Thanks to the Premier League and TV broadcasting rights, Premier League footballers are some of the richest sportsmen in the world.

However, as much as they or their clubs might like to not believe it, Premier League footballers are not above the law, despite their incredible wealth.

Being a footballer brings a luxurious lifestyle, the houses, the designer clothing and most importantly the cars. Worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and capable of ridiculous speeds, these players love nothing more than showing them off.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, these players are not above the law and in recent weeks a number of players have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

From speeding and failing to cooperate with police to drink driving, we take you through the list of offending Premier League players.

Peter Crouch – Speeding

He may be a serial goalscorer in the Premier League, but Peter Crouch also likes to pick up points on his driving license.

The Stoke City striker was given a £1,000 fine in 2012 after a number of different incidents and an incredible 21 points on his license!

James Hurst – Drink Driving

Footballers have a reputation of being arrogant and lavish, which in a lot of cases isn’t true, but when it comes to James Hurst, it certainly is.

The former West Brom player is hardly a household name, but he had the audacity to tell his arresting officer “I’m a millionaire. I will take the ban and pay the fine.”

He was arrested and forced to pay £1,430 alongside 20-month driving ban for drink driving in Wrexham in December 2017.

Marouane Fellaini – Speeding

In May 2015, Manchester United star Marouane Fellaini was caught twice in one day for speeding in Sale, near his home.

The Belgian was caught doing 81mph in a 40mph zone, before being clocked doing 59mph in a 30mph zone six minutes later!

He was fined £1,188 and banned from driving for nine months.

Henri Lansbury – Speeding

Also in 2015, Henri Lansbury who was a Nottingham Forest player at the time, was caught speeding not once or twice, but three times in the space of six months.

His excuse according to his spokesman: “He is a fairly young driver, and had not driven anything that powerful before.”

Who knew a Bentley Continental GT was a powerful car….

Darron Gibson – Drink Driving

On a more serious note, former Everton and Man United star Darron Gibson was spared jail after causing a serious accident while drink driving.

The Republic of Ireland star was three times the limit on St Patrick’s Day in 2018 when he smashed into parked cars.

The court told he was spared jail because he was dealing with psychological problems at the time, Sunderland cancelled his contract immediately after the 40 month ban was issued.

Gibson, 30, has previous with drink-driving and was charged for hitting three cyclists while under the influence in 2015.

It is fair to say that West Ham’s season so far has been a disaster, with the Hammers losing all four of their opening Premier League matches.

Manuel Pellegrini’s wealth of summer additions, which totalled over £100m, have been unable to inspire the East London side towards success and alarm bells are already ringing at the London Stadium.

Despite signing Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere in recent months to bolster the Hammers’ midfield, West Ham are still short of options in the middle of the park and it is likely that Pellegrini will move to solve this issue in January.

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Spanish outlet Marca claim Celta Vigo’s Nemanja Radoja was a target for the Hammers in the summer and add that the 6ft 1in tall player is keen on a move to the Premier League, raising the prospect of joining Pellegrini’s side when the window reopens.

Out of contract at the end of the season, the La Liga side may look to cash in on the Serbia international in the mid-season window and West Ham should move to secure the 25-year-old defensive midfielder in what could be a bargain deal.

Do you agree with our assessment? Have your say in our poll below…

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West Ham full-back Pablo Zabaleta has urged the club to secure Declan Rice down to a new deal, in comments published by The Guardian.

What’s the word?

A shining light in a largely disappointing campaign for West Ham last season, Declan Rice’s surge into the first-team frame has provided encouragement for a new era of youngsters in East London and he is now a key part of Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Still 19 years of age, the Republic of Ireland international may start a frenzy in the transfer market as his contract expires at the end of the season and he has snubbed the offers of a new deal worth £12k-a-week as he holds out for around £30k-a-week, The Guardian reports.

However, it appears that Rice has support within the West Ham dressing room as Pablo Zabaleta has urged the club to do what it takes to secure the talented teenager down to a new deal in comments published in the same report.

What was said?

“He is young and still has room for improvement for sure. But he has the right ability and attitude to become one of the greatest players for West Ham.

“He is in the last year of his contract so West Ham need to think about his situation because, even though he is young, he looks so mature and is proving he can perform for the team. He is one of those young players you like to look after and help with all the information you can give him.”

Is he right?

