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West Bromwich Albion’s chances of beating relegation from the Premier League would be greatly reduced if Saido Berahino leaves the club this January.

West Brom have made one of the best signings of 2015 so far by acquiring the services of new manager Tony Pulis. He will undoubtedly improve the current situation at West Brom and it’s been reported that he will be given a massive £30 million to spend this month on new players.

Although there is a large transfer budget available, keeping Berahino should be the top priority for Pulis this month. He’s returned to  form after a mid-season dip, ending a 10-game drought in the Premier League by taking his goal against West Ham very well. He then went on to smash four goals past Gateshead in the FA Cup, reminding everyone at the club of his scoring credentials. The England under-21 international is the top scorer at West Brom by a long way with 13, 11 more than anyone else has managed.

Clearly, Berahino’s goals have been one of the main reasons as to why West Brom are not in the bottom three at the moment. Although this may be the case, the Baggies currently sit just one point from safety. This will be alarming reading for West Brom fans, and Pulis himself, as Berahino clearly needs to stay if the goals are going to keep coming for the west-midlands side.

Rumours of interest from the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will no doubt appeal to Berahino who has the capabilities to perform at the highest level in the Premier League. However, Pulis will feel that he can persuade his star striker to stay at the Hawthorns now that he is fully in charge of team affairs. If Pulis can keep hold of his striker, it means that West Brom won’t have to hunt for a replacement in January and can focus on strengthening in other areas of the pitch.

If Berainho does decide to depart, it could result in West Brom really struggling in the second half of the season. The club would receive around £20 million for the 21-year-old, more than enough to buy a replacement or two. However, the Baggies spent a bit of money in the summer transfer window, most noticeably on striker Brown Ideye, who has yet to hit the ground running despite his £10 million switch from Dynamo Kiev.

West Brom will want to avoid a similar recruitment process in January if Berahino were to leave but a new manager always means new transfer targets. Therefore, although the young striker’s departure could put West Brom in danger of being relegated, there is nobody better than Tony Pulis in that particular situation. If Alan Irvine was still at the club, you wouldn’t put a lot of money on West Brom surviving, even if Berahino stayed put.

The rumoured departure of Berahino may worry West Brom fans but there is still the potential for the club to really push on this month. The ideal scenario would be Berahino staying put whilst Pulis gets to spend £30 million on good players that can really lead the club forward.

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Priority number one must be keeping their star striker at the club. If this doesn’t happen, West Brom will feel that avoiding relegation will be a good achievement come the end of the season.

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A week after celebrating the birthdays of Jesus Christ and Chris Kamara, the world of football turns its attention to the grand unveiling of yet another highly anticipated transfer window.

The month of January is filled with endless exciting possibilities, ranging from the arrival of new faces to the departure of deadwood. But is this a period that benefits anyone other than the fans themselves? Would a return to the ‘open all hours’ transfer arrangement really signal an improvement to the beautiful game?

In many ways the transfer window only serves to devalue the media industry, which appears only too willing to disregard the facts in search of an alluring story. The rumour mill goes into overdrive as speculation begins to overshadow events on the pitch and managers grow increasingly weary of questions regarding potential comings and goings.

It’s essentially a circus show, built upon numerous games of Chinese whispers that usually originate from a bored teenager’s bedroom. Sure we’ve had some laughs – who can forget the story of Ryan Babel desperately trying to escape Merseyside in his helicopter – but you get the impression the whole process will soon escalate to a surreal level of infuriating chaos.

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I do believe the transfer window enhances the experience of supporting a football club; the marriage of excitement and fear is an incredibly unique feeling associated with the sport. But let’s face it, most fans end up disappointed with their team’s dealings in the market and there’s something very British about that.

‘Deadline Day’ may have overtaken ‘Cup Final Day’ in terms of importance and prestige among the modern day fan, especially since bank accounts have been bolstered by foreign investment, but perhaps we would still be able enjoy the same, if slightly subdued, thrill all year around if the window were to be abolished.

The vast majority of managers would undoubtedly approve such a decision, especially former Nottingham Forest boss Sean O’Driscoll, who was sacked just hours after a 4-2 win against Leeds United, with the club a mere point from the play-off positions. It has since come to light that the impending transfer window essentially forced the club’s Kuwaiti owners into action.

