West Ham entertain West Bromwich Albion at Upton Park in this afternoon’s early Premier League kick-off. Sam Allardyce has made two changes from his Hammers side that lost 3-1 to league leaders Arsenal on Boxing Day. Jussi Jaaskelainen returns between the sticks with understudy Adrian returning to the bench, and Razvan Rat comes in for James Collins, suggesting a reshuffle at the back.
Meanwhile, manager-less West Brom make six changes from the starting XI that claimed a draw against Tottenham on the 26th. Gareth McCauley, Billy Jones, Chris Brunt, Youssouf Mulumbu, Nicolas Anelka and Saido Berahino all return.
Several Championship clubs are reportedly interested in signing Southampton defender, Dan Seaborne on loan. Sky Sports reports.
Seaborne has made only two appearances this season in the Capital One Cup, and Nigel Adkins is considering allowing the centre-back to leave on a temporary basis to find regular first-team football.
He moved to Southampton in January 2010, after starting his career at Exeter City, captaining the side which beat Cambridge United in the 2008 Conference play-off final, before winning promotion again the following season.
The 25-year-old has just come back after 10 months out, suffering from severe head injuries following his assault outside a Southampton nightclub back in September last year.
Nottingham Forest and Millwall are believed to have made enquiries about the defender.
This follows reports that Danny Butterfield could also leave St Mary’s on a temporary basis, with Nathaniel Clyne appearing to be the first-choice full-back at the club.
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Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday are said to be keen on a deal.
When a new manager takes over, fringe players feel a renewed sense of hope that they can turn their fortunes around.
The same can be said for first-team members who have been playing poorly, much like Shkodran Mustafi at Arsenal.
The defender suffered a miserable end to the season as he was personally at fault for a handful of goals conceded.
Unsurprisingly, plenty of Arsenal fans called for the German World Cup winner to be axed from the squad.
Now that Unai Emery has replaced Arsene Wenger at the helm of the Emirates, the slate could potentially be wiped clean.
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Mustafi will have to prove to the Spaniard that he is deserving of a centre-back spot, and plenty will be dependent on whether or not Emery dips into the market to buy a new defender.
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The former Paris Saint-Germain boss regularly plays with a back four, but Mustafi has work to do to impress.
Interestingly, even though many Arsenal fans have been heavily critical of the German, our poll suggests that there is some backing for the under-fire defender.
Manchester United have reportedly been told that an offer of €25m (approximately £22.1m) could be enough to sign Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker this month, and Red Devils fans have been quick to have their say on the potential addition.
The Mirror reported in August that United had made an enquiry for the 22-year-old after he impressed against them in the Europa League last season, but no move materialised as Jose Mourinho signed Nemanja Matic from Chelsea instead.
However, the Portuguese boss could choose to reignite his interest in the Belgium international – who is able to play as a defensive midfielder or as a centre-back – following the latest comments of the Belgian outfit’s general manager Herman van Holsbeeck, who told Belgian media outlet DH: “If there’s €25m or €30m on the table, it [a move] can be done, yes.”
Man United supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the update, and while one said the player would be the “perfect replacement for Matic” in the future, another said “I’d rather Dendoncker than Lucas Moura” with the club also being linked with the Brazilian winger.
Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote has called for his teammates to show strength ahead of their Capital One Cup tie against Manchester City.
The Toon were beaten 2-1 by local rivals Sunderland on Sunday, but have no time to lick their wounds as they face title contenders City in the cup on Wednesday night.
But Tiote, 27, believes the club can handle their tough fixtures, as long as they overcome their derby pain and stay together as a team: “I think it’s going to be a tough week for us – it’s two massive games against Man City and Chelsea. But I think if we stay together and do the right things, we have a chance,” Tiote told Sky Sports.
“I’m really disappointed because we didn’t win at Sunderland. I think we deserved more than that, but they scored the winning goal. As a captain, you need to show an example, so I tried to do that in the right way. That’s important. I’m really disappointed, because we didn’t win. That’s football. We have to stay as a team, stay compact and try to win the next game.”
Newcastle have only won 3 matches in the Premier League so far, and could kick start their season with a cup win over City. After beating Leeds United in the third round, victory against the Sky Blues will put the Toon in the draw for Round 5 of the competition for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
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A transfer window just wouldn’t be the same without some laborious saga that seemingly runs for months and months, causing nothing but endless frustration for supporters and the managers who desperately want to use the money to strengthen other areas of their playing staff.
The Luka Modric saga has finally taken over the Wesley Sneijder to Manchester United as the biggest one of recent times and I’m certain that Andre Villas-Boas is ruing how long it took his chairman to finally cash in on the Croatian, especially as the North Londoners were apparently only minutes away from securing a deal for Moutinho on deadline day.
