All posts by h79snht.top

Every other team may as well stop playing now because the title race is over – it has already been won.

Funnily enough, the title race is over elsewhere as well. In France, PSG are so far ahead that the other teams may as well pack up and go on holiday. Forget the final few matches, it’s over. The tussle for European places is important of course, but what you want is to be champions and that’s done for another year.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich are only five points ahead of a very good Dortmund side, so it’s all to play for, but realistically, it will be Bayern yet again. Boring.

In La Liga, it’s the same as the Premier League and France. It’s over. Barcelona are eight points ahead of Atletico while Real trail by twelve, so same story, same winners – boring. In the Dutch league, PSV and Ajax are so far ahead of third place Feyenoord that it’s their league title and in Italy, it’s between Juventus and Napoli.

The only league that isn’t boring, that has been vastly unpredictable and has surprised the footballing world, well at least in England, is our very own Premier League.

Who honestly would have picked Leicester City as champions at the beginning of the season? Who would have thought that Chelsea would be outside of the top four? Where are Liverpool? Why have Manchester United failed to deliver and why have Manchester City been so up and down all season? The only constant is Arsenal. Top four again and faultering as we near the business end of the season again.

It’s refreshing to see Leicester on their way to the title because as you can see from the other leagues around Europe, it’s getting to be the same story every year and it must be so tiring for the fans of the other teams in the league. On the flip side, it must be great to see your team win year after year, but how much competition is there, if that’s the case?

This year in the Premier League, the so-called top four have been rumbled and Chelsea look likely to finish in the bottom half of the top ten for the first time in many years. Every team has beaten everyone else and with teams like West Ham, Stoke City and newly-promoted Watford having decent seasons.

Manchester United could finish outside of the Champions League places, as could City and it could be that West Ham sneak up along the outside rails and take a Champions League spot. Anything is possible.

With the final run-in upon us, no game in the Premier League is easy any longer and whilst Leicester have some tricky games ahead, nothing seems to stop this team from rolling along nicely. They’ve been there this long, why should nine more matches make any difference?

With Leicester picking up wins and those behind them dropping points, this race is over. For the first time in the Premier League it’s the Foxes for the title and a shot at the Champions League.

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After thrashing hapless Swansea 4-0 last Sunday, Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester are on the verve of arguably the most memorable achievement in modern footballing history.

The Foxes now need just three points from their remaining three games to secure the Premier League title, having moved sevem points clear of closest rivals Tottenham following their 1-1 draw with West Brom on Monday night.

At the start of April last year, Leicester sat rock bottom of the Premier League table and looked doomed to relegation. A remarkable run of seven wins in their final nine games saw Nigel Pearson and his side escape the drop in the greatest of all great escapes.

The appointment of former Chelsea manager Ranieri at the King Power was intended to boost the club’s chances of survival for the coming season. No-one – except maybe a few lucky punters and apparently Tom Hanks – saw the tidal wave of results coming that now sees the Italian and his men one step away of Premier League glory.

A win at Old Trafford on Sunday would secure victory, so as Leicester City look forward to having their named etched into football immortality, we look at the top TEN defining moment’s of the season for the soon-to-be champions…

Pearson Out – Ranieri In

Despite saving Leicester from relegation, Pearson’s time at the club was undoubtedly up following several high profile incidents throughout the season. Pearson’s replacement, former Chelsea and Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri, was a world class alternative with a proven record of winning. The Italian, however, has never won a league title… until (probably) now, finishing second with five different clubs. It is probably fair to say the Leicester board hadn’t considered winning the title a possibility back then.

Opening Day Thriller

Following their antics towards the end of the 2014/15 season – where the Foxes escaped relegation with a late run – Leicester started as they meant to go on. Continuing their fine form under a new manager, Ranieri’s side were rampant as they scored three in the first 25 minutes. The game finished Leicester 4-2 Sunderland, and kicked off their season in style.

Vardy’s A Record Breaker

Blowing Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s 12-year-old goalscoring record out of the water, Englishman Vardy notched his 11th in 11 games during the 1-1 draw against – you guessed it – Manchester United to surpass the Dutchman’s 10 in 10.

