All posts by h79snht.top

Crystal Palace have suffered from Alan Pardew’s trademark dip in form this season and it looks as though the former-Newcastle manager can never achieve like he does in his first run at a new club.

Pardew has a knack of taking sides towards mediocrity after getting off to a flying start and the manager looks like he is no way of correcting the Crystal Palace train crash of a season. The Eagles were dreaming of a top 6 finish once upon an early season time and they are now left in the mid-table mire.

West Ham have easily eclipsed Palace as the ‘best of the rest’ in London and Alan Pardew is beginning to come under scrutiny for his side’s failings over the last few months.

The addition of Emmanuel Adebayor in the January window has raised a few eyebrows and we could be about to see the most pivotal few games of Pardew’s Palace tenure to date.

But how good could their XI have been…?

Rob Green

QPR were looking to move Green on during the January window and several Premier League clubs were interested in the former England international.

The goalkeeping position at Palace is clearly one of their weaknesses and the experience of Green could have gone a long way to putting that right.

Joel Ward

Ward is still struggling to make an impression on Roy Hodgson, despite another solid season for Palace.

The full-back has shown his capability to effect the game in both halves of the pitch, having contributed a couple of goals this season.

Scott Dann

Dann has, yet again, been one of the best defenders in the league. Many across the media are calling for the centre-back to be taken to the Euros this summer and it is hard to argue a case against taking the ex-Birmingham man.

His form has been exceptional and he has even been linked with big moves.

Damien Delaney

Although Delaney will need replacing within the next 12 months, as he is now 34, the Irishman has formed a solid partnership with Scott Dann this season.

Averaging 7.3 clearances per league game, Delaney has been awarded man of the match on one occasion – as per WhoScored.com.

Pape Souare

Souare has been a source of energy down Palace’s left hand side and the full-back is averaging 2.1 interceptions a game as his mobility is crucial to cover for the lack of pace of Delaney.

Souare’s role in supporting the winger is crucial to how Pardew wants his side to play and he has down a solid job for much of this campaign.

Ki Sung-Yueng

McArthur’s injury, which could keep him out for the remainder of the campaign, has left Palace a little short of central midfield options and Ki would have been a splendid January addition.

Swansea’s relegation peril would have made the move appealing to the South Korean and he regularly features as one of the league’s best passers.

Yohan Cabaye

Cabaye to Palace was one of the coups of the summer transfer window, but the Frenchman’s form has fluctuated during his return season to the Premier League.

Despite leading many of the Palace statistic charts, it has been clear that the former PSG man is used to being in company of players with higher technical ability.

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha is finally making a name for himself, rather than resting on his laurels as a player of potential. The former Manchester United winger has resettled at Palace and been pivotal in many of their best performances this season.

Yannick Bolasie’s injury has placed extra pressure on the youngster but his form has continued to be impressive and his 3.6 completed dribbles per game is a club-high.

Jason Puncheon

Puncheon is another player who must be thinking that he has a chance of making a late charge for the England squad.

Since he has moved into a central role, the journeyman attacking midfielder has flourished at Palace and is often the creator in a fast moving Palace attack.

Bakary Sako

Used as a centre-forward on occasion, Sako adds to the powerful running in the Palace forward line and is, like Bolasie and Zaha, hugely exciting to watch.

Charlie Austin

Charlie Austin being allowed to move to Southampton without much of a fight was the biggest January failing of many Premier League clubs.

Patrick Bamford, Connor Wickham and now, Emmanuel Adebayor, have had opportunities to make the centre forward berth their own at Selhurt Park, but Austin’s game would have perfectly suited Palace’s quick breaking football.

Should Norwich City secure three points this Saturday lunchtime then Newcastle United will find themselves nine points adrift of safety and staring the plight of relegation square in the face. This is a predicament few could have predicted as their 2015/16 began, despite requiring a last-gasp effort to remain in the top flight the previous May. In the weeks that followed that near-miss it appeared to every observer that the club’s hierarchy had been sufficiently jolted into action, making funds available to a new coach in Steve McClaren, who many believed would be a shrewd fit for the north-east giants.

