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There might not be any club football going on in the Premier League at the moment but that has given Southampton fans the opportunity to sit back and appreciate the success they have enjoyed in recent weeks.

The Saints put up an impressive fight against Manchester United and should have come away from Old Trafford with more, although justice was eventually given against Spurs, whom Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side beat 2-1 before the international break.

James Ward-Prowse and Yan Valery stole headlines in both games, but one of the unsung heroes of Southampton’s much-improved 2019 has been Jan Bednarek – the 6 ft 2 Pole has emerged as a key player for the Saints despite being a spare part under Mark Hughes.

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It isn’t just on the domestic stage that he is succeeding, though, as he kept a clean sheet in a difficult battle with Austria on Thursday night. Currently, you could even go so far as to say that the former Lech Poznan man, whom Southampton signed for just £5m, is the best defender at St Mary’s Stadium.

Below, Saints faithful discussed the impressive 22-year-old big improvements on Twitter, with some pointing to his addition as one of the best they’ve made in recent years…

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If you were to have told Liverpool fans that Mohamed Salah would embark on a run of five games without a goal at such a crucial stage of the season a few months ago, they would probably tell you to get lost whilst simultaneously fearing for their title hopes.

However, that is where we are at now, although their chances of lifting the trophy are still looking pretty healthy thanks to one man in particular. The Reds’ Egyptian talisman hasn’t scored since February 9, but Sadio Mane has been in blistering form throughout Salah’s barren spell to ease fears of a crisis inside Anfield.

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The Senegalese international has hit four goals during his teammate’s tough time in front of goal, helping to take the weight off of his shoulders to share some of the burden, and to great effect.

Mane is currently enjoying his best personal Premier League campaign in terms of goalscoring with 16 to his name – impressively, he is joint-top for non-penalty goals scored.

With the lack of creativity in midfield that Jurgen Klopp’s men currently suffer with, a lot of pressure is on Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino to score the goals and create the chances for Liverpool, something that the former Southampton star is taking upon himself to do in his team’s time of need.

Liverpool also don’t have anywhere near the attacking squad depth that title rivals Manchester City do, so it is imperative that the key trio stay fit and at least one of them is finding the back of the net regularly.

Whilst Salah is still contributing in terms of being involved in the build-up to goals, and Firmino missed a couple of weeks through injury recently, Mane has been the man who has kept himself in tip-top condition both mentally and physically to keep the heat on reigning champions City.

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Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Hoffenheim striker Joelinton, and it looks like something that the club has been working on for quite some time.

What’s the story?

According to Florian Plettenberg, chief reporter for Sport1, Newcastle are set to land Joelinton this summer for a whopping €60m (around £52m).

He even goes so far as to claim the Magpies have been in negotiations with Hoffenheim for “weeks” and that those talks are close to a conclusion.

The full report also claims that the move depends on Newcastle staying in the top flight, though that is seemingly obvious anyway.

The 22 year-old has scored ten times this season, and if the move comes to fruition then Mike Ashley and the Magpies’ transfer team deserve immense credit.

Rondon upgrade?

West Brom named their price for Salomon Rondon recently, telling the Magpies they must shell out £16m to make his loan move permanent this summer, per The Northern Echo.

The powerful Venezuelan got on the scoresheet again on Saturday in the win over Huddersfield, taking his tally to seven league strikes this campaign, and he is adored by both Rafael Benitez and the Toon Army.

However, he will turn 30 towards the start of next season, and the 22 year-old Joelinton represents a much better investment.

Able to play anywhere across the front three but at his best through the middle, the Brazilian youngster is an excellent dribbler, and will get fans off their seats every time he has the ball.

He has excellent pace, good link-up play and you won’t find many strikers around Europe that press and harass the opposition defence quite so intently.

£52m would blow the record-breaking Miguel Almiron fee out of the water, but if the pair can form a long-term pairing packed with pace, creativity and goals, it would be worth every penny.

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Southampton central midfield trio James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oriol Romeu will likely continue their partnership when the club faces Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, and they may well have received a potential boost following an interesting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comment.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the south coast outfit will be determined to stay out of the Premier League relegation zone now having moved above the safety line with their 2-0 win against Fulham at St Mary’s on Wednesday night, but that is easier said than done given they face the Red Devils and then Tottenham Hotspur next.

Normally, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men would be coming up against the likes of Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera in the United midfield, but it could be a very different story at the weekend with both of those set to miss out through injury.