Top At Christmas

Leicester gave their fans and Gary Lineker a Christmas present to remember as Riyad Mahrez and his team-mates ensured the club would be top on Jesus’ birthday with a thrilling 3-2 victory at Goodison Park. The omens were good, as the leaders at Christmas for five of the previous six seasons had gone on to win the league; and the lowest finish for a Christmas leader was Aston Villa who finished 6th in 1998/99.

Huth’s Header

Having dropped points over the Christmas period The Foxes had slipped to second position behind Arsenal. Without a win in three, Leicester travelled to Tottenham and Robert Huth’s bullet of a header late in the game secured victory bringing them back level on points with Arsene Wenger’s men. Other than Newcastle, they are the only the only team to come away with three points from White Hart Lane this season.

Out of the Cups

The Foxes met their closet title rivals Tottenham in the FA Cup Third Round back in January. Having drawn the first leg 2-2, Spurs went on to knock Ranieri and Co. out of the tournament winning the replay 2-0. Already out of the League Cup, this left Leicester to focus solely on the Premier League. They have since lost only once, winning 10 of their last 13 league games.

Etihad Triumph

When The Foxes took on Manchester City at the Etihad in February, the Sky Blues were their closest rivals trailing only by two points. An unlikely brace from Robert Huth and a fabulous goal from Mahrez secured an emphatic 3-1 victory and turned the question from ‘can Leicester really win the title?’ to ‘who can catch The Foxes?’

PFA Takeover

In only his second season in the top flight after signing from Le Havre in 2014, Algerian Mahrez was crowned PFA Player of the Year. The 25 year old became not only the first African player to win the award, but also holds the title of being the ‘cheapest’ ever player to bring home the award. Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Wes Morgan also made the PFA Team of the Year in a fantastic night for both the club and the players.

Ulloa to the Rescue

After the club’s talismanic forward Jamie Vardy was suspended for two games following his questionable sending off during the 2-2 draw with West Ham, Leicester fans feared the worst. Up stepped Leonardo Ulloa. The Argentine scored twice as Leicester thrashed Swansea 4-0 and proved The Foxes have more a squad, not just a starting XI, worthy of winning the title.

Football isn’t all about physicality – just ask Xavi – but it sure does help if you can out pace all of your opponents.

Fitness training has become more and more scientific over the past decade or so and we are seeing players reach top speeds that we couldn’t have even dreamt of just a few years ago. Pace is not all the game, but if you can cover more ground and do it more regularly than the opposition you are halfway there to defeating your rivals.

Some players can think faster than others, some can do faster stepovers and some are just exceptionally quick over 10 or 50 metres. A lot of the game is about skill and a lot is about tactics – but you can’t beat a good old fashioned electric speedster who can terrify any opposing defender.

With all this sprinting excitement, we thought you might be keen to hear about the FIVE quickest players in the league…

Jamie Vardy

From Fleetwood to a champion with Leicester City, Vardy has reached superhuman speeds at times this season.

Stretching the opposition’s defence like some sort of elastic band, Vardy has so much pace that is has led him to being one of the top scorers in Europe this season. Pair pure speed with a powerful and accurate shot and you’ve got quite a cocktail.

Hector Bellerin

Apparently, Hector Bellerin is the fastest player they have ever had at Arsenal.

The Spanish full-back still makes the odd mistake defensively, but his road-runner style sprints usually allow him to compensate.

Jeffrey Schlupp

Schlupp has only been a fringe player for the majority of Leicester’s title winning season.

Often being brought on to replace Marc Albrighton the left flank, Schlupp’s pace makes him an adaptable player and has been of huge assistance to Claudio Ranieri. There’s every chance that other Premier League clubs will have their eyes on Schlupp this summer.

Wilfried Zaha

After his fairly torrid time at Manchester United, Wilfried Zaha seems to be back to his best at Crystal Palace.

It was touch and go between Zaha and Bolasie to make it on to this list, but the former Manchester United man just squeaked ahead of his Palace team-mate.

Willian

Chelsea’s best player this season has remarkably quick feet and he has scurried around every field in the league this season like his life depends on it.

The Brazilian might not have the talent of Eden Hazard, but he has sure shown that he can win a foot-race with the best of them.

