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West Ham United are on an upward trajectory under David Moyes and they could land an exciting signing this summer in the form of Matheus Pereira.

According to the Daily Express, the Irons are among the Premier League teams interested in the enigmatic West Bromwich Albion sensation in the upcoming transfer window.

Former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce failed to keep the Baggies in the division, recording his first-ever relegation to the Championship, but it means the 24-year-old playmaker is likely to be hot commodity ahead of next season.

Premier League rivals Leicester City and Leeds United, as well as Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, have also been linked to Pereira.

Whilst it’s thought that the Brazilian midfielder is only seen as an alternative to Jesse Lingard, who Moyes will undoubtedly try to lure back to the London Stadium on a permanent basis, the club ought to consider signing the West Brom beast too.

Of course, the Manchester United loanee has been a revelation, providing nine goals and three assists in only 13 appearances since his arrival in late January but the East Londoners have long lacked that midfield genius that has supporters on the edge of their seat.

Dimitri Payet was perhaps the last man to do this for the club.

In terms of exciting dribbling skill, ability on the ball and from set pieces, and sheer individual brilliance, the £18m-rated Pereira is certainly cut from the same cloth.

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This season, the former Sporting Lisbon dynamo has delivered ten goals and five assists in the league, also managing to be a more creative influence than Lingard, managing double the number of key passes (1.8).

Only Harry Kane has contributed to a higher proportion of his team’s goals than Pereira this campaign.

Jermaine Jenas alluded to his quality after a particularly starring role against Aston Villa earlier in the campaign, he said: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

Whilst Allardyce has continuously waxed lyrical about his key man, as seen in comments from the very same game. The 66-year-old dubbed him a “big-game player” – very much similar to Payet, who was ever so special in his final campaign at the Hammers.

Just think back to the pair of free-kicks against Manchester United and Crystal Palace – truly sensational. He was a “genius” and that’s exactly what the Baggies star has been called in the past.

Pereira may set GSB back a good £30m or so but he will pay that back in abundance with his sheer attacking and creative ability. If they do bring in another striker, he could absolutely thrive with Pereira sat behind him.

Could there be another enigma like Payet at the London Stadium? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Forget Arnautovic: West Ham must land 11-goal “elite talent” who’s “destined for greatness”…

Leeds United have suffered a major blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Southampton on Tuesday evening, with Robin Koch set to be missing once again.

The Germany international was a surprise omission from the side which beat Burnley 4-0 at the weekend, with Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa later revealing that the centre-back was absent due to injury as he said: “Koch has a small knock in his hip and he could have played but we preferred not to risk him. The same as Pablo (Hernandez).”

It now appears that the summer signing’s Premier League season is now officially over, with Bielsa confirming that Koch will not be made available for the final couple of games for the Whites due to protecting him for the Germany team ahead of the upcoming European Championship.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Saints, the Leeds manager said: “Koch has been given early leave with the potential for him to be called up or not called up to the German national team.  I don’t know whether he’s going to be called up to the German national team or not.

“It’s just that he has a small (hip) niggle and we didn’t want to run the risk of a small niggle being aggravated into something bigger. The injury that he has is not important and we didn’t want to take the risk of him playing and making it worse so we anticipated his holidays in the same way we did so for Klich.”

The news is a major blow for Bielsa and Leeds, with Koch having the started the two games before the match against Burnley in the holding midfield role with Kalvin Phillips ruled out.

The German looked impressive in that position, especially in the 3-1 win against Spurs, winning seven of his 11 duels on the day (the most of any Leeds player), also making three tackles and boasting an 83% passing accuracy.

It certainly would have been interesting to see whether Bielsa could have utilised both Koch and Phillips in midfield together, or whether the German would have dropped back into the centre of defence in place of either Diego Llorente or Pascal Struijk.

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Either way, losing him for the rest of the campaign just after he put in one of his finest displays for his new club is a gutting setback for Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must drop this Leeds star tonight…

Everything you need to know about the English star!

Marcus Rashford is a professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Manchester United and the England national team. He was born on October 31, 1997, in Manchester, England.

Rashford began his football journey with the Manchester City academy before being scouted by Manchester United and joining their youth academy at the age of seven.

Rashford made his professional debut for Manchester United in February 2016, scoring twice on his first start in the Premier League. Since then, he has established himself as a key player for the club, known for his pace, technical ability, and finishing skills. He has won numerous awards and accolades for his performances, including the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the 2015-16 season.

In addition to his football career, Rashford is also known for his activism and charitable work.

