According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, West Ham are interested in a move for midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure. The 26-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League outfit Watford and has done so since leaving Rennes back in the winter window of 2016, with his impressive exploits in the middle of the park for the Hornets seemingly attracting interest from Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini.

And that’s because a recent report from The Daily Mail suggests that the East London outfit, alongside Marco Silva’s Everton and Thomas Tuchel’s Paris Saint-Germain, are interested in the £22.5 million-rated enforcer (as per Transfermarkt), whose arrival at West Ham, were it to happen, would go some way to giving Declan Rice his perfect midfield partner.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 20-year-old Rice has enjoyed a quite incredible rise in the 12 months or so from being an unproven sensation to one of the key players in Pellegrini’s starting eleven, what with the Republic of Ireland international having appeared 20 times in the Premier League so far this term, including starts in each of their last 19 matches.

And with some mightily impressive displays in that time, most notably against Chelsea and Manchester United at the London Stadium, Rice is very much the next big thing to come out of the West Ham academy, and thus a player the Hammers will do well to keep hold of in the coming years – a new deal last month will aid them in their cause though.

Yet Pellegrini has certainly needed the 20-year-old to step up this term given the lack of sufficient quality and depth in that central midfield department, what with the departure of Cheikhou Kouyate during the summer leaving the Hammers somewhat short in that area of the field.

Mark Noble has again done well in the middle of the park, but niggling injuries for Jack Wilshere and Pedro Obiang and a long-term injury issue for Carlos Sanchez has left Pellegrini with very few options in that midfield area – yet the arrival of Doucoure would finally solve that issue once and for all.

The 26-year-old has proven to be one of the most impressive central midfielders in the Premier League in the last few seasons, be it getting forward into attacking positions to create chances for Watford, or indeed breaking up play and protecting the Hornets backline slightly further back – all in all, he has shown everything needed to succeed in the top-flight.

His display against Chelsea in the Premier League last year, a match in which Javi Gracia’s men won 4-1, was symptomatic of just what Doucoure brings to the Watford midfield – his two assists enabled the front men to get into goal-scoring positions, while his combativeness and tenacity enabled his side to dominate the middle of the pitch.

Clearly, there’s a reason why Ligue 1 champions PSG have reportedly (as per The Daily Mail) been keen on the 26-year-old in recent times – he has got huge ability in the middle of the park, and at the relatively young age of 26, he only looks like getting better.

And alongside Rice, who shares a similar level of ability both on and indeed off the ball, the duo could strike up a seriously formidable partnership in the middle of the West Ham midfield – they both have composure on the ball, but both do their defensive duties adeptly as well.

And that is why a West Ham move for Doucoure is a must, as it would equip Pellegrini with the ideal man to partner Rice in the heart of his Hammers midfield.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Leeds United supporters are bound to be hoping for changes this weekend when Marcelo Bielsa takes his promotion-chasing side to the north east to face Tony Pulis’ Middlesbrough.

Defeat against Norwich City last weekend made it three defeats from five for a side who have looked more than capable of ending their top-flight exile this season.

Daniel Farke’s exuberant side ran riot at Elland Road, though, evoking fresh concerns amongst the Whites faithful regarding their promotion credentials.

With those concerns in mind, plenty of fans are looking for Bielsa to mix things up when Leeds travel to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with one player in particular on their radar.

Indeed, Izzy Brown’s form for the development squad in recent weeks has forced some supporters to urge Bielsa to select him this weekend, despite his claim that he will need to play six to eight games before his fitness recovers, as per Yorkshire Evening Post.

Brown has been in electric form in recent weeks, with four goals in four appearances for the development squad hinting that he possesses a killer instinct in front of goal.

Leeds’ downfall against the Canaries may well have been defensively but that has not prevented supporters from suggesting it could be time for Bielsa to include the 22-year-old in the squad.

That the Chelsea loanee is still two appearances short of the six games Bielsa has hinted he needs suggests he’s unlikely to feature, but the Argentine is hardly one to do things by the book.

It would be a shock to select him for such a high-profile clash considering his lengthy absence from senior football, but that has not stopped the fans on Twitter from urging him to make that call.

Here’s what some of the Leeds fans have had to say about a potential call-up for Brown this weekend:

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been reacting to an incredible defensive stat that has emerged this week.

