West Ham United manager David Moyes is keen to add a new midfielder to his squad before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday night, and it appears as though Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker could be his priority signing.

A report by Belgian media outlet Het Nieuwsblad on Monday confirmed that the Irons are set to ramp up their interest in the highly-rated 22-year-old, who can also pay as a centre-back, having been heavily linked with bringing the Belgium international to the Premier League throughout the month.

Despite the arrival of Inter Milan’s Joao Mario on loan until the end of the season last week, a serious injury suffered by Pedro Obiang in the 2-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat to Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday has taken Moyes back to square one in terms of his options in the middle of the park.

He will now be looking to ensure that he brings a new central or defensive midfielder to the London Stadium before the 11pm deadline on Wednesday to help in the Irons’ survival bid, but if a deal for Dendoncker can’t be done then the Scottish boss will need to look elsewhere for the extra body he wants.

Here are three Dendoncker alternatives West Ham could target on Deadline Day…

Jonjo Shelvey

The Express claimed at the start of January that West Ham were closing in on a £12m move for the Newcastle United midfielder, who is said to be keen to return to London.

There has been no progress in any deal since then though, with Sky Sports reporting on Friday that the Irons have been told that the 25-year-old is not for sale.

However, journalist @reluctantnicko claimed via his official Twitter account on Tuesday that the east London outfit could yet try and sign Shelvey if they are getting desperate towards the end of the window, although the likely large fee and his big wages could be an issue.

Ki Sung-Yueng

The reliable @ExWHUemployee posted via his official Twitter account on Monday that West Ham were looking to include the South Korea international in any deal that saw Andre Ayew return to former club Swansea City before the window slams shut.

While there has been no further progress on that proposal as of yet, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see some sort of arrangement reached on Wednesday.

That said, the fact the 29-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the win against Arsenal on Tuesday night doesn’t suggest an exit is imminent, and the east London outfit may have lots of work to do to bring the 6ft 2in midfielder to the London Stadium before the deadline.

Ibrahim Amadou

West Ham’s Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have been heavily linked with a move for the Lille captain throughout the January window, but they are yet to reach an agreement with the Ligue 1 outfit, despite Sky Sports reporting that they need to raise £22m in order to avoid a financial fair play sanction from the French Football Federation.

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Amadou is a versatile performer who – like Dendoncker – can play either as a defensive midfielder or as a centre-back, and he looks to have all of the attributes to be a success in the English top flight.

Sky Sports reported on Tuesday that the Irons are ready to hijack the Eagles’ bid to sign the 24-year-old before the deadline, although they will have to pay £17.6m if they want to bring him to the London Stadium.

Who do you want, Irons fans? Let us know below.

A little over two months ago, Mo Diame was an outcast at St. James’s Park. In fact, the Senegalese star had made just one Premier League appearance for the club during the first three months of the season.

However, Rafael Benitez gave the experienced midfielder a chance in the first team in December and the former West Ham player has been immovable since.

Diame, who is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt, was the subject of much condemnation from Newcastle fans prior to his upturn in form over the Christmas period.

In fact, a number of the Toon faithful wanted the 30-year-old to leave the club, after links with a move to Aston Villa surfaced;

However, Diame’s remarkable turn around in form has been rewarded; the midfielder winning the club’s Player of the Month award for January.

Upon hearing the news of Diame’s award, Newcastle fans took to Twitter to congratulate their player…

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Under-fire Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has been speaking to Sky Sports about his side’s battle to stay in the Premier League this season, and he will leave the club’s fans furious after almost excusing his disappointing record this term by claiming that the fight against relegation in the English top flight gains more worldwide interest than the title race.

Saints slipped back into the bottom three following their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at St Mary’s last weekend, with the likes of Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town and Swansea City all putting in impressive performances to pick up three points.

Pellegrino has been talking about what his side need to do to ensure they stay up in the remaining 11 fixtures of the season, but has also hinted that the supporters should relish being in the relegation scrap even though they have secured four top-eight finishes in a row before the current campaign.

