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The summer arrival of Javier Hernandez has added an interesting subplot to West Ham’s first Premier League fixture of the season – a trip to Chicarito’s old stomping ground, Old Trafford.

At first glance, that should make the 96-cap Mexican international an automatic pick for the striker slot at the tip of the Hammers’ attack, with the extra motivation to score against the club that once sold him to Bayer Leverkusen for a modest fee.

But Hernandez was always at his most effective for Manchester United when coming on from the bench and although he’s arguably the Hammers’ most impressive summer signing thus far, his arrival in July means the 29-year-old has missed much of pre-season.

Meanwhile, another striker has been impressing for the Irons in pre-season – youngster Toni Martinez who has two goals to his name. The 20-year-old fared well on loan at Oxford last season too, bagging five goals in 18 appearances.

So, West Ham fans, who would you pick to start against Man United on Sunday? Would you go for the obvious option of Hernandez or take a risk on Martinez? Let us know by voting below…

According to reports in French publication L’Equipe, Tottenham Hotspur are one of three teams to provisionally have agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier.

The reports says that Spurs, along with Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan, have an agreement with the player but must now agree a fee with PSG for the want-away defender.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men are yet to make a signing this summer but the Argentine is likely to step up his search for a right-back after Kyle Walker left to join Manchester City last month, before replacement Kieran Trippier picked up an ankle injury before the start of the new campaign.

Youngster Kyle Walker-Peters filled in during the win against Newcastle on Sunday, but now the north London outfit must convince Aurier to move to the Premier League instead of Italy.

Tottenham supporters were quick to have their say on the latest rumour via social media, but they aren’t convinced that there is any truth in the stories with some even going as far as to say that there is “no way” it’s true.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Liverpool vs Arsenal is one of the best fixtures on the Premier League calendar. While it may lack the bitter-rival subplots many other top six clashes will offer this season, this fixture has always been a virtual guarantor of goals. There’s been just one scoreless draw between the two sides in the Premier League since 1999 and their last three top flight meetings have produced a whopping 17 strikes.

With offensive talent and defensive frailties aplenty, Sunday’s instalment at Anfield looks set to maintain that trend. And the good news for the neutrals, but not so much Reds and Gunners fans with weak hearts, is that it will be officiated by one of the most balanced referees in the Premier League – Martin Atkinson.

The 46-year-old is by no means a top-class referee but his tempered approach suits Sunday’s game well. Neither Liverpool nor Arsenal are particularly foul-happy sides, ranking in the bottom five for fouls per match last season, and Atkinson isn’t one for being overzealous when it comes to blowing the whistle; from the 19 referees to feature in the top flight throughout 2016/17, he came 13th for fouls per match and fouls per tackle – suggesting he likes to let games flow as much as possible, but will make decisions when necessary.

Perhaps as a consequence, however, Atkinson does rank slightly higher in terms of cards awarded – the boost for Arsenal, in that regard, is that they’re just one of two clubs yet to receive a booking this season, while Liverpool have already incurred four yellows. Intriguingly, Atkinson has already issued a controversial red this term – sending off Hal Robson-Kanu last weekend for a supposed elbow against Burnley.

But in terms of results, Atkinson once again offers impressive balance. Last season, he was in the middle of the pack for home wins (48.1%), away wins (25.9%) and draws (25.9%), ranking between 11th and 6th on those fronts. Compared to some referees with much vaster swings for either the home or the away side, that suggests Atkinson’s decisions won’t have an intrinsic influence on the scoreline.

As the underdogs, however, that arguably works against Arsenal. Liverpool boast home advantage and enter Sunday’s contest in much higher confidence after ripping apart Hoffenheim in midweek; the Gunners could have really benefited from a referee more suiting of their situation and less suiting of Liverpool’s – last season, for example, over 50% of Jonathan Moss’ games ended in away wins.

Leeds United goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald has kept six successive Championship clean sheets and gone nine hours without conceding a goal for the league leaders, but Whites fans are still not convinced of his abilities.

The Yorkshire outfit signed the German stopper from Werder Bremen during the summer transfer window, and it was quickly clear that he was Thomas Christiansen’s first-choice keeper ahead of Rob Green.

