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West Ham in the past have welcomed greats at Upton Park: Bobby Moore, Rio Ferdinand, Paolo Di Canio, Trevor Brooking are just a few. However the good times at the Boleyn Ground are sadly coming to an end, with the Hammers due to move into the Olympic Stadium this summer.

Again, like last season, West Ham have caused shocks, and could again be looking at the prospect of playing in Europe. They are producing some of their best football in years, which all started when they beat Arsenal on the opening day of the campaign.

Since then, Bilic’s side haven’t looked back, and are currently sitting in sixth place, eight points off the top four, still in the FA Cup – with an away tie to Blackburn – and very much in with a chance of taking European football to what will be a packed out Olympic Stadium. Could this be a reality or just a dream?

Well, when you consider that they had some European football at the beginning of the season, then possibly not. West Ham were of course in the Europa League, but crashed out in the qualifying stage with Slaven Bilic not taking the competition seriously enough. But, it seems to have paid off, with the Irons taking all three points against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool (x2) and Manchester City. It is very much different to last season under Sam Allardyce, where the fans grew bored with the style of play.

Now West Ham have a squad built around the club idol Mark Noble, with new talent being bought in to compliment the current system. Brilliant signings like Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, Victor Moses, Sam Byram, Angelo Ogbonna and Pedro Obiang have illustrated that this was a side on the up.

With West Ham now taking trophies seriously, they could be the dark horses in the FA Cup, assuming of course that they don’t struggle against Blackburn. They have become a side that the big teams hold in high regard, no longer a long-ball team, but one that can completely play any side off the park on their day.

In August, this team made both Arsenal and Liverpool look like non-league clubs, dispatching them 2-0 and 3-0, emphasising how this team was on the up.

When you look at the fixture list, West Ham still have ties against Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal, however they are all at home, giving the Hammers the advantage. They also come up against Chelsea, but considering their recent form it should be a breeze for West Ham. Their real trouble will be consistency against the lower teams, having lost to Leicester and Bournemouth, as well as picking up a lot of draws along the way, so far.

Their best bet when it comes to securing European football could well be the FA Cup, and should the draws be kind in the future, then there is no reason why they cannot go far. This, alongside being consistent in the league, could see West Ham welcome in their new era in Europe.

Should they keep all their best players: Aaron Cresswell, Winston Reid, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Payet and Lanzini, then there is no reason why this West Ham team cannot be a force for the foreseeable future.

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Hello internet! Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Premier League captain choices, in which we dwelve into which players could give managers a significant return in double points if handed the coveted armband.

But before we see our options, let’s look at last week’s choices and how they fared.

1. Sergio Aguero (2)

2. Harry Kane (13)

3. Gylfi Sigurdsson (9)

4. Marko Arnautovic (9)

5. Riyad Mahrez (3)

Once again we had a fairly good output, but number 1 pick Sergio Aguero failed to produce, tallying a mere two points against Norwich City compared to the other choices. Harry Kane duly delivered with a brace again against Aston Villa, while Gylfi Sigurdsson continued his remarkable consistency with his seventh goal in 2016. Marko Arnautovic also made it double figures for the first time in his Premier League career by scoring his 10th goal of the season. And lastly, Riyad Mahrez drew a blank against Newcastle United at home, but we are taking nothing away from him after his amazing campaign.

What about this week? Here are our FIVE CAPTAIN CHOICES ahead of Gameweek 31.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Wow for once we did not start with Sergio Aguero when fit!

I give to you Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.3) as our top choice, as what we learned is that when Aston Villa play someone, just captain the player that is facing them. And nobody is on better form for Swansea than the Icelandic attacking midfielder.

Since the turn of the year, ‘Siggy’ has scored seven goals and supplied one assist, scoring two in his last two games. Also on set-piece and penalties, the Swans have a brilliant chance to widen the gap from the relegation zone when they host the hapless Villans.

Rock-bottom Villa have conceded an astonishing 17 goals in their last five games, and if stats are backing anyone as captain, it’s Sigurdsson this weekend.

Harry Kane

‘One season wonder’ they said, well they’re taking back their words now.

Harry Kane (10.3) is showing why he deserves to start for England at Euro 2016 after another brilliant campaign, tied on the scoring charts with Jamie Vardy with 19 each.

Last time out he could have had a hat-trick against Aston Villa, and he will look to reach 20 again this term when Spurs host Bournemouth on Sunday. The Cherries have been on good form winning three in succession, but with survival almost guaranteed, Eddie Howes’ men may falter under the intense pressure from the Lilywhites.

