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Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has been left surprised by  David Moyes’ plan for West Ham involving Lukasz Fabianski and summer signing Alphonse Areola.

The Lowdown: Moyes plotting Fabianski axe…

Already it appears that the manager has a plot underway to axe one of his ‘untouchable’ West Ham mainstays in the Polish goalkeeper.

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Indeed, according to Football Insider, the Scotsman is planning to replace his current number one with Areola in the starting XI over the coming weeks.

It is said that Moyes wants to phase the Frenchman in gradually as he looks to make Areola his new goalkeeping first choice.

The Latest: Phillips left surprised…

Speaking to Football Insider in reaction to this development, Phillips has been left surprised by Moyes’ plan but insists that Fabianski is a professional and will help Areola regardless, despite him possibly feeling a little bit ‘aggrieved’.

“He’s [Areola] going to be the number one eventually,” the former Sunderland striker explained.

“That’s why he was brought in. He can learn from Fabianski. It won’t be ideal and I’m sure he will feel aggrieved.

“But he’s a pro and he will help Areola settle into the club. Fabianski has that experience so it does surprise me slightly.

“I’ll never go against David Moyes considering what he’s done but that’s a major change.

“If he does make Areola number one he will have a player behind him pushing and that’s always a good thing.”

The Verdict: Good move by Moyes?

Currently on loan from Paris-Saint Germain, Areola enjoyed a consistent spell in the Premier League with Fulham last season despite their relegation, keeping nine clean sheets in 36 starts.

Scott Parker even lauded the player as ‘exceptional’ and we believe he could be the ideal long-term replacement for Fabianski as the 36-year-old Poland international reaches his twilight phase.

In other news: ‘Had a shocker’, ‘Offered nothing’…West Ham fans blast ‘poor’ ace who lost the ball 16 times against Southampton, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could end deadline day with a bang if they manage to seal a move for mooted target Adama Traore…

What’s the word?

Earlier in the day, Football Insider reported that super-agent Jorge Mendes was playing a huge role in trying to bring the Spanish winger to north London before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

It’s thought that negotiations over various types of structured deals have taken place after Wolves rebuffed a loan bid from Spurs, though they are willing to listen to further offers.

Since then, football.london’s Alasdair Gold has played down their chances of getting it over the line in time.

“Wolves are standing firm at the moment. Spurs aren’t currently hopeful of anything happening for him today. Perhaps it’s one to look at again in the future as Nuno [Santo] and [Fabio] Paratici do love him,” he revealed in a Q&A with supporters.

It’s thought that the Midlands outfit value him in the region of £40m.

Get it done!

If Spurs can complete a move for Traore before 11pm, then it would be one hell of a way to end the transfer window.

Nuno does have plenty of options in the wide department but perhaps not enough on the right-hand side of midfield, where the Spanish winger has been a regular threat for Wolves, both now and under the Portuguese in recent times.

Last season, no player in the entire top-flight managed as many dribbles per game (4.1) as Traore, whilst he was fouled a whopping 2.3 times per match (third-highest in the division).

It’s no wonder Jurgen Klopp once lauded him as “unplayable” after his Liverpool side had to combat his explosive pace and physicality.

Similarly, BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand has previously described the 5 foot 10 winger as a “machine,” adding: “He’s powerful and quick and this season he has been scaring defenders. You see teams now trying to double up against him because of the threat he possesses.”

None of Spurs’ current wide options have matched Traore’s dribbling ability so far this season – for example, Nuno’s current first-choice on the right, Steven Bergwijn, has averaged only 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

He would be a clear upgrade, as evident above, and one who would surely leave the fanbase excited. If Spurs want to end the window with a bang, then Paratici and co must look to sanction this move.

AND in other news, Paratici heading for his biggest Spurs mistake yet amid Alasdair Gold transfer update…

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming after some news emerged on Christian Marques.

As per Transfermarkt, the central defender has left the Midlands club to sign for Belenenses SAD on loan for the rest of the 2021/22 season.

Marques has never actually played a senior game for the Molineux faithful, but was left on the Transfermarkt).

His departure just leaves Bruno Lage’s squad even lighter, and although he already has five centre-backs to choose from, the fact that Marques made the bench for two games of the campaign suggests that he should have been kept as another option.

