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West Ham United take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday with both teams looking for their first wins of the season.

The Hammers were defeated by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City juggernaut last weekend, while Forest saw their first Premier League fixture in 23 years end in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

David Moyes has overseen an excellent transfer window so far, adding quality to his paper-thin squad with signings such as Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes and Maxwel Cornet all arriving, with the potential for a few more.

The main priority now should be adding one or two more defenders to his side, with Kurt Zouma being the only fit centre-back in last week’s defeat to Man City, it is an area of worry for the manager.

Despite this, Moyes has been handed an injury boost ahead of the Forest tie as he spoke before the Forest tie on Sunday, saying:

“It will probably be the same group of players roughly as last week. Daws (Craig Dawson) is doing well, so we will see how he is. Angelo Ogbonna is coming back, he’s coming on from his cruciate, so hopefully we will have more squad players fit.”

Moyes should be buzzing that no further injuries have occurred – something that represents a huge boost to secure all three points on Sunday.

There could also be a debut for new signing Maxwel Cornet, who arrived from Burnley and he could be the spark that rejuvenates the West Ham attack.

Moyes believes that the Ivorian can give him “a couple of different options” going forward and with the club relying on Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma, and Jarrod Bowen for goals last season, having more options will be key if they are to repeat the success of last season.

Maximum points will be the target tomorrow, and a win could be the catalyst to kick some life into their season.

Leeds United transfer target Kai Wagner ‘seems to prefer’ a move to Elland Road over both Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb, according to journalist Manuel Veth.

The Lowdown: Leeds talks

The Whites have been linked with bringing in a new left-back before the deadline following Junior Firpo’s injury in pre-season.

Jesse Marsch has used centre-back Pascal Struijk at left-back for the opening two matches of the Premier League campaign but is reportedly driving a move for Wagner.

Talks are thought to be going well for the Philadelphia Union player, who has been labelled ‘very creative’ by Ben Jacobs, and Leeds chiefs have been handed a further boost in their pursuit of the German.

The Latest: Veth’s claim

Veth took to Twitter on Sunday evening to reply to Jacobs’ update on the full-back.

He claimed that Wagner’s camp ‘seems to prefer Leeds United’ over both Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Both Benfica and Dinamo Zagreb are in the Champions League play-offs, so Wagner’s preference for a move to Elland Road is huge for Victor Orta and co.

Veth has stated that Marsch is a ‘big fan’ of the 25-year-old, who can also play as a left midfielder, and a move appears to make sense due to the left-back situation in Yorkshire.

A transfer may not be too expensive either, as Wagner is out of contract with the MLS club at the end of 2022, so hopefully the full-back will arrive in England before the transfer deadline, alongside a new striker.

Celtic defender Christopher Jullien appears set to finally seal his exit from Parkhead, with the Frenchman seemingly in line for a return to his homeland.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the 29-year-old is heading for an imminent move to Ligue 1 club Montpellier, with the towering setback set to undergo a medical on Tuesday (today) ahead of that loan switch.

The former Toulouse man – who signed for the Old Firm outfit for £7m in 2019 – has just one year remaining on his existing deal in Glasgow, with the player having fallen out of favour under manager Ange Postecoglou.

A departure from the Premiership champions has been mooted all summer as a result of that slide down the pecking order, with the 6 foot 5 brute having previously seen a temporary move to Bundesliga side Schalke 04 collapse earlier in the transfer window.

Postecoglou must ditch Jullien

Provided that Jullien does secure his move in the coming days, it will allow Postecoglou the chance to rid himself of a player who is clearly not to his liking, having hardly handed the £20k-per-week giant a sniff since his appointment last year.

While the former France under-20 international was absent for the first half of last season after enduring more than a year on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury, it had seemingly been expected that he would be brought back into the fold upon his return to fitness in January.