“With the January transfer window approaching, we feel it’s the right time to make a change. We are looking to bring in an ambitious manager with Premier League experience.” (Telegraph)

Unfortunately this is an increasingly familiar tale, with Blackburn’s ever-popular owners, The Venky’s, also ejecting Henning Berg after less than eight weeks in charge. The transfer window provides the perfect excuse to remove an ailing or disliked manager, with their replacement unlikely to succeed without the opportunity to bring in their own reinforcements.

Steve Coppell, director of football at Crawley Town, has repeatedly declared he “cannot see the logic in a transfer window”. What was once introduced to create stability and a level playing field has instead had the exact opposite effect. The performances of unhappy players suffer as they try to engineer a move away via their medalling agents, whose eyeballs turn to dollar signs as they sense an imminent payday.

As the window reaches its conclusion, transfer fees and wage bills soar skywards as clubs conclude more and more deals fuelled by panic. Just how many costly mistakes have been made in the past? During last January’s deadline day QPR spent the best part of £10m on the unreliable Djibril Cisse and the injury-prone Bobby Zamora. The transfer window certainly has a lot to answer for when the abysmal state of football’s finances are discussed.

However, the window does at least restrict the Premier league’s big boys from buying their way out of trouble. It goes without saying that the likes of Manchester City, QPR and Liverpool would have spent a pretty penny given the chance over the past few months. Speaking of Liverpool, it’s incredibly likely that we wouldn’t have witnessed the emergence of Raheem Sterling, had Brendan Rodgers been allowed to quench his thirst for more experienced individuals.

Managers nowadays have to rely on their coaching methods, motivation tactics and man-management skills. If nothing else, the strict rules have helped expose those clearly not cut out for a role at the helm of a football club. Managers of lower league clubs will have once embraced the security of the window, enabling them to hold onto their prize assets. However, in times of financial hardship, they are also restricted from obtaining their easiest and most profitable source of income, which places their existence in jeopardy.

Perhaps the answer is to allow different rules across the four divisions in the Football League. Teams in the Championship could have an extra month in December to help combat an increased number of games, while teams in League One and Two could enjoy flexible circumstances if they had exhausted other options. Loan transfers were once the answer, but they’ve become so complicated and expensive – what with fees and wage contributions – that few can afford it.

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Roberto Martinez hit the nail firmly on the head when he suggested that the transfer window should not overlap the start or middle of the season. There is certainly an argument to suggest it is an unnecessary distraction for both managers and their players.

“I have expressed many times that I don’t agree with the transfer window going on while there are official games. It happens everywhere, it gives you uncertainty and I don’t think that helps the game. The players are footballers but they are human beings.” (Liverpool Daily Post)

I guess public opinion will depend solely on their own club’s current situation. The likes of Manchester United and Everton would be quite happy to continue as normal whereas Newcastle and Arsenal will be desperate to get their hands dirty. There simply isn’t a deal that will please everyone. Except Sky Sports of course, who will be busy dusting off Jim White for another round of sensationalised reporting.

According to reports in The Sun, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants to sign Chelsea attacker Willian this summer, although it could cost £60m to get a player that will turn 30 years of age in August.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Brazilian winger has been in good form for the Premier League holders this season despite their struggles and the fact that he hasn’t always being a regular in the starting XI, and The Sun says his performances haven’t gone unnoticed by Mourinho.

The Sun says the Red Devils tried to bring the 29-year-old to Old Trafford last summer but were told there was no chance he would be leaving, and they have scouted him on a number of occasions during the current campaign.

The report adds that United want Willian, who has come under criticism from Chelsea fans at points this season, to help them in their bid to win the top flight title next term, with the Brazil international only having just over two years left on his contract.

How has Willian done this season?

He has done well considering he has been in and out of the team throughout the campaign.

The 29-year-old has still scored 13 goals and provided a further 10 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions however, including one in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge last weekend with a display that saw him praised by his own supporters.

The Brazilian has shown how deadly he can be from set-pieces, while he proved to be a real thorn in the side of Barcelona and could have had a hat-trick in the first leg tie of their Champions League last 16 tie last month having found the net once and hit the woodwork twice.

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Would he be a good signing for United?

He certainly could be, yes.

The 29-year-old has usually played in one of the attacking midfield roles behind the striker in Antonio Conte’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system at Chelsea, and he has often made an impact there.

