West Ham striker Andy Caroll has suggested that players from the club were unhappy playing under David Moyes last season. 

Moyes was appointed as manager of the club last term on a short term deal following the sacking of Slaven Bilic. The former Manchester United and Everton manager did achieve his mandate of guiding the club away from the relegation zone but in the end they decided not to renew his contract. 

The Scot is largely not liked as his most recent managerial stints with the likes of Real Sociedad, United and Sunderland have all been failures. 

The club instead opted to recruit former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini to lead the club this season. In Pellegrini, the Hammers have a manager who is vastly experienced and who has previously won the Premier League. So far the Hammers have been inconsistent this season but they have achieved good results recently and have been playing an impressive brand of football. 

That said, Caroll as reported by The Sun, has revealed that his team-mates were not happy playing under Moyes. 

He said:

"I've got a two-year option, it's the club's option.

"I've been injured, so it's not one of those where I can just pick up the phone and say, 'Give me a two-year deal'.

"I've got to prove it. That's what I need to do.

"Last season was up and down.

"We had Stuart Pearce doing sessions, then David Moyes was doing sessions.

"It didn't really feel right, it didn't work. The lads weren't happy.”

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino believes that his side can win the Premier League this season. The Lilywhites currently occupy third position on the League standings with 36 points from 16 games. They are six points adrift of leaders Liverpool and five adrift of second placed Manchester City. 

Pre-season expectations for Spurs among many pundits and neutrals were not high after the club failed to secure a single summer signing. They have the very same squad intact from last season and they went on to finish in third place on the top-flight standings last term. On the other hand, their squad is still very young and most of the players will only get better which will work to the club’s advantage. 

This is one of the reasons why some people feel that the club does not have enough strength in-depth to challenge for the League this season. Since taking over the North London club in 2014, Pochettino has transformed it into one of the best in England. 

However, the one thing which has eluded him is a major trophy. This is something which the Lilywhites need to do soon or they will risk losing their stars to the elite clubs of world football. 

As quoted by Sky Sports, Pochettino said: 

"We are there, we are in a good position, but the perception is different.

"When you talk about the perception from the people or from the media, it is Manchester City and Liverpool - and not us.

"I am not happy with the perception, when they are not assessing it in the right way.

"I think when you assess different clubs, normally, it is Liverpool and Manchester City, Chelsea, [Manchester] United, Arsenal, who will be involved in the race for the title - but not Tottenham. 

"But of course we are there, because we compete in a very good way, because our performances have been fantastic - and the perception is different."

Tottenham defender Danny Rose has suggested that manager Mauricio Pochettino deserves to be linked with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid. 

The Argentine was appointed as manager of Spurs in 2014. He has yet to win his first major trophy at the helm of the North London side, however, he has transformed them into one of the best team’s in England. 

Pochettino nearly led Spurs to Premier League glory during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons. He has also established the club as one which regularly qualifies for the Champions League. Many neutrals did not expect much from Spurs this season after they failed to make a single signing during last summer’s transfer window. However, they have been playing an impressive brand of football this season as they languish in third position on the Premier League standings and are six points adrift of leaders Liverpool. 

They also booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League this week after edging out Inter Milan based on their better head to head record. 

Rose feels that Pochettino deserves to be linked with the likes of Madrid and United due to his managerial abilities. The Englishman said as quoted by The Guardian: 

"It's no coincidence that every day you read Real Madrid want him or United want him.

"It's exactly what he deserves. What he has done here in the last four or five years has been amazing. He has transformed how others think of us outside the club and he has transformed how we think of ourselves and how we approach big games. 

"The belief he gives everybody is just amazing. For example, Kyle Walker-Peters made a mistake in Barcelona but it will not affect what the manager thinks of him. He will stick with Kyle no matter what. That's the sort of man he is: once you win his trust it will take an awful lot to break that. He has been amazing for myself and this club, and we hope he is here for a very long time."

Former Everton and Manchester United star Andrei Kanchelskis has suggested that Marco Silva can take the Toffees to the Champions League if he is given enough time and investment. 

The former Watford boss was appointed as Everton manager last summer, replacing the sacked Sam Allardyce. Upon arriving at Goodison Park, he brought in impressive players to the club such as Richarlison, Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina, Bernard and Andre Gomes. 

So far the Merseysiders have impressed under the management of Silva. They are currently in seventh place on the standings and 10 points adrift of fourth placed Chelsea. Challenging for a place in the top four could be a difficult ask for this season, however challenging for a Europa League spot could be a serious target for the club to achieve this term. 

Richarlison in particular has so far been one of the best signings from last summer. The 21-year-old has so far scored eight times in the Premier League for his club and also forced his way into the Brazil national team. 

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, Kanchelskis said: 

"Marco Silva can get Everton into the top four of the Premier League if he’s given the time and funds to do so.

"They’re about four or five years from becoming a real threat, but they’ve fought off some big teams to sign the players they did this summer."

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has revealed that he wants to return to Spain in the long-term. Benitez has been the manager of Newcastle United since 2016. He took over the club when they were in a very bad situation and could not save them from relegation during the 2015-16 season. 

However, despite having to work with a very restricted budget, the experienced Spaniard managed to lead the club to the Championship title and straight back to the top flight during the 2016-17 season. Last season, he also managed to guide the club towards retaining their top-flight status despite the fact that he had to work with a very limited budget. 

Benitez has been strongly commended for the way in which he has stuck with Newcastle for the past few years despite the behind the scenes turbulence at the club. He is a one of the most experienced and recognizable managers in World football and could surely easily get offers from teams playing in the Champions League or even an elite international team. 

However, he has chosen to stick with the Magpies. The former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss has however admitted that he would like to return to Spain one day. As quoted by The Chronicle, he said: 

"Yeah, in the distance.

"I think I am a young manager and I think I still have a few years to work on a daily basis. After, you have to consider anything. 

"Not just Spain, any prospect could be interesting but at the moment I am happy with my job at Newcastle United."

Everton winger Nikola Vlasic has admitted that he is open to staying with CSKA Moscow. The 21-year-old Vlasic arrived at the Toffees during the summer of 2017 from Hajduk Split. 

He struggled to make a notable impact at Goodisan Park last term as he went on to make just 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals. Since arriving at CSKA on loan during the summer, Vlasic has established himself as one of the stars for the Russian giants. He has so far scored several goals and recorded three assists for CSKA. He also managed to score a winner in the Champions League against Real Madrid as well as force his way into the Croatian national team.

Due to his impressive form, there has been talk that Vlasic could return to Everton. Whether Marco Silva would be interested in bringing the player back remains to be seen. Vlasic’s agent Tonci Martic did tell Tuttomercatoweb in November that Serie A giants Inter Milan and Roma were interested in his client. 

Considering that the Toffees do not play Champions League football and that he was not assured of regular first-team football by Silva, Vlasic may favour to move away from the Merseyside club. 

He told Russian source Bob Soccer: “I am very happy and glad I’m at CSKA,

“I truly believe that I am at home, this is my team, and if the decision depended only on me, it would be a very easy choice. I’d say yes and remain a CSKA footballer, but, unfortunately, there are several other interested parties.

“It’s particularly necessary to understand Everton’s position, how it relates to the situation and what they think.

“It’s not up to me. Let’s wait until the summer and see what the decision is.