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The signing of Jack Wilshere in the summer got many West Ham United fans excited.

The England international ended his lengthy Arsenal career to move to the London Stadium in search of first-team football.

Wilshere got his wish, but he is not having the most joyful of starts to the Premier League season.

West Ham are the only club not to pick up a point after four top-flight matches having lost each one.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have been beaten by Liverpool, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Wilshere has started every one of those fixtures, but he has been part of a midfield that has been heavily criticised.

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Joining West Ham gave the 26-year-old the chance to prove his doubters wrong with a clean bill of health.

At the moment, Wilshere is not quite meeting expectations, which has led us to ask you if the ex-Arsenal star should be relegated to the bench.

The slight majority of the fans polled believe that he does not deserve to keep his place.

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West Ham United forward Javier Hernandez should consider his options when the transfer window reopens in January.

What’s the word?

The Mexico international arrived at the East London club from Bayer Leverkusen with plenty of expectation last summer.

Hernandez scored some crucial goals during his time at Manchester United, but under Slaven Bilic and David Moyes last season, the attacker was relatively ineffective.

Moyes, who replaced Bilic as manager before vacating his position for Manuel Pellegrini a few months ago, played Hernandez out wide rather than through the middle.

This season, the ex-United man has started just one of the club’s four Premier League matches and has come off the bench in three.

Hernandez has played up front on his own, alongside Arnautovic or out wide as it seems that Pellegrini has not quite found the ideal position for the attacker.

Should he stick it out?

The managers at West Ham have so far failed to get the best out of Hernandez, and as a result, the striker should be open to moving on in January.

Of course, if by that point the Mexico international is a regular starter and firing on all cylinders, then it is a different story.

At the age of 30, Hernandez, who has scored nine goals for the London club, still has plenty to offer at the top level, but the inconsistency at West Ham in terms of his positioning will not help him prolong his career.

The forward will have one year remaining on his contract at the end of the season, which means that the Hammers may consider selling earlier in order to get more money for him.

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If Newcastle United are to make their status as a Premier League side more comfortable in the foreseeable future then there are several areas of their squad which require improvement and investment. The central midfield contingent at the club is probably at the top of that list.

What’s the word?

At this time, the Magpies’ first team squad features four natural central midfielders: Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame, Ki Sung-yeung and Isaac Hayden.

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In Shelvey they have a canny creator, whilst Diame has improved dramatically in his time under Rafa Benitez. However, the squad still lacks the depth and quality required in order to thrive at the top level.

Given that Ki only arrived in the summer he must be given time to prove his worth, but the same cannot be said for Hayden, whom Toon fans on Twitter were keen to see go when he handed in a transfer request during the summer.

An upgrade must be found 

The time has come for Newcastle to realise that the former Arsenal man is not a player cut out for the English top flight. The 23-year-old was a fairly regular fixture in the side last season and struggled to really impress at any stage. His only major contribution to the new campaign so far has been getting sent off against Cardiff City.

If Newcastle are to improve and build upon last season’s hard-fought 10th placed finish then club owner Mike Ashley must recognise that weak areas of the squad have to be replaced with greater quality in the transfer market.

Hayden should be moved on as soon as possible – a return to Championship level would likely be the best thing for his career too – and an upgrade must be identified.

Aston Villa have endured a shaky start to the season under Steve Bruce, as a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday extended the club’s winless run to five league matches.

A failure to kick on after beating Hull City and Wigan Athletic during the opening weeks of the campaign has led to Villa hovering in mid-table, already five points behind early pacesetters Leeds United – and that margin could extend over the coming weeks.

That loss of form has seen Bruce attract plenty of criticism, with some fans already calling for his head, and we asked supporters how long they believe the experienced boss will remain in his position at Villa Park.

38% of polled supporters stated that they believe Bruce will be gone from his role by Christmas, while 34% are tipping a change to be made in just a few weeks. On top of this, just 19% believe that Bruce will last the entire season.

Rounding off the votes were 9% of supporters who optimistically suggested Bruce will remain in his role for more than a year, which given Villa’s current form seems unlikely.

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Celtic fans have been discussing possible replacements for summer departure Stuart Armstrong, and nearly two thirds of fans think they should target Everton’s Kieran Dowell.

Celtic fans were left understandably frustrated by their transfer window this summer, as the Hoops sold two key players without replacing them.

Moussa Dembele left the club on deadline day, but the lack of a replacement for Armstrong is really bizarre, as the Hoops had all summer to get someone in.

The 26-year-old scored 23 times in 98 Premiership appearances, and his ability to score goals from midfield simply can’t be covered by Oliver Ntcham alone.

This is why a move Dowell, who scored ten times from an attacking midfield position on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, makes sense.

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The 20-year-old is well down the pecking order at Everton though due to the form of Gylfi Sigurdsson and signing of Bernard, and a loan move to Celtic Park makes sense for all parties, giving the Hoops even more time to find a long-term solution.

You can find the full poll results down below, where 62 per cent of fans want a move for the Everton outcast…

Despite being handed their first loss of the Championship, it’s been a pretty brilliant start to the year for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

Refreshingly, the Championship giants didn’t spend heavily in the transfer market and Bielsa has largely worked with the players that were at the club last season. Barry Douglas is the only new player to be inserted into the starting XI lineup this season and has been one of the standout players for the Whites.