So lessons had been learned then, and once again Newcastle utilised their Dutch, French and Belgian connections to bring in quality – if somewhat risky – additions in the form of Georginio Wijnaldum, Florian Thauvin, Chancel Mbemba and the explosive Aleksander Mitrovic, and should they be successfully blended with a solid spine of Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini, Jack Colback and Papiss Cisse the general consensus was that Newcastle could finish, well, just about anywhere. With a squad packed with internationals and a former England coach at the helm, a top ten spot was certainly within realistic reach. Who knows, maybe even Europe?

In reality it all collapsed rather spectacularly, every thread unravelling to produce a calamitous season of struggle and under-achievement.

If Rafa Benitez’s side plummet apathetically into the Championship, few would raise an eyebrow now because we all know what we know, that this is a hopelessly disjointed team of individuals without the fight in their hearts that the badge demands. Yet it could have – should have – been a completely different story.

Newcastle’s demise is a sorry tale made all the worse by the undeniable fact that should they drop they will join an exclusive and undesirable club where the members hide their faces in shame on entry. They won’t be the first side who – on paper at least – were considered ‘too good’ to go down.

Nottingham Forest 1993

Perhaps in some skewed way it was entirely apt that the inaugural Premier League season saw the sad departure of Brian Clough’s managerial genius.

After pulling off miracles galore in the previous decades and giving us teams of individual magic based on a collective belief, Old Big Ead presided over a shadow of his glorious team’s past. Yet it’s worth remembering that the Forest side that finished rock bottom this season still contained the midfield prowling of Roy Keane and was skippered by Stuart Pearce.

That summer saw Clough retire from the game, moving aside for greedy interfering agents, average players on a hundred grand a week and the introduction of ‘modern’ football. Oh how he would have detested it.

Middlesbrough 1997

It had all looked so promising for the Boro with an opening day hat-trick for new signing Fabricio Ravenelli against Liverpool beckoning in an era of Teeside glamour in the form of Emerson, Juninho and the aforementioned White Feather. Two further thumpings of Coventry and West Ham had fans positively giddy but once the early euphoria subsided Bryan Robson was left with an unbalanced mish-mash of superstars and Phil Stamps that failed to find any degree of consistency.

For all their ambition, Boro proved to be little more than an expensively put together cup side who simply couldn’t maintain their shine in the weekly slog of the Prem.

Blackburn Rovers 1999

Just four years earlier Rovers had been crowned champions, Jack Walkers’ millions and Kenny Dalglish’s acumen ensuring a welcome and unfamiliar name on the roll call. The following season however it all began to unravel with the title holders languishing in the bottom half of the table for much of the season and a Champions League effort that nothing short of imploded. Things barely improved from there and with a forward line of Kevin Gallacher and Ashley Ward a pale imitation of the feared SAS task force of Shearer and Sutton the club completed their sorry decline from heroes to zeros.

West Ham United 2003

For any team to punch their weight in the Premier League they need a top class keeper. The Hammers had England number one at the time David James. They also need ingenuity, a player capable of conjuring magic from nothing. In 2003 the impish Joe Cole had broken into the international set-up and was approaching his peak.

Most importantly you need goals and to that end Glenn Roeder’s eleven possessed Paulo Di Canio and Freddie Kanoute, a strike-force that oozed lethal class.

The West Ham side of 2003 remain the greatest assembly of top class talent to ever experience the ignominy of relegation. They say the league table never lies. Occasionally though it misleads.

Leeds United 2004

After five consecutive top five finishes Leeds’ spectacular over-spending hit home like a bailiff’s thump on the front door. With the club mired in debts that exceeded £100m it necessitated a mid-season fire-sale and the loanees brought in as replacements simply weren’t up to it. Salomon Olembe, anyone?

Leeds still had more than enough quality left over from their recent heady peaks to ensure safety but by now the heart had been ripped from the club. 21 defeats in 38 games from a side containing Robinson, Radebe, Batty and Viduka amounts to a timid whisper through a loudhailer.