However, the Hoops were simply not in need of his services as they charged towards a tenth league title in the past 11 seasons, with the former Yokohama F. Marinos boss settling on the “immense” defensive partnership (as dubbed by Chris Sutton) of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

As a result, the £4.05m-rated man was restricted to just a solitary appearance totalling 16 minutes in the 2021/22 campaign, with the player himself having spoken out about what was a wholly “frustrating” period on the substitutes’ bench for him – or, in some cases, in the stands.

With Jullien largely restricted to a viewing brief, the club have seemingly been unaffected by his absence. The summer addition of young Moritz Jenz has further hampered the Frenchman’s chances of playing time, withthe 23-year-old already netting twice since his loan move from Lorient.

With the likes of young Dane Murray also waiting in the wings to secure a more prominent role in the first team, the departure of Jullien should free up space in the squad – and on the wage bill – moving forward.

While it may be something of a blow to lose a fairly costly addition for nothing, it is no doubt best for all concerned that club and player sever ties before the September 1st deadline.

Leeds United have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Hwang Hee-chan to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, Bruno Lage revealed that, despite Jesse Marsch being heavily linked with a £25m move for the Wolves forward in recent days, he is more than happy to retain the services of the 26-year-old winger beyond the closure of the summer transfer window next week.

Regarding the future of the South Korea international, Lage said: “I’m very happy with him and I like him a lot.

“Hwang spends a lot of time in the academy like other players and he wants to be in his best shape all the time, and do everything he can to play. So we’re talking about a great professional, a great kid, a top player and someone who scored six important goals for us last season.

“Who wouldn’t want a player like him? I want him, I like him, but in the end, we need to understand the market and the situation of the club. So we are looking for players from other teams, and we need to expect other teams are looking at our players also. He can play as a winger – especially on the left – and as a striker, like he’s done in the first few games.”

Marsch will be gutted

Considering just how short Marsch currently is of centre-forward depth behind Patrick Bamford, and with the American having already enjoyed a great deal of success with the 26-year-old during their mutual time at Red Bull Salzburg, the news that Lage appears adamant to keep a hold of Hwang beyond Thursday’s transfer deadline is sure to have left the Leeds coach gutted.

Indeed, Hwang’s remarkable record of 16 goals and 24 assists over 43 appearances for Marsch in Austria – with the forward averaging a direct goal contribution for every 66 minutes of football played – played a key role in the American’s success at Salzburg, with the duo helping the club to secure a league and cup double in 2019/20.

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In that campaign, the £14.4m-rated forward was in scintillating form over his 27 Austrian Bundesliga appearances, bagging 11 goals, providing 13 assists and creating 15 big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 1.7 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the player who Richard Buxton dubbed “incredible” average a sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Marsch’s joint sixth-best player in the league – behind the likes of Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai and Patson Daka – but also as the joint seventh-best performer in the Austrian top flight as a whole that season.

As such, with the versatile Hwang – who can operate on either wing and as a centre-forward – appearing to be a player from whom Marsch can extract his best form, and with the 48-year-old being in rather desperate need of backup to the injury-prone Bamford, a £25m move for the Korean would appear to make a great deal of sense for Leeds.

However, following Lage’s latest comments concerning the immediate future of the former Salzburg sensation, it would seem as if Marsch will have his work cut out in convincing the Portuguese coach to part with the 26-year-old in the coming days – especially considering how badly the two managers fell out during in the Whites’ 2-1 victory over Wolves earlier this season.

Everton failed to meet Blackburn Rovers’ asking price for Ben Brereton-Diaz on deadline day, in a move which could prove to be a disaster by Kevin Thelwell.

The Toffees’ priority for much of the summer has been focused on signing a striker to replace Richarlison in Frank Lampard’s side and while Neal Maupay was signed from Brighton, the Merseyside club still look very short on attacking options following the transfer deadline.

Mike McGrath suggested that both Everton and Fulham lodged £12m bids for the Chile international but Blackburn held out for £20m and he will remain at Ewood Park until January at least.

