West Ham have travelled to Manchester City for the Premier League’s final fixture of the weekend – a 4pm kickoff at the Eithad Stadium.

But one Hammers star isn’t present for today’s game – last season’s talismanic midfielder Dimitri Payet.

The France international’s dominant displays last season earned him a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year award and he continued to impress at Euro 2016.

That has lead to plenty of speculation over his future during the summer transfer window, with Chelsea linked by Mirror Football back in July.

The 29-year-old has insisted he’s “100% staying” at West Ham, but Premier League fans on Twitter aren’t so convinced.

Payet was left out of not just the starting Xi but the entire squad for West Ham’s trip to Manchester and with the summer window set to slam shut on Wednesday, that’s inevitably opened up a can of worms on social media.

The attacking midfielder has been sidelined with a knock all summer, managing just a handful of minutes in the Premier League so far this season.

Slaven Bilic suggested earlier this week that he may decide to rest Payet if he’s not fully recovered despite today’s game representing West Ham’s toughest fixture of the season so far – a big call on the Irons gaffer’s part.

Nonetheless, some think Payet will jump ship before the transfer deadline:

Do you think Payet’s about to leave, West Ham fans? Let us know in the comments section below!

The highly anticipated Manchester Derby is just days away, with both club’s set to field players who will become iconic figures within their respected club.

However, one man stands above the rest when discussing legendary status. Labelled by many as “football’s first superstar”, Billy Meredith represented both sides for fifteen years each and this is the story as to why he remain’s Manchester’s greatest superstar.

Many of us are too young to remember Meredith, in-fact unless you have a memory dating back ninety-two years you definitely will not remember the Welsh-born forward.

Born in 1874, ‘the Welsh Wizard’ still had the ability to draw the masses to stadia until his retirement at the age of 49. Carrying a trademark toothpick in-between his lips during games, he represented Manchester City between 1894-1906 and 1921-1924. It wasn’t just City he represented during his illustrious career, though, as he spent a total of fifteen seasons at bitter rivals Manchester United – who were close allies at the time.

When Northwich Victoria dropped out of the football-league in 1894 due to financial problems, a newly-branded Manchester City were keen to snap up an unknown 19-year-old Billy Meredith. Once deemed too slow, Manchester City secretary-manager (as it was known in those days) Joshua Parlby traveled to Wales to convince him to sign for City rather than Bolton and Ardwick – who were both keen on signing him.

His home-debut saw him come to battle against Newton Heath (now Manchester United) in the Football League’s first Manchester Derby. Meredith scored both goals as City lost 5-2 at Hyde Road, showing supporters why the club were so keen to snap up the part-time miner. He turned professional just a few months after joining City in January 1895 and ended his first-season with 12 goals in 18 games.

The following season he was appointed the club’s captain aged just 21, and remained City’s youngest ever captain until Steve Redmond took the armband in 1986. He also ended the 1895-1896 as the club’s top-scorer as City finished 2nd in the Second Division.

Meredith established himself as the club’s star player and fans came to see Meredith like never seen before. He guided City to promotion in 1898-1899, where he scored 30 goals in just 35 games. A turbulent few seasons lay in-store as Meredith’s City were relegated and promoted before 1904. This was the season that cemented Meredith’s status as City’s first legendary figure. An FA Cup run ended with the chance of success against a mid-table Second Division Bolton side in the FA Cup final. The game was to be played in Crystal Palace and the match meant City were the first Manchester club to win the FA Cup.

The Great Central Railway took the opportunity to decorate the streets of Manchester with posters proclaiming that City would beat Bolton and illustrated with a picture of Meredith scoring the winning goal, “Billy Meredith secures the Cup. He wants you to see the match and travel in comfort by the Great Central Railway’s Cheap Excursions.” Meredith scored the winning goal 23 minutes into the match to secure the victory for City.

On the final day of the 1904-1905, Meredith apparently offered to throw the game against Aston Villa which resulted him being banned for the entire following season. City transfer listed Meredith in May 1906 and he moved to Manchester United, signing for £500 at the age of 29. Further investigations meant he was unable to play until January 1907, but Meredith maintained his innocence his entire life. His grievance with the decision to cost him a year of his career forced Meredith to form the Players’ Union (now known as the PFA), further showing Meredith’s iconic legacy.