Andre Wisdom has been heavily linked with a move to Glasgow this summer to link up with former manager Brendan Rodgers.

While Celtic’s defence is more than capable of performing domestically, it’s in needing of something of a reboot to compete on the European stage.

The Liverpool man is unlikely to feature much for Jurgen Klopp with the German expected to reshape his squad this summer.

There’s no room for mistakes with Celtic’s recruitment anymore and Rodgers will be keen that his first signing makes an immediate impact on the first-team.

Here are FIVE reason Andre Wisdom would be a good signing for the Bhoys…

Versatility

Wisdom has the ability to play in two positions, at least. He grew up in youth football as a centre back but has played the majority of his professional games on the right flank in a defensive role. He has featured for the Liverpool first-team in central defence too, showing that Rodgers would have no issue deploying him there if need be.

With Celtic looking to use their money efficiently, Wisdom could provide defensive cover and compete for places with the majority of the Bhoys’ defenders, something that is immediately appealing.

Rodgers’ faith in him

It goes without saying that if you sign a player from another club you at least have some faith in his ability, but Rodgers’ relationship with Wisdom goes deeper than that.

Wisdom had played under three previous managers before Rodgers arrived at Liverpool but didn’t receive his professional debut until the new Celtic boss took charge.

Despite spending the majority of Rodgers’ reign at Liverpool out on loan, on his return from West Bromwich Albion he was given a lengthy four year contract by the club.

Premier League experience

At 23, Wisdom isn’t quite the young upstart he’s been portrayed as in some of the transfer talk. He has close to 50 English Premier League appearances across three clubs to his name, with another full season in the Championship at Derby County also under his belt

He has enough experience to come in and make an impact in the first-team at Celtic, then. The Premier League is undoubtedly a higher level than the Scottish Premiership and is a good primer for European football, too.

His strengths are his pace, physicality and ability to defend, so he could perhaps provide a more solid foundation on the right side than either Mikael Lustig or Saidy Janko, who are more prone to attack.

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Room to grow

While the apprenticeship is complete with all those first-team appearances, Wisdom likely hasn’t reached his full potential. If he signs for Celtic, the club could well be getting the best years of his career.

He provides value, too. We’ve seen plenty of players in recent years using Celtic as a stepping stone to big money moves elsewhere. It’s a reality of the market and something the Bhoys have done well managing for the most part.

Rumoured to be available for just £3m, a few seasons at Celtic could add a significant sum onto that value, reaping rewards for the Scottish champions.

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A right back is a priority

Despite Mikael Lustig’s consistency in appearances last season, there have been significant injury problems for the Swedish defender in the past. He’s also at EURO 2016 for most of this summer, meaning Celtic lack numbers on the right of defence heading into the European qualifiers. Even if Sweden exit early, Lustig will still need some sort of break.

Back-up, Saidy Janko, has also suffered from injury problems and while showing flashes of potential, he doesn’t have the experience that Wisdom has.

He’s also a different type of player than both and in games where Celtic are unlikely to have most of the possession could provide more stability than the two already established at the club.

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There is a certain 19-year-old striker at this year’s European Championship worthy of serious attention. He has mostly sat on the bench, as he is not the first choice striker and will use being part of the Swiss squad as valuable experience.

Yet eyes from the Premier League are casting glances at the young man from Basel… mainly those of Jose Mourinho.

Last summer, Breel Embolo became a name bandied about the transfer market, as one or two clubs made enquiries and then took their interest no further.

The Switzerland international has done little so far to enhance his name outside of his homeland, but then at 19, what are we expecting?

The teenager has reportedly been subject to an offer from ambitious, and newly promoted, German Bundesliga side Red Bull Leipzig.

But United have allegedly been in touch with Embolo’s representatives and will consider submitting a bid to FC Basel in the coming weeks. It is thought that United will be able to offer the midfielder the more lucrative deal and are in pole position to complete the signing.

Leipzig were confident a deal was close to completion before the start of the European Championship at a figure believed to be around £15m excluding bonuses.