Maupay’s form in recent seasons, when he has managed just 16 goals in his last two Premier League campaigns, does little to suggest that he can replace the talismanic Richarlison at Goodison Park, after the Brazilian’s ten goals proved vital in Everton’s survival last season.

Brereton-Diaz meanwhile, hit 22 goals in the Championship last season and has three goals to his name already this season, so could have offered a real goalscoring threat in Lampard’s side, particularly with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s fitness issues over the last year.

He has scored just twice in the last year and is evidently a player they can no longer rely on for large portions of a campaign.

Thus, the former Nottingham Forest product could have been an inspired signing. The forward has proven himself to be a phenomenon in Chile, who he represents because of his mother’s heritage, and the national team manager Eduardo Berizzo sang his praises last season.

He said: “Brereton is very intelligent in his movement and found himself behind rival defenders several times.”

“He is a footballer with many qualities… He is a player of interesting movements. He will be an important reference for us.”

His former manager, Tony Mowbray was another to wax lyrical over his performances, hailing the Chile international as an “extraordinary” player.

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Lampard is now left with just Maupay, an injury-prone Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon as his main striking options until January, which won’t inspire much hope that the Toffees can avoid another relegation battle this season.

Therefore, it seems a risky move by Thelwell to turn down the option to sign a goalscorer in such a confident mood, as it could leave Lampard very short of attacking threat in his side until the next transfer window. If they continue their current slump, not signing such a feared prospect in front of goal will undoubtedly be considered a disaster.

At just £20m, this was an ideal and cost-effective way of improving the team.

Aston Villa were busy in the transfer window until the final hours of deadline day – signing Leander Dendoncker late on – and Steven Gerrard will be hoping that he and the powers at Villa Park have done it enough to adequately strengthen the squad.

The Villains aren’t having the best start to their Premier League campaign, taking just four points from their first six outings this season, but now that the transfer window has shut Gerrard will need to persist with the players he has to find the best solution to recover from their slow start.

One player who the club did miss out on was Tottenham Hotspur star Lucas Moura – the Brazilian who had been the subject of interest for several clubs, including Newcastle United.

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano confirmed Villa’s interest on Twitter last Friday: “Newcastle wanted Lucas Moura as they approached Tottenham during deadline day, same for Aston Villa. Spurs decided to keep the player, never been advanced. Lucas future remains open as he’s out of contract in June 2023 and there are chances for a free move.”

While Villa could go in for the player in the winter transfer window or get him on a free transfer next summer, Moura could’ve been just what Gerrard needs in the forward line to add elite Premier League experience and a fresh attacking mind to the team in order to help inspire more winners.

The winger who was hailed “unreal” by Dan King has found himself out of favour in Antonio Conte’s side at Spurs after the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski, but has been a consistent performer over his four years with the club.

Moura has scored 38 goals and delivered 27 assists to his teammates over 204 appearances in north London – with a goal contribution every 180 minutes of football played, proving that he is a goal threat that can be relied upon.

Not only that, the “incredible” winger’s experience of working with one of the most successful strike partnerships in the league between Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min could have been a huge boost for Villa.

Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings haven’t had the best time in terms of connecting their goal-scoring talents over last season and the current campaign, with the duo now battling it out to be the lead marksman in Gerrard’s starting eleven after failing to work well together.

Together they have scored 20 Premier League goals since Ings joined the team last summer, with Watkins scoring 12 and the former Southampton striker delivering eight, and if Villa want to start picking up three-pointers the pair need to do more.

With that being said, adding Moura into the front three to offer the creativity and service the pair are clearly desperate for could’ve put Gerrard onto a winner in finding the solution to their low goal tally over the season so far, and not signing the Brazilian could be a decision the manager will regret.

Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho may be lacking ‘hunger’ at this stage of his career, pundit Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

After a successful loan spell in the second half of last season, Villa agreed to pay FC Barcelona £18million to sign Coutinho permanently.

