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David Moyes has delivered West Ham United a welcome boost after confirming that Arthur Masuaku has returned to light training sessions.

The DR Congo international has been out of action since mid-December having made the decision to have surgery for the sake of his career, after dealing with pain in his knee for the best part of two years.

West Ham refused to put a timescale on his return at the time but Moyes is now hopeful of seeing the 27-year-old be back available for selection in around a month.

Masuaku went under the knife following a strong run in the Hammers starting line-up following a move from Moyes to go five-at-the-back, with the £7m-rated dynamo opening 10 of the London Stadium natives’ first 11 games of the Premier League season.

There were slight concerns that Masuaku may need a second operation last month, but allegedly did not report back any discomfort in his knee since the initial surgery.

Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Fulham, that while the left-back remains West Ham’s only absentee through injury, his progress is heading in the right direction.

“We’ve only got Arthur Masuaku [out], who has started jogging for the first time on Thursday following his knee surgery, so it gives us a thought that Arthur is only possibly a month away from coming back,” the Irons boss said.

“Hopefully, we’re trying to keep as many people fit as we can. This is a really difficult period for us. The fixture list has not been easy for any of the clubs and we’re no different.

“We’ve a really important Premier League game and then an FA Cup tie in midweek as well, so it’s another really big week for us. That said, I’m not thinking about the cup tie tomorrow, that’s for sure, but I know it’s on the horizon because of the week we’ve got.”

Moyes confirming that Masuaku is nearing a return to action will come as a boost for West Ham, after the east London outfit opted against strengthening the left-back position during the mid-season transfer window.

The Hammers were linked with a myriad of potential options to add depth behind Aaron Cresswell and youth prospect Ben Johnson, with FC Barcelona’s Junior Firpo, Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri, Brentford’s Rico Henry, RB Leipzig’s Matthew Bondswell and Manchester United’s Brandon Williams all touted at some stage.

Yet Moyes and the Irons hierarchy ultimately opted against spending out on a short-term fix, which could now prove to be a masterstroke if Masuaku is able to come back into the fold and hit the ground running next month.

The 27-year-old’s efforts earlier in the Premier League campaign still remain at a high level compared to his positional rivals across the division, with Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell (1) and Sheffield United’s Max Lowe (0.8) the only left-backs blocking a higher number of crosses on average (0.7) per game in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Masuaku additionally ranks fourth in the league for passes blocked (1.2) and fifth for accurate crosses (1.1) delivered by a left-back, and is the joint-most successful left-sided full-back for bringing possession out from the back with 2.2 successful dribbles a game, level with Brighton’s Solly March.

Cresswell, who took over honours at left-back following Masuaku’s operation, is also offering 1.1 accurate crosses a game but is misdirecting 1.7 more than his teammate, who only fails to find a West Ham shirt 2.6 times a game compared to 4.3.

Moyes may still persist with Cresswell in the role given the Irons’ form at present, but Masuaku’s return will be a big boost in adding adequate depth in the role in a potential European push.

AND in other news, David Moyes can give a £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham with one decision…

Leeds United have somewhat stagnated in their returning Premier League season after winning just one of their last five matches. Whilst they currently sit in a respectable 14th place in the table, things could rapidly turn bad for the Whites unless they start getting some more points on the board.

If they continue to struggle, they run a very high risk of losing some of their key players.

The likes of Luke Ayling has seriously impressed so far this term, performing well not only in his usual position at right-back, but adapting to a more central role in Marcelo Bielsa’s hour of need.

His versatility and strength are key components that other clubs will be looking for in a defender.

Once the January transfer window opens up, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if a few offers are made for the Englishman.

Leeds could lose Luke Ayling

Ayling has been one of Leeds’ key players throughout the last two seasons, shining during their Championship-winning campaign and indeed impressing this term as well.

The 29-year-old has attracted a lot of praise, with Alex McLeish recently paying him a huge compliment by stating he is “an example to youngsters everywhere”. He also lauded Ayling as an “impeccable” player who has adapted well to England’s top-flight, via Football Insider.

As he nears his 30th birthday, Ayling will be sizing up just how high his career can go. If a top club shows interest in his services and Leeds struggle to re-establish themselves in the Premier League, he could be tempted to take a move and try for more silverware.

The defender’s £45,000 per week contract runs until 2023 but if a Premier League club comes knocking, Leeds could squeeze a pretty penny out of them for the sale of Ayling. But they cannot afford to let him want a move away or they will lose an extremely valuable member of the club.

However, unless Bielsa changes up his tactics from his usual lineups and repetitive 4-1-4-1 formation, the Whites will be easily found out and losses will become more and more of a regular occurrence.

Indeed, this could spell a potential exit for Leeds’ star defender should he become indemand.

