Following West Ham’s third-successive 2-0 victory, a win on Tuesday over Norwich at Upton Park courtesy of two late goals, the Hammers have moved from the relegation zone to the top half of the Premier League table in the blink of an eye.
That’s just the way the PL standings are this season, as a campaign of unpredictability at both ends of the table has us all guessing with 12 games to go.
West Ham have been good defensively all season, keeping a league high 13 clean sheets, and have now added some crucial goals at the other end to spearhead manager Sam Allardyce’s masterful turnaround at the Boleyn Ground. They weren’t fantastic against Norwich but they got the job done, which is vital at this time of the season.
The latest win marked three-straight PL victories for the first-time since 2007 for West Ham, and Allardyce was over the moon.
“I’m delighted, it was a hell of a game Norwich gave us tonight. I had the chairman ringing me up to say we had not won under lights this season or last and that was in my mind. Our goalkeeper kept us in the game and we scored late, when it is hard for anybody to come back into it. It’s a great end to an important run of fixtures.”
With 2-0 wins against Swansea City, Aston Villa and now Norwich in the last 10 days, this stretch was always going to be a pivotal one for West Ham. Add to that the 0-0 draw that grabbed away at Chelsea before their winning run and you could look at that as the catalyst for their upturn in results.
The Hammers now sit in 10th spot on 28 points, but are only four points off the relegation zone. That, right there, sums up the PL season in a nutshell.
With Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Stoke City all going on recent good runs with plenty of wins and clean sheets, you’d think they are out of danger. But no, they are all piling up at the bottom of the standings with nobody able to pull clear of the bottom three. With just four points separating 10th spot from 18th, the relegation battle has many more twists and turns between now and May 11. Examine how tight the PL standings are, by clicking on the image, left.
West Ham showcased why they should steer clear of danger, as their team is built on solid defense and now they are grabbing the vital goals they need in order to finish teams off and push up the table. But it is still a ‘should’ with West Ham and every other team from 10th downwards, there are no guarantees and the tension is bubbling up nicely.
The Hammers ‘defense first’ model is one other teams at the bottom should follow. Whether or not they can do it is another matter.
Regardless, let’s have some fun watching this topsy-turvy season play out…
Tottenham Hotspur have officially signed Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid.
It’s a move that may signal a 3-man back line for Jose Mourinho, as Reguilon can fly forward on the left in the same manner the coach likes from Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier on the right.
Reguilon, 23, had a tremendous season on loan to Sevilla last season but was stuck behind Marcelo and expensive Ferland Mendy in Real’s left side.
He was highly-rated in most metrics for Sevilla last season, scoring three times and posting six assists as the side won the Europa League under coach Julen Lopetegui.
Reguilon averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, and completed 1.6 dribbles per game in La Liga play last season.
There could, of course, be an adjustment period but it would be surprising to see Reguilon not make a positive impact on Spurs.
"Tottenham has world class players and a world class manager. I can't wait to start working with him."
Premier League transfers will ramp up throughout the summer months and here you will find every deal from all 20 Premier League clubs ahead of the 2020-21 season.
The Premier League transfers window runs from July 27 to Oct. 5 in the summer, as the shortened offseason means there’s a flurry of action already happening and most clubs will want their squads sorted before the 2020-21 season kicks off on Sept. 12.
Given the fact that clubs have less than 40 days before the new season starts, you’d think that chairman, sporting directors and managers would all be pretty busy right now as they try and get their business done early. But we all know that when it comes to Premier League transfers, clubs can’t stay away from a deadline day.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic amid huge financial implications, huge sums of money are still being talked about when it comes to potential transfers.
Below are the lists of Premier League transfers for each club, as we will update this page as and when deals happen from now until Oct. 5 when the summer window shuts.
