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When the transfer re-opens on July 1st Tottenham will be under significant pressure from their supporters to strengthen their squad.

There will naturally be a clamour to add options to their depleted forward line with Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor in desperate need of support if the Lilywhites are to solidify themselves as a Champions League outfit.

It is appears inevitable that a striker will be signed but should they try and sign another truly world class playmaker in the form of Isco as a matter of urgency?

The claims that Spurs are a one man team with Gareth Bale may be slightly unfair, but they certainly need other options that can unlock defences when he is not playing to his maximum or is unavailable.

Whilst Holtby and Sigurdsson have shown themselves to be capable of earning their stripes at White Hart Lane they need a midfielder who can really turn a game on its head when they are lacking in creativity outside their talismanic Welshman.

Bale’s strengths lie in his ability to run at opposition and to come in off the flanks. The pace him and Aaron Lennon provide on the wings is a crucial weapon for Tottenham.

What is needed now is a midfielder who can sit in between the midfield and attack threading through intricate passes that Luka Modric used to provide.

The composure, poise and skill of Modric is missed at this stage in the season. The balance he instilled in the way Tottenham broke down opposition avoided panic.

This influence needs to be replaced around White Hart Lane with the season once again taking its toll on the Lilywhites.

Bale’s improvement may have accounted for the loss of their talismanic Croatian in the summer but if Tottenham are to move on to the next level they need to make a statement they are willing to sign the World’s best emerging talent.

Spurs supporters may be perplexed at suggestions of need for improvement in the midfield their strongest area of the pitch. The team is set to achieve their target of a top four finish currently too.

The point though is that whilst Liverpool remain some distance off the top four and Arsenal continue to toil with their transfer policy handicapping them, there is a real chance for the Lilywhites to steal a march on their rivals in the summer.

Champions League may be a success for now, if a top four place is achieved, but the aim in the long term should be to try and win a Premier League title. If the gap is to be closed upon those at the top they need another stellar name in the key cog in between the centre of the park and forward line.

Why is Isco the perfect acquisition though? The first reason for this being that he is young at 20 years of age still has plenty of development left in him despite showing his capabilities already.

The Champions League stage is not foreign to him as he has shown at Malaga this campaign. This would also send out a signal to rival clubs that Tottenham are going to sign out the best.

In the past there may have been accusation levelled at Daniel Levy that Tottenham are a feeder club who sell their stars for exorbitant fees when they reach a premium level. If Levy allowed the North London club to seize the initiative and sign a player in demand.

The £30 million asking price is a large fee but it is now time to reward Villas Boas for his success without being provided all the necessary tools to achieve his aims.

This fee was not all that far off Man United paid for Robin Van Persie last August and it has made all the difference. Genuine title contenders have to occasionally splash the cash to freshen up their ranks with the best there is to offer. If Spurs do not want to be left behind the Manchester clubs and Chelsea who are bound to invest this summer, they need to spend too.

Redknapp was backed to the tune of £50 million his last 2 seasons at the Lane it is about time that the coffers were opened up to AVB to show his mettle in the transfer market too.

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Joao Moutinho may have been his first choice as a pivotal midfield signing last summer before the transfer window closed upon him. A deep lying playmaker is not what is needed now though and the Porto prospect won’t be top of the Portuguese manager’s shopping list this time round.

AVB is astute and if he is allowed to try and lure in Isco then he will certainly be interested in attaining the player.

Isco has mentioned that he would be the latest star to leave Malaga since their financial problems should the right club come in, and Tottenham would be a brilliant fit.

He is a young player looking for a club to allow him to emerge into a World Class talent and whilst they may expect this instantly at Man City or Chelsea, he would be allowed room to breathe and find his role in one of the most exciting midfields the Premier League at White Hart Lane.

If Tottenham are serious about their future ambition they may want to give thought for going hell bent on chasing one of the most sought after talents in Europe when they next get the chance to secure Isco’s signature.

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Arsenal may have left it late on in the season to start demonstrating the sort of form worthy of a top four finish, but following their dramatic late 3-1 victory against Norwich City over the weekend, few are now doubting the Gunners’ Champions League credentials.

Indeed, if timing is everything in football, then Arsene Wenger’s side are slowly becoming the league’s resident clock-watching experts.

In the same way many observers had already written the obituary for their season come early February during the last campaign, Arsenal have yet again made a mockery of those who all but consigned their top-four aspirations to the scrapheap a couple of months ago.

