According to reports from TuttoJuve, West Ham have an obligation to buy on-loan striker permanently Simone Zaza after just ten appearances.

What’s the word?

Co-chairman David Sullivan told TalkSPORT in March that a star-studded centre-forward would be West Ham’s priority for the summer transfer window, leading to copious links with Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette and AC Milan frontman Carlos Bacca throughout the off-season.

Despite a willingness to splash the cash, however, a glass ceiling remained between the east London club and the top end of the striker market, which eventually forced them to settle for signing Juventus forward Simone Zaza (famed for his abysmal penalty kick at Euro 2016) on a season-long loan.

But the Italy international’s agent and father Antonio has now told TuttoJuve that West Ham are obliged to sign his son permanently after ten appearances. He’s already made five across all competitions.

As translated into English by IBT, he said; “He is on loan from Juventus with an obligation to buy after 10 appearances. I think he has four or five so far.”

Any truth to it?

It’s a rather surprising claim, yet there’s not an obvious motivation for Antonio Zaza to lie. After all, he’s discussing his son’s future with a website devoted to the striker’s parent club, Juventus. It would be pretty embarrassing – and quite bizarre – if Zaza senior was telling tall tales that could not only affect his future at West Ham but also in Turin.

Likewise, such deals aren’t unheard of. In fact, I’m sure you’ve done something similar on Football Manager on more than one occasion to get around budget issues.

Fearing they’d leave themselves red-faced after failing to achieve their own self-publicised objective of bringing in a high-quality goalscorer, perhaps West Ham hastily agreed to the deal as Deadline Day loomed. Let’s not forget Zaza signed for the Hammers on August 28th.

Do West Ham want to sign Zaza permanently?

Based on current form, definitely not. Zaza is yet to score for the Hammers and was dropped to the bench for the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough last weekend, albeit allowed to enter the fray at half-time. In fact, from 258 minutes of Premier League action, he’s managed just six efforts at goal – none of which have been on target.

At the moment, the former Sassuolo talisman looks like a bit of a dud, so being forced to sign him permanently would be viewed as a bit of a disaster by Irons fans.

That being said, West Ham have been pretty shocking all round this season, so placing all their woes on a largely isolated centre-forward would be naive. Zaza’s still just 25 years of age and boasts a decent scoring record from his time in Serie A, so it could simply be a case of the powerful forward settling to the style of the Premier League.

It will surely be said by so many after that Arsenal performance against Paris Saint Germain, but it really was the same old, same old from the Gunners.

Flopping when they can least afford to and having defensive troubles in November, the familiarities of previous years echoed around the Emirates Stadium. Arsene Wenger is a couple of defeats away from the sort of early winter crisis that is becoming the trademark of his time at the club.

Legacies and previous successes are forgotten on nights like Wednesday for Arsenal. It is about here, now and the short-term prospects for the club. Although it could end up being almost irrelevant, it will still sting that such a glaring opportunity to top the group was missed out on yet again.

Repeating the same action and expecting different consequences is the very height of frustration. What is next for Arsenal we cannot tell, but we most certainly learnt a few things from their fortuitous draw with PSG.

November Curse Continues

The nonsense of Arsenal’s November curse is looking less nonsensical by the week.

A third poor performance in a row for the Gunners raises many, many questions about the management of Arsene Wenger. Challenging matches is one thing, but the displays that Arsenal have produced – in stark contrast to earlier in the season – have been shambolic.

Alexis Delivers

Despite an appalling first half from Arsenal, they managed to go in for their oranges on level terms.

In part that was down to Alexis Sanchez once again. The powerful Chilean looked a little lethargic at times during the first half, but he produced the quick feet when it mattered to win the penalty.

Cavani will do

His chance conversion is not quite at the elite level, but Edinson Cavani is more than adept to lead the line for a team as good as PSG.

Leaving Arsenal’s centre-backs in a mess with his intelligent, well-timed runs, Cavani – despite his critics – is the sort of striker that could really transform Arsenal.

Wenger still doesn’t know

Imbalance in the Arsenal midfield, death, taxes – you know how this thing goes.

Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin were named in the deepest midfield roles for the visit of PSG and it was a failure, unsurprisingly. Without a player who can build from deep, possession was clumsy coming through the pairing as Santi Cazorla was sorely missed once again.

Xhaka cannot be trusted

For whatever reason, Arsene Wenger does not seem to have a great deal of faith in his big money summer signing.

This links well into the last slide, in fact. Xhaka could be the man to balance the midfield, as he offers both the ability to break up play and pass from deep. Instead, he was left on the bench and shouted at when he made an error of judgement late on.

Yaya Toure is used to dominating the midfield in his Premier League but he’s had to step outside of his comfort zone recently, as he dealt with the British judiciary system after being accused of drink driving.

The Ivorian, who has enjoyed a revival back into the Manchester City set-up in recent weeks, accepted the charge put towards him but took to social media today to deny ‘intentionally consuming’ alcohol- a statement that raises some questions.

Veteran midfielder Toure has been handed an 18-month driving ban, alongside a hefty fine, but stated on Facebook he is confused by the charges.

“Over the last two weeks there has been some confusion as to why I was charged with drink driving, as it is well known that I am a Muslim and do not drink.” I have always refused alcohol. Anyone who knows me or follows football will have seen me refuse champagne for Man of the Match performances because of my commitment to my religion.”

“The matter has now been resolved in court on Monday. As I was above the permitted limit when tested on the night, I decided not to challenge the charge. However, it was important to me that I told the court that I had not intentionally consumed alcohol. The judge in his sentencing remarks accepted that I had not been intentionally drinking.”

“Drink driving is a serious crime and even though I was not intentionally consuming alcohol I accept the ban and fine and I would like to apologise for this situation. I would also like to thank my family, the management and staff at Manchester City, my legal team and the fans for the support they have given me during this difficult time.”

How you accidentally consume alcohol is beyond me but I’m not the one to judge here and Toure hasn’t got away with anything due to his punishment, with City fans now hoping he can drive their campaign forward after a disappointing spell.

Pep Guardiola’s side have slipped down the Premier League standings after defeat to Leicester City this weekend and now face a huge week, hosting Watford this evening and clashing with Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.

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After getting the closest they ever have to winning the Premier League title last season, Tottenham are certainly holding back a little this term, but they are well positioned just outside of the top four prior to their match against leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

While a title challenge appears unlikely, there is certainly less pressure on Mauricio Pochettino and his side than there was when they were going head-to-head with Leicester City last year, and they are certainly in good form having won four of their last five matches prior to their meeting with Antonio Conte’s men tonight.

Supporters would have been concerned after Spurs netted just 19 league goals in their first 14 matches of the campaign, but it is a record they have improved on in recent weeks by scoring 18 times in their following five fixtures.

Nevertheless, with a reliance on Harry Kane and with goals from midfield sometimes hard to come by – excluding Dele Alli, perhaps – Pochettino could be on the search for some more attacking reinforcements during the January transfer window.

Here are FIVE signings he could make this month that would add a new dimension to his team’s forward play…

Isco

It doesn’t seem to be a normal transfer window if Spurs aren’t linked with a move for Real Madrid attacking midfielder Isco, and sure enough they have been of late.

The Spaniard has once again found first-team football hard to come by with the Spanish giants this term and his time at Bernabeu is surely coming to an end as he has featured for 90 minutes on just two occasions under Real boss Zinedine Zidane this season.

The 24-year-old would add a real quality – and a goal threat – to the attacking midfield positions in Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

Wilfried Zaha

After a swoop for Moussa Sissoko stalled in the summer, Tottenham made a move for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha but their bids were rejected by their London neighbours.

Spurs eventually signed Sissoko, but with the Frenchman failing to impress many this term, Spurs could look to go back for Zaha in January – indeed, Squawka claimed in mid-December a bid was being considered – as they don’t really have an attacking player that has the pace and trickery to beat his defender.

The winger, who will represent the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, has been in decent form for the Eagles and scored a brilliant scissor-kick against Swansea on Tuesday night.

Sandro Ramirez

There aren’t many players that have come through the Barcelona academy that have gone on to be bad footballers when they have moved elsewhere, and Ramirez is a point in case.

The 21-year-old forward only joined Malaga in the summer but after scoring nine goals in 16 appearances for the La Liga side. The highly-rated attacker has surely been catching the attention of a number of bigger clubs, and his finishing ability means he could bring something different to this Spurs side.

Christian Pulisic

The Borussia Dortmund youngster has already shown that he has the talent to go far in his career having impressed in more than 20 appearances for the Bundesliga giants, as well as eleven caps for his national team – the United States.

Just 18-years-of-age, Pulisic is able to play in a defensive or attacking role on either side of midfield, and his quick-thinking and ability on the ball when he is under pressure from the opposition mean that he could add something a little more intricate to Spurs’ attacking play – although it could take a large fee to prise him away from Germany.

Mario Mandzukic

Tottenham look to have tried, but failed, to find some suitable competition for Harry Kane with summer signing Vincent Janssen, who has struggled to impress manager Mauricio Pochettino and the club’s supporters so far.

One player they could bring to the club that would increase that quality up top would be Juventus’ Mandzukic, and the Croatian has often been linked with a move to the Premier League after proving he can do it at the very top level in Germany and Italy.

Tottenham Hotspur kicked-off their march to Wembley in a decent fashion yesterday evening as they overcame Championship outfit Aston Villa at White Hart Lane.

Securing a 2-0 victory against the side relegated from the Premier League last May, Spurs put their name in the hat for this evening’s fourth round draw and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will certainly be seen as contenders to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

The first-half was far from impressive from the North London side but Spurs responded in the second-half with two goals to secure a win, continuing their decent run of form after ending Chelsea’s remarkable winning run last week.

Following the match, we’ve picked out five images that sum up the game after a match that was a difficult watch at times for Tottenham fans but ended on a positive note in the end.

Travelling support

It’s been a difficult year for Aston Villa but that didn’t stop the supporters travelling in their numbers to White Hart Lane, hoping to see an upset. Whilst the result wasn’t what they hoped, Villa can be pleased with their performance.

Game changer

Vincent Janssen couldn’t hit a barn door once again in this match and the game changing moment came when Spurs’ £17m striker was hauled off and replaced by Dele Alli. With the in-form Englishman in the middle of the park, the hosts had a new lease of life and looked to be a much better side.

Davies breaks the deadlock

It was anyone’s game heading into the final ten minutes but Ben Davies’ header, his first goal in Tottenham colours, left White Hart Lane celebrating. A deft header put things right after a poor first-half showing and put Spurs on course for a victory.

Son seals it

Leading by only one, Spurs sealed the result with ten minutes to spare when Son Heung-Min tucked home to put Spurs in the fourth round draw. More difficult tests await for the Lilywhites but the victory was secured in the end, which is all anyone can ask for.

Spurs in the hat

With the final whistle blown, Spurs have their name in this evening’s fourth round draw and fans will be wondering who will stand in their way next round. They could face a huge clash against another top-six side or host another lower league team but Spurs will have their sights set on the latter stages.

Pep Guardiola has not taken to Premier League life very easily as Manchester City manager.The Spaniard and his team currently sit fifth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea after 21 games.Guardiola has already admitted that his team are no longer in the title race, and they now face a battle to finish in the top four, with just five points separating second and sixth.[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]The hammer blow in City’s title hopes was administered on Sunday when Everton humiliated them 4-0 at Goodison Park.Guardiola is in unfamiliar territory, as he is so used to being triumphant as a manager having won 21 trophies while in charge of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.Now, though, the pressure is on.ÂStatistics from OptaJoeÂindicate that City need to finish the Premier League season unbeaten otherwise Guardiola is facing the worst losing record in his managerial career.

The only real silver lining for City at the moment is that they are above rivals Manchester United in the table, albeit only by two points.

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That’s it then, folks. The transfer window slammed shut last night… or rather creaked to a close.

Now it’s over, Sky Sports can put their yellow ties away for another few months, and Premier League clubs cannot add to their squads until their fate for 2016/17 has been decided.

It was not an exciting month transfer-wise, whatever Sky try to tell us. Finding out Max Gradel was in Nando’s was perhaps not the great saga that the bosses had hoped for, nor was Dimitar Berbatov wandering around London. Although the window fell short of some of the show-stopping Januarys of recent years, there were plenty of winners and losers up and down the Premier League.

For many clubs the January window made no sense, though that obviously did not stop them spending million after million on players. For others, it was a window of necessity, fittingly those clubs were less active.

Here are FIVE clubs that certainly failed over the last few weeks…

Liverpool

Liverpool have good depth, they have a strong squad. Jurgen Klopp, however, has seen the weakest points of his team exposed during the last few weeks and it is remarkable they did not make a splash in the January market.

Joel Matip and Sadio Mane are still without replacements in their first-team and additions to the defence are a must. It could, as with so many top clubs, cost Liverpool ground in the second half of this season, too.

Stoke City

Finally ending the Saido Berahino saga was a treat to us all, so thank you Stoke City, Peter Coates and Mark Hughes. That alone, mind, was not enough to make this window a success for the Potters. Hughes’ questionable selections saw Bojan force a move away from the club and the addition of Berahino, although a good signing, only bolsters an already overcrowded strikeforce.

Weaknesses in midfield and defence were overlooked, but it is the loss of Bojan that could hurt the Potters most severely.

Sunderland

Losing one of their few goalscoring threats in Patrick van Aanholt may not be the disaster it seems if Bryan Oviedo can prove himself as an adequate defender. Elsewhere, though, Sunderland underwhelmed in the market and failed to add a striker to properly replace the injured Victor Anichebe.

David Moyes deserves sympathy for the situation his is in at the Stadium of Light, but that does not solve the glaring deficiencies in his squad.

West Ham

Despite the additions of Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte, West Ham’s January window was disappointing. The forced exit of Dimitri Payet remains the biggest tale of the month, but the fact the Irons were delving into the market at all is questionable. With little to play for in the remainder of this campaign, signing the veteran Fonte and 29-year-old Snodgrass made little sense.

Slaven Bilic clearly wanted to do some business, and that he did, yet West Ham have hardly built for the long-term and still lack goal scorers.

Tottenham

No business from Spurs represented a poor window. With evident weaknesses in their options from the bench, Mauricio Pochettino could have significantly boosted his team’s chances for the second half of the campaign with some additions.

Signings were not a must for Tottenham, and giving the expensive Moussa Sissoko more opportunities is a necessity, but it could end up making all the difference

Arsenal would not be where they are now were it not for Arsene Wenger. Although never a small, insignificant team, the Gunners have their French tactician to thank for making them trailblazers in the English game through the late 1990s and 2000s, with some of the football played in that period simply stunning, while club icons such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira were signed and nurtured by Le Prof.

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Alas, all good things must come to an end, and there’s no doubt that the fortunes of the London club have dipped of late, with more than ten years having passed since their last league triumph, while two FA Cup victories in the last few seasons have done little to keep the critics at bay.

Wenger’s contract is up at the end of the season and the 67-year-old may be waiting to see how the campaign ends before committing to extended terms, but our poll shows that feeling may not be forthcoming amongst supporters, with 81% of voters ready for the club and manager to part ways in a few months’ time…

There’s not doubt there would be a period of adjustment for Arsenal, as there has been at Manchester United post-Sir Alex Ferguson, but the club are on a sound financial footing and have some excellent players, so they may have their pick of elite bosses.

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Santi Cazorla’s continued absence for Arsenal has been a major concern for the Gunners, as Arsene Wenger’s side have struggled to find a capable replacement within their ranks- which is a big problem given Cazorla’s age.

The 32-year-old is expected to remain until at least 2018 but continued injury problems do not help his cause and Arsenal seriously need to find a player capable of filling into his position when required, especially as the ageing Spaniard is likely to be unable to cope with playing across four competitions next season.

Given the class of Cazorla, a replacement could prove to be costly for Arsenal but it’s something where the Gunners need to ensure they don’t penny-pinch in, as failing to strengthen this area is likely to lead to further problems.

Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic is a name that has been linked but TalkSport suggests an issue has arisen the form of Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants set to rival the Gunners for the Bosnian playmaker’s signature.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have plenty of financial firepower but comparing Pjanic’s figures to Cazorla shows Arsenal cannot afford to miss out, as the 26-year-old is a ready-made replacement for the Spaniard.

Per game this season, Pjanic has bettered Cazorla in chances created and shots taken, whilst his passing accuracy and shot accuracy are only slightly behind the Spanish veteran.

Cazorla’s successful passes-per-game are significantly higher than Pjanic’s but that may be down to Arsenal’s style, as the Gunners favour short passes when building up the attack and don’t go direct too often.

Whats perhaps most impressive is Pjanic has managed to keep his numbers as comparable with Cazorla despite playing over double the amount of minutes this season, with Cazorla having made just eight Premier League appearances before his injury in October.

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As reported by The Daily Mirror, Newcastle United are facing a battle to hold on to their leader and manager Rafa Benitez this summer with Chinese clubs ready to pay big money to take him to Asia.

What’s the word?

Benitez is currently looking good to lead his side back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, sitting second in the Championship, five points ahead of third with just thirteen games remaining.

However, the Magpies’ rebuilding project could be set to fall apart of Chinese Super League sides get their way.

The Mirror reckons that two such sides are willing to pay the Spanish manager a staggering £30m-a-year to manage in China from the summer.

That would be a big blow for Newcastle fans who grown fond of his leadership and dedication in bringing Newcastle back to the top-flight. They recognise they need stability and obviously this is a massive danger to that.

Stay or go?

If you assume that Rafa Benitez is not entirely motivated by money, you would be hard pressed to find reasons why the manager should leave Newcastle and head to China.

The squad he has at St James’ Park isn’t bad at all and should he guide them back to the top-flight then they have a great chance of staying up next season which would only enhance his standing with the Magpies faithful.

Newcastle need a long-term project with a genuine leader at the helm if they’re going to get back to where they want to be, in Europe and competing for trophies.

That’s surely a tempting scenario for Benitez. He’ll know that the north east club are sleeping giants just waiting for the right guidance to take them forward.

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