West Ham fans are absolutely crucifying David Moyes, after the manager said he thought they had the best January transfer window in the Premier League.
David Moyes isn’t exactly making things easy on himself at West Ham, and the former Manchester United man has once again opened himself up to criticism.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s clash with his former club, the manager said: “I think West Ham arguably had the best January of any club in the Premier League because we sold three players, made a profit, bought one, brought in only Jordan Hugill.
The Hammers also added Joao Mario on loan, and brought Patrice Evra in after the window closed.
Of course, Jordan Hugill has become a bit of a running joke amongst West Ham fans, as the ex-Preston striker has barely seen the light of day since the move.
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“We sold Fonte, Sakho, Andre Ayew. You could say that was a risk, and if it hadn’t worked you could probably be critical of our January,” Moyes continued.
“It wasn’t for the want of trying. We tried to get one or two other players. We ended up with less players, and the one thing we’re short of is numbers here.
“So you could argue we had the best January because we made a good profit and still stayed up.”
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To be fair to the manager, the Hammers did shift some dead wood from the squad and have indeed avoided the drop, but it’s not exactly been much fun for fans along the way.
Fans have slowly but surely turned against the Scotsman, and they’re crucifying him for the transfer comments.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
It does not take much for football fans to bask in the misery of their rivals, and on this occasion, Liverpool supporters have taken aim at Everton.
In all honesty, the majority of Toffees fans have been left delighted by the news that Sam Allardyce has left his role as manager.
However, another period of upheaval has caused Liverpool supporters to poke fun at their neighbours.
The Merseyside outfit announced the coaching shift on Wednesday morning, confirming that a new appointment will be made in the summer.
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Allardyce arrived at Goodison Park in November as successor to Ronald Koeman, who was sacked in the previous month for dropping the club towards the relegation zone.
Everton’s new man oversaw an unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions when he took charge of the Toffees, but a number of dismal results followed.
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Fans soon turned against Allardyce, and that theme continued until the end of the season, despite the club finishing eighth in the Premier League table.
Some Liverpool fans launched digs at Everton via social media, while others slammed the Toffees for dismissing the experienced coach.
West Ham United appointed Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager last Wednesday, and the former Manchester City boss will have already started getting to work on assessing the current squad that he has at his disposal.
The 64-year-old will certainly be keen to give everyone a chance to impress before he makes too many moves in the transfer window, and there may well be some individuals that have a big point to prove following a disappointing campaign where the east London outfit flirted with relegation.
The Chilean boss, who could look to be reunited with three players he has worked with previously this summer, showed during his final season with City in 2015/16 that he isn’t afraid to make big team selection decisions having kept the likes of Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure on the substitutes’ bench in huge matches, and he will want to be a disciplinarian again to ensure that he doesn’t lose his record of never finishing outside of the top seven while being a manager in European football.
There are certain stars that may not be able to keep up with the 64-year-old’s demands based on previous instances, and those could be the ones that are shipped out of the London Stadium exit door first.
Here are four West Ham players who won’t last long under Pellegrini’s tutelage…
With Joe Hart returning to Manchester City following a disappointing loan spell at the London Stadium it seems almost certain that Pellegrini will look to bring a new goalkeeper in this summer, and he has been linked with a player he worked with at the Etihad in Willy Caballero.
While the stopper is 36, the Chilean manager would likely make him the number one if he did sign him given he is currently back-up at Chelsea, and that may not go down well with Adrian who has reacted badly to being dropped in the past.
Losing his place to Caballero would surely anger the Spaniard, and his 64-year-old manager may choose to wield the axe if that proves to be the case.
While Kompany was City captain and one of their most influential players, Pellegrini showed how ruthless he can be by leaving the Belgian out of the starting XI for a huge Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain even when he was fit again after suffering from injury.
Like Kompany, Reid is an influential member of the West Ham backline but injuries have hampered him over the course of the past few seasons, and the 29-year-old only made 18 Premier League appearances last term as he suffered from calf, groin and knee problems.
Pellegrini likely won’t be willing to put up with the New Zealand international – whose form has clearly dipped – if those issues continue, and if he brings in a new centre-back this summer to join Declan Rice and Angelo Ogbonna in defence, Reid could find himself surplus to requirements.
Pellegrini will demand high work-rate and impeccable tactical awareness from his players next season if they are to push for a top-seven finish, and it is difficult to see Kouyate fitting in under Chilean on that basis.
While the Senegal international did improve towards the end of the campaign following some poor performances previously, he looked at times as though he didn’t know what role he was supposed to be playing.