Indeed, Adam Pope tweeted that Leeds are yet to concede a goal from outside the box in the Championship this season, and after 19 games and 77 shots that’s an astonishing stat.

While this information may be impressive, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody as the Whites have conceded just 11 goals in the league so far this term.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Understandably, a number of fans were buzzing to see this stat as it further highlights just how good the Yorkshire outfit have been at the back this term as they’ve rarely allowed their opponents the space to have a real sight at goal.

Other supporters weren’t best pleased that the BBC journalist has tweeted the stat out as they believe that he’s now jinxed the Whites ahead of this weekend’s game.

It seems that there are plenty of superstitious members of the United fanbase, and if United do concede a long-range screamer against Huddersfield, one man will have to face the brunt of the blame.

Rather than trying to point the finger at the journalist for what may or may not happen, some fans chose to praise the impact of Kiko Casilla between the sticks.

One fan dubbed him ‘the cat’ due to his incredible reflexes, while another pondered whether or not this record would have stood if ‘biscuit wrists’ was still in goal – referring to Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

In other news, Leeds fans have been blasting one rival boss after some remarks he made about the club.

According to Sky Sports, Carlo Ancelotti has reached an agreement in principle to become the new Everton manager, with an announcement possible on Wednesday.

Sky Sports reported earlier today that the Italian was on Merseyside for talks over the vacant managerial role, with Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright keen on appointing him ever since Marco Silva was relieved of his duties earlier this month.

Now it appears as though big strides have been made with Sky Sports suggesting that a deal is now on the cards following discussions in Liverpool.

Watch Everton vs Burnley Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Bringing the 60-year-old to Goodison Park would have to be seen as a big coup given what the experience he has and what he has achieved during his career as a coach – he has won three Champions Leagues and a top flight title in England, France, Germany and Italy, as per Transfermarkt.

Sky Sports reported earlier today that caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson, who has taken four points from his two Premier League matches at the helm, will remain on the coaching staff.

Everton sacked Marco Silva earlier this month with the Toffees lying in the Premier League relegation zone following what was a disastrous campaign to date.

In other Everton news, The Athletic have dropped a major bombshell about Moise Kean and the Toffees from the summer…

They did it the hard way, but Wolves picked up all three points against Norwich on Saturday.

The Canaries actually went 1-0 up through Todd Cantwell after Jonny Castro’s error, and they went into the break still trailing. Clearly Nuno Espirito Santo gave his players some rousing words at half-time, as they managed to turn it around after the break. First Romain Saiss puled things level, before Raul Jimenez got the job done nine minutes from time.

They got away with it a little, and they can have 87-time Portugal international Rui Patricio to thank for the triumph. The Canaries had seven shots on target overall, but netted just one, and the 31-year-old was instrumental in that.

It was a top display from the former Sporting Lisbon man, as his 7.85 WhoScored rating indicates. Had it not been for his saves, his teammates may not have even had the chance to turn it around in the first place.

For many, such was his showing, he was their clear Man of the Match.

Whilst he certainly put in a brilliant performance, it goes to show just how poor his side were – they had just four shots on target, for example. It is the mark of a good team that can win when they are not at their best, and that is what Nuno can take from this match.

Some fans think he is very much one of the best in his position in the whole league.

Alisson seems to be by far and away the best goalkeeper in the division, as this year’s Ballon d’Or rankings show. However, there are a number of other impressive shot-stoppers behind him such as Ederson, David de Gea, Hugo Lloris and Kepa Arrizabalaga. It would certainly be a hard list to compile.

His performance was fantastic on Saturday, but his boss will be hoping his side don’t have to rely on him too often in the future.

Elsewhere, this man could be the ideal successor for Adama Traore.

According to El Desmarque, Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of several Premier League clubs keen on Real Madrid youngster Vinicius Junior.

What’s the word?

It is thought that Chelsea could make a move for the winger after their transfer ban was lifted with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves all being mentioned too.

It remains to be seen if the La Liga giants will sell, but manager Zinedine Zidane would be able to call upon Eden Hazard and fellow Brazilian Rodrygo in the same role.

Watch Wolves vs Man City Live and Free with Amazon Prime on December 27th

Vinicius has somewhat struggled this season, scoring just two goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

The same website credits his current valuation at £45m while he cost Los Galacticos around £39.6m as a 16-year-old back in 2017.