Three goals in the last five minutes against a Norwich City team who had looked to have struck a potentially mortal blow to the Gunners’ season told you everything you needed to know about this Arsenal team. Faultless? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but for all their troubles this season, the mentality of this side is of one that still believes it should be dining upon the riches of the Champions League table.

But while belief, or a lack of it, is a buzzword more commonly attributed to the faltering fortunes of their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Saturday’s result served to do a lot more than simply edge Arsenal closer to yet another finish above the gentlemen up the road in white; it helped exorcise some of their own demons, too.

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Because last season, it wasn’t just Spurs who managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory and although it was Wenger’s men who eventually triumphed in the hunt for guaranteed Champions League football, they themselves endured a potentially fatal wobble that could have been avoided.

The relevance of Arsenal’s late-season woes last season might not seem particularly poignant upon face-value, but when you look at just who they dropped points to last term and who they’ve still got left to play, you gain an understanding as to just how important it was that Wenger’s men took all three points against the Canaries on Saturday. Any less than a win and history might have looked like developing a very nasty habit of repeating himself.

This time last term the Gunners headed into the last eight games of the season on a similar wave of rejuvenation. The hard work, so to speak, had apparently already been done, with a certain gap above their north London rivals already shredded away and a run in of eight games that consisted mostly of teams in the bottom half of the table. Three of which – as is the case this time around – came against Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City and Wigan Athletic.

Although in spite of the momentum that had swung in the Gunners’ favour, far from propelling them on towards a hazard-free route to a top-four finish, those three fixtures did untold damage to Arsenal’s league run-in. Against all three strugglers, Wenger’s team took a measly single point from a possible nine, ensuring that their seasons hopes hung on the last day of the season. With margins tighter than ever this time around, they’d do well to avoid a repeat of last season’s cliffhanger climax to the league campaign.

And that’s why the importance of Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Norwich simply cannot be underplayed. All three of Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs will drop points in the remaining handful of games, but with fixtures against the likes of Everton and Manchester United still to play, Wenger’s men cannot afford a repeat of the slip-ups the club endured against the same three sides this time last season.

If there was a feeling that the Gunners had perhaps strolled into the games against Wigan, Norwich and QPR with a sense of complacency last term, then Michael Turner’s 56th minute headed effort served as just the smelling salts Arsenal perhaps needed to prevent a repeat of last season’s lackadaisical showings during the run-in.

Whereas Arsenal wilted in the dying moments after a similar late-comeback against Norwich City last term, this team looked like one in no mood to surrender as Lukas Podolski hammered home the exclamation mark to add to their riveting revival.

But while Saturday’s showing resembled the sort of spirit, will and guile that arguably neither Chelsea nor Tottenham have shown so far in the race for European qualification, three points against Chris Hughton’s team will count for nothing unless they’re backed up with victories against QPR and Wigan.

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The same notion could quite easily apply to the other four remaining league fixtures, but with the games against Harry Redknapp’s doomed R’s and Roberto Martinez’s inconsistent Latics side the most winnable of their last six games, there can be simply no slips up this time around.

In spite of the mess they made in attaining them, three points against Norwich City will hardly seem like reinventing the wheel for Arsenal supporters. But given the proverbial pig’s ear that they made of the same fixture under very similar circumstances indeed last season, the importance of that victory cannot be quantified as they push on towards a top-four finish.

And if Wenger’s men can find redemption against two other sides that very nearly cost them it all last season, Champions League qualification may be all but a guarantee.

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Last week, Arsenal announced that Sir Chips Keswick would be replacing Peter Hill-Wood as the Chairman of the board at the Emirates, ending a family dynasty that began in 1927, citing health reasons following a heart-attack last year as cause to step down.

But the appointment has been blemished somewhat by an unlikely verbal attacker – club legend and former Gunners captain, Tony Adams. The retired England international, who claimed 66 caps throughout his career, is disappointed that his offer of joining the Arsenal boardroom was met initially with no response, having sent an application to Hill-Wood after the former Arsenal chief stated in an interview that the Emirates politico and bureaucracy needed some fresh blood, only to find out a few months down the line that a 73 year old would now be heading board meetings.

Adams told The Sun; “It’s time that Arsenal won something again, even the FA Cup or League Cup. But I can’t see it, to be honest. They are still not good enough in certain areas of the team.

“And they are miles off the title. Chips is a great guy but not a very imaginative choice by the owner. And he is 73.If they just wanted a figurehead, they should have gone for me. It would have been a better visionary decision than Chips.

