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West Ham are suffering from inconsistency once again this season but it is a problem that could have been avoided with astute recruitment over the summer.

The addition of Sebastien Haller looks to be paying off already with the striker scoring four goals in eight league games, but there is a lack of strength in depth as a result of big spending on the German and Pablo Fornals, particularly in midfield.

West Ham were very dependent on Declan Rice and Mark Noble last term with Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere missing for long spells, yet Pellegrini didn’t address the issue, and that has led to fan concern.

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As a result, there is a lack of competition for places in the middle of the park, and though Wilshere is fit and pushing for a place currently, his history dictates that he is not a player who can be relied upon.

That suggests a lack of long-term planning at the club, with the likes of Sanchez and Noble not getting any younger, but it could also have a negative effect this year, with a lack of effective options to come in to replace the first-choice midfielders should they experience a drop in form.

With that in mind, we asked our writers whether West Ham made a mistake by not strengthening their midfield in the transfer window. Here’s what they said.

Matt Dawson

“West Ham’s great start has been undone in rather remarkable fashion. From teetering on the edge of the top four to suffering a defeat against a far from competent Everton, Manuel Pellegrini’s men are struggling. Having signed Haller there is undoubted quality in attack but if there was one area you could criticise about the Hammers it would be their midfield.

“Pellegrini made a monumental mistake in not sufficiently strengthening that area of the pitch over the summer and even Pablo Fornals has found life a struggle. He was woeful versus the Toffees and his three unsuccessful touches tell a sorry story.

“I’d like to say Jack Wilshere could be a solution but he’s quite frankly far too injury prone to be relied upon. Mark Noble is getting on and beyond those options, they look stretched. They have Declan Rice among their ranks but rarely is he given too much support. January will be a pivotal time for them and if they’re not already out of the race already, failing to bolster their midfield ranks could have a big impact on their European ambitions.”

Vijievan Jeevathayalan

“When you look at the attacking midfield three that Manuel Pellegrini likes to employ behind Sebastien Haller, West Ham appear to have an abundance of riches. The Hammers have the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals, Robert Snodgrass and even Michail Antonio desperate to play in those offensive roles.

“The real problem however for the London side, is their lack of real quality from their deeper-lying midfield two. Both Declan Rice and Mark Noble offer defensive discipline and a tigerish attitude – they average 3.4 tackles and 1.1 tackles per game respectively. But are the duo capable of playing those incisive passes into the front players and breaking the lines?

“Pellegrini’s side desperately need creativity from further back, as evidenced by their 11 goals in nine league games, and it was a glaring error to not have signed someone who could dictate the tempo.”

Billy Meyers

“I think that the Hammers should definitely have looked to strengthen this area.

“I’m not sure if they got too excited in trying to make big-money additions such as Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals, but there were definitely players out there who they could’ve signed to sort the issue without breaking the bank – Crystal Palace reportedly got James McCarthy for under £1m, and he would’ve been a useful player for Manuel Pellegrini.

“Carlos Sanchez is getting on a bit at 33 years of age, and can’t seem to stay fit, whereas Mark Noble definitely needs to be replaced in a few years. I would be surprised if this area is one that doesn’t get looked at in January.”

Kealan Hughes

“It is surprising that Pellegrini didn’t add a centre-midfielder over the summer considering the lack of options he had last season.

“To make matters worse it is not a priority for him in January if reports are to believed, which suggests he must have a lot of faith in Rice and Noble.

“If he can get the attacking midfielders playing at the top of their game it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but he is currently failing to do that and fans are disappointed with Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson recently, which has contributed to poor results.”

Everton Starlet Anthony Gordon added another goal to his collection last night as Everton u23s took on PSV Eindhoven u23s in the Premier League International Cup last night.

Earlier this month, Marco Silva announced that the 18-year-old was ‘really close’ to an opportunity in the first-team, a chance we expected to come against Watford in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

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Alas, it wasn’t to be, and with Everton struggling to pick up points in the Premier League of late, having lost six games already this season, it seems increasingly unlikely the Portuguese will chance his arm on a debutant anytime soon.

