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It would be fair to say that Dimitri Payet is still splitting the opinion of the West Ham United supporters, more than two years since he left the capital club.

The 38-time France international scored 15 times and registered 23 assists in 60 appearances for West Ham between 2015 and 2017.

It did not take long for Payet to become a firm favourite with the London club’s supporters and he scored 12 times during a very impressive first season in England.

Things ultimately turned sour, however, and the talented playmaker left West Ham in January 2017 to seal a return to Marseille.

The 31-year-old has been impressive since re-joining the French club and has contributed six goals and six assists during the 2018-19 campaign.

West Ham took a trip down memory lane on Thursday when they posted two spectacular goals from the Frenchman.

And the response from the club’s supporters was extremely mixed, as can be seen by the tweets below:

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped a ‘big’ Newcastle United claim involving the summer window.

The Lowdown: Striker wanted

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with a number of big-name strikers ahead of the summer, including the likes of Paulo Dybala and Darwin Nunez.

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It was reported that their move for Reims striker Hugo Ekitike in the January transfer window was called off after a £33m bid was accepted, so he is another one that the North East club could look to revisit.

The Latest: ‘Big’ signing?

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, when asked if the Tyneside outfit will sign Ekitike in the summer, Jones shared that the Toon Army should be ‘optimistic’ that they will sign a ‘big’ striker as well as him:

“But I think they should also be optimistic that this won’t be the only signing they make. I think they’ll really look at that frontline. I think somebody will be moved on. And I think another gap will open up for a big man to come in.”

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the Magpies could sign two new strikers, and one of them being the highly-rated Ekitike, is surely exciting.

Callum Wilson has been suffering from constant injury problems throughout the season, while Chris Wood has only managed to score two goals since arriving from Burnley in January.

Thus, they could do with some more firepower up top to help really kickstart the long-term project.

Nonetheless, they should have the budget to do it, given that they are backed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In other news, find out what worrying Allan Saint-Maximin update has now emerged here!

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the current condition of Leeds United centre-forward Joe Gelhardt.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent revealed that, after limping off with what initially appeared to be a dead leg in the U23’s 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday evening, the 19-year-old is now set for further assessment to determine the seriousness of his knock.

In his post, the journalist said: “Due to have more assessments.”

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Marsch will be gutted

Considering the terrible luck Jesse Marsch has had with injuries since his arrival at the club back in March – with all of Patrick Bamford, Jamie Shackleton, Lewis Bate, Junior Firpo, Tyler Roberts and Leo Hjelde currently in the Elland Road treatment room – the news that Gelhardt could join the Whites’ stricken group ahead of Saturday’s six-pointer against Watford is sure to have left the 48-year-old gutted.

Indeed, with Bamford out of the season, should the 19-year-old be unavailable for selection this weekend, the American manager will have no fit centre-forwards in his first-team squad – something that could well lead to Marsch fielding Daniel James in a central attacking role once again.

However, with the winger having failed to impress when deployed through the middle so far this season – bagging just three goals over 17 appearances at centre-forward this season, as well as averaging an extremely disappointing WhoScored match rating of just 6.56 – it is clear to see that the absence of Gelhardt would come as a huge blow to Leeds’ chances of securing all three points at Vicarage Road.

And, with just eight points separating the 18th place Hornets and 16th place Leeds, a loss on Saturday could well see the Whites slip back into a fight for survival over the run-in of the Premier League campaign – an eventuality no one involved with the club will want to occur.

AND in other news: Orta can now axe “awful” £55k-p/w flop as Leeds eye “underrated” £12.5m-rated “threat”

Leeds United selling Helder Costa this summer would allow Jesse Marsch more funds to bring in new signings, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Costa out on loan

The Angola winger joined Valencia on loan last summer, with Marcelo Bielsa unable to afford him regular playing time at Elland Road in 2021/22. However, Costa has failed to set the world alight in La Liga, making 19 appearances in the division but failing to score and registering just one assist.

It could be that the 27-year-old is sold by Leeds at the end of the season, permanently bringing an end to his time at the club.

According to a report by El Desmarque (via Sport Witness), the deal which took Costa to Valencia included a €20m (£16.7m) purchase option, although that figure has now been described as ‘inaccessible’ for the La Liga outfit, so the Whites may need to re-negotiate the agreed fee if they are to offload the attacker permanently.

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The Latest: Jones talks up Costa exit

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that it would be the right decision to offload Costa for good as Marsch looks to bring in his own players to Leeds.

The transfer insider said: “It could be a good opportunity for Marsch to start making his mark on the team and bringing in players that he actually wants.”

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The Verdict: Time to get rid

It makes complete sense for Leeds to sell Costa for good in the summer transfer window considering that he seems to be surplus to requirements there, despite being hailed as ‘immense’ by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

His current Whites deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, so they should still be able to receive a healthy fee for his services.