“Look, I would make the tea for Arsenal Football Club, but I thought I ticked all the right boxes for the board. I don’t need the money, I would put the good of the club first in every case and I could mediate well within the club.“

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One can easily claim sour grapes. Hanging out your dirty laundry in public is rarely an approach used to improve relationships, and there are obvious connotations in using The Sun, a hyperbolic Red Top newspaper that prints for profit rather than integrity. Similarly, although Adams may have seen himself an ideal fit for the role, there’s little reason why others should.

He is undoubtedly a hero at the Emirates, and even has his own statue outside of the ground, but so far throughout the former Gunners skipper’s non-playing career, Adams has far from excelled, with poor managerial spells at Wycombe, Portsmouth and Gabala all coming to a rather abrupt and disappointing end. The role of a manager and board member are by no means directly comparable, but Adams it yet to prove that he is a successful administrator, man-manager or a businessman.

But regardless of whether or not the Arsenal legend’s words came with a hint of bitterness and jealousy, there is undoubtedly some truth behind them. The last nine years in North London have represented constant stagnation.

The eight-year trophy drought appears to be verging on a curse – this year, the Gunners fell short against Bradford in the Capital One Cup, who went on to play in the final against Swansea, while even Wigan loanee Ryo Miyaichi has managed to secure silverware during his season away from the Emirates. At the same time, Arsenal have continually regressed in the title race, with this season’s squad and final league standing representing more than any other the vast decline since the days of ‘The Invincibles’ – the 2003/2004 team who went the whole campaign unbeaten, claiming the Gunners’ last domestic title.

Some have pointed to the arrival of foreign owners at divisional rivals and payments for the new Emirates stadium as a justification for Arsenal’s recent slump, but nothing like nearly a decade of being entirely dormant in the title race, while failing to gain anything from the auxiliary competitions, spells out more the need for new blood – the status quo of Champions League football, in itself, is not a worthy accolade for a club of Arsenal’s quality and stature.

Whether Adams’ leadership in practical terms would have been able to remedy the situation remains unclear, however, as the Gunners fans have argued to Arsene Wenger this year, sometimes the signal of intent and ambition alone is all you need to get things moving in the right direction, and a young and fresh face, known for his ability to lead others, could have been exactly what the board needed to win over the fans, who have been discontented with the limited aspirations of the Arsenal boss and his employers.

Whilst Arsene Wenger has become the butt of media scrutiny this season, it’s quite clear that there are further intrinsic problems at the club, starting with the boardroom. Relationships between Alisher Usmanov and his fellow board members is said to be at an all-time low, and in April the Uzbek businessman accused majority shareholder Stanley Kroneke of lacking enough ambition to take the Gunners forward, as the two rivals continually battle for full control of the North London club.

The stale atmosphere in the board room has further contributed to Arsenal’s recent demise. The departure of Robin Van Persie was met with little protest or outrage from Kroneke’s clique, whilst the club’s head officials have also shown a lapse attitude in regards to Wenger’s tenure potentially coming to an end, with the Frenchman now 63 years of age, and receiving interest from other European clubs. Adams sees the lack of a clear contingency plan as a major concern.

Similarly, the pressure from above on the Arsenal gaffer to succeed has been non-existent in recent years, allowing the head coach to not only oversee an overall decline in standards, but furthermore, attain an almost monolithic control of how the club is run and managed, being involved in many  aspects on and off the pitch. It’s created a situation where Wenger’s ideas are no longer confronted and compromised, and bringing in a natural leader like Tony Adams would at least create a barrier to the often philosophical and idealistic Wenger.

There is also something to be said regarding the method of bringing former players as board members. It’s the model used at Bayern Munich, and to a lesser extent at Manchester United, and is yet to do either club wrong. In sharp contrast to the usual scheming businessmen around that appear to dominate Premier League boardrooms, using former players, often with hero status amongst the fans, reduces the political in-fighting, and successfully aligns the supporters. The Gunners faithful could certainly do with a positive rallying cry, with sections of the Emirates divided over ticket-prices and a lack of investment in the first team, leading to regular protests from the Black Scarf movement.

Tony Adams is by no means the perfect candidate – he is yet to prove himself off the pitch in any form, and as he himself pointed out, Sir John Keswick is undoubtedly a better candidate to reach out and maintain contact with Alisher Usmanov. But in many ways, it’s a shame that once again, Arsenal as a club have resisted the urge for change. It’s not that the current board members are not well enough qualified, but simply that their situation has become comfortable and stale, and they are all representatives of an era at the Emirates that will be best remembered for a slump in quality.