With Manchester United he continued his record breaking career. By the end of the 1907-1908 Manchester United won their first top-flight title and also the first league title success seen in Manchester. Only a few short months later, Meredith’s legendary status with United was confirmed as he was crucial to his side’s 4-0 win over QPR in the first ever Community Shield.

Meredith’s off-field battles continued with the FA as he continued to push the release of a maximum wage. In response, the FA ordered the players to withdraw from the Union or face having their league registration withdrawn. Hundreds of players withdrew but many of United’s players remained loyal to Meredith in a saga that was covered by the national press. The fight to release a maximum wage was fought until 1961, three years after Meredith’s death.

During the 1910-11 season Meredith helped United to their second title. Despite his off-field activities, his legend at both Manchester clubs remained unsullied and, in 1912, a benefit match was played between the two sides at Old Trafford that saw 50,000 fans attend and an estimated £2,000 raised.

The club dropped to 14th spot in 1913–14, and only avoided relegation on the last day of the 1914–15 season after bribing Liverpool to lose 2–0 at Old Trafford. The outbreak of the First World War saw no league football for a number of years. Meredith took to the field on 7th May 1921, close to his 47th birthday, and he became United’s oldest ever player when he played in a league game against Derby County – a record that still remains.

He returned to Manchester City aged 47. He featured just once during the club’s final season at Hyde Road before the club moved to Maine Road in 1923. His last ever game for City came during the club’s FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, and he remains the oldest player to play for City.

Meredith retired as one of the games true greats. Goals, assists, off-field displays, record-breaking seasons and achievements – no player has represented either side and had a bigger impact. Legends such as Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs, Tony Book and Colin Bell achieved remarkable things for their respected Manchester clubs, but no player had a greater impact on and off the field.

Clocking up 740 appearances for both Manchester club’s, his battle for player-power and his unbridled success on the field maks Billy Meredith Manchester’s Greatest Superstar!

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There must always be a real sense of trepidation around Southampton whenever a transfer window is upon them.

Over the years they’ve lost players, mainly to Liverpool, such as Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Morgan Schneiderlin as well as others leaving them wondering just how they’re going to replace them.

This summer was no different with Sadio Mane the main departure whilst in the dugout Ronald Koeman headed to Merseyside but this time to Everton, as the Saints were once again thrown into early season turmoil.

It looks as though they are starting to get back on track though as they always do under new boss Claude Puel and a lot of the credit, therefore, has to go to the Frenchman.

Nevertheless, the players also need to be praised for sticking at the task and you have to say they still have one of the most promising squads around right now.

This is backed up by the transfer website transfermarkt.co.uk, which values every player, and according to it, these are the ten most valuable Saints players currently…

10. James Ward-Prowse – £9.35m

The young midfielder has come through the ranks at Southampton and is the latest in a long line of promising stars to have played for the club. Valued at £9.35m he comes in tenth on the list but you’d imagine the Saints would want a fair bit more than that off of a potential buyer.

9. Jordy Clasie – £9.35m

The Dutch midfielder often competes for a place in the side with the Spaniard Oriol Romeu. Both are holding players and both get their fair share of games but it is Clasie who is the one of the two to make this list. Valued at the same price as Ward-Prowse they are different kinds of players but nonetheless both are important to the squad.

8. Virgil Van Dijk – £10.2m

Arguably the Saints’ best defender this season Van Dijk joined after impressing north of the border for Celtic. The Dutchman is a real wall in the centre of defence when he is on form and can also be a big threat from set pieces at the other end. At £10.2m he has to be considered a bit of a bargain.

7. Cedric Soares – £10.2m

Cedric has recently seen his value go up from £9.35m to £10.2m and that could be partially down to his good form this season. He was a big part of why Portugal managed to win EURO 2016 in the Summer with his ability to get up and down from right back and he appears to have carried that on this season.

6. Charlie Austin – £11.05m

The striker is on fire at the moment and if he stays fit you can expect his value to increase further. Goals against West Ham and Sparta Prague have shown his ability to score different kinds of goals and with the current England strikers not really firing, he can count himself unlucky to not be in the squad.

5. Sofiane Boufal – £11.05m

The record signing from Lille in the Summer at £16 million, he has yet to make his competitive debut for the club. This aside his value has actually gone up according to transfermarkt and that could be down to the big expectation he has around him. Whether or not he fulfils it remains to be seen.

4. Jay Rodriguez – £11.05m

He’s been blighted by injury issues throughout his Saints career but you cannot deny that when fit Rodriguez is a class player. He can do things other forwards can’t and Claude Puel seems to be a fan of him so if he can get a run of games under his belt his value could soar.

