West Ham dipped into the Championship last summer to snap up two of it’s most prodigious talents – Diego Poyet and Aaron Cresswell – and they look set to do the same in the coming transfer window, amid reports the East London club are targeting Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, as claimed by Mirror Football.

The 23 year-old’s 20 league goals have all-but-mathematically-confirmed The Cherries’ promotion to the Premier League for next season, and left him third in the Championship’s scoring charts.

Whether Bournemouth would be prepared to sell their key striker ahead of their first ever Premier League campaign, or whether Wilson would actually want to ditch them at this moment in time, remains to be seen.

But laced with equally promising, youthful prospects, the Hammers would be wise to further scour the English second tier for potential summer targets.

And just to prove it, Football Fancast have listed FIVE Championship prodigies West Ham should target along with Bournemouth’s latest star.

TYRONE MINGS

With rumours rife Aaron Cresswell could be snapped up by Chelsea in a £20million deal, West Ham could find themselves in need of a new left-back this summer – and no Championship No.3 epitomises their physical style better than monolithic Ipswich Town defender Tyrone Mings.

Indeed, the 22-year-old is better famed for his blistering pace and willingness to contribute going forward, this term bagging four assists in 39 Championship appearances whilst averaging 1.2 successful dribbles and 1.4 created chances per-match, but he’s also blessed with the imposing frame of a Premier League centre-half, measuring in at a whopping 6 foot 5.

He was valued at £8million by The Daily Mail in December amid rumoured interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. But neither club made a formal offer in January, suggesting the Hammers could pick up where the Premier League powerhouses left off this summer – especially if The Tractor Boys miss out on promotion to the top flight.

NATHAN REDMOND

With Matthew Jarvis hopelessly out of form, Enner Valencia a more natural centre-forward and Stewart Downing proving himself more accomplished in central capacities, West Ham have been without a genuine winger for much of the season.

Enter Norwich City’s Nathan Redmond, a pacey touchline-hugger equally comfortable on both flanks who’s claimed three goals and ten assists in 42 Championship appearances this term.

The 21-year-old has also averaged an impressive 2.4 chances created, 1.8 accurate crosses and 2.3 successful dribbles per match – the latter statistic being the third-best return in the entire division.

Also boasting 10 goals and 57 caps for England across the junior levels, Redmond’s potential is without doubt – which is why The Canaries rejected a £5million bid from Southampton last summer, as reported by Mirror Football.

Should fourth-place Norwich miss out on promotion back to the Premier League this season, however, they’ll likely be forced to sell the prodigious wideman.

DAN BURN

Dan Burn might not be blessed with the same natural talent as some of the other names on this list – or for that matter, some of the other youngsters to have represented Fulham this season.

But measuring in at a gigantic 6 foot 7, the centre-back is an incredible force in the air, this term averaging 4.5 successful aerial duels per match alongside 2 tackles and 2.1 interceptions, rendering him already capable of having some impact at Premier League level.

And still just 22-years of age, the capacity is certainly there for Burn to learn on the job. If he can improve the rest of his skills over the next few years, whilst gaining top flight experience, he’ll emerge as one of the better centre-backs in the division.

West Ham were linked with a £4million bid ahead of the January window, as reported by The Daily Mail, only for Fulham boss Kit Symons to issue an ever-cliched hands-off warning.

With Fulham now set to spend another term in the Championship, however, they might be more willing to cash in on their monolithic defender this summer.

JOE GOMEZ

One of just four 17 year-olds to have featured in the Championship this season yet boasting an impressive 16 league starts, Charlton Athletic’s Joe Gomez’s recent performances have caught the attention of Arsenal and Manchester City, according to The Daily Mail.

The youthful defender is speedy and agile, comparable in style to a young Rio Ferdinand, and in addition to impressing at The Valley has also made waves within the England fold; he’s racked up 25 caps for The Junior Lions, and in May 2014 was named in the Team of the Tournament for the U17 European Championships.

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Having already shown great promise in the English second tier, Gomez seems destined for Premier League football at some point in his career. It’s believed Sir Alex Ferguson was also courting him for Manchester United until his retirement in summer 2013.

Despite such interest from the Premier League’s summit, Charlton’s apparent valuation of £8million should be well within West Ham’s financial reach this summer. And whilst Arsenal, City or United could offer Gomez the glamour of a ridiculous salary, closer locality and greater first team opportunities give the Hammers a more unique appeal.

ALEX PRITCHARD

Technically not a Championship player, but it remains to be seen if room can be found for Alex Pritchard in a Tottenham midfield already bursting with prodigious talent.