A new, fresh, young face could have been the perfect remedy – even if Adams lacks in certain skills, he would have at least been a symbolic statement that the board are keen to start moving in a new direction.

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Brendan Rodgers has launched an outspoken attack on Arsenal, claiming the Gunners have “lacked class” over their very public pursuit of Luis Suarez, according to The Guardian.

Arsenal have had two bids rejected for the Uruguayan, one of which they hoped would trigger a release clause in the player’s contract by adding an extra £1 to an offer of £40million.

“I was surprised,” said the Liverpool manager of Arsenal’s second bid for Suárez.

“I’ve got to say I’ve always associated Arsenal as a club with class and so there was a wee bit of a game there. For us, it’s about moving on and doing our own work.

“There will come a point where they understand our position.

“Obviously they have an interest and they put that interest in with two bids which were nowhere near what the player is worth. That’s within their right.

“There is a market in football for players but from us the message is constant. We do not want to sell.”

Suarez played in front of the Anfield crowd as part of Steven Gerrard’s testimonial on Saturday – for the first time incidentally since revealing he wanted to leave the club.

He was rewarded a warm reception from the Liverpool fans, although it seems to have made no difference, with the Uruguayan the only first team player not to attend the captain’s gala dinner afterwards.

Rodgers also revealed he had received encouragement from the club’s owners in his fight to keep Suarez at the club.

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“The owners have been brilliant,” he added.

“If it was another club needing the money or desperate for the money it could have been a different story. But John Henry and Tom [Werner, the chairman] have been first class through the whole process, so there are no arguments there and it gives you the confidence they are not in any hurry to sell because they understand we are trying to build here.”

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Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva is considered to be a bit of an unsung hero at Anfield due to the integral services he provides in the middle of the park. The Brazilian midfielder is tenacious when it comes to breaking-up play, and puts in the leg work so the likes of Philippe Coutinho don’t have to.

But I often feel that Leiva’s vitality to the Reds often goes unnoticed – he’s currently the only holding midfielder that the Reds can boast, and without him, defensive duties in the middle of the park have to be taken up by Steven Gerrard, which is a waste of the England international’s talents going forward.

With a disturbing gap in Brendan Rodgers’ squad depth now identified, we’ve compiled a list of FIVE tough-tackling, tenacious and physical midfielders who could be snapped up during the January transfer window to significantly improve the Premier League outfit’s squad.

CLICK ON ALEX SONG TO REVEAL THE FIVE DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS TO IMPROVE LIVERPOOL

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Everton are on red alert for Aidean McGeady, after Sparkak Moscow revealed that they are open to offers for the winger.

The Republic of Ireland international left Celtic in 2010 to move to Russia after developing into one of the SPL’s leading stars.

Although he has been relatively impressive for Spartak, the 27-year-old has spoken out about his desire to return to Britain.

This has seen interest in his signature spike, with a number of Premier League sides thought to be keen.

McGeady’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which has fuelled rumours that his club may be willing to sell in January.

Spartak’s general director, Roman Askhabadze, has confirmed this but admitted that he would like to keep the wide-man.

“The club is willing to discuss a new contract for Aiden at any time,” he is quoted by the Daily Star.

“But if we get a good offer this winter, we would be willing to consider it.”

Everton are thought to be at the front of the queue for McGeady, with Roberto Martinez a fan of the player.

The Toffees chief is also thought to be willing to spend in the New Year to build his squad.

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Should Everton move for Aiden McGeady?

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Manchester United lack fighting spirit under David Moyes, according to former Red Devils goalkeeper Roy Carroll, reports Sky Sports.

Carroll watched his current Olympiakos teammates inflict a damaging 2-0 defeat on his former club in the Champions League last week, and believes the current crop of United stars have been shirking responsibility since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

“(The first-leg win) was a shock for a lot of press people but the players knew themselves they had a chance,” the 36-year-old said.

“We watched a lot of Premier League games this season and knew United had not been performing. On the night when I was watching it live from the stands, I’ve never seen a Manchester United team like it.

“They’ve got good players but they had no hunger, no fight in the team so it was a shock in that way but not a shock the way we played. The goals we got were well deserved.

“At the end of the day you can be a good player but you have to give 100 per cent and give everything.

“For me Manchester United didn’t give that and looked like they had no hunger and fight for the game.