While they conceded twice against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, Wiedwald and the Leeds defence have failed to concede since but while his accurate distribution has been particularly impressive, he looks to have a potential weakness in the air and has been rarely troubled by shots on target from the opposition.

Leeds supporters have been having their say on the 27-year-old via social media, with many saying that because defensively the team has been so good, they “don’t really know if he’s good yet.”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Following five wins and two draws in their opening seven Championship fixtures this season – keeping six clean sheets in that sequence – the Leeds United starting XI was largely picking itself in the early stages of the campaign.

It meant that a lot of fringe players in the squad have had to be patient in waiting for an opportunity, but that time may now have come with the Yorkshire outfit losing three of their last four league games.

The previous two defeats against Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday, in which Thomas Christiansen’s men have conceded six times and scored just once, mean that the 44-year-old could look to make some major changes for the visit of Reading to Elland Road on October 14.

Christiansen certainly has some time to work on his tactics during the current two-week period without a match, and there will be individuals that perhaps haven’t been given much of an opportunity this term that will be looking to impress him on the training ground.

Here are three fringe Leeds players that deserve a chance after the international break…

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

You don’t play for Manchester United or get scouted by Leeds United unless you have something about you, but for whatever reason it just hasn’t worked out for Borthwick-Jackson at Elland Road since he joined the club on a season-long loan deal in August.

Three of the 20-year-old’s four appearances for the Yorkshire outfit have come in the EFL Cup, with the defender featuring for just 82 minutes in the Championship.

With Vurnon Anita beginning to struggle in the left-back role and Gaetano Berardi far from convincing there against Sheffield Wednesday, perhaps it is time to give the Red Devils youngster a prolonged run in the starting XI to see what he can do.

Ronaldo Vieira

After making 38 appearances in all competitions for Leeds last season, Vieira will be disappointed with how life is going under Thomas Christiansen this term.

Like Borthwick-Jackson, the majority of his game time has come in the EFL Cup and he has featured for just 54 minutes in the Championship.

The 19-year-old would have been particularly frustrated when Mateusz Klich was chosen instead of him against Cardiff when Eunan O’Kane was unavailable through illness, and perhaps now is the time to give him an opportunity in the middle of the park considering O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips were so disappointing against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

Hadi Sacko

Like Vieira, Sacko was something of a regular in the Leeds team last season after making 38 appearances in all competitions, but he has almost been completely frozen out by Christiansen so far this term after his loan was made into a permanent move to Elland Road during the summer.

The 23-year-old didn’t feature at all between the EFL Cup win against Port Vale on August 9 and the clash in the same competition against Burnley on September 19, while the 28 minutes he got as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday were his first in the Championship since the opening day.

Having scored a fine goal against the Clarets, Sacko perhaps deserves the chance to start with the likes of Kemar Roofe and Gjanni Alioski struggling to make an impact from the wide positions right now.

Do you agree, Whites fans? Let us know below.

Last Sunday, Jurgen Klopp celebrated his two-year anniversary at the Anfield helm. But not everybody is convinced the German gaffer has taken Liverpool in the right direction.

Although the Reds have reached two cup finals and qualified for the Champions League under his tutelage, their 2016/17 title push imploded between January and March last season and the Merseysiders look a little short of the Premier League’s top club’s once again this term.

Of course, Liverpool haven’t won a league title since the 1980s. But Klopp’s direct predecessor Brendan Rodgers has taken them the closest to doing so in the period since, his Luis Suarez-inspired side finishing second in 2013/14.

Statistically speaking too, Liverpool enjoyed a better win-rate across all competitions and picked up more points per game in the Premier League under the now-Celtic boss – although he did spend £201million more on new signings. Some difference, that.

So, Liverpool fans, do you think your club was better off under Rodgers than it currently is under Klopp? Let us know by voting below…

Lyon forward Nabil Fekir maintained his impressive start to the season with a man-of-the-match display in his side’s 3-2 win against Monaco on Friday night, and Arsenal fans believe that he could be the man to replace the unsettled Alexis Sanchez.

It seems more and more likely that the Chile international will either leave the Emirates during the January transfer window or next summer when his contract is due to expire, and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger will need to start thinking about who could replace the influential 28-year-old.

Meanwhile, Fekir has been producing some standout performances from an attacking midfield role for the French outfit this term, and he scored two and assisted one in the victory against the Ligue 1 leaders on Friday.

