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According to talkSPORT, Leeds United are interested in signing Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Heaton was the Clarets’ undisputed No. 1 up until a severe injury forced him out of action early in the 2017/18 campaign. In his absence, Nick Pope cemented the first-team role at Turf Moor as his own and even took Heaton’s place in the England international set-up.

Although the 32-year-old is once again fit, he currently finds himself behind the injured Pope and summer signing Joe Hart in the pecking order at Burnley. The shot-stopper must get back to playing regularly if he is to ever return to the form he showed prior to his injury.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Playmaker FC…

A January move is a must for Heaton and Leeds should not be the only Championship club interested in securing the 6’2” man’s services. Aston Villa would also be wise to enter the race for Heaton.

Pushing for the No. 1 spot

According to the Birmingham Mail, the Villans are currently considering recalling Jed Steer from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic to provide competition for Orjan Nyland. However, Steer’s development would be better served by remaining with the Addicks until the end of the season.

If Dean Smith is serious about mounting a promotion push this season, then he ought to add a more experienced and proven option to his goalkeeping ranks. Heaton would certainly push Nyland for the No. 1 spot.

What do you think, Villa fans, would you be happy to see Heaton arrive at Villa Park in January?

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West Ham United have confirmed that striker Marko Arnautovic is fit to play against Newcastle on Saturday, after the 29-year-old was forced off at home to Manchester City.

What’s the word?

Arnautovic faced a late fitness test to travel to Newcastle, after the striker limped off in the Irons heavy 4-0 defeat to the Premier League leaders.

The Austrian is the Hammers’ top goalscorer so far this season with five goals in 11 league outings, edging summer signing Felipe Anderson by one.

Pellegrini has been forced to rely heavily on the 6 foot 4 forward, with injuries befalling Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll, and the Mexican struggling to score since his return.

Carroll is, however, in line for his first appearance under the Chilean against his former side. Surgery to his ankle has kept the Newcastle product out of action since before David Moyes departed in the summer.

Jack Wilshere is another member of West Ham’s squad in line to feature in some capacity at St James’ Park after he, too, passed a fitness test on his ankle injury. Pellegrini, though, suggests he is a step behind Carroll in terms of fitness.

Check out the video below to see Playmaker FC’s American Soccer Fan give his take on all six ‘field goals’ in West Ham v Burnley…

Saving grace for Pellegrini

Had Arnautovic’s injury ruled the striker out of action against Newcastle, Pellegrini would have faced a selection headache.

Carroll may be ahead of Wilshere regarding fitness, but he is not yet ready to play a full 90 minutes in the league. Hernandez, meanwhile, has proven himself not to be the striker West Ham thought they were signing in 2017.

The 105-cap Mexico international cannot function as the lead man in the way Arnautovic does, and nor can he shape their attacks, relying on the players around him to feed off.

As for Carroll, fitness concerns aside, the 29-year-old has been in dire form for years. Never has he in his time at West Ham scored more than ten goals in a season, and has only at best averaged a goal every two-and-a-half games.

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Loads of Manchester United fans have been reacting to their comfortable win over Fulham, and they think the performance could be really bad news for Paul Pogba.

Manchester United swept Fulham aside at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, blitzing Claudio Ranieri’s side with a wonderful first half display.

Ashley Young put the Red Devils in front nice and early with an absolute thunderbolt from the left side of the box, before Marcus Rashford set up Juan Mata for the second.

Paul Pogba and Man Utd seem to be after Harry Redknapp’s ‘King of the Jungle’ crown! Check out the video below…

Mata turned provider to give Romelu Lukaku a tap-in just before half time, before Rahsford and Fulham’s Aboubakar Kamara both found the net in the second half.

The 4-1 win was probably the best performance Old Trafford has seen this season, and it came in the absence of Pogba.

The World Cup winner has immense talent, but his dithering on the ball and wasteful passing has cost the team at times this season, and fans suspect he will now that they are playing better without him.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Liverpool and Everton remain two of the games biggest rivals, and it was on perfect display last weekend when the Reds ran out winners following a late horror show from Jordan Pickford.

That win, coupled with today’s 3-1 win over Man United, has put Liverpool in the driving seat in terms of the Premier League title race, and the Reds are edging ever closer to landing that elusive first title.

For Everton, more is needed if they are to really compete in the upper echelons of the division, and we at the Tavern think a new striker needs to be firmly on the agenda for Marco Silva as we head into the January window.

Indeed, speaking of Liverpool, one man we think could be the main man at Goodison Park is current Liverpool striker Divock Origi.

The Belgian, valued at just £10m by Transfermarkt, scored the winner at Anfield just the other weekend, but deep down he knows that game time is going to be hard to come by under Jurgen Klopp.