Newcastle United 2009

Yup they’ve been here before, the Toon are already official paid-up members of the too-good-to-go-down club and if this season has been a catastrophe their 2008/09 horror-show was an unmitigated disaster. No side with Shay Given in nets, Coloccini and Bassong at the back, Nolan and Barton in their prime and scrapping for every midfield ball, and boasting Owen and Martins up front should ever come close to the bottom three, but going through an astounding six managers between August and May probably didn’t help.

With eight games to go Alan Shearer was installed in the dug-out in a last desperate bid to forge some passion and pride but that ship had long sailed. Newcastle were haemorrhaging goals on a weekly basis and all that once made them so vibrant and watchable was gone.

Supporters will hope for a repeat of their authoritative romp back to the top flight after just one season.

Wayne Rooney’s 2015/2016 Premier League season will be remembered for not scoring goals, as well as his injury woes, but Louis van Gaal isn’t making life any easier for the 30 year old.Rooney has been somewhat of an enigma at Old Trafford this season, frustrating fans throughÂhis lack of goals and causing those around the country to question his spot in the national team.While his form has meandered on to this late stage in the season, which has been punctuated by ‘knee problems’ and an absence of 11 games – his longest period of absence for nine years – it’s hard for England fans to justify excluding the country’s all-time top scorer from a competition that England very much have a chance to win.The issue that Rooney’s facing heading into May is that, except for his great record as a striker at international level, Van Gaal is playing himÂin a deeper midfield role for his domestic team, a very different position than he’d be expected to play in in France. And the fact is that while Rooney would undoubtedly add experience to a very young England team, his role in the XI would be as a goalscorer, which he no longer is at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has only made clear his intentions to play Rooney deeper recently, but those intentions don’t put Rooney in a good shape to be England’s chief goal scorer in France this summer.

The reality is that Roy Hodgson has better domestic options in the midfield than Rooney so if he’s not going to play up front than he’s occupying a selection spot that would arguably be better off filled by a specialist position (whether it be midfield or a goal scorer up front).

It will be interesting to see whether Rooney is reunited with his role in the attacking third, or if Van Gaal continues playing him deeper, like he did against Everton at Wembley on Saturday, because it was hard to justify his spot up front when he wasn’t scoring any goals, let alone if he’s moved deeper permanently.

Whichever way the cookie crumbles, it’s a tough decision to make for the England selectors: choose a man who’s awfully out of form or drop England’s top all-time scorer?

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With all the dreaming of signing Neymar for £800bn and attracting James Rodriguez, the clubs at the top of Premier League pile tend to forget that there are actually some pretty decent footballers right in front of them.

They play against these guys every season, so they should really know just how good they are. Maybe they just don’t think they are quite good enough, or think it will reflect badly if they are signing from clubs perceived to be less strong than themselves.

Stature may come into it. It could evens simply be that they don’t want to pay the premium for buying from a ‘rival’. Either way, the Premier League’s top clubs should probably start checking out the teams just below them if they want to really buy quality that is proven in the league.

So, to help the money bags on their way, we’ve kindly named FIVE mid-table players that we think they should try and sign this summer..

Marko Arnautovic

Stoke’s star of the season, Marko Arnautovic, is still holding out for a better contract from the Potters.

As his deal runs down, Stoke might be tempted to cash-in on their Austrian sensation. Comfortably the club’s top goalscorer this season, Arnautovic has terrorised defences around the country and offers goals from a wide position that so many of the top teams are lacking.

Virgil van Dijk

Everyone knows how good Virgil van Dijk is by now.

The Southampton man was linked with moves elsewhere before he transferred from Celtic to Southampton and he has built a formidable partnership with Jose Fonte on the south coast.

A class act in possession whilst not being afraid to clear the ball when required, Van Dijk is everything that clubs require from a modern centre-half.

Yohan Cabaye

Cabaye’s move to Crystal Palace has not worked out quite as he would have dreamed. The Eagles experienced an appalling run of form during the second half of the season that saw them briefly flirt with relegation, and Cabaye is yet to reach his best form.