In response to his midweek snub, Gordon posted to Twitter: “Patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”

The youngster added to his already impressive record, which currently stands at six goals and two assists in eight games in all competitions, with another strike last night. Gordon opened the scoring in Everton’s game against PSV Eindhoven, though the travelling side managed to clinch a late equaliser to draw the tie.

His movement demonstrates the hallmark signs of a quality forward.

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini could be tempted to recall Grady Diangana from West Bromwich Albion in January, as reported by Football Insider.

The 21-year-old has been impressive while playing on loan for Slaven Bilic, scoring 4 goals and getting 3 assists in 9 starts and 3 substitute appearances, as per WhoScored.

He may not have been returning in an official capacity, but the academy graduate joined up with the Hammers’ U23s for a trip to Thorpe Park, with Nathan Trott and Declan Rice also joining the group:

Despite the casual nature of Diangana’s link up with his teammates, many West Ham fans have been thrilled to see him back with his fellow players.

The indication is that they hope the winger will be recalled during the winter window, so they can see him with his fellow Hammers more regularly.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the photograph, including posts from enthused West Ham fans, can be seen below:

West Ham fans, do you think Diangana should be recalled in January? Join the discussion by commenting below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

West Ham United are considering a move for Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Martin Hinteregger, according to Football Insider.

Having paid a club-record fee to sign Sebastien Haller from the Bundesliga outfit during the summer, the Hammers are now said to have his former teammate firmly on their radar for the January transfer window.

The Austria international could be a useful addition to Manuel Pellegrini’s side, for the defensive contributions he makes, which are obviously important due to the position he plays, but also his goal threat.

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Standing at 186cm tall, Hinteregger has used his frame to become a real goal threat for Frankfurt this campaign, having already notched four goals across the Europa League and Bundesliga.

That Hinteregger is a left-sided centre-back could also play into his favour if he eventually makes the move to London Stadium, as Issa Diop has started every league game this season, while the spot next to the Frenchman is seemingly up for grabs.

With Fabian Balbuena having recently dethroned Angelo Ogbonna to be Diop’s partner, starting the last two games, Hinteregger would likely need to do the same to the Paraguayan.

As shown in the infographic above, the Frankurt man has outdone Balbuena in all of the defensive categories mentioned, apart from clearances per game.

This comes in a Frankfurt team that has conceded 15 goals in 10 league matches this term, whereas the Hammers have shipped 17 goals in 11.

Hinteregger’s statistics indicate that he could help West Ham bring that number down, while he could also raise the number of goals scored from set-pieces, which already stands at 3, the sixth-highest total in the Premier League.

With this in mind, the towering defender would certainly be a useful addition for the club if a move can be completed.

West Ham United’s disappointing form continued on Saturday afternoon as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at Burnley in the Premier League.

The Hammers are now on a run of five matches without a league win, which is not exactly ideal form heading into their next encounter – a huge game with Tottenham Hotspur.

As expected, a number of the club’s fans were angry at head coach Manuel Pellegrini both during and after the match.

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And some took exception to the manager’s second change of the match, which saw Manuel Lanzini enter the field in place of Felipe Anderson.

Anderson, according to WhoScored, did not have a single shot, make a single challenge or complete a successful dribble during his time on the field.

However, not too many could understand why Pellegrini decided to replace the Brazilian with Lanzini, who was then forced off the field in the latter stages with what looked to be a shoulder problem.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

There aren’t many bad things you can say about Leeds United’s defence this season.

Indeed, the Whites have been pretty much impeccable at the back as they’ve conceded just nine goals in 16 league matches this term.

However, their game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday highlighted one area that they need to improve in, and that may involve getting a different type of defender.

Set-piece troubles

A staggering 44% of the goals conceded by Leeds this season have come from set-pieces. That number may be hard to believe, but it’s true as four of the nine goals they’ve let in have come from dead-ball situations, including Blackburn’s strike on Saturday.

This really is the only time that Leeds’ defensive acumen isn’t in play as these phases are usually just a physical battle between individuals.

