Though there’s no denying that Petr Cech’s form has deteriorated this season, the veteran goalkeeper’s move to Arsenal can undeniably go down as a success. He moved to the Emirates when he was past his best, but he immediately improved Arsenal’s quality at the back.

He spent three years between the sticks as Arsenal’s number one, and that’s not bad going for a player that wasn’t getting a look-in at Chelsea.

It just goes to show, then, that bringing in older, more experienced options does occasionally work out – and Arsenal could be interested in a player that would be able to have an even bigger impact.

According to ESPN, Gary Cahill is one of the players on Arsenal’s radar as they look to replace Rob Holding after the knee injury that he sustained last week. Whilst not likely to be a popular move among fans, a move for the Englishman would be a shrewd one, as he’d tick a lot of boxes for the club.

Make no mistake, the Englishman still has bags of quality, even if he isn’t getting much of a chance at Stamford Bridge. He’s an expert tackler, he’s still no slouch when chasing down attackers, and he’s also a real threat in the air. Granted, he’s perhaps not as spectacular as some of the Premier League’s best defenders, but he is robust – and he could be just the ticket for the Gunners.

Significantly, he’s got bags of experience, and Arsenal do lack that, to a point. Sokratis has come in as an experienced option and added some resoluteness to the defence, and Cahill could have a similar impact.

Furthermore, he’d also be a very cheap signing. His contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season, and so the Blues could well be open to letting him go very cheaply indeed. For Arsenal, then, a move would come with little risk – and even if it doesn’t work out, Arsenal have little to lose.

He could follow in his own former teammate’s footsteps, and have even more success.

Thoughts?

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According to our recent poll, a slight majority of Everton fans want young striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be dropped for the visit of Tottenham to Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.

The 21-year-old has only started five times in the league under Marco Silva, and although he scored in the 3-1 loss to Manchester City last weekend it would seem that Everton fans want a change against Spurs.

So far this season, Silva has preferred to play summer signing Richarlison up front, and the Brazilian would surely be a tougher test for the potential makeshift central defensive pairing of Toby Alderweireld and left-back Ben Davies.

Calvert-Lewin is an England U21 international with six goals in 13 caps for his young national side. However, he has never seemed to replicate that goalscoring ability with Everton. In fact, he has only netted three goals in 15 Premier League appearances so far this season and questions continue to be asked about him.

Check out the full results of our poll below, where 54 per cent of Everton fans said that the youngster should be benched despite his goal against City.

According to results from our recent poll, the majority of West Ham fans would be in favour of a move for Victor Wanyama, who was linked with a move to the London Stadium by The Daily Mail.

The powerful midfielder has fallen out of favour this season with the likes of Moussa Sissoko – who is naturally a wide midfielder – Harry Winks and Eric Dier keeping him from holding down the starting spot he did with such regularly in his maiden years at White Hart Lane.

Meanwhile, a string of injuries have has meant the Hammers’ squad depth has taken a hammering – summer signings Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez are out long term and boss Manuel Pellegrini has hence been forced to convert the industrious Robert Snodgrass into a centre-mid to combat the lack of options.

Declan Rice has been a standout for the east London outfit this season but is crying out for some help in the middle of the park – we suggested a swoop for the out-of-favour Wanyama and turns out most of the West Ham faithful agree.

Of those who voted in our poll, 72% of fans would like to see the destroyer in their beloved claret and blue. You can check out the full results of our poll below…

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”367786″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch The FPL Show Chelsea stars and low differential strikers”]

According to a recent report from The Independent, Tottenham are interested in a January move for Jarrod Bowen. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Championship side Hull City and has done so since leaving Hereford United back in 2014, with the youngster’s mightily impressive exploits for the Tigers in recent times seemingly attracting the interest of Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

And that’s because reports suggest that the North London club are eyeing up a January move for the forward, with The Independent reporting that a figure of £14 million may be enough to secure Bowen’s services, which could prove to be yet another masterstroke from manager Pochettino and chairman Daniel Levy.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Levy has sometimes come in for criticism from some supporters for not spending the money seemingly required to compete with the biggest sides in both England and in Europe, there is little doubting that he and indeed manager Pochettino have pulled off some excellent signings down the years.

Be it the £4.5 million spent on Eric Dier back in 2014 (as per Transfermarkt), the £4.5 million spent on Dele Alli a few months later (as per Transfermarkt), or indeed the £14.4 million spent on defender Toby Alderweireld in 2015 (as per Transfermarkt), it’s pretty clear that the duo have pulled off some masterstrokes in recent years.

And given Pochettino’s track-record with improving young players, as evidenced by the rises of messrs Dier and Alli during their respective stints at the club, the Argentine and chairman Levy could pull off yet another coup by luring Hull’s Bowen to North London.