The Argentine boss told Sky Sports: “In this moment you need to be really brave and you have to show your character, to be strong enough to challenge in this situation.

“It’s difficult [to be brave], it’s not easy. But, also it’s a really nice challenge because the most beautiful thing in football is that we are competitive people. If not it’s impossible to be at this level.

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“It’s more difficult the situation in the bottom of the table than in the top, because Manchester City is away [with] a lot of points. But in the bottom of the table, every person that I know from different countries, it’s about watching the game from the relegation.”

Southampton have a break from the Premier League this weekend when they face West Bromwich Albion in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Graeme Murty’s Rangers crave major silverware but it’s been a long time since there’s been a genuine title race in Scotland with Celtic romping to the last six league trophies.

Brendan Rodgers’ side produced one of the most dominant title wins yet last season, remaining unbeaten for the entire league campaign.

This season though they’ve dropped plenty of points and after another draw at the weekend, their seventh of the season, Rangers have moved to within nine points of the reigning champions with eleven games remaining.

With Aberdeen also looking to capitalise on any mistakes, Celtic trying to progress further in Europe and big matches between the trio ahead in the next few weeks, are we shaping up for an exciting end to the Scottish Premiership?

Our writers have had their say below…

Christy Malyan

No. With goal difference included, Celtic are essentially ten points ahead with just eleven games left to go, so for Aberdeen or Rangers to catch them, they’ll have to average a point more than Celtic per game to overtake them by the end of the season.

When Celtic have the best players and probably the best manager in the league, that’s an unassailable margin.

Perhaps if Rangers had started the season on the front foot rather than keeping Pedro Caixinha in the job, they might be giving Celtic a serious challenge right now but it’s just too late in the day to make a serious comeback.

Chris McMullan

Nine points might be the gap in the table between Rangers and Celtic, but the reality is that the real gap is much wider. The difference in quality between the two sides is marked, but more importantly, you get the feeling Celtic can step up if needed.

Perhaps Rangers should be hoping for Celtic to qualify for the next round of the Europa League at the expense of their own former conquerors from the 2008 UEFA Cup final, Zenit, on Thursday night. The further Celtic go in the competition, the more change the Gers have of a comeback, but those odds are very slim for a reason.

With two derbies to come there is at least some potential for this to get interesting – but win them both and then we can talk.

John McGinley

The chances of there being something of a title race in Scotland heading into the final few fixtures are greater this season than they have been for years, but you’d still have to consider Celtic heavy favourites.

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The matches away to Aberdeen and Rangers in the coming weeks will determine a lot and neither are easy for the Hoops. The trip to Pittodrie comes just days after a gruelling trip to Russia and Graeme Murty’s side are showing enough form right now for that match at Ibrox to be a well-contested affair.

Oddly it’s the run-of-the-mill matches with less at stake that seem to trip Celtic up, recent games against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone as an example, so if Brendan Rodgers can keep his team focused and motivated, they should win their seventh title in a row.

Sheffield Wednesday lost for the fourth successive time on Saturday, this time thrashed 4-0 away to English Championship play-off hopefuls Bristol City.

Inspired by a Bobby Reid hat-trick, the Robins were far too strong for Jos Luhukay’s struggling Owls side, who looked every bit the relegation candidates that fans fear they are.

Still seven points ahead of the bottom three with 11 games to play, Wednesday need to start picking up positive results consistently if they’re to keep their heads clear of trouble.

Fans were left fuming with the result and manner of performance, aiming particular criticism at defender Liam Palmer, a player who failed to adequately deal with the City attack across the 90 minutes.

It was the player’s first start in the league since 10th February and supporters have made it clear they don’t want to see him get a regular game in the closing stages of the season.

They took to Twitter to share their frustrations…

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When you take a look at the home and away Premier League tables so far this season ahead of Everton’s trip to face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, it is clear to see why the Toffees are currently in ninth position and six points behind seventh-place Burnley with eight matches of the season remaining.