The 21-year-old is certainly an impressive prospect, however. Last season he claimed six goals on loan at Swindon Town in League One and he’s added to that this year with eleven goals and seven assists in 44 appearances for Brentford – earning him a spot in the Championship’s Team of the Season.

Pritchard offers a solid contribution to all-round play, this term averaging 1.7 tackles, 3 shots, 2.5 chances created, 1.1 successful dribbles and 1.3 accurate crosses per match, but the attacking midfielder’s defining gift undoubtedly remains his incredible potency from dead ball situations.

He’s probably not at Premier League level just yet but would be a wise addition for the Hammers with the next few years in mind.

That being said, Spurs’ rejected Brentford’s attempts to sign him permanently in January, as reported by The Daily Mail, so it might take an unjustifiable bid to convince them to sell in the coming transfer window.

Manchester United head in to this weekend on the back of three straight defeats ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.

Having enjoyed a terrific run of form, which included crucial wins over Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City, the Red Devils were brought back down to Earth with defeats at Chelsea and Everton before last weekend’s surprise home defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

Although they should still be able to secure Champions League qualification, a run of three games without a goal is certainly a worry for Louis van Gaal, and has once again highlighted the need for money to be spent for both goal-scorers and creative options.

The club have already signalled their intent to get business done early by announcing a deal has been agreed for Dutch star Memphis Depay, and there may well be more to come.

One man who continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford is Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale.

Football’s most expensive signing has endured an indifferent campaign, and some out of sorts performances have led to plenty of criticism over in Spain. He looks the shadow of the player that performed so well at Spurs as well as Wales in their recent European Championship qualifiers, and could prove a realistic target should this continue.

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Madrid themselves have been strongly linked with a move for United goalkeeper David de Gea, and he is another with strong question marks over his future with the club still waiting to tie him down to a new contract.

Reports this week suggested the pair could be involved in some sort of swap deal, and it’s something United should seriously consider.

There’s no doubting De Gea’s importance to the team, and another superb season from the Spaniard has seen him perform heroics at times, and rightly earn a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

And although losing a player of his quality will be a disappointing, there are other goalkeepers out there who would be able to soften the blow and prove an adequate replacement, most notably Hugo Lloris of Tottenham.

If United can ensure they are able to replace De Gea with someone of similar stature like Lloris, they would still be left with a top class goalkeeper that can have a similar impact on their team.

And if by selling their current number one means they will be able to bring Bale back to the Premier League, it would certainly make an improvement to their attacking options.

Bale is without doubt the type of player that would make United serious title contenders. His goal threat means he has the ability to win games on his own, and could be the difference between winning and losing, and be responsible for a number of points over the course of the season.

If he’s not feeling loved at Madrid, that would certainly change were he to move to United, and they look like the perfect team to bring out the best in the attacker once more, and a side who would certainly give him the freedom to express himself.

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United fans would be really frustrated at seeing De Gea leave the club, and the Red Devils should be doing all they can to retain one of the world’s best keepers. But if he has his heart set on leaving, then they have to ensure they can get the best deal possible, and should only consider listening to offers if Gareth Bale is involved.

And if there’s no chance of landing the Welshman, then that should put an end to negotiations once and for all.

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Arsenal have just let a man of 125 caps for Germany and 48 international goals leave for only £1.8m, plus add ons, to join Galatasaray, but there is no big surprise about Lukas Podolski’s departure.

However, it should be a big, big shock. The German, best known for a powerful left foot, great technique and his ability to probe in attacks from the left or up front, has been a top forward for many years, yet he never really cut the mustard at the Emirates Stadium when he really should have.

In his first season, 2012/13, Podolski was a regular player for Arsene Wenger’s side, he featured in 33 Premier League games, scoring 11 goals in all competitions. However, in his next campaign the ex-Bayern Munich man played just 20 matches and scored eight goals for Arsenal, while his final term was poorer still, with three in 13.

A drop off every season to the point where Podolski went from a regular first-teamer to nothing more than a bit-part player for the Gunners is a fate such a star really should not have suffered.

Podolski did score some belters for Arsenal and won the FA Cup in his time in North London, and maybe the German will reflect on his spell in England as a success considering he got his hands on silverware – more than many Arsenal players have in recent times – but really he was not key to the glory and was merely a back-up/squad player.

He could have done more and could certainly have played more, and it is true his talents were wasted somewhat, not only by Wenger and Arsenal, but by Podolski himself to an extent, too.

