The January window slammed shut this past week with both Premier League, Championship, and Football League clubs concluding their business for the season.

For the top flight, it was a busy enough window again, and although there wasn’t the blockbuster signings we might have seen in years gone by, there was still a few big names and quality players who made their move into the English game.

One such player who we in the Tavern feel will be a superb signing is Youri Tielemans, who secured a loan move to Leicester City with Andre Silva going in the opposite direction.

The young Belgian midfielder, a victim of a poor Monaco team and set-up this season in all honesty, has bags of talent, and he could be a real difference maker for the Foxes if he can hit his top form and really show the Premier League what he is all about.

Still very young and raw, Tielemans has all the ability in the world really, and Leicester might be getting one of the finest young midfielders in the world if Tielemans can get it right.

Powerful in the middle of the park, but equally impressive with the ball, Tielemans might well prove to be one of the finest signings in the January window this time round, with his ability warranting that of a player who can play for a top four side.

Leicester didn’t bring in bags of new players, but in the Belgian midfielder, they might have got themselves a real player.

Foxes fans, what do you think? How good a signing is this? Let us know in the comments!

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Tony Cascarino, writing in The Times, has claimed that Leeds United would get battered were they a Premier League outfit, if they continued to play in the same way they are now.

What he said

The former Republic of Ireland striker wrote that the Whites “would be smashed to pieces” in the top flight.

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Promotion to the Premier League is a very real proposition for Leeds this season, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently find themselves in second place in the Championship table – on goal difference, behind Norwich City – having led the pack for the much of the campaign so far.

However, Cascarino believes that their no-holds-barred, intense style would see them come unstuck in the upper reaches of the English league pyramid. He told The Times: “I like the way that Marcelo Bielsa plays but if Leeds United are promoted to the Premier League, they are going to be like Fulham this year — they would be ripped to pieces. Bielsa’s game is very adventurous but it comes with risks, as Norwich City showed on Saturday.”

What Cascarino has missed

What Cascarino has not appeared to consider though is the fact that no current Championship side would thrive in the Premier League as things stand.

When teams get promoted from the second tier they receive a not insignificant cash injection, which they then use to strengthen accordingly. Failure to improve adequately or smartly in the summer almost always results in an immediate relegation from the Premier League. Why should things be any different for Leeds?

Of course their current side would struggle in the top flight – so would Norwich City and Sheffield United, both also in the promotion hunt. It has nothing to do with style of play, but rather the quality of their players. Only promotion will give them the chance to put together a Premier League quality side by adding the extra talent they’d need to survive. 

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that Connor Wickham has been struck by yet another injury problem, as revealed by Roy Hodgson in his pre-match press conference before the visit of West Ham.

The English forward only recently made his long-awaited return to first-team action, earning a start in the 2-0 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup at Selhurst Park – a game in which he scored the opener and celebrated passionately.

Sadly for the 25-year-old, however, he has suffered a setback having worked so hard to get fit, and his chances of game time this season with the south London side are now looking bleak after yet another issue, coupled with the arrival of Michy Batshuayi.

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Palace fans, who are still yet to see Wickham’s fellow striker Christian Benteke score for them this season, have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the former Sunderland man’s dire situation…

Orjan Nyland staked his claim to climb above Jed Steer in the pecking order of Aston Villa goalkeepers to become second-choice.

On the chalkboard

The Norwegian stopper has only played one time in any competition this campaign, with that appearance coming when he replaced an injured Steer in the league against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This indicates that the Englishman was ahead of him in the pecking order, acting as the main back-up option behind Tom Heaton.

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However, Nyland was given the opportunity to show that shouldn’t be the case when he was placed between the sticks for the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, and he took it.

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Superb performance

The 5-0 scoreline makes it seem as though Villa were dominant throughout, and while that was the case for parts of the game, it certainly wasn’t for its entirety.

Liverpool put on a lot of pressure before Villa started running away with the game and the hosts’ goalkeeper was put under plenty of pressure.

This is shown by the fact that Nyland was awarded Man of the Match by SofaScore with an overall rating of 9.1, after making a total of eight saves.

Notable stops he made came against the lively Harvey Elliott, when the 16-year-old got space by fooling Neil Taylor before getting a powerful strike off, as well as his save from Tony Gallacher’s long-range effort.

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The goalkeeper also completed 10 of his 23 long balls and 64% of all the passes that he attempted during the quarter-final.

Not only has this performance got Nyland into a position where he could potentially become Villa’s number two, but he has also ensured his side got to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup, just one step away from Wembley.

This definitely wasn’t a bad evening’s work for the Norwegian goalkeeper.

In other news, FFC writers have given their opinions on whether Villa should move for their reported transfer target.