That’s the only minor issue you can point at in Leeds’ backline, they simply don’t have a towering centre-back to deal with these issues.

In fact, Leeds’ tallest defender is Liam Cooper standing at 6 foot 2, so it’s clear to see that the Yorkshire outfit don’t really have a towering defender in their armoury.

Someone like Jansson

If only there were a 6 foot 4 centre-half who United could call upon, perhaps a player with enough talent to make it into the Championship Team of the Season.

Of course, we’re alluding to Pontus Jansson, and although Leeds’ defence has been impenetrable at times this season, it’s hard to say that they aren’t missing the Swede in these situations.

Indeed, Jansson has been a defensive juggernaut in the air as he won 4.9 aerial duels per game during his last season at Elland Road. On top of that, he’s won 3.6 in 2019/20.

Now, we’re not suggesting that Leeds should bring the £5.4m-rated Jansson back, but having a taller option at the back, especially when playing as a back three is certainly something that United should look at in January.

With margin for error incredibly tight in this division, it could well be something that ensures they don’t drop off like they did last campaign.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

West Ham United came close to signing Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati during the summer, as reported by Bleacher Report.

What’s the story?

The 17-year-old has made 4 starts and 6 substitute appearances for Barcelona across La Liga and the Champions League this season, scoring 2 goals and getting 1 assist.

He has been a revelation despite this short period of time in the team, even being nominated for the Golden Boy award for 2019.

However, things could have been very different for him as he didn’t see a route into the Barcelona first-team at the beginning of the summer.

This led to various clubs showing an interest in signing him, with West Ham among them and the Hammers even managed to strike up a deal with his family.

The Catalan giants were helpless in this because Fati had not signed a new contract, but an issue with the youngster getting a Spanish passport eventually allowed Barcelona to step in and prevent the deal from happening.

Ambitious targets

West Ham have a history of making ambitious transfer attempts under the stewardship of David Gold and Sullivan.

Perhaps the most high profile of these targets came at the beginning of their tenure, as in 2010, the year they took over, West Ham made a £16m move for Neymar, then at Santos, as reported by The Daily Mail at the time.

However, the Brazilian side were unwilling to let the then-18-year-old leave for anything less than his £28.4m release clause.

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It can be argued that their move in 2012 was even more outrageous, as they attempted to sign Fernando Torres and Carlos Tevez on loan from Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, while in the Championship.

Speaking to West Ham Till I Die, via The Daily Mail, David Sullivan admitted: “We tried to get Torres from Chelsea.

“If he couldn’t score in the Premier League, he could come along with us for a month, we might fire him up. They just said, “Not at this moment in time”.”

He then followed that up by speaking about Tevez: “Three times we asked. Three times they said, “No chance”.”

The West Ham owners’ ambitions don’t stop on the pitch though, as they also made an attempt to recruit Carlo Ancelotti in 2015, as reported by The Telegraph.

Fati may not be on par with these names yet, but the fact that he is already making waves at Barcelona indicates that he deserves a place on the growing list of ambitious transfer targets the Hammers have missed out on.

Perhaps next time Gold & Sullivan’s ambition will translate to a genuine transfer coup.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton travel to north London this Saturday to take on an Arsenal side who are still struggling under Unai Emery.

The Gunners find themselves sixth in the Premier League table, eight points off the top four having won just four of their 12 games this season.

However, they are performing nowhere near as poorly as Southampton are.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are 19th – just one point off the bottom – and have also conceded the most goals in the division with 29 let in in 12 games.

Despite the odds seemingly in favour of an Arsenal win, there is one thing that Hasenhuttl can do to cause the Gunners some problems.

What is it?

The former RB Leipzig boss must start Sofiane Boufal on the left wing, and allow him to run at Arsenal right-back Calum Chambers.

Boufal – who has made nine Premier League appearances this season – has recorded two assists for the Saints this term as well as three dribbles per game – he is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in Hasenhuttl’s squad in terms of ball control, skill and dribbling.