3. Ryan Bertrand – £11.9m

Bertrand has come on leaps and bounds since joining the South Coast club permanently from Chelsea and that is reflected by his high placing in this list. Defensively he is very sound whilst he offers a good threat going forward so the next step for him must be to try and nail down an England spot.

2. Fraser Forster – £12.75m

England’s number two might feel he has a chance of ousting Joe Hart with him out in Torino and there can be no disputing his importance to Southampton. When on form he can keep any side out and has shown on a number of occasions he has the ability to do world class things between the sticks.

1. Dusan Tadic – £14.45m

When on form Tadic is arguably the club’s best player and that is therefore reflected in him being top of this list. He has great creativity and awareness when he plays and his goal against West Ham where he sat Adrian down was the perfect demonstration of this – a top player.

Sunderland welcome Stoke City to the Stadium of Light on Saturday with both sides desperate for a win.

The Black Cats are currently bottom of the Premier League with only two points from their opening seven games, while Stoke are the only other side yet to win and sit just one place above them on three points.

David Moyes and Mark Hughes are both under immense pressure to get that elusive first win tokick-start their season and it will be interesting to see how the respective managers set their sides up.

Moyes may well look to youth should he be without key players like Jan Kirchhoff, Lamine Kone and Adnan Januzaj, or decide to rotate after last week’s draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Hughes will also be debating shuffling the pack, although he can take some heart from a respectable draw with Manchester United.

Regardless, here are five battles we see as key to the final result on Saturday.

SHAQIRI VS VAN AANHOLT

Xherdan Shaqiri is Stoke’s chief creator and will be hoping to give Patrick Van Aanholt a torrid time when the sides meet on Saturday.

The Swiss international leads the way for Stoke in terms of key passes, managing two per game in his three appearances so far.

The stocky midfielder may well get the better of his Dutch opponent, who much prefers getting forward to defending.

Indeed, the Sunderland full-back may try and spring a surprise of his own by firing a few attempts at the Stoke goal.

ARNAUTOVIC VS MANQUILLO

If any player looks likely to score for Stoke at the moment it’s Marko Arnautovic.

The 27-year-old was the Potters’ top scorer last season and has often looked dangerous even when Mark Hughes’ side are off the boil.

The Austrian was on fire during the international break and found the net twice against Wales.

Arnautovic will be licking his lips at facing Javi Manquillo, with Sunderland conceding 24 chances on the left flank this term – the third highest in the league.

ALLEN VS MCNAIR

Perhaps a more unexpected source of goals, Sunderland will have to keep a close eye on Joe Allen.

The Welshman has scored in his last two Premier League games and hit a rocket against Austria while on international duty.

The 26-year-old has benefited from a more advanced role of late and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his hot form.

With Jan Kirchhoff likely to be sidelined, Paddy McNair may well be given the anchorman role and it will be his responsibility to guard the pockets of space Allen likes to break into.

N’DONG VS WHELAN

Glenn Whelan vs Didier N’Dong is probably the least glamorous duel you’ll see this weekend but it may well decide the result.

With both sides relatively evenly matched, a greater importance will be placed on winning duels and second balls in the middle of the pitch.

Whelan and N’Dong tend to play the role of ball-winner for their respective clubs and both have racked up a large number of interceptions and blocked shots.

Whoever comes out on top on Saturday will have a big say on the final score.

GRANT VS THE ENTIRE SUNDERLAND ATTACK

Lee Grant became the Stoke hero at Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago.

The 33-year-old was superb against the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, pulling of seven saves to keep his side in the game.

With Glen Johnson ruled out and the Stoke defence still in disarray, Grant may well face a deluge of shots again.

Jermain Defoe in particular will test his reactions, but Grant may well find his goal peppered from all angles.

The international break may lack the drama, excitement and entertainment of its domestic counterparts but nonetheless, there’s plenty to be learned from nations partaking in a little eleven-versus-eleven duelling, especially from a club perspective.

Indeed, scouts, managers and coaches will be spending the international break running the rule over potential future additions and likely watching as much football as possible in the process.

FootballFanCast think fans should be no different and with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at three lesser-known stars Manchester United fans should be watching out for when France host Ivory Coast at 8pm on Wednesday evening.

Could one, two or even all three end up moving to Old Trafford during the next few transfer windows?