“I don’t know if they thought they would get an easy game but no professional should go into a football match and think that.”

United have struggled all season under Moyes, and Carroll – who spent four years at Old Trafford between 2001 and 2005 – reckons the players have slacked off following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.

“They might have slacked off since Sir Alex left, it’s football,” he added.

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“People have their routines. You can’t do that in the Premier League. It’s a big league with top and bottom teams fighting for points and you have to be prepared every game.”

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After ending their Everton hoodoo, Manchester City now look on course to claim the Premier League title after moving ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. Although they have two games to play, the Sky Blues look unlikely to slip up at home to Aston Villa and West Ham, meaning they have eight fingers on the trophy. Although some will point to the massive money pumped into City’s squad, there is little room for arguing against their credentials. Here are three reasons City deserve to be crowned Premier League champions.

Goals

Even when City lost Aguero to injury they still had Dzeko to call on. The Bosnian has to be best the best backup striker in the league, and showed just why today with two goals.

https://vine.co/v/MrQiz1gLwtM/embed/simple

Big players

City have assembled a squad of top names with experience at the very highest level.

Experience

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Having won the title two years ago, Vity have the experience and know-how as they showed at Everton.

It was only a year ago that Isco was being tipped to lead the next generation of Spanish footballers.

That’s not to say the Real Madrid midfielder has lost any of his spark or is no longer worthy of retaining his standing among his contemporaries. But it’s no secret that Isco has become lost in the shuffle at the Bernabeu. He didn’t feature as prominently as he would have liked last season, while the recent arrivals of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez have further complicated his situation in the Spanish capital.

Last season, Carlo Ancelotti made an attempt to develop Isco’s game from attack-minded midfielder into something more akin to what we saw from Clarence Seedorf during his days at Milan. Despite a stunning start to life at Real Madrid, in which Isco scored three in his first three league games, the former Malaga playmaker fell victim to Ancelotti’s need to accommodate each of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, while also having to retain Angel Di Maria in the starting XI due to the Argentine’s form.

But now with the addition of Kroos as another option for the centre of midfield, and even with Sami Khedira set to leave, Isco may come across similar frustrations that halted his development at the Bernabeu last season.

Is it time, then, for a move for the 22-year-old?

It would be an enormous shame if Isco were to be sacrificed, especially as James Rodriguez doesn’t really offer much more than the former Malaga midfielder.

Not only that, but Real Madrid fans have been longing for something akin to what they’ve seen at Barcelona in recent seasons; not necessarily the success, but the involvement of so many homegrown players. Isco, signing for Real last summer, was joined by Asier Illarramendi and Dani Carvajal, as well as the full promotions of Nacho Fernandez, Alvaro Morata and Jese Rodriguez from Castilla. Jese, Illarramendi, Isco, and Carvajal are all certainly good enough to be regular starters at the club for years to come.

But for Isco in particular, that may not be possible due to Florentino Perez’s propensity to fall for the latest big name in world football.

Would, therefore, a move to Manchester City be a good option for the Spaniard, the team who rivalled Real for his signature last summer? Provided City can get around the restrictions enforced by Financial Fair Play, and can convince Real to sell, linking up with Manuel Pellegrini would be the best career move for the midfielder.

It was Pellegrini who signed Isco for Malaga, bringing him in from relative obscurity at Valencia and helping him to flourish into the player we know today. At Malaga, Pellegrini moved the more senior and far more experienced Santi Cazorla into other positions in the midfield, either to the centre of the pitch or on the wing, in order to accommodate Isco in a central attacking role. When Cazorla moved to Arsenal in 2012, Isco became the hub of the Malaga team, guiding them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

It also wouldn’t be too far off to say Manchester City need someone like Isco. They already have David Silva and Samir Nasri, but both can suffer from dips in form, while Nasri is often preferred on the flank. City are a team with an ageing star midfielder in Yaya Toure, and while Isco is in no way similar to the 31-year-old Ivorian, he can become just as important and influential in the near future.

For Real Madrid, it’s about creating a juggernaut that can build on the latest European Cup win with further domestic and international titles. That doesn’t just happen with a good XI. Ronaldo has spent the majority of his career in Spain free of injury, but the Portuguese international suffered towards the end of last season. Gareth Bale, too, may pick up injury scares, as could any of the other players who would normally be deemed starters in Ancelotti’s team.