West Ham’s derisory offer to Declan Rice will be infuriating for the young talent as it comes on the back of a summer when the Hammers have shown a willingness to splash the cash, having spent over £100m on new additions.

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Rice, with his current standing in the first-team, certainly deserves at least £30k-a-week and there is an argument for him to earn more and using his age against him is a strange move as the offer should be based on his ability and importance, rather than his date of birth.

Zabaleta’s comments should provide Manuel Pellegrini and company with the kick they need to get a deal over the line as it would be a major blow for the Hammers if Rice was to leave at the end of the season – especially if they did not receive a fee for his services.

Arsenal fans will be disappointed with the latest developments surrounding the future of Aaron Ramsey.

The Welsh international has developed into a key player for the Gunners since leaving Cardiff back in 2011. Unai Emery was desperate to keep him at the club in the summer, but with less than one year remaining on his contract, his future was uncertain. The latest reports suggest that Arsenal have now withdrawn their contract offer and Ramsey is set to leave the club.

The 27-year-old was a shining light in a poor season last year, and his presence in the Arsenal midfield will be sorely missed if he does decide to depart. Nevertheless, no-one is irreplaceable, and Arsenal have dealt with losing their star players in the past. To replace him, the Gunner should make a move for Lyon wonderkid – Houssem Aouar.

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the 20-year-old has blossomed into a crucial player for the French side despite his young age. He enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in Ligue 1 last year, making 32 appearances, scoring six goals and providing six assists. Aouar has featured in all seven of Lyon’s fixtures in the new campaign.

The midfielder is blessed with excellent technical ability and can operate in a number of midfield roles. Aouar thrives in a deep-lying playmaker role, making him ideal for Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system at the Emirates. The youngster can also play further up the field in an advanced role meaning he would be the perfect replacement for Ramsey.

Under Emery’s guidance, playing alongside the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would help take Aouar’s game to the next level. The sky is the limit for the French youth international who could genuinely develop into one of the world’s best midfielders.

He wouldn’t come cheap after signing a new deal back in July, but he would be worth breaking the bank for.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

Mauricio Pochettino should be looking to lessen the creative burden on Christian Eriksen’s shoulders in January.

Spurs made history by not signing a single player during the summer transfer window with Pochettino instead focusing on trying a number of key players to a new contract. Harry Kane penned a new deal and Spurs also opened talks with Eriksen over extending his stay in North London. Despite being confident of reaching an agreement, the Dane didn’t put pen to paper on a new deal.

His current contract expires in 2020 which fuelled speculation that the 25-year-old could decide to leave the club. Reports suggested that Paris St Germain were extremely interested in signing the Denmark international, but Eriksen remains happy to stay with the Lilywhites for the foreseeable. Nevertheless, Pochettino needs to add creativity to the squad to ease the expectations on the former Ajax playmaker.

One man he should target is AC Milan winger – Suso. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Spaniard is no stranger to the Premier League having made his debut in England at the age of 18 for Liverpool. His time on Merseyside ultimately did not go to plan, and he was eventually sold to AC Milan where he has blossomed into a fine footballer.

The 24-year-old has developed into a key player for the Italian side making 50 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring six goals and registering ten assists. Suso has continued his excellent form into the new campaign, scoring two goals and notching three assists in his first six appearances.

The forward could be the perfect addition to the Tottenham squad to give Pochettino more options in attack. His arrival could mean even more goals for Harry Kane with Suso averaging an impressive 2.7 key passes per game this season – more than any other Tottenham player this season (WhoScored). The Spaniard is also adding goals to his game making him an ideal January signing for the Lilywhites.

Bringing Suso back to England could prove to be a Pochettino masterstroke.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Everton fans have applauded the performances of their young players who featured in England U-21’s 7-0 thrashing of Andorra on Thursday evening, with Jonjoe Kenny, Ademola Lookman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tom Davies all starting for Aidy Boothroyd’s side.

But it was the showing of winger Lookman that particularly impressed Toffee fans as the Young Lions secured their spot at next year’s U21 European Championships in Italy and San Marino. The 20-year-old opened his side’s account in the ninth minute with some good movement in the box before setting up teammate Calvert-Lewin for the third goal of the night.

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Everton fans have taken to Twitter since the match to say that he might be worthy of a place in manager Marco Silva’s starting XI.  Lookman has made two Premier League appearances from the bench so far this season, while he started in their Carabao Cup loss to Southampton earlier this month.