Wolves fans on Marques exit

These WWFC supporters fumed as the exit news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘ridiculous’:

“A disgrace, our squad is getting weaker by the day”

Credit: @PedroBackOfNeto

“What??????? We don’t have enough players as it is! Who is making the footballing decisions at the club?”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“Jeff, what are you doing to us?”

Credit: @NickAllen224

“We now have way more out on loan than we have in the club. When did we turn into a player rental agency? Fosun did identify movement of players is the only profitable part of soccer when they invested in festivity but this is getting ridiculous”

Credit: @HungryLikeThe14

“Gobsmacked ain’t the word”

Credit: @Stonewolf68

“What?”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

In other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has Wanderers raging here!

Liverpool have added to their record number of League Cup triumphs following their 1-0 victory over Chelsea.

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• Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0
• Liverpool win tournament for record 10th time
• Klopp adds trophy in final season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Jurgen Klopp earned yet another piece of silverware in his time at Liverpool and got his hands on the League Cup trophy for the second time. A late Virgil van Dijk winner in extra-time means Liverpool have extended their record of most League Cup wins to 10, per Opta – two more than next-best Manchester City (8).

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Klopp's fairytale departure from Liverpool made the perfect start as they won the first of four trophies they are hunting down. With the German departing at the end of the season, his players and fans will be dreaming of a clean sweep to reward one of their greatest ever managers.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  By winning his second League Cup, Klopp is now only behind Liverpool legend Bob Paisley's record of three in charge of the Reds. He remains two short of Pep Guardiola, Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough and, given he is leaving Liverpool, will remain two short.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  The task of replacing Klopp is ongoing, with links to Xabi Alonso rampant, but, at least for the moment, the Reds will be focused on winning the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup to send the German off. They face Southampton in the next round of the FA Cup next weekend.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that the Scottish FA’s arbitration case against the Gers has been dropped, which is a victory for chairman Douglas Park.

The Gers have played three Premiership games so far this season, winning two and losing one (Sky Sports). For each of those matches, the 55-time Scottish champions have refused to feature the SPFL’s new title sponsor Cinch on their shirts, and for the matches at Ibrox, they have also not advertised the company on the hoardings around the pitch (The Daily Record). The Gers say there are gaps in the contract and they do not need to respect it.

The SFA was set to start an arbitration case against the Gers after a referral from the SPFL, but Douglas Park has had it thrown it out (via Glasgow Times), which is obviously very good news for Rangers.

The news was shared on Twitter by journalist Chris Jack, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some hitting back at the SPFL and its chief executive Neil Doncaster, with whom many Light Blues supporters have had run-ins over the past couple of years.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the arbitration case being dropped

“The cabal loses, time to drain the swamp.”

Credit: @RangersBanter17

“Doncaster et al stumble from one mess to the next! How hard is it to stick to your own handbook!”

Credit: @bigjamiek2

“Sounds like the SPFL and SFA have had a mare here.”

Credit: @SGems90

“Yet again Scottish football authorities attempt to break their own rules in a conflict with Rangers.”

Credit: @chelt_lad

“So the impartial SFA sided with the SPFL in going against their own clearly stated rules? All sounds completely above board.”

Credit: @Aye_Ready72

“Surely now Doncaster is toast?”

Credit: @glasgowsportsfa

In other news, many Rangers fans were delighted with this man’s performance against Ross County

Phil Parkinson celebrated reaching 150 games as Wrexham boss in style, but Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney missed out on the “best” atmosphere.

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• Red Dragons boss reaches 150 games at the helm
• Collected another win on landmark occasion
• Hollywood co-chairmen watching on from afar

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons’ Hollywood co-owners are regulars at SToK Racecourse, but they have not crossed the Atlantic for some time as they remain otherwise engaged in the United States. The latest game that they were left watching on from afar saw Wrexham claim a narrow 1-0 win over old adversaries Notts County – the side that they pipped to the National League title last season.

