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West Ham should make a move for Empoli hitman Francesco Caputo to replace the injury-stricken Andy Carroll at the London Stadium, in a move that would add serious competition to the striking ranks and wouldn’t cost too much.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Carroll has made just four appearances in the Premier League this season for the Hammers, all of them coming from the substitutes bench as he is yet to make a start for the club.

A lot has been made of the England international’s injury history, but the progress and style of play under Manuel Pellegrini in particular suggests that the 29-year-old’s time at West Ham is up regardless of if he manages to regain his fitness.

Pellegrini has Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic as his striking options currently, and both have been very good this season with five goals each to their name this season in all competitions.

Just the two of them, however, may not be enough to maintain the east Londoners’ current eye-catching form for the second half of a gruelling Premier League season, so perhaps an addition to the ranks in January wouldn’t go amiss.

Why should they go for Caputo?

The Italian striker has been in exquisite form for newly-promoted Empoli in Serie A so far this season. Caputo has hit nine goals and has also recorded two assists for the club in 17 starts this season, whilst his all-round game provides a lot for opposition defences to think about.

31-year-old Caputo was Empoli’s star man in their promotion campaign last season, scoring 26 goals and recording seven assists in 41 Serie B starts.

At his age, he may feel that he will only get the chance to make one more significant transfer in his career, and may want to have a taste of one of the biggest leagues in the world in the Premier League should a club come calling.

That club should most definitely be West Ham; for squad depth and competition for their current forwards, the relatively unknown Caputo would be a great option and shouldn’t cost too much either.

Loads of Tottenham fans have been giving their verdict on the defeat to Wolves, and it looks like this could be the last straw for Hugo Lloris.

Tottenham suffered a major setback in the title race on Saturday, losing 3-1 at home to a stunning second half fightback from Wolves.

After romping past Everton and Bournemouth with relative ease, Spurs looked to have another enjoyable afternoon on the way when Harry Kane curled in a beautiful effort to open the scoring.

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The Lilywhites were completely ineffectual after the interval though, and the visitors at Wembley made them pay with some wonderful football.

While Wolves will certainly be proud of their performance, and so they should be, Spurs fans are raging at Lloris, who really should have done better with two of the three goals.

Willy Boly gave him no chance with a powerful header, but Raul Jimenez’s winner practically trickled into the net before Helder Costa scuffed a rather tame effort past the Frenchman into the bottom corner.

Paulo Gazzaniga has been sensational in his six appearances this season, and fans want Lloris to pass the reigns after his horror display against Wolves.

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

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Darren Moore could be about to lose Harvey Barnes, as Leicester City consider recalling the 21-year-old from his West Brom loan, per The Telegraph’s John Percy.

What’s the word?

Percy is claiming that West Brom are waiting to hear back from the Foxes, who are currently debating whether it would be beneficial to their season if the attacking midfielder returned to the King Power Stadium in January.

Barnes joined the Baggies in July on a season-long loan deal, and has since featured in 28 first-team fixtures for Moore’s side, including all 26 Championship ties to date.

The Foxes youth product has been a key figure at the Hawthorns since making his debut against Bolton on August 4, when he scored West Brom’s only goal of the game in a 2-1 defeat.

Barnes has since netted a further eight times and teed Albion teammates up six times, to contribute to 17 of his side’s total of 54 goals that is making Moore’s squad potential promotion candidates – the 21-year-old’s best run included four goals and three assists in seven games.

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What next for WBA?

For now, all West Brom are able to do is sit and wait to hear back from Leicester, with a decision expected by the end of the week.

In the meantime, Moore will be preparing his side to face Norwich on January 12, with the Canaries currently second in the league behind Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United.

If Moore is capable of overseeing a 14th win of the season, the Baggies would move level on points with Norwich, and eclipse the Carrow Road outfit by goal difference.

As for replacements, AEK Athens’ Petros Mantalos has again been linked with a move to the Hawthorns, having been targeted by the club in the summer.

Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden has also been tipped with a move to Albion, but the Tyneside outfit have rejected the proposed deal for the defensive mid as Benitez wants to sign a replacement before letting the 23-year-old leave.

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Liverpool midfielder Harry Wilson has emerged as a youngster to watch this season during his time on loan at Derby County.

The 21-year-old has netted 11 goals and provided three assists thus far this season, and enjoyed another match-altering display against Southampton in the FA Cup on Wednesday.

Derby fell 2-0 behind against the Saints, but Frank Lampard’s side rallied to win on penalties.

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Wilson netted what could have been a consolation goal with a brilliant free-kick, but then assisted Martyn Waghorn in the 82nd minute to force extra time.

The performances of the midfielder has grown hype around his performances, with the Reds seemingly boasting a superlative youth academy.

Wilson also enjoyed a productive spell with Liverpool’s Under-23s prior to his loan move, scoring 32 goals and providing 14 assists in 60 games for the club.