As per Capology figures (via FBRef), he’s the third-highest earner at the Midlands outfit, taking home £125,000 per week. Only Lucas Digne (£163,500) and Boubacar Kamara (£150,000) are thought to be on larger salaries.

But even that figure is dwarfed by the £470,000 he reportedly earned every week during his time at Barcelona.

The latest

McAvennie, who played for Villa in 1992, told FI that while Coutinho possessed quality, he may now be short of desire given the extent of his earnings.

He said: “Coutinho is a good player, maybe now that he’s got that much money he’s not bothered. He doesn’t seem to have the hunger. He looks to me that he’s not got that fire in his belly.”

The verdict

It’s been a difficult start to the season for Coutinho, who’s failed to register either a goal or an assist across his first eight appearances in all competitions.

He’s failed to complete 90 minutes in any of Villa’s matches, and Steven Gerrard has named him on the bench three times.

To make matter worse, the 30-year-old missed out on the final Brazil squad before the Qatar World Cup in November.

Could these struggles partly be down to a subconscious lack of application?

Well, one way we might measure that is by looking at a player’s contribution off the ball and, intriguingly, Coutinho ranks well below average compared to positional peers for pressures (26th percentile), tackles (40th), interceptions (26th) and clearances (23rd) per 90 minutes.

Leeds United scrapped their way to survival in the Premier League last season as Jesse Marsch’s side avoided the drop to the Championship on the final day of the campaign.

A 2-1 win away at Brentford meant that they finished three points clear of Burnley, who finished 18th, and retained their place in the top-flight for another year.

Marsch came in to replace Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa midway through the season after the former Marseille boss left Elland Road at the end of February.

Victor Orta did not bolster the former Whites manager’s squad in the transfer market back in January and the American, who replaced him, proved that the squad was good enough to stay up without any further reinforcements.

Things could have been different, though, as the club were reportedly looking at potential signings throughout the month. 90min reported that Leeds were interested in a deal to sign Daryl Dike and that MLS side Orlando were willing to allow him to leave during the January window.

However, Orta failed to secure his services and he ended up signing for Championship outfit West Brom for a reported fee in the region of £7m.

Then-Baggies manager Valerian Ismael hailed the USA international, telling his club’s official website:

“Dike has everything we need from the No.9 position. He has energy, strength – he challenges defenders – and he scores goals.

“I worked with him at Barnsley and I know him very well. He has the mentality. He is 21 years old and is still a young player – but he has a lot of experience.”

The forward had caught the eye after scoring 11 goals in 19 games for Orlando and nine goals in 21 Championship appearances for Barnsley on loan throughout 2021. 20 goals in 40 matches over the course of a year was a terrific return for the young striker and that form led to Orta showing an interest in signing him.

His struggles since making the move to The Hawthorns will leave the sporting director relieved that he failed to snap the forward up, though, as he has been ravaged with injuries in 2022.

He made two appearances in the second tier for the Baggies last season before suffering a hamstring injury. Transfermarkt notes that it caused him to miss 11 matches but he was not involved in any of West Brom’s last 20 games in all competitions during 2021/22, which suggests that he was struggling with the knock for the remainder of the campaign.

Dike made his comeback against Middlesbrough on the first day of the current season and played 12 minutes before being hit with a thigh injury and he has been absent for their 12 matches in all competitions since then.

The striker remains sidelined at this moment in time and has proven to be a liability for the second tier outfit throughout 2022 as he has been unable to enjoy a run of games on the pitch, whilst failing to score in any of the three games he has managed to play in this year.

It may sound harsh, as suffering back-to-back injuries like that is unfortunate for the forward, but it appears as though Orta has avoided a big £7m blunder as the zero-goal striker’s fitness record suggests that he would not be a reliable player for Marsch.

Newcastle United are reportedly in the running to sign Barcelona forward, Memphis Depay, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per TuttoJuve, the Magpies could be said to hand the 28-year-old a ‘new opportunity’ in the near future, with a return to the Premier League potentially on the cards for the former Manchester United man.

