Hugo Lloris may no longer be considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world and Tottenham should find a replacement.

The Spurs captain has been a mainstay in the side since joining from Lyon in 2012. The World Cup winner quickly established himself as one of the division’s top shot-stoppers at White Hart Lane but performances in recent seasons have been concerning. The 31-year-old has become more and more error prone which is starting to cost Tottenham valuable points.

With the title race set to be closer than ever this year, the Lilywhites can’t afford to drop needless points given the strength of their rivals. With little competition behind him, it could be argued the goalkeeper has never really been challenged for the number one jersey. Therefore, it could be wise for Mauricio Pochettino to sign another goalkeeper in the January transfer window.

One man he should consider is Lazio ‘keeper – Thomas Strakosha. Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the shot-stopper is one of the brightest talents emerging from Italy after becoming a crucial player for his side. His performances saw him linked with a move to Liverpool over the summer, but the Reds decided to spend a then world-record fee to sign Alisson Becker from Roma instead.

The 23-year-old has made ten appearances in the Serie A this season, keeping four clean sheets. The Albania international is a modern-day goalkeeper who excels with the ball at his feet. Capable of starting attacks from his own box with his excellent kicking, Strakosha also possesses fantastic reflexes which enable him to make superb saves regularly. His arrival in North London would give Lloris stiff competition and hand Pochettino the ideal long-term replacement for the Frenchman.

Still young and improving – this could prove to be an astute piece of business.

Spurs fans, thoughts?

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West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is set to miss the club’s next three matches through suspension following his straight red card against Leicester City on Saturday, and his absence could give Reece Oxford one final chance to save his Irons career.

What’s the word, then?

Well, former Hammers manager Slaven Bilic handed the teenager his debut as a 16-year-old on the opening day of the 2015/16 Premier League season against Arsenal at the Emirates, and after he impressed and won the man-of-the-match award it seemed as though he was destined for big things at the London Stadium.

However, he has made just 16 first-team appearances since that day and has spent time out on loan with Reading and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Something has certainly gone wrong for the 19-year-old who was, and in some respects given his tender years still is, so highly-rated, but with midfield injuries mounting up he could be about to get the opportunity to rescue a career that appears to be going nowhere right now.

Will he feature?

While he is known as a centre-back by trade, Oxford has the technical ability and attributes to play as a defensive midfielder or defensively-minded central midfielder – as he has done for West Ham and Monchengladbach previously – and he will know that he is closer to getting his opportunity with Noble, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and potentially even Pedro Obiang being absent for the League Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

Having failed to make single first-team squad so far this season his inclusion seems doubtful, but having been a regular for the U23 side he will surely have been watched by Pellegrini and needs must right now for the Irons boss.

Questions marks have been raised over the teenager’s attitude previously, but if he is given the chance to impress by the Chilean manager over the next few fixtures he needs to take it to save his West Ham career.

Arsenal drew their third consecutive match on Sunday after a disappointing performance and 1-1 result at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League.

Going behind in the match early on after slack possession play, the Gunners were rescued by a Henrikh Mkhitaryan strike just four minutes from time.

Unai Emery’s side have failed to be winning a match at half-time at any point in the league this season, calling into question the team’s ability to start matches well.

Fans were left frustrated with all aspects of the match, but had particularly criticism for Sead Kolasinac, who was especially poor on the left flank before being substituted off for their eventual goalscorer.

Many are now losing patience with the player, with some even calling for him to be sold in the January transfer window.

These supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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A lack of goals has proved a problem for Middlesbrough in the Championship this season, and the club should consider a loan move for Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

What’s the word, then?

Eight wins, seven draws and two defeats – that is how Boro have performed in the Championship this season. It has brought them 31 points, which is good enough for second position after 17 matches of the campaign.

Boro have the best defensive record in the second tier by some distance, conceding just eight times in their 17 league games this season.

No team in the top nine has scored fewer league goals than Boro, however, which is quite remarkable when considering their position in the table.

Indeed, Tony Pulis’ side have managed just 19 league goals this term, which is a worse record than Reading and Millwall, who are 20th and 21st respectively.

Boro really need to boost their attack in the January window, and should make an ambitious loan move for Everton ace Calvert-Lewin.

Could Boro sign Calvert-Lewin?

Calvert-Lewin has made 11 Premier League appearances for Everton this season, but has started just four times in the top flight since Marco Silva arrived as head coach.

The 21-year-old really needs first-team football at this stage of his career, and half a season in the Championship would do him the world of good.

Last term, the former Sheffield United youngster scored eight times in all competitions for Everton, and would be an outstanding signing for Boro.

Jordan Hugill, Britt Assombalonga and Rudy Gestede have all had their problems this season, but the January arrival of Calvert-Lewin would give the whole squad the boost it needs to ensure that their promotion bid continues.

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to an injury setback, as Davinson Sanchez is facing a lengthy spell out with a hamstring injury.

Tottenham fans were stunned when Mauricio Pochettino gave the injury news on Thursday, as there hadn’t really been any major concerns over Sanchez.