In other news, Andrea Radrizzani update could spell huge news for the Whites…

Aston Villa have seemingly been given the green light to revisit one of their reported summer targets in the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

Speaking to Sport Bild, Werder Bremen president Hubertus Hess-Grunwald claimed the Bundesliga outfit could sell Milot Rashica in order to raise funds this winter.

He said:

“We are in the process of tapping all sources of money, exhausting all possible savings. And of course, we will see what potential transfer proceeds we can achieve.”

Sky Germany (via Bulinews) claimed that the Midlands outfit were in ‘advanced talks’ to sign the 24-year-old back in October, but evidently that didn’t come to fruition.

Grealish heir?

Villa sporting director Johan Lange would be wise to revisit this deal in two months time as he could land Dean Smith an ideal heir to Jack Grealish’s throne.

Yes, the England star signed a new long-term contract extension recently but reports still linger over a potential move to Manchester United. If he continues to impress for his boyhood club, then such claims will only increase tenfold.

He even claimed that is was 50/50 over whether or not he’d agree to fresh terms (Sky Sports via talkSPORT).

Therefore, Lange must strike sooner rather than later and there can surely be no one better and more attainable than Rashica right now.

The €30m-rated (£27m) left-winger scored 11 goals and provided eight assists last season for Bremen, and averaged 2.6 shots, two dribbles and 1.4 key passes per appearance in the league, via WhoScored.

Bundesliga.com have likened his playing style to that of Alexis Sanchez in his Arsenal prime, an ice-cold demon with pace to burn that can cut in off the left to contribute with goals and assists – just like Grealish, really.

Rashica’s head coach Florian Kohfeldt has claimed that he “makes scoring look easy,” all the more reason for Villa to revisit him as their attack would be an awfully frightening prospect.

Even if they keep hold of Grealish, just imagine him behind Rashica, Watkins and one Trezeguet or Bertrand Traore.

€20m (£18m) was reported to be enough back in the summer, according to Sport Bild, so it’s a move that Villa should absolutely look to do in January.

AND in other news, Dean Smith must rue failed Aston Villa swoop for Maupay 2.0…

Carlton Palmer, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, has suggested Farhad Moshiri will block Carlo Ancelotti from making any further signings at Everton in January.

The Toffees majority owner sanctioned a high-spending summer under the Italian this year, as he welcomed James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Ben Godfrey to Merseyside alongside a loan deal for AS Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Ancelotti has since reiterated his belief that the renewed “atmosphere and spirit” at Goodison Park could spark a challenge for European qualification this season, something the former Chelsea and Real Madrid head coach set as his goal last term.

Everton began the season in fine fashion following the arrivals of Rodriguez, Allan and Doucoure with four straight wins, including an opening day victory over Tottenham Hotspur, while a draw at Liverpool instilled confidence in Ancelotti that the Blues “can compete” with the best.

But the Goodison Park natives remain heavily linked with potential January signings, with Juventus’ Sami Khedira, Real Madrid’s Isco, SSC Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik and Brentford’s Ivan Toney among those touted for a future on Merseyside.

Yet Palmer would be surprised if Moshiri provides any further funds in January, telling Football FanCast: “I don’t think Ancelotti will be allowed to sign any more players. He’s spent a huge amount of money.

“So, if I’m the chairman, Ancelotti has obviously had his wish list and I think the chairman’s backed him 110%. And if I was the chairman, I’d be saying: ‘right, now you have to deliver. You’re talking about Europe, you’re talking about winning a trophy. I’ve given you all the players that you’ve wanted, and I’ve spent an awful lot of money’.

“I’ll be very surprised if he’s allowed to bring in another player in January, very surprised, without getting somebody out.”

Everton spent £21m on Allan, £20m on Doucoure and £20m on Godfrey while awarding Rodriguez a £90,000-per-week contract – in a deal said to have been free – already this year.

Moshiri has greenlit a vast array of expensive captures since his arrival at Goodison Park, with former head coach Ronald Koeman signing Gylfi Sigurdsson for a then-club-record £45m, Sam Allardyce spending £27m on Cenk Tosun and Marco Silva landing Richarlison in a £50m deal.

Silva followed up Richarlison’s arrival with the £34m addition of Alex Iwobi a year later, while handing Fabian Delph an £80,000-per-week contract after joining from Manchester City for £10m.

Moshiri would be well within his rights to ask Ancelotti to work with the weapons already in his arsenal, unless Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands can get value for those no longer needed.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can reinvent Everton by buying a “hungry” 15-goal marksman who’s “similar to Zlatan”.

Phil Parkinson is at risk of making a naïve call over the involvement of Sunderland prospect Benji Kimpioka, after stating that the Under 23s talent will have to wait a little longer for his chance in the first-team.