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With the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez all available to play on the left at Old Trafford, Willian would be more likely to play on the right where he would be competing with the likes of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard for a starting spot.

Will they get him?

His price tag and the fact that he turns 30 in August will potentially put the United board off, but if Mourinho really convinces them he can make a difference then it could be a goer.

Of course, persuading Chelsea to sell to one of their Premier League rivals again – following the sale of Nemanja Matic to Old Trafford last summer – might be more difficult.

Harry Redknapp’s QPR are struggling to hit any sort of form in the Premiership this season and the manager has publicly slammed his team for being unfit and not putting up enough of a fight to avoid defeat.

Adel Taarabt is the biggest culprit at Loftus Road currently, with no proper interest in the Moroccan over this summer’s transfer window – AC Milan’s interest cooled after a loan spell last season. The midfielder has been heavily criticised by his manager for struggling to stay in shape after a troublesome period with an ankle injury which adds to Redknapp’s frustration as the player could have been playing a major part in the team and contributing to them trying to fight out of the relegation scrap that they are engaged in so early on into the season.

Taarabt is not the only player that seems to be struggling to find form and fitness for the Hoops however, after the defeat against West Ham last Sunday, Match Of The Day pundits were pointing that the lack of effort and even the lack of yellow cards accumulated by the team as an indicator that they are simply not getting stuck in to challenges enough and showing a lack of passion when it comes to winning the ball back from their opposition. This problem highlights how much trouble QPR are currently in when they have a full set of eleven players who are failing to commit to fighting for the ball and scrapping to win a game.

Does Harry’s explanation of fitness fit? Is his team that unfit at this stage of the season that they are struggling to play the full 90 minutes and provide any sort of test for opposing teams, making it easy to grab the three points from them? Redknapp explained in a post match interview that his last minute assembled squad had not had much of a pre-season together and were still to hit peak fitness and he has his hands tied in the matter, making it impossible to get the team gaining the results that are needed to avoid slipping further into trouble.

It looks like their performances on the pitch do match the reasons given by the gaffer, however another explanation could be the fact that he has simply lost the dressing room altogether and cannot motivate his players enough to want to win games for him. Or perhaps Redknapp himself has lost interest in the job and cannot find it within himself to provide his team with the required oomph and enthusiasm needed to stop giving away three points to anyone they play.

For those who have seen previous teams under Harry Redknapp’s management they will tell you that it is far from the case, he has always been a popular man with the teams he has been in charge of, with players normally wanting to play for him and give their all. He is a great motivator of players and an all round great person to be around, but he has to take some sort of blame for his player’s lack of fitness – as he calls it.

Whether or not they are unfit, lazy, unprofessional, simply not performing to standard or whatever it is that is going wrong with the QPR squad at present, the manager needs to take charge of the situation and control it. If indeed these players are lacking the right level of fitness, then training schedules need to be adjusted accordingly to ensure they are fit for the next game – which the international break will provide the perfect window of opportunity to do so.

If Redknapp cannot get this right, and quickly, then his team are set to fail and return to the Championship, which means he will not be signing a new contract and would walk away from the job as he stated himself publicly already.

If that is the case, maybe he should walk away now and let someone else step in who will be prepared to whip that team into shape and get them all committed to playing for QPR with some fight and passion which they so clearly lack right now.

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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has agreed a £10m deal for Marseille striker Loic Remy, according to reports from The Mirror.

The Frenchman’s potential arrival next month could spell the end of Demba Ba’s time at the club, with Premier League duo Arsenal and Liverpool rumoured to be keen.

Remy has been the subject of intense interest in recent months, but it appears that the Magpies have beaten the likes of Tottenham and West Ham in the race for his signature.

Despite demanding £20m for him during the summer, Marseille are believed to be willing to accept half of that figure, so long as winger Sylvain Marveaux is included in the deal.

Pardew is said to see the 25-year-old as the ideal partner for misfiring Senegalese international Papiss Cisse, whose relationship with Ba has been less than fruitful.

It is repertod that Ba will be leaving the club in January, with his £7m release clause tempting a number of top clubs from around Europe.

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Newcastle have moved to renew his deal, but the 27-year-ol has set his sights on a big move.

Ba was critical of the St James’ Park club’s tactics recently, which is thought to have upset a number of players within the squad, making a hasty departure the best option for all concerned.