Arsenal
In
Gabriel Magalhaes (Lille) More info
Pablo Mari (Flamengo)
Cedric Soares (Southampton)
George Lewis (Larvik)
Willian (Chelsea, Free) More info
Tim Akinola (Huddersfield) Free
Salah-Eddine (Feyenoord) Free
Jonathan Dinzeyi (Tottenham) Free
Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) Loan
Out
Tobi Omole (Released)
Matthew Dennis (Released)
Zech Medley (Gillingham) Loan
Zak Swanson (MVV Maastricht) Loan
Dinos Mavropanos (Stuttgart) Loan
Trae Coyle (Gillingham) Loan
Matt Smith (Swindon Town) Loan
Jordi Osei-Tutu (Cardiff City) Loan
Sam Greenwood (Leeds)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Roma) Ben Sheaf (Coventry) Loan TyreeceJohn-Jules (Doncaster Rovers) Loan Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa
In
Matty Cash (Nottingham Forest) More info
Ollie Watkins (Brentford) Emiliano Martinez (Arsenal)
Bertrand Traore (Lyon)
Out
Ross McCormack (Released)
Callum O’Hare (Released)
Jack Birch (Released)
Anton Hooper (Released)
Colin Odutayo (Released)
Dimitri Sea (Released)
Jamie Searle (Released)
Matija Sarkic (Wolves) Free
James Chester (Stoke) Free
Indiana Vassilev (Burton) Loan
Brighton and Hove Albion
In
Jensen Weir (Wigan)
Adam Lallana (Liverpool) Free More info
Joel Veltman (Ajax)
Lars Dendoncker (Club Brugge)
Jan Paul van Hecke (NAC Breda)
Out
Leon Balogun (Wigan) Loan
Archie Davies (Released)
Lewis Freestone (Released)
George Cox (Fortuna Sittard)
Anthony Knockaert (Fulham)
Beram Kayal (Released)
Percy Tau (Anderlecht) Loan
Jan Mlakar (Maribor) Loan
Warren O’Hora (MK Dons) Loan
Taylor Richards (Doncaster) Loan
Martin Montoya (Real Betis)
Matt Clarke (Derby) Loan
Ryan Longman (AFC Wimbledon) Loan Leo Ostigard (Coventry) Loan Aaron Mooy (Shanghai SIPG) Undisclosed
Glenn Murray (Watford) Loan
Shane Duffy (Celtic) Loan
David Button (West Brom)
Jan Paul van Hecke (Heerenveen) Loan
Burnley
In
Will Norris (Wolves) Marc Richter (Augsburg) Will Rickard (Free) Marcel Elva-Fountaine (Reading) Connor Barrett (Leicester)
Ismaila Diallo (Arsenal)
Out
Joe Hart (Tottenham) Free
Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle) Free
Adam Legzdins (Released)
Aaron Lennon (Released)
Oliver Younger (Released)
Scott Wilson (Released)
Joel Senior (Released)
Ryan Cooney (Morecambe) Loan
Adam Phillips (Morecambe) Loan Jordan Cropper (Chesterfield) Loan
Ben Gibson (Norwich City) Loan
Aiden O’Neill (Melbourne City)
Chelsea
In
Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) More info
Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) More info
Ben Chilwell (Leicester) More info
Malang Sarr (Nice) Free
Thiago Silva (PSG) Free
Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Out
Josh Grant (Released)
Marcel Lavinier (Released)
Richard Nartey (Released)
Willian (Arsenal) Free
Pedro (Roma) Free
Danilo Pantic (Cukaricki) Loan
Jacob Maddox (Vitoria SC)
Jamie Cumming (Stevenage) Loan
Trevoh Chalobah (Lorient) Loan
Armando Broja (Vitesse Arnhem) Loan
Tariq Uwakwe (Accrington Stanley) Loan
Ethan Ampadu (Sheff Utd) Loan
Kenedy (Granada) Loan
Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace) Loan
Conor Gallagher (West Brom) Loan Lewis Baker (Trabzonspor) Loan
Davide Zappacosta (Genoa) Loan
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 29: Timo Werner of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the pre-season friendly between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at Amex Stadium on August 29, 2020 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Crystal Palace
In
Nathan Ferguson (West Brom) Free
Jake Giddings (Free)
Eberechi Eze (QPR)
Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea) Loan