Kimpioka has been in fine form in the Black Cats’ youth set-up this season with a hand in two goals in two Premier League 2 fixtures, having finally resolved his contract situation with a one-year deal following a long-running saga that saw the 20-year-old initially leave Wearside.

The striker had departed the North East whilst his agent held discussions with a number of different sides, but prioritised remaining in England rather than returning to his homeland of Sweden.

His return is yet to see Parkinson favour the young starlet for any of the Black Cats’ League One fixtures, and the Sunderland boss is not planning to change his thinking against Gillingham on Saturday or Ipswich in his side’s next two matches.

“They’ll definitely get opportunities [in the cup games],” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo, when asked when he will offer the academy players a chance. “We’ve also got senior players who haven’t had a great many opportunities of late, as well.

“The young players have had a reasonable integration in terms of the pre-season and the Trophy games, and there’s another couple coming up after the next two league games.”

Kimpioka’s talents had previously sparked interest from Premier League Arsenal in 2017 when the Gunners sought a £5million double swoop involving the striker and teammate Joel Asoro, though the U21 international has struggled to take his career to another level in the three years since.

Former Sunderland boss Jack Ross responded to Kimpioka’s agent demanding that his client is involved in the first-team last year by suggesting he had not seen enough progress from the 20-year-old to warrant a promotion, despite seeing the striker snub the offer of a new deal.

“It’s straightforward for me,” Ross stated, via quotes by the Chronicle. “The truth is that Benji has been offered a contract – a good contract – and to date he has chosen not to sign it.

“That’s the player’s choice and the player’s representatives’ choice, but let’s not allow anything else to cloud that. I would like Benji to stay at the club, I think he has potential, the club has offered him a good contract, we feel, for a player that to date has some potential but has not achieved anything in his career so far.”

Parkinson now has the perfect opportunity to offer Kimpioka the chance to display his potential on the senior stage, rather than waiting to join his fellow U23s prospects in the cup competitions, with Sunderland forwards Charlie Wykes (three) and Chris Maguire (two) the only men to have struck home more than once in League One this term.

Sunderland are crying out for offensive reinforcements after a mostly barren start to the campaign, and Parkinson must realise that Kimpioka’s aspirations will bring youthful enthusiasm to his frontline that goalless summer signing Danny Graham cannot.

If Parkinson persists with only awarding Kimpioka minutes in the EFL Trophy and EFL Cup, then he risks the Black Cats enjoying the same drawn-out saga next summer as there will be no evidence to justify the forward agreeing to the club activating their one-year option.

AND in other news, a “brilliant” Sunderland ace has left Phil Parkinson with an easy decision amid his injury fears.

Newcastle United have held talks with Championship side Huddersfield Town over a potential exit for Rolando Aarons, ahead of the domestic transfer window deadline on Friday.

The Magpies have been keen to get some of their fringe players off their wage bill before the window closes. Those players include the likes of Aarons, Christian Atsu, Henri Saivet and Achraf Lazaar, whose total wages add up to around £100,000-a-week, as per Chronicle Live.

Huddersfield cash injection could help finance move

Huddersfield have agreed a fee of around £15 million with West Brom for their forward Karlan Grant, and that imminent transfer could free up some funds for them to move for more attacking reinforcements. The Championship club have turned their attentions towards Aarons, as per the Daily Mail.

The 24-year-old winger spent time away from Newcastle on loan with Wycombe Wanderers last season, playing a part in them winning promotion to the Championship. The winger is not in Steve Bruce’s plans and the Magpies are keen to cash in on him ahead of Friday’s deadline, as per the Daily Mail.

Aarons’ current deal – worth around £14,000-a-week (via Spotrac) – runs out at the end of the campaign. The Magpies are hoping that they can get some money for him now, rather than see him leave St James’ Park on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Early promise has not worked out for Aarons

Aarons made an impact for Newcastle during his ten Premier League appearances in the 2015/16 season, with the winger scoring one goal and registering one assist, as well as maintaining an 84% passing accuracy (via Sofascore). However, he never really kicked on from that spell and has been a bit-part player ever since.

Steve Bruce had described Aarons as being ‘terrific’ and having had a ‘big impact’ during his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday. Since taking over at Newcastle though the former Owls boss has not given the winger much of a chance, suggesting the time is right for him to move on.

Geordies, why do you think it has not worked out for Aarons at Newcastle? Let us know your thoughts below!

A number of West Ham fans have been slating the club’s decision to allow both Josh Cullen and Jack Wilshere to leave before the transfer window closed.

Cullen secured a late move to join Belgian side RSC Anderlecht on a permanent basis, with the midfielder having left to try and get more regular first-team football elsewhere, after he came back to the Hammers in the summer following the end of a loan spell with Charlton Athletic.

The 24-year-old was an impressive performer for the Addicks, creating seven big chances and averaging two tackles per game, via Sofascore. However, he was unable to force his way into David Moyes’ starting line-up in the Premier League at the start of this campaign.