And Kane scored at hat-trick in the reverse game earlier this season. Another incoming?

Riyad Mahrez

You can’t leave out the best player in the English top flight, with Riyad Mahrez (7.4) scoring 15 goals and supplying 11 assists so far this season.

He may have blanked last time out against Newcastle United, but he helped continue their lead at the top of the table. However, he could once against be on the scoresheet against an out-of-colour Crystal Palace.

Palace are on a 12-game winless streak and have conceded two or more goals in their last four, suggesting that the Foxes should see out Alan Pardew’s men on Saturday, with Mahrez set to take advantage in his aim to be the Player of the Year.

Mesut Ozil

Arsenal may be in a bit of a crisis at the moment, but one thing that has been consistent this year is Mesut Ozil (9.8). The Gunners midfielder once again showed his class with another sublime assist in their FA Cup loss during the weekend, and should be the main man if Arsene Wenger’s men get the better of Everton this Saturday.

The Toffees may be one of the league’s top scorers, but Roberto Martinez’s men have the WORST (yes the worst) home defensive record in the English top flight, conceding 26 goals at Goodison Park. It is unlikely that they will be able to keep Ozil and co. out, especially after Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League.

Alexis Sanchez (10.8) is another option, but with his poor form the Chilean isn’t worth captaining at the moment.

Sergio Aguero

You thought we would leave him out didn’t you.

Despite two games without goals against Norwich City and Dynamo Kiev, Sergio Aguero (13.6) is probably still the league’s best player and at any given day can explode into action.

And despite playing Manchester United, we believe the Argentine will once again be on the scoresheet in the derby having scored in four of the last four games he played against the Red Devils.

With the likes of Harry Kane and Gylfi Sigurdsson playing ‘easier’ sides respectively, giving Aguero the armband will also be considered a differential tactic.

Whilst the 2015/16 domestic campaign has proven a somewhat disappointing affair for most Manchester City fans, the Citizens’ recent Champions League quarter-final victory against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain should nonetheless serve to add a few smiles to the faces of the Etihad faithful as they go about their business this week.

Yet with Pep Guardiola confirmed to take the reins down at Eastlands upon the culmination of the current campaign, talk of who Man City should look to capture within the ever-competitive summer transfer window has taken on added significance.

Several high profile targets have been linked with a possible switch to join Guardiola’s proposed revolution at City, but as Borussia Dortmund’s current goalscoring sensation, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has seemingly drawn the lion’s share of the media spotlight in recent days, perhaps the in-form Gabon international remains the most significant transfer target of the entire bunch.

So then, in light of ‘Auba’s’ impressive form: do Manchester City really have what it takes to land the lightening-quick centre-forward, or will the 26-year-old striker ultimately opt to move elsewhere this summer?

Well, considering Aubameyang’s undoubtedly praiseworthy displays in the Bundesliga this season, it seems as if the former AC Milan and Saint-Etienne front-man probably won’t be sticking it out with his current employers beyond the 2015/16 campaign – regardless of how loved the striker is at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund have already seen fit to rid themselves of Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski in recent years of course, so although fans of the formidable German outfit would most likely want to put a stop to such a concerning trend once again this summer, the money-men behind the scenes may ultimately chance upon the same old course of action.

…And as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has certainly served to excite fans of the German club this season, the reported interest from Manchester City – alongside several other highly-rated clubs both among the Premier League itself, and within the wider European game respectively – ultimately comes as little surprise.

Although Sergio Aguero must clearly go down as one of the best performers down at the Etihad in recent years, Manuel Pellegrini has found himself in possession of a distinct lack of strength and depth up top, despite spending close to £100m on both Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling last summer.

Wilfried Bony clearly hasn’t made the grade at City regardless of his prior form with Swansea, each of Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo have all left the club in recent transfer windows, without setting the English game alight it must be said, and whilst Kelechi Iheanacho has certainly impressed upon his initial introduction, the 19-year-old front-man isn’t quite ready to help launch a title-winning campaign for Guardiola as early as next season.

A player of Aubameyang’s growing class would therefore suit Manchester City down to the ground next term, but whether or not the boardroom staff at the Etihad really have what it takes to lure the 26-year-old striker to their club amid such fierce competition from within the English top-flight, remains somewhat of an unsolved matter at this particular stage in the proceedings.

Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea have all been linked with the in-form Gabon international in recent transfer windows, while local rivals Manchester United also remain in serious contention to land the impressive Bundesliga favourite in the not too distant future.

On the back of Pep Guardiola’s much anticipated foray among the Premier League next season, however – as well as obviously failing to discount the seemingly endless pots of wealth on offer behind the scenes at the Etihad – perhaps Manchester City will ultimately stand the better chance of landing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer, if the determined Citizens truly want to re-assert their dominance within the English game.

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Victor Wanyama has been making a name for himself with the Saints since his move from Celtic.

In the past three years at St Mary’s, the Kenya international has become an integral part of the Southampton team that has improved year on year.

The Saints have qualified once again for the Europa League and the 24-year-old played a big part in that success, but he has just a year left on his Southampton contract and has so far refused to sign a new five-year deal.

As a result, Tottenham are once again interested in signing him.

Rated at around £25m last summer, Wanyama’s value may have reduced since then, though the Saints are still likely to make a large profit on the £12.5m they paid to Celtic for the player in 2013. Still young and with scope to improve, signing him makes sense for Spurs, right?

Well we’re not sure, and here are FIVE reasons why…

Eric Dier’s emergence

In short, why buy Wanyama when in Dier, Spurs have a potentially defensive midfielder? Dier is proven in the Premier League within the Tottenham infrastructure and has shown his worth at club and international level.

With a player like Dier, why would you need a player like the Kenyan, who would more often than not, keep the bench warm? Tottenham are short of cover for Dier, but they can surely find a cheaper option?

The Southampton factor

The Saints lost Pochettino to Tottenham, so they will be wary of losing another employee to the same team, and with Levy leading the negotiations, he will play hardball. It will likely end up costing Tottenham dear to take away one of the Saints’ precious jewels.

The Southampton board will be asking near enough £20m, but will Levy want to be pay that much for what would effectively become a second string player?

The Player himself

A long five match ban after being sent off three times last season will cause Spurs to look at the player’s temperament and ask questions. A team challenging for the Premier League and in the Champions League needs cool heads and not the misery of having players sidelined through suspension.

There’s a divide amongst the Saints fans. Most like him, but there are quite a few detractors who suggest that he wants his own way and won’t play to his full if not entirely motivated. The 24-year-old is a very good defensive midfielder, but generally in when going forward he’s one dimensional at best.

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The Risk

Is signing Wanyama worth the risk of Dier becoming stunted in his growth? Would Dier feel the pressure of the Kenyan and how would he react? Wanyama won’t be happy to just watch the first-team, he wants regular football and so will Dier, if he’s to become what many think he could be capable of.

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The Statistics

The numbers show that Wanyama is a better player, statistically, than Dier, but in the Spurs man’s first season in that particular role, the English ace showed real potential, and his ongoing progress is going to be very important to Tottenham.

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Leicester City’s heroic Premier League win caused great excitement around Europe, but we are at great risk of losing all that hysteria through a transfer pillage that sees all their star players rapidly dispersed around the world.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez may well move on this summer, unfortunately, and it is just as likely that their midfield cruncher, N’Golo Kante, will follow them out of the King Power Stadium. The tenacious enforcer produced some stunning displays last season and, with the European Championship underway, his value could rise even further this summer.

It could be a challenging summer for Claudio Ranieri, with so many of his players eyeing up a move to newer pastures, and the replacing of Kante may well be far harder than signing a new Mahrez or Vardy.

It will be tricky, Claudio, we are sorry. To make it up to you, we’ve compiled a neat little list of FIVE players who could fill in for Kante…

Steven N’Zonzi

Since his move from Stoke, Steven N’Zonzi has been a key player for Sevilla. The Frenchman has shown that he can cope with European competition, too.

Although he is a far more languid player than the hustling Kante, N’Zonzi would add a far greater passing range to the midfield that might allow Ranieri to adapt to a more possession orientated style.

Blaise Matuidi

Perhaps a little out of the reach of Leicester, Matuidi is a world star and one of the best midfielders around.

A current partner for Kante at international level, Leicester’s new status as one of the big European sides would be confirmed if they could attract a player as wonderfully gifted and combative as this star.

Cheikhou Kouyate

Capable of filling in at almost any role, Kouyate is surely one of the Premier League’s most versatile midfield players.

A far more domineering figure than Kante, Kouyate can be a threat in the final third as well as occasionally filling in at centre-back under Slaven Bilic for West Ham.