Traore successor

Adama Traore has been in electric form this season with three goals, three assists and an average of 4.5 successful dribbles per match from his 16 Premier League outings and he now appears to be drawing attention from elsewhere.

Indeed, Football Insider recently reported that Traore was so impressive in his goal-grabbing display against Tottenham last time out that the Spurs players urged Jose Mourinho to pursue the former Boro man’s services after the match.

That could well result in something more formal during the coming transfer windows – whether from Spurs or somewhere else – and ultimately, the aforementioned report is a warning sign that Traore may well be prized from Molineux at some point in the near future.

Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….

Albeit usually operating from the opposite side of attack, Vinicius represents a promising choice of successor. He has struggled to make an impact at the Bernabeu, managing only five La Liga starts this season, but he does share Traore’s capacity to beat a man with an average of 3.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

He lacks Traore’s natural physicality, but that is compensated by enormous potential. The 19-year-old has been dubbed the ‘best young player in the world’ by fellow countryman Dani Alves while ex-Blancos forward Fernando Morientes believes he has the potential to become ‘world class’ in the future.

If Nuno Santo can bring in Vinicius now and start to unlock that potential, when Traore does depart the succession in Wolves’ attack would be a smooth one, with the young Brazilian able to provide a similar speedy and jinking presence.

Whether Wolves can fend off such competition for his signature though, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Wolves could clinch this ‘Pogba-like’ midfielder in January…

Liverpool are still lagging behind their Premier League rivals in terms of the number of games played in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign.

But even with that the case, the Reds are leading the pack and enjoying their view on top of the mountain in England with a hefty gap between them and the rest of the Premier League – 10 points, to be precise.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will welcome Sheffield United at Anfield on Monday in what promises to be another thrilling contest for the league leaders.

With the game edging ever closer and bearing in mind it will be Liverpool’s first one in 2020, it wasn’t surprising to see some hype and build-up surrounding it.

Liverpool’s official Twitter account posted a throwback video of Steven Gerrard’s brilliant strike against Sheffield United back in the day, and it got many of the fans nostalgic.

Others were also stating how unique Gerrard truly was, calling him England’s best ever midfielder and showering him with compliments such as “one in a billion” and “absolute legend”.

No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?

It seems that their former captain is still very much on their minds and continues to impress them even after his retirement.

Aside from that goal, the fans were also pretty impressed by Gerrard’s first touch, which was seemingly as good as the strike itself.

They didn’t hold back with the compliments here either.

Funnily enough, one fan called him their “next boss” and it will be interesting to see whether Gerrard has what it takes to one day take over the reins at Liverpool.

Currently, he’s coaching Rangers and is gaining the necessary experience to maybe make that step up when the time is right.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Elsewhere, Liverpool fans delivered their harsh verdict on one of their players they simply no longer want in the squad…

The ultimate utility man, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has arguably been his own worst enemy when it comes to establishing himself in the Arsenal first-team. The academy graduate’s versatility has seen him used all over the shop, and consequently, not really solidifying one position – in his career with the Gunners, he has played (and take a breath here): at centre-back, right-back, right-midfield, left-back, left-midfield, holding midfield and central midfield. All that’s really missing is a stint up front and replacing Bernd Leno in goal.

But following Hector Bellerin’s devastating knee injury at the beginning of 2019, Maitland-Niles has had to fill in at right-back for the Gunners, and to varying degrees of success. Look no further than this season when he went from being named man of the match against Newcastle in the opening Premier League game of the season, to getting sent-off in the first-half against Aston Villa. Under Unai Emery’s management, it was a roller-coaster ride.

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However, in these early stages of Mikel Arteta’s reign, the 22-year-old has settled down superbly to life at right-back. At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola (with Arsenal’s current head coach no doubt playing an active part) seemed to employ his full-backs like Kyle Walker in positions more in-field, rather than hugging the touch-line. This would create an overload in midfield and help to dominate possession.

Maitland-Niles appears to be under similar orders, playing his highest number of passes (73) of the season against Manchester United. His third-highest of the campaign (66) came in Arteta’s first game in charge against Bournemouth. And defensively, the Gunners ace has made marked improvements under the Spaniard already, seemingly buying into the head coach’s demands for commitment and energy, being far more aggressive in his approach. He posted season-highs of tackles (6) against Chelsea, and interceptions (4) against United.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?

