Roy Hodgson is desperate to add another striker to the books at Anfield before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday and it has been confirmed that Liverpool have opened talks with West Ham.

Cole, 26, is considered by many as an ideal strike partner for Fernando Torres and with the England international understood to be interested in a switch to Merseyside, the move looks inevitable.

Following the departure of Javier Mascherano to Barcelona and the subsequent arrivals of Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky, Hodgson had this to say after today’s 1-0 victory over West Brom: “We’ve got space to add a player. We’d like another striker, we’ve said that all along and there’s no point me denying it.”

There is no doubt that on his day, Cole is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. However, at the rumoured £11 million, I’m not too sure whether this move represents value for money for Liverpool. I would be surprised if the deal didn’t go ahead before the window shuts on Tuesday.

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West Ham boss Avram Grant is understandably keen to keep hold of one of his most prized assets and was quoted as saying on Saturday that Parker will not be leaving the club.

Roy Hodgson is keen to bring a new midfielder to Anfield in the coming weeks with Javier Mascherano expected to join Italian giants Inter Milan.

Parker, 29, has remained quiet ever since Tottenham declared an interest in him but with Liverpool now in the running, it will be intriguing to see what happens next.

If I was a betting man, which I am, I actually think Parker will join Liverpool before the transfer window shuts at the end of August. I am a huge fan of Parker’s and I, like many others, believe he was never given a fair chance during his time with Chelsea.

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Riquelme, 31, has spent the last 3 years with Boca Juniors but is now available on a free transfer and it would appear as though he may be on his way to Upton Park (or Boleyn Park, whichever suits) pretty soon.

Barry McIntosh, who is the player’s agent, had this to say today : “I think the location of London, the challenge at West Ham and working beside the likes of Scott Parker and Thomas Hitzlsperger have been very important factors in him considering the move.”

McIntosh went onto say : “Right now, we think the best option, the most likely, and the one he’s most interested in is West Ham.”

Personally, I believe this would be an incredible signing for the Hammers. Even though he is getting on a bit now, Riquelme is still a very gifted player who could certainly do a job for West Ham. I would love to see how Riquelme would adapt to the pace of the Premier League and judging by reports, I won’t have to wait long.

What do you think? Comments below please.

The Italian has come under severe pressure in recent weeks, however the club’s owners maintain that they are fully behind their manager.

Speaking after today’s game against Stoke, Zola had this to say when asked about the possibility of him resigning :

“I have to find out what the problem is. If the problem is me then why not? I will consider overnight whether I am doing a good job or not.”

I would be extremely surprised if Zola didn’t step down as the Hammers boss tomorrow. Things simply haven’t worked out for him at Upton Park and maybe it’s best for himself and indeed the club if he was to leave.

I am very keen to hear what you have to say on this one. Will Zola leave? Comments below please.

Gianfranco Zola’s men remain in 17th place in the Premier League table, however 19th place Hull now have a game in hand on the Hammers and are only 3 points behind.

I fully expected West Ham to win in front of their home fans tonight and open a bit of a gap up between them and the bottom three, however after tonight’s result I really am starting to think they may actually go down.

As it stands, I feel Portsmouth and Burnley are down. The 9 point deduction Pompey received last week has killed any chance they had of staying up and with Burnley, I think they sealed their fate when they appointed Brian Laws as their manager.

One team will be joining them in the Championship next season and at the moment it’s between West Ham and Hull. The bookies have West Ham at around 13/5 to go down whilst Hull are odds-on to go down (4/5 with most bookies).

What do you think? Comments below please.

Arsene Wenger was clearly upset at the decision and he made his feelings known to Martin Atkinson as the two side’s left the field at half-time at the Emirates.

Vermaelen has been, without doubt, one of the Gunners top performers this season and although I understand Wenger wanting his best players available for every game, I actually think Arsenal are making a mistake by deciding to appeal.

We have seen on numerous occasions this season when a club has decided to appeal a red card, the FA have not only dismissed the appeal but they have also added games to bans.

With just a handful of games to go in this Premier League season, there is absolutely no doubt that Arsenal are in with a great chance of lifting their first title in 6 years, however I don’t believe Arsenal should have taken this unnecessary risk of losing Vermaelen for an extra game.

Having seen the incident a few times now, I personally believe Vermaelen did deserve to be sent off and I for one think we could be seeing that familiar sight flashing across the bottom of Sky Sports News tomorrow evening : ” …. has had his ban extended after FA deem appeal to be ‘frivolous’.”

I’m keen to hear what you have to say on this one. Please leave your comments below.

Today sees West Ham, who were taken over by messieurs Gold and Sullivan earlier this week, express an interest in bringing Van Nistelrooy back to the Premier League.

So far Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Stoke, Chelsea, Blackburn and Fulham have been linked with the 33-year old over the last two months, however as of yet, nothing has materialised, leaving the door wide open for West Ham to make a move.

The former Manchester United man has barely played for Real this season, which has fuelled speculation that he is looking to leave the Bernabeu to secure first team football in this, a World Cup year.

West Ham are clearly looking to strengthen in the coming days following the recent takeover, however how much Gianfranco Zola will be aloud spend is the big question. Van Nistelrooy obviously won’t cost that much in terms of a transfer fee, however his hefty wage demands may scupper any deal. Having said that, I believe there is a strong chance we may see Ruud in a Hammers shirt before the transfer window shuts on February 1st.

I’m keen to hear what you have to say on this one. Comments below please.

Arsenal are understood to be preparing a £9 million move for West Ham striker Carlton Cole.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already admitted on several occasions that he is in the market for a new frontman this January due to the current injury crisis in the Gunners’ striking department of late.

The England striker has been one of West Ham’s top performers this season and Hammers boss Gianfranco Zole is desperate to hold onto the 26-year old, however the East London club will find it hard to turn down a bid of £9 million considering the current financial trouble at Upton Park.

With all due respect to West Ham, I would quite like to see Cole make the switch to the Emirates this January. I personally feel if Cole were to sign for Arsenal in the coming weeks, his chances of starting in Fabio Capello’s starting eleven for the first World Cup game in South Africa this June.

So what do all you Arsenal and West Ham fans have to say on this one? Please leave your comments below.

The West Ham striker picked up his career ending injury whilst training with the England national team almost three years ago.

The 26-year old returned to action some time after the injury, however he aggrevated it and now his career is over. So, Football Corner would like you, the readers to pay tribute to Ashton is three words. Tell us your three words by leaving a comment below.

I’ll start us off with my three words : A great striker.

The Sunday Mirror reports that Arsenal are planning a January bid for West Ham and England striker Carlton Cole.

Arsene Wenger admitted earlier this week that signing a new frontman is his number one priority when the window opens with Robin Van Persie currently sidelined through injury.

West Ham’s financial trouble has been well documented in recent monthsbut despite this, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola has insisted he will not need to offload his most valuable players. Cole, 26, has been strongly linked with a move away from Upton Park in recent days, with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez understood to be keen, however it now looks as though the Merseyside club will face competition from Arsenal.

The former Chelsea striker has spent over three years with West Ham scoring 28 goals in just over 100 appearances for the East London club. Despite what Zola has said, I firmly believe that if a bid of anywhere near the £18 million mark is made, West Ham will find it incredibly difficult to turn it down.

It’s an interesting one for West Ham, if they sell their star striker in January, they will receive a nice chunky cum of money, however they will also run the risk of relegation.

What do you think? Comments below please.