Rashford has also represented England at international level, scoring several important goals and helping the team reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

With his talent, work ethic, and off-field endeavours, Rashford is seen as a role model and inspiration to many young people around the world.

But what are the 13 things you absolutely need to know about the attacker?

• Youngest goalscorer in Manchester derby

  Rashford became the youngest player to score a goal in a Manchester derby when he netted his club’s winner against their city rivals back in 2016 at the age of 18 years and 141 days.

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  Scored on international debut

  Rashford scored on his England debut in May 2016, just a few months after breaking into the Manchester United first team. He became the youngest player in the history of the England national team to score on his debut, at the age of 18 years and 208 days. Rashford has since established himself as a key player for England and has scored 17 goals in 46 appearances for the Three Lions.

• Second youngest Man Utd player to reach 100 appearances

  Rashford is the second youngest player in Manchester United's history after Ryan Giggs to reach 100 appearances for the club. He achieved the milestone at the age of 22 years and 92 days, which is a testament to his rapid rise to prominence and his impact on the team.

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  Idolised Rooney and Ronaldo

  Rashford idolised Manchester United legends Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo growing up. He went on to play alongside both players.

After the last-16 ties, many of the pre-tournament favourites have made it through, but how do the teams that are left stack up against each other?

Given its timing and its setting, the 2022 World Cup promised to be an edition like no other, and the tournament has so far provided plenty of drama and surprises.

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Spain were the latest big name to slide out of the competition, with the Morocco triumphing over La Roja to become just the fourth African team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

Some of the other pre-tournament favourites are, however, in impressive form, setting us up for a thrilling finale in Qatar.

But who are now the favourites to lift the trophy? Having ranked all the contenders throughout the build-up and during the tournament, here's how GOAL sees it now…

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  8Croatia

  Croatia are doing it again, with 'it' being drawing their way through a World Cup.

  After two penalty shootout wins on their way to the final in 2018, Zlatko Dalic's side again won out on spot-kicks after being held to a 1-1 draw by Japan.

  However, they lack a cutting edge up front while their veteran stars are beginning to tire, so it is difficult to see them making it past Brazil and into the semi-finals this time around.

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  7Morocco

  Morocco backed up a historic group-stage performance for an African side by becoming just the fourth team from the continent to reach a World Cup quarter-final.

  They are deserving of it too, with their resolute performance against Spain earning them even more plaudits following their impressive attacking showings earlier in the tournament.

  They have defensive injuries to overcome when they take on a buoyant Portugal on Saturday, but with perhaps the most vocal group of fans in Qatar backing them and huge amounts of belief, they cannot be counted out just yet.

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  6Netherlands

  In what was their most impressive performance of the tournament so far, the Netherlands largely outclassed the United States to ensure their return to the World Cup will last until at least the quarter-finals.

  Memphis Depay looks to be back to pretty much full fitness after his slow start to Qatar 2022, while manager Louis van Gaal continues to talk up his team's chances of finally winning the trophy for the first time.

  To do so, they will have to beat Argentina on Friday in what is undoubtedly the Oranje's toughest test so far.

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  5Argentina

  It still feels like Argentina are working themselves out, but they are improving with every game they play, while Lionel Messi is beginning to put together a run of special individual performances.

  The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner seems determined to crown what is likely to be his final World Cup with his first global title, and some of his younger team-mates seem to be relishing the chance to help Messi achieve his dream.

  The Albiceleste will kick-off as favourites against the Netherlands in their quarter-final, but it will be far from straightforward.

The Gunners missed a chance to win Group A in the Europa League as they were beaten 2-0 in Eindhoven.

Arsenal suffered only their second defeat of the season on Thursday night as they were beaten 2-0 at PSV in the Europa League.

The Gunners went into the game knowing they only needed a point to guarantee themselves passage through to the knockout stages as group winners and Mikel Arteta named a strong starting XI that included the likes of William Saliba, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard.

But Arteta's side were comprehensively outplayed by their Dutch hosts, who had two goals ruled out for offside during the first half.

But Arsenal were not so lucky after the interval, with the half-time introduction of Luuk de Jong proving to be a masterstroke by PSV boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The 32-year-old striker set up the first goal, which was wonderfully finished by Joey Veerman, and then he scored the second himself – heading home from a corner after a horrible error by Aaron Ramsdale.

The defeat means Arsenal now have to beat FC Zurich next Thursday night at Emirates Stadium to secure top spot in Group A, although a point will be enough if PSV fail to win at Bodo/Glimt.

• The Winners

  Winner: Takehiro Tomiyasu

  This was another impressive individual performance from Tomiyasu.