The Frenchman’s talent is not under question, and he is an extremely gifted midfielder who can offer plenty in both boxes for his team and would be a cheaper alternative to some of the bigger names from other parts of Europe.

Victor Wanyama

Southampton, for much of this campaign, have had one of the meanest defences in the league.

Wanyama’s game is slightly limited by his passing range and this will deter many possession-based clubs. The Kenyan midfielder is, though, a formidable presence in front of the defence and is like a roadblock to teams who try to attack centrally. At only 24, a club may take the gamble in the hope that they can develop his game.

Ross Barkley

Everton’s disappointing season must have left many of their players considering their future. Barkley, along with Stones and Lukaku, is sure to be linked to a move away from Goodison Park for much of this summer, and the top clubs in the Premier League will be the first to come calling.

2015/16 has been his most productive season so far, contributing eight league goals and eight league assists, and Barkley is still only 22. Whilst he will command a substantial transfer fee, he must be a potential signing for the big sides.

For West Ham fans, it is an unnerving time.

Their star player is now a known phenomenon at Premier League level and is now stylishly gracing the European Championships this summer.

A relative unknown a year ago, Payet’s star is very much in the ascendancy and now sadly for Hammers fans everywhere, the French midfielder is a wanted man.

Real Madrid appear very keen on the Frenchman and with fellow countryman Zinedine Zidane at the helm, Payet could be lured to the Bernabeu to link up with some of the best in Europe.

Back in East London, the club are exceptionally keen to play down any talk of a departure after Payet signed a new five year deal in February this year.

As we all know, contracts only protect the club and are virtually meaningless. If Real want their man badly enough and are willing to cough up a considerable amount of money, then if the player’s head is turned, what can the club do?

If he goes, he will be irreplaceable, but West Ham could consider other options…

Toni Kroos

German midfielder Kroos, is a top, top playmaker and very influential for club and country. Under Zidane, Kroos is back to his best.

While Real Madrid’s front three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale is one of the best around on an individual level, the team’s overall balance relies on players like Kroos.

Exceptionally high passing statistics, dribbling and with great vision, The Hammers could almost swap Payet for Kroos and a man who has won it all.

James Rodriguez

Life has not been good for the Real Madrid man and he could be on his way out of the club this summer.

Capable of playing in the front three or the middle three, Rodriguez is simply a superb all-round footballer.

Skilful and inventive, the Colombia international can convert as well as create, but Real value the Colombian at £60m and Manchester United are one interested party.

Roberto Pereyra

The Italian champions are planning on a summer spending spree, but first need to raise cash to boost their transfer war chest.

According to Tuttosport, the Old Lady are prepared to put Pereyra in the shop window, with the Argentine only considered a bit-part player by manager Massimiliano Allegri.

The Argentine’s fitness is the only thing stopping West Ham moving now, but Pereyra made just 16 appearances for Juve last season and a move away from Juve is definite.

Having signed Pereyra from Udinese after a loan period, Juve are happy to let the midfielder leave.

Luka Modric

A dream for all Hammers fans would be to see this diminutive Croatian playing in the Claret and Blue.

If anyone could pull off the coup of the summer transfer window, then it would be fellow Croat Slaven Bilic.

Modric pulls all the strings for Real and value him as highly as West Ham value Payet. His passing accuracy is rarely ever comparable, his dribbling sublime and Modric has a willingness to track back and win back the ball.

With money in the bank, the Londoners could trigger the release clause and recruit an exceptional talent that would push The Hammers on to realise their ambitions.

Pre-season talk in the Football League was dominated by two sides, its fairly safe to say.

Newcastle United and Aston Villa’s relegation into the Championship really set tongues wagging and they’ve continued to dominate as the season has begun, both on and off the pitch. Newcastle got off to a pretty disastrous start, losing their opening two games to Fulham and Huddersfield Town but they’ve had something of a mini revival. Three wins on the bounce has lightened the mood around the Toon once again and they seem pretty confident they are on set for promotion.

As for Villa, its been a less than impressive start, and they go into the international break in sixteenth place in the league, far below where they’d realistically want to have been at the start of the campaign. But the real shock with these two sides has been the money spent. Over £115m worth of talent has been brought in by Rafael Benitez and Roberto Di Matteo, far more than any other Championship side.