It means that he has now netted seven goals and provided three assists in 11 appearances in all competitions throughout the current campaign, and his form hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Arsenal supporters were quick to react to his latest showing via social media, and while some said that the 24-year-old should be signed to “replace Sanchez”, others would ‘love to see him at the club’.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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According to reports in The Times, Chelsea are ready to offer midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who is rated at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, a new deal amid renewed interest in the Spaniard from Premier League rivals Manchester United.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Times says that while the 30-year-old has 18 months left on his current contract, the Blues are keen for him to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge despite the fact that the length of any proposed new deal is yet to be agreed.

The Times says that while Fabregas would like a two-year contract, the west London outfit have only tended to offer one-year extensions to players aged 30 and over.

However, with the report adding that Red Devils boss and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been keeping tabs on the midfielder over the course of the last 18 months as he sees him as a potential alternative target to Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, they may be forced to give into the Spaniard’s demands.

How has Fabregas done this season?

He has certainly been more of a key figure than he was last term.

The 30-year-old’s future was probably in doubt going into the summer after he often found himself on the substitutes’ bench with N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic preferred in the middle of the park, but despite the departure of the latter to Manchester United and the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater over the summer, he has been given more of a chance by Conte this season.

Injuries to all three of his central midfield rivals have certainly helped the Spaniard, while the 3-5-2 formation that the manager has preferred on occasions has opened up another spot in the middle of the park.

The Times says that Conte is desperate to retain Fabregas, who has scored one goal and provided a further four assists in 15 appearances in all competitions throughout the campaign so far.

Will he stay?

With Conte seemingly convinced that he can still make an impact for the Blues, it seems likely that Chelsea will offer Fabregas the two-year extension he wants – as they did when they gave Gary Cahill a new four-deal when he was 29.

In addition, they certainly will be determined not to lose another player to former boss Mourinho and Manchester United having seen Matic go during the summer transfer window.

Few paid much attention when Watford announced an £11.2million deal for relatively unknown Brazilian Richarlison during the summer. Vicarage Road has seen countless players come and go under the Pozzos, just as European football has seen countless young Brazilians imported from South America struggle with the physicality of our game before fading into obscurity.

Richarlison though, already looks something truly special; an immensely natural talent who has the pace and guile to take on defenders, the technical quality and vision to create chances and the intelligence to get into great scoring positions – a combination that has seen him produce four goals and two assists already this season.

Considering how competitive the English top flight is these days, that marks a phenomenal return from a 20-year-old’s first ten Premier League fixtures, which in itself is a testament to his character.

But when taking a closer look at Richarlison, we perhaps shouldn’t be so surprised he’s acclimatised so quickly; alongside his obvious Selecao flair, there’s a physical and aggressive edge to his game – Swansea City’s Jordan Ayew is the only forward to make more tackles in the Premier League than Richarlison this season.

That perhaps explains why Mirror Football claim Tottenham Hotspur are already eyeing the 5 foot 10 attacker, despite him signing for the Canaries just a matter of months ago. The ability to press high is an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s game-plan and Richarlison has already shown he has not only the tools but also the willingness to fit into that energetic philosophy.

Likewise, although Fernando Llorente arrived in the summer, it still feels as if Tottenham need another option in attack to truly challenge for the title, one who can provide them with more natural width or the ability to threaten space behind when deployed centrally.

The versatile Brazilian can address both of those issues within the squad – so, should be on Tottenham’s transfer hit list for January? Let us know by voting below…

According to former Everton director of communications Alan Myers on his official Twitter account, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca is on the three-man shortlist for the vacant manager’s job at Goodison Park, and Toffees fans have been having their say on him.

According to Alan Myers, majority shareholder is set to pick from Sam Allardyce, Martin O’Neill and Fonseca as he finally looks to replace Ronald Koeman more than five weeks after the Dutchman was sacked.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Merseyside outfit and successive 5-1 and 4-1 defeats against Atalanta and Southampton respectively mean they need to act, and quickly.

Fonseca has been with Shakhtar since May 2016, and he has impressed by winning 56 of his 73 matches in charge of the Ukrainian outfit.

Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the potential of the 44-year-old taking over, and while one said “he knows how to win”, another argued that appointing him would be “too much of a risk” given the situation they find themselves in.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…