The 22-year-old has proven to be an absolute revelation at Hull following his move from Hereford back in 2014, as although he didn’t get too many opportunities in their ill-fated Premier League campaign in 2016/17, he has since taken the Championship by storm.

And that’s because the winger netted 14 times in 42 league games for Nigel Adkins’ side last term as they staved off the threat of relegation to League One, before hitting new heights this time round with 11 goals and three assists in just 26 Championship appearances – that’s three more than the next top Hull goal-scorer Fraizer Campbell.

And at the tender age of 22, it is likely that Barron will only get better were he to move to Spurs under the guidance of Pochettino, whose recent track-record of nurturing and thus developing young players into stars is second-to-none – just look at the way Alli has gone from tearing it up in League One to tearing it up in the Premier League and on the international scene.

And for a paltry £14 million, which really isn’t a great deal in the modern day, it could prove to be an absolute steal, and perhaps represent yet another masterstroke pulled off by Levy and Pochettino.

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

Dean Smith is thought to be keen on adding to his Aston Villa squad this winter as they look to bolster their chances of challenging for Premier League football next season.

One name that has been mentioned is Darius Olaru, who is an exciting prospect to come out of Romania.

The 20-year-old is a striker who has been turning out for Gaz Metan this season and Aston Villa are thought to be keen on bringing him to the club in the future.

Speaking to Gazeta Sporturilor, the player’s agent, Arcadie Zaporojanu, revealed the Championship outfit were interested, but they wanted to know as much information about Olaru before making an official offer for him.

“I was in England,” he told the media outlet.

“I gave Aston Villa a few references about him, figures and everything they needed. So far they have not made an official offer to Gaz Metan.

“They want to get as much information, see matches with him and make a clear idea.”

If Villa do want to bring him to the club, they may not be able to wait too long with Borussia Dortmund also thought to hold an interest.

The Verdict:

Olaru is considered to be a bright prospect and has attracted the likes of Dortmund with his ability.

The 20-year-old is a versatile forward and can play anywhere across the front line – something Aston Villa could certainly benefit from.

However, with no official offer on the table yet, it remains to be seen if they do have enough information to make one for him.

Aston Villa fans – thoughts?

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Aston Villa have been linked with want-away midfielder Isaac Hayden, and a resounding majority of those polled want the Newcastle ace brought to Birmingham.

The Mirror had linked the Claret and Blues with the former Arsenal man back on January 8, and we at Football FanCast wanted to know if the Villa Park faithful would take the midfielder in the mid-season window.

It was being suggested that Dean Smith’s side could become the 23-year-old’s new home after informing Newcastle of his desire to leave once again, having been forced to stay put in the summer.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden was at the crucial relegation 6-pointer between Bolton and Rotherham. Check out the video below…

However, reports also emerged noting that West Bromwich Albion’s loan approach had been turned away with Rafa Benitez reluctant to lose Hayden’s services.

The defensive midfielder has become a mainstay in the Magpies starting XI of late, and has started each of the St James’ Park natives last five matches in all competitions – including the full 90 minutes against Manchester United and Chelsea since the turn of the New Year.

Should a deal occur, his arrival in Birmingham would create further competition for the starting places under Smith, and the likely candidate to lose out is Birkir Bjarnason, who has featured in claret and blue 14 times this season, with nine starts as a central mid.

The Villa fans who voted in our recent poll, though, see Hayden as a step up on the 30-year-old, with 73% voting in favour of the move to a slim 27% holding the Icelandic international in higher thoughts.

Southampton have breathed new life into their season under their new management team, with a 2-1 win at former champions Leicester City a big boost to proceedings last weekend.

The Saints will be looking to avoid the drop and they will of course need more results akin to that of the one against the Foxes.

Results like that are a massive boost though, and going forward their fans will be hoping the level of intensity and desire in their play remains at the level being shown of late to give them the best chance possible of avoiding a drop into the Championship.

The summer for the Saints will be a big one regardless of if they remain in the top flight or not, but if they do manage to survive, we at the Tavern feel that signing Phil Jones from Man United could prove to be a shrewd move.

Former Blackburn man Jones has never quite looked like being the main man at United and some inconsistent showings have left many Man U fans wondering if the club should move him on and look to replace him.

Jones though is Premier League quality, and being out of contract in the summer, he could well prove to be a shrewd addition for a club like Southampton.

The big defender might well flourish at a club where there is less pressure, and there is little doubt that his experience from his time at Old Trafford can give the Saints squad a boost.

Southampton fans, what do you think? Man U fans, would you allow Jones to leave? Let us know in the comments!

According to a recent report from Tutto Mercato Web, Crystal Palace are interested in a last-gasp January move for David Okereke. The 21-year-old currently plays his football in Italy with Serie B side Spezia and has done so for almost three years, with his fine goal-scoring exploits for the Italian outfit this season seemingly attracting the interest of Eagles manager Roy Hodgson.