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Even if it came against Southampton, a side struggling in 18th at the foot of the table, it was a good win for West Ham at St. Mary’s Stadium.

The Hammers prevailed 1-0 thanks to a sole Sebastien Haller goal in the first-half, and it puts them above Everton in the Premier League table as well. With this being only the side’s second win in 12 matches, Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping his Hammers team can now build on this.

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It will have been a huge boost for Haller as well. Before his well-taken strike against the Saints, he had not scored since October 5th against Crystal Palace, and even that came in a 2-1 loss against the Eagles. That goal will be the main talking point of his display, there were plenty of other things to be positive about as well.

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The 25-year-old was a constant menace for his opponents, managing four shots on total – three of those were on target. As ever, he was a nuisance in the air, winning 10 of the 19 such duels he took part in – he has an average of 6.2 per match in the top tier this campaign to date. Not only that, he also won all four of the ones he took part in on the floor as well.

He is not known for his dribbling ability – he has 0.7 per match this season – but he completed all three he attempted in this match. Also, he was able to make one key pass for a teammate, something he has managed to do just 0.7 per Premier League match during this campaign.

Over the past month, there have been rumours that the Hammers are interested in signing Mario Mandzukic. The £9m-valued Croatia international – as per Transfermarkt – has a fantastic track record – although not always a prolific strike rate – and has played for the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus.

However, if Haller can build on this impressive display, his arrival would not be required. Pellegrini will be hoping that this is the start of a rich vein of form – not just for the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward, but also the team as a whole.

In other news, West Ham fans react to one man’s fitness update.

Former Everton defender Alan Stubbs responded to a tweet from the Toffees’ official club account on Monday showing more images of their proposed future Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium.

The Merseyside outfit confirmed in the same post that they would be submitting detailed planning application on the same day, less than a week after the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as Marco Silva’s successor.

According to BBC Sport, Everton hope to be hosting matches at the 52,000-seater stadium by 2023, and it will cost £500m to build.

It certainly looks impressive, and Stubbs reveals he has one wish should the plans get to go-ahead and it does indeed open in three-and-a-half years’ time – Champions League football.

Lying just three points above the relegation zone right now it is clear to see that the Toffees are a long way from that, but with a manager who has three Champions League crowns to his name as well as top flight titles in England, Germany, Italy and France to boast of, as per Transfermarkt, they may well have the experienced coach who can ensure they are competing for the top four in the future.

Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has the ambition to make it a possibility, and so Stubbs may just get his wish.

In other Everton news, one 27-year-old may have convinced Ancelotti that he should be one of the Italian’s first summer signings at Goodison Park…

Kortney Hause proved that he deserves to keep his place in the Aston Villa team with his performance in the 2-1 win against Burnley.

On the chalkboard

Dean Smith’s decision to change to three at the back turned out to be a masterstroke, as Aston Villa earned three points to get them out of the relegation zone.

As well as allowing for more defensive solidity, the formation switch also ensured that Kortney Hause kept his place in the team, despite Tyrone Mings making his return to the starting lineup following a four-game absence.

Hause had not played a single minute of Premier League football before that spell, but he has consistently shown that he deserves to hold down a starting spot, something that was reiterated at Turf Moor.

Impressive performance

The 6 foot 3 inch defender had a real presence on the left of Villa’s back three throughout the game, alongside Mings and Ezri Konsa.

He completed two of the three tackles that he attempted during the 90 minutes, as well as six clearances – only Mings had a higher number in the latter of those categories.

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As can perhaps be expected due to his physical stature, Hause was dominant in the air, winning a total of five aerial duels, which was only exceeded by Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski.

He also saw quite a lot of the ball. Jack Grealish, Douglas Luiz and Konsa were the only Villa players who had more than the 3.8% of the game’s overall possession that Hause went on to record.

Mings has rightfully received plenty of plaudits for his performance, especially when it is considered that this was his return from injury.

However, Hause also deserves credit, having ensured that he will remain in Smith’s thinking for a starting place in the team, whether the manager sticks with a back three or reverts to a four again.

In other news, Darren Bent has suggested who he thinks would make a good signing for Villa.

Georginio Wijnaldum’s transfer has proven to be a shrewd bit of business by Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.

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The Netherlands international moved to Anfield from Newcastle in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £25m after just one season at St. James Park, and has since become a regular for the former Borussia Dortmund manager. In those three years, he has made 166 appearances for the Reds, scoring 16 goals and providing 16 assists. In each of the past three terms, he has featured in at least 30 Premier League matches, and he also started the Champions League final last season against Tottenham in Madrid.

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However, there are rumours that his time in the north-west could be coming to and end. That is according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, at least. The journalist is reporting that the 29-year-old could leave the club at the end of this season, with him having just one year left on his contract at the point.