Origi is a talent though, and his pace, strength, and finishing ability means he can be a good signing for the Toffees if he is given the chance to lead a strike force on a regular basis.

It would be a big and bold move for the Toffees if they did make a move for Origi, but he could well prove to be a shrewd signing if he does indeed get a move across Merseyside.

Liverpool and Everton fans, what do you think? Would Origi be a good signing for Everton? Let us know in the comments!

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Despite slumping miserably to defeat against Red Bull Salzburg at Celtic Park on Thursday night, Celtic still secured passage from Group B into the knockout rounds of the Europa League thanks to a late Rosenborg strike in their game against RB Leipzig.

However, the Bhoys’ boss Brendan Rodgers will still be desperately disappointed and concerned by the poor performance his side produced on their own turf. Had events elsewhere not unfolded so fortunately in their favour, Celtic’s dire display would have meant the end of their European involvement this season.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

One player who particularly struggled to shine for the Hoops was Scott Sinclair. The former Manchester City forward has not been in great form so far this season and his woes continued in midweek against the Austrian opposition.

After a poor first half, Rodgers hauled the 29-year-old off during the break, replacing him with veteran midfielder Scott Brown.

Plenty of Celtic fans then took to Twitter to criticise Sinclair for his dreadful showing…

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According to The Sun, Roma are looking for a long-term replacement for Aleksandar Kolarov and have identified Crystal Palace’s Patrick van Aanholt as one of their primary targets when the transfer window opens in January – the Selhurst Park outfit should consider accepting, but only if it means Edin Dzeko may come the other way.

What’s the word?

Well, The Sun reports that the Champions League Group G runners-up are keen to replace former Manchester City man Kolarov as he enters the twilight of his career and that Palace could soon receive a £25m bid for Van Aanholt’s services.

The 28-year-old has improved hugely since a £9m move from Sunderland in January 2017 and has established himself as a key player in the Palace squad while also getting onto Juventus’ radar, meaning that Roma may have to battle with other European giants for the Dutch international’s signature.

Palace’s ability to keep the ball out of the net has become key to their relative ‘success’ in the Premier League as they struggle to put it in at the other end of the pitch, so perhaps accepting Roma’s bid for Van Aanholt would be wise if doing so would enable them to sign Dzeko – the Bosnian would add some much-needed teeth to the Eagles attack and he has admitted he would love a return to England.

A second chance at the Prem

The 32-year-old scored his way to his status as one of the Premier League’s best super-subs in his days at the Etihad but, after Pep Guardiola took the helm, was deemed surplus to requirements.

At 6-foot-4, the striker is a force to be reckoned with – indeed, WhoScored lists his aerial duels as ‘very strong’ and his finishing as ‘strong’, the latter of which is crucial for Palace as they have scored only 14 goals this season.

The hitman has been on fire for Roma in the Champions League, in particular, as he has scored five goals and teed up a further two in just four games – if there is any chance that Palace can scoop the striker in January, then they should take it, even at the cost of one of their most consistent performers as they have ample cover at left-back.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video above to find out what we’re talking above…

Unai Emery could be set for a busy January transfer window on both fronts.

Arsenal have had a slight dip in form of late, losing the last two fixtures after going 22-games unbeaten under Unai Emery.

However, in a way it is a blessing in disguise as the losses with have allowed Emery to identify their true weaknesses are and how his players react to losing two games on the bounce prior to the January transfer window.

With that being said, Emery has no choice but to send this Arsenal DUO packing in January…

Petr Cech

Petr Cech has been a remarkable goalkeeper and has had a very successful spell in English football since his arrival at Chelsea in 2004, however, it just does not seem like he is cut out to play in this Arsenal side.

Cech began the season as first-choice and Emery’s preference to play out from the back meant Cech was quickly identified as a weakness by the opposition when in possession.

Summer signing Bernd Leno then took over as number one when Cech got injured and although he his decision making has been questionable at times, he allows Emery’s side to play out from the back in a possession-based style.

With reports of Keylor Navas linked to Arsenal in a €14m deal, he would combine all the attributes of a fantastic goalkeeper. That would make it likely that Cech would look elsewhere for first-team football as the route back to number one in an Arsenal shirt would seem almost impossible.

Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil was left out of the squad for the North London derby in the EFL Cup, sparking talks that there had been a bust-up between Emery and the player.

The Mirror reported that Arsenal could listen to offers for their German maestro, as if he is not in favour with the manager, it makes sense to offload their highest paid-player.