  He kept Cody Gakpo quiet in London last week, but this was always going to be a tougher proposition for Tomiyasu against the PSV danger man.

  The Japan international was strong once again, even though Gakpo had a much more lively evening than he did at Emirates Stadium.

  Winner: Ruud van Nistelrooy

  This was a good night for the PSV boss.

  He would have been disappointed with his side's performance in London and would have been hoping for a much stronger display this time around.

  And he got exactly that, with PSV full value for their victory.

  Van Nistelrooy's decision to bring on Luuk de Jong at half-time proved to be an inspired one, with the 32-year-old turning the game and causing Arsenal all sorts of problems.

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• The Losers

  Loser: Mikel Arteta

  The Arsenal boss named a stronger team than he would have wanted against PSV, in a bid to get the result he needed to guarantee themselves top spot in Group A.

  But his team selection didn't pay off, with his side struggling to get any sort of rhythm.

  The defeat means that there is still work to do for Arsenal next week when they host FC Zurich in their final game of the group stage.

  That will mean Arteta will once again have name a strong side next Thursday night, which is far from ideal considering the Gunners visit Chelsea on the Sunday in the Premier League.

  Loser: Gabriel Martinelli

  He's not had many of them this season, but this was a real off night for the Brazilian.

  Whether it was the tricky playing surface was unclear, but Martinelli just seemed to struggle with the basics all evening.

  His touch was off, as was his passing. In fact, he lost possession 18 times during the 90 minutes, seven more than any other Arsenal player.

  He had one big opportunity on the volley towards the end of the first half which he blazed over. It was the type of errant finish that summed up his night.

  Loser: Rob Holding

  Holding had enjoyed a decent group stage campaign up to this point, but he had no answer to the half-time arrival of De Jong.

  The Arsenal centre-back was given a torrid time by the 32-year-old striker and was rolled far too easily for the opening goal.

  Mikel Arteta hooked Holding soon after, replacing him with Gabriel Jesus as he opted to change his system.

  It felt like the decision was also to protect Holding a bit, who seemed to have little answer to the physicality of de Jong.

• Arsenal Ratings: Defence

  Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):

  Made some good stops, but had a horror moment for the second goal.

  Takehiro Tomiyasu (7/10):

  Probably Arsenal's stand out player, not that there was much competition.

  William Saliba (5/10):

  Seemed to struggle a bit all evening. Not his calm self.

  Rob Holding (5/10):

  Really struggled with De Jong after the interval.

  Kieran Tierney (6/10):

  Looked good in the first half, but couldn't maintain that level.

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• Midfield

  Sambi Lokonga (5/10):

  Never made an impact.

  Granit Xhaka (6/10):

  Not his usual self. Booked and will miss the Zurich game.

  Martin Odegaard (5/10):

  Sloppy throughout. Wasn't an influence.

The tournament gets under way in Israel on Monday, with some of the continent's top teenage talents keen to impress and lead their countries to glory

Usually an annual tournament, the Under-17 European Championship has not taken place since 2019, making this year's edition particularly special.

The finals, which are being held in Israel, get under way on Monday, May 16, with potential stars of the future appearing in pretty much every one of the 16 squads.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Jadon Sancho, Toni Kroos, Cesc Fabregas and Mario Gotze have previously been named Player of the Tournament, meaning there is plenty of scope for the stars of the 2022 competition to reach the very top.

But who are the players to watch out for? GOAL and NXGN have picked out 17 potential stars of the future who will be on show over the next two weeks…

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  Isaac Babadi (Netherlands)

  The defending champions from 2019, the Netherlands will again be among the favourites in 2022, with Isaac Babadi likely to be one of their leading lights.

  Not since Memphis Depay was breaking through has there been this much excitement at PSV surrounding one of their academy stars, with Babadi having dominated at U18s level in 2021-22, despite not turning 17 until early April.

  The attacking midfielder who plays either off the left or centrally as a No.10, also made his debut for Jong PSV in the Dutch second tier at the start of 2022, and has already caught new PSV first-team manager Ruud van Nistelrooy's eye in Eindhoven.

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  Tom Bischof (Germany)

  Only one player scored more than Bischof's six goals in qualifying for the tournament, with the Germany midfielder a player many are tipping for a huge career.

  Already the youngest player to ever debut for Hoffenheim, the 16-year-old recently signed a new contract with his boyhood club to ward off transfer interest from leading teams in both Germany and around Europe.

  Julian Nagelsmann has twice tried to sign Bischof, first at RB Leipzig and most recently for Bayern Munich, but both times he has missed out on the left-footed No.10, who can also play as a box-to-box midfielder.