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  WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Said contest saw Parkinson reach a notable milestone in North Wales, with the experienced coach saying of picking up three points on a landmark occasion: “It was my 150th game and the aim was to win. Not for myself, but it is nice to reach that milestone and celebrate with three points because it was hard earned. But I am very pleased with how the lads performed. There is a strong mentality in the dressing room. We have got players like James McClean and Steven Fletcher who are strong characters and I think that really showed. You need nous out on the football pitch and game management and I thought we showed that in abundance.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fletcher netted the only goal of the game against County, as Parkinson collected his 94th win as Wrexham boss, and the Racecourse was rocking once more. Parkinson added, with 12,500 supporters in attendance: “It was a true Wrexham performance with a fantastic atmosphere. I enjoyed every single minute on that touchline and I thought the atmosphere was probably the best one we have had this season. You could sense how up for the game the supporters were and they roared the lads to victory.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham have returned to the automatic promotion places in League Two, with only three points separating them from the summit while boasting a game in hand, and there is every chance that Reynolds and McElhenney will have more cause for celebration in the third series of a popular documentary series that is set to return to screens in mid-April.

The former Aston Villa star has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium, and would be better off seeking a new challenge

Jack Grealish is nothing if not determined, which he proved again during Manchester City's trip to Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola handed the 28-year-old his first start in five weeks at Parken Stadium, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, helping the reigning European champions storm out of the gates and lay siege to the Copenhagen goal.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a cool finish before Bernardo Silva nearly forced an own goal as City pummelled the hosts in the opening 20 minutes. But then, disaster struck. Grealish was floored by a challenge from Diogo Goncalves, and it was immediately clear from the anxious look on his face that damage had been done.

After punching the turf violently in frustration, the England international valiantly played on, despite Guardiola's apparent protests from the touchline. Grealish lasted almost two minutes before the pain became unbearable and he accepted a premature end to his night, with Jeremy Doku brought on to fill his spot on the left flank.

City went on to secure a comfortable 3-1 first-leg victory that puts them in full command ahead of the last-16 tie, but Guardiola confirmed Grealish had suffered a "muscular" injury when speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference. “It’s a pity that Jack got injured but it is what it is. He was gutted," the City boss added.

Devastated would have been a more appropriate word; Grealish knew how much was riding on this game. And now, instead of being right back at the forefront of Guardiola's thinking heading into the business end of the season, Grealish may now have to seriously evaluate the direction is career is heading in.

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  Awkward fit

  Grealish's previous start for City had come in early in January, in a 5-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Huddersfield. He only saw 17 minutes of action across City's next five games in all competitions, with Guardiola opting to use Phil Foden and Doku in his preferred position.

  After playing such a vital role in City's treble success last season, and leading their wild celebrations, Grealish has been cast aside. Leaving a £100 million ($126m) asset to depreciate on the bench week in, week out, isn't a good look, but Guardiola has insisted the playmaker's destiny is in his own hands.

  “This season was not like last season,” the Spaniard said when quizzed on why Grealish's role has been reduced. “But he’s getting better. He’s doing the steps to get to his best level and now is competing with players at a high level. This is the only reason why. He has to demand himself to get back where he was, especially last season and all the time at Aston Villa. I’m looking forward to giving him minutes. It’s not a big, big problem, completely the opposite. We need him.”

  The real problem for Grealish, though, is the fact he can't be the same player he was at Villa in Guardiola's City set-up. Grealish has had to rein in his creative urges to fit in as a cog in the well-oiled City machine; he is not encouraged to run at defenders and doesn't have an overlapping full-back to combine with.

  Keeping the ball circulating is Grealish's main job for City, and although it's one he still thrives at, the rest of his considerable talents are going to waste.

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  Out of his control

  Bad luck has certainly played a part in Grealish's apparent dip in performance this season. He also suffered what he described as the "worst injury I've ever had" when a clash with Sheffield United's Ollie McBurnie left him with a dead leg at the end of August.

  That issue forced him to miss six games for club and country, and Grealish was also laid low with illness before City's huge home fixture against Liverpool on November 25. It was impossible for him to build up any rhythm in the first half of the campaign, and he also had to deal with a horrifying personal ordeal over the festive period.

  Grealish got a rare 90 minutes under his belt as City strolled to a 3-1 win at Everton on December 27, only to learn afterwards that his house had been burgled. Thieves broke into his Cheshire mansion while he was playing at Goodison Park, and a number of his family members were in the house, including his fiancee Sasha Atwood, as they made off with watches and jewellery worth £1m – as per .

  The "traumatic experience" left Grealish and his family "devastated", and the City star also admitted "the best year of my life in football now doesn’t feel like something I can celebrate". Grealish showed incredible mental strength by lining up in City's home fixture against Sheffield United three days later, but understandably wasn't his usual self, and came off early in the second half.