Ousmane Dembele

The Manchester Evening News reported on United’s interest in Ousmane Dembele when he signed for Borussia Dortmund during the summer and his performance against Ivory Coast will give an indication of whether the Premier League club should have pushed harder to rival the Black-Yellows’ deal.

The 19-year-old was phenomenal during his debut senior campaign at Rennes last season, finishing up with twelve goals, five assists and 4.1 successful dribbles-per-match from his first 26 Ligue 1 outings, and has carried that form into his Westfalenstadion tenure – starting with a sensational strike against the Red Devils in pre-season (above).

Jose Mourinho appears unconvinced by his current wide options and Dembele has the potential to fill the void. He looks certain to start against the African outfit, having sat out France’s 2-1 win over Sweden on Friday.

Serge Aurier

Manchester United’s right-back options aren’t the most inspiring, with Mourinho seemingly not keen on Matteo Darmian or Timothy Fosu-Mensah, while Antonio Valencia, currently sidelined through injury, is by no means the most natural of defenders.

PSG’s Serge Aurier, now one of the biggest names in the Ivory Coast line-up, could well be the solution. He’s strong, powerful and quick in typical Mourinho style but uses his physicality to punch holes going forward as well as keeping matters solid at the back.

A spat with Laurent Blanc put his Parc de Princes future in jeopardy ahead of the summer but the 23-year-old has seemingly re-established himself under Unai Emery.

Franck Kessie

19-year-old Franck Kessie is developing quite the following, with a number of sources comparing the Atalanta midfielder to iconic African enforcer duo Michael Essien and Yaya Toure. A star-studded performance against France could give us a hint of whether the teenager has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of those two Premier League title winners and he’s already professed his love for Manchester United, describing them as his ‘favourite team’ back in September.

Mourinho is still trying to find the right formula in the middle of the park and Kessie could prove to be the perfect long-term addition. But is he ready for life at Old Trafford just yet? His outing against Euro 2016 final-reaching France should provide the answer.

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Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has attracted interest from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

The Argentine was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford in the summer after failing to cement a regular spot in the first team.

A transfer failed to materialise, but the rumours have continued to rumble as he has struggled to make a mark under the leadership of manager Jose Mourinho this season.

It is believed that Leverkusen have placed the defender on their transfer wishlist, with United keen to recoup the £16m that they paid Sporting Lisbon for his services in 2014.

Rojo, who can play as a left-back or a centre-back, failed to figure in the early stages of the season, but following injuries to Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly, he has clawed his way back into the team.

Will Manchester United sell?

In short, probably. Well, as long as they get the right fee. Rojo has had a stop-start career since moving to Old Trafford due to injuries and questions over his attitude off the pitch.

A few weeks ago, many would have argued that Rojo’s eventual exit was a sure thing, but he has received some praise from Mourinho since providing cover for the injury-hit defence.

The Portuguese coach described Rojo’s performance at centre-back as “phenomenal” after United’s EFL Cup 1-0 victory over local rivals Manchester City in October.

The 26-year-old also did a solid job at the back in the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Arsenal, but the Daily Mail has claimed that Mourinho is keen to sign a new centre-back, and selling Rojo would provide additional funds for the transfer kitty.

He may be performing well at the moment, but when Smalling and Bailly return to full fitness, Rojo is likely to be the first defender to drop out of contention.

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Liverpool could receive a huge boost when they take on arch rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend.

One of their star players, Philippe Coutinho, has been out since injuring his ankle during the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Sunderland on November 26 at Anfield.

However, he could make his eagerly-anticipated return on January 15 when Jurgen Klopp’s men make the short trip to Manchester to play in what could be a crucial match in their campaign for the Premier League title.

The Brazilian returned to full training on Friday, and given that he will not be in the squad for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Plymouth Argyle, it gives the 24-year-old nine days to regain fitness in time for the vital showdown.

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Depending on Chelsea’s result that weekend, Liverpool could move to within two points of the Premier League leaders with a triumph over United.

A defeat, though, will put pressure on the Merseyside outfit as United will be climbing up, with just two points separating the rivals.

Meanwhile, defender Joel Matip and Daniel Sturridge may also be fit to play a part at Old Trafford as they recover from respective injuries.

At the moment, all Liverpool fans are focusing on is getting the ‘little magician’ back on the pitch, and they are relishing the news that he has returned to training.

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Manchester United could smash the world record for a transfer for the second summer in a row by swooping for Antoine Griezmann, The Independent reports, but Luke Shaw may leave.