He is surprisingly quick for his size and immensely powerful given his impressive 6ft.1″ frame and whenever he is on the ball you get the sense something is about to happen. He is a centre-forward by trade yet, like Anthony Martial, is very capable of playing in a wide position. United lacked a concrete threat from the right hand side last season until Jesse Lingard was handed an opportunity.

Lingard, whilst talented, will probably remain a rotational option for Mourinho, with Embolo representing a significant step up in both quality and potential.

Reports in Switzerland have claimed contact has been made between the Cameroon-born star’s representatives and Old Trafford chiefs. The suggestion is that Embolo, who it says could eventually cost up to £28m, might earn £76,000 a week with United plus get the opportunity of Premier League football and a bigger stage to play upon.

Embolo has been praised as a complete striker: He is powerful, technically strong and decisive. He has explosive pace and is a composed finisher and has now played for his adopted country – he was born in Cameroon – on 13 occasions, scoring once.

But Embolo doesn’t sacrifice his strength for speed. The powerful front-man has the ability to beat defenders and hustle for the ball on the counter-attack. His well-rounded approach to the striking role means he’s versatile, and was why former boss Paulo Sousa stated he “loved everything about him”.The 19-year-old forward bagged 12 goals for Swiss Super League side FC Basel last season and his displays caught the attention of clubs across Europe.Yet it is Jose Mourinho who has seen something in the up and coming  young Swiss that entices him to spend over £20m for a relative unknown. Much in the same way as Eric Bailly was pretty much unknown to most English fans before his recent Old Trafford move.In Embolo’s first full season, he demonstrated impressive goalscoring prowess, firing 10 goals in 26 league games and complementing leading scorers Shkelzen Gashi and veteran Marco Streller. His large, muscular physique and overall presence on the pitch has garnered comparisons to the likes of Didier Drogba although he likens himself to Mario Balotelli.The young striker has Swiss titles under his belt, international and Champions League/Europa League experience against the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid and is certainly a star for the future. At such a young age, he has his weaknesses as well, but there is plenty of time under Mourinho’s guidance to become the finished article.An incredible potential talent that is under most clubs radars and before they even consider him, Mourinho could have snatched him from under their very noses.Jose 1 -0 everyone else, if this one comes off…[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’][ad_pod id=’euro-2016′ align=’center’]

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Adrien Silva could be on his way to White Hart Lane this Summer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to expand his squad ahead of Spurs’ return to Champions League football.

The French born Portuguese midfielder was a part of his national team’s successful Euro 2016 campaign and is also of huge importance to Sporting Lisbon. At the age of 27, Pochettino may feel that Silva will bring some added experience to his Tottenham team, a lack of which seemed to cost them the title last season, whilst he also possesses Champions League know-how and that will be a big bonus to the squad.

He operates primarily in central midfield but can also play behind the striker and so on the face of it at least he seems like a Pochettino player.

There will be doubts over his credentials though and the most glaring of these has to be that he’s never played in one of Europe’s biggest leagues, is he going to be able to cut it should any deal go through?

Furthermore, he’s never spent a long time away from Portugal. He spent a year at Bordeaux when his career started and the only other time away from the country was a short time on loan in Israel. There will inevitably be question marks over whether he can settle in. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be a success of course, but these detractions may play on Pochettino’s mind meaning he might want to consider someone else.

We’ve teamed up with 7 Of The Best to bring you a footballing treat for the coming campaign. It’s free to play and the best team each week wins £1,500, as well as monthly prize of £4,000 for the best individual.  Want to win bigger? Nab yourself a whopping £500k if you get all seven of your selections correct for seven consecutive weeks.

So it’s in that spirit that we’re bringing you these SEVEN players Mauricio Pochettino might want to consider as Adrien Silva alternatives…

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Moussa Sissoko

It’ll be a real shock if Sissoko is still at Newcastle United at the end of this transfer window. The Frenchman feels he can play at a higher level and given his performances at the European Championships there’s no doubt that when he wants to, he can play. Spurs should be an attractive proposition for Sissoko with their Champions League campaign and he would fit in the way Pochettino sets his teams up too.

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Blaise Matuidi

Pochettino likes to play two more defensively minded midfielders and so it would make sense to bring Matuidi in. The French international has bags of experience at the top level and would certainly bolster Spurs’ squad in that central area. A sticking point may be the potential fee to prise him from PSG but Spurs can’t risk to be left behind and have to take advantage of being in Europe’s premier competition, with all the financial benefit that gives them.

