them to ninth upon their top-flight return. However, he only signed a one-year contract extension in the summer and it is currently unknown if he will do the same at the end of the season.

One figure who has been linked with the Leeds job in the past few weeks is Martinez, whose most recent role was at Granada, prior to leaving in May of this year.

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The Latest: O’Rourke makes Martinez claim

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke claimed that the 41-year-old is the most likely manager to replace Bielsa at Leeds, should the Argentine move on in the near future.

The journalist said: “I think Diego Martinez is probably the front-runner for me. He’s out of work. Victor Orta’s got the Spanish connection with Martinez. He plays an attacking, innovative style of football as well.”

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The Verdict: Ideal candidate?

Martinez may be a relative unknown in England but he looks an exciting candidate to come in and potentially replace Bielsa at Elland Road.

He guided Granada back into La Liga, much in the way Bielsa did with getting Leeds into the Premier League, also taking them to the top of the Spanish table for a brief period in 2019/20, as well as the Europa League quarter-finals last term.

The fact that Martinez has reportedly been in England studying the game suggests that he could be eyeing up the Whites job, and the attacking style of play to which O’Rourke refers is similar to Bielsa’s. Put those pieces together and it seems a real possibility that the 41-year-old could be the next man for Leeds.

In other news, a pundit has discussed the prospect of a Leeds player joining another Premier League club. Read more here.

Leeds United picked up their first win of the Premier League season as they beat Watford 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday.

Diego Llorente’s first half strike was enough to secure the three points for the Whites as they worked hard to earn a win against the Hornets. The result takes Leeds up to 16th as it stands and three points off the top half of the table in this early stage of the season.

Despite the positives to come from winning the game, one player for Marcelo Bielsa’s team struggled to perform. Summer signing Dan James put in a worryingly ineffective display out wide, which will surely have left his manager feeling let down.

The 23-year-old has now played four Premier League games for Leeds and is yet to record a SofaScore rating of higher than 6.6 for the club. His rating against Watford on Saturday was a measly 6.2 as he failed to show what he can do in general play and in the final third.

In terms of his general play, James was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost six of his 10 duels and made zero tackles in the game. He also gave the ball away 18 times and only completed 64% of his attempted passes, having 35 touches overall throughout the 90 minutes.

This suggests that he was too weak to deal with the strength of the Watford defenders, who eased him out of the way most of the time. Bielsa could be worried by this when Leeds come up against other teams who use their physical attributes to impose themselves on the Whites, as James may not be suited to such opponents based on this performance.

The Wales international did not redeem himself in the final third, either. As per SofaScore, James had a dribble success rate of 0% from four attempts and completed none of his attempted crosses. This led to him providing zero key passes in the match, whilst his only two shots were blocked by Watford defenders before they could reach Ben Foster’s goal.

Bielsa will surely have been feeling let down by James’ overall performance. The winger struggled both in his build-up play and in his execution of skill in key moments, leading to an all-round disappointing performance from the winger. Hopefully he will be able to repay Bielsa’s faith by coming back after the international break and improving the standard of his displays.

In other news: Leeds take major step as Thorp Arch news emerges, fans will be buzzing

After seeing a resurgence in form from Gareth Bale, it’s now time for Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho to unleash forgotten star Dele Alli in the final third of this campaign.

The league season has not gone to plan for Spurs overall.

They find themselves eighth in the Premier League table, six points behind the top four and behind all but one of their main rivals, though they have advanced into the last 16 of the Europa League and have a genuine shot at winning silverware with the Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

But this means that games will be coming thick and fast every week, and thus, the Portuguese stalwart will need his entire squad to be at the races.

Bale had barely featured for the north London club until recently – indeed, the Welsh superstar has only played 1,000 minutes in all competitions for a total of 20 appearances (just 12 starts), as per Transfermarkt.

But in his last four appearances, the 31-year-old has delivered four goals and three assists to help arrest the poor run of form Spurs had found themselves in.

This, ultimately, needs to be the masterplan for Alli to refind his feet in N17.

The 24-year-old, who is valued at €30m (£26m), has played fewer minutes (737) but he too showed flashes of his old ability in their 4-0 win over Wolfsberger last week, delivering one goal and a brace of assists.

SofaScore graded that display a 9.2, his highest since a win over Bournemouth in December 2019 (9.0).

After the game, the Spurs boss waxed lyrical about the rarely-seen playmaker, he said (via the Evening Standard): “He is playing very well” before adding: “The goal was beautiful, but the meaning of the assists and hard work for the team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy.”