Having often played as a central midfielder in the latter stages of his Manchester United career, it was always going to be intriguing to see where Wayne Rooney lined up when he made his return to boyhood club Everton last summer.

While he had often done well in a deeper role for the Red Devils he still wasn’t a regular starter under Jose Mourinho last season, and it was unclear whether he would play in a more advanced role at a smaller club like the Toffees, where he could have more of an impact and be more influential in the final third.

Former boss Ronald Koeman’s thoughts on where the 32-year-old should play were made clear on the first day of the current Premier League season when he lined up on the right-hand side of the two in a 3-4-2-1 system at home to Stoke City, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory.

The former England international then started as a striker against Manchester City the following week – also getting on the score-sheet – and he continued to play in a range of attacking positions in what was a tough start to the campaign for the Merseyside outfit and Koeman, including on both wings, as an attacking midfielder, centre-forward and support striker.

It was clear where the Dutch boss believed Rooney should be playing and it wasn’t as though he had lots of in-form players in the deeper midfield roles, with neither Morgan Schneiderlin nor Idrissa Gueye replicating the fine performances and strong partnership they had built in the second-half of the 2016/17 campaign.

The 32-year-old scored four goals in nine Premier League matches before Koeman got the boot after the 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal in October, but he continued to play in attacking positions under caretaker boss David Unsworth, and he made a huge impression in his last match in charge before Sam Allardyce took permanent charge.

The former Manchester United man scored a hat-trick from an attacking midfield position in the much-needed 4-0 win against West Ham United at Goodison Park, including a stunning goal from his own half.

It perhaps showed Allardyce that Rooney could still be hugely influential playing further forward, and it proved to be the case over the next few top flight fixtures as he captained the team in the absence of Phil Jagielka and scored in three successive games against Liverpool, Newcastle United and Swansea City before the busy festive period.

The 32-year-old had 10 goals in 16 Premier League matches at that point, but three straight defeats at the end of 2017 and into 2018, as well as the arrivals of Theo Walcott from Arsenal and Cenk Tosun from Besiktas during the January transfer window, saw the former Three Lions skipper move back to more of a central midfield role.

Rooney came on to play there when James McCarthy suffered a double leg break in the 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park in January, and he started there again as Allardyce opted for a 4-3-3 system against Leicester City 11 days later.

He showed his defensive weakness by giving away a penalty in the 2-1 win, and he was left on the substitutes’ bench for the 5-1 loss against Arsenal three days later.

Allardyce was now favouring a 4-3-3 formation and the 32-year-old returned to the middle of the park for the 3-1 win against Crystal Palace, and he kept his place for the trip to Watford following a much-improved display with his intelligent use of the ball seeing him named as the man of the match.

The same couldn’t be said at Vicarage Road though, where he looked off the pace and was sloppy in possession throughout, putting his team on the back foot on a number of occasions before he was replaced by Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 82 minutes.

It showed that despite the amount of experience he has, he is perhaps not suited to playing the central midfield role for a team where he has more defensive work to do in that position than he had when playing there for United.

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It is proof that it is a risk to play Rooney in central midfield in the remaining stages of the season unless he has two defensively-minded players alongside him in a 4-3-3 system, and it will be interesting to see whether Allardyce sticks with that formation and whether he keeps Rooney in the XI for the trip to Burnley on Saturday given that below-par performance.

The evidence suggest that the 32-year-old needs to be playing further forward for Everton, but with competition from Theo Walcott, Yannick Bolasie, Gylfi Sigurdsson among others, it is difficult to see a spot for him in the starting line-up right now and it gives his manager something of a big conundrum.

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Danny Welbeck scored twice against Slovenia in England’s latest international, taking his tally to 13 goals in 26 appearances for The Three Lions under Roy Hodgson. A decent tally of exactly one every two games – however it could have been even better if he was played in his favourable position more often.

He wanted to be the main striker at his club, which he was quite obviously not going to happen at Manchester United so he opted for a move to Arsenal, and has become their main man up top, with help from the injury to Olivier Giroud.

Danny’s record when playing as a striker for England is an incredible 10 goals in 12 games. A strike-rate which would better any before him should it be possible for it to continue. If he is consistently played in his favourable position he may well hold a record of a goal per game, an incredible opportunity for him personally and the national team.