The Merseyside outfit would have been aiming to compete for the top four spots before the campaign got underway considering the money they spent during the summer transfer window, and having comfortably secured a seventh-place finish under Ronald Koeman last term.

They currently have the seventh-best home record in the Premier League with 29 points from their 15 matches, and while it isn’t perfect, if they had come close to replicating that on the road then they would be above sixth-place Arsenal and in a similar position to fifth-place Chelsea.

However, they have instead taken just eight points on their travels and won just once in 15 fixtures, and that is one of the main reasons why their season has been so disappointing.

Koeman was fired at the end of October following a disastrous start to the 2017/18 campaign which had seen them on the brink of exiting the Champions League, as well as hovering above the relegation zone in the top flight with summer additions like Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez struggling to shine.

Fast forward to end of November when Sam Allardyce replaced caretaker manager David Unsworth and things instantly improved, with the Toffees looking stronger in defence and picking up 10 points from a possible 12 in the 63-year-old first four Premier League matches in charge at Goodison Park.

There was a marked improvement away from home too with draws against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion and their maiden victory against Newcastle United at St James’ Park, but things went downhill from December 30 onwards.

Six straight away defeats in all competitions have followed, including 4-0 and 5-1 thrashings against Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively.

It has been a completely different story at home however, with a 2-0 loss against Manchester United being followed by the Merseyside outfit once again taking 10 points from the last 12 available on their own patch.

That run has included relatively comfortable 2-1, 3-1 and 2-0 successes against Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively, with the likes of Theo Walcott and Gylfi Sigurdsson impressing far more there than they have on the road.

So why have things been so different home and away for Everton under Allardyce in 2018?

Well, the former England boss believes it is a mental problem and he says his players have undergone psychological therapy in order to try and turn their fortunes around.

While this and a general lack of confidence may be partly to blame seeing as they have only one win in 15, at the end of the day it is just another pitch with two goals at either end and it can’t solely be blamed on mental issues.

The fact that they took the lead against Burnley before eventually losing 2-1 earlier this month would make an argument against this point, as the advantage should have given the players a big lift on the pitch.

Of course, them knowing how vulnerable they have been on the road would also have played on their minds, but Allardyce must take some of the blame for many of his decisions too.

Against Tottenham in January, he lined up with an attacking XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Yannick Bolasie, Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson supporting new boy Cenk Tosun on his full debut.

It was tactically naïve from the experienced Allardyce, who divided the opinions of the fans after the game, against an in-form Spurs side who ripped them to shreds, but most confusingly for the visitors was the fact that they failed to muster a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes considering the line-up and individuals they had on the pitch.

It suggested that the players were confused at how the 63-year-old wanted them to play, and he perhaps should have put more bodies in the central midfield area so they weren’t open so defensively and had more control of the ball seeing as they made little impact in the final third.

It also probably wasn’t the best idea to give a player that was new to the Premier League his full debut in such a tough game.

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The former England manager didn’t learn his lesson against Arsenal three weeks later though, beginning with a 3-4-3 formation with three centre-backs and just two players in the middle of the park, which saw them trail 4-0 after 37 minutes.

They were certainly better in the second half following a change of tactics, but it is something that Allardyce hasn’t quite got right on more than one occasion, and perhaps has shown up his limitations both as a manager and as the man that can lead Everton forward in the future.

Chopping and changing formations and personnel on the road doesn’t work in terms of consistency, and having been in charge since November he should have worked out the system that suits the individuals and the team best on their travels, but he has failed to do so.

That said, their decent home record may suggest to some that he deserves an opportunity to get things right on the road, and if he does the Merseyside outfit could be quite a force next term.

In conclusion, yes the mentality of the players is clearly an issue, but Allardyce must shoulder a fair chunk of the blame as well from a tactical and motivational point of view, and he will be hoping to put an end to the dire run against a struggling Stoke on Saturday.