Fred and Scott McTominay started the 3-1 success against Crystal Palace in midweek, with 17-year-old James Garner making his first-team debut late on from the substitutes’ bench, and Solskjaer has hinted he will be involved again at the weekend.

Speaking to manutd.com, the interim manager said: “We’ve been waiting for that chance [to introduce him to the first team]. Of course, now with Nemanja [Matic] and Ander [Herrera] injured, there’ll be more chances for Jimmy.

“We might even see him on Saturday against Southampton again.”

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Good news?

It certainly would be, especially if the teenager starts.

While he clearly has plenty of potential given he has made his bow at such a young age, there is no doubt that Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg and Romeu would prefer to come up against an inexperienced player who may be nervous about potentially making his first senior appearance at Old Trafford, than say Herrera, Matic or Fred.

Southampton face a tough task to take anything back home with them from ‘The Theatre of Dreams’, but coming up against Garner would certainly give their midfield hope that they can win important battles in that area to hopefully pick up a much-needed point.

The Mumbai fire department has asked the Wankhede Stadium to undertake measures to improve its fire safety mechanism as it is currently not in compliance with fire safety norms. The stadium, which will host the World Cup final, was inspected by two fire officials on Wednesday.”The [inspection] team has found that the newly renovated stadium has many loopholes in its fire safety mechanism,” chief fire officer Uday Tatkare told PTI. “We will write a letter to the Mumbai Cricket Association stating there is a need to comply with fire safety norms. Once they abide by the terms we will conduct another inspection.”MCA joint secretary Lalchand Rajput, however, said there were only a few minor changes required. “We have already received the NOC and what is left now is the compliance certificate,” Rajput told ESPNcricinfo. “We were visited by the department day before yesterday [Wednesday] and they pointed out a few minimum requirements that we will have no problems complying with. It is not as if this is a new ground that has never passed fire safety requirements before. We have just redeveloped the stadium and this is minor stuff.”There have been previous worries about the progress of renovations at the Wankhede, which began soon after the conclusion of the 2008 IPL season. Back in 2010, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed stating the work at Wankhede was in violation of several environmental and safety norms. One of the main concerns was the lack of access of the fire brigade to all parts of the venue, as required under the National Building Code of India.The stadium was then supposed to be ready by November to host a Test match between India and New Zealand, but was dropped as a venue for that series. In December last year, the ICC inspection team slammed the stadium, saying it was not possible to confirm that it would be in a suitable condition to be handed over by January 31.The Wankhede managed to recover from that setback and was given the go-ahead by the ICC on January 27, even as Eden Gardens lost the India-England fixture. The Wankhede will host two World Cup group matches featuring New Zealand, Canada and Sri Lanka, apart from the final.

Many Leeds fans were over the moon with the signing of Helder Costa last summer, but it is fair to say that for some he hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The Portuguese winger was a key player in Wolves’ 2017/18 promotion campaign and performed well for them in the Championship with 15 goals and 14 assists, but so far for Leeds, he has managed just eight goal contributions.

In his defence, he struggled for starts at the beginning of the season but he still has some work to do to convince the fanbase that he has been a good signing, and is worth the £15m outlay that the Whites are obliged to pay at the end of the season.

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The question of whether the club should pay it, or rather, whether he is worth it, has sparked a debate amongst supporters, with several suggesting he has yet to prove that he is.

Their stance is understandable given he would be the most expensive player currently at the club.

One fan’s example of Jack Harrison being more consistent with 11 goal contributions yet may cost less is particularly intriguing and indicates that Costa has some improvement to do.

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Some of the Leeds faithful have come to his defence and admire his quality even if he has shown it too sparingly, and perhaps if Marcelo Bielsa can boost his confidence the 24-year-old will begin to aid his team with greater regularity.

Others feel it is best to wait before delivering a final verdict on the player, with one supporter suggesting the division Leeds are playing in next year could influence whether or not Costa is a good signing.

In other news, a very interesting development took place prior to the QPR game which could be huge for Leeds’ future.

January means two things, you are attempting to keep to a silly new years’ resolution, but most importantly the Transfer window is open!

For 31 days, clubs around the world have the opportunity to strengthen their squad ahead of the business end of the season.

Almost 100% of players have contracts that end in the summer months, meaning players who have contracts until Summer 2019, now only have six months to get a new one.

If for whatever reason, a new deal with their current club can’t be struck, January is an opportunity for the club to cash in, as they will receive no money once the contract is up.

These players are yet to secure a new deal with their current club and could move in January, for the right price.