Many would likely be sad to see him leave. He has made one of the spots in Klopp’s midfield his own, and he has been with the side almost since the very start of the 52-year-old’s revolution. Having said that, it may just be the perfect time for the ex-PSV man to depart.

With him now entering his 30th year, he is likely to be on the wane in terms of his performances very soon. Currently valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, he would still command a considerable fee for the club, which could be invested in other areas. His contract will run out in 2021, meaning that the summer would be the last realistic chance for Liverpool to sell him on.

Not only that, but Naby Keita’s recent form indicates that Wijnaldum would not be missed too much. In his last four starts in the Premier League and Champions League, he has averaged a WhoScored rating of 8.29, and he has three goals and one assist in his last six appearances in all competitions.

It finally seems he is beginning to hit his stride since making the switch from RB Leipzig, and his attacking threat – with just three goals in 27 matches this term, that is not something that Wijnaldum appears to possess currently for his club – could give Liverpool an extra edge. A new midfielder may be needed if the former Toon player were to leave, but it would surely only be a back-up that would be required.

Wijnaldum has been a fantastic servant, and hopefully he can add a league title to that European trophy he has already picked up. However, there must always be signs of progress, and it feels as though his time in red may be coming to an end. If a substantial fee is offered in a few months, Liverpool should consider accepting it.

In other news, Liverpool fans love this man’s Everton performance.

Sunderland made it six games unbeaten with a hugely convincing win over Wycombe on Saturday, with performances from the likes of Chris Maguire and Charlie Wyke proving key.

It had taken Phil Parkinson some time to settle on his preferred starting XI but after significant experimentation and setbacks he seems to have found a winning formula.

He has faced a difficult experience and backlash from fans, but the fact he has turned things around without making wholesale changes to personnel is a credit to him.

Building a strong team spirit

It would have been easy for Parkinson’s belief to dwindle during the early stages of his stint – as recently as Boxing Day supporters were left fuming with the draw against bottom side Bolton.

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However, Parkinson has fostered a strong spirit in the dressing room, and against the Chairboys Sunderland played some brilliant football, with Wyke at the heart of a lot that went well.

His link-up play was terrific as he played a huge part in Denver Hume grabbing the second goal, after Wyke himself had opened the scoring.

The striker commented on Parkinson’s playing style as something that would help him thrive when he made his injury return, and so far he has looked accomplished at leading the line, starting in each of the last six games.

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Improving individuals

The likes of Maguire and Lynden Gooch have also performed well either side of him recently by contributing goals and assists, with the former grabbing two more goals on Saturday to stretch his tally to nine.

A magnificent free-kick epitomised the skill Maguire has, but his celebration for both goals – including an outburst in the face of Wycombe keeper Ryan Allsop – really showed how much it means to him.

Sunderland will need to emulate that desire if they are to maintain their good run of form and continue to climb the table, and re-entering the play-off places will be a huge boost in that bid.

Parkinson should be credited for the way he has handled Maguire, however, as he made the bold choice to drop him when he was underperforming.

The removal of Aiden McGeady from the squad may also have had a positive effect, too, as the winger was perhaps a bad influence on his teammate – with the pair caught eating McDonald’s after a defeat last month.

West Ham United are set to make a move for Preston North End goalkeeper Declan Rudd, as reported by Football Insider.

What’s the story

The Hammers are said to be preparing a move for the Championship stopper as an alternative to Darren Randolph.

There is concern around the Republic of Ireland international’s fitness, which has only been heightened by Lukasz Fabianski picking up another injury during the loss against Sheffield United.

Hopes are being raised that they will be able to bring Rudd in for £750,000, due to the fact that the 28-year-old’s contract comes to an end in the summer of 2020.

Rudd has played 27 Championship games this season, keeping five clean sheets and conceding 1.2 goals, while making 2.3 saves per game.

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Back to Preston

This move would see Moyes immediately going back to Preston – where he had his first managerial role – in his opening transfer window as West Ham manager, just as he did the first time around.

In that instance, he went in for Jordan Hugill towards the end of the January transfer window in 2018, for a fee of around £10m, as reported by BBC Sport at the time.

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In their report regarding Hugill, they included a statement from Preston that suggested “they could not stand in his way for the chance of top-flight football”, so Moyes will surely hope the Championship side takes a similar stance this time.

Things haven’t turned out too well for the striker at London Stadium so far, as he managed just 22 minutes of football in the second half of that campaign, across three substitute appearances – and he currently finds himself out on loan at Queens Park Rangers.

If Fabianski’s injury does turn out to be another serious one, as his most recent issue kept him out for 11 Premier League matches, Rudd could amass much more time than Hugill has managed with the Hammers.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans were frustrated by Moyes’ decision against Sheffield United.