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  El Chadaille Bitshiabu (France)

  Bitshiabu has stood out ever since he arrived at PSG due to his height, but the centre-back certainly has the ability to match his physical traits.

  The youngest player in the history of the Ligue 1 champions after debuting in December, he will turn 17 on the opening day of the tournament in Israel.

  A lack of further first-team exposure could lead Bishiabu to leave Parc des Princes this summer, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and RB Leipzig having been credited with interest, but first expect him to be the standout defender at these U17 Euros.

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  Iker Bravo (Spain)

  Regarded as the best striker within La Masia when he left Barcelona in the summer of 2021, Bravo has already made his mark for Bayer Leverkusen in his debut campaign in Germany.

  The 17-year-old broke Florian Wirtz's record as Bayer's youngest-ever debutant in October, and made his Bundesliga bow a month later, highlighting why he chose to further his career in Leverkusen rather than be forced to wait for his opportunities at Camp Nou.

  He will lead the line for Spain at the U17 Euros, and will be expected to combine with his former Barcelona team-mate Dani Rodriguez in attack for La Roja.

Ten countries have won Europe's biggest international tournament, with only Germany, Spain and France victorious more than once

The European Championship is the continent's major international tournament, and has been graced by some iconic players and teams over the years.

Since the first edition of the tournament in 1960, only 10 countries have held the title of being kings of Europe. Of those 10, only three have won it more than once.

Here, Goal takes a look at every single tournament from the 1960 European Nations' Cup to Euro 2016, celebrating the winners of each title.

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  1960 – Soviet Union

  The first European Championships were held in 1960, though the format was very different to today.

  Just 17 teams entered, with the likes of England, West Germany and Italy all missing from what was then known as the ‘European Nations’ Cup’. Teams played home and away until the final four, with the semi-finals and final played in France.

  The Soviet Union won the inaugural title, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in extra-time thanks to a 113th-minute goal from Victor Ponedelnik at the Parc des Prince.

  The USSR had beaten Czechoslovakia 3-0 in the semis, with Yugoslavia beating hosts France 5-4 in a thrilling game.

  Final scoreline: Soviet Union 2-1 Yugoslavia

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  1964 – Spain

  By 1964, the tournament had grown to 29 countries, though the home and away format remained the same.

  Reigning champions the Soviet Union qualified again alongside Hungary and Denmark, and eventual hosts and winners Spain.

  Spain snuck past Hungary 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu with the Soviet Union recording a 3-0 win over Denmark at Camp Nou.

  The final in Madrid got off to a lightning-fast start with the crowd of some 80,000 seeing the score tied at 1-1 after just eight minutes, but the winner didn’t come until the closing stages.

  Marcelino beat Lev Yashin six minutes from time to clinch Spain the victory on home soil, and prevent the USSR winning back-to-back titles.

  Final scoreline: Spain 2-1 Soviet Union

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  1968 – Italy

  The third instalment of the tournament brought some changes, as the European Nations’ Cup became the European Championship for the first time, and the home and away knockout phase was replaced with a group stage and quarter-finals.

  England and Italy qualified for the final four for the first time along with Yugoslavia and the USSR.

  The first semi-final finished in unusual circumstances. Italy and the USSR played out a goalless draw after 120 minutes, and so the game was settled by a coin toss – which hosts Italy won.

  Yugoslavia reached their second final courtesy of a late 1-0 win over world champions England, who would go on to beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in the third-place play-off.

  Italy and Yugoslavia drew 1-1 in the final but, rather than flip a coin, this match went to a replay. Two days later, Luigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi scored in a 2-0 win for the Azzurri.

  Final scoreline: Italy 2-0 Yugoslavia (R)

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  1972 – West Germany

  Thirty-two teams went into qualifying for the 1972 tournament, with eight groups each sending a winner into the quarter-finals to determine the final four.

  Belgium were chosen as hosts once they qualified alongside the USSR, West Germany and Hungary.

  The Soviet Union powerhouse reached yet another final with a 1-0 win over Hungary, but the tournament was defined by the goalscoring form of Gerd Muller.

  He scored both goals as West Germany beat Belgium 2-1, and got another double in the final as the Germans thrashed the USSR 3-0 to claim their first title.

  Final scoreline: West Germany 3-0 Soviet Union

The Portuguese is one of world football's renowned super-agents and he has string of high-class, high-profile players on his books

Jorge Mendes is the definition of a football super-agent. With Cristiano Ronaldo the jewel in a glittering crown brimming with high-quality gems, the Portuguese is responsible for a hatful of the world's best players.