Mourinho has largely relied on the goalscoring exploits of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son as the duo account for xx% of their league goals this term, whilst no player has stepped up to fill the void left behind by Christian Eriksen in the no.10 role.

And with Tanguy Ndombele being deployed in a deeper position, alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, there is a spot up for grabs alongside Bale, Son and Kane.

Both Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela have been deployed there, but it is Alli who is the better and more natural fit – just imagine him and Bale if he manages to rediscover form.

The £100k-per-week midfielder was once dubbed a “freak of a talent” and compared to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes by ex-Spurs star Darren Anderton in an interview relayed by Goal.com.

In three of his last six Premier League campaigns, Alli has delivered at least nine goals and seven assists and throughout his Spurs and competitive England career, the attacking maestro has averaged 1.4 key passes per game, even despite playing only 138 minutes this season, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Moura averages only 0.7 in the role, while Lamela can only muster up 0.4 per game across all positions played. Similarly, Kane and Son are the only players managing above one key pass per league outing.

There is evidently a need for creativity, and this is something Alli can provide, if Mourinho can get him back to his best and considering Bale’s drastic turnaround, it is certainly possible.

Alli must now be unleashed alongside Bale, Kane and Son. That’s a front four capable of striking fear into any side.

AND in other news, Mourinho must make U-turn over “special” £18m-rated Spurs gem who’s “better than ever”…

According to recent reports, West Ham United will have to battle a Premier League rival in order to land the summer signing of Adam Armstrong.

The report by The Sun claims that Armstrong, who is valued at £25m by Blackburn Rovers, is attracting interest from both West Ham and Brighton & Hove Albion, with the Seagulls said to be “desperate for a finisher” in the summer transfer window as Graham Potter’s side have massively underperformed on their xG in the Premier League this season.

It is also reported that David Moyes’ side are “reluctant” to pay the Championship club’s valuation of the 24-year-old as the striker will have just 12 months remaining on his contract this summer, posing another obstacle to a move going through.

However, The Sun claimed that Brighton “may go close” to Blackburn’s asking price, adding that the former England under-21 international’s wages would “not be too high” for the south coast club.

Transfer Tavern Take

Armstrong has certainly impressed over his 32 Championship appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side this season, with the 24-year-old bagging 19 goals and providing three assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.02 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the second tier.

However, despite the centre-forward’s impressive form this season, that he will enter the final year of his deal at Ewood Park this summer does make his £25m asking price appear rather steep.

Also, with Brighton’s interest now reported, it would seem unlikely that Blackburn will budge on the striker’s valuation, raising the question as to whether a move would make financial sense for West Ham.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

Everton were denied a penalty in the Merseyside derby yesterday against Liverpool at Anfield, according to Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers.

He replied to a tweet from Everton player Anthony Gordon after the game, which was a video of the incident, saying “All day long, penalty!”. Many are likely to agree with him and believe that it was harsh not to give the decision in favour of the Toffees.

Liverpool ended up claiming a 2-0 victory with goals from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi, but it wasn’t made easy for them with Everton battling it out in a heated game that was still all square at half time.

The decision will leave Everton supporters fuming as the opportunity could have brought them back into the game at a time when they are desperate for the points. Frank Lampard’s men sit in the relegation zone and are in a huge battle for survival.

These days it’s never a game of football, let alone a local derby, without a controversial decision. With the addition of VAR technology, officials have no excuse not to be getting the big calls right. The challenge on Gordon yesterday was quickly dismissed by referee Stuart Attwell, and despite being in the box, the tackle wasn’t even reviewed by VAR.

Even The Professional Game Match Officials Board said they would have had “no complaints” if the penalty was awarded to Everton with manager Lampard stating that it was “a clear foul” but that “you don’t get them here.”

It raises the question once again as to whether the size of a club and its home crowd have any influence on the decisions that officials make? Gordon was booked for diving earlier on in the game before the penalty denial so did that play a part in Attwell’s decision too?

Former Toffees striker Kevin Campbell seems to think so, saying that the referee “bottled it” and that the decision was there to be made but he didn’t make it.

In games as big as the Merseyside derby, when there is a lot riding on the result for both sides, the referee is going to take a lot longer to think about the decisions he makes which allows doubt to creep in. The point of VAR is to prevent this and to assist the official on the field with the aid of replays and footage from different angles.