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Isco

Spurs could be the team that allow Isco to rejuvenate his career. The former Malaga man moved to Real Madrid with the expectation he’d be their and the Spanish national team’s next chief midfielder. This has not come to pass though and with the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the Spanish team’s midfield, he’ll struggle for minutes and Spurs could be the team to benefit from this.

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Axel Witsel

The Belgian midfielder kept Spurs man Mousa Dembele out of their national team’s side at Euro 2016 so he must have something about him. The Zenit man would have the physicality needed for the Premier League and would also increase Spurs’ competition for places ensuring they don’t rest on their laurels after what was a largely successful season last time out.

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Youri Tielemans

The Anderlecht man is young but that shouldn’t put Pochettino off. He’s more than likely going to eclipse Adrien Silva’s ability and the Spurs boss might think that it’ll be easier to work with him and turn him into the player he wants than the Portuguese. Tielemans will move to one of the biggest clubs in Europe sooner rather than later and Tottenham should try and make sure it’s them.

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Kevin Strootman

Tottenham need to show they are serious about not just competing in the Champions League but being a force whilst ensuring last season wasn’t just a one off and signing someone like Strootman would allow for this. The Roma midfielder controls the tempo of the game from his deep lying position, something Spurs currently don’t have in that area and this means he’d offer them another way of playing.

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Mahmoud Dahoud

The promising Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder has been linked with Liverpool rather persistently this Summer but no deal seems to be in the offing. Dahoud may even stay with his current club but if Spurs come calling with the added bonus of European football over their Premier League rivals it could just prove too good to turn down for the German.

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You already know about the Premier League’s surprise packages so far. Hull City, tipped so strongly for relegation, sitting top of the league after the first week. Middlesbrough, another promoted club, taking some of the limelight themselves with stunning team goals.Another surprise so far this season has been Watford’s form over the first few games.Last season – Watford’s first season back in the Premier League since their relegation in 2007 – they finished in a solid mid-table position and made it all the way to an FA Cup semi-final. It was a solid first season back in the Premier League, one to establish a foothold in the division, but that wasn’t a view shared by the club’s owners.They sacked their manager and put Walter Mazzarri in charge. Still speaking with a translator, his grasp of English is fairly basic, and his presentation to the fans in English made it seem as though he – and Watford – would struggle this season.

But we’re now four games into the new season, and FanDuel data seems to show a different story. Watford are a different prospect from last season, playing in a much different way. And in the new system, one man seems to have been reborn.

Etienne Capoue’s Tottenham Hotspur career started with injury early on, and then ended with a whimper. A move to Watford got him playing regular first team football again last season, but this season he has started with a bang. After only four games, Capoue has already accrued 134.75 FanDuel points, largely down to his contribution at both ends of the pitch – and, of course, his three goals in four games.

Capoue’s best scoring form came in 2012/13, whilst still playing for Toulouse in France. That season, he rose to prominence on a world scale after seven goals for Toulouse as well as his first caps for his country, even scoring in a World Cup qualifier. At the end of that season, he’d sign for Tottenham.

This season, though, he’s already scored three goals. At this rate, he’ll smash his record, though goalscoring clearly isn’t Capoue’s main asset.

The Frenchman is a defensive midfielder by trade, though at 6’2 and with a good ability to read the game, he has also been used as a defender on occasion. Goalscoring is something rather new to his game. In 36 appearances last season for Watford, he didn’t score once. That was left to Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. This season, he’s the Hornets’ top scorer so far.

His rebirth as an all-action midfielder are borne out in FanDuel stats. The game gives points for more than just scoring goals and keeping them out, and that suits a player like Capoue has become. We’ve seen so far this season that if he’s allowed to get forward, he can be a threat, but he also gets back to help out his defence.

Playing in a team like Watford, who will need to defend in numbers for a large chunk of the season, and often play on the counter attack, Capoue looks like the ideal man to put in your FanDuel team.