He has already won eight caps for Wales, and Reds fans are salivating at the prospect of the star returning to Anfield.

Arsenal and Manchester United head into Friday evening’s FA Cup fourth round tie with both teams’ strikers in fine form and it is one contest that could decide the outcome of the much-anticipated encounter.

The two most successful clubs in the competition’s history, Arsenal and United have had some classic clashes in the past, most notably due to the excellent strikers that have been at the respective clubs.

One only has to think of the times Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy lit up almost every competition in English football.

But, a couple of years later, the great rivalry between the two clubs has reached a new level of importance and it will come down to which team utilises their centre-forwards the best.

Rashford has long been tipped for a big future for both United and England. Only 21-years-old, he has made massive strides in becoming one of the finest finishers in the country and has shown a great level of maturity in his rise at the club.

The pacy forward, however, has been in devastating form in front of goal in recent weeks with four goals in as many matches.

He’s been at the heart of United’s resurgence in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the manager has made him lead the line of attack above Romelu Lukaku, with massive success.

Lacazette, on the other hand, showed over the weekend just what a powerful striker he can be. Despite his brilliant strike to open the scoring against Chelsea, the Frenchman’s work-rate was something to behold and the energy he played definitely inspired his teammates on the night.

The pressure he applies on opposition defenders has been beneficial to Unai Emery’s team this season, while his capabilities of finding the back of the net from virtually any angle has kept the Gunners in the run for a top-four finish in the league.

Head-to-head, both Lacazette and Rashford will need their teammates to be on par come Friday evening but it is almost a certainty that, given the way both teams attack, they will have chances at goal. Considering the fixture’s former importance and the fact the hype around has died, the fact that such an interesting and potential high scoring battle will commence should have fans dreaming about the good old days.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in disappointed fashion after it was revealed that Sunderland’s in-form forward Josh Maja is on the verge of joining Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, for a minimal fee that could rise to £3.5m as reported by Sky Sports, and first by L’Equipe on Wednesday.

The aforementioned Sky Sports article states that the 20-year-old was a target for the Eagles, as well as Neil Warnock’s Cardiff, but will now be swapping League One for Ligue 1 having decided not to renew his contract with the Black Cats.

Maja has scored 15 league goals so far this season (as per Whoscored), helping Jack Ross’ side mount a charge for an immediate return to the Championship. However, the Wearsiders have now decided to cash in on the youngster rather than lose him for nothing in the summer, with a move to France on the cards despite admiring glances from the Premier League.

The Eagles desperately need another goalscorer, as only Jordan Ayew has netted in the league out of every striking option Roy Hodgson has at his disposal – even then, the Ghanaian has just one strike to his name, as per Transfermarkt.

With the days ticking away in the window, fans of the south London club are getting panicky over their complete lack of signings, and appear especially disappointed that the club didn’t secure an extremely cheap move for a very promising young prospect…

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Filip Benkovic’s ankle injury looks like calling a halt to Jack Hendry’s hopes of going out on loan, according to the Evening Times.

What’s the word?

The former Dundee man has slipped to fifth choice for a place in central defence but that has changed, with Benkovic out of action for at least a month while Dedryck Boyata has missed the last three games.

Jozo Simunovic and Kris Ajer were paired up for Thursday night’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone with Rodgers set to carry out a head check this morning at Lennoxtown.

“Filip’s injury could change the plan for Jack,” the Celtic boss told the Evening Times. “We wanted to get him out for games but I need to ensure our squad is covered – before anyone else’s. We will assess that on Thursday morning and see where it is at.”

Catch 22

This is a real Catch 22 decision for Rodgers – by the middle of March, Benkovic and Boyata could be reunited with Hendry left watching from the stand. On the other hand, an injury to Ajer or Simunovic in the next couple of weeks would make Rodgers look foolish if Hendry is impressing out on loan.

Since joining Celtic exactly a year ago, the three-cap Scotland international has had the unfortunate knack of playing in some of the worst performances of 2018 with his stats seized upon by the critics.

Getting a dozen or more games out on loan at an English Championship side would do his game the world of good. Before joining Dundee in July 2017, Hendry had barely sampled first team football.

It is probably in Hendry’s best interests to go out on loan but to Celtic’s benefit that he stays on as cover. Ultimately Rodgers will have to act in Celtic’s interests to provide insurance against any further injuries, but both potential outcomes have their own set of negatives.

Rangers have been extremely impressive in recent times as they’ve managed to win their last three games in all competitions, which has helped them gain some momentum. 

Steven Gerrard will feel confident that his side can get the job done in the current campaign, as there’s still a long way to go in the race for the Scottish Premiership title.

Interestingly, the Light Blues managed to strengthen in pretty much all areas during the January transfer window as they welcomed the likes of Jermain Defoe, Steven Davies, Matt Polster, Andy Firth and Glen Kamara to the club.