The German should have been given more match time with the Gunners to show what he could do – his record of 31 goals in 82 games isn’t bad for a player who was peripheral for two seasons. He has a cracking left foot and finishes well, and given opportunities in front of goal he would surely have taken them, however they were few and far between at times.

Another area where Podolski was wasted somewhat was that he was rarely given chances to play in the middle, instead he was used too deep and often too wide on the left to really influence the game with his ability.

As Podolski is not exactly a creative player – he is decent creatively, however it is not his strength – he is better suited to playing at the top end of the field, getting on the end of chances and being the man putting them away – he couldn’t do that effectively from such a deep position.

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He was wasted by Arsenal somewhat, but Podolski should take some responsibility as he will know himself he was capable of more.

Summer signing Sead Kolasinac has found himself a surprising omission from Arsenal’s recent starting XIs in the Premier League. Despite being deemed by many as one of the best value-for-money acquisitions of the last transfer window, he was left out of the scoreless draw with West Ham and last weekend’s 1-0 win over Newcastle.

In fairness, it’s hard to dispute the decision on Wenger’s part. Arsenal have claimed four points from a possible six in the 22-cap Bosnian’s absence without conceding a goal, while his outing in midweek – an indicator that he won’t be involved in Arsenal’s next clash on Friday night – also produced a 1-0 victory over the Hammers.

That being said, Kolasinac’s sudden slump down the pecking order remains somewhat mysterious. So, Arsenal fans, do you think the left-back should be brought back into Arsenal’s Premier League starting XI to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool? Let us know by voting below…

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According to RMC Sport, West Ham United have opened talks with Inter Milan over a potential January move for Portugal international Joao Mario.

What’s the story?

West Ham continue to be linked with a number of potential signings, and it promises to be a busy end to the January transfer market for the London club.

A new central midfielder is expected to arrive, with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Allen previously credited when it comes to potential signings.

However, according to RMC Sport, West Ham are currently in talks with Inter over a potential loan move for Mario, who is currently out of favour at his Serie A club.

Arsenal and Manchester United have both previously been linked with the Portuguese, but it appears that the current Premier League interest is coming from West Ham.

Would Mario fit in at the London Stadium?

In terms of signings that would excite the supporters, this one certainly fits the bill.

Mario, who is still only 24 years of age, scored 14 times in 75 appearances for Sporting Lisbon before making the move to Inter in the summer of 2016.

The versatile attacker scored three times in 32 appearances in all competitions last season, but has struggled for consistency at the San Siro this term.

Mario, who is valued at £23.4m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has made 14 Serie A appearances during the 2017-18 campaign, although he has found it difficult to secure a regular role.

It is thought that West Ham are trying to sign the Portugal international on loan until the end of the season, and it would be some coup if they managed to pull it off.

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The fact that Mario is capable of operating in a number of different positions makes him an attractive opposition, and he is the type of character that could thrive in London.

A lot of things would have to happen for West Ham to seal this deal, but talk of the Euro 2016 winner arriving at the London Stadium is certainly an exciting thought for the fans.

As the Premier League’s gap between the top six and the rest becomes more pronounced, the debate has moved onto the polarised nature of the league; the fact there now seems to be one division for those teams who can dominate games and play with the ball, and another who are forced somehow to sit deep and play without it.

That’s a debate borne out of frustration more than anything else. The gap in style, points and trophies pretty much comes down to one thing at the moment; the gap in money. It all seems to stem from that.

And as the first legs of the League Cup semi finals take place this week, it’s natural to feel even more frustration: three of the four semi finalists are top six sides, with the only exception being that of Bristol City, who sensationally knocked out Manchester United at the quarter final stage.

Not to negate the very fine achievement of the Robins in making it this far and rubbing shoulders with three members of the top divisions cream of the crop, but there’s something a little underwhelming about it: over two legs Bristol City beating Manchester City would appear to be nigh-on impossible.

It would be a much more romantic affair if it were a one-off game instead. Either way, the fact that it took such an upset to bring a team outside of the current top six into the semi finals of a competition no one seems to care about shows just where we are.

The Robins’ achievement is a rare feat which will only become even more so as the years go by. The last of such big achievements was Leicester City winning the league, and although not long ago, it certainly feels like a different era in Premier League history already – the final season before the superclub era made its presence felt fully.