If you look at the breakdown of the points he has won so far, you see his contribution to the team. Three goals in four games are, of course, a major reason for his high points tally, but every single week so far, Capoue has scored points because of his passing accuracy (so far standing at 82% over the course of the four games), as well as tackling – routinely winning points for his contributions at both ends of the pitch as well as his ability on the ball.

The stats bear out an interesting rebirth of a player known more as a tough tackling midfield anchorman than as a box to box general.

In his first season at Toulouse, Capoue collected 17 yellow cards in all competitions. Last season at Watford, he collected seven over the course of the season. Such a high rate of yellow cards would lose him FanDuel points, but so far this season he’s clean: none so far.

Throughout the course of his career, Capoue has been a natural team player. He’s not afraid to put in a tackle when needed, capable of taking a yellow card – multiple, it seems – for the team. Five of his seven yellow cards last season came in the second half of games, as his defenders tired and gaps started to open up behind him.

Interestingly, though, he’s only been sent off twice, both times in his formative years at Toulouse. Never in England.

This season, it looks like Walter Mazzarri’s formation is allowing Capoue to play with that bit more freedom. With three central defenders behind him, his first thought doesn’t have to be helping his defence. And that’s resulted in three goals and an assist in four games.

Last season surely helped. After his nightmare at Tottenham, a move along the M25 to Watford allowed him to play regularly in the Premier League in a team that performed well for the most part. This season, he’s comfortable in the team, and his manager’s faith in him to lead the midfield has paid off so far.

His rebirth might be a surprise, but his quality on his best day has never been in doubt. It’s just looking like this season we might be seeing quite a few of his best days.

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According to reports from The Daily Mail, Manchester United have been scouting Genk’s teenage sensation Leon Bailey.

What’s the word?

The Mail claim United sent two representatives, including chief scout Jim Lawlor, to ‘check’ on the prodigious winger during Genk’s Europa League tie Sassuolo last Thursday. They watched the highly-rated 19-year-old bag the second in a 3-1 victory over the Italian outfit, whilst recording five shots on target, two created chances and one successful dribble in a Man of the Match – by Whoscored’s reckoning, anyway – performance.

Admittedly, not much is known of the Kingston-born Jamaican hot-shot, but ESPN have intriguingly corroborated the Mail’s claims, citing ‘sources close’ to the Premier League title hopefuls and further suggesting that Genk are braced for a bid when the transfer window opens in January – with United ready to ‘step up’ their interest.

However, Bailey’s agent simply drumming up interest by linking his client with major Premier League clubs following a stellar performance in a high-profile match (well, more high-profile than the Belgian top flight) remains a possibility.

Liam who?

You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about Liam Bailey – he’s hardly a household name. But The Daily Mail claim he turned down Chelsea and Ajax to sign for Genk in 2015 and in typical Jamaican style, describe him as possessing ‘electric pace’. Usain Bolt would still probably come out on top in a 100 metre sprint, though.

He’s also made it onto the 40-man shortlist for the 2016 Golden Boy award, whose previous winners include Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling, Anthony Martial and erm…. Mario Balotelli.

But it’s the addition of goals to the youngster’s game that has seemingly set the foundations of United’s interest. Last season, Bailey scored six times across all competitions and this year, he’s bagged five in just 10 appearances, including three strikes in the Europa League. That suggests he can produce the goods on big occasions, even if he’s still plagued by the inconsistency of youth.

Here’s a look at Bailey in action:

According to reports from Mirror Football, West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is considering a transfer swoop for Besiktas winger Kerim Frei.

He sounds familiar?

And with good reason. The dainty winger started his senior career with Fulham, after being poached from Grasshopper Zurich’s academy in 2010, and made his Premier League debut in December 2011. Frei showed some promise for the Cottagers and went on to make 23 top flight appearances whilst he was still a teenager.

But the winger never cemented himself in Fulham’s first team and eventually left for Beskitas in summer 2013, signed by none other than current West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.

So, what’s the word?

Frei enjoyed a solid 2014/15 season under Bilic, making 48 appearances across all competitions and scoring thrice in the Super Lig. He was part of the Besiktas squad that lifted the Turkish title last term, but has found himself marginalised by manager Senol Gunes this season – issued just three outings across all competitions.