Here are some of the reactions by Everton fans:

Over the years, it’s fair to say that Dejan Lovren has emerged as the main scapegoat at Liverpool. The Croatian has been better known for defensive errors than he has for defensive domination, and that’s a particularly difficult reputation to shake off. Even when his performances are much-improved, the tiniest error is always thrust under the microscope, and that’s problematic for Lovren as he looks to make a positive name for himself at Anfield.

If you asked Liverpool fans which player will cost their team points this season, Lovren is likely to be the first name that comes to mind, however, that’s unlikely to actually be the case in reality.

Lovren has impressed so far this season, and he was arguably one of Liverpool’s best players against Man City last weekend.

When considering players that will cost Liverpool points, then, perhaps the club should be looking elsewhere, and one man that should be a candidate is attacker Sadio Mane.

Now, granted, Mane has impressed at points this season and has won games with his goals, but a mistake made by an attacker is rarely as emphasised as a defensive error;  but that shouldn’t be the case. Any failed attack is a missed opportunity, and Mane has been at the heart of many a missed chance already this season.

The Senegalese is capable of scoring incredible goals, but when they don’t hit the back of the net, it’s easy to look at him and see a player that is too selfish. Often when the best course of action is a pass, he’ll often look to dribble or shoot, and that regularly doesn’t work out in his favour.

When you consider players like Roberto Firmino, who always place the team ahead of personal interests, it’s easy to look at Mane as a player that is going to cost Liverpool points this season, even if he will win them some.

Liverpool fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

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According to the Mirror, Southampton are amongst the Premier League clubs now on high alert following Edin Dzeko’s statement about wishing to one day return to England.

What’s the story?

The former Manchester City striker – who won two Premier League titles in his time at the Etihad Stadium – recently indicated that he’d like to come back to English football before the end of his career. However, the 32-year-old was also clear that he is happy at his current club, Roma.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international has been in fine form for the Serie A outfit in recent seasons, and registered an impressive 24 goals in 49 appearances for the Italian capital club last time out.

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Southampton may well be on high alert following the forward’s comments, but Dzeko is unlikely to opt for a switch to St Mary’s Stadium. The Saints would be wasting their time chasing the 6’4” man, but would still be wise to pursue a target man in January.

The right idea

If Mark Hughes’ side are to stave off relegation once again this season then they must add goals to their game. The summer acquisition of Danny Ings was a good start, but the Englishman’s fitness can hardly be relied upon and the south coast club must have alternative goalscoring options.

With the likes of Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini in far from prolific form, Hughes ought to bolster his attack in the winter transfer window.

Seeking a tall, powerful, target man like figure would provide the Saints with a different option in terms of their attacking style and would be a wise addition.

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Liverpool announced the signing of Brazilian international Fabinho in a deal that could be worth more than £40m at the end of May this summer, having completing the whole transfer without so much as a rumour that anything was being pursued.

Since then though the 25-year-old has had to be extremely patient in waiting for chances to impress, as German boss Jurgen Klopp felt he needed to integrate into the system fully.

Having racked up just 123 minutes in all competitions before Wednesday though, the defensive midfielder was handed a start against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League and he certainly grasped the opportunity with both hands.

Fabinho starred while playing alongside the more advanced Georginio Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri in midfield, and the Brazilian’s numbers from the clash certainly justify Klopp’s decision to make the fans wait to see their summer signing.

The Reds play a far quicker game than can be seen in the French Ligue 1 and Fabinho had the tough job of clearing up and protecting his back four against the Serbian side, as well as being the man to initiate attacks with forward passes between the lines.

This quick forward passing is where Fabinho excels and is the reason that he should now be considered the first-choice holding midfielder at the Merseyside club.

Whereas Jordan Henderson is often criticised for being too cautious and keeping the play moving sideways, his new teammate is always on the front-foot and looks as though he could be the key to unlocking teams who sit back against the Reds.

On Wednesday evening, Fabinho completed 90 per cent of his 80 total passes and two of those were considered key passes that created goalscoring chances.

The holding midfielder was everywhere on the night and won an outstanding six aerial duels and nine tackles as he broke up counter-attacks, stopping the bottom side in Group C from testing Liverpool keeper Alisson.

The former Monