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West Ham United have enjoyed two seasons of unparalleled success in their recent history, as they finishedsixth and seventhlast year and the year prior, both of which earned them European football for the following seasons.

They would then very nearly take full advantage of it last year during their Europa League run which ended in a semi-final defeat.

Irons boss David Moyes has worked miracles, but this season has seen it come crashing down.

Reinvesting heavily in the summer, the Scotsman diverted from his usual path of finding unknown talent to instead scour Europe’s top leagues. Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta stand as obvious beneficiaries of this. 

However, it seems this change in transfer tactic has not only stuttered the growth of those already at the club, but those highly rated youngsters have in turn struggled to adapt to the Premier League. As such, the Hammers find themselves fully immersed in a relegation dogfight.

One of those who has suffered is Tomas Soucek, as his performances have only regressed since his blistering debut campaign.

Joining for a fee of around £15m back in 2020, his partnership alongside Declan Rice was instrumental in an outstanding campaign in which they recorded their best league finish since 1999.

The Czech Republic international offered a fine creative foil to the defensive foundation his English teammate brought, which allowed him to scoreten league goals whilst earning a 7.16 average rating.

This has since declined to 6.96 for this current campaign, in which he has just onegoal to his name. His offensive impetus has waned, which has seen him revert to a more defensive role. This has left Moyes’ team as one of the lowest scorers in the competition, with just18 goals after 21 games.

Not only have his goals dried up, but his “awful mentality” was lambasted by journalist Alan Rzepa after he lost the ball and refused to try and win it back in their early-season loss to Everton.

Despite this downturn in form, his value has surprisingly skyrocketed during his time in Claret and Blue.

As of April 2020, whilst on loan at the club, his market value sat at just €12m(£10.6m). However, fast forward to three years on and this has grown to a remarkable €45m(£39.9m). It marks a meteoric 276% rise during his time at the London Stadium.

Given how his importance to Moyes has slowly disappeared, perhaps he could look to take advantage of this by cashing in this summer. There is little future for the 27-year-old should Rice stick around and Paqueta begin playing deeper, but there is clearly an enormous amount of money to be salvaged with his sale.

Whilst it might seem harsh after how he had first impressed, those moments of quality have become too inconsistent. For the touted fee, his exit must be sanctioned.

Liverpool are struggling to maintain their high standards in the Premier League this season and Jurgen Klopp will surely be looking ahead to the summer transfer window to strengthen his stale squad.

The Reds are currently ninth in the top-flight table after a string of poor and inconsistent performances that have left the side nine points adrift of a Champions League qualifying spot inside the top four, which is a testament to the need for new additions at Anfield at the end of the season.

One of the biggest concerns has been the midfield with a number of players either out of contract in the summer or reaching the latter stages of their careers with only Fabinho, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones under 30 years old and set to remain at the club next season.

As a result, there is a pressing concern surrounding the future of Liverpool’s midfield with a number of players linked to a move to Merseyside including Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham and Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Matheus Nunes.

However, Klopp could save FSG millions by unleashing a forgotten young player who is excelling on loan, with Tyler Morton flourishing in the Championship at Blackburn Rovers.

Could Tyler Morton play for Liverpool next season?

The 20-year-old midfielder was sent out on a season-long loan at Ewood Park to gain some first-team football and experience which has been an absolute success so far.

Over 29 Championship appearances, Morton – dubbed an “incredible talent” by journalist Matthew Stanger – has registered two assists, created six big chances and successfully completed 57% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 1.3 key passes, 37.9 accurate passes, 59.1 touches, 1.4 tackles, one clearance and three duels won per game, proving that he is a huge presence on the pitch.

Whilst displaying both potence in attack and sound defensive attributes, the young Liverpool academy graduate is showing promising signs that he could become an effective option for Klopp next season in the German coach’s plans to freshen up the squad.

After rising through the ranks of the U18s and U21s, Morton earned his Premier League debut back in November 2021 tallying up nine first-team appearances in total before heading out on loan, so there is no doubt that the Reds boss will be keeping a close eye on the young talent.

With that being said, if the midfielder could continue to thrive and develop his craft with Blackburn it could be a great opportunity for him to catch the eye of Klopp and earn a spot in the centre of the pitch at Anfield next season.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier is ‘nowhere near the required level’ to bring the club success, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Dier struggling

The defender has already been criticised by pundits for his performances this season, with journalist Kevin Palmer slamming his very poor performance in the 2-2 draw against Brentford, claiming he’s ‘not good enough’ for a top six club.

Given that Cristian Romero has been injured for large parts of the season, Dier has been given a lot of game time by Antonio Conte, making 22 appearances in the Premier League, however he has left Taylor unimpressed…

The Latest: Criticised by Taylor

In an interview with GiveMeSport, the journalist name-checked a few Tottenham players who he has been disappointed by, and he reserved particularly scathing criticism for Dier, saying:

“Ben Davies, good squad player but he should not be a starter. Hugo Lloris, poor, while Eric Dier is just nowhere near the required level for what Spurs are trying to achieve.”

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The Verdict: Not good enough

Taylor also described the Englishman as ‘very poor’ back in January, and that is a probably a fair assessment, given the level of his performances so far this season, as he is one of two Spurs players to have made an error leading to a goal.

In fairness, there have been some improved signs recently, with the 29-year-old impressing in the 2-0 victory against West Ham United at the weekend, winning six of his seven aerial duels, the second-highest amount of any player.

That being said, the Hammers offered little in the way of attacking threat, and the £85k-per-week earner does not put in those types of performances on a regular enough basis, ranked by Sofascore as Spurs’ worst-performing outfield starter in the 4-1 defeat at Leicester City.

As such, Conte should look to bring in a new option at centre-back in the summer window, and The Daily Mail report that a dominant defender will be at the top of their wanted list this summer.

Southampton are tracking Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski for a potential summer transfer swoop, according to a recent report.

The Lowdown: Summer rebuild needed?

Reports throughout the January transfer window indicated Che Adams could exit St Mary’s, with Everton named as potential suitors late in the window, following links to Leeds United last summer.

Given that Southampton are currently in a perilous position in the Premier League, sitting four points from safety after a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road on Saturday, a summer rebuild may be needed, with James Ward-Prowse also tipped for a potential exit.

The Latest: Miovski profiled

According to a report from The Scottish Sun (via Football Scotland), the Saints are tracking Miovski ahead of a potential summer move, after his impressive form in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.

The Premier League outfit have already sent club officials on a scouting mission to assess the striker, watching him in Aberdeen’s 4-0 thrashing at Celtic Park, in which he was substituted at half-time.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The North Macedonia international did not put in his best performance against the reigning Scottish champions, but he has otherwise been in electric form so far this season, netting 17 goals in 32 matches in all competitions.

With a tally of 15 in the Scottish Premiership, the 23-year-old poses the third-best scoring record in the division, averaging a goal every 143 minutes and a 32% conversion rate.

Southampton did strengthen in attacking areas during the January transfer window, but Paul Onuachu and Mislav Orsic have not impressed, both failing to score since their arrival at St Mary’s, with Orsic yet to rise to the tempo of the Premier League.

As such, bringing in a new striker makes sense regardless of what league the Saints are in next season, and Miovski, who has been hailed ‘outstanding’ by the media, is certainly a good one to keep an eye on.

Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson has been praised for his ‘cracking’ equaliser during the Premier League game vs Everton by journalist Paul Taylor.

The Lowdown: Honours even

The Reds were the hosts at The City Ground on Sunday afternoon where Steve Cooper and his side played out a 2-2 draw with the Toffees with the home goals coming either side of the break.

The Welshman was at the double for the Midlands outfit, with the leveller being smashed into the top corner from inside the box following a neat one-two with Ryan Yates in the build-up.

The Latest: Taylor’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Taylor couldn’t speak highly enough of Johnson’s finish to bring Forest equal for a second time. He wrote:

“Johnson swaps passes with Yates, before hitting an unstoppable shot high into the net to make it 2-2. Cracking goal, that. Certainly feels like a vital one.”

The Verdict: Best player on the pitch

Forest needed to get something out of yesterday’s game to continue their climb away from relegation and that was only possible thanks to the contribution of Johnson.

The 21-year-old was awarded a match rating of 8.3, which was higher than any other player across both teams, making him the best-performing individual on the pitch.

Cooper’s dynamo also recorded a 100% successful dribble rate, completing four from four, whilst completing all but three of his passes (SofaScore).

Johnson has been key to Forest’s success so far this season, and after this performance, he will undoubtedly continue to be for the remainder of the 2022/23 term.

