Everton should launch an audacious move for Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina.

What’s the word?

In all the areas on the pitch, the goalkeeping position is not where many would assume Everton need to strengthen.

Jordan Pickford has gone from strength to strength since his move to Goodison Park from Sunderland last year.

So much so that he starred for England during their World Cup campaign to the semi-finals, which they lost in extra time to Croatia.

However, at the moment, Pickford has no real challenge at Everton due to the fact that Maarten Stekelenburg is the only other first-team keeper in the squad following Joel Robles’s departure.

This does not mean that the Three Lions star will become complacent, but the danger is there if he has nobody to test him.

Why move for Ospina?

During his four-year stay at Arsenal so far, in which he has won the FA Cup twice, the Costa Rica international has failed to hold down the number one spot.

In recent seasons, Ospina has fallen second fiddle to Petr Cech, and in the 2017-18 campaign, he had to settle for cup games.

Despite not being first choice, the 29-year-old has proven that he is a strong second in command, and certainly has the ability to put Pickford, who can’t be allowed to become too complacent following his World Cup heroics, under some much-needed pressure.

On top of that, he is well versed in the Premier League, and would not take long to settle in at Goodison Park.

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Is a deal likely?

Probably not.

It would be no big surprise if Ospina left Arsenal before the transfer window closes due to the arrival of Bernd Leno.

Manager Unai Emery recruited the shot-stopper from Bayer Leverkusen, which suggests that he will take Cech’s number one role.

If so, then it will push Ospina even further down the pecking order, but judging by recent reports, the Costa Rican may have already chosen his next destination.

According to Football.london, the keeper is closing in on a move to Besiktas, so if Everton want to try their luck, they should move fast.

According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are battling with Premier League rivals Everton for the signing of Augsburg centre-back Martin Hinteregger.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says that the Irons want to bring the highly-rated Austria international to England, but they face competition to get the 25-year-old – rated at £13m by his club – with the Toffees and Italian giants Inter Milan among the interested clubs.

The Sun says that Augsburg will fight to keep hold of the left-sided central defender as they view him as one of their prized assets, but they will be aware that the east London outfit often sent scouts to watch the 31-cap international in action during the 2017/18 campaign.

The report adds that Manuel Pellegrini still wants another centre-back despite already signing Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena this summer, with James Collins and Jose Fonte both leaving in recent months and the long-term fitness of Winston Reid unclear as he continues to be hampered by injury issues.

Would he be a good signing?

He certainly would be.

Despite only being 25 years of age he is hugely experienced both domestically and internationally, making almost 300 senior appearances at club level.

According to WhoScored.com, he is strong in the air while he showed how good he is at intercepting by winning 49 in 30 Bundesliga outings last term.

While Pellegrini, who has been urged to snap up a £60,000-a-week Chelsea ace by Hammers fans, has already brought the likes of Felipe Anderson and Jack Wilshere to the London Stadium, Hinteregger could be his most important addition given West Ham’s defensive issues last season – they finished the campaign with the joint-worst record for conceding in the Premier League.

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Newcastle United announced the signing of Yoshinori Muto on Thursday, but they should have tried to sign Paco Alcacer from Barcelona.

What’s the word?

Rafael Benitez will be hoping that Japan international Muto will boost the team’s attack following a lacklustre season.

Dwight Gayle and Joselu were responsible for finding the back of the net, but neither impressed.

The 26-year-old has experience of European football having spent the last two years at Mainz, but he is still an unknown quantity in the Premier League.

The Magpies should have considered a move for Alcacer instead as he has the qualities that the team need.

Why is he the right fit?

The 24-year-old tends to find himself in the right places at the right time, which is ideal for those providing service to the front line.

Alcacer is a poacher and has regularly displayed quick feet and trickery in the box.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he has struggled to earn a regular spot in the Barcelona team since his switch from Valencia in 2016.

Even so, the forward has still racked up 43 La Liga goals in his career so far, as well as 22 assists.

Alcacer was certainly an option worth looking at, but Newcastle’s lack of transfer funds may have prevented them from making a serious offer.

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Despite the departures of Emre Can and Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool’s midfield looks stronger than ever.