The 23-year-old has been the butt of many jokes, as is the case for most footballers since the growth of social media. Yet now he has settled into his new club and is getting amongst the goals more regularly than his time with the Red Devils, as well as being his country’s best current goalscorer, that ‘abuse’ has slowed down considerably.

Welbeck is generally underrated as a goalscorer due to his relatively slow start for Man United, but again this was due to him playing out wide rather than in his favoured centre forward position. During his time at Old Trafford Danny made 142 appearances for United scoring 29 goals in the process, a poor scoring record of 0.2 goals per game. Although early days at The Emirates Stadium his strike-rate has improved dramatically after netting 5 goals in his opening 12 appearances – a rate of 0.41 goals per game, over double than at his previous club. Still not quite where he would want to be, especially in the league, but an instant improvement thanks to his positional change none-the-less.

In the last four England internationals Welbeck has been the main focus of the attack due to the absence of Daniel Sturridge, and the Arsenal forward has scored five in that period including both in the tough Swiss fixture as well as 2 against a hard-fought Slovenian side last time out.

He may not be underrated at Arsenal, but after how he was viewed at United, he’s certainly improving. In contrast he is most certainly undervalued as an Englishman but that is beginning to change as he proves his worth in the current European Championships qualifying campaign.

His recent international record is more than impressive and so if his overall England record when played in his favoured position. Where he doesn’t excel is when he is stuck out wide. He is no slouch and certainly has a turn of pace but he’s a player with striker’s instincts and that cannot be wasted by placing him out-wide. It also can’t be wasted when Sturridge finally returns to both club and country. There’s not much possible improvement to be made on Welbeck’s current England record and so until he stops producing the goods there should be no change.

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Danny’s performing well above what was once expected of him and it’s about time as a country we recognised him as our best current striker. He deserves it.

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Some footballers don’t have the mental capacity to think of anything else apart from football. You can see the look in Wayne Rooney’s eyes whilst he’s being interviewed or walking around Manchester in his casual hoodies that all that’s going on behind his pretty blue eyes is Football, Football, Football.

Other footballers, perhaps with a higher IQ than Rooney’s, have managed to venture past the world of football and moved on into other careers, much like how England cricket legend Freddie Flintoff has now begun the transition towards becoming a fully fledged heavyweight boxer, license and all. It remains to be seen whether Flintoff will be a success, go down fighting, or simply get punched really hard in the face seconds into his first fight and realise it was all a terrible idea.

Here are some footballers who have had ulterior careers away from the football pitch, some successful, some unsuccessful, but many of them hilarious.

Click on everyone’s favourite hardman, Vinnie Jones to reveal the top 15 footballers who have a different life outside of the beautiful game

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Mesut Ozil has divided opinion in English football for a number of seasons as Arsenal have perpetually displayed the same failings but for most of that time, his standing in Germany has been unaffected.

Since the World Cup in 2010, Ozil has been an integral part of Joachim Low’s plans in a squad that has racked up three major tournament semi-finals and of course lifted the global prize in Brazil four years ago.

Much of that has served as a riposte to the naysayers; the argument goes that Ozil does plenty that is not noticed for Arsenal and in a superior team from a country that actually understands the game, he flourishes.

However, for Germany’s must-win second Group F match against Sweden, Ozil was dropped and it just about paid dividends as they secured a last-gasp 2-1 victory as the Arsenal playmaker remained on the bench.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

With Low losing faith in Ozil after eight years of loyalty, it begs the question for new Arsenal boss Unai Emery – how do you get the best out of him? Football FanCast have taken a closer look at some of the potential solutions…

Move him out to the left

Emery apparently prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation, which will serve to bolster the central area of the pitch and provide a greater degree of protection to the Gunners’ shaky backline.

Within that system, there will be hot competition for the number 10 spot. Aaron Ramsey lacks the defensive discipline and passing quality to sit as part of the two and will want to be given licence to burst forward.

January signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan will also have designs on being the central playmaker, so allowing Ozil to drift left could provide a compromise that gives him space and beefs up Emery’s central area.

The downside is Ozil’s unwillingness to track a full-back up and down the flank all day long but two holding players and the more conservative style of Nacho Monreal may serve to mitigate that somewhat.

Field him just ahead of Torreira and Xhaka

In the latter stages of Wenger’s reign, limited destroyers such as Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin were fielded as part of a two-man defensive midfield axis with Ozil charged with providing the creativity just ahead.