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Fabinho

At only 22, Fabinho still has plenty of improving to do. However, that isn’t to say that he can’t cope with the best already as he has proven on numerous occasions.

Currently at AS Monaco, a move to the Premier League champions would surely be tempting rather than a continuous failure to win the PSG-dominated Ligue 1.

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Gary Medel

Although he was slightly underwhelming during his spell with Cardiff, Medel is a tenacious midfielder that can fill in defensively for any side and an aggressive tackler.

Not anywhere near the current level of Kante, Medel would need to be part of a rebuild in the Leicester midfield and, perhaps, be used as a right-back covering option.

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The dust is settling on England’s defeat to Iceland. In fact, it’s more like ash – the cinders of one of the most humiliating defeats in English footballing history. What is it about Iceland and ash?

It might be doing a disservice to a well-organised and well-coached football team who play with heart as well as technique. It may not be fair to call the defeat ‘humiliating’, but England football fans certainly feel humiliated. Iceland were not a team England were supposed to lose to, no matter how much Iceland have progressed over the few years.

And so the inquest begins. In fact, the inquest began before the final whistle. But after that whistle, the criticisms of England’s players, England’s manager and England’s own league were being trotted out in brutal fashion by a panel of Irish TV pundits, seemingly more angry than their English counterparts, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

None other than Liverpool icon Dietmar Hamann was in the RTE studio last night to give his opinion on England’s players and the league itself. And it seems he was not a happy man.

‘English people believe the hype of the Premier League’ said Hamann, ‘They have sold a Skoda for a Lamborghini for the last 15 years.’

The Premier League has marketed itself as the ‘Best League In The World’, but the Liverpool legend has a point – since the start of the Premier League in 1991, England have won only three knockout stage wins in a major tournament, one of them coming on Penalties against Spain on home soil in 1996.

The former Germany international then continued, ‘They’ve created a brand, fair does to them, the players earn a lot of money, and all these players should light a candle every time they go to bed at night, because if they were Icelandic, Portuguese, Dutch or German, they would struggle to earn a quarter of the money they’re on now’.

‘It’s not their fault that the clubs are paying that money. But it’s over-inflated, the Premier League is a fraud,’ Hamann continued. ‘But it’s over-inflated. The Premier League is a fraud.’

England’s team, according to Hamann is presumably made up of average players, or perhaps even worse. And the dominance of Spain and Germany in the Champions League over the past few seasons attests to that. ‘The best players play in Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, and they pay world-class wages for above average players.’

His sentiments echo those of many, many people in England this morning waking up to the fact that it wasn’t a dream and their team really was eliminated from Euro 2016 by Iceland. It was a brutal outburst – but can you really call him wrong? Something needs to change.

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Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has cancelled a proposed medical for his client ahead of a move to Manchester United as the dispute surrounding his fee for the transfer rumbles on, according to reports from AS.

The Juventus midfielder has been tipped for some time to re-join the club that let him leave for just £800,000 back in 2012 in a deal that will cost them around £100m, breaking the world transfer record held by Gareth Bale’s £86m switch to Real Madrid.

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However, the saga has taken a twist, with reports claiming that Raiola has cancelled a medical due to take place in Miami, Florida, as the a dispute regarding who will pay the estimated €25m (£20.9m) agent fee needed to push through the move – which will be due on top of the fee paid for the player between the clubs – threatens to get out of hand.

It’s understood that doctors were supposed to assess Pogba in the American State, where he’s on holiday, and report back to Man United, but his representative has stepped in to put the buffers on this.

Yet there’s a dispute surrounding whether or not the English club or Juventus should pay the figure demanded by Raiola for his part in the proposed transfer, which has thrown the move into some doubt.

AS, however, claim that Real Madrid are not in a position to step in and beat Man United to the 23-year-old, with the financial realities of the deal too vast for them, even though the player supposedly prefers the La Liga side.

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Joey Barton has always divided opinion, whether it’s been at Newcastle United in his early days or now playing with Rangers up in Scotland.

Off the pitch, his record is as blemished as the reputation he carries from place to place but, whether you like him or not, he’s a good player.

Without him, Burnley wouldn’t have made it to the Premier League last season and when he signed for newly-promoted Rangers this summer, you couldn’t help but think that Gers were a seriously stronger side with him in their ranks.

But he’s been up to his old tricks yet again and this time, it came in the format of a scathing attack following Rangers’ defeat to Celtic in the Old Firm derby. Things were said and following the fallout, Barton was told to stay away from Ibrox for three weeks.

