Hearts hoping for more success in transfer market

Hearts boss Craig Levein says his New Year's resolution is to avoid making a repeat of 2017's transfer blunders.

In his previous role as the Jambos' director of football, Levein was largely responsible for the club's recruitment.

But he was forced back into the dug-out by chairwoman Ann Budge after previous manager Ian Cathro was axed on the back of two failed windows.

Now with the January sales just a couple of weeks away, Levein says he is determined not to make the same mistakes.

Levein - whose side ended a six-game run without a win with Saturday's 1-0 triumph over Motherwell - said: "I've spoken regularly about the need to build up confidence and hopefully Saturday's result will help with that.

"Then once the January transfer window opens up hopefully we can do a bit of business to balance the side up too, which will help as well.

"A lot of what we do next month will depend on what we can afford. There are some players that will probably need to move on but there will have to be a balance there.

"Is next month's a crucial window? They are all crucial. If you make a mistake it's not easy to fix. We just need to make sure we don't make any mistakes. That's the focus for January."

Niall McGinn can be viewed as a low-risk signing but Levein was remaining tight-lipped on his chase for the former Aberdeen winger, who is also being targeted by the Dons and Hibernian.

But having also invited Inverness speed marchant Jake Mulraney to Edinburgh for a trial, Levein did confess pace is top of his wish list for next month.

"I don't really want to get dragged into talking about individuals," he said. "I don't really see the point. We'll see what happens in January.

"But we do need speed in the wider areas, that's for sure. We need a left-back and other things as well."

Hearts face a Dundee side on Tuesday who Levein believes are gathering momentum under Neil McCann - but he hopes the same can be said of his own team.

He said: "They have definitely improved. Neil has got them playing on the front foot.

"They have already beaten us this season up at Dens, so we're aware of their capabilities.

"We have been solid without being spectacular so on that basis I hope we can now push on and perhaps create more opportunities."

Sean Dyche and Marco Silva are destined to remain as two of the Premier League's wanted men, according to Watford striker Andre Gray.

Burnley boss Dyche and his Hornets counterpart are busy forging reputations as two of the division's brightest coaching prospects and both were strongly linked to Everton before Sam Allardyce's appointment.

Dyche edged their head to head at Turf Moor on Saturday, Scott Arfield sealing a 1-0 win after Marvin Zeegelaar's red card, leaving his side seventh in the table with Watford also secure in the top half.

Gray worked under him for two years before being tempted away by Silva this summer and believes both will continue to attract interest from rival clubs.

"The table doesn't lie and what they're doing with the group of players they've got is proving they're good managers," said the striker.

"Everybody speaks highly of both of them. They're both honest and they've both got the same sort of morals when it comes to managing.

"There is always somewhere for a player or a manager to leave and go to, whether it's a better club or a better league.

"That's how it is and obviously as long as our manager and Sean Dyche are here and they're not top of the league then there is always somewhere for them to progress and move on to. It's just part and parcel of football and if they keep doing well they're always going to be linked with big jobs."

Gray was reduced to a cameo off the bench at his old stomping ground, with some cheering in recognition of his prolific stint in east Lancashire and others seemingly less impressed by his hasty exit on the eve of the campaign.

He remains a Burnley believer, though, and sees no reason why his old club cannot keep defying expectations.

"It (the crowd reaction) was very mixed, but I accept it and I still clapped them when I went off because I had a great time here," he said.

"If they keep going, keep digging in and keep doing that they've been doing for the past three seasons then why not? People write them off every year.

"They wrote them off when I first signed in the Championship then we went and won the league. Then last year we were favourites to go down until that final whistle blew on the last game of the season. That's just how it is. They'll all know in the dressing room what they're capable of. I think everyone will start to believe sooner or later."

As justifiable as Pep Guardiola was in saying that Manchester Citywon the derby at Old Trafford because they “were better in all departments”, it was still a game that came down to two key moments, that illustrate how fickle a low-scoring sport like football can be.

One was Nicolas Otamendi prodding the ball past David De Gea to ultimately produce the victory, and the other was Romelu Lukaku blasting the ball at Ederson’s face, in a miss that prevented this being a mere draw. As much as the latter moment came down to a large amount of basic luck, and as much as the ball going a few inches to one of the sides might have changed a lot of the discussion around this game, these two moments themselves still said much as to why City were better than Manchester United in all those departments.

Otamendi’s goal made it three in eight for him and five in his last 15, after just two in his previous 97 appearances, a defender who has clearly greatly improved under an attacking coach like Guardiola.

Read more here:

Contrasting stories of Lukaku and Otamendi reveal more than just two players on different trajectories

The France international is yet to start a league game for the Gunners this season but scored an 88th-minute equaliser off the bench as Arsenal salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw at St Mary's on Sunday.

Giroud, 31, was close to moving to Everton in the summer but remained at the Emirates Stadium, where he has largely featured in the Europa League as club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette keeps him out of the Premier League side.

His header at Southampton saw him draw level with former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the highest-scoring substitute for a single side in Premier League history with 17 from the bench.

Giroud admitted recently he is frustrated not to feature more in the Premier League but Wenger has said he will do so over the festive period.

"He will start more games," Wenger said after the draw.

"I believe as well it's always the same when you have many good players, some of them cannot play. The question you get is always why does the guy who is good not play?

"Because if you take him on you have another guy who is good who will not play, it is as simple as that."

Pushed on whether an important player like Giroud could be sold in the transfer window, Wenger replied: "In your question is the answer, because you say he is important, why should we lose an important player?"

Asked if it would be up to the club or player as to whether a January move could happen, Wenger clarified: "It is up to us."

Saints took the lead on three minutes as Charlie Austin continued a fine run of form in front of goal, scoring his fourth in three games.

The hosts would have moved into the top half of the table if they could have held on for the win but, despite being disappointed with the late equaliser, manager Mauricio Pellegrino was happy with the performance.

"It's part of the game, we know that a team with quality like Arsenal, in one action they can create problems but we played a good game," he told BT Sport.

"We have to draw our positive conclusion. We created chances and we competed really well and we have to be happy with this.

"We are obviously disappointed because we conceded at the end, we were really close to winning the game, but the most important thing for us is our game."

Pardew looking to recruit

West Bromwich Albion will need to recruit some attacking players in the January transfer window if they cannot improve their poor goalscoring form, the Premier League club's manager Alan Pardew has said.

West Brom fell to a 1-0 defeat at Swansea City on Saturday to extend their winless streak to 14 league games, during which time they have scored just 12 goals.

"January is not far away and we are going to have to look at that area if we can't increase our goalscoring ratio," Pardew said.

"I've used every offensive player I've got pretty much, and I still haven't found a moment... My teams have always managed to score. Sometimes you could question my defensive record, but my teams have always got goals.

"It's not great and we need to improve on it. We have a difficult Christmas programme but if we can get a couple of wins it may look different."

Former Crystal Palace manager Pardew joined West Brom late last month and is yet to see his side score in two league games in charge.

The loss to Swansea left them level on points with 18th-placed West Ham United but ahead on goal difference.

West Brom face three of the league's top five sides before the end of the year, starting with a trip to fourth-placed Liverpool on Wednesday.

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