Out
Kian Flanagan (Released)
Dion-Curtis Henry (Released)
Daniel Tupper (Released)
Everton
In
Abdoulaye Doucoure (Watford) More info
Niels Nkounkou (Marseille) Free
Allan (Napoli)
James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) More info
Out
Morgan Feeney (Released)
Alexander Denny (Released)
Matthew Foulds (Released)
Luke Garbutt (Released)
Oumar Niasse (Released)
Morgan Schneiderlin (Nice)
Leighton Baines (Retired)
Maarten Stekelenburg (Released)
Nathangelo Markelo (FC Twente) Loan
Kieran Dowell (Norwich City)
Manasse Mampala (Released)
Korede Adedoyin (Released)
Cuco Martina (Released)
Fulham
In
Antonee Robinson (Wigan) More info
Mario Lemina (Southampton) Loan
Harrison Reed (Southampton)
Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain) Loan
Kenny Tete (Lyon)
Ola Aina (Torino) Loan
Out
Cody Drameh (Leeds)
Marlon Fossey (Shrewsbury Town) Loan
Jordan Archer (Released)
Zico Asare (Released)
Tristan Cover (Released)
Magnus Norman (Released)
Nicolas Santos Clase (Released)
Toni Stahl (Released)
Cameron Thompson (Released)
Ben Tricker (Released)
Luca de la Torre (Released)
Matt O’Riley (Released) Alfie Mawson (Bristol City) Loan
Steven Sessegnon (Bristol City) Loan Marcus Bettinelli (Middlesbrough) Loan
Leeds United
In
Helder Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Illan Meslier (Lorient)
Jack Harrison (Man City) Loan Joe Gelhardt (Wigan)
Cody Drameh (Fulham)
Sam Greenwood (Arsenal) Rodrigo Moreno Machado (Valencia)
Robin Koch (Freiburg)
Crysencio Summerville (Feyenoord)
Out
Ryan Edmondson (Aberdeen) Loan
Kun Temenuzhkov (Real Union) Loan
Leicester
In
Timothy Castagne (Atalanta)
Out
Calvin Bassey (Rangers)
Viktor Johansson (Released)
Ryan Loft (Released)
Connor Tee (Released)
Daniel Iversen (OH Leuven) Loan Bartosz Kapustka (Legia Warsaw)
Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
George Hirst (Rotherham) Loan
Liverpool
In
Konstantinos Tsimikas (Olympiacos) More info
Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich) More info
Diogo Jota (Wolves) More info
Out
Daniel Atherton (Released)
Pedro Chirivella (Nantes) Free
Nathaniel Clyne (Released)
Shamal George (Released)
Jack Walls (Released)
Dejan Lovren (Zenit)
Adam Lallana (Brighton) Free
Morgan Boyes (Fleetwood Town) Loan
Ovie Ejaria (Reading)
Tony Gallacher (Toronto) Loan Ki-Jana Hoever (Wolves)
Getty Images
Manchester City
In
Pablo Moreno (Juventus)
Ferran Torres (Valencia) More info
Nathan Ake (Bournemouth) More info
Scott Carson (Derby County) Loan
Out
Ernest Agyiri (Released)
Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Jack Harrison (Leeds) Loan
David Silva (Real Sociedad) Free
Claudio Bravo (Released)
Lukas Nmecha (Anderlecht) Loan Yangel Herrera (Granada) Loan
Paolo Fernandes (Castellon)
Angelino (RB Leipzig) Loan
Manchester United
In
Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua) Loan More info
Donny van de Beek (Ajax) More info
Out
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Released)
Dion McGee (Released)
Angel Gomes (Released)
Ethan Hamilton (Released)
Michael O’Hara (Released)
Largie Ramazani (Released)
George Tanner (Released)
Alexis Sanchez (Inter Milan) More info
Tahith Chong (Werder Bremen) Loan
Aliou Traore (Stade Malherbe Caen) Loan
Joel Pereira (Huddersfield) Loan
James Garner (Watford) Loan
Newcastle United
In
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth) Free More info
Mark Gillespie (Motherwell) Free
Niall Brookwell (Liverpool) Free
Jeff Hendrick (Burnley) Free More info
Jamal Lewis (Norwich City)
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) More info
Out