Let’s be honest this failed deadline day move certainly isn’t the first and won’t be the last to fall through at the last knockings as clubs continue to fail to get their business done early, or a side’s brinkmanship ensures that their months of negotiation have simply been wasted.
This list is a celebration of such dramas and those transfer deals that never passed the post.
Click on Downing to unveil the top 10
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As reported by The Express, Rangers are interested in bringing Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn to Ibrox this summer.
What’s the story?
The Light Blues have already made transfer moves in the close-season with the likes of Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Jamie Murphy all making permanent switches to the club.
With Steven Gerrard set to officially take charge of the Gers shortly, many more are expected this summer, with the prospect of him using his Liverpool contacts a real possibility.
The Express report that Ben Woodburn is one of the new manager’s priorities, looking to sign him on a loan deal and giving him a taste of regular first-team football.
Rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, can the Gers secure the immediate future of one of Britain’s most talented teenagers?
Is he ready for first team football?
Woodburn is still just 18 and Jurgen Klopp has been sure to limit his exposure to the high pressures of the Liverpool first team, making just 10 appearances since his initial stunning debut in November 2016, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer.
He is also the Welsh national team’s second-youngest goalscorer and has won seven caps with the national team.
While his experience isn’t exactly huge, he clearly has immense talent and no-one will know that better than Steven Gerrard, who worked with the play as a youth coach at Anfield.
The Scottish Premiership is a tough but achievable standard for the youngster and well supported by Gerrard, he could definitely be a hit at Ibrox next season and add the excitement of youth to their attack.
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Should Rangers sign Ben Woodburn?
You can have your say on his potential signing in our poll below…
Last summer was dominated by the will-he-won’t-he saga involving Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho and Barcelona’s pursuit of the playmaker.
The season has now entered the January transfer window, and once again, the Brazilian is a regular feature on the back pages.
The Spanish media are convinced that Coutinho will be a Barcelona player before the month comes to an end.
Don Balon report that the deal could be signed, sealed and delivered within the next few days, with rumours bubbling that the fee could be in the region of £150m.
Liverpool were determined in their efforts to keep hold of the 25-year-old in the summer, but it seems that the club’s stance has not put off the Spanish giants.
After being refused a switch to the Camp Nou, Coutinho re-integrated himself back into the Liverpool team.
So far in the campaign, the attack-minded player has made 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and creating eight assists.
Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter after hearing the latest speculation surrounding their number 10.
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Some are keen for Coutinho to stay put until at least the end of the season, while others express that they would not be torn apart if he left.
Liverpool striker Iago Aspas has admitted he is ‘unhappy’ with his start to life as a Liverpool player, after failing to score in the club’s opening four games of the season, reports the Metro.
Aspas completed a £7.7million switch to Anfield from Celta Vigo in the summer, and was tipped for big things by manager Brendan Rodgers after an impressive pre-season, which saw the Spaniard hit the net three times.
The 26-year-old started the first three games of the season, before coming off the bench in the second half of Monday’s 2-2 draw with Swansea.
And Aspas has admitted he is not currently enjoying life on Merseyside after his failure to find the back of the net.
“Over the last four or five seasons I haven’t gone as many games as this without a goal,” Aspas told Liverpool’s website.
“I’ve never been an out-and-out goalscorer but it’s true that over the last three seasons I have scored quite a number of goals.
“I suppose on a personal level I’m not entirely happy as I would want to be because I still feel I can do better.
“I’m working hard every day to improve and to be able to show that on the pitch to my team-mates.”
Aspas is set to get another chance to break his duck tomorrow against Southampton, especially since Brazilian playmaker Phillipe Coutinho has been ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury.
And while the forward is not satisfied with his own form, he still believes this campaign will prove a positive one for the Reds.
“What I have done is aimed at playing as many games as possible and to try and help the team to get into the top four, which I think is the most important thing for us,” he added.
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“It’s all about focusing on the group as a whole in order to qualify for the Champions League.”
Kolo Toure’s agent has clarified that the player will not be moving away from Manchester City, despite interest from Galatasaray.
The Ivory Coast international has fallen behind Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany in the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium, whilst Roberto Mancini has splashed the cash to bring young centre-half Matija Nastasic to the club on transfer deadline day.
As such Toure has been linked with a move away from the Premier League champions, but rejected the chance to join Buraspor earlier this summer.
However, despite links to Galatasaray, Toure will be staying in England.
“Kolo is flattered by the interest from Galatasaray but he is happy at Man City,” agent Saif Rubie told Sky Sports.
“Kolo has spoken to the manager and owners (of City) and he remains as committed to the club as the day he signed.
“All Kolo’s focus is on helping Manchester City be successful this season in every competition they are going for.
“Kolo is happy to stay and play his part and is looking forward to the next game after the international break,” the representative concluded.
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