Three years after his appointment, Jurgen Klopp has completely rebuilt Liverpool from top to bottom. The Reds are no longer viewed as a stepping stone, and the German finally has a squad capable of competing with the best sides in the world. In previous seasons, he has never had as many options at his disposal, a credit to the excellent business conducted by him and his recruitment team.

Against West Ham, Klopp opted to leave new recruit Fabinho, skipper Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana on the bench. Georginio Wijnaldum started in the holding role alongside James Milner and Naby Keita. Wijnaldum and Milner, in particular, were exceptional but it was the £54m-man that stole the show.

Liverpool had wanted to sign Keita last summer after he impressed in the Bundesliga. However, Leipzig were unwilling to lose their star player ahead of their debut campaign in the Champions League. Amid interest from Barcelona, Liverpool were to wise to tie up a deal in advance and were forced to wait a year to see him don the red shirt.

The Anfield faithful finally got to see their new number eight in action against the Hammers and were left salivating. His quality on the ball was evident from the first minute, and the weight on his passes were perfect. A perfectly timed through ball to Andrew Robertson allowed the Scot to pick out Mohamed Salah to open the scoring. His link up with the former Hull City man could be a partnership to keep a close eye on.

Keita was later moved to the left of a midfield four as Klopp looked to see out the win, highlighting the versatility he offers his boss. He ended the game with 89% pass accuracy, including 18 in the final third of the pitch.

Coutinho’s departure was a real blow to the Reds, but they have a new talisman now. And his name is Naby Keita.

It took a while to get him but his success, after that of Virgil van Dijk’s (another player that waited for), shows those behind the scenes at Liverpool have the best recruitment policy in the world.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Everton have officially confirmed their acquisition of Bernard on a free transfer. 

The Brazilian became a free agent this summer following the expiry of his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk. Bernard enjoyed five trophy-laden campaigns with the Ukrainian giants but must now prove his quality in a more major division if he is to stand any chance of returning to the Brazilian international set up. 

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Bernard last turned out for the Selecao in their 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup.

Impressing in the Premier League could be Bernard’s ticket back to the national team, and Toffees fans will be hoping that the 25-year-old can bring his best form to Goodison Park this season.

Alongside fellow new arrival Richarlison, Bernard will bring plenty of flair and technical quality to Marco Silva’s attacking options, and he certainly has the ability to have a big impact in English football.

Everton fans on Twitter were quick to give Bernard a warm welcome to Merseyside…

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West Bromwich Albion have shown enough promise at the start of the Championship campaign to suggest they could challenge for promotion this season, and the form of Jay Rodriguez will certainly play an instrumental role in their bid to return to the Premier League. 

4 points from their opening 3 games and a safe passage to the 2nd round of the Carabao Cup have given the Baggies a decent platform from which to build their season, but they are still lacking the strength in depth which will be needed to push for a place in the automatic promotion places.

Jay Rodriguez has started the season in bright form with 2 goals from his opening 3 fixtures but, with Dwight Gayle the only recognised centre-forward on West Brom’s ranks aside from Rodriguez, there’s no doubt the club are in a slightly precarious position for the season ahead.

Hal Robson Kanu can also do a job at centre-forward, but the Baggies should still be targeting the signing of another natural striker in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, Moore should approach free agent Lacina Traore regarding a potential free transfer, as his physical presence could provide Rodriguez with an ideal partner at the spearhead of the attack this season.

The 6ft 8in striker was recently released by Monaco after struggling for both first-team opportunities and goals during his final season with the club, and he is now available to sign on a free.

Traore has played for clubs across Europe throughout his career including CSKA Moscow, CFR Cluj and even Everton where he struggled to settle, but his failure to succeed at the first time of asking in English football may well provide him with the inspiration to move to West Brom.

Although he has also plenty of technical ability to offer, there’s no doubt that Traore’s physical presence would be problematic for plenty of Championship defenders.

His ability to use his height to bring the ball down in the final-third and feed the players around him could work to Rodriguez’s advantage and provide the Baggies talisman with an ideal partner to feed off.

The classic little and large combination appears to be something of a dying breed in modern day football, but that does not suggest that it’s effectiveness is dying out, so West Brom should attempt to bring it back this season by signing Traore on a free transfer and partnering him with the more mobile and intricate Rodriguez.

West Brom fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to the Daily Record, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is interested in signing Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall on loan. This is a deal that would benefit both parties. 

