West Ham United should not move for Everton left-back Leighton Baines if they decide to bolster that area of the pitch.

What’s the word?

So far this season, manager Manuel Pellegrini has used Arthur Masuaku at left-back for the majority of the season.

The 24-year-old has failed to impress, though, and when Aaron Cresswell was called upon during his teammate’s injury absence, he too struggled.

Up in Merseyside, Everton left-back Leighton Baines will become a free agent at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old has been at Goodison Park for the past 12 years following his move from Wigan Athletic and has amassed 408 appearances, 38 goals and 66 assists.

Should Baines be an option for the Hammers?

There is no doubt that the former England international has been a key figure at Everton during his lengthy stay at the club.

He has been a reliable left-back full of quality but at the age of 33, Baines no longer makes the impact that he once did.

Lucas Digne has now taken his place in the Everton first team, so it would make very little sense for West Ham to sign a player who is on the way out.

If Pellegrini wants the Hammers to improve then he needs to target either up-and-coming talents or established figures in the peak of their careers.

Baines no longer has the legs, and he is become injury prone over the years.

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Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to join the hunt for highly-rated Fenerbahce talent Eljif Elmas, according to Turkish-Football.

What’s the word?

Mauricio Pochettino did not sign a single player during the summer transfer window but that stance is set to change heading into the New Year, as Tottenham seek midfield additions ahead of Mousa Dembele’s departure at the end of the campaign.

A host of targets have already appeared in the tabloids and Turkish-Football throws a new name into the ring as they state Spurs have joined the list of clubs eyeing a swoop for Fenerbahce wonderkid Eljif Elmas, who has made 65 first-team appearances at the age of just 19.

Spurs, along with Sevilla and Manchester City, are said to have lodged enquiries for the services of the teenager who has been capped five times by Macedonia’s senior squad.

A good addition?

With Dembele set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, Spurs’ are in need of a midfielder capable of filling the void that the Belgium international will leave and 19-year-old Elmas is certainly a candidate to do exactly that – although the race for his services will be fierce.

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Fenerbahce are desperate not to lose Elmas in January but would consider a sale at the end of the season and that balances nicely with Spurs’ own plans in the market, as it will be then when Dembele leaves and a replacement is required. However, waiting that long could see them miss out.

Manchester City will be difficult to fend off due to their financial strength but Spurs should be able to offer more regular first-team opportunities compared to their Premier League rivals, which could prove to be a huge advantage in the quest to land Elmas’ signature.

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After their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, many would have had Stoke City down as one of their favourites to bounce straight back up at the first attempt. Unfortunately, the same could have been said for Sunderland at the start of the 2017/18 campaign but the Black Cats ended up finishing rock bottom of the Championship, and now it looks as though the Potters could be going the same way.

Despite rescuing a late 1-1 draw against high-flying Sheffield United on Tuesday, Stoke are currently 17th in the league and just five points off the bottom three – a worrying difference in a league that is as competitive as the Championship.

Although things clearly aren’t looking quite as bleak for the Potters as they were for Sunderland last year, there are certainly similarities to be drawn between the recent history of the two clubs.

Sunderland were last promoted to the Premier League in 2007 and spent 10 years in the top flight before their first of two straight relegations in 2017. Stoke were just one year behind the Black Cats though, promoted in 2008 and subsequently relegated earlier this year, but will they suffer the same fate a year later with relegation to League 1?

The first similarity between the clubs comes in the turnover of managers, proving that the hierarchy are more concerned with short term gains than implementing any kind of philosophy or plan for the future. After Mark Hughes was sacked by the Potters in January this year they have since had Paul Lambert and now Gary Rowett in the role, whereas Sunderland are on their third boss since dropping out of the Premier League.

The second similarity to be drawn is the clear evidence that the two clubs have made huge mistakes in the transfer market both just before and straight after their relegations from the Premier League, and Stoke fans will be hoping that theirs don’t turn out to be as costly as the errors at the Stadium of Light.

For example, big-money 2016 signings Papy Djilobodji and Didier Ndong were both finally sacked by the Wearside club at the start of this season having failed to return for pre-season training before their League 1 campaign.

Although Stoke’s problems haven’t quite been this dramatic, they do have big-name players who are either failing to perform or look like they don’t want to be in the second tier of English football.