Costa is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, and if Leeds could receive a similar bid for him despite the aforementioned purchase clause, they would likely consider it good business to be done with a fringe player who is out of form.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has made a key Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

Celtic are in a good position to secure the Scottish Premiership title at the end of the season under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

With 33 games played, the Hoops have won 26, drawn four and lost three, putting them six points clear at the top of the league table.

The Bhoys also boast the best attacking and defensive records in the league, with more goals scored than any other side as well as the fewest conceded.

However, moving into the latter stages of the campaign, it seems as though Celtic may have to get through their next round of fixtures without one player who has contributed to both the Hoops’ impressive attacking and defensive output this season.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Scotland, Josip Juranovic will struggle for fitness before mid-May as a result of a knock he picked up during Celtic’s recent Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Rangers.

The report also claimed that the full-back is a “major doubt” for the Old Firm Derby between the two Glasgow clubs next month.

Terrible news for Postecoglou

Since arriving at the Parkhead club last summer, the right-back has gone on to make 35 appearances across all competitions for the Bhoys.

Over these outings, the defender has scored five goals and provided two assists, showing what a useful attacking presence he can be in the team.

To further highlight how impressive the Croatian has been for his new club, no other Celtic player has managed to win more tackles (28) in the league than Juranovic, who also has more shots at goal (36) than any other Hoops defender.

This shows just how effective the 26-year-old is up and down the pitch and why it will be a major blow for Postecoglou to potentially have him out of action for the next few weeks.

Moving forward, with the full extent of the defender’s injury is yet to be established, everyone at the Parkhead club will undoubtedly have their fingers crossed that it’s not an overly serious issue, and that he will be able to recover as soon as possible to help his side in their bid secure the league title.

AND in other news: £2.2m wasted: Celtic had a mare over 32 y/o once dubbed “the next Henrik Larsson”

Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a convincing win at home over Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

Harry Kane scored twice – either side of a Solly March own goal – to see Spurs into the next round despite the Seagulls threatening a late comeback after Yves Bissouma bagged a consolation.

It was the England international’s night, that’s for sure. He curled in a beautiful goal for his opener whilst he completed his brace with an effort on the other end of the spectrum as he poked home a goalmouth scramble after a great solo run from Heung-min Son.

However, for all of the 28-year-old’s efforts, he wasn’t the only man to impress.

On his return from injury, Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero looked like an absolute Rolls-Royce of a defender in the 77 minutes he was on the pitch.

Antonio Conte was forced to withdraw early with cramp but the 23-year-old, who is on loan from Serie A side Atalanta, was playing his first game – and only third under the Italian – since November.

Not only did SofaScore rank him as the second-highest rated player for Spurs but the local press wrote glowingly of his display.

‘A dominant and eye-catching return to the side in the heart of the three. Composed on the ball, aggressive without it,’ said Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard, whilst The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare dubbed his performance “very impressive” on social media.

Indeed, Romero was an absolute rock at the back, thwarting Graham Potter’s side every time they went forward, leaving Neal Maupay left frustrated in the attack.

As per FotMob, the Argentine led the match for tackles (four), recoveries (nine) and clearances (five). He also won 71% of his seven duels and was sublime on the ball, registering a pass success rate of 97% – which was even better than Conte’s engine room duo of Harry Winks (86%) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (89%).

This suggests that he was a very hard man to get past and that he remained calm and composed throughout – as if he hadn’t just missed nearly three months of the season with a “serious” injury.

It’s also no wonder that his teammate at both I Nerazzurri and in north London, goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, dubbed him an “animal” who is “perfect” for the English game.

The £31.5m-rated star was arguably the man who stole the show against Brighton this weekend. Kane will understandably take the headlines but the 23-year-old’s display cannot go unnoticed, especially considering the circumstances building up to this moment.

Spurs will be hoping that he can remain fit for the remainder of the season as glory in the FA Cup and a place in the top four still remain on offer.

AND in other news, Paratici can truly kickstart Conte’s revolution at Spurs with “special” £50m sensation…

Rangers find themselves with an excellent group of academy players coming through the ranks at Ibrox at the minute, with Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann really showing their promise.

One of the most talked-about youth prospects is centre-back Leon King, who at just 18 years old, has featured on the Premiership sides bench a few times already this season and could be ready for a step-up next season.

King signed a new long-term deal in January which will take him up to May 2024, with Ross Wilson explaining that he was “delighted” the young defender will continue his journey at Rangers.

The move to offer him a new deal was a smart one, as his performances in the B team haven’t gone unnoticed, he was linked with a move to both Manchester United and Newcastle United before pledging his future to the Gers.

Steven Gerrard was the first to offer hints that King could be a key part of the Ibrox side’s future when the then 16-year-old was included in the first-team squad for their trip to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League in October 2020.