Indeed, the Foxes were Pep Guardiola’s side’s last opponents in the competition in a quarter final tie which was characterised by weakened sides from both teams as the league was far and away the most important thing for the Cities of both shades of blue. But Leicester, thanks to reasonably wealthy owners even by Premier League standards and the prestige they’ve been able to build upon as recent Premier League champions are now part of the very small group of teams whom you can characterise as a top flight middle class.

They, Everton and theoretically West Ham and Newcastle United – if the relegation-threatened pair sort their clubs out – are about all you can point to as a genuine grouping of teams who should be finishing below the top six and well above the relegation strugglers. And although football doesn’t work like that, it’s the Toffees and the Foxes who are currently in comfortable positions a safe distance from the bottom three and looking up to seventh place at best.

Surely, though, these teams should be prime candidates for League Cup success. Like Leicester in the Martin O’Neill years, where a safe midtable-to-top-half finish was always secure, cup success should have been the goal: indeed, they managed to get to the final of the competition three years out of the Irishman’s four full seasons in charge. Despite being a competition that the biggest clubs haven’t always taken seriously, it was usually the best chance of silverware for the rest.

Leicester had a chance to change that and didn’t take it, but you can see why. The pressures of the league are such that only a few teams can realistically view the cup as a luxury they can devote time to. On the other hand, the big clubs seemingly now view the League Cup as a competition worth winning now that they’re all competing at the top and all looking for the same honours.

Winning any silverware is now a prerequisite for the big clubs and their super-managers, and so the first trophy of the season presents an opportunity these days, whereas before it was simply a distraction.

And so whilst it would have been great to see Leicester give it a real go with their best players all game against City in the quarter final, and perhaps even make the semi-finals of the competition a more egalitarian affair, it’s easy to see why they don’t: they can’t take risks in the league, nor do they believe they’ll get win a semi final even if they do.

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It’s not a go at Leicester, but it leaves you more frustrated than you were before: if the big clubs have wrapped up all the European places in the league, and have both pieces of domestic silverware wrapped up, then just what does that leave for everyone else? The best any other side can do is seventh place and a Europa League qualifying round spot (providing the domestic trophies do indeed go to the clubs who finished first to sixth). That was Everton’s prize last season, and they started their season in July because of it.

As the gap between the rich and the poor plays out in the table and on the pitch, it also might well play out in the interest football generates, too. Surely, at the very least, it’s bad for everyone when the smaller teams aren’t just priced out of the best players and the big honours, but are priced out of hope.

Southampton are reportedly hoping to push through a deal to bring Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes to St Mary’s before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday, and it is a move that could have implications for Nathan Redmond’s future.

The south coast outfit have struggled for goals this season with just 24 in their 24 Premier League matches so far, and Mauricio Pellegrino’s men currently lie in the relegation zone and a point from safety going into their crucial top flight clash against Brighton and Hove Albion at home on Wednesday.

Saints have never really looked to be the same team following the departures of Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane in the summer of 2016, and they will hope that the arrival of Guido Carrillo from Monaco and the potential addition of Promes will finally be the like-for-like replacements they have been looking for.

The Dutchman has scored 58 goals in 115 matches for the Russian Premier League despite often playing out wide, and if he did sign he would likely go straight into the side on one of the wings in Pellegrino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

Promes’ potential move to St Mary’s would certainly be bad news for Redmond though, who has had an up and down time with the south coast outfit since joining them from Norwich City in the same summer that Pelle and Mane left.

The winger wasn’t a regular for the Canaries as they were relegated from the Premier League, and some Southampton fans were certainly sceptical about him potentially being Mane’s replacement given the huge impact the Senegal international had in his final season with the club.

The fact that he was a young English player certainly worked in his favour at the start of his Saints career, with the St Mary’s faithful ready to be more accommodating than they perhaps would have been for others.

However, while the 23-year-old scored on his Premier League debut against Watford, the fact that former Southampton manager Claude Puel decided to play him as a striker and compared him to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry certainly didn’t help his case, and placed immense pressure upon his shoulders to get goals on a regular basis.

While Redmond had some highs in his first season with the club – including scoring the winning goal in his side’s 1-0 win against Liverpool in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie – one goal and no assists in the final nine top flight games of the campaign wasn’t too impressive.

With the fans getting on the back of Puel and the players after they failed to score in the final five top flight matches at St Mary’s last term, the wide man was one of the players that came under criticism from the supporters because he was often visibly seen moaning at his teammates on the pitch.

Of course, that could be because the 23-year-old simply wants to win, but it is a part of his character that has seen Southampton fans often turn against him.

This season, Redmond has failed to score in 21 Premier League appearances – providing three assists – despite being a regular in the starting line-up at the start of the campaign.