But there is another Championship team that has gone about their business quietly as the season has begun and then gotten underway, and that is Birmingham City.

Under manager Gary Rowett, the Blues seem pretty settled these days and despite the obvious lack of investment, they’ve made an encouraging start. They sit tenth after five games, with two wins, two draws and just a single loss.

But it was the win over Norwich City last weekend that really showed the league what the Blues can do, as they swept promotion-fancied Norwich City aside in an impressive 3-0 win at St Andrews. Clayton Donaldson got his first of the season scoring twice, with David Davis getting the other.

But it was the manner of the win that impressed fans and neutrals alike, with many being impressed by the cool, calm and assured display on show. Perhaps for the first time this season, the Blues controlled the game in the middle of the park with David Davis and Maikel Kieftenbeld chipping away, giving the Norwich players no chance to breathe.

Che Adams played 90 minutes for the first time in a Blues shirt and looked sharp whilst Clayton Donaldson scored a couple of goals – he will be glad to have to his name on the scoresheet after a tough start to the campaign.

Nothing has been achieved yet but this is a massive step in the right direction for Rowett’s side. They face a tough Fulham outfit after the international break and will have to keep it up if they want to compete with Slavisa Jokanovic’s side.

All the ingredients seem there should Blues mount a successful play-off push. With new signings Lukas Jutkiewicz and Rhoys Higgins now also in the side, the team is looking bigger with more depth.

Of course, good results can always come crashing down, but the foundations are there for Birmingham. They’re one step ahead of rivals Aston Villa with a tenth of the budget and that in itself is something to shout about.

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Newcastle are well up and running in the Championship now.

The Magpies endured a sluggish start with two losses in their opening two games to Fulham and Huddersfield respectively but since they’ve four on the trot to second in the division.

It’s a real statement to the rest of the league that they’re ready to win the title with the way they bounced back from those opening defeats and you’d be hard pushed to find a better team to stop them this year.

Huddersfield are currently four points clear but the men from St. James’ Park will be confident they can overhaul that gap starting with QPR on Tuesday night.

The game at Loftus Road will see the north-east side face a club that has promotion desires of their own with Rangers currently sat in seventh in the league.

Newcastle, however, will go into the game as favourites and we reckon this lineup should get them the three points…

Matz Sels

Sels has done well so far in goal and with Tim Krul still sidelined the new signing will once again be between the sticks.

Vurnon Anita

Anita has been a mainstay for the Magpies at right back so should start the game at Loftus Road as their defence looks ever stronger.

Chancel Mbemba

Mbemba is improving and his understanding with Jamaal Lascelles is getting better with each game. Benitez likes a solid defensive central partnership and he’s getting the makings of one.

Jamaal Lascelles

The club captain will once again lead his side on to the pitch in London in a role that he is really starting to embrace. He’s a real physical presence and leads by example at the back.

Paul Dummett

The local lad is coming into his own in this Newcastle side and it would make no sense whatsoever for Rafa to change the back four after their shutout against Derby.

Matt Ritchie

Ritchie’s signing demonstrated the pulling power the club still has and his performances so far have only affirmed what a signing it was. He’ll be key in unlocking the QPR door.

Jonjo Shelvey

Picked up a yellow in the game against the Rams but should still start given his range of passing and ability in the centre of the pitch.

Jack Colback

Colback is the engine in Newcastle’s midfield and will have to work hard to keep the likes of Tjarron Chery quiet in Rangers midfield.

DeAndre Yedlin

Yedlin came on and scored in the game against Derby, replacing the other goal-scorer Yoan Gouffran, so it’s a real toss of a coin.

Given this game comes quickly after that, though, Rafa might choose to rotate and play the former Spurs man.

Mohamed Diame

Diame is a real powerhouse and a very good replacement for Moussa Sissoko. He has to start to give Newcastle the drive they need in the central areas.