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  Doku's instant impact

  Grealish's early-season fitness woes coincided with Doku's arrival at the Etihad from Rennes, and the Belgian wasted no time justifying City's £55m ($69m) investment in him. Doku is perhaps the fastest player in Europe over five metres, and has an imposing physical frame that allows him to push past defenders with ease.

  He gives City a new dimension going forward, an X-factor that Grealish just can't match. The difference between the two players was most evident when Guardiola's side picked up a 2-1 home win over Brighton back in October.

  Doku set up Julian Alvarez to break the deadlock for City after just seven minutes, leaving his marker for dead with a clever piece of dribbling before lifting his head to play a perfect pass. He continued to torment the Brighton backline thereafter, and had two good chances to score himself, with those in the home crowd perched on the edge of their seats every time he got on the ball.

  Guardiola eventually brought Grealish on for Doku in the 75th minute, in a bid to regain control at a time when Brighton were starting to look the more dangerous side. While Doku had been trying to fly past his man at every opportunity, Grealish merely carried the ball at a more measured pace down the line, before cutting back inside and laying it off to a team-mate.

  Doku is an explosive, unpredictable weapon for City, whereas Grealish is just one of many cool heads in the squad who tries to keep things ticking over with his technical quality to please Guardiola. There is no question which man elicits more excitement from fans, or who strikes more fear into the opposition when their name is read out over the PA system.

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  Euros place in jeopardy?

  Grealish didn't make his full senior debut for England until the age of 24, having initially struggled to break into Gareth Southgate's squad while still on the books at Villa. Since earning his first cap in a 2020 Nations League clash with Denmark, though, Grealish has added another 34 to his collection, with 10 of those appearances coming at major tournaments.

  The Three Lions don't have another player quite like Grealish, who is capable of creating chances out of nothing with his exceptional passing range and taking the pressure off at key junctures by drawing fouls. However, he has not been able to hold down a place in Southgate's preferred XI.

  Grealish started just one game at Euro 2020 and all five of his outings at the Qatar World Cup came from the bench. Southgate acknowledges the qualities he can bring to the team, but doesn't appear to trust him in the most important matches.

  Still, while he was playing a starring role for the best club side in Europe, it was impossible for Southgate to completely leave Grealish out. But he won't be guaranteed a place among the England supporting cast again at this summer's Euros if he's not playing regularly for City.

Lucy Bronze has explained the benefits of missing out on 2024 Olympics duty, with England turning collective focus towards the next “big” aim.

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• England missed out on Nations League finals
• Will sit out Paris Games as a result
• Attention turning towards Euro title defence

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Lionesses are responsible for Team GB sitting out an international showpiece in Paris. Sarina Wiegman’s side failed to quality for the Nations League finals, meaning that there will be no British representation at the football tournament staged on French soil later this year.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There is understandable disappointment in the England camp that they were unable to book tickets for a gold medal bid. But attention is now being switched towards the defence of a European Championship crown – with another quest for continental glory set to begin when Euro 2025 qualification gets underway in April.

• WHAT BRONZE SAID

  Barcelona star Bronze, who will form part of England’s plans, has told of sitting out Paris Games in 2024: “I think we really exhausted ourselves during the World Cup, both as individuals and as a team. And for us, although we’d rather be at the Olympics, this gives us time to rest, regroup and refocus. The EURO is less than a year-and-a-half away and we are the European champions, so want to make sure we qualify and keep hold of that trophy. It meant the world to us to win that, and we’ve got a chance to keep our name on the trophy. That’s something big to aim for.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  The Euro 2025 qualifiers draw will take place on March 5, with England in Pot 2 of Group A. Six matchdays will be staged through to the middle of July, with those missing out on automatic qualification spots set to take in play-off dates from October through to the end of the calendar year.

Despite emerging from the chaos with a 4-1 victory over the nine men of Spurs, the Blues were far from convincing

Victory over Tottenham Hotspur should always be sweet for Chelsea and their followers, but Monday night's unlikely 4-1 triumph over their high-flying foes somehow leaves a bitter taste. This was the definition of a scoreline not telling the whole story. While the two managers dominated the pre-match narrative, this was a tale of red cards, VAR drama and self-destructiveness.

Tottenham's implosion – reduced to nine men before the hour mark as Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were dismissed either side of half-time – only seemed to bring the worst out of Mauricio Pochettino's side on the Argentine's return to north London.