However, ever since the 5-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Boxing Day, the winger has found first-team minutes hard to come by.

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Two brief substitute appearances against Manchester United and Crystal Palace were followed by him being left out of the squad in the 2-2 draw against Watford, while he was an unused substitute against Spurs earlier this month.

The 23-year-old was also left out of the 18 against the Hornets in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, which suggests there has either been a breakdown in his relationship with Pellegrino, or he perhaps he hasn’t been showing a good attitude on the training pitch.

With Sofiane Boufal, Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse all playing out wide in recent weeks – and with Promes potentially joining them – Redmond’s future with the south coast outfit looks to be in doubt, and he could be offloaded in the summer unless there is a drastic change in the current situation in the coming months.

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As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that his side need to show defensive improvement if they’re to secure an important result at home to FC Zenit on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League.

What’s the story?

The Russian Premier League side scored more goals than anyone in the group stages of the competition, while Celtic conceded more goals than anyone in the group stages of the Champions League.

With defensive frailties again on show at home to Partick Thistle on Saturday, it’s clear that the Hoops are up against it this Thursday when knockout European football returns to the East end of Glasgow for the first time in three years.

Brendan Rodgers has admitted they need to raise their game, but hopes that the occasion can inspire his players to do supporters proud.

Speaking after their recent cup match and quoted by The Daily Mail, the Hoops boss said:

We will clearly need to play better than we did today but, hopefully, the occasion brings that performance up. We have a lot of players missing with injuries but they are two really exciting games for us and the first leg here on Thursday should be a fantastic game. We’ll get ready for that over the next few days and look forward to it. But we need to defend better and play better from behind.

Can the Hoops prove that they can compete against the elite sides in Europe, or are they destined to be left licking their wounds once again?

Meeting expectations

It would be harsh for anyone to expect Celtic to beat their Russian opponents on Thursday given the difference in resources between the two sides and difference in quality of league. Zenit will be one of the teams hoping to go deep into the competition this season, guided by Roberto Mancini.

What Celtic fans will expect though is a committed performance and one which is light years beyond their showing last time out in European competition against Anderlecht, when they were far too passive and didn’t look like they had any belief of getting a result at all.

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The Hoops have to prove they desire improvement at this level and even in defeat, can please supporters this Thursday.

Not making any basic defensive errors would also be a massive benefit too, of course. Shoring up Celtic’s leaky defence must be Brendan Rodgers’ priority first and foremost.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Arsenal are showing heavy interest in signing Lyon attacker Nabil Fekir in the summer transfer window.

The paper say that the in-form Ligue 1 star is Wenger’s number one priority in the upcoming window and is willing to pay the hefty £45m it would take to bring him to the Emirates.

There’s no doubting that Fekir is showing enormous talent this season. He’s scored a phenomenal 21 goals from his attacking midfield role at the French club, also creating five assists.

However, despite those impressive numbers, Arsenal fans have been left fuming by the links to his signature, believing that Wenger should be focusing on his defensive line and defensive midfield rather than looking to attract another attacking playmaker.

The Gunners have conceded a hefty 36 goals in the English Premier League this season, more than any other side in the top seven and fans are growing tired of poor defensive performances.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Fekir signing and why it would be a bad idea…

Being linked to Real Madrid is nothing strange for Tottenham Hotspur pair Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

The duo have been amid transfer gossip for some time due to their rise at the North London outfit over the last few years.

The Spanish giants have regularly been touted in the media as potential suitors for the pair, but Luis Figo has suggested that neither would be able to cope with the demands that playing at the Bernabeu brings.

A club of Real Madrid’s stature is expected to win trophies season by season, and on occasion if they fail to do so, the manager gets the axe.

Figo spent five years playing for Los Blancos, and in that time scooped seven trophies, including two La Liga titles and the Champions League.

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Alli and Kane are yet to win any silverware with Tottenham, but they came close to pushing for the league crown in the last two seasons when they finished third and second respectively.

According to the London Evening Standard, Figo has questioned whether the pair would cope in Madrid.

“They are very good players, top players, but one thing is to play for Tottenham and the other thing is to play for Real Madrid, you know And this is not missing of respect of Tottenham. It is what is like. Real Madrid is different, eh?

“In terms of pressure… because it’s a lot of pressure too. Of course Kane is fantastic and Dele Alli too and I love to see them play and they’re doing fantastic. But Tottenham is a big club too, so I don’t know if the president of Tottenham is open to selling them.”