And that’s because a recent report from Tutto Mercato Web suggests that the Londoners are interested in a January move for the young striker, but they are also reportedly (as per TEAMtalk) keeping an eye on Middlesbrough forward Britt Assombalonga as well.

And given the latter has proven his worth in English football before, Palace should forget about Okereke and instead target a move for Assombalonga – the man who could go some way to finally ending the Eagles’ striking woes.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that 21-year-old Okereke is playing the best football of his career at present, what with the Nigerian striker having scored six goals and laid on eight assists in just 16 Serie B matches – in fact, he has failed to contribute directly in just five league appearances so far this term to underline his fine form in the final third of the field.

And while the young striker would arrive at Selhurst Park, were a move to happen, in fine form and ready to hit the ground running, which cannot always be said of January signings, the fact he hasn’t played at all in English football, or indeed the top-flight of Italian football, is likely to be of huge concern to Palace fans – quite simply, it remains to be seen whether he could produce the goods in England.

And while Middlesbrough’s Assombalonga also hasn’t played any football in the Premier League in his career, repeatedly scoring goals in the notoriously difficult Championship suggests that he could well provide the answer to Palace’s woes upfront.

The 26-year-old may well have struggled for regular football recently under Tony Pulis at Middlesbrough, but his 24 second tier appearances this season have still yielded seven goals, thus adding to what was already a mightily impressive record in the Championship.

In fact, the DR Congo international has now scored 52 times in just 137 appearances in the second tier for Boro and indeed Nottingham Forest, with it pretty clear that there are few more predatory goal-scorers in the Championship than Assombalonga – he has reached double figures in all of his three prior full seasons in the second tier.

And that appears to be of interest to Palace manager Hodgson given his side are reportedly (as per TEAMtalk) keeping an eye on the 26-year-old’s situation at Boro – the former England boss may well think that he is the answer to their striking problems.

Yes, there would be some risk associated with a deal for Assombalonga, what with the striker having suffered injury problems in the past alongside no prior Premier League experience, but in possessing the hallmarks of a striker who often gets in the right place at the right time, he could be the ideal man for the talented and tricky wingers of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha to aim at in the box.

So while Okereke is in fine form and, at the tender age of 21, looks set for a bright future in the game, the Eagles simply must forget about him and instead seal a deal for £10.8 million-rated Assombalonga (as per Transfermarkt) this month.

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

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been heaping praise on owner Stewart Donald, after the boss quashed a false rumour about loaned out defender Lamine Kone.

After reports claimed Sunderland are still paying Kone an absolutely ludicrous £53,000 per week, Donald was quick to dispel the rumour.

Replying to a fan on his official Twitter account, the Black Cats boss said: “We are contributing nothing to Lamine Kone playing in France. I do not know what Strasbourg are paying him exactly but we are paying nothing at all.”

Kone was part of a mass exodus of first team players last summer, as Donald and Jack Ross tried desperately to thin the wage ball.

The towering Ivory Coast international joined Strasbourg on loan, and Donald confirmed in his tweet that there is an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

After several years of hurt under Ellis Short, fans are loving Donald’s openness and honest, and not for the first time this season.

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

Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles had to endure quite a lot of criticism on social media since Saturday’s 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town, where the Gunners produced a poor second-half showing.

The North London club were without their main striking force, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, due to illness while Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil also missed the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium.

But, the 21-year-old Maitland-Niles was given quite a hard-time on certain platforms in the aftermath of the match that saw Arsenal climb to just one point outside the top four of the Premier League.

Ever since bursting into the Arsenal first-team last season, Maitland-Niles has been playing out of position to help accommodate the team’s injury problems.

Normally more accustomed to playing on the right-wing in an attacking formation, Maitland-Niles has been playing as either a right-back or a wing-back due to the season-ending injury to Hector Bellerin.

Stephan Lichtsteiner’s struggle to cope with the pace of the Premier League has seen manager Unai Emery placing his trust in Maitland-Niles rather.

On Saturday, the youngster was caught in possession on a few occasions, while he also gave away a few lose passes.

But, the criticism he’s had to face by some sections of the Arsenal fanbase on Twitter specifically, after the match was a little bit unfair, given how good he was in attack on the day.

Maitland-Niles was causing the Terries a lot of problems with the runs he made on the right-flank and his linkup play with Alex Iwobi was also very impressive.

It was ultimately he who assisted Alexandre Lacazette with a neat pass to score Arsenal’s second goal of the afternoon.

The fact that Maitland-Niles has actually adapted so well to a defensive position since getting the nod in Arsene Wenger’s first-team last season, shows the great potential and talent he has to become a great Arsenal player in the future.

The club’s fans should rather give him time to grow into the experience of being a regular starter for the team before laying into him on social media.