Although, one position that they failed to strengthen in was the No.10 role. Josh Windass thrived in that role behind Alfredo Morelos during his time at Ibrox, but he decided to join Wigan Athletic in the summer transfer window.

Rangers should have done everything they could to lure Windass’ team-mate, Nick Powell, to Ibrox last month. The Gers were credited with an interest in the January transfer window with his contract running out in the summer, but rather than focusing on signing him at the end of the season they should have attempted to pay a fee last month.

Indeed, the title race could have well and truly tipped in Rangers’ favour, as an attack that involves Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe and Powell would be almost unstoppable.

The 24-year-old is arguably one of the best attacking midfielders in the English Championship, having produced an impressive four goals and five assists in just 18 appearances this season. He has everything you could want in an attacker, with his pace, strength, passing, dribbling, finishing and aerial ability making him the perfect signing.

Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe would have thrived off Powell’s service in the final third. He can score and provide assists, as well as getting stuck in on defensive duties, so he has all the ingredients to become a star at Ibrox.

Rangers fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Powell?

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Norwich fans have taken to Twitter to react after Ipswich boss Paul Lambert was sent off in the East Anglian derby win at Carrow Road.

Lambert, who used to manage the Canaries, received his marching orders after becoming embroiled in a heated touchline brawl in which he had to be restrained by members of his own staff as well as the police.

Norwich boss Daniel Farke watched on coolly as the chaos ensued, and the cameras even picked up a cheeky wink from the German as he saw his side extend their lead at the top of the table.

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Norwich won the game by three goals to nil as Ipswich’s 10-year failure to beat them continues, thanks to an early opener from Onel Hernandez and a second-half Teemu Pukki double, although Lambert’s sending off will dominate the post-game chat.

Understandably, Norwich fans on Twitter wasted no time in sharing their views on their former manager’s behaviour…

Lautaro Martinez is one of the hottest prospects currently on the market.

The young Inter Milan forward is wanted by the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United, if a new report coming from FcInterNews is anything to go by, and the Nerazzurri might be fighting a losing battle for their talisman.

The same report states that the 22-year-old Argentine will have a release clause of €111m (£93.8m) available in his contract from July 1st to July 15th but the Italians would very much love to either get rid of it or increase it significantly in the near future.

Mundo Deportivo have also stated Barcelona are on the prowl as well, and could very well be interested in acquiring his services.

Of course, both the Blaugrana and the Citizens’ interest could be warranted by the fact their star strikers, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero, are on the wrong side of their 30s and not getting any younger.

Adding some new blood might go a long way for both Ernesto Valverde and Pep Guardiola’s squads but Martinez’s arrival could have major implications on two other stars already present in their respective squads – Antoine Griezmann for the Catalans and Gabriel Jesus for the English side.

The Frenchman was a centre-forward throughout most of his Atletico Madrid stint, as per the games that are in Tranfermarkt’s database, and his arrival should’ve, at least on paper, meant that Suarez has finally gotten his heir.

But Valverde has preferred to put Griezmann on the left and keep the Uruguayan in the lineup as well, as is evident from his 17 games played out wide and just five in the central area as per Transfermarkt.

Quite clearly, the Basque coach sees the Frenchman in a different kind of role and Barca’s efforts to go into the market and find a young no.9, just like Martinez, could mean Griezmann ends up being a winger on a near-permanent basis.

At least that’s what the season so far would indicate.

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Not that he hasn’t performed – as seven goals and four assists in 2019/20 can attest – but it’s rather weird for Barcelona to splash the cash on him and then essentially play him out of position. Signing a new centre-forward in Martinez, though, suggests that’s a long-term view rather than a pragmatic one to get Barcelona’s best attackers into the side.

For Man City, this is more of a straightforward case – Martinez’s arrival would provide relief for Aguero but it also makes you wonder what will happen to Jesus.

The Brazilian is 22, just like Inter’s gem, and has a similar skill set that could definitely be used to take over the mantle in the near future.

With ten goals and five assists across 22 games in all competitions, we can see that Jesus can both attack and create, which is also solidified by his 2.2 key passes and 2.2 dribbles in the Champions League this season, where he has been extremely prolific.

Martinez is similar with 1.2 key passes and 1.2 dribbles in Europe but naturally lags a bit behind considering the overall quality of the teams.

Still, the only real reason Jesus has been given a steady run of games as of late is Aguero’s injury and if Man City are so determined to land Inter’s star to replace their ageing gunman, it does make you wonder what will happen to the young starlet they already have in the pipeline.

We’ve seen Guardiola tamper with all kinds of systems this season but he almost always plays with a single striker up front. Jesus is primarily a centre-forward – as evident from this season’s tally of games from Transfermarkt – so Martinez’s arrival might as well spell trouble for his Man City career, or at least make his own challenge of becoming Augero’s undoubted successor that little bit tougher.

We’ll have to wait and see, but wherever Martinez ends up next, he will almost certainly create casualties.

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