Ozil fails to fit into the 3-4-3 system Emery has used in the League of late, even in their usual 4-2-3-1 system, he was not excelling so Emery must see the potential outgoing as a way to reinvest into the club for a player he favours more so.

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As reported by various sources, including The Telegraph, West Ham have rejected a £35million bid for Marko Arnautovic from an unnamed Chinese club.

Football FanCast has learned through exclusive sources that the bid was considered derisory by the Irons, who paid the same amount to sign Felipe Anderson last summer and would expect at least double the current offered fee if they were to agree a transfer.

What’s the word?

FFC has confirmed that the bid is genuine, though the interested party has not been named, however the club had no intention of accepting the offer.

Indeed, the Irons signed Felipe Anderson for £36m in the summer, with one source at the club describing that deal as a “risk”.

As such, there is a belief that the offer for Arnautovic was derisory, particularly in the current transfer market climate.

The club would expect at least double what was offered if they were to consider a sale, though they remain reticent to allow the player to leave in January at all.

Of course, Bayern Munich have, per Sky Sports, made a bid worth £35m for Chelsea teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has made just one Premier League appearance.

Arnautovic cost the Hammers £20m in 2017, with the deal having the potential to rise to £25m based on performance-related bonuses.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a prolific season at the London Stadium thus far this season, scoring eight goals and providing two assists.

Anderson deal the precedent

Manuel Pellegrini, who moved to West Ham from the Chinese Super League after two years with Hebei China Fortune, sanctioned the move for Anderson in the summer.

Viewed as something of a wildcard signing, the club have invested a massive amount in the Brazilian.

FFC understands that, on top of a £36m transfer fee, the Irons also added up to £5m in bonuses and £4.5m on agent fees, taking the total to almost £46m.

Add in his £100,000-per-week wages – which are also incentivised and could rise to £140,000 – and the commitment the Hammers have made comes to around £75m.

Check out the video below to see Pl>ymaker FC’s American Soccer Fan give his take on all six ‘field goals’ in West Ham v Burnley…

It is thus unsurprising that there is little desire to send Arnautovic packing among those in the corridors at the London Stadium.

Of course, the wages on offer in China may well see the Austria international’s head turned, but there will have to be a significantly higher bid tabled if a club wishes to negotiate terms.

Arnautovic recently recovered from a hamstring injury, and will next be in action against Arsenal this weekend.

Southampton breathed some life into their season with a win over Leicester City this weekend.

The Saints had been struggling in the main this term, but the appointment of a new manager appears to have worked a treat thus far, and the fans at St Mary’s will be growing in confidence that they can indeed avoid dropping into the second tier again.

However, we here at the Tavern feel that the club need to be signing some new players in the January window to ensure they do indeed stay up, and we feel looking into the Championship might be the ideal place for the Saints to find some talent.

And one man we feel the club could look to bring in is United forward Kemar Roofe, who despite banging in the goals for the Whites, has yet to determine his future at Elland Road.

Roofe has been a man transformed under Marcelo Bielsa and has been in fine form, including a run of goals over Christmas which snatched last minute points for his team to aid their promotion hunt.

There is however a doubt over his future with no new contract agreed as yet, and this could well offer a club like Southampton the chance to make their move.

The Saints will need goals and willingness to stay up, and Roofe offers both those traits in abundance.

Southampton fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

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After Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner parted ways with the club on Monday, there are surely a host of clubs looking at taking on the German who served as Jurgen Klopp’s assistant in his Dortmund days.

The 47-year-old found success in the Championship playing exhilarating, fast-paced football, but a lack of quality on the pitch this season has seen the Terriers slump to the foot of the table with just 11 points taken from 22 games – it will surely require divine intervention for the Yorkshire outfit to evade the drop now and whoever comes in will have a mammoth task on their hands.

Meanwhile, one team who it isn’t too late for is Palace – the Croydon outfit currently find themselves 14th in the standings but, particularly after a disappointing loss at home to Watford last weekend, will be hoping they can improve on their first half of the season.

Despite pulling off a miraculous escape last year after Frank de Boer’s failed attempt at changing the Eagles’ DNA, Roy Hodgson’s football is starting to become a bit stale and Steve Parish is often quick to hit the eject button – de Boer had just four Prem games before being given the boot.

It’s pretty safe to say that Wagner hasn’t been given a fair shot at the Prem given the comparative quality of his team – could he help a Palace side who are treading water and have better attacking options than he had at the John Smith’s Stadium climb up the table?

Here at Football Fanciest we think that the eccentric manager could get the Eagles scoring, with his direct approach getting the best out of the likes of Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha – but what do you think, Palace fans? Who would you prefer in the Selhurst Park dugout? Let us know by voting in the poll below…