The players seems to have adapted incredibly well to Bielsa’s high energy style of play and as it stands, they look like they’re the favourites for promotion this season.

If the club do get promoted this season, they will have to seriously strengthen in the transfer window and one player that they are now being linked with is former academy man, James Milner.

The Breakdown

Possibly one of the most underrated English players of the last decade, since leaving Leeds, Milner has fashioned an incredible career. Notably at Manchester City he helped the club into a new era of success and now at Liverpool, it looks as though he could be about to do the same.

This season especially, the experienced midfield man has been outstanding and has possibly been Klopp’s best player.

While it’s doubtful that Liverpool would let him leave, the 32-year-old is now in the last few years of his contract and could quite possibly be tempted to a move back Leeds, although it would take a large contract to lure him away from Liverpool.

So Leeds fans, what do you think? 

Stewart Downing could end up playing his way into Middlesbrough’s list of club legends.

The midfielder developed his craft at the club’s academy before eventually breaking into the first team and spending eight years at the club.

After having stints at various outfits between 2009 and 2015, Downing returned to the Riverside Stadium, but it was not exactly a hero’s welcome.

The now-34-year-old did not have the best of relationships with Aitor Karanka, whose dismissal as manager was blamed on Downing by some fans.

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Garry Monk took time to embrace the experienced midfielder, but now the former England international is a key member of the team.

Tony Pulis replaced Monk in December last year, and this season the coach has named Downing in the first XI for 10 of the club’s 11 Championship games.

On Tuesday night, the midfielder was influential as the team defeated Ipswich Town 2-0, and one of those goals was netted by Downing.

On Twitter, plenty of fans praised the former Liverpool player for his contribution.

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There were a few worrying scenes for Liverpool during Wednesday night’s Champions League Group C match against Napoli.

One was when Lorenzo Insigne scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute to win it for the Serie A giants, and the other was 19 minutes after kick-off.

Naby Keita, who was selected to start ahead of Jordan Henderson, hit the deck complaining of back pain and was subsequently stretchered off the field.

Whenever a player needs a stretcher it tends to be a long-term injury, but according to Sky Sports News, the midfielder is ‘fine’ and has not been ruled out of Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Manchester City at Anfield.

The club confirmed that Keita was taken to a local hospital in Naples to undergo “precautionary health checks”.

It is believed that no serious damage has been made and he is expected to travel back to Merseyside with his teammates as normal.

On Reddit, Liverpool fans gave their reaction to the news.

Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.Comment from discussion BREAKING: LFC say Naby Keita is fine after being assessed for back pain and have not ruled him out of game against Man City on Sunday. #SSN.

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West Ham are hopeful of bringing an end to the contract saga surrounding Declan Rice during the international break, according to The Daily Star.

What’s the word?

Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham side still have plenty of room for improvement after losing five of their opening eight Premier League matches, raising the pressure on the side ahead of a crucial period after the international break.

The Hammers have work to do off the field though amidst the ongoing contract stand-off with Declan Rice, although The Daily Star provides a positive update by stating the club are hopeful of reaching an agreement during the international break.

West Ham have tabled a final offer to the 19-year-old and, if no deal is agreed, will put negotiations regarding an extension on hold until the end of the season – which would leave Rice on his current £2.5k-a-week deal.

A wise move?

Developing into a key asset in the past 12 months, West Ham should have brought the saga concerning Declan Rice’s contract to a halt a long time ago and deserve criticism for still finding themselves in this situation.

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However, the bold strategy put forward by the Hammers offers a respectable offer to their academy graduate while also showing they will not be held to ransom as they threaten to walk away from negotiations.

The issue is that a breakdown could cause irreparable damage between Rice and the club, which may then force an exit.

Rice’s best option, however, is to remain in East London and fans can be hopeful of an agreement in the coming weeks, and should it come they will have a player even more valuable than Marko Arnautovic on their hands.

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According to reports in The Mirror, Southampton are one of three Premier League clubs that have been alerted to the news that AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko is keen to return to the English top flight.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror reports that Saints, along with Cardiff City and Crystal Palace, have been alerted to the latest comments by the 32-year-old centre-forward.

According to quotes via The Mirror, he said: “It’s probably too late for me to return to the Premier League, but you never know. We’ll see.

“I love English football, I played in the Premier League for four-and-a-half years and enjoyed it a lot, even if I’m happy at Roma right now.”

While the south coast outfit have plenty of strikers on their books with the likes of Danny Ings, Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Sam Gallagher, they are struggling and have only netted six times in their eight league fixtures so far this term.

Would Dzeko be a good January buy?

He certainly would be, yes.

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While the Bosnia & Herzegovina international, who scored both of his nation’s goals in their 2-0 win against Northern Ireland on Monday night, may turn 33 years of age in March, he has proven for club and country that he is still a lethal centre-forward.

The former Manchester City man has five goals in nine outings in total for Roma this season, and he has 78 in 148 games for them since moving to Serie A from the Etihad Stadium.

Strong in the air and a big goal threat, Dzeko would be everything that Guido Carrillo wasn’t when Southampton signed him in the previous January transfer window, and his arrival at St Mary’s would surely guarantee their survival in what looks set to be another tough campaign.