Manchester City could be considered new ‘favourites’ to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Rice linked…

The 24-year-old has been sporadically linked with a move to Eastlands as manager Pep Guardiola reportedly identifies transfer targets for next season.

Rice, however, is also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea with reports suggesting that the England international is open to joining Mikel Arteta’s side.

City also have both Rodri and Kalvin Phillips in their ranks, making a move for the Irons star seem impractical.

The Latest: Man City considered Rice ‘favourites’…

According to a report by TEAMtalk and reporter Graeme Bailey, the Premier League champions could be considered new favourites for Rice.

The race to sign him is apparently ‘intensifying’, and to make room for the player at City, Kalvin Phillips, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva are all nominees for potential exits this summer.

The Verdict: Phenomenal player…

Called a ‘superstar’ by some members of the media, there is little denying he has become that at the London Stadium.

Rice averages more interceptions per 90 than any West Ham star in midfield whilst also completing a higher pass accuracy over all of his teammates (WhoScored).

As a player proven in the English top flight, the pull for Guardiola and co is Rice’s undoubted quality, having even cemented himself as a regular under Gareth Southgate at international level.

That being said, the gem could also command a heavy price tag, with manager David Moyes even demanding a £150 million fee for him last year.

Phillips is currently still finding his feet after injury and is growing accustomed to life at the Etihad during his first season, and despite Rice’s brilliance, we believe the former Leeds star should be afforded far more time.

Manchester United are reportedly willing to offer €130m for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

The Lowdown: Camavinga profiled

Camavinga made the move to the Bernabeu back in 2021 from Rennes and has gone on to make 79 appearances for the Spanish giants.

Still just 20 years of age, the France international can play as a holding or central midfielder and actually shares the same agency as United left-back Luke Shaw.

He has already won seven major honours during his career, including the Champions League, and has been hailed as ‘spectacular’ by Carlo Ancelotti.

The Latest: United interest

Defensa Central shared a transfer update in the last 48 hours regarding United and Camavinga.

The report states that the Red Devils are willing to offer €130m (£115m) for Camavinga after missing out on his services to Madrid back in 2021, but those at the Bernabeu view the player as non-transferable.

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The Verdict: Club record

A deal in that region would be a club record at Old Trafford, however, it looks as if United chiefs face an uphill task to bring the Frenchman to Manchester.

Reports have suggested that the club have made a new midfielder and forward a priority, so Camavinga would seemingly fit the bill and you’d expect he still has plenty of room for improvement before reaching his prime.

The Real Madrid young star has actually outperformed Marcel Sabitzer, Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Fred this season, as per WhoScored, so may represent a long-term upgrade in the middle of the pitch, however, a transfer could prove unlikely given Madrid’s current stance.

Celtic ‘should elaborate’ further on the injury to defender Greg Taylor, according to Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

The Lowdown: International omission

The Hoops left-back was noticeably missing from the matchday squad for the 3-1 Scottish Premiership victory over Hearts last week, causing initial concern among supporters.

Ange Postecoglou later put minds at ease during his post-match interview by revealing that the 25-year-old simply wasn’t risked due to feeling soreness in training:

“Greg should be fine. No problem, he probably could’ve played tonight at a stretch but we just thought we’d be a bit cautious there.”

However, it would appear that he’s still not over his problem…

The Hampden Park international boss has omitted the star from his Scotland squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain later this month.

The Latest: Clarke’s comments

Speaking after the squad announcement, Clarke confirmed that he’d spoken to Taylor about his decision and urged Celtic to lift the lid on exactly what his situation is. He said:

“I have had a chat with Greg. It is really a Celtic issue, more than for me to comment on. He is carrying a little injury.

“He will probably benefit from a rest rather than coming away with the national team. Celtic should elaborate on that a little bit.”

The Verdict: Fast recovery needed

Taylor has become a regular feature under Postecoglou and the Celtic boss will be hoping that he overcomes his injury as soon as possible to continue helping the team.

The Bhoys defender has posted 18 assists and five goals in 117 appearances since joining, and it’s fair to say he’s enjoying a mightily impressive season.

The Greenock-born talent currently ranks in the 97th percentile for most progressive passes and is averaging 1.3 key passes per league game, which has seen him bag four man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

The left-footed ace also offers versatility with his ability to operate in five different positions, including higher up in the midfield and on the opposite flank, making him a useful option for the manager to have at his disposal.

The Australian previously publicly praised Taylor for his individual contribution to the side and has backed him to carry on performing at a high level:

“I can’t talk about before I got here, but since I’ve been here, he’s really embraced the challenge of being a key part of this team.

“Obviously, the way we play is a little bit different, I think he’s embraced that, and he’s continuing to improve.”

Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Chelsea are not holding any discussions to sign Neymar this summer.

The Lowdown: Neymar not looking for a move

Reports have surfaced over the last few weeks about Chelsea holding talks over a potential blockbuster summer transfer that would see Neymar wind up in the Premier League for the first time in his career.

However, given the Brazilian’s age, likely wage demands and the fact he is out injured, any move may seem unlikely from the outset, although given Todd Boehly’s lavish spending, nothing could be ruled out.

Neymar would indeed be a huge name on paper to sign and would likely attract a lot of international interest given his pedigree within the game, but his signing would go against what Chelsea have done recently by signing young players.

The Latest: Chelsea not holding talks with PSG to sign Neymar

Romano has confirmed on his YouTube channel that despite talks between Chelsea and PSG, none of those conversations have involved a potential transfer of Neymar.

He said: “We had reports about Chelsea, but from what I understand, at the moment, Chelsea are not speaking to PSG at the moment about Neymar Jr.

“They had contacts to clarify what happened with the Hakim Ziyech deal in the final hours of the January transfer window, it was a disappointing situation, so this is why Chelsea and PSG spoke in the last weeks, but at the moment, there is no concrete negotiation for Neymar to Chelsea at this stage.

“Of course, it’s still March, but at this stage, there is no negotiation – also, Neymar is focused on coming back from his injury.”

The Verdict: Boehly must avoid Neymar transfer

Chelsea made a conscious effort during January to recruit young players for the present and the future, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix all arriving at Stamford Bridge earlier this year.

Therefore, to then go for someone in the twilight years of his career with a poor injury record in the form of Neymar would be a poor move from Boehly as his likely main purpose the Brazilian would serve would be to promote the club off the pitch and sell shirts given his stature.

Also, it would be yet another unnecessary headache for Graham Potter to deal with as it would be a huge ego in the dressing room, which is something that Chelsea arguably don’t need given the high calibre of players already in the squad.

Liverpool have struggled to maintain their high expectations this season and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential summer transfer target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Micky van de Ven?

According to BILD's head of football Christian Falk (via Caught Offside), Liverpool are one of the many European clubs interested in signing VfL Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven.

As per the report, the Reds are joined by Manchester City, Arsenal, AC Milan, Juventus and Barcelona in their interest in the Bundesliga ace with Wolfsburg expecting offers of around €30m (£26.5m) in the summer.

Could Van de Ven be Van Dijk's rightful heir?

There is no doubt that a refresh is desperately needed at Anfield as the once-successful squad has started to turn stale with several players reaching the latter stages of their careers.

Jordan Henderson, Mohammed Salah, James Milner, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk are all well into their 30s at this point and are not likely to be part of the long-term future at Anfield.

As a result, the signing of Van de Ven could be a great opportunity to bring in a left-sided centre-back who can become the natural successor to his fellow Dutchman.

Over 25 Bundesliga appearances, the 21-year-old "giant" – who journalist Ronan Murphy claimed is "flourishing" – has excelled offensively and defensively.

Indeed, the youngster has scored one goal, delivered one assist and successfully completed 68% of his dribbles, proving himself to be a forward-thinking centre-back.

Furthermore, he has registered 3.4 clearances, 1.4 tackles and won 3.5 duels per game.

With the Netherlands U21's ace in the back line, it is no wonder that Wolfsburg have the fourth-best defensive record in the German top-flight with only seven league games lost and ten clean sheets so far when the youngster has featured.

Not only that, Van de Ven has outperformed the Liverpool titan, van Dijk, in several attributes this season including tackles and interceptions (54 v 39), clearances (90 v 87), blocks (8 v 6), ball recoveries (139 v 114), shot-creating actions per 90 (0.72 v 0.60) and dribblers tackled (74.2% v 50%), proving that he could be a valuable asset and great prospect for the future.

With that being said, the signing of Van de Ven could be a great opportunity for Klopp to add quality depth to the defence in his squad and ultimately develop a worthy successor to one of his most important players in the squad.