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West Ham are braced for a second bid from China for Marko Arnautovic, per The Times.

The Hammers rejected an offer from Shanghai SIPG last week, but the Chinese Super League club are determined to sign the striker.

What’s the word?

The Hammers rejected a bid worth £35million for the Austria international last week, with the Irons resolving to keep one of their prized assets at the club.

His brother, who also acts as his agent, subsequently issued a statement calling on the club to allow his sibling to leave for China, with Shanghai SIPG keen to extricate the Austrian from the London Stadium.

The Times now report that a second bid is in the pipeline, worth £45m, for Arnautovic.

There is a belief amongst players at the club, according to the report, that Arnautovic is desperate to leave.

Indeed, he waved at supporters following his substitution in the 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday, with many pundits claiming that he was saying his goodbyes.

As quoted in the aforementioned report, Michail Antonio spoke on Goals on Sunday on Sky Sports, claiming that “everyone knows Marko wants to go”, with players seemingly resigned to losing a player who has scored eight goals in all competitions thus far this season.

Understandable desire to go

Arnautovic should take the money and run.

Of course, West Ham want to receive the best price possible for a player who cost them £20m in 2017, but there is a clear reason for Arnautovic wanting to move on, and his wish should be respected.

At the age of 29, he is approaching the end of his top-level career and a move to China would see him potentially earn £300,000-per-week, according to the Daily Mail.

Despite previously being linked with the likes of Manchester United, Arnautovic does not quite have the required talent to step up to the level of the Old Trafford, despite occasionally being a match-winner for the Irons.

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…

He appears to have played his cards perfectly; his team-mates are aware that he is nearing the exit door, and a move now seems something of an inevitability.

One thing that cannot be argued against, though, is that it will be Arnautovic who ends up with the best end of the deal.

While he heads to China on a wage worth £15.6m-per-year, the Irons will be left scrambling for a replacement. Ultimately, though, that isn’t the Austrian’s fault at all.

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According to Spanish media outlet Faro de Vigo, Southampton centre-back Wesley Hoedt is reportedly closing in on a move to La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo, in a deal which is reported to be an initial loan with the option of a permanent exit in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Faro de Vigo report that the Spanish club have moved for the Saints outcast after failing with an attempt to sign Crystal Palace’s Jairo Riedewald.

Hoedt made 13 Premier League appearances for the south coast outfit this season prior to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s arrival at St Mary’s last month, but he hasn’t played a single minute or been involved in their previous eight matchday squads in all competitions under the Austrian.

What will his exit mean?

Firstly, Southampton will be glad to be rid of another player with a high price tag that simply hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The 24-year-old probably would have been hoping to star for Saints and then move onto bigger things like many other players have in the past, but instead he has been hugely error-prone and shown a real lack of defensive nous.

The fact that he has been completely cast aside by Hasenhuttl could suggest that his attitude hasn’t been great on the training pitch either, and if the club can give him a chance to impress for another side to help them earn some of their money back on him at the end of the campaign, then this deal is undoubtedly a no-brainer.

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Tottenham are really struggling to find the solutions to their squad issues at the moment as they want their side to remain tough to beat in the big up and coming games.

Mauricio Pochettino can do nothing to affect his team in the transfer market with Daniel Levy seemingly unwilling to spend and that leaves Spurs in a real predicament, with the list of players unavailable quickly adding up.

With Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and others all out for Tottenham, it leaves a number of fringe players on alert as they could get given the chance to go out and shine.

But Tottenham’s squad is so stretch that there are few options left to pick from, unless Pochettino considers recalling Josh Onomah from his loan deal at Sheffield Wednesday.

It would certainly be a risky move but Onomah, (who is valued at £2.7 million on Transfermarkt) is a player who has proven his quality and this could be a massive chance to get himself back in contention under the Argentine boss.

Onomah is currently back at Tottenham, having returned to the Premier League side to receive treatment for a hamstring injury he sustained whilst playing for Sheffield Wednesday.

The young Englishman hasn’t quite lived up to expectation at Hillsborough, although he has only made 11 appearances.

With three assists in the games he has played, the 21-year-old  hasn’t set the world alight but has proven to be a useful asset.

Tottenham could be a step too far or Onomah could rise to the occasion, there’s only one way to find out really.

No further options are really viable right now but Josh Onomah has the potential to prove worthwhile for Tottenham.

Do you agree… Let us know!

Crystal Palace are still searching for a new striker as the January transfer deadline approaches.

Roy Hodgson has been desperate to bolster his forward options to help lessen the goalscoring burden on Wilfried Zaha. Christian Benteke has struggled for form and fitness this season and Jordan Ayew has failed to have the desired impact during his loan spell. Despite Connor Wickham netting last week, a new forward would help them steer them away from danger.

Time is quickly running out for Palace to bolster their attacking options and Hodgson has limited time available. His best chance of completing a deal could be a loan move. With few options currently available, the ex-England manager should return to his former employers to solve his problems.