25-year-old striker Saido Berahino, who signed for £12m in January 2017, has only netted three times in 43 appearances for the club and 34-year-old summer signing Ashley Williams looks like a poor choice of centre-back.

Compared to Swansea and West Brom, who were also relegated from the Premier League last season, Stoke’s use of their parachute payment has been decidedly average – spending £5m on James McClean should instantly make any club candidates for relegation.

After Sunderland finished at the bottom of the Championship last season, it was clear that a number of their senior players had an attitude problem with playing in the second tier. Stoke boss Rowett then will have to ensure that his players are switched on to the real danger of successive relegations.

Obviously, fortunes can change extremely quickly in the Football League and a couple of wins on the bounce would see Stoke pushing for the playoff places, but right now the club need to heed the warnings from Sunderland to ensure that the fall from grace at the Bet365 stadium is not as bad as the similarities  suggest.

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Loads of Leeds fans have been giving their verdict on Wednesday’s must-win clash against Ipswich, and a slight majority of fans think Samuel Saiz should drop to the bench.

Leeds welcome Ipswich to Elland Road on Wednesday night knowing a win would put them top of the pile.

Middlesbrough and Sheffield United both dropped points on Tuesday night, so three points for the Whites would be absolutely huge.

While it’s certainly not a crisis, the cracks have started to show in recent weeks, as Bielsa’s side have won just one of their last five Championship games.

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Injuries have played a major role in the Whites’ dip in form, but one man that has played practically every minute of action so far this season is Saiz.

The little Spaniard is one of the key cogs in Bielsa’s system, but has just looked a step off the pace in the last couple of matches.

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Whether he is tired, low on confidence, or just struggling to influence matches without the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe fully fit and firing, 51 per cent of fans think Bielsa should rest the 27 year-old tonight.

You can view the full poll results down below…

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Liverpool dropped two points in the Premier League title race at the weekend as they relinquished their lead against Arsenal.

James Milner put Jurgen Klopp’s side ahead in the 61st minute, but they were unable to hold on as Alexandre Lacazette nabbed an equaliser eight minutes from time.

Manchester City and Chelsea managed to win their respective matches, which resulted in Liverpool dropping to third in the Premier League table.

It could have been a very different outcome for the Reds had Sadio Mane’s first-half goal not been ruled offside.

The linesman flagged when the Senegal international, who cost the Merseyside outfit around £30m in 2016, tapped in after the ball rebounded off the post following Roberto Firmino’s attempt.

Replays showed that the official was wrong to declare Mane offside, but after the match, the attacker – valued at £63m by Transfermarkt – refused to place blame on the referees.

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He told the Liverpool Echo:

“I haven’t watched it back and to be honest I’m someone who is not really interested in this kind of thing. If you remember, when I scored a goal against West Ham earlier in the season I was offside and that goal counted.

“So if this time I was onside and it didn’t count then you just to deal with it and accept it. Officials are human beings and sometimes we all make mistakes.

Mane also spoke about his future amid reports that he is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract.

“I am more focused on the games, things like contracts I leave with my agent. I am happy and concentrating on giving my best for my team-mates, my manager and the fans.”

Plenty of Liverpool fans have been giving their reaction to the comments.

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Tottenham Hotspur kept their hopes of making the knockout round of the Champions League alive with a 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night.

Spurs fell behind in just the second minute of the contest, but Harry Kane scored twice in the final 12 minutes to secure all three points for the Premier League outfit.

In truth, it should have been more comfortable for the home side, but PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet was in fine form for the visitors.

Tottenham actually had Paulo Gazzaniga between the sticks, with first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris suspended following his red card in the clash with PSV in the Netherlands.

A selection of Tottenham fans were so impressed with what they saw from Zoet on Tuesday that they have called on their club to sign the 27-year-old as Lloris’ replacement.

Indeed, Lloris’ form has been dodgy at best in recent weeks, and it seems that the Spurs supporters have their eye on Zoet.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie has signed a new three-year deal that will keep him at Paradise until 2021.

The Scot has been in red-hot form for the Hoops in recent weeks – scoring three in his last five games and also setting up Odsonne Edouard for the winner in a sensational victory over RB Leipzig in the Europa League.