And Mirror Football claim Frei’s limited game-time has caught Bilic’s attention. The Hammers boss wants to bolster his squad in January following a poor start to the season and the five-cap Turkey international could be available for just £3million.

Do West Ham need Frei?

In the modern market, signing a 22-year-old already capped at senior level for just £3million is admittedly a bit of a bargain. But if there’s one thing West Ham don’t need, it’s more attacking midfielders.

Despite it hardly being a problem position for the Hammers last season – especially with Dimitri Payet enjoying PFA Player of the Year nomination form – they surprisingly added Gokhan Tore, Andre Ayew and Sofiane Feghouli to their squad during the summer.

Admittedly, injuries have ruled out all three for extended periods this season but having conceded the second-most goals of any Premier League side after eight games, Bilic’s priority during the January transfer window will surely be sourcing defensive rather than attacking additions.

Here’s a look at Frei’s form during his last campaign under Bilic compared to the efforts of West Ham’s attacking options this season, courtesy of Squawka:

At the beginning of the season, I tipped Swansea City to be relegated. Despite being a somewhat established Premier League side, it was clear to me that problems were afoot.

Now, just eleven games into the season, the Swans find themselves already seven points adrift of safety and are only off the bottom of the table by virtue of one goal.

With no wins since the opening day of the season, Swansea are in real trouble. An early change of manager – Francesco Guidolin was replaced by Bob Bradley – has failed to produce a ‘new manager bounce’ and it is difficult to see where the next three points are coming from.

On paper, there appears to still be some quality in the squad. Gylfi Sigurdsson is their obvious talent and Fernando Llorente should be a useful option up front.

Yet it is the talent that has departed which is the real problem? Andre Ayew was a source of goals that are now at a premium, while he also linked up the play well with Sigurdsson, allowing the marauding midfielder to get into dangerous positions.

However, perhaps even more keenly felt is the loss of captain Ashley Williams. There are no other real leaders in the Swans’ defence and there is a real lack of organisation. You simply cannot hope to get by if you aren’t replacing those qualities.

The recent acquisitions just do not appear to be good enough, too. Llorente has had just three shots on target so far this season, while Borja Baston, was bought in from Atletico Madrid for £15m, has barely featured due to injuries and fitness. Alfie Mawson was a long term replacement for Williams, but expecting a 22-year-old to step into those shoes and perform to that standard is a ridiculous notion, and he has struggled in his few games so far.

The problems aren’t just on the pitch, however. It comes from the top. From being an extremely

From being an extremely well-run club under Huw Jenkins, it is no accident that the slump coincides with the new American ownership. For me, the appointment of Bradley is a huge mistake. Despite a wealth of experience in international football – mostly with the USA, but also Egypt – there is very little know-how elsewhere. His management career, spanning back to the early 1980s, has mostly been spent in the American leagues.

A year’s stint in Norway with Stabaek in 2014 was relatively successful, culminating in Europa League qualification, and that was followed up in 2015 in the French Ligue 2 with Le Havre with an eventual fourth place finish. But this is not preparation for a relegation dogfight in the toughest, quickest and most demanding league in the world. It is hard to look past the probability that Bradley has been chosen purely for his nationality for and fitting in with the new owners.

There is more than a touch of the Remi Garde about this. Aston Villa were in a similar position to Swansea. Having sold their best players, youngsters from the lower leagues or overseas were brought in as replacements. The final nail in the coffin was the appointment of Garde – a manager with no experience in England, or of being in relegation scraps. It couldn’t have gone any worse and despite being drafted in in October, the Frenchman had departed by the following April. By which point Villa had been effectively relegated.

There is a reason why the likes of Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis are sought after by clubs battling relegation. They know how to escape. They have been there and done it and know what it takes. Bradley is the exact opposite, and it has probably come as a shock to him just how huge his task is.

History has shown that if a struggling team has a striker who can still plunder 15 or so goals, then they’re likely to escape. Jermain Defoe and Christian Benteke are two recent examples of players whose strikes have kept their clubs up despite the rest of the team being abject. The only speck of light for Swansea is the prospect of Llorente or, more likely Baston, scoring goals. Right now, that seems highly unlikely.

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