Liverpool travelled to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday knowing that only a win would do in their quest to finish in the top four of the English Premier League this season.Thankfully for the travelling support that’s exactly what happened after a Roberto Firmino header gave them all three points in a hard fought victory over the Baggies.Jurgen Klopp’s side have turned around their early 2017 form and are now unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches.They’re hitting winning form again at a crucial moment of the league campaign. They have have just five matches left in the season and they’re all winnable. Pick up fifteen points and that should be enough to see off the threat of Manchester United, who continue to lurk in fifth with games in hand.While much of the negative talk about Liverpool this season has centred on their defence, this stat from Squawka shows that there’s at least one reliable partnership at the heart of the Reds backline.

When Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip start together then Jurgen Klopp’s side don’t lose matches.

It’s a partnership that now needs to continue to the end of the season. If they continue to provide a solid base for Liverpool the build on, UEFA Champions League football could be coming back to Anfield next season.

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West Ham United fans have urged the team to end Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League title hopes this Friday.

The North London outfit are still within a shot of the much-coveted crown, but Chelsea maintain a four-point advantage.

Antonio Conte’s side got the job done when they overcame Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday, and Tottenham responded later that day by earning a 2-0 triumph over arch rivals Arsenal in the final derby at White Hart Lane.

West Ham can throw a spanner in the works if they cause an upset to Spurs at the London Stadium on Friday evening.

If Tottenham do drop points, Chelsea will be able to extend their lead further if they get a result against Middlesbrough on the following Monday.

West Ham have not had the best of seasons as they sit 15th in the table, just seven points above the relegation zone with three games left to play.

Spurs will be favourites heading into the encounter, but West Ham damaged their rivals’ title bid last season.

A single goal from Michail Antonio at Upton Park last March handed the advantage over to Leicester City, who went on to win their first ever top-flight crown.

Some fans are hopeful that the Hammers can ruin Tottenham’s campaign again, while others are not as confident.

According to reports from Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are considering offering a role to Paul Mitchell.

What’s the word?

After some phenomenal success at Southampton and Tottenham, Paul Mitchell is a man in hot demand, with MEN claiming United and local rivals City are both interested in appointing him in differing capacities once his gardening leave at Spurs comes to an end. The one-time MK Dons player is part scout and part recruitment director and whilst City view him as a potential addition to their global operation, although they have no plans to appoint him to any role as of yet, the Red Devils seemingly want him to play a more direct part in their transfer policy.

Track Record?

You’ll struggle to find a recruitment director with a stronger track record than Mitchell over the last few years. He brought the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Sadio Mane and Dejan Lovren to St. Mary’s – all of whom left for Liverpool in ridiculously lucrative deals – and had a similar effect at Tottenham Hotspur, his biggest achievement being the capture of Dele Alli for just £5million.

Mitchell was aware of the midfielder’s progress at his former club and worked with David Pleat to bring him to White Hart Lane. He also poached Toby Alderweireld from Saints, via Atletico, and clearly has a good eye for not only a talented player but what his manager needs.

The only reason his Tottenham tenure ended under a dark cloud is because he’d grown disillusioned with the way they conduct their business, particularly over a deal for Michy Batshuayi – who ended up signing for bitter rivals Chelsea instead – as reported by London Evening Standard.

Do United need a transfer guru?

Most definitely. Whilst Jose Mourinho appeared to have a relatively strong handle on transfer affairs last summer, bringing in four players that have since established themselves pretty comfortably in his starting XI – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba – the club still spent a staggering £157million and their overall strategy since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement four years ago has been, quite simply, to throw money at every problem with blockbuster transfer budgets.

That can only get United so far and whilst Ed Woodwood is clearly a shrewd businessman – he’s turned United into an incredible commercial force – some of his transfer dealings have raised eyebrows. Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin all went on to fail at Old Trafford and fans are still puzzled as to how super-agents Mino Raiola and Jorge Mendes seemingly squeezed so much money out of the club last summer.

Bringing in someone to oversee transfers would not only ease United’s reliance on such relationships and free up Woodward’s time for purely business matters, but also allow them to pinpoint lesser-known recruits capable of making the step up, such as Sadio Mane at Southampton and Dele Alli at Spurs. Likewise, it will allow for greater continuity should United change managers in the next few years – Mourinho’s contract will expire in 2019.

As reported by The Daily Mirror, Everton are keen on West Ham United’s midfield maestro Pedro Obiang this summer.

What’s the story?

Ronald Koeman is on the hunt for talent that he feels can bring Everton closer to launching an assault on the top four in the English Premier League and according to latest reports has made the centre of midfield his priority.

The Mirror say that the Toffees are very keen on signing the Hammers’ Pedro Obiang, after a consistently good season at the London Stadium.