David Luiz

Despite being a regular in Maurizio Sarri’s starting line-up, David Luiz is yet to sign a new deal at the club.

The Brazilian who struggled to get into Antonio Conte’s team last season has made a resurgence in recent months, so surely a new deal will come before the end of the season.

Mousa Dembele

The Belgian has a lot of admirers in the Premier League but unfortunately for him, he has his fair number of injuries too.

Rumours of a move to China dominated Dembele’s summer, so surely Spurs will look to cash in rather than let him see out his contract.

Gary Cahill

While David Luiz has had a resurgence since Maurizio Sarri’s arrival at Chelsea, Gary Cahill has fallen further down the pecking order in defence.

The former England captain has made just one Premier League appearance so far this season and has been linked with at least a loan move to Fulham.

Juan Mata

The Spaniard has had a topsy-turvy time at Manchester United, being reduced largely to bit-part roles.

According to reports, talks are continuing and a new deal could be struck soon, but should a bid come in January and with uncertainty at Old Trafford, could the midfielder be swayed?

James Milner

Now 32, James Milner has quietly become one of the most versatile players in the Premier League.

Surely his ability and attitude warrants him receiving a new deal at Anfield?

Chelsea’s attack has been a problem all season long, and so far, neither Olivier Giroud or Alvaro Morata have shown any sign that they’re going to be the players to sort things out.

Clearly, then, if Maurizio Sarri is going to achieve the goals that he’ll likely have at Stamford Bridge, namely a Premier League title challenge, he’s going to need to find a new striker that the club can rely on.

We recently asked fans whether Polish forward Krzysztof Piatek would be a good choice. The attacker has already bagged over 10 goals this season, and he’s impressed in front of goal. He bagged 4 goals in just 1 game in the Coppa Italia earlier this season.

Naturally, then, he clearly knows where the net is, and some Chelsea fans clearly think that he’d be a good fit. In response to our poll asking whether he’d be a good signing, a whopping 75% of polled Chelsea fans have revealed that they think he would be an ideal replacement for Alvaro Morata in the Chelsea attack.

For all of his ability on the ball, Morata simply hasn’t been able to find the net enough as of late, and that’s in stark contrast to Piatek. For Chelsea, then, the Genoa man may be a good choice.

At just 23-years-old, he’s only going to get better, and whilst he’s still inexperienced, he’s done everything right thus far. Time will, tell, though, if Chelsea fans get what they want.

Chelsea fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

Liverpool are interested in signing Sunderland youngster Luca Stephenson according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

The 15-year-old is the latest in a line of Sunderland academy talents after Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson made it to the big time.

According to the report, it will take Liverpool £500,000 to sign the young midfielder who has been dubbed the new Jordan Henderson.

The youngster will likely join the U23 squad and will sign a professional contract when he turns 17.

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One for the future

By all accounts, Stephenson looks like he could be a top player for years to come and the Reds will be pleased if they can snap him up at such a young age.

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With recent Liverpool academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold establishing himself as a key first-team player, Jurgen Klopp has shown that he is willing to put his faith in the system, and Stephenson will be in the perfect environment to hone his talents.

According to talkSPORT, West Ham and West Brom are in discussion regarding a swap deal which would see Nacer Chadli moving to the London Stadium, in exchange for Andre Ayew.

What’s the Story?

West Ham and West Brom may well be on the verge of a sensational swap deal, with Andre Ayew heading to Birmingham and Nacer Chadli heading to London.

The Belgian has been surprisingly left out of West Brom’s pre-season trip to Austria and reports of a bust up with manager Tony Pulis emerged. The 27-year-old is unlikely to be a Baggies player for much longer and, with West Brom desperate to land Andre Ayew, talks of a swap deal between West Brom and West Ham are escalating.

How good was Chadli last season?

Chadli had an impressive, if a little understated first season at the Hawthorns. The Belgian featured 32 times in all competitions for the Baggies, netting 5 times and providing as many assists.

While the 27-year-old certainly injected some much needed flair into an often difficult to watch West Brom side, he failed to deliver in big games and seemed rather uninterested toward the end of the season.

Would Chadli be a good signing for West Ham?

This is a tough one. Chadli, who is valued at £13.3million by Transfermarkt could certainly create some balance in the team, providing some width on the left to mirror Michail Antonio’s dominance on the right flank.

However, his performances were comparable with Andre Ayew’s last season and a swap deal would represent less of an upgrade and more of a gamble for the Hammers.

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