The England under-21 international has not featured in the Championship this season, as it appears that he has fallen out of favour with new manager Aitor Karanka.

The Spanish manager has opted for centre-backs Tobias Figueiredo and Danny Fox, and occasionally Michael Dawson, this season over the 6ft 4 Worrall. That is why a loan move obviously makes sense as Worrall will want as much game time as possible.

Gerrard has been pursuing a number of defenders this summer, as he hopes to shore up a defence that was very weak last season, and sees Worrall (valued at £7.2m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) as an answer to his defensive woes. From Forest’s perspective this works as well, because it avoids having to loan one of their players to a rival side. There is no risk of this deal backfiring.

But it is imperative that this is just a loan deal. Forest could be in trouble if they sell the 21-year-old to Rangers. Alongside the rumours that striker Ben Brereton may be sold to Blackburn, The Reds will not want to lose too many of their young prospects.

Even if these players are to be sold, it should be done in a season or two, when their value has increased a lot more. Selling them now would be a divestment that they may regret.

Although Worrall played over 50 times for The Reds over the past two seasons, and captained an England under-21 side that won the 2017 Toulon Tournament, this was still not enough to work his way into Karanka’s plans.

There is no point letting a player waste away with no game time, particularly when they have as much potential as Worrall. That is why loaning him to a Rangers side that will appreciate him suits both clubs perfectly.

Caleb Ekuban can safely be described as a flop at Leeds United. The Ghanaian striker joined the club in summer 2017 from Chievo Verona for around half a million pound and the club will be lucky to get that money back. However, with him leaving on-loan for Turkey, at least they won’t have to see him play.

The striker was horrendous last year as he bagged himself just one goal in 20 Championship appearances and it’s hard to see why anyone was willing to take him on loan for the season. Fortunately for The Whites, though, Trabzonspor have taken a punt on him on a season-long loan and it will be very interesting to see whether or not he can make the grade in Turkey.

Being just 24-years-old will certainly work in Ekuban’s favour, as he’ll be able to improve as a player with time as he matures into his career. He will have to act fast in Turkey, though, or he could be left out in the cold when he heads back to Elland Road at the end of the season. The aim for Leeds fans will be for him to impress in the Turkish Super Lig and have Trabzonspor pick him up on a permanent deal, although that looks unlikely.

You can read The Whites’ verdict on Ekuban here:

The Leeds fans will be hoping he comes good in Turkey and gets his move away but for now will just be pleased he’s not in the squad.

Marco Silva tried to put his stamp on the Everton team when he brought in a handful of signings in the summer transfer window.

One of those new faces was left-back Lucas Digne from Barcelona, where he made 46 appearances, scoring two goals and creating three assists.

Since making the move to Goodison Park, the Frenchman has had to fight for his position against veteran Leighton Baines, who at the age of 33 is reaching the latter stages of his career.

During Baines’s injury absence last season, it became clear that the left-back position was a problem area with regards to cover.

Predominantly right-footed Cuco Martina was asked to fill in, but he struggled to thrive on his less favoured side of the pitch.

Digne’s arrival was met with joy but he has had to settle for a bit-part role at the moment.

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However, after playing the entirety of Everton’s EFL Cup tie against Rotherham United, he started the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in the Premier League at the weekend.

Digne showed glimpses of quality, but still has a way to impress, and with that in mind, should Silva be starting the left-back on a regular basis?

Let us know by voting below.

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Loads of West Ham fans have been giving their verdict on the loss to Wolves, and they’re absolutely fuming at Michail Antonio.

West Ham are still the only side in the Premier League without a point, as the Hammers fell to a 1-0 home defeat to newly promoted Wolves.

Manuel Pellegrini and the Hammers’ bosses were very active in the summer market, so it was slightly surprising to see Antonio get the nod once again, as did Robert Snodgrass.

Neither of them were very impressive, but Antonio in particular is taking loads of stick from fans.

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The 28 year-old was linked with a move away from East London in the summer, and while most fans would agree he is good to have as depth, he is simply not good enough to be one of the main men for Pellegrini’s side.

The 28 year-old managed just 38 touches in the 1-0 defeat, completing 61 per cent of his passes and taking four unsuccessful touches, the most of any West Ham player.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Michail…