The paper reckon they want him to replace James McCarthy and work in partnership with the impressive Idrissa Gueye. Valued at £15m by the Irons, the report also says that in order to land their man, Everton will be competing with the likes of AC Milan and Sevilla for his signature.

The right fit?

Obiang was stand out for West Ham last season, finishing runner-up to Michail Antonio in the club’s player of the year award. With 60 appearances for Slaven Bilic since joining from Sampdoria in 2015, he’s a key part of the set-up at the London Stadium and would add serious depth to Everton’s midfield.

His defensive attributes are strong and in conjunction with Gueye, could be very formidable indeed. However, he also has the ability to drive forward with the ball into the final third and that spark could be just what the Toffees need to help support the likes of Romelu Lukaku.

In his column for Glasgow paper The Evening Times, former Rangers striker Derek Johnstone has given his verdict on the club’s link to Motherwell sensation Louis Moult.

What’s the story?

The Scottish Sun reported earlier this month that the Light Blues were interested in a £500,000 move for Moult after another impressive 18-goal season in the Scottish top-flight. The transfer was also said to have included Michael O’Halloran moving to Fir Park.

Derek Johnstone knows a thing or two about scoring goals for Rangers having netted 211 times for the Gers in a 554 game career across the 1970s and 80s. He reckons that while Moult is an impressive player, the deal doesn’t suit the Ibrox side.

Writing in his column for The Evening Times, Johnstone said:

I don’t think it would make sense for Rangers to part with half a million quid and Michael O’Halloran, a player who cost them about the same amount in the first place. If Rangers could do a straight swap, then I think that would be a very good bit of business.

While it’s true Rangers may have paid a decent sum money for O’Halloran, Pedro Caixinha can’t be expected to honour those values when identifying targets and given the former St Johnstone man is unlikely to be getting a game at Ibrox any time soon, it surely makes sense to get him off the Rangers books?

Still, Johnstone is correct, if the Light Blues can manage to do a deal without involving cash, it would allow Caixinha to divert limited resources to other top targets this summer.

Following the arrival of new signing Davy Klaassen at Everton, questions have now been raised over the future of Ross Barkley.

Questions were already being asked about the England international due to his apparent reluctance to sign a new contract.

Manager Ronald Koeman stated numerous times during last season that the 23-year-old will be sold if he does not put pen to paper on a fresh deal.

Barkley’s current contract expires at the end of next season, so it would make financial sense for Everton to sell rather than allow him to leave for nothing in the summer of 2018.

Now, though, the midfielder’s place in the team is under threat following the signing of Klaassen, who officially joined the club from Ajax for £23.6m on Thursday night.

The 24-year-old possesses plenty of attacking talent from the middle of the pitch as he managed to find the back of the net 16 times in all competitions for Ajax last season, and he also contributed nine assists.

In contrast, Barkley could only muster five goals and eight assists for Everton during the 2016-17 campaign.

Following Koeman’s capture of Klaassen, some fans are speculating over Barkley’s future, with some believing that he may even be encouraged to stay due to the club’s transfer activity so far.

According to reports in the Daily Mirror, Newcastle United are ready to battle with Premier League rivals Bournemouth for the signing of £5m-rated Hamburg attacking midfielder Lewis Holtby this summer.The 26-year-old was a regular for the Bundesliga outfit as they narrowly avoided finishing in the relegation play-off spot last season, and with just a year remaining on his contract Hamburg are ready to listen to offers for the midfielder, who had spells with Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the Premier League prior to his move to Germany.It is something that will have caught the attention of Magpies manager Rafa Benitez, who is looking to strengthen his squad and add some English top flight experience to his side.Newcastle supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and while many would be happy to get the deal over the line – especially at a cost of £5m – some believe he was underwhelming during his time with Spurs and therefore a move could be a risk.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

West Ham co-owner David Gold has made no secret of the club’s need to sign a striker this summer.

Although the Hammers ended up scoring the eleventh-most goals of any Premier League side last season, only nine came from out-and-out centre-forwards Jonathan Calleri, Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho, with the latter duo missing much of the campaign through injury.

The problem, however, is that strikers cost a small fortune in this day and age and in comparison to some of the Premier League’s top clubs, West Ham just don’t have that kind of money to spend.

With that in mind, we suggested a short-term fix in the form of Wolfsburg striker Mario Gomez, who bagged 16 goals in the Bundesliga last season and is rated at just £6.38million by Transfermarkt.

And according to our poll, the majority of West Ham fans – 68% – would back a swoop for the 70-cap German international. At 32 years of age, Gomez doesn’t offer much longevity, but he could certainly solve the Irons’ goalscoring problems for the next few seasons.