And whilst many neutral and Rangers fans have been quick to wield the axe, there are some who believe the club and player in question should kiss and make up. We’re taking that standpoint throughout this article.

His disciplinary record off the pitch is pretty awful, but police matters and run-ins with the law are problems for another day. This time, the outburst came as a result of something that happened on the pitch – but it wouldn’t have happened if Barton didn’t care.

He’s a passionate, fiery individual and sometimes that can get in the way when he loses his head. And whilst we’re not sure what exactly was said in the dressing room following the 5-1 defeat, it’s clear it came about because of poor performances from many Rangers players that day.

The easy option would be to outcast him to the reserves and run down his contract until he can be moved on again. But the truth is this – Joey Barton can contribute to what will be an extremely tough season ahead. It was clear in the 2-1 loss against Aberdeen this weekend that Rangers were missing that special something. It might have been better if Barton was on the pitch.

Colleagues have never touted him as a poor professional and with a pretty young squad at Mark Warburton’s fingertips, 34-year-old Barton has the experience that many of his team-mates simply don’t.

He comes with a reputation, a tag that is all his own making. But Warbuton needs to manage him correctly. He needs to talk to him in such a way that doesn’t single him out as different to any of his team-mates because then, you might have a problem.

This breakdown might have come about because of a difference in opinion but on the pitch, Joey Barton has a lot to add to a Rangers side that is looking to re-establish itself in the Scottish top-flight.

The story has divided opinion but this time, club and player should quite simply kiss and make up.

It might be an international break but that doesn’t mean to say you should be neglecting your Fantasy Football team.

Many people make the mistake of not thinking of how they can maximise their team’s points potential during a two week break from Premier League action but we’ve proven that if you pay attention and do your research, you could find yourself ahead of the game by the time the next FPL gameweek arrives.

Romelu Lukaku’s form for Everton before the last international break, compared to his immediate form afterwards for Everton, is proof that the break from Premier League action can actually kick-start players’ domestic seasons.

Lukaku hadn’t scored or assisted for the Toffees in his first two appearances of the season but after going away with Belgium and scoring twice, he return to action with a hat-trick in his next game for Everton. Those who had been paying attention will have anticipated the striker taking his form for Belgium in to the Premier League by putting him in their team, and the below infographic shows you just much switched on FPL players will have benefited…

And Lukaku’s example forms the basis of our discussion on FANTV this week, where we talk in depth about the names FPL players should be keeping a close eye on over the international break.

These are players who aren’t particularly enjoying good seasons for their clubs so far, but could find a bit of form for their respective countries and take that back to the Premier League next weekend. These include a trio of England players and six other names who are worth keeping track of.

Myself and FFC’s staff writer Jack Rosser discussed all this and more with FANTV presenter Toby Tarrant on Wednesday night’s show, which you can watch in full below…

There’s been some great Manchester United strikers over the years and our resident Red Devils punters love to discuss who their favourite is here in the Transfer Tavern.

For some, it’s someone like Teddy Sheringham or Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Players that weren’t the most mobile but simply knew where the goal was and demonstrated as such on many an occasion.

Then, there’s players like Ole Gunner Solskjaer who get a mention for their heroics in the Champions League final of 1999.

Older fans bring up Denis Law who was a true great for the Old Trafford outfit whilst some younger fans like to discuss the merits of Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and now, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Whoever their favourite is, you can’t deny that they are all top drawer forwards and will live long in the memory but that got our landlord thinking – who are the worst three? This is who came up…

Diego Forlan

Forlan would go onto have a decent career playing for the likes of Atletico Madrid and reaching the World Cup semi-finals with Uruguay in 2010 ,but at Manchester United he had a shocker.

Competing with the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be tough for most players, but Forlan made it even harder for himself by barely turning up whenever asked to deputise.

Bebe

Bebe was just poor, it’s a simple as that.

Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson as the next promising star from Portugal, United fans soon realised he wasn’t going to be as good as Nani let alone Cristiano Ronaldo.

He scored two goals in his seven appearances which seems decent but his lack of effort for the club ensured he made very little impression before leaving.

Manucho

The striker from Angola was meant to be the next exciting African forward since Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o, but he did not come anywhere near close to emulating those two.

He managed to play just three matches for the Red Devils and, naturally for a flop striker, didn’t hit the net once. He can now be found in the second division of Spanish football with Rayo Vallecano.

Who do you think has been terrible United fans? Let us know below!