Southampton’s official website described the Moroccan as a “roaming midfielder with dizzying footwork” back in the summer – dizzy is exactly what the former Lille man needs to make Chambers, and there is evidence to suggest that will be possible.

Chambers’ recent struggles

It goes without saying that the Arsenal man – who came through Southampton’s academy – isn’t exactly the quickest, nor does he possess great balance.

In a recent outing against Crystal Palace, Chambers found himself up against another mesmeric wide-man in Wilfried Zaha, struggling tremendously to cope with the Ivorian.

Chambers gave away a penalty for a clumsy foul on Zaha following a tidy step-over from the Ivorian, while the Arsenal defender also went home with a yellow card to his name and the worst WhoScored match rating out of all of his Gunners teammates – in fact, his 5.98 rating was the lowest out of all 22 players to have started the game.

It really doesn’t seem as if Chambers enjoys facing tricky wingers, nor does he have the attributes needed to shackle them – this should encourage Boufal, and also force Hasenhuttl into getting his skilful Moroccan isolated against the nervy Arsenal man who used to be one of Southampton’s own.

Celtic have closed the rail seating section at Parkhead, which houses the Green Brigade fan group, for tomorrow night’s Europa League match against Rennes. [via Sky Sports]

The decision was taken by the club after they were fined £12,900 by UEFA last week due to some spectators displaying an “illicit banner” and engaging in offensive chanting during October’s home game against Lazio. [via Sky Sports]

It is the third UEFA fine issued to the Hoops already this season, with European football’s governing body also punishing Celtic over the use of flares and throwing of objects from some supporters. [via Sky Sports]

The Daily Record noted that, in addition to banning the Green Brigade group from the Rennes game, the club have also withheld tickets until further notice, which could see those fans being barred from attending the two games against Rangers next month.

In response to Celtic’s actions, the Green Brigade group issued a strongly-worded statement via @NCCeltic on Twitter, branding the club’s stance as “particularly vindictive” and accusing them of “sowing seeds of division”.

Many Celtic supporters subsequently took to Twitter to condemn the club over the sanctions taken against the Green Brigade:

Do you think Celtic were right to take the action they did against the Green Brigade or has the club acted excessively? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

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…

Sheffield Wednesday’s season has ticked like an erratic metronome.

There were majorly positive signs when Garry Monk finally took the reins in September, losing just one game in eight matches, but his tumultuous tenure so far has seen continuous problems arise.

Some in his control, some not.

Maybe the January transfer window will be his saviour, should they go relatively unscathed from the EFL.

At the start, the 40-year-old was faced with his skipper Tom Lees being out injured alongside a lengthy six-game suspension to two-time top scorer Fernando Forestieri.

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Reliance on this season’s goal-getter Steven Fletcher then became the next issue, not that it has even been resolved yet while in the grand scheme of things, the Owls have the oldest squad in the division, so giving youth a runout every now and then can’t exactly hurt, can it?

Now the club have been charged by the EFL for financial misconduct over the sale of Hillsborough to owner Dejphon Chansiri as he tried to offset any debts during the 2017/18 season accounts.

One football finance expert believes that a 12-point deduction will be the minimum punishment dealt by the Football League, which would turn Wednesday’s season from being in with a chance of reaching the playoffs into a relegation dogfight.

As of right now, it would sink them to second-bottom in the division.

Meanwhile, Monk heads into this weekend without two key members of his defence as Liam Palmer, and now Julian Borner, are suspended – failure to pick up all three points against a Charlton Athletic side that will struggle to field a competitive team would be inexcusable.

The former Swansea City legend inherited this squad in its entirety from his predecessor Steve Bruce and then caretaker manager Lee Bullen, and given the circumstances off the field, he should be cut some slack.

January could see him bring in some players of his own, which may allow him to set up his side exactly how he wants, while later this summer, a vast rebuild task could be on his hands as over ten first-team players see their contract expire at the end of the season.

Give Monk time, see how the EFL play things out, and then reassess his impact around this time next year. Perspective.

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In other news, Wednesday fans have slammed one surprise member of the starting line up….