Ayoze Perez

Like with Yedlin, this is a toss up between Perez and Gayle but Perez should get the nod after being the sub on Saturday. Gayle couldn’t find the net in the game against Derby so Perez needs to grasp this chance with both hands.

There’s no question that Manchester United have had the beating of Liverpool of late. In their last six fixtures across the Europa League and Premier League, the Red Devils have notched four victories, with Liverpool winning just one.

Last season saw Jurgen Klopp’s team knock Manchester United out of the latter stages of the Europa League, while Louis van Gaal produced a rare positive result as his side claimed a victory at Anfield. Even in a period of relative weakness for Manchester United, they have been able to retain the soft consolation that they have largely had the beating of Liverpool at both Anfield and Old Trafford. In part due to an ability to take chances clinically and dominate physically. Even Van Gaal’s darkest days at the helm were brightened by victories over Liverpool.

Despite contrasting starts to this season, only three points separate the North West rivals. Liverpool have produced some breathtaking football already this campaign and are playing with the collective understanding usually expected of a unit who have been together far longer than this. Jose Mourinho’s side have looked sluggish at times and suffered from the most un-Mourinho of traits: poor defensive structure. Klopp versus Mourinho, as the two sides begin periods of resurgence, has all the makings of a marathon managerial riv,alry. In their fledgling relationship to date, Klopp has had the beating of Mourinho as Dortmund and Liverpool manager, including that Champions League semi-final in 2013.

One thing we can certainly garner from past games (and the fact this is one of sport’s harshest rivalries) is it will be heated. Under the lights with the backing of a raucous Anfield crowd, cards are a guarantee and we could see the game descend into a one-sided calamity if a red card is shown.

Head-to-head records have to be considered with caution. Vast changes to squads and management make some of these previous results almost irrelevant. Some of the teams fielded in the recent fixtures are unrecognisable to the sides that will take the field on Monday night. History can often tell us a great deal about what to expect in the future, in this case it can only offer us the slightest of pointers. The numbers surrounding this fixture in recent years are great trivia, but unlikely to tell us much about about what will happen at Anfield. Rather, they can misguide us with statistics, records and unrelated nonsense when what really matters is the most recent history, form, player availability and tactical setups.

You can be sure that neither Klopp nor Mourinho will be looking too much at Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat in this fixture last season.

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea revolution got off to a pretty good start when the Blues went unbeaten in their opening four games.

But back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively led to questions being asked of the Italian’s ability to lead Chelsea back in to the top four following last year’s calamitous title defence.

A 2-0 victory at Hull City before the international break stopped the rot and left them in 7th, but it’s obvious Conte still has so much to do before we see Chelsea consistently performing well in the Premier League.

However, the Blues have still had a number of top performing players in FPL and there are a few still worth picking for your FPL team, it’s just picking the right ones.

So here’s a look at Chelsea’s top five most effective points scorers so far this season, taking FPL points per 90 minutes in to account.

Have a gander at this lot before the gameweek 8 deadline…

5. Cesar Azpilicueta – 3.43 PP90

Cesar Azpilicueta has played every minute of Premier League football this season but the Blues’ struggles to keep a clean sheet have hindered his points scoring potential.

He only has one assist, two clean sheets and three bonus points to his name after seven games, which means his PP90 average is a relatively low 3.43.

That should improve over time once Conte gets his defence playing as he wants it to, so it’s worth considering the Spain international moving forward.

He is owned by 10.9% of FPL teams, but costs £6m. Arguably better value out there at the moment, but what about in the long run?

4. Nemanja Matic – 3.48 PP90

Nemanja Matic isn’t the first midfielder that comes to mind when picking your FPL team, which is probably why he’s priced at just £5m.

However, the Serbia international has contributed with three assists and two clean sheets in seven appearances this season, which has boosted his points total so far.

His average PP90 isn’t exactly great at 3.48 but if he continues assisting and Chelsea’s defence improves, that should increase over time.

And with just 2.7% of FPL teams taking a punt in him, Matic could actually be a cheap differential for you to consider.

3. Eden Hazard – 5.08 PP90

Eden Hazard has improved markedly since his torrid time last season and will have used the international break as the perfect opportunity to improve his form and confidence further.