The former Inverness CT man follows Olivier Ntcham, who signed a four-year deal last week, in securing his future in Glasgow but, despite making the switch to Brendan Rodgers’ side in 2015, has only just broken through to the first team.

Injuries to captain Scott Brown and the aforementioned Ntcham saw the 23-year-old thrust into the limelight and he hasn’t shied away as he becomes a firm fan favourite.

Celtic face Hamilton after the international break before a trip to Rosenborg in the Europa League and Christie will be hoping to build on his performances so far.

Here’s how the Bhoys and Ghirls reacted to the new deal on Twitter.

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Despite all the talk about not having signed any new players in the summer, Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed their best start to a Premier League season.

There is no doubt that things could have been better for Mauricio Pochettino’s side so far, however, things have not been all bad.

Spurs have been hit with a number of injuries this year, which have made their lack of transfer activity a focal point, but one man appears to have made the most of the opportunities that have presented themselves.

Moussa Sissoko signed from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 in a deal thought to be worth around £31.5million.

It is fair to say the France international winger has had his critics since being in north London, with many of his own supporters frustrated with the performances he displays for them.

The 29-year-old has bore the brunt of criticism on social media over the past couple of seasons, with many also questioning what Pochettino has seen in the player.

However, the Argentine’s genius appears to have come out and opinions are quickly changing over the man that has started to become a rising star for Tottenham.

Rated at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, Sissoko has started to perform to a better standard and has put in a number of impressive performances recently for Spurs.

Although the immediate stats do not make for great reading, for example, one goal in the ten matches he has appeared in with one assist, his work on the pitch has not gone unnoticed.

Fans that have taken to social media in the past to slam him are now starting to praise him, and they are delighted to see the man that had been performing well for Newcastle and France before they signed him.

Sissoko has started the last five matches in the Premier League for Pochettino, playing almost every available minute, and if he continues to perform as well as he has been, he will likely become an important player for them throughout the season.

Tottenham fans – thoughts?

Liverpool’s last few transfer windows have been massive for the club, with excellent signings made by manager Jurgen Klopp.

The likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Naby Keita have got the Reds looking like genunine contenders in the Premier League this season, and it would be no surprise to see Liverpool push Man City all the way in the race for the biggest prize in England.

However, it will be interesting to see how the club take to the upcoming January transfer window, and if Liverpool choose to add more talent to their squad, it could spell big trouble for plenty of other teams in the top flight.

With that in mind though, we think a few signings might well happen, and we’ve identified TWO players from La Liga who would be superb additions for the Reds…

Ousmane Dembele

The former Dortmund man has struggled for form since making the move to Barcelona, and he might well be a player who is open to a January move.

With Mo Salah and Sadio Mane the main men down the wings for the Reds, adding another option in the form of someone like Dembele could prove to be an excellent piece of business.

Lucas Vasquez

Another wide forward who is in and out of his team’s XI is Real Madrid man Vasquez.

The Spaniard is capable on his day of being excellent, although at times he has looked out of place in and amongst the stars of the Bernabeu.

He could well relish a move to Anfield, where he would no doubt be able to have a big impression.

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Everton have been linked with three top quality central midfielders this week, but which one would be the best signing for the Toffees?

According to The Mirror, Marco Silva is still a huge fan of Abdoulaye Doucoure, and he wants to bring the towering Frenchman to Goodison next year.

Doucoure developed into one of the Premier League’s finest midfielders under Silva, though the Hornets won’t be too happy about selling to Everton after the dispute over Silva’s departure.

The report claims the Toffees also have an interest in Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, who will be a free agent come the end of the season.

The Welsh international has scored the winning goal in two FA Cup finals for the Gunners, but is expected to leave North London for free next summer.

Finally, fans are desperate to sign Andre Gomes to a permanent deal, as the Portuguese international has been superb since arriving on loan from Barcelona.

But which one would be the best fit for the Toffees in the long run? Doucoure is the most well-rounded, grabbing with four assists this season while also averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.5 aerial wins per game.

Fans like what they have seen from Gomes, but the Watford star’s unique combination of athleticism, physicality, technique and vision is perfect for Silva’s midfield.

So, Everton fans, which target would you rather sign? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…