With Bellerin still suffering from a tight hamstring, and the Gunners no doubt cautious over not rushing him back to fitness, Maitland-Niles may well hold the fort at right-back for the foreseeable future. But if he continues to make huge strides as he has done in recent weeks, then the 22-year-old could well usurp his £36m-rated Spanish counterpart and become Arsenal’s first-choice. It may have taken a while, but he finally looks to have found a home in the side.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans react as Liverpool look to pinch an important figure from them. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers appear to be in the market for attacking additions this month, and Express & Star journalist Joe Edwards believes he has the ideal target in mind.

What’s he said?

Nuno Santo has previously revealed his intentions to bolster his options with The Athletic claiming the club expects to sign at least two players despite only two weeks remaining in the January transfer window.

The sale of Patrick Cutrone to Fiorentina has put further pressure on the club to make signings, but who is suitable?

In a recent transfer Q&A this week, Edwards was asked to outline Wolves’ biggest need and to suggest who might be a wise player to chase, to which he emphasised the dire situation Nuno finds himself in regards to strikers.

Edwards then said:

“I’ve mentioned him a couple of times, Andraz Sporar. This is not somebody that Wolves are concrete in for but Wolves came up against him in the Europa League for Slovan Bratislava. He scored against Wolves; scored 5 goals in Group K.

“Celtic have apparently met with him and his agent, and they are talking about £6-7m for this lad. He scored 29 goals in the Slovakian league last year, I know it’s not the most amazing standard but he’s done it in the Europa League. I think he’s got 12 in 11 this season so he’s carried on doing it.

“If Wolves are looking for players on the continent that they can pick up cheap, I mean he’s 25 and has got years ahead of him. Apparently Sporting Lisbon are another club that’s met with him and are in talks with him.

“I think you could do a lot worse. Wolves have seen him first hand, he gave them problems in both games. In the group stages, they didn’t come against anyone better than Sporar. He looks a really tidy player and if you can get him for £6-7m, that’s pretty risk-free business.”

Pressing need

There is now a desperate need to find a striker that can come in and make an impact this month – an even harder task given it is halfway through the season and teams won’t want to give up their best players.

So the likelihood of finding the next Raul Jimenez is probably going to be put on the back-burner until the summer.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But that doesn’t stop there being a priority over a backup option as the Mexican is going to burn out before the season’s end, as we’ve already seen a few times.

With Cutrone gone, Wolves only have Benny Ashley-Seal as a suitable second-choice but they would rather he go out on loan to get valuable game time instead.

Edwards’ belief that Andraz Sporar would be a risk-free move is certainly hard to disagree with, especially with figures of £5m being touted by the Daily Record for his services.

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

While in other news, Wolves’ latest £20m target is a better fit for Nuno Santo than Patrick Cutrone was…

The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam has offered an encouraging update in regards to potential further incomings at Crystal Palace this month with an intriguing four-word response to a supporter, who asked if any more signings would be made.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the journalist made the statement when replying to a fan on Twitter, who asked if there would be any more incomings after Woosnam tweeted that 21-year-old centre-back Sam Woods was set to leave the club on loan.

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent issued the following four-word response: “Wouldn’t rule it out”.

Now, while that leaves a lot to be desired, it does offer some encouragement for any supporters out there who are keen to see more faces follow Cenk Tosun through the door at Selhurst Park.

Who could come in?

Well, 18-year-old Dundee United prospect Scott Banks is close to joining the south Londoners according to Jack Rosser of The Evening Standard – Hodgson apparently said that the teenager was “on the verge” of making the switch.

Meanwhile, another player from Scotland could become a Crystal Palace player this month, albeit one who immediately gets loaned back to his current side as the Eagles will reportedly outbid Celtic to sign Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey.

Additionally, Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker-Peters has been strongly linked with a move to south London, although talks between Palace and Spurs have stalled recently.

Another man who could become a Crystal Palace player this month is AC Milan striker Krzysztof PiÄ…tek, with The Sunday Mirror (January 19, page 66) linking the Poland international with a move to Hodgson’s side.

For now, it remains to be seen who joins Tosun at Selhurst Park this month, if anybody – however, Woosnam’s four-word verdict has offered some encouragement in terms of more additions being made.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have noticed one thing about Cenk Tosun…