We asked West Ham fans who they think is/was a better player in claret and blue, Felipe Anderson or Dimitri Payet, and the results are in the latter’s favour – but only just.

After a stop-start beginning to his Hammers career, Anderson looks to have finally found his rhythm and has chalked up eight goals and two assists in his 20 Premier League appearances, thus winning the hearts of the London Stadium faithful who have not had such a talismanic figure since Payet himself departed in January 2017.

The Frenchman scored one of the Premier League’s best ever free-kicks, one of it’s best ever solo goals and has continued in his classy ways as he returns to Marseille, recording six goals and six assists this season.

However, the 31-year-old’s time at the London Stadium came to an unfortunately sour end as he fell out with the powers that be and was thus allowed to leave – but that clearly hasn’t swayed the West Ham fans from appreciating what he accomplished in his time in England.

You can check out the full results from our poll below…

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”365933″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts West Ham’s Best Month Ever & A Premier League First”]

Aston Villa have been dealt another huge transfer blow after former Chelsea player and now Derby County boss Frank Lampard confirmed (as per SkySports) both Villa and Derby will miss out on Ethan Ampadu in the current transfer window.

The teenager, who signed a permanent contract at Stamford Bridge in 2017, had been on the radar of a few Championship clubs with Villa and Derby trying to use their Chelsea connections to secure his services.

But according to the Birmingham Live, Villa will have to continue to make use of James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe for time being, unless the club shifts its focus to a different centre-back before the end of the month.

Villa manager Dean Smith, however, has been feeling the pressure defensively in recent weeks with Tuanzebe ruled out with injury.

The report indicated that Lampard heard the Blues will fight off any offers for Ampadu in the transfer market as they continue their fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League and secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.

The Welsh international made his first appearance of the season at the end of November in a Europa League clash with PAOK before starting in the midfield in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

The news have added to a tough start to the new year for Villa, who suffered a 3-0 loss against Aston Villa on Saturday and the fact that they could soon be without their main striker, Tammy Abraham, who is nearing a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Smith and the Villa ownership will have to stitch a plan together to not only find a replacement for Abraham, but also get reinforcements in defence, otherwise they might continue their current downfall on the Championship table.

[ad_pod ]

Everton would be making a huge mistake if they were to cash in on their star defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who has been attracting the interest of French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the word, then?

The Mirror reports that the Parisians are keen on the Senegalese international to add some bite to their midfield, following the news that Adrien Rabiot will not play for the club again after rejecting the offer of a new contract – the Frenchman will be available for free in the summer.

Interestingly, the Toffees have told Thomas Tuchel’s side that only an offer of £40m would tempt them into selling the 29-year-old, who they signed for just £9 from Aston Villa back in 2016.

Gueye tops the Merseysiders’ tackling and interceptions ranks so far this season, averaging 3.9 tackles per game along with 2.4 interceptions per game – it is worth noting that the Toffees have won just two of the six games he hasn’t featured in this season

What would happen if they sold him?

Well, for one, Marco Silva’s side would be severely less balanced without Gueye, whilst he is their only natural ball-winner in the middle of the park with the exception of the out-of-favour Morgan Schneiderlin, who has seriously struggled at Goodison Park.

The Frenchman has made just four Premier League starts this season, and is nowhere near as effective at his job as Gueye is, whose hard work and tireless running allow the likes of Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson to flourish upfront.

In this current market as well, it would be very difficult for Everton to sign a replacement for Gueye, even with a potential £40m added to the coffers, such is the effectiveness of the former Lille man’s role – only N’Golo Kante can offer similar attributes to Gueye if you were to look at the same style of players in the Premier League.

[ad_pod ]

Bournemouth signed David Brooks from Sheffield United on July 1, 2018, as reported by the BBC.

According to the Bournemouth Echo, the Cherries paid a fee that could rise to £11.5 million to secure the attacking midfielder’s services from the Blades. 

The figure represented a fairly hefty outlay for a player with no previous experience of top flight football. However, Eddie Howe clearly considered the 21-year-old to be worth the gamble, believing he could make an impact at Premier League level.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The nine-cap Wales international made his Premier League debut for Bournemouth in a 2-0 win over newly-promoted Cardiff City at the Vitality Stadium on the opening day of the campaign. Brooks scored his first league goal for the club against Crystal Palace on October 1.