Mendes has been involved in some of the biggest transfers in football history and appears to have a monopoly on the leading Portuguese talent.

Not only that, Mendes has also played an integral role in the success story at Wolves this season as the Molineux club have clinched a return to the Premier League, with the agent heavily involved in the team's transfer policy. 

But who are the players whose football affairs are looked after by Mendes? Goal takes a look at Mendes's client list full of stars and picks out some of the best.

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  1Pepe | Besiktas

  Former Real Madrid defender Pepe is currently plying his trade in Turkey for Besiktas after his contract expired at the Santiago Bernabeu. Pepe made over 300 appearances for Madrid during a 10-year stay in the Spanish capital. Despite coming towards the end of his career, Mendes still managed to get Pepe a move to Besiktas where he is earning a reported £80,000 a week.

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  2Ruben Neves | Wolves

  The biggest signing that Jorge Mendes was able to broker at Wolves. The Championship was shocked when Wolves signed Ruben Neves from Porto for £15 million in 2017. Neves had captained Porto in the Champions League at the age of 18 and was one of their prized assets. However, due to some financial trouble and Mendes having ties to Wolves, one of the most unlikely transfers of all time was able to be brokered and Neves has played an integral role in the club winning promotion to the Premier League.

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  3Eliaquim Mangala | Everton (On loan from Man City)

  At one point, Mangala was the most expensive defender in the world after costing Manchester City £42 million from Porto in 2014. Mangala was less than impressive during his time at City with the flaws in his game being exposed on almost a weekly basis. Two loan spells in the last two years signify that his time at City is up. Mangala may be the best example of Jorge Mendes commanding an inflated transfer fee for one of his clients as he has struggled to justify City's hefty outlay.

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  4Renato Sanches | Swansea City (On loan from Bayern)

  The 2016 European Golden Boy and European Championship's best young player has really declined since his 2016 move to Bayern Munich. Making 17 league appearances for Bayern Munich in his debut season, Sanches looked nothing like the player who was at the Euros just a few months prior. His move to Bayern was a transfer worth £30 million, potentially going up to £70m based on incentives. Unfortunately for Benfica and Jorge Mendes, after a failed loan move to Swansea, it doesn’t look like Sanches will earn a penny of those add-ons.

The shortlist for this year's award brings together the best footballers in the world – but can any player break Ronaldo and Messi's monopoly?

• Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

  The 2016-17 season was in many ways a breakout campaign for Coutinho. His excellent performances in Anfield established him as a star playmaker and also attracted the attention of none other than Barcelona, who moved mountains in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to take him from the Reds.

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund)

  The Gabon international has been a mainstay of Dortmund's team both in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and it is no surprise to see him included on the shortlist. With rumours that he is unhappy at BVB, however, will this be his last year at the club?

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  Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

  The Belgian midfielder is the heart of Pep Guardiola's City team, the metronome that ensures the rest of the unit never misses a beat. De Bruyne has been nothing short of spectacular so far this season, creating a formidable partnership with David Silva that has proved almost unplayable.

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  David de Gea (Manchester United)

  Few players in the current United squad are as crucial to their success as the extraordinary goalkeeper. De Gea gave another glimpse of his importance in early December with an incredible 14 saves to frustrate Arsenal and, along with Buffon and Neuer, is up there with the best shot-stoppers in the world.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes the criticism that Gareth Bale has received this season has been fair.

Given the impact Bale made during his first spell at Tottenham and what he managed to achieve at Real Madrid, much was expected of him.

However, the 31-year-old has been unable to replicate the sort of form that made him such a popular figure at White Hart Lane first time round, failing to nail down a regular spot in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI, including being left on the bench and featuring for zero minutes in the win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

As a result, Bale has come under fire, though ex-Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards recently came out to defend him, believing the Welsh forward has been disrespected to a certain degree.

Palmer, however, is not too sure and feels Bale should be delivering more. Discussing the Wales international, who is on loan from Real Madrid, the retired Premier League footballer told FFC:

“I think everybody would have expected that Gareth would have done better than what he’s done. Of late, he’s started to show signs of the old Gareth Bale, but you can’t just go off what people have done in the past and say that you should give him respect.

“He’s not come over to Tottenham on a free transfer and on small wages. He’s come over on a huge salary. If he was honest and if Jose was honest, they would have both wanted his impact to be more.”

In recent weeks, Bale’s form has certainly picked up. He scored two goals in Tottenham’s 4-1 win against Crystal Palace at the start of the month and another two prior in a 4-0 win versus Burnley.

However, before that, he was having very little influence on the pitch, really struggling in front of goal when called upon, making the criticism he has faced this season unsurprising.