Since then, he went on to make his official debut against Falkirk in a League Cup tie before featuring for the Gers in league duty against Livingston in May 2021, long after the side had won the Premiership title.

This led Giovanni van Bronckhorst to promote him to the first-team squad in January and this experience will surely stand him in good stead.

The player has all the attributes to become the side’s next Richard Gough, a stalwart at the heart of defence who eventually went on to make over 300 appearances in Rangers blue. With former coach Gerrard labelling him as “superb” then the sky really is the limit for the talented defender.

Van Bronckhorst could save millions by utilising him in the next few seasons in what is an exciting time for the youngster.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

Leeds United are expecting to receive major offers for star man Kalvin Phillips this summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Return to training

The 26-year-old has missed the last six Premier League games with a hamstring injury but has now returned to training alongside Liam Cooper.

Leeds shared images of the pair all smiles at Thorp Arch in the week, with Phillips the subject of late interest in the January transfer window.

West Ham had a £50m bid turned down by Elland Road officials for Phillips late in the winter window, but Leeds are already bracing themselves for even bigger offers.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Saturday where pundit Alan Hutton was giving his thoughts on Phillips’ future.

The outlet added that they were informed by a Leeds source the club are expecting major bids for the midfielder in the summer which are likely to exceed West Ham’s rejected bid.

The Verdict: A worry

Phillips revealed before the January market opened that he wants a new deal at Elland Road, however, as we know, that is yet to materialise.

His current contract is thought to be worth around £25,000-a-week and he hasn’t been handed improved terms since the club’s promotion to the Premier League. That could be a worry for the Whites, especially with interest now mounting in England’s Player of the Year.

Leeds fans will be hoping that Phillips remains in Yorkshire, however, the longer it goes on without a new deal, along with the recent update regarding big summer bids, means there may well be growing concern at Elland Road going into the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: Leeds beast who Harvey Elliott recently praised may now leave permanently in summer – journalist. 

Leeds United have been handed a boost over the fitness of midfielder Adam Forshaw…

What's the story?

Speaking after the win against Watford, Leeds boss Jesse Marsch said via Leeds Live that he thinks the player might be in training this week following a little calf issue and could play against Crystal Palace.

Now, former Whites ace Noel Whelan has delivered an update on the midfielder following his own sighting of him at Thorp Arch.

Speaking to Football Insider he revealed that he saw the player at coaching last night and appeared to have a big smile on his face.

He hailed the player’s in form status and stated that Forshaw had been doing a really good job in the centre of the pitch.

Meanwhile former manager Marcelo Bielsa himself has previously admitted just how influential he can be.

He said via Yorkshire Evening Post that Forshaw is a player who has always been one of the better players on the team and defenders in a similar way to Kalvin Phillips but is also quite similar to Mateusz Klich as well.

Given the kind of injury troubles he has sadly had over the last few seasons seeing him back on the pitch has been one of the real highlight stories of a difficult campaign for Bielsa.

It’s exactly why news that he looks fit and healthy should be greeted with a huge sigh of relief.

Aston Villa and their owners have shown in the past, and throughout the current January transfer window, that they are not shy when it comes to spending big amounts of money on bringing new players to the club such as Lucas Digne, Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins among others.

With that in mind, one man who could follow in the footsteps of these players and make his way to Villa Park in the future is Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has been linked with a move to the Midlands in recent weeks.

Having been tipped to become a “massive asset” for Brighton by Dale Stephens in his early months at the club, Bissouma has certainly lived up to that expectation with WhoScored currently listing the midfielder as the Seagulls’ highest-rated player this season, with an overall performance rating of 7.13/10.

This rating would make the Mali international, who is currently picking up £29k-per-week according to Salary Sport, Villa’s third-highest rated player by the same metric behind Digne and John McGinn, showing that he is capable of playing at a high level.

Gerrard would love Bissouma at Villa

Taking this into account, Gerrard would surely love to see Villa’s owners splash the cash once again to sign an experienced and talented player such as Bissouma.

You only need to look at the heroic defensive statistics that he has posted in the Premier League this season, with 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game. He ranks higher than any other Villa player for the former metric and is a close second to Digne for the latter.

With deadline day approaching, Villa may not be able to pull off a transfer for the 25-year-old before the end of the month. However, with the summer in mind, the £22.5m-rated beast should definitely be high on Johan Lange’s priority list given how he will be entering the final year of his current contract at Brighton, who may then be willing to negotiate a deal for their midfield maestro.

Also, with the future of Douglas Luiz under some speculation at the moment, if he were to leave Villa any time soon, this would only enhance the club’s need to add a midfielder of Bissouma’s ilk to their squad.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops fresh Aston Villa January update which will have Gerrard buzzing