West Ham United have enjoyed a brilliant summer in the transfer market so far as Manuel Pellegrini makes his mark on the east London club, and they are close to having the perfect window.

The Chilean boss has strengthen between the sticks with the addition of Lukasz Fabianski, in defence with Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Ryan Fredericks joining, while they have boosted their attack with Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko signing in big-money deals.

However, despite the arrival of Jack Wilshere on a free, Pellegrini may feel that he needs another option in the middle of the park with the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble not having the best 2017/18 campaigns.

One option that starred for his country at the World Cup could be TK Quanjian midfielder Axel Witsel, rated at £18m by Transfermarkt, who was a key player for Belgium as they secured a third-place finish in Russia.

The 29-year-old often played a defensive role in the centre for Roberto Martinez’s men, and he showed how good he can be by making 11 interceptions, six interceptions and nine blocks in his six appearances, while he impressed on the ball with an impressive passing accuracy of 94% and having completed all six of the dribbles he attempted, as per WhoScored.com.

If Pellegrini, who has been urged to avoid signing an attacker from the club’s London rivals by Irons fans, could bring Witsel back to Europe to boost his team there is no doubt that it would complete the perfect summer for the club in what has been an exciting few months, and he could help them achieve the top seven finish they will surely be aiming for in the upcoming season.

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According to Talk Sport, reporting via Sport Italia, new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is keen to bring Gonzalo Higuain to the club as soon as possible.

Sarri has previously worked with the Argentine during his time with Napoli, and now appears to want a reunion with the 30-year-old.

Despite already having Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud, Michy Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham on the books at Stamford Bridge, the new manager seems keen to bolster his striker options further. Any new arrival could of course also mean the imminent exit of a current Chelsea forward.

After a tricky first season in England, the recruitment of Higuain could well mean a premature end to Morata’s time with the Blues.

Even if Sarri does consider an up front upgrade necessary this summer, Gonzalo Higuain is not the kind of striker he should be looking to bring in.

The Breakdown

Karim Benzema, of Real Madrid, possesses the kind of attributes that make him better suited to leading the line for Chelsea than Higuain is.

In combining the physicality, creativity and hold up play of Giroud, with the movement and finishing ability of a Higuain or Morata type, Benzema would be a perfect fit in Sarri’s side. The high quality of the Real Madrid man’s all round game would make the entirety of Chelsea’s attacking force an altogether more cohesive unit.

The Frenchman’s role at Real Madrid, where he has often existed solely to serve Cristiano Ronaldo, belies his own individual brilliance as a centre-forward. However, last season’s return of 5 goals in La Liga signalled a real drop off in form, despite the fact that the 30-year-old still provided 11 assists.

Now, after 9 seasons with Los Blancos, a change of scene could be what’s needed for the 4-time Champions League winner to get back to his prolific best.

Chelsea would be wise to offer Benzema this fresh start, as he has the ability to fire them back into title contention.

According to Le Parisien, PSG are pursuing the signature of Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante this summer.

N’Golo Kante has been a revelation in the Premier League since his arrival at Leicester City in 2015. During the period since his signing for the Foxes, few could argue that the Frenchman hasn’t been the finest defensive midfielder in England.

Kante’s excellence was on show once again this summer, as he was at the heart of the France team that won the World Cup in Russia.

Rather than seeking to replace the 27-year-old, Chelsea’s intention will to be avoid his departure at all costs. However, new Blues boss Maurizio Sarri will know it is not always possible to hang onto players during transfer windows.

If PSG’s interest is genuine, and Kante is swayed by the thought of a return to his hometown, then his exit from Stamford Bridge may be inevitable.

In that case, Sarri will be on the lookout for a replacement signing capable of filling Kante’s boots.

The Breakdown

Andre Zambo Anguissa, currently plying his trade for Marseille, could be the perfect man to take up Kante’s mantle at Stamford Bridge.

Like the Frenchman, Anguissa excels in breaking up opposition attacks and then quickly and effectively redistributing the ball to his more offensively minded teammates. 

The 22-year-old is also a great reader of the game, and employs this ability to maintain the correct defensive position and make vital interceptions. The Cameroon international has great timing in the tackle, and is able to use his 6-foot frame to fend off challenges and win aerial duels.

The loss of Kante for Chelsea will mean the Blues’ entire midfield unit has to become more defensively alert, and willing to pull together to ward off attacks. The arrival of a new defensive midfielder would absolutely be necessary too though, and Anguissa, after two ever-present campaigns in Ligue 1, is now ready to make the step up.

Transfermarkt value Anguissa at £16.2 million, and considering Transfermarkt deem Kante to be worth £72 million, the sale of the Frenchman would raise more than enough funds for the acquisition of the Marseille man.

Signing Anguissa would be a gamble for Sarri, but it could turn out to be transfer masterstroke down the line.

Loads of Newcastle fans have been giving their verdict on the latest transfer news, as reports suggest midfielder Thiago Maia is nearing a move to Tyneside.According to French reporter Alexis Bernard, Newcastle are close to a deal for Lille midfielder Maia.The Brazilian midfield maestro was linked with as switch to Tyneside earlier in the summer, and Bernard seems pretty confident a deal will happen, even saying “see you soon†about the deal when a Newcastle fan questioned it.The deal would be a one-year loan with an option to buy, which could be Rafael Benitez’s genius way of getting Mike Ashley to bring in the players he wants.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273047″ player=”12034″ title=”Power Ranking the 1819 Premier League kits”]The Chronicle have claimed the Magpies have no interest in the player, but the English media seems to have fallen far behind local sources when it comes to transfers this summer, and they knew nothing of the deals for Ki Sung-yeung and Yoshinori Muto until the last second, so this one could be on as well.Maia had a tremendous season for Lille, and at just 21 still has loads of time to develop under a top class manager like Rafael Benitez.The Brazilian is an expert at reading the game and breaking up attacks, and is one of the most technically gifted defensive midfielders you will find, so he and Jonjo Shelvey could create loads of chances from deep.Lots of fans have been having their say on this one, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has rejected a £20million move to Inter Milan according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

Dembele has been one of the stars for Spurs since joining from Fulham in 2012 and has gone on to make 171 league appearances for the club.

The Belgian international is due to enter the final year of his contract and a number of clubs have shown interest in the box-to-box midfielder, including Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan.

However, according to the latest report, he has rejected an offer to join Inter Milan because he wants to stay at Tottenham this season.

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Huge boost

Tottenham haven’t enjoyed the best of transfer windows and are still yet to bring anyone in this summer.

However, the news that Dembele wants to stay at Spurs will be a massive boost to Mauricio Pochettino, as he has consistently been one of their most important players over the past few years.

It could well be the most important piece of business Tottenham do this summer as he would have been a very difficult man for Daniel Levy to replace.

Burnley have been extremely active during the final week of the transfer window.

After winning their first European tie in over 51 years, Sean Dyche has significantly strengthened his squad after a quiet couple of months in the window. Burnley defeated Aberdeen to set up a tie against Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir. Since then, the Clarets have signed Joe Hart and Ben Gibson. Their latest signing could be their best yet.

Eager to bolster his forward line, Dyche completed a £11m deal for Derby County striker – Matej Vydra. The striker was believed to be close to a move to Leeds United earlier in the window but rejected a move in hopes of moving to the Premier League. He signed a three-year deal with the option of a fourth at Turf Moor.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, Vydra could turn out to be an excellent piece of business by the Clarets.

The 26-year-old was in excellent form last season for the Rams. He scored 21 goals in the Championship, finishing as the top scorer in the division. Vydra also notched four assists for his team-mates.

The Czech Republic international would add some much-needed firepower to the Burnley attack as they look to juggle European and domestic competitions. Vydra is a natural goal scorer and has the killer instinct needed to be a success in the Premier League.

For £11m, Burnley have picked up one of the deals of the summer.

Burnley fans, will Matej Vydra be a good signing for the Clarets? Let us know!

After the news broke last week that Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin had sustained a bad knee injury in his side’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the season opener, manager Rafa Benítez said he planned to deploy new signing Federico Fernandez as a replacement. 

Benítez’s rationale was that it would provide some defensive stability to his side, particularly giving The Magpies some aerial dominance. But this is a worrying way to look at it from Benítez, and the Spaniard has more positive options to chose from, especially in light of who they face this weekend.

Newcastle will be relieved after the news that Yeldin’s injury is not as bad as it first seemed, but they still have a job to do before he returns, and Javier Manquillo is the man to do that.

Manquillo (valued at £4.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) is a fairly uninspired alternative to Yedlin, but is still the best fit. The 24-year-old isn’t the most attacking player, but will still bring more to the table than Fernandez. The former Liverpool man played 21 times for Newcastle in the Premier League last season so is certainly up to scratch.

The fact that Newcastle lack a like-for-like replacement for Yedlin exposes their poor summer spending. But Manquillo is certainly a solid deputy. Salomón Rondón is in line for a potential start on Saturday, and the big Venezuelan will want as much delivery into box from wide as possible. Although Manquillo will not be able to provide that as well and as consistently as Yedlin, he will certainly do a better job than Fernandez.