They got there in the end as Nicolas Jackson capitalised on Ange Postecoglou's insistence on an inexplicably high line with a late hat-trick, but Chelsea's toil against their depleted rivals made this feel like something of a hollow victory. With more stern tests on the horizon, the performance must actually be seen as a concern.

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  Inexplicable head-loss

  Many of Chelsea's initial problems with seizing their numerical advantage stemmed from almost being drawn into Tottenham's storm of ill discipline.

  In first-half stoppage time, both Levi Colwill and Reece James found themselves in hot water, moments after Romero had been given his marching orders for a wild lunge and Cole Palmer had brought the Blues level from the spot.

  Colwill became engaged in a completely unnecessary shoving match with Pape Sarr, while his captain James escaped punishment after catching Udogie with a stray elbow. Pochettino wisely opted to withdraw a fired-up Colwill at the break, but on another day Chelsea could have easily thrown their advantage away.

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  Lack of confidence & ruthlessness laid bare

  Tottenham's second red card in the 55th minute should have seen the floodgates creak open, but instead an excruciating 19-minute spell followed, as Chelsea were foiled by a combination of their own imprecision and profligacy, as well as some excellent goalkeeping from Guglielmo Vicario.

  The Blues looked incapable of scoring even if the match had gone on for a week – a microcosm of their problems in front of goal in recent months and years. This was arguably their worst half of football under Pochettino to date.

  Passes flew astray, players were caught agonisingly offside and Spurs looked remarkably comfortable despite their two-man handicap. When Jackson found the back of the net for the first time, there was a sense of relief more than anything else. That was the period that saw the outcome swing in the home side's favour, regardless of the result.

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  No composure, no control

  Pochettino would have hoped that that long-awaited go-ahead goal would steady the ship and Chelsea would be in the ascendancy from that moment onwards, but instead they looked wobbly and their defensive frailties were exposed on three occasions as Spurs missed gilt-edged chances to draw level.

  They were incredibly fortunate to see Eric Dier's immediate response chalked off for a marginal offside after some non-existent marking from a free-kick, before a carbon-copy set piece saw Rodrigo Bentancur somehow bundle the ball wide from three yards out.

  Then, in the third minute of added time, with the score still just 2-1 almost 40 minutes after Spurs had been reduced to nine, Chelsea gave the ball away and Son Heung-min drove at the defence before forcing a decent save from Sanchez.

  Chelsea's lack of authority was alarming, and Pochettino admitted his side needed to show more control after the game. "It's true that we concede some chances that we cannot concede that, I agree with you," he said. "Maybe we can assess the performance and to see the goal of Dier or this type of situation or Son, that we lose the ball and we allow them to run, of course, we need to control better."

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  Worrying signs

  The scoreline and performance were so wildly mismatched that it's hard to know exactly what effect this result will have. While it should boost confidence, Pochettino also has reason to be concerned – especially given the upcoming fixture list.

  Chelsea face Man City, Newcastle, Brighton and Man Utd in their next four games either side of the international break, and you would expect that they will need to hit a much higher level against a full set of players in each of those clashes.

  Had Tottenham maintained their full complement, they could have run out comfortable victors over their former head coach.

Darwin Nunez boasts plenty of supporters around the world, with one taking to getting the Liverpool striker’s face shaved into the back of his head.

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• Uruguayan striker starring in the Premier League
• Boasts supporters all over the world
• Some take fandom further than others

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Uruguay international has been plying his trade in the Premier League since completing a £64 million ($78m) transfer to Anfield from Benfica in the summer of 2022. He has endeared himself to the Merseyside locals, and is also a popular figure back in his homeland.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  One follower has taken fandom to the extreme, with barber Andres German Fondo asked to deliver a unique trim that involved shaving Nunez’s face onto the back of customer’s head – complete with blue accents to give it a truly Uruguayan flavour.

  Instagram

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Nunez is clearly impressed at the lengths that some supporters will go to, with the 24-year-old forward sharing an image of the aforementioned haircut on his Instagram account – alongside clapping hands, folded hands and fire emojis.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Nunez has registered four goals and three assists for Liverpool this season and will be hoping to add to that tally when the Reds return to Premier League action in a derby date with neighbours Everton on Saturday. The South American heads into that game in good form having found the target in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers for his country against Colombia and Brazil during the October international break.