The attacker has now scored five league goals so far this season, and has also registered three assists, as per Transfermarkt. With 21 appearances under his belt – 20 coming as a member of the starting XI – Brooks has well and truly established himself on the south coast.

According to the stats on WhoScored, so far this season in the Premier League, Brooks has averaged one key pass per game, and a respectable 72 per cent pass accuracy rating.

Those stats highlight how quickly and effectively Brooks has integrated himself into Bournemouth’s impressive attacking unit, where he thrives alongside the likes of Callum Wilson, Josh King and Ryan Fraser.

The Welshman must still improve his defensive contribution, and he is occasionally too lightweight in possession, and can be bullied by opponents. However, Brooks’ impact in the top flight this season has been remarkable, and Howe’s summer gamble has well and truly paid off. 

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Sunderland fans have been giving their verdict on the latest transfer news, as reports claim they have lodged a bid for Kieffer Moore.

According to Football Insider, Sunderland have made a £2m bid for Moore, who has scored 13 League One goals for Barnsley this season.

The 6 ft 5 in target man is seen as a replacement for Josh Maja, who is expected to join Bordeaux in the coming days, per Sky Sports.

The Maja deal is worth around £3.5m according to Sky Sports, so it looks like the Black Cats are ready to spend a large chunk of that sum on an immediate replacement.

Moore has bounced around a lot in his career, but has found most of his success in League One, where he has struck 29 goals and six assists in 75 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The Black Cats are currently third, just four points off league leaders Portsmouth, but they would find it very difficult to keep pace without a proven goalscorer, and Moore has already shown Jack Ross what he can do.

The powerful target man bagged an impressive brace when Barnsley were beaten 4-2 at the Stadium of Light earlier this season, prompting one fan to call him the “best [opposition] performer I’ve seen here this season”.

You can find that and many other Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]According to The Telegraph’s north-east sports reporter Luke Edwards via his official Twitter account on Thursday, Newcastle United are hoping to extend striker Salomon Rondon’s loan deal beyond the end of this season before the transfer deadline.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Magpies have already enjoyed a busy final day of the window havingcompleted deals for Miguel Almiron and Antonio Barecca, but it appears as though Rafa Benitez isn’t finished there if Luke Edwards is to be believed.

According to The Telegraph’s live transfer blog (11:53am), Edwards says that the Toon Army’s mystery striker target is in fact a player they already have on their books until the summer, in West Bromwich Albion’s Rondon.

However, the sports reporter suggests that they will give Jacob Murphy to the Baggies on loan if the Baggies agree to loan the 29-year-old to them for another campaign, rather than pay the £15m they west Midlands outfit would want if they were to sell him this month.

Would it be good for Newcastle to extend the deal?

It certainly would be.

Rondon is probably never going to be a 20-goal-a-season striker at Premier League level, he has six goals in 18 Premier League appearances this term as per Transfermarkt, but he offers far more than just being able to find the back of the net for his team.

The Venezuela international is strong, decent in the air and has shown that he can score if given decent service, as he did during his side’s massive 2-1 win against Manchester City at St James’ Park on Tuesday night.

There is no doubt that keeping the 29-year-old beyond the summer would be massive for Newcastle, even if it does mean that they have to sacrifice Murphy now.

The only people more shocked by Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Man City than City fans were the Magpies fans themsleves! Check out their brilliant reactions in the video below…

[ad_pod ]

According to trusted West Ham insider, ExWHUemployee, Manuel Pellegrini will be able to select Aaron Cresswell, who has passed a late fitness test, for the clash against Liverpool tonight.

The defender will surely be in contention for a starting spot considering the questionable performances of Arthur Masuaku recently, and may slot into the back four straight away.

West Ham have been decimated by injuries this season and have, at times, had upwards of ten players sidelined, leaving Pellegrini short of options particularly in defence and midfield.