What’s the word?

Not content with spending £89m to bring Paul Pogba to Old Trafford last summer, Manchester United are aiming to roll out the red carpet once again at the end of the season to bring the midfielder’s international colleague Antoine Griezmann to the Premier League.

The French striker has excelled with Atletico Madrid since moving to the Spanish capital but speculation persists on his future, with the former Real Sociedad man consistently linked with a move to English football.

Despite a host of interest, United seem intent on jumping to the front of the queue for Griezmann’s services no matter the cost- even if it means potential breaking the £100m mark. In fact, talks have already begun- even including a potential shirt number.

Who will be sacrificed?

Unfortunately, it seems a former darling of English football will be trimmed from the squad by Jose Mourinho this summer as the same report indicates that Luke Shaw will be ousted from the Red Devils- as Mourinho isn’t pleased with his development.

Shaw, still just 21, cost United £30m in 2014 but has endured a difficult time at Old Trafford, seeing virtually the entirety of last season wiped off following a horrific leg break sustained against PSV Eindhoven.

This term, Shaw has battled with his recovery and was criticised by Mourinho for taking pain medication, the first signs of a crack in the pair’s relationship, and the ruthless former Chelsea boss won’t waste any time in moving him on.

Making just 13 appearances this season, Shaw hasn’t appeared in the Premier League since October and his last appearance in any competition was at the end of November- showing his decline amongst the squad standings.

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In the final act of the Premier League’s weekend action, Chelsea maintained their lead at the division’s summit with a measured 2-0 win over Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, we’ve seen Antonio Conte’s Blues play some fantastic football over the course of the campaign but this was more an occasion for the unspectacular, sealing a win that would continue their Premier League pace-setting run without running the risk of a shock defeat to the division’s second-bottom placed side.

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Epitomising that mantra perfectly was a Man of the Match performance from Victor Moses. Whilst more star-studded team-mates struggled to produce their customary impact, the unsung Nigerian proved the difference in a tight match in west London.

Moses provided the assist for Diego Costa’s opener just before half-time, as his low cross, spinning slightly away from goal, trickled through bodies to find the Premier League’s joint-top scorer loitering near the penalty spot.

But as our infographic shows, Moses’ overall contribution was equally impressive, highlighting the all-action, up-and-down style he’s brought to the right wing-back role. The 26-year-old created another two chances, beat his man twice and flung in eight crosses, whilst making his presence felt at the other end with two tackles and two interceptions.

He may not be the most glamorous name on the Chelsea team-sheet, but Moses proved against Hull why he’s become so important to this title-chasing Blues side; in short, he’s their unsung hero.

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Jose Mourinho’s reaction to the most basic of questions from Martin Fisher, walking away from his post-match interview with the BBC reporter after being asked to explain his gripes with referee Mike Jones, summed up a frustrating night for Manchester United.

Despite the accommodating surroundings of Old Trafford, the Red Devils failed to break through a stern rearguard display from Hull City that saw Marco Silva claim four points from three Premier League fixtures since taking the reigns from Mike Phelan at the start of January.

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The Tigers have faced United three times since then, the other meetings coming in the EFL Cup semi-final, and come away with impressive results; a 2-0 defeat despite injuries forcing Silva to field just a six-man bench, a 2-1 win at the KCOM Stadium and last night’s clean-sheet-draw on the road.

“We didn’t score. You don’t score, it is not possible to win. Their goalkeeper was good. We needed to score, we needed more time to play. If you played 35-40 minutes in both halves, it is a lot. I think Hull City tried to see where they could go, the way they could behave and tried to see what the referee would allow them to do.”

In addition to the officials, Mourinho was seemingly aggrieved by his side’s attacking efforts at Old Trafford, although Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic has earned plenty of plaudits for a spate of impressive saves, six in total.

But if there’s one individual performance the Portuguese shouldn’t be disappointed with, it’s that of Paul Pogba. The France international didn’t convince everybody when he returned to United in the summer, but has moved further towards justifying that world-record price-tag with every passing game.

Last night provided another example; despite the profligacy of his team-mates, Pogba produced three efforts at goal, one of which brought a stunning save out of Jakupovic, provided three key passes and completed one successful dribble. He also contributed defensively, although Hull failed to try test David De Gea, with two interceptions, two tackles and four successful aerial duels.

Despite the enormous transfer fee and criticism he received earlier in the campaign, is Pogba quietly emerging as the signing of the season?

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