Luke Charman (Released)
Jack Colback (Released)
Robert Elliott (Released)
Liam Gibson (Released)
Nathan Harker (Released)
Victor Fernandez (Viitorul Constanta) Free
Jake Turner (Morecambe) Loan
Tom Allan (Accrington Stanley) Loan
Freddie Woodman (Swansea) Loan
Kell Watts (Plymouth) Loan
Florian Lejeune (Deportivo Alaves) Loan Yoshinori Muto (Eibar) Loan
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Callum Wilson poses for photographs in the tunnel at St.James’ Park on September 07, 2020 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Sheffield United
In
Wes Foderingham (Rangers) Free
Aaron Ramsdale (AFC Bournemouth)
Jayden Bogle (Derby County)
Max Lowe (Derby County) Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea) Loan Ismaila Coulibaly (Sarpsborg 08)
Oliver Burke (West Brom
Out
Mark Duffy (Released)
Keenan Ferguson (Released)
Oliver Greaves (Released)
Jake Eastwood (Kilmarnock) Loan
Tyler Smith (Swindon Town) Loan
Luke Freeman (Nottingham Forest) Loan
Rhys Norrington-Davies (Luton Town) Loan
Sam Graham (Notts County) Loan Ismaila Coulibaly (K Beerschot VA)
Callum Robinson (West Brom)
Southampton
In
Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham)
Mohammed Salisu (Real Valladolid)
Out
Alexander Cull (Released)
Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic) Loan
Maya Yoshida (Released)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham)
Cedric Soares (Arsenal)
Mario Lemina (Fulham) Loan Harrison Reed (Fulham)
Alfie Jones (Hull)
Jack Bycroft (Weymouth) Loan
Tottenham Hotspur
In
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Southampton)
Joe Hart (Burnley) Free
Matt Doherty (Wolves)
Sergio Reguilon (Real Madrid)
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) Loan, More info
Out
Jan Vertonghen (Released)
Michel Vorm (Released)
Tariq Hinds (Released)
Rayan Clarke (Released)
Jonathan Dinzeyi (Released)
Phoenix Patterson (Released)
Maxwell Statham (Released)
Maximus Tainio (Released)
Troy Parrott (Millwall) Loan
TJ Eyoma (Lincoln City) Loan
Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton)
Armando Shashoua (Atletico Baleares)
Luke Amos (QPR) Oliver Skipp (Norwich) Loan
Jack Roles (Burton) Loan Shilow Tracey (Shrewsbury Town) Loan
West Bromwich Albion
In
Matheus Pereira (Sporting Lisbon)
Cedric Kipre (Wigan)
Grady Diangana (West Ham)
David Button (Brighton)
Callum Robinson (Sheff Utd)
Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit Saint Petersburg) Conor Gallagher (Chelsea) Loan
Out
Chris Brunt (Released)
Finn Azaz (Cheltenham Town) Loan
Josh Griffiths (Cheltenham Town) Loan Jonathan Leko (Birmingham City)
Oliver Burke (Sheff Utd)
Nick Clayton-Phillips (Solihull Moors) Loan Rayhaan Tulloch (Doncaster Rovers) Loan
West Ham United
In
Tomas Soucek (Slavia Prague)
Ossama Ashley (AFC Wimbledon)
Out
Sead Haksabanovic (IFK Norrkoping)
Carlos Sanchez (Released)
Pablo Zabaleta (Released)
Roberto (Real Valladolid) Undisclosed
Dan Kemp (Blackpool) Loan
Grady Diangana (West Brom)
Wolverhampton Wanderers
In
Matija Sarkic (Aston Villa) Free
Fabio Silva (Porto) Fernando Marcal (Lyon)
Vitinha (Porto) Loan Ki-Jana Hoever (Liverpool)
Out
Jordan Graham (Released)
Connor Johnson (Released)
Callum Thompson (Released)
Helder Costa (Leeds)
Tsun Dai (Shenzhen)
Ryan Giles (Coventry) Loan
Elliot Watt (Bradford)
Will Norris (Burnley)
Morgan Gibbs-White (Swansea) Loan Matt Doherty (Tottenham)
Matija Sarkic (Shrewsbury Town) Loan
Benny Ashley-Seal (Northampton)
Terry Taylor (Grimsby) Loan Connor Ronan (Grasshopper Club Zurich) Loan
Renat Dadashov (Grasshopper Club Zurich) Loan
Dan Csoka (AFC Wimbledon)
Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 05: New Wolverhampton Wanderers record signing Fabio Silva is unveiled at Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on September 05, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Stewart Manley Photography/Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Getty Images)
Reyna, the son of USMNT legend Claudio Reyna, ran onto a slick feed from English teenager Jude Bellingham and belted a shot across goal and past Gladbach keeper Yan Sommer.
The attacking midfielder’s first half showed the trademark tidiness that earned the trust of Lucien Favre despite the teen still six weeks from his 18th birthday.
Reyna was a perfect 19-of-19 passing in the heart of the attack, making one key pass while winning two-of-five duels and drawing two fouls.
There’s nothing in the way of Reyna becoming one of the biggest names in CONCACAF and Dortmund is reveling in high-level youth with Erling Haaland, Bellingham, Reinier, and Jadon Sancho (for now) joining Reyna in creating energy and goals.
Leading 4-1 with 25 minutes to go against fellow new boys Fulham, Leeds let in two quick-fire goals but hung on to win 4-3. Leeds’ first two games back in the Premier League have ended 4-3 and they are clearly going to be the team to watch for neutrals this season.
Speaking to BT Sport after Leeds’ first Premier League home game at Elland Road for 16 years, head coach Marcelo Bielsa praised his side for sticking to their task.
“It was a difficult game, it was difficult for us to defend and to attack and it was difficult for us to impose our style on our opponents,” Bielsa said. “In the first half we allowed them to play out from the back too easily and even though we didn’t defend too badly, we couldn’t attack. In the second half after 4-1 they reduced the scoreline in a short amount of time but it was because they played well rather than we played badly. From then on, we played well.”
Bielsa on Leeds is always intriguing, because he tells it how it is, and even though he spoke through a translator you could tell he was happy with the win and was more than a little relieved.
Leeds should have been out of sight as they had chances galore throughout and in true Bielsa style they kept trying to pour forward even when they were 4-1 up. Fulham battled hard to get back into the game and had attacking quality of their own, but both teams struggled defensively and that will be their main issue this season.
New Leeds signings Rodrigo and Robin Koch have struggled to settled in thus far and need to be given time to adapt to Bielsa’s high-pressing tactics and the intensity of Leeds’ play.
Defensively the Yorkshire giants have to improve but there’s no doubt they have quality in attack and with Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison, Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips in midfield and up front, they have plenty of options.
Bamford revealed just how hard it is to keep the pressing going for 90 minutes but believes Leeds will get even better.
“It’s hard. We only really had two preseason games and then the last two games. Not everybody is up to full speed yet,” Bamford said. “In the first 20 minutes of last weekend and this weekend, I was really blowing. It’s something we’ll just adjust to. We’re very demanding. Marcelo Bielsa has installed that into us. Everybody is willing to learn. He has shown we can become better players.”
With games against Sheffield United, Manchester City and Wolves coming up in their next three, by mid-October we will get a much better idea as to just how good this Leeds side is.