One man he could look to is Liverpool outcast – Divock Origi. Valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian was expected to leave the club in the summer after slipping down the pecking order. However, Origi made himself a hero on the Kop again after netting the winner in the Merseyside derby. Since then, he has been overlooked after struggling away to Burnley.

The former Lille man will be eager to prove himself in the Premier League and moving to Palace could help him relaunch his career. A pacey, powerful forward with an eye for goal, his arrival would give Hodgson the quality option he has been searching for in attack. If he can rediscover his confidence quickly, he would be scoring for fun alongside Zaha at Selhurst Park.

With his Liverpool contract set to expire in 2020, the Reds are unlikely to stand in his way should he choose to depart and Palace could secure his services at a great price in the summer.

Crystal Palace fans, thoughts?

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Ralph Hasenhuttl has challenged his Southampton players to show how far they have come under his management when they face Cardiff City this weekend, as per southamptonfc.com.

A win against Neil Warnock’s side would see the Saints move five points clear of the relegation zone, while a loss could potentially see them drop into the bottom three.

What’s the word?

Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge of the club came against the Bluebirds, but it ended in defeat with Cardiff running out 1-0 winners in a scrappy encounter in Wales.

However, the Austrian has since transformed the Saints, taking them out of the relegation zone and forging a five-game unbeaten run.

And the 51-year-old is keen for his players to take a measure of revenge on the Bluebirds, with this encounter now regarded as something of a six-pointer.

“I know that it is a big opportunity to make a big step,” he told the club’s official website.

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“We lost the first game against them 1-0 – I don’t know if we were the worse team or if they were the better team, but we want to show ourselves that we are one step further in our development, so let us have a look and see if we can get a different result.

“We are playing a different shape and there are a lot of different players now in the first XI. We have made a big change in our game and the way we want to play football.

“In the last two months we have changed a lot – we have taken 15 points since then, which we had to because we are still in a lot of trouble, and that shows us how important it is in this part of the season to take points consistently.”

Transformation completed

Things rarely come full circle in football but they could well do for Southampton this weekend.

Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge was a match devoid of quality or invention and showed the Saints in a pretty poor light.

However, they have since beaten Arsenal, drawn with Chelsea and beaten the likes of Leicester City and Everton.

They will be a different prospect for Warnock’s men this weekend, and Hasenhuttl is right to remind his players of their responsibilities.

A win would go a long way to helping secure safety at St Mary’s, and would complete a quite

remarkable turnaround in just nine weeks.

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Liverpool star Sadio Mane has revealed he’d be more than happy to welcome Timo Werner to Anfield this summer.

What’s the story?

Well, Liverpool have been linked with Werner constantly due to his pace, movement and versatility, all of which make him a perfect Jurgen Klopp player.

The 22 year-old could be a replacement for Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, both of whom are expected to leave this summer.

Now, Mane has spoken out about his desire for the club to bring Werner to Liverpool.

As quoted by ESPN, he told Sport Bild: “I’d advise him to join Liverpool. I like his style of play. Very forceful, good finish, always giving it 100 per cent. If he wants to join us, we’d welcome him to our team.”

Mane went on to say that the young striker had stood out when he watched RB Leipzig last season, echoing the sentiments of Werner’s former teammate Naby Keita, who also thinks Werner should swap Leipzig for Merseyside, per the ESPN report.

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Would he be a good fit?

This transfer is almost too obvious in terms of the connections between the clubs and the Reds’ need for another centre forward.

With Sturridge and Origi both set to follow Dominic Solanke out the Anfield exit door, Klopp will have to invest up front to improve his squad depth, and Werner’s ability to play on the wings or through the middle kills two birds with one stone.

Then there is the fact that Keita and Werner are good friends, Mane is chipping in to lure the striker to Anfield, and on top of all that he has just one year left on his contract after this season ends.

The 22 year-old has struck an incredible 55 goals and 20 assists in 101 games for RB Leipzig, and also has nine goals in 23 Germany caps.

Agents Mane and Keita are on the case, and this one looks like another genius Liverpool transfer in the offing.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It has not been the best of seasons for Southampton.

The Saints are currently languishing down the bottom of the Premier League, and with each passing week, it feels that they are struggling to put a strong run of form together that will help them survive in the top flight.

That is mainly down to a horrific defensive record. So far this term, the south-coast outfit have conceded more goals than any other team in the division. In one match, albeit against high-flying Leicester City, they shipped nine, and that was at home, as well.

Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy have been the two men to line up between the posts, and neither have covered themselves in glory. They have a save percentage ratio of 61.5% and 54.5% respectively, which puts them both towards the bottom of the list of all the shot-stoppers in the top flight. Between them, they have just two clean sheets.

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What they would give for a dependable goalkeeper in good form, right? Well, in Fraser Forster, they actually do have one on their books. So far this term he has a save ratio of 74.1%, has kept seven clean sheets, and also received rave reviews – his current boss even called him world-class – for his fantastic display in a cup final. Unfortunately, all of this has been during his loan spell at Celtic rather than at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Surely they should think about recalling him given their recent struggles? Unfortunately, that won’t be the case if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s comments on his situation are anything to go by.