Whether that was the fault of Slaven Bilic and David Moyes remains to be seen, but if he shows the same lack of quality during pre-season Pellegrini surely won’t put up with him for too long – especially if he has Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and a potential new midfielder in the squad.
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Like Reid, Carroll is another that has suffered from injury problems during the last couple of seasons – and since he joined the club in general – and while his first-team chances should be boosted if Pellegrini plays two up top, it may not be that easy.
Javier Hernandez is likely to be a regular starter following a difficult debut campaign at the London Stadium, while Marko Arnautovic may keep his spot as a centre-forward having been the first-choice in that position for the majority of the 2017/18 season.
Carroll threw his toys out of the pram when he failed to come on as a substitute in the defeat against Manchester City last month, and if he were to pull a similar stunt again the Chilean would not take to it kindly.
As it stands, it looks as though Manchester City’s pursuit of Napoli midfielder Jorginho will be one of the sagas of the summer.
The Serie A outfit are not budging having already rejected an offer of £44m from the Premier League champions, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper claims that the North-West outfit will try to push the deal along by offering Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The 21-year-old, who can play in midfield or at left-back, joined City in 2016 but is yet to establish himself in Pep Guardiola’s team.
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In fact, the Ukraine international, who has been capped 17 times for his country, only started six top-flight games for the Cityzens last season.
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Given the amount of world-class talent in City’s first team, it is difficult to envisage a way through for Zinchenko.
However, judging by the reaction on Twitter, the club will come under criticism from the fans if the versatile player is offloaded in a deal for Jorginho.
West Ham are interested in signing Lazio left-back Jordan Lukaku, brother of Romelu, according to the Daily Mail (13/06 16:48).
What’s the story?
The 23-year-old defender joined Lazio in 2016 from KV Oostende and made 30 appearances last season, scoring one and assisting two goals.
The Belgian only has one year left on his contract and it appears Lazio are keen to get some money on the player who is valued at £6.3million on Transfermarkt before he leaves on a free next summer.
West Ham are keen on the Manchester United talisman’s younger brother after having already filled the right-back position with Ryan Fredericks.
Would he be a good signing?
If Jordan has anywhere near the impact his older brother has had on the Premier League, then West Ham fans will be laughing.
He is strong going forward and offers pace on the flank like their new recruit Fredericks.
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If he’s available for a cut-price fee because of his contract situation, he could be a very shrewd purchase for the Hammers who look set to change their style with wing-backs bombing up and down the flanks.
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According to Turkish media outlet Milliyet, Wolverhampton Wanderers are considering making a bid for Fenerbahce midfielder Josef de Souza this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Milliyet report that the Turkish giants are ready to listen to offers for the 29-year-old Brazilian, who has one year remaining on his contract, and Wolves are interested but could face competition from arch-rivals West Bromwich Albion for his signature.
Milliyet report that the Premier League new boys are ready to launch a €12.5m (£11m) offer for de Souza, and they could be in pole position to get him seeing as their local neighbours suffered relegation to the Championship.
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How did de Souza do during the 2017/18 campaign?
The 6ft 2in defensively-minded player was a regular for Fenerbahce last season, making 41 appearances in all competitions.
As well as scoring four goals and providing a further two assists, the Brazilian showed his ability on the ball with a passing accuracy of 87.3% in 33 Super Lig outings, as per WhoScored.com, while he also won 106 tackles and made 73 interceptions, as well as 50 blocks.
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Would he be a good Wolves signing?
He certainly would be.
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The 29-year-old is experienced and has played at the highest level with Fenerbahce in the Super Lig and in European competition, and he would add some real quality in the middle of the park alongside Romain Saiss and Ruben Neves.
In fact, the addition of the Brazilian would suggest that manager Nuno Santo, who is also eyeing a move for another midfielder who once had Paulo Dybala in his pocket, is ready to make a big formation change ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League given Neves and Saiss were so key for them last season, perhaps opting for a 3-5-2 system rather than his preferred 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 one last term.
When West Ham United signed Javier Hernandez last summer, they would have believed that they were getting the goalscorer they had been missing for a number of years, even though the Mexico international had forged a big majority of his club career out of being a bit of a super sub – especially with Manchester United.
His 5ft 9in frame would have raised some doubts as to whether he would be able to play up top on his own at the London Stadium in Slaven Bilic’s preferred 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 formations, and it proved to be the case in the opening months of the 2017/18 campaign as he struggled to make an impact against opposition centre-backs, or score goals on the regular basis that he might have been expected to.
The 30-year-old has played the lone role previously – especially with his country Mexico – but he never really looked comfortable doing it for the Irons, although in fairness he perhaps they didn’t play the right way or give him the right support to make it work.