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Throughout the season, rumours have been rife that Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

The England international has been in stellar form this season, scoring 35 goals in all competitions.

At the end of 2017, he became Europe’s highest goalscorer in the calendar year having netted 53 for club and country, surpassing the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kane has also gone beyond 100 Premier League goals, but an ankle injury has stopped him in his tracks.

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With the summer transfer window approaching, some fans may be feeling nervous about the striker’s future, but according to the latest reports, interest from Real Madrid may have cooled.

AS reports that chiefs at the Spanish club are concerned that Kane’s ‘introverted’ personality will cause him to struggle with the demands of playing at the Bernabeu.

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The report claims that manager Zinedine Zidane is now turning his attention to Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski.

Tottenham fans have been reacting to these reports on Twitter.

As reported by The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Swansea City defender Alfie Mawson this summer.

What’s the story?

Spurs’ transfer policy remains pretty simple despite their growing ambitions – sign young talent not yet established at the most elite clubs around Europe and develop them into players capable of competing against the continent’s best.

It’s likely to be the approach again this summer as they prepare to make additions that can help them compete for the English Premier League title next season.

One player they’re looking at is Swansea City’s impressive central defender Alfie Mawson.

That’s according to The Sun, who say the player could be worth more than £25m when the transfer window opens.

Is he the right defender to help enhance Mauricio Pochettino’s squad?

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Can he make the step up?

It’s always difficult to assess whether a player has what it takes to cope with the pressure of a move to one of England’s big six teams, but Mawson’s recent form at least demonstrates he is capable of going up against some of the Premier League’s best when the pressure is on.

He’s been integral to their resurgence under Carlos Carvalhal, helping the Welsh side keep three clean sheets since the turn of the year, most impressively against Liverpool back in January, a match that Mawson also scored in.

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Also produce solid performances against the likes of Leicester, Burnley and West Ham, Mawson is perform well against teams up and down the division.

With the ball-playing abilities to step out of defence, he could fit in well at Tottenham and on the brink of his first England cap is a player with enormous potential at 24 years old.

Spurs could do a lot worse this summer.

Patrice Evra’s last season was his worst personally and the club’s worst as well; the abomination under David Moyes.

Yet, there is no doubt that he is still held in very high regard among the Old Trafford fanbase and there was genuine excitement in some quarters when he raised the prospect of returning to the club last year.

The left-back, now valued at £900k by Transfermarkt, is currently reunited with Moyes at West Ham United where the pair are now battling relegation.

Despite the intensity of the situation – on and off the pitch – at the London Stadium, Evra has taken some time out to share some cheer over Easter with ill children at nearby Newham Hospital.

Hammers fans might be slightly concerned by the distraction at a time of intense pressure but Man United fans absolutely lapped it up and enjoyed the reminder of what they were missing at their club.

We’ve taken a closer look at the best of the reaction…

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Anthony Martial’s Manchester United career has had its highs and lows since the attacker’s switch from Monaco in 2015.

The Frenchman is a big favourite within the club’s fanbase, but he is yet to fully convince manager Jose Mourinho.

The forward player is yet to cement a regular spot in the Red Devils team having been restricted to 16 Premier League games.

Martial has made a further 10 outings from the bench in the top flight, and so far this season has netted 11 goals and created seven assists in all competitions.

The lack of game time could become a crucial factor in the Frenchman’s future, with reports emerging that the 22-year-old is heading for the exit door.

According to RMC Sport, Martial has turned down a new contract offered to him at Old Trafford, which could potentially attract interest from other clubs.

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Manchester City fans have been discussing whether the club should make a move for the attacker, despite the fact that he plays for their arch rivals.

Comment from discussion Ideal Signings This Summer?.Comment from discussion Ideal Signings This Summer?.Comment from discussion Ideal Signings This Summer?.Comment from discussion Ideal Signings This Summer?.Comment from discussion Ideal Signings This Summer?.

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