In 16/17 he already has two goals, one assist, two clean sheets and six bonus points, which means he is well on his way of improving on his overall record in 15/16.

He is averaging 5.08 PP90 right now and don’t be surprised if that significantly increases over the coming months as Chelsea improve as expected.

He has dropped in price since the beginning of the season – £10m to £9.9m – but 19.5% of FPL teams, which means it may be worth considering more effective options.

Keep an eye on him.

2. Willian – 5.35 PP90

Willian will miss out on the next gameweek due to personal reasons but he’s still worth considering in future weeks if you haven’t already got him.

His threat at set-pieces is an obvious attraction for FPL players looking for a high points yield in midfield, while the Brazil international is likely to rack up the assists throughout the campaign – he ended 15/16 with 10 assists.

However, he’s yet to register an assist in 16/17 and only has two goals, two clean sheets and five bonus points to his name.

A PP90 average of 5.35 is still pretty high, though, which means he’s well worth keeping a close eye on when he returns to club action.

1. Diego Costa – 6.89 PP90

Diego Costa has been the main man (again!) in Chelsea’s attack, netting six goals in the first seven games of the campaign.

He also has two assists and six bonus points to his name, which means he is by far Chelsea’s highest points scorer.

An impressive PP90 average of 6.89 is the result of such formidable form, but his price (£10.1m) and Teams Selected By Percentage (29.8%) means he’s not going to necessarily help you get an edge over your mates.

But can you afford not to have him in your team?

Tottenham Hotspur explored the option of signing Daniel Sturridge from Liverpool in the summer and could reignite their interest in the striker, according to Bleacher Report.

http://bleacherreport.com/video_embed?id=14322&library=video-cms&tagID=56

What’s the word?

With Daniel Sturridge’s time at Anfield seemingly coming to an end, a wealth of top-flight clubs have been linked with the services of the former Chelsea and Manchester City striker.

Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones states Tottenham explored the possibility of signing Daniel Sturridge from their title-rivals in the summer and Mauricio Pochettino’s side could now re-visit the situation, amidst growing speculation that Sturridge will leave Liverpool.

The likes of West Ham and Stoke City have been touted as possible destinations for the England international and Spurs will certainly fancy their chances of winning the battle for the 28-year-old if it ends up being a three-horse race.

Should Liverpool sell to Spurs?

Whatever happens, it’s more than likely that Sturridge will remain in the Premier League, and given that he has scored 43 goals in 77 league appearances for Liverpool, you’d expect the striker to come back and haunt the Reds for his new side.

However, selling directly to Tottenham Hotspur would be a questionable decision. Pochettino’s side are right up there in the race for the Premier League crown and having a striker like Sturridge within their squad could provide them with the boost they need to win their first league title in over half a century.

It’s also crucial to mention that Spurs beat Liverpool to a Champions League spot last season and the Lilywhites have finished above the Reds in four of the last five Premier League campaigns, which makes it abundantly clear that this isn’t a rivalry that’s stemmed from nowhere.

Liverpool cannot really afford to let Sturridge join a direct rival and if there’s the chance to sell to a club like Stoke or West Ham, then they should take it.

Is Spurs the best move for Sturridge?

Tottenham Hotspur have long been searching for a striker to ease the pressure upon Harry Kane and it’s pretty clear summer signing Vincent Janssen is not that man. However, with Pochettino regularly deploying a formation with one striker, Sturridge may end up fighting for regular football once again.

It would therefore be better for him to move to a club like West Ham or Stoke, where he would become the first-choice striker and a key-player for the side. With the World Cup 18 months away, Sturridge cannot afford to spend any more time battling for regular football.

The downside though is giving up European football. At Spurs, Sturridge could play in the Champions League and it’s likely Tottenham’s involvement on the continent will continue in the coming years.

West Ham, meanwhile, have regularly failed to advance through Europa League qualifying and look a long way off fighting for a European finish in the league. For Stoke, it looks even further off and whilst Sturridge could be the man to propel these clubs into Europe, it would be a big risk on his part.

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