Hernandez was often pushed out to play on the left by Slaven Bilic – especially if Andy Carroll was available – as the Croatian struggled to fit him, Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini in the XI at the same time in the early months, and he rarely looked happy about it.
New Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini’s predecessor David Moyes quickly realised that Hernandez wasn’t being effective in the role either on the left or as a centre-forward, and the Scot instead put Arnautovic there with Hernandez often left on the substitutes’ bench.
It was a theme that continued throughout the rest of the campaign, and had Moyes been offered an extension to his contract that expired at the end of the season then Hernandez would almost certainly have been on his way – although he could still leave despite the arrival of Pellegrini.
The appointment of the Chilean may well change his situation for the better, but he will want to be starting for the east London club on a regular basis this term if he is to stay, and it could leave the former Manchester City chief with a big decision to make.
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Pellegrini often preferred a system with two strikers during his spell at the Etihad Stadium, but in his previous spell with Hebei China Fortune he favoured 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1 systems respectively.
Whether he will be brave enough to go with two up top with West Ham remains to be seen, but a formation with a lone striker seems more likely.
Arnautovic may well be in pole position to take that role seeing as he was so good there for the east London outfit last season, using his strength, power and finishing ability to score 11 goals and provide a further six assists in 31 Premier League appearances.
However Pellegrini, who has been urged to sign an England World Cup star following his display against Tunisia on Monday, will know that Hernandez needs to be playing if he is to keep hold of him, and ‘Little Pea’ proved in his country’s brilliant 1-0 win over Germany at the weekend that he can play the role effectively at the very highest level.
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The 30-year-old ran his socks off and despite only have 28 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, he provided the assist for Hirving Lozano, harried Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng and competed physically with them from an attacking point of view, as well as doing his fair share of defensive work.
If Pellegrini can make sure he produces the same work-rate and makes the same big impact for West Ham this season – whether they are playing Manchester City or Cardiff City – then he should start the campaign as the lone striker with Arnautovic dropping back to a deeper role – which will be especially important given the injury to Manuel Lanzini that is likely to keep him out until 2019.
Before the transfer window even opened today, there were rumours circulating of a potentially exciting addition to Sheffield Wednesday’s ranks.
On Monday it was reported that Arsenal would recall Eddie Nketiah from his loan spell with Leeds and that the Owls were in the hunt for his signature on a temporary basis.
The 20-year-old striker has been hailed by Arsene Wenger but has only managed one start in the Championship during his time at Elland Road.
That’s despite his five goals early in the term and the fact Patrick Bamford once went ten games without finding the net.
Things simply haven’t worked out for him in Yorkshire but Wednesday could offer a solid alternative, especially considering Garry Monk likes to operate with a 4-4-2 system.
Amid the report, a host of fans took to Twitter to react to the news, many deciding to hail the player and what he could bring to Hillsborough. One suggested he’d be perfect for Steven Fletcher while another was excited about the pace he could bring to Monk’s side.
Other supporters decided to bring Sheffield Wednesday’s need for more creativity into the equation, although two fans were split on whether they should actually bring the youngster in this month.
One individual wanted to see him arrive but was also keen to ensure more creative players arrived. Another thought that should simply be the sole focus.
Their concerns are only natural. After all, the Owls only have one man to surpass five assists this term – Barry Bannan. Meanwhile, Kadeem Harris failed to create a single chance against Cardiff last weekend.
There was no optimism from fellow fans who thought there was absolutely no chance of the striker arriving during the winter window.
Bristol City are reportedly in pole position to take him on a temporary stint until the end of the season while Brentford also have an interest in Nketiah.
Can you score at least 80% on this Ultimate Premier League Quiz? Test your knowledge now…
Considering Wednesday have numerous options at their disposal, including Fletcher, Sam Winnall, Jordan Rhodes and Atdhe Nuhui, it would be understandable if the forward had reservations over how much game time he’d get.
That could cast doubts over the deal but certain supporters don’t think they can get him anyway.
In other news, Garry Monk has handed his side a big boost ahead of their clash against Hull…
Arsenal have consistently been competing for a spot in the top four over the past few seasons, with the fans always expressing their opinions throughout social media. This term, the club are still up there amongst the Premier League elites as they sit in fourth, three points away from Manchester United in first.
Twitter has always been a means of communication to which the fans voice their concerns and delights over all the various up and downs the team has been through. The Gunners are currently under fire for their performance in the Champions League after losing their first two matches, with the supports already stating their opinions on a daily basis.
So, if you’re a fan of the club, it is almost a must to keep updated with all the highs and lows as well as all the transfer rumours, all the way to candidates to replace current boss Arsene Wenger. Be sure to check out the mentioned accounts and push follow despite how angry you are at their current form!