We certainly think that the technology should have been used a lot more in the game and if it was it would have produced a much fairer outcome for both sides. Last season VAR awarded 29 penalties and so has proven to be used successfully when it comes to these decisions, however, yesterday wasn’t one of those.

IN other news: Everton: Alex Iwobi was anonymous against Liverpool…

According to reports, Serie A giants AS Roma are intensifying their efforts to sign Celtic starlet Jeremie Frimpong.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old has been an absolute revelation for Neil Lennon’s side this season, playing every single game in the Scottish Premiership.

The Netherlands U20 international appears to have made that right-back slot his own, but his form understandably has attracted interest from elsewhere.

Now, Romanews.eu claim that the Giallorossi have this week intensified their efforts with both Celtic and the player’s representatives in a bid to lure him away from Scotland. The report adds that Roma want the Hoops to lower their asking price, and that the starlet is their number one transfer target.

Lawwell making a big mistake

If Frimpong ends up leaving Celtic for Roma, it will be one of the biggest mistakes Peter Lawwell will have made in his time at the club.

The 20-year-old represents everything that is promising about Celtic’s future, and he is already proving that he’s not just a talent for the future, but for the here and now.

Speaking after a particularly impressive performance against Hibernian last year, Lennon said: “I’m just delighted what he brings to the game, defensively or offensively and there is as an end product as well. He’s an outstanding talent who looks after himself. Watching him makes me tired, the amount of runs he makes, he wears people down.

“He is an amazing player. Amazing. With younger players, you want to look after them but you can’t hold talent back.”

What kind of message would it send to the Celtic boss if he sees his most promising young player get sold from right under his nose? Lawwell is heading for an unforgivable disaster if he doesn’t end negotiations right now.

A reliable journalist has named as many as ten players that Newcastle United may target in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle may have to work on tight budget

Due to the financial impact that the global pandemic has had on clubs like the St. James’ Park faithful, the Magpies may have to work in the summer on a tight budget.

With the uncertainty over the potential takeover in the North East from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium as well, free agents, loans and low-budget transfers may be the way to go for the Tyneside club, and a journalist has picked out ten players who could fit that bill.

The Latest: Ten players Newcastle may target

Sean McCormick has picked out ten players that the Toon could potentially target that may not cost them much money coming from inferior leagues.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the journalist has picked out Andre Ramalho, Krystian Bielik, Fabiano Parisi, Kristoffer Ajer, Gernot Trauner, Steven Caulker and Attila Szalai as potential defensive signings.

NUFC fans should be familiar with both Bielik and Caulker given their time in English football, while Ajer has been recently linked with a move to Newcastle from Celtic.

Josh DaSilva and Selim Amallah have been named as potential midfield options, with the former tearing the Magpies apart for Brentford with a goal and a man-of-the-match display in the Carabao Cup earlier on in the season.

Abdallah Sima has been named as a potential attacking signing to ease the goal scoring burden on Callum Wilson’s shoulders up top.

The Verdict: Newcastle must bolster squad

The Toon will need to bolster up their squad come the start of the next campaign so that everyone can stay as fit and injury-free as possible, as Steve Bruce would then get a chance to rotate, something he has only be able to do when forced to for most of this campaign.

Perhaps one of the names above in each position would help in this case, and they may all be available for a relatively cheap price if McCormick is to be believed.

In other news, find out what enticing transfer claim one Magpie has dropped here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder David Norris admitted that he has been surprised by how good Raphinha has performed in his first season.

Raphinha was a deadline day signing last year as he arrived for £17million from Rennes and he has taken to the Premier League effortlessly, with six goals and six assists this season.

The goals have dried up for Leeds since he picked up an injury against Manchester City, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side have scored just one goal in the three games Raphinha has recently missed.

Speaking on how Raphinha has surprised him with how well he’s taken to the Premier League and how good he has performed all season, Norris exclusively told FFC:

“He’s a very clever player as he spots weaknesses in defenders and attacks it. For me, he’s been a massive player for them this season. 

“I’ve been surprised because it’s always a risk bringing in foreign players, but knowing Bielsa and how diligent he is he must have known there was a good chance Raphinha would have settled quickly, and that’s exactly what’s happened as he’s been brilliant.”

The 24-year old winger has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, despite having played just 27 games in all competitions this season.

Raphinha admitted earlier this year that it was a difficult decision to join Leeds and that he only had 20 minutes to choose whether to stay at Rennes or come to the Premier League.