Who is West Ham’s worst ever signing? Check out the video below for a pretty strong candidate for the dubious honour…

Cresswell’s availability, though, could hardly be better timed – the Hammers host the league leaders at 8pm and can do with as many players to choose from as possible, as the task facing them is an enormous one.

The Reds have been ruthless this season and have lost just once in the Premier League so far – their defence has played a huge part and the additions of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson are showing their value – Felipe Anderson and co will have to be on top form to find a way through.

With the Irons set to battle one of the most revered front threes in Europe, though, there can be no slip-ups and so shoring up a suspect back line as best is possible should be their primary concern; will Cresswell get the nod?

Here’s how the London Stadium faithful reacted to Ex’s injury update…

[ad_pod ]

Cardiff City earned a vital win over Southampton on Saturday.

The Bluebirds beat AFC Bournemouth last time out and climbed out of the relegation zone after a supremely important victory at St Mary’s Stadium.

Sol Bamba, the club captain, opened the scoring from a corner, only for Jack Stephens to peg Neil Warnock’s men back in the 91st minute.

The resilient Cardiff, however, would not be denied and a 93rd-minute strike from Kenneth Zohore ensured they took all three points.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The Wales-based club are now one point clear of the bottom three, with the beaten Saints replacing them at 18th.

Newcastle United, who face Wolves on Monday, are 17th and sit level on points with the Saints, though they have a marginally superior goal difference.

And Cardiff fans have hailed the heroics of Bamba, who celebrated with supporters after setting the tone for a victory that could prove season-defining come the end of May.

A number of Rangers fans have voiced their approval of an article that was written about striker Alfredo Morelos this week.

Herald Scotland published a piece from columnist Neil Cameron in which he stood up for the 23-year-old following his red card at Motherwell last Sunday, with the article also shared on Twitter via @heraldscotland.

In the piece, Cameron wrote that the Colombian is “a serial victim” of vitriol from opposition fans in Scotland, citing instances of racial abuse, coin throwing and a defamatory banner about his mother.

He said that Scottish fans “deserve the ultimate snub” from the player and wrote: “This is a serial victim. He’s been racially abused, coins have hit off him and Aberdeen supporters even wrote a banner in Spanish about his mother. Oh, the Scottish banter.” [via Herald Scotland]

Last weekend, Morelos was sent off for a second bookable offence after he celebrated his goal at Fir Park in front of the home supporters by making a gesture that referee Don Robertson deemed offensive. [via BBC]

The 23-year-old has been in sensational scoring form this season, with his goal against Motherwell taking him to 27 for the campaign so far, but his red card on Sunday was his sixth since the beginning of last season.

These Rangers fans took to Twitter to commend Cameron for coming out in defence of Morelos:

Do you think Morelos gets a lot of undeserved criticism over his disciplinary record? Were you happy to see Cameron defending him in his article? Comment below with your views!

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has been backed to take over at Boca Juniors by Argentina legend Diego Maradona, per Ole via Goal.

What’s he said?

The Argentine has been out of work since his sacking by Spurs at the end of November.

Jose Mourinho was subsequently installed as his successor, with Spurs winning four out of five games under the Portuguese’s management.

While Pochettino has been linked with a number of potential jobs, including the Arsenal post, Maradona, who won the World Cup in 1986, has told him to manage Boca instead.

Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Asked if he could take the job, he replied: “Boca have to take a technician to play and feel what Boca is. It’s not easy to sit in that chair.

“The best of all is Maradona [laughs].

“But now I will not go, there at some point it happens. But I would like Mauricio Pochettino.

“You have to call him and convince him to come to lead the biggest team in the world.”

Could be ideal

This is a superb shout.

Pochettino could return to his homeland and manage a club with a rich tradition of winning trophies.

Boca won the Argentine top-flight in 2016/17 and 2017/18, with the second being their 33rd title win.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

They have also won six Copa Libertadores trophies, three Intercontinental Cups and three Copa Argentinas.

Pochettino has spoken of wanting to manage in Europe again but this could be a good stop-gap; he could take over one of the biggest clubs in his home nation and potentially propel them to even greater success.

It would be a left-field move but it could just be perfect.

Meanwhile, Spurs legend Ledley King has tipped the club to do one thing.