The Colombian international played just 11 minutes against Wolves and was not in the squad at Crystal Palace, but most fans expected him to return after the international break.

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…

It looks like he could be out until around Christmas though, as the club tweeted on Thursday that he is “hopeful of a return before the end of the calendar year”.

The young defender played against both Manchester City and West Ham in the space of two days, and Jan Vertonghen’s return from a similar problem is the only silver lining here.

Pochettino’s side welcome Chelsea to Wembley on Saturday evening knowing a win will lift them above the Blues, and losing Sanchez is a huge setback.

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

Jurgen Klopp is adamant that Liverpool won’t be dipping too much into the transfer market during January.

The Reds strengthened heavily during the summer window with Klopp addressing major areas of weakness in the squad. Liverpool invested heavily and are currently unbeaten in the Premier League. Klopp is still helping Naby Keita and Fabinho adapt to life on Merseyside while Xherdan Shaqiri has slotted in seamlessly and looks to be one of the bargain buys of the summer.

The German has opted to spend big in January in the past and perhaps he could be tempted to open his chequebook for the right player. With Manchester City looking unbeatable at the moment, one more marquee signing could give Liverpool the boost they need to catch the Citizens in the Premier League title race.

One man that Klopp should be targeting is Lyon man Houssem Aouar. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is a key player for Lyon despite being just 20-years-old. The youngster made 32 appearances in Ligue 1 last year, ending the season with six goals and five assists.

Following an extraordinary start to the new campaign, Aouar should be the man that Klopp looks to lure to Anfield. In just 13 Ligue 1 appearances, the youngster already has five goals and one assist to his name. Aouar has also excelled on the European stage with three assists in his opening four Champions League appearances.

The midfielder is perfectly suited to Premier League football and would slot seamlessly into Klopp’s 4-3-3 system at Anfield. With fantastic technical ability, vision and technique, Aouar would be the ideal partner for Naby Keita in the heart of midfield. Under Klopp’s tutelage, the youngster could develop into one of the world’s best midfielders.

Losing out on a deal for Nabil Fekir was a blow in the summer, but Liverpool fans would quickly forget about the World Cup winner by securing his team-mate’s signature.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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Six years on from his arrival in North London, few Arsenal fans would dispute that the Mesut Ozil narrative is getting a little tedious.

It feels like we’ve all evolved from the superficial but recurring analysis of the World Cup winner’s reluctance to tackle and track back being at the root of Arsenal’s struggles, even if it did unfortunately symbolise some of the team’s most fundamental flaws under Arsene Wenger, and yet, new developments in a subplot that has persisted throughout the former Real Madrid man’s time in the Premier League keep on appearing.

Last Sunday, as Arsenal fought hard to beat an in-form Bournemouth side at the Vitality Stadium, Ozil was forced to settle for watching from the bench. Seemingly only included in the squad for scenarios of genuine extremis, Arsenal didn’t even need the former German international as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted in the 67th minute what later proved to be the winner.

Modern football is a squad game and there’s certainly nothing wrong with choosing the right player for the right occasion, or more accurately in this case leaving out the wrong player for the wrong occasion. The problem though, is that Ozil’s a world-class talent when at his best and the highest-earning player at the club.

Which team is the dominant force in London right now? Playmaker FC’s Tom Skinner has a very unpopular opinion on the matter. Check it out in the video below…

If somebody earning £350k per week isn’t the right fit for an away game against a mid-table Premier League club, the kind of game Arsenal should be winning, then can he really justify such a gigantic wage package?

Likewise, if Arsenal are capable of beating Bournemouth – a very talented side with the most goals of any club outside the top five so far this term – in their own back yard without Ozil, then do they really need him at all?

Come the end of their first season working together at Arsenal, that’s a tough decision Emery, Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat and Head of Football Relations Raul Sanlleh will need to make. But the more immediate issue is Emery’s explanation for excluding Ozil from starting XI last weekend.

There’s nothing wrong with the explanation itself. In fact, it’s incredibly astute and refreshingly pragmatic after so many years of Wenger’s tactical inflexibility. Bournemouth have shown time and again this season that they have the speed and intensity to rip apart even the best teams on the break – only Leicester City have scored more than their three counter-attack goals in the Premier League.

Ozil has never been one for sprinting towards his own goal and against a side as well organised, quick and potent as Bournemouth, that could be incredibly costly. In fact, even without Ozil, Bournemouth punished Arsenal all the same as Josh King’s opener came from a move of flowing back-to-front football, as David Brooks sprinted from his own box to the Gunners’ in order to slide in the Norway striker.

Perhaps then, Emery’s decision to bench Ozil was already justified in first half stoppage time by Bournemouth’s equaliser, but the Arsenal gaffer’s explanation sets a curious precedent. If Bournemouth were seen as too intense and physical for Ozil, then where exactly does Emery draw the line? Is this Sunday’s North London derby not going to be an incredibly intense and physical game as well? Is Emery therefore going to bench his highest earner again, this time for one of the biggest fixtures on Arsenal’s calendar?