The message that Benítez will send to the rest of the league if he fields Fernandez at fullback is also not desired. Replacing Yedlin with a centre back would show that the Newcastle boss lacks faith in his defenders by creating a makeshift defensive line. Displaying a lack of belief in your team will fill any opposition with confidence.

Newcastle travel to newly promoted Cardiff this Saturday, in a game they will hope to win. Turn up with a team that is too defensive and they may not get the result they wished for.

Benítez will miss his American speedster, but has nothing to worry about.

According to a recent report from El Desmarque, Lucas Moura has been linked with a move away from Tottenham this summer. The winger only made the move to North London back in January of this year after five years at French giants Paris Saint-Germain, yet he only mustered 11 appearances for Spurs in the second half of last season. 

And reports suggest that La Liga outfit Real Betis are interested in the £25.2 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) this summer, yet there is little doubt that Pochettino and the club’s hierarchy would be absolutely crazy to let him go before the August 31 deadline were an offer to come in for him.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things didn’t quite go to plan for the Brazil international last season in featuring just 11 times for Tottenham, yet it is worth noting that he still managed a goal and four assists in those matches as he began to slowly but surely adapt to the English game.

Significantly though, he showed glimpses throughout his time on the pitch for Pochettino’s side that he could be a huge asset to them going forward this term, with the 26-year-old willing to take defenders on and use his pace to get in behind defences and dig out a cross.

Arguably, there isn’t anyone quite like that in the Spurs squad at present in terms of running direct at players with pace to burn, and his gradual adaptation to the club was none-more-so evident than in pre-season, with the Brazilian one of the club’s brightest and most impressive players in the build up the 2018/19 season.

And having signed the winger for £25 million just eight months ago, Spurs are unlikely to want to already part with the 26-year-old – he hasn’t really had much of a chance to prove his worth to the club.

Yes, Moura wasn’t quite at his best in starting their 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, yet his efforts in pre-season, alongside the fact that Tottenham look set to be without Son Heung-min for a few weeks, suggests that he could play a big part in their success this term.

Thus, despite reported interest from Real Betis, Spurs would be crazy to sanction the Brazilian’s departure this month.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Everton have set a £28m price tag on Ademola Lookman amid continued interest from RB Leipzig, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

Throughout the summer, Lookman has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga outfit having impressed while on loan at Leipzig last season.

The 20-year-old scored five goals and created four assists in 11 league matches during the second half of the campaign in Germany.

According to Sky Sports, Everton turned down an offer a few days ago of around £22m as the club are keen on a figure of £28m plus add-ons.

Lookman moved to Goodison Park from Charlton Athletic in 2017, but he is yet to establish himself as a regular in the team.

Is the valuation too low?

Logically, for a 20-year-old footballer, a price tag of £28m would be very high, but it has to be looked at differently in this current market.

Elite stars are being sold in the region of £80m to £100m nowadays, so a talent of Lookman’s quality should be commanding a higher fee.

The winger is still young, but he more than held his own in the Bundesliga, proving that he can cut it at the top level.

Given that Lookman still has many years left to develop, he will only improve his game, which will increase his worth in the process.

Everton need to be careful as they could lose out financially.

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Unai Emery finally picked up his first win as Arsenal manager against West Ham at the weekend.

The Gunners lost their opening two fixtures of the Premier League campaign against Chelsea and Manchester City, but Emery earned praise for implementing his style of play to the Arsenal squad. He finally picked up his first win in England at the expense of the Hammers. The Spaniard will be hoping for another positive result against struggling Cardiff City on Sunday.

Emery spent over £70m on new players this summer but is still yet to introduce many of his new arrivals to the first-team. Lucas Torreira is expected to start in midfield once settled into life in England and could feature alongside Matteo Guendouzi who has impressed since leaving Lorient. Despite his signings, Arsenal failed to add a quality winger to their squad in the window.

One man Emery should target to address their problem is Paris St Germain forward – Angel Di Maria. Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the Argentina international is no stranger to England following a failed spell with Manchester United back in 2014. He was sold to PSG after just one season with the Red Devils.

Di Maria was a key player during Emery’s tenure at the French club, making 32 appearances in Ligue 1, scoring 11 and assisting six as PSG were crowned champions. The 30-year-old has made an excellent start to the new campaign under Thomas Tuchel, starting three games and picking up three assists. Despite his form, his contract is due to expire next summer, and no talks have begun over new terms.

He might not have been a success at Old Trafford, but Di Maria could thrive under Emery’s guidance at the Emirates. The former Real Madrid man can operate centrally or on the wing which makes him a useful option for the Spaniard to have. Averaging 1.7 key passes per game last season (WhoScored), his arrival could mean even more goals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Arsenal attack.

The Gunners would be wise to give Di Maria a second chance in the Premier League.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?