If Arsenal get their reported deal for 22-year-old Lucas Torreira over the line, he and Granit Xhaka may form a more dynamic, technical duo and provide a greater platform for the German to go forward and create.

If Ozil is going to play centrally, Emery must ensure that his other two central midfielders are good enough to cope with sometimes being exposed by his propensity to drift into different positions.

That is currently not the case but Torreira’s World Cup performance against Russia showed that he may well be an upgrade.

Become a more conventional central midfielder

Despite Emery’s preference for 4-2-3-1, he may well choose to stick with the technical 4-3-3 Wenger liked and if he does, he can take inspiration from Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking, title-winning Manchester City revolution.

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Guardiola inherited two elite number tens in Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva and converted them to technical ‘false eights’, attacking midfielders who begin from deep but dominate the game, bursting forwards to offer assists and goals.

Ozil has the required technical quality and if he added the discipline, this could prove a handy way to get him, Ramsey and Mkhitaryan into the same midfield at the Emirates.

Emery is a completely different style of manager to Guardiola so it is unlikely, but if Ozil enviously watched de Bruyne dominate the division last season, he may feel it is a worthwhile switch himself.

Southampton will look to give their survival hopes a huge boost when they host fellow strugglers Stoke City in a huge six-pointer at St Mary’s on Saturday, on the back of moving out of the relegation zone when they drew 1-1 with Burnley at Turf Moor last weekend.

Saints looked set to stay in the bottom three following Ashley Barnes’ second-half goal for the Clarets, but a late equaliser from Manolo Gabbiadini saw the south coast outfit move up to 16th, but only out of the danger zone on goal difference.

Mauricio Pellegrino’s men are still bang in trouble and just one point ahead of the 19th-placed Potters going into the encounter with Paul Lambert’s side, but they face a team that has the worst away record in the Premier League on Saturday.

Stoke have only taken seven points from 14 fixtures on their travels so far this term, with their only win coming against Watford in October.

That said, Saints have struggled on their own patch themselves and have failed to beat fellow relegation rivals Swansea City, Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and Swansea City at St Mary’s, and they can’t afford to let that record continue on Saturday.

Pellegrino will be considering making some changes to the XI that drew in Lancahire given the display was far from convincing, and the Argentine boss will regret if he fails to make a couple of alterations.

Here are three big changes the 46-year-old must make to his Southampton side when they host Stoke…

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for Oriol Romeu

Romeu won the club’s Player of the Season award last term but his performances this term haven’t lived up to those from last year.

The Spaniard has looked lethargic and often off the pace in the middle of the park, and Southampton can’t afford to have someone like that in such a crucial clash against Stoke.

Meanwhile, Hojbjerg was left on the substitutes’ bench against the Clarets having been something of a regular in recent weeks, and there is no doubt that he gives his all when he is on the pitch.

The Dane must start over an out of form Romeu against the Potters, working alongside Mario Lemina in the middle of the park to try and ensure the hosts are difficult to break down.

Josh Sims for James Ward-Prowse

Ward-Prowse has arguably been Southampton’s best player so far in 2018, but while he is effective from set-pieces, he still doesn’t provide the spark and the quality out wide that the south coast outfit need in open play – especially when they are at home.

Saints need players that are quicker, more direct and can cause the opposition defence more problems when they are trying to break them down, and that is exactly what Sims can do.

The 20-year-old has made a big difference from the substitutes’ bench in recent weeks and he had a good chance to score in a five-minute cameo in the 2-1 win against West Brom in the FA Cup, while he played a big part in his side’s equaliser against Burnley as his cross was nodded down by Guido Carrillo for Manolo Gabbiadini to slam home.

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Manolo Gabbiadini for Dusan Tadic

Southampton picked up a 1-1 draw against Burnley last time out after Pellegrino took a risk by playing two up top in the closing stages, and it paid off as Carrillo and Gabbiadini linked up for the goal.

While Saints supporters will want the duo to start in attack alongside each other against Stoke, the Italian may also be effective in the role just behind the centre-forward too, and he should have some of his confidence back after scoring his first Premier League goal since October.

With Gabbiadini through the middle behind Carrillo and Sims and Nathan Redmond on the flanks, the south coast outfit would have an attack that could cause Stoke plenty of problems, and that is something that Tadic hasn’t done enough of whether he has started in the No 10 role or out wide at St Mary’s this season.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.