The Netherlands international – who has just a year left on his existing deal at the Camp Nou – had been heavily linked with an exit over the summer, with the Tynesiders having been earmarked as one of those potential suitors, as well as Serie A side Juventus.

The La Liga outfit had seemingly been keen to sell the 5 foot 9 gem – who only arrived on a free transfer last summer – amid their ongoing financial woes, albeit with the player opting to stay put late in the window.

Newcastle’s own Nkunku

It would no doubt be some coup were Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth able to bring the fleet-footed forward back to England in the winter window, with Depay having proven throughout his career just what a talent he is.

While his previous stint at Old Trafford did not go to plan – as he netted just seven goals in 53 games in all competitions – the £22.5m-rated ace has since sparkled elsewhere, notably registering 76 goals and 56 assists in just 178 games during his time in France.

The dymanic “maverick” – as previously described by pundit Rio Ferdinand – has even impressed during his time in Catalonia despite the club’s desire to move him on, with a respectable haul of 14 goals in just 41 games to his name to date.

The former PSV Eindhoven man, who is currently sidelined with injury, has also dazzled on the international stage with 42 goals in just 81 games in his career thus far, with the £174k-per-week menace a truly lethal presence in attack.

Such a high-profile addition could well prove an ideal alternative for the northeast side to that of Christopher Nkunku, with the Frenchman seemingly on his way to fellow top-flight club Chelsea after having been linked with Eddie Howe and co over the summer.

Interestingly, Depay shares a number of stylistic and statistical similarities to that of the exciting Frenchman, according to FBref, with the pair both showing great versatility to feature as a fluid forward option.

That likeness is illustrated by their ball-carrying brilliance, with the RB Leipzig man ranking in the top 10% for dribbles completed and the top 11% for progressive carries in comparison to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues, while the Dutchman ranks in the top 3% and 7% for the same two metrics, respectively.

Equally, the pair are also quality assets in a creative sense when in possession, with Depay ranking in the top 9% for progressive passes, while Nkunku also ranks in the top 9% for progressive passes.

The latter man is currently hot property amid his links to Stamford Bridge, with nine goals in just 13 appearances so far this season, having previously provided 55 goal contributions in just 52 games last term.

Although the 24-year-old may now appear out of reach as far as the Magpies are concerned, it could well prove to be an astute move were Ashworth to swoop for Depay instead, particularly amid the prospect of a cut-price deal as a result of his contract situation.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have identified Eusebio Di Francesco as the leading candidate for the current managerial vacancy, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

The Lowdown: Lage’s departure

Bruno Lage was sacked by Fosun and Jeff Shi following the club’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to West Ham last weekend, which saw them enter the relegation zone after an underwhelming start to the season.

The Old Gold have already been linked with several new coaches, including Ruben Amorim and Pedro Martins, but a new name has entered the fold and is being seriously taken into consideration at Molineux.

The Latest: Wolves hold talks with Di Francesco

Taking to Twitter, Bailey revealed that Di Francesco is now in contention to take over at Wolves.

“Eusebio Di Francesco emerges as Wolves option to replace sacked Bruno Lage.”

Expanding in his column for 90min, the reporter claimed that the 53-year-old has ‘emerged as the leading candidate’, with ‘talks’ having already ‘taken place’.

It’s believed that the Italian is ‘hugely keen’ to take on a new role in England.

The Verdict: Perfect candidate?

Di Francesco would be a huge name to be able to attract to the Midlands, and he would be a fantastic addition should Wolves be able to land his services.

The Pescara-born man has an impressive track record, having guided Sassuolo into Europe before taking AS Roma all the way to the Champions League semi-finals.

The former Giallorossi boss is also a free agent so the Old Gold wouldn’t be required to pay any compensation, making him an even more attractive candidate for the role.

One concern may be his recent short spells at Sampdoria, Cagliari and Hellas Verona, actually only winning one game with the latter, but his achievements in Rome and Sassuolo certainly look enticing.