Wilshere left West Ham on transfer deadline day with his contract being terminated by mutual consent, after the one-time England midfielder made just 19 appearances for the Hammers since arriving at the club after leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2018.

A lot of West Ham supporters have been critical of the club’s decision which leaves them short on options in the midfield area, and leaves them at risk of being left short across midfield were they to pick up any injuries between now and the January window.

West Ham fans what do you make of losing both Cullen and Wilshere? Let us know your thoughts

Another potential outgoing could be on the cards for Liverpool, with Joel Matip at the forefront of the attention. 

The centre-back has reportedly attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain who are looking to pursue a move for his signature this summer. That’s according to @Jordan_MChoco (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), who claims manager Thomas Tuchel and sporting director Leonardo are admirers of Matip.

The Cameroon international has been with the Merseyside outfit since 2016, after he joined on a free transfer from Schalke 04 (via BBC Sport). Matip has participated in some huge games for the Reds, including the winning side that took on Tottenham Hotspur last season in the Champions League final.

However, despite his influence on the team, he is often left on the bench in favour of Joe Gomez. Matip also has a history of injury problems, missing 20 matches this season through a knee problem (via Transfermarkt).

Many Liverpool fans are fully against cashing in on the 28-year-old and have taken to Twitter to express this. One supporter has tweeted ‘they cannot have him’, whilst similarly another has firmly stated Matip is ‘not for sale’.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool should look to sell Joel Matip this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

A lot of Crystal Palace fans enjoyed reminiscing over a great day in their recent history as the club posted a throwback picture of their match on this day in 2013.

It is a photo from the day of their Championship play-off final triumph against Watford seven years ago which features the players’ celebrations after their victory against the Hornets.

It was a very tense affair which saw the game go to extra-time after a goalless 90 minutes, via BBC Sport. It looked like the game was going to go to penalties until Wilfried Zaha’s trickery was too much for the defence and he was fouled in the box. Up stepped veteran striker Kevin Phillips, who never looked like missing, and he smashed it into the top corner.

The Eagles were able to hold on to gain promotion to the Premier League and they have stayed in England’s top flight ever since. Having never managed consecutive Premier League seasons prior to 2013, they have been a top-flight club ever since then, with seven successive years at the highest level of English football, via Transfermarkt.

Here is how these Crystal Palace fans reacted to the tweet, with club ambassador Mark Bright describing the occasion as “magical”:

Palace fans, how big a game was this in the club’s history? Comment below with your views!

Wolves’ Raul Jimenez has been linked to moves away from the Midlands since January, with three major Premier League sides keen on acquiring his services.

According to ESPN, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in the Mexican striker, who currently has a market value of £36million (£45m prior to the halted season).

Manchester United are also keeping tabs on the 28-year-old and his teammate, Rúben Neves, as they look to recruit in the summer, with Goal.com reporting back in January that the Red Devils had made moves to sign the pair, although a deal in the winter window never transpired.

Jiménez has taken the league by storm since arriving from Benfica in 2018 on loan before making it a permanent move the following year. The frontman has tallied 26 league goals and 14 assists across his time so far with Wolves. His goal contributions see him the eighth-highest scorer in England’s top flight this campaign, ahead of Raheem Sterling and Roberto Firmino.

But despite interest from three of England’s most valuable clubs, a move away from Wolves wouldn’t be as beneficial as it may look on paper. The Midlands side are currently sixth in the Premier League on 43 points, five behind fourth-place Chelsea.

However, following a verdict of Manchester City’s ban from Europe, Wolves may simply need to secure fifth in the table to qualify for a Champions League spot – which Man United currently occupy with a very slim two-point advantage.

Europe is well within the grasp of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side and their ticket to success is undoubtedly Jiménez. However, it’s easy to see why the links to some of England’s best could be tempting the striker. The Red Devils have been struggling across the frontline this season and the promise of regular first-team football could be enough to sway the Mexican into a move up north.

Spurs are in a similar situation, with three of their attackers currently injured. Harry Kane is also linked to a move away from London, which could see the addition of Jiménez becoming the focal point of the team. But Tottenham and their rivals Arsenal are both in surprisingly low positions in the table, with just one point separating them in eighth and ninth place respectively.

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To move away from a side where exciting things could be unfolding would be a foolish move for Jiménez. Particularly if the rumours surrounding an exit for Adama Traore come to fruition and Wolves use the money to bring in support for their No.9. The added bonus of Champions League football would also attract attention from the rest of Europe, especially if they make it into the knockout stages.

With Jiménez in their ranks, Wolves could see themselves slowly climb the ladder towards becoming an elite Premier League side. If he stays long enough, the Mexican goal-machine could also see himself go down in history as a club legend, although admittedly that is some way off right now.