The problem is Isco is too good to be a peripheral figure, only stepping in when needed. This is a player who was likened to Andres Iniesta in the recent past. It’s not absurd. The 22-year-old shares many similarities in style to that of the Barcelona man. If we’re going to compare Illarramendi to Xabi Alonso – and it’s been done countless times – we’re naturally going to do the same with Isco and Iniesta.

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Isco should see more game time at a club like City, because they’re in need of someone like him to better themselves from where they were last season. Thus far, the club have only made defensive signings, Alvaro Negredo is out long term with injury, and questions remain over the fitness of Sergio Aguero.

Real Madrid didn’t need James this summer. Perez may have needed the satisfaction of being the centre of summer attention once again, especially after the capture of La Decima, but the team were certainly not in need of the Colombian at this time.

Uncertainty over Isco’s immediate playing future at the club has only grown. A move away may be best for the development of a player who can be one of Europe’s absolute best midfielders in a short amount of time.

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Stewart Downing has started to hit form for West Ham recently and is hopeful of earning himself an England call up in the near future.

The winger has not been a regular in the international set-up in recent years because he hasn’t exactly been in the sort of form that is deserving of senior caps. There is no denying the player has a lot of talent and ability which is clear for everyone to see when he is on top of his game, but he has failed to play at his best for a few seasons now.

When he was playing at Aston Villa he was fast becoming one of the most promising wingers in the country, and a potential solution to step in to the wing role left behind by David Beckham when he retired from international football. There has not been anyone since who has come into that role and excelled.

Downing’s ability on the flanks earned him a lot of admirers as a youngster and saw him have a very successful eight year career at Middlesbrough before making the switch to Aston Villa where he continued to impress with his defence-dazling runs and crossing ability. He was exciting to watch and showed a lot of promise. It looked like he would be a regular in the England set-up for sure, and had a great career mapped out in-front of him, especially when Liverpool came calling and ended up completing a £20 million move for him.

His career at Anfield didn’t quite go to plan however, with the promise and excitement soon fizzling out into a big, boring anti-climax. It is unclear to this day whether he just couldn’t handle the big money price tag on his head, or whether he just didn’t fit in at the club.

We do see a lot of this these days where a player looks to be one of the best in the country at one club and totally flops at the next side he joins. Was it a gulf in quality between Villa and Liverpool that exposed him as average? Did he look too good for Villa and not good enough for Liverpool? Look at Marouane Fellani, a footballing god during his time at Everton and a laughing stock at Manchester United. These players do not change overnight, they do not suddenly become poor players. They just don’t always fit in to the style of play at a different club, or maybe the way they are utilized does not fit in with how they like to play.

It can sometimes happen the other way around too; Mo Diame suffered at West Ham because he was played out of position and since his move to Hull he has excelled and started scoring and playing well again.

Whatever the reasons, Downing simply did not have a good time of it at Liverpool and looked a below average player. He made his move to West Ham in 2013 during quite a hopeless transfer window for the Hammers which saw them blow the majority of their budget on a crocked Andy Carroll. Short of options up front, they then opted to bring the out of favour Stewart Downing to Upton Park from Liverpool as well.

He didn’t really overwhelm supporters at his new club either in his first season. He was often seen too afraid to skin the defender and opted to get rid of the ball too early in an attacking phase of play. His crosses left a lot to be desired as well. I get the feeling that perhaps we are looking at a chap who’s confidence was low and faith in his own ability was severely lacking.

This season however, West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce has utilised the winger in a slightly different position which sees Downing play more of a free role in the centre of the diamond, behind the strikers. Suddenly we are looking at a completely different player altogether. He has shown a range of passing both long and short that is exquisite, his strength and pace were very evident in the games he played deployed in this new position. He has been working his socks off up and down the wing, drifting back into the middle, when appropriate he has crossed the ball and when needed he has fed a lovely through ball through the defence or even cut in and had a long range shot from the edge of the box – which saw him score a delightful goal against Crystal Palace.

He looks a totally different player at the moment, and if he carries on this current form, it would surely be hard for Roy Hodgson to ignore him for much longer. He has not deserved an England call up in recent seasons, and a couple of games playing well does not go a long way to changing that but nevertheless, at the moment, he looks like the solution to many a problem that the international side are facing.

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The England side need someone who can change the game, who’s work rate can be very high throughout the full 90 minutes and who can carve open a defence with a lovely through ball or chipped cross to provide assists for his colleagues. In the game against Liverpool for West Ham, he was involved in all three goals. England need a player like this for sure, and Downing needs to carry on playing like he has been so far this season for the sake of his career and reputation.

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