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Regardless of what happened the season before, the only way to view the opening fixture of a new league season as a football fan is with hope.

All negativity is cast aside, all pre-conceptions about the team you cursed in the previous term are put to the back of your brain, there are no pre-mature judgements of players that made you tear your hair out. In fact, the start of season is sometimes often the highlight of an entire season, depending how well or how badly it goes from that point on.

Rangers begin their Scottish Premiership bid on Sunday away to Motherwell and it’s with this expectation and hope that fans look forward to the match.

It’s been a strange summer for the Light Blues with competitive action finishing almost as quickly as it started in late June/early July. Since then they’ve regrouped with friendlies and are now ready to go.

Supporters will be keen to see a new look Rangers this season with a full pre-season behind them but what signs of progress should fans be looking for specifically against Motherwell on Sunday?

Here are four we think fans should keep a close eye on…

A resurgent Josh Windass’ new position

Josh Windass is the player fans are talking about most this week after his excellent performance against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend. He netted a goal and was deployed in a more unusual position than fans have been used to during his time at the Light Blues.

He’s spent most of his time at the club in a more central midfield role, rarely given license to push up and be a menace in the final third.

Against the English Championship side though he was deployed on the left hand side and with a newfound confidence and with more space on the flank looked a vastly different player.

Pedro Caixinha was certainly impressed, telling the official Rangers website:

“He played more in the wide area and I think it suits him better changing the pattern of playing wide and helping inside, playing between the lines and more connections with the strikers and central midfielders. That is what Josh can give to us and he is doing really well and is going to help us definitely.”

It’ll be interesting to see if that continues against Motherwell and whether it can change the dynamic of the Rangers midfield enough for them to be more of a force away from home this season.

Do Rangers look more like a team than vs Progres?

The most worrying thing about Rangers’ exit to Luxembourg minnows Progress Niederkorn in UEFA Europa League qualifying was how disjointed and unfamiliar Pedro Caixinha’s starting XI looked.

In many ways that was to be expected after such a high turnover in players and just a few weeks on the training ground to bed them in, but it also pointed to perhaps too much of a scatter-gun signing policy from the Portuguese.

He has signed nine first-teamers this summer and let go seven more in the opposite direction. It’s massive upheaval for a team that need to hit the ground running in the new season or risk having even more pressure and unrest piled upon them.

Will Caixinha’s team vs Motherwell look like a unit that know each other well and can play to each other’s strengths? Time will tell, but it’s these on-the-pitch partnerships that will be the biggest sign of whether they are moving in the right direction or not.

Is there still a reliance on Kenny Miller?

Despite signing Mexican Eduardo Herrera and Alfredo Morelos, who has been ripping up the Finnish top-flight, Rangers have shown a worrying reliance on Kenny Miller this summer, pointing to the same old problems in the Light Blues’ attack.

The veteran Rangers star scored their goal in that Europa League tie and was also on the scoresheet against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend. As of yet, Pedro Caixinha’s new boys have yet to find the net and until they do, the same old questions will plague this Rangers team.

Can they step up and take the pressure off Miller or is this going to be another season of toil and strife? It was their biggest inadequacy last term and fans will be hoping they have new striking heroes on their hands.

A much changed Rangers, but have they really changed?

The Rangers squad of this summer is almost unrecognisable from the one last summer that ‘boasted’ the likes of Joey Barton, Joe Garner and Philippe Senderos amongst its ranks. That can only be a positive for fans, but while there’s been a change of personnel, they’ve yet to prove that they are any better than the team of old and the proof will be in the pudding in terms of results.

The Light Blues badly need a victory away to Motherwell on Sunday, if they fail to pick up three points it immediately puts massive pressure back onto Pedro Caixinha and his team despite some positive friendly results and performances over the last few weeks.

The biggest problem last term was the side’s lack of consistency in winning away matches with dropped points away from home littering their Scottish Premiership campaign.

Can they prove they are changed outfit with an impressive away win to start the season?

Aston Villa announced on their official website on Thursday that they had signed defender Christopher Samba on a one-year deal.

The 33-year-old began training with the Championship outfit in February after being released by Greek side Panathinaikos in January, and he has done enough in the last few months to convince Villans boss Steve Bruce to hand him a contract.

The former Blackburn Rovers centre-back has been an impressive figure during the club’s pre-season friendlies, and Bruce has decided to add his experience to the squad as the side looks to secure a return to the Premier League next season.

Samba joins the likes of John Terry, Glenn Whelan and Ahmed Elmohamady in moving to Villa Park this summer.

Villa supporters were quick to have their say on the addition of the big centre-half via social media, and while many said the contract was well deserved, others are concerned at the age of the players the club is bringing in.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…