Of course, the dynamics of Sunday’s game will be different. Arsenal are always strong at the Emirates Stadium, even last season finishing second in the Premier League’s home table, and Ozil’s best form under Emery has come there as well – the venue responsible for three of the four top flight goals he’s been involved in this term. Likewise, the game should be more open than Sunday’s, at least in patches, as Tottenham will look to make a statement.

And yet, Tottenham showed against Chelsea only last weekend just how intense and physical they can be. If Emery believes Ozil struggles to handle that kind of pressure, then surely he has doubts over the 30-year-old’s suitability against Tottenham’s high press, against Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier in midfield, against the conciseness of Spurs’ tight midfield diamond and more holistically, the all-round ambitious energy of Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play.

Inevitably, Emery will want his best talents on the pitch for such an important game but to not have those fears, after last week’s verbal justification for Ozil’s lack of involvement, feels like an obvious contradiction. The bigger picture though, is the more important one here: how long can Arsenal afford to keep paying Ozil what he currently earns, if he’s no longer a guaranteed starter every week?

Would you start Ozil against Spurs, Arsenal fans? Let us know by voting below…

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In Arsenal’s last Premier League outing against Bournemouth, Unai Emery opted not to include Mesut Ozil from the start, or at any point, with the German not even amongst the substitutes who warmed up.

The former PSG and Sevilla boss later revealed that he left the 30-year-old playmaker out due to the type of game that he expected from the Cherries, saying, “We thought how we can be better in the match today which is very demanding with the physicality and the intensity.”

Intriguingly, Eddie Howe’s side are by no means the most rugged side in the league, which suggests that the Spaniard’s comments were merely a cover-up for a deeper, underlying issue between the pair.

Ozil has already been left out of the matchday squad for the game against West Ham earlier in the season due to ‘illness’, but was seen amongst his teammates prior to kick-off.

In light of all of this, we asked Arsenal fans if they think the former Real Madrid man has a future at the Emirates under Emery.

Interestingly, 58% of the north London outfit’s fans who were polled felt that their number 10 has no place at the club whilst the 47-year-old is in charge, as shown by the results below…

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West Ham United’s summer signing Carlos Sanchez is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury. With the January transfer window approaching, Manuel Pellegrini may be considering seeking a replacement for Sanchez to add extra defensive solidity to the Hammers’ midfield contingent.

What’s the word?

If fit, the 88-cap Colombia international would offer experience and defensive diligence to Pellegrini’s squad. In his absence, the Irons are a little light on numbers in this regard.

In these circumstances, the West Ham manager would be wise to seek a trusted player to come to the London Stadium in January to bolster the ranks until the end of the campaign. For this purpose, Pellegrini ought to move for former Manchester City star Fernando in the upcoming January transfer window.

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

A reunion in east London

Pellegrini first signed Fernando during his stint in charge at the Etihad Stadium, and the Brazilian proved himself to be a useful squad option across his three years in English football.

Currently plying his trade with Turkish outfit Galatasaray, the 31-year-old is still playing regularly at a high level. His technical quality, elite level experience and physical presence would certainly make him an asset to Pellegrini once again.

With a Transfermarkt valuation of just £5.18 million, and with only 18 months remaining on his current contract, Fernando represents an affordable and effective solution to West Ham’s midfield issue.

In fact, the former Man City ace might just end up being a better signing than Sanchez anyway.

What do you think, West Ham fans, would signing Fernando in the winter transfer window be an ideal short-term fix or an unnecessary acquisition?

Liverpool may well have improved since losing Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona but that does not suggest the club should disregard the prospect of signing a replacement. 

The arrival of Xherdan Shaqiri has provided Jurgen Klopp with an excellent number ten. The Switzerland international has been in inspired form since arriving at Anfield, pulling the strings in midfield and carving teams open with his precise vision.

But for all his quality there is no doubt that he is lacking the X factor which Coutinho provided during his time at Liverpool. The Brazilian provided countless moments of individual brilliance both in open play and from set-pieces, endearing himself to the Reds faithful in the process.

However, if Liverpool want to move on from the electric playmaker they need to complete a marque signing which really captures the imagination of the supporters, and a recent report from Goal suggests they have a prime opportunity to do exactly that in January.

Indeed, the report claims the relationship between Real Madrid and Isco is fragile, and if relations don’t improve the Spanish giants may be forced to sell the £81 million rated wizard. (as per Transfermarkt).

The Spain international is scintillating in possession and a player who possesses all of the technical and physical attributes to thrive in the Premier League.

With 46 goals and 53 assists to boast in his career with Los Blancos it’s clear to see that Isco has the decisive end product to match his build-up play.

The thought of seeing Isco link-up with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane is one which will have Liverpool supporters licking their lips, but Klopp and the rest of the club’s hierarchy may have to act in January in order to land a dream Coutinho replacement.

After all, Isco’s unhappiness may well force him to contemplate a move when the winter window opens for business, and he is likely to have plenty of offers to mull over in the event that Madrid make him available for transfer.

If Liverpool do not capitalise on the situation in January they will miss out on Isco to a European rival; it’s time for FSG to act.

Liverpool fans – thoughts? Let us know below!