He recently said: “He is a fantastic goalkeeper – I always knew. But for him it was important to get the chance to play, get the games and the self confidence back. I am very happy for him. We have our three goalkeepers here. He is on loan until the end of the season and it is not the moment to think about that.”

Quite frankly, it makes little sense. At the foot of the table, a reliable goalkeeper can be the difference between staying up and being relegated. As it stands, Southampton do not have that at their disposal. Instead, he is a doing a good job for a team that finished top of their Europa League group as well.

£7.2m-valued Forster – as per Transfermarkt – may have fallen out of favour last season, managing just one Premier League match, but that doesn’t mean his career with the Saints should be over. Hasenhuttl could do a lot worse than bringing him back south of the border.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl clears up the mystery concerning this one Southampton man.

Miguel Almiron was ruled out of the trip to Burnley through injury last week and it is 50/50 as to whether he will be fit in time for the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

The Paraguay international missed last week’s encounter due to a hamstring injury he picked up late on Friday in pre-match training.

Newcastle will have to monitor him carefully due to the nature of his injury, which often occurs when quick players like Almiron are running at full pace – that is also exactly what happened to Allan Saint-Maximin against Southampton.

The Frenchman is out for approximately a month and therefore the club must ensure the same doesn’t happen to Almiron. Given Steve Bruce has doubts about him being fit to play on Saturday, it is probably for the best if he sat out once again.

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Big miss

Newcastle missed several key players against the Clarets last time out and they didn’t look like the same team which has picked up some impressive results in recent weeks.

The main reason for that was the noticeable lack of pace and energy on the wings, which had been Newcastle’s primary avenue to create chances.

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Saint-Maximin has been hugely impressive lately but Almiron was missed too, as he provides a threat in behind defences which stretches the game and allows the Magpies’ wing-backs to get further forward.

Newcastle lacked that against Burnley which resulted in them having no shots on target, and Bruce may fear that the same could occur if the 25-year-old fails to get fully fit ahead of the weekend.

There is little point risking him worsening his injury, as although Christian Atsu is good enough to replace Saint-Maximin, playing Joelinton on the wing doesn’t suit either the player or the team.

Allowing him to rest and make a big impact on his return during the festive period could be a big advantage for the Magpies against tired legs, and that means Bruce may have to sacrifice his chances of a win in one more game to favour the long-term.

Almiron wasn’t the only injury miss against Burnley, and the absence of another midfielder contributed to their loss, though he is more likely to return against Crystal Palace.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ festive schedule is far from pleasant, and it begins with a side who will be looking for redemption at Molineux.

Manchester City make the trip down on Boxing Day as they will want to avenge the defeat at the Etihad stadium several months ago.

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A lot has happened since the previous meeting as the reigning champions have slipped away from league leaders Liverpool, Wolves next opponents, while Nuno Santo’s side have edged closer to breaking the top six.

Last time out, the west Midlanders got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road while City beat second-placed Leicester City 3-1.

On the Chalkboard

Wolves will be coming up against a lethal attack that poses the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, which is a worrying prospect considering the home side have only kept one clean sheet in ten league games, and that trio have combined for 21 goals alone.

The last time they managed to hold off the opposition before that was indeed that 2-0 win up in Manchester.

Since then, Nuno has had to deal with an injury to Willy Boly, resulting in him playing central midfielders Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker in defence.

Clearly, it hasn’t been working if they have leaked a goal in 90% of their matches during that spell, so it’s maybe time to reintroduce an actual centre-back, one who contributed to the clean sheet against City before.

Ryan Bennett has been sat on the bench for the past three matches, but his presence in defence could have the same desired effect as before.

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Per SofaScore, the 29-year-old recorded four clearances, three interceptions and blocked two shots after coming on as a 13th-minute substitute, that’s pretty good going for someone who probably didn’t expect to feature at all that afternoon.

As a natural option in the heart of defence, he can bring Nuno and his side much more stability, and it’ll certainly be needed against a Pep Guardiola side trying to regain ground on Liverpool quickly.

And in other news, one of our writers believes Nuno can seal his legacy at the club if he signs this ‘Pogba-like’ midfielder…

Liverpool head into 2020 in cruise control at the top of the Premier League.

Wins over Leicester and Wolves over the festive period took the Reds to a 13-point lead at the summit, with the Foxes remaining their closest challengers.

Jurgen Klopp’s side also won the Club World Cup in December, beating Monterrey and Flamengo to claim a trio of trophies in 2019, after their previous successes in the Champions League and Super Cup.

The Reds don’t seem to be resting on their laurels, however, as they have been linked with Norwich pair Jamal Lewis and Emiliano Buendia in the January transfer window.

The Athletic report that Buendia and Lewis are on the European champions’ radar, and could be potential targets in upcoming transfer windows.

Both were key players as the Canaries were promoted to the Premier League in 2019, and have remained in the side for a disappointing campaign thus far.

The league leaders could use reinforcement at left-back, after Alberto Moreno’s departure in the summer, leaving Andrew Robertson as the only senior option there.

Liverpool fans were excited by the news, here’s how some of them reacted: