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According to The Mirror, West Ham United are considering a swoop for Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

It is hardly breaking news that West Ham boss David Moyes wants to improve his squad next month, and the Scot has consistently spoken of the need to boost his midfield options.

According to The Mirror, Moyes is targeting a move for Shelvey as he is a fan of the six-time England international’s passing qualities.

Shelvey is said to have a difficult relationship with Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez due to his disciplinary problems, and it is thought that the Magpies would be prepared to sell for the right price in the January transfer window.

Newcastle paid Swansea City £12m to sign Shelvey in January 2016, and it is understood that West Ham would have to at least meet that figure in order to sign the midfielder next month.

Would Shelvey be a good signing?

Underneath the red cards and questionable conduct, there is a serious football player.

Shelvey’s passing ability earned him a move to Liverpool in 2010, and he scored seven times in 69 appearances for the Reds before moving on to Swansea.

After 10 goals in 96 appearances for the Welsh outfit, Shelvey joined Newcastle, and he made 42 Championship appearances during their title-winning campaign.

He has already been sent off twice in the Premier League this season, which has led to a strained relationship with Magpies boss Benitez.

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Some would argue that Shelvey, who is valued at £9.9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has had enough chances to prove that the penny has dropped, but a move to West Ham might suit all parties.

He is the type of player and indeed person that could thrive at the London Stadium, and the thought of Shelvey feeding passes through to fellow hot-head Marko Arnautovic is an exciting thought for the West Ham supporters.

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As reported by France Football, Everton are interested in signing Angers striker Karl Toko Ekambi this January.

What’s the story?

Everton are scoring less Premier League goals this season than the teams around them in the table and signing a goalscoring forward to replace Romelu Lukaku should be seen as a big priority for Sam Allardyce when the transfer window opens in a few days time.

One player the Toffees are reportedly taking an interest in is Cameroon international Karl Toko Ekambi, currently at Ligue 1 side Angers.

That’s according to France Football, who say the Goodison Park club are competing with the likes of Crystal Palace and Burnley for his signature in January.

The interest comes after the striker rejected the chance to move to Brighton last summer despite a significant pay increase, say the outlet.

Who is he?

French club Angers are struggling in Ligue 1 this season, currently locked in a relegation battle in 19th position of a 20 team top-flight.

The only thing keeping them afloat right now seems to be the contribution of Karl Toko Ekambi, whose direct goal contribution makes up more than half of their 21 league goal haul.

He’s scored nine and assisted three more in 18 appearances for the club, highlighting he could have what it takes to make a Premier League splash should he make the move to England and surround himself with more talented teammates.

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With the ability to play through the middle and on both wings, he could be a versatile option for Everton and certainly knows his way to goal, making him an attractive proposition mid-season to give their attack a significant boost.

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After selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, Liverpool could soon lose another member of their midfield in the form of Emre Can. The German international’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season and there is certainly interest in his services, with Sky Sports – via Sky in Italy – recently reporting that he’d reached an agreement in principle to join Juventus on a free transfer in the summer.

The Liverpool Echo claim the powerful midfielder is yet to make a final decision on his future, however, hinting there’s still time to convince Can to stay on at Anfield. So, how should the Reds handle the situation? Football FanCast take a look at three suggested solutions…

Solution A – Sell now and spend the money on bringing in Naby Keita

Naby Keita is due to join Liverpool in the summer but the big-money Coutinho sale has lead to rumours of him arriving on Merseyside six months early at extra cost on the Reds’ part. While Jurgen Klopp’s side could probably hold out until the summer without bringing in the Red Bull Leipzig star to help fill Coutinho’s void, selling Can now would mean Liverpool receive a transfer fee for the German but also leave an even bigger gap in the squad – one that Keita is naturally equipped to fill as a fellow box-to-box midfielder.

The Reds would still have to pay £17million, however, which is likely less than they’d receive for Can, essentially to acquire the services of a player they’ve already signed once.

Solution B – Offer Can a huge contract

Liverpool have kept it incredibly tight in terms of wages under FSG, but that’s exactly why exciting talents like Can are looking elsewhere rather than aiming to continue their development at Anfield. And let’s not forget what a promising prospect Can is.

He’s an incredibly versatile and athletic player who is always brave on the ball, and has already won a BBC Goal of the Season award and established himself as a regular Germany international at the age of just 23.

Although some may argue Can isn’t the finished article, he’s not far off either and it’s incredibly telling that Juventus, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, are desperate to sign him – while Bayern Munich and Manchester City are said to have been interested as well.

If Liverpool offer Can a contract worthy of that status, he’ll surely elect to stay on at Anfield where he’ll have the freedom to further develop his game rather than seek pastures new.

Solution C – Let Can’s contract wind down and plan for his replacement

While letting Can leave this month rather than the summer may make financial sense for Liverpool, the actual influx from selling will likely be marginal – probably a fee somewhere between £5million and £10million.

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For the sake of continuity, Liverpool might well be better off keeping Can until the end of the season, even if they know he will move on, to avoid further disruptions to the squad after parting with Coutinho and give themselves a full half-season to run the rule over potential Can replacements.

After all, money isn’t everything and if Liverpool can’t replace the German this month, there will be a big gap left in the squad for the business end of the campaign. A few injuries in midfield and that could cost them dearly.

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Manchester United may have got one over their local rivals Manchester City by swiping Alexis Sanchez from under their noses, but Pep Guardiola’s side have gone a step further on the pitch.

The blue half of Manchester, who hold a 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, have made it into the final of the Carabao Cup.

It was a difficult night for City as they took on Bristol City, who knocked out United in the previous rounds, in the second leg of the semi-final at Ashton Gate.

City went into the match with a 2-1 advantage from the first meeting between the two clubs.

In the end, Guardiola’s side progressed 5-3 on aggregate, but it was a n nervy end to the match as Bristol City equalised to make it 2-2 on the night.

The Championship outfit needed one goal to take the tie into extra time, but Kevin De Bruyne stepped up to finish off the contest.

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Even though City have progressed further in the competition than their rivals United, the fans of Jose Mourinho’s team decided to mock the victory on Twitter.

Tottenham Hotspur delighted their home supporters on Saturday after a huge derby win against North London rivals Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

With three points up for grabs in the race for the English Premier League top four, it was a massive match in the context of both clubs’ season and it was Mauricio Pochettino’s side who raised their game to emerge victorious.

Rather predictably, it was Harry Kane who got the vital goal in the 1-0 win, heading superbly in the second half from Ben Davies’ exquisite cross.

Davies has really improved in recent games, emerging as one of Tottenham’s top performers at a critical time of the season and fans who were previously critical of him are now lauding his ability.

The Welsh international is playing with passion and conviction, an attitude supplementing his attacking and defensive abilities.

Supporters took to social media to enthuse about his performance, with some even suggesting he was Spurs’ top performer across the 90 minutes.

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These are some of the comments from Twitter…

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Mauricio Pochettino will be left feeling frustrated this morning after his side suffered a third 2-2 draw for a third consecutive away game, especially after throwing away a lead in stoppage time through some modest marking at corner.

While draws at Anfield and against Juventus in Turin were commendable if not exceptional given the circumstances, being held to an FA Cup replay against League One’s relegation-threatened Rochdale was anything but – not least because Tottenham Hotspur now have another difficult fixture to contend with during a testing period of their season.

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Nonetheless, there were positives to take from the Fifth Round clash, chiefly the form of January signing Lucas Moura upon his first start for the north London club. That appears to be the view of Spurs fans anyway – when we asked them to give individual performance ratings for those involved in Sunday’s game, it was the 36-cap Brazilian who received the highest average of 7.6 out of ten.

And looking at the statistics, it’s not hard to see why Moura stood out in a difficult afternoon for the Lilywhites. In addition to finishing off a fine passing move with a classy finish for Tottenham’s equaliser, the former PSG man completed eight dribbles, drew two fouls and incredibly for a player who measures in at just 5 foot 8, also won five aerial duels.

However, it was by no means a perfect performance from the South American, and one that might leave Tottenham fans asking questions about what kind of attacker the club have bought. Although Moura showed his speed, trickery and goal threat, he also failed to create a single chance, didn’t even attempt to put any crosses into the box despite Fernando Llorente’s proven prowess in the air, and completed only 69% of his passes.

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As much as Moura impressed, Pochettino will hope the more supportive aspects of his game improve as he gets up to full match fitness.

Jose Mourinho hasn’t shown the level of faith in Chris Smalling that many expected when he was appointed Manchester United manager two summers ago. A key figure under Louis van Gaal and an incredibly old-fashioned, physical centre-half, the England international looked set to be one of the first names on Mourinho’s team-sheet, but he’s only made 31 Premier League starts out of a possible 65 during the last 18 months.

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Injuries have been a factor at times but even when fit, Mourinho has often preferred Phil Jones and Eric Bailly instead at the heart of defence. But the sideline bouts of competitors for United’s centre-back berths have seen Smalling re-emerge in recent months and his performance against Huddersfield in Saturday’s FA Cup clash was particularly impressive, producing an imperious display as the Red Devils claimed a clean sheet at the John Smith’s Stadium.

It was an unusual performance from United. Although they always appeared in relative control of a match decided by a routine scoreline considering the gulf between the two sides – tellingly, it was the same score as Huddersfield’s trip to Old Trafford earlier this month – the home outfit actually enjoyed greater possession and produced 14 more efforts at goal, leaving the visitors to do the majority of the defending as they focused their entire game-plan on the counter-attack.

And while Romelu Lukaku grabbed headlines for scoring two breakaway goals, justifying Mourinho’s approach to the Fifth Round encounter, it owed as much to Smalling’s input in helping United soak up pressure, luring Huddersfield onto them, before exploiting the space they left behind. Indeed, the 28-year-old won a whopping eight aerial duels and made 15 clearances – the highest returns of any player on the pitch on both fronts – while recording two tackles, two interceptions and two blocks.

It remains to be seen if Mourinho takes that mantra into Manchester United’s next game – a tricky trip to Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday night – but with Lukaku and Smalling proving so instrumental at either end of the pitch, it seems like the most logical strategy for a big test in Europe.

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But when everybody is fully fit, does the 31-cap defender actually make United’s best centre-back partnership? Let us know by taking part in the poll below, giving the two centre-backs you’d pick week-in-week-out a thumbs up, and the three you wouldn’t a thumbs down…

Wolverhampton Wanderes took an important step towards automatic promotion from the English Championship on Wednesday night, beating Leeds United 3-0 at Elland Road.

Going into the match on the back of a three-match winless run, the pressure was on Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to produce the goods and they delivered, completely overwhelming a lacklustre Whites side.

Just 11 matches remain until the end of the season and Wolves now hold a 10-point gap over third placed Aston Villa, with the two set to meet this weekend. Win that one and they’ll have built an almost unassailable lead over Steve Bruce’s men.

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Fans were delighted with the result and performance, offering particular praise for Alfred N’Diaye after he bossed the midfield battle.

The in-form Ruben Neves was suspended for the clash and N’Diaye stepped up in his absence, controlling the game alongside Romain Saiss.

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Supporters are now hoping N’Diaye retains his place in the side for that clash against Villa.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

All eyes were on Arsenal on Thursday evening as they tried to bounce back from a miserable few weeks.

The club were comfortably beaten by Manchester City 3-0 twice in five days, and one of those losses was the EFL Cup final.

Arsene Wenger’s men were also on the disappointing end of a 2-1 scoreline against Brighton last weekend.

The unwanted results caused an outrage among fans, with many once again calling for Wenger to be sacked.

The team desperately needed to respond when they faced AC Milan in the first leg of their last-16 clash in the Europa League.

Luckily for Wenger, his players accepted the challenge and managed to secure a 2-0 advantage in the tie.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey were the scorers on the night, while Mesut Ozil created the assist for both goals.

It was a much-needed win for the Gunners, who will switch their attention back to the league when they face Watford at the Emirates on Sunday.

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Via Twitter, the club revealed that Mkhitaryan was selected as their man of the match against Milan, but some fans disagreed.

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Joey Barton has always been known for his outspoken nature, and he did not hold back when discussing his thoughts on Southampton manager Mark Hughes.The Welshman was appointed by the coastal club last week as a replacement for Mauricio Pellegrino.The decision was met with optimism by the majority of the fans, who had to witness the team win just five of their 30 Premier League games under their former boss.Barton, though, is not as convinced and whileÂspeaking on talkSPORT, the midfielder told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show that he is surprised by Southampton’s choice.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/twitter-report-1.mp4The former Manchester City player worked under Hughes at Queens Park Rangers and has maintained a professional dislike for the coach.While on the radio, Barton described the Southampton boss as a “really poor manager” and that he had “no people skills”.

Hughes got off to a positive start at the weekend, though, as he helped guide the Saints into the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a win over Wigan Athletic.

In the Premier League, though, it is a different story as the club are two points from safety with eight games left to play.