So here are the top ten accounts that all Gunners fans should be following!
1. @arsenalfantv
Followers: 69,200
First off, ArsenalFanTV, which is the Twitter account associated with arsenalfantv.com, a website about all things Gunners. This profile was set up by the fans and is directly targeted back to the supports in order to serve as a platform to voice our concerns or just state opinions in general.
2. @goonerdave66
Followers: 19,300
This next page follows the account owned by Dave Seager, a writer for 1nildown2oneup.net, a website covering everything that has to do with Arsenal. He also co-owns gunnerstown.com and is currently an AFC Columnist for Shoot. There’s probably nothing more you can ask for when wanting to keep updated with your favourite club.
3. @arseblognews
Followers: 73,200
Apart from fan opinions, it’s always good to follow an account that provides you with news, news, and more news regarding Arsenal, just like this next one. The profile brings together information from a variety of sources and expresses it via their website, news.arseblog.com. Follow this one account and you have access to a wide range of information coming out of the Emirates.
4. @GoonerFanzines
Followers: 37,400
This account focuses on their Arsenal fanzine released via their website onlinegooner.com. Their Twitter profile serves as a method of linking their content to all the supporters of the club. They mainly publish pieces that come in the form of opinion and ideas rather than hard news, with the hardcopy of their fanzine behind sold around the stadium.
5. @arsenalmania
Followers: 75,400
Arsenal Mania is another one of those Twitter accounts that favours fan discussion while also keeping their followers updated on all the club’s current events. From transfer rumours to latest club news, this profile seems to collect content from a majority of sources before sharing them in form of Tweets via the profile.
6. @GoonerTalk
Followers: 49,400
Like the name states, this Twitter account focuses on all things Arsenal related that can be used in conversation, from news all the way to views. Chris Wheatley, the owner of the profile is currently an editor at goonertalk.com and also has experience working as a Social Media Editor for @Eurosport_UK.
7. @theEpicGooner
Followers: 28,400
This next account keeps you updated with Arsenal from a more opinion-based way and less from a direct news standpoint. The page takes all the current events from manager interviews, transfer rumours, injury news, and much more and express what they think about certain topics.
8. @LeGrove
Followers: 51,000
The Twitter account up next follows the daily tweets regarding content posted in le-grove.co.uk, which gives your opinion based articles based on all things Arsenal. In addition to that, this page also shares their views on various situations ongoing at the Emirates while keeping you updated with the news through retweets.
9. @YankeeGunner
Followers: 23,400
Apart from opinion and news articles, it’s always nice to follow an account talk links you to a number of podcast regarding your favourite club. YankeeGunner promotes their website, yankeegunnerblog.com, but the owner of the page also does podcast for @ArsenalVPodcast as well as @ArseAmerica, keeping u updated with even more Gunners content.
10. @GoonerGimli
Followers: 14,100
Finally we come to another account that focuses on using podcast to push their content to all the Arsenal fans out there. The owner of this profile is the host and co-founder of the award winning @TheAFCPodcast. However, this being his personal account, you get to read about his own honest opinions that might not be heard via his podcast.
The clock is ticking and we’re now only just over two weeks from being able to hastily snatch disks from boxes and jam them into PS4s and XBOX 1s, or even PS3s and XBOX 360s. We are of course talking about the release of FIFA16, which gets football fans whipped up into a mad frenzy as the anticipated date draws ever closer. We’ve all be hunting around for the bits of information EA Sports feed to us, and we already know the players ranked 50-11 in terms of overall ratings. But now we can have a look at the crème de la crème of FIFA talent, with the top 10’s identities released…
10) David Silva
One of the best Premier League players, Manchester City’s magical playmaker comes in at 10.
9) Thiago Silva
The best centre-back on the game, Silva is a beast in terms of physicality and should be able to match some of the best strikers for pace.
8) Neymar
Brazil’s poster boy comes in at eight. 90 pace and 92 dribbling should make him dangerous.
7) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
An absolute tank of a payer. Move Zlatan into position and your sure to worry opposing goalkeepers no matter what the range.
6) Eden Hazard
Officially the best player in the Premier League. 92 for dribbling should be enough to bamboozle defenders.
5) Arjen Robben
Always a dangerous player in the right hands, this year is no different.
4) Manuel Neuer
A lofty position for a goalkeeper, but the German really is one of the best around.
3) Luis Suarez
Bronze. The Uruguayan’s rise at Barcelona is reflected in his move up the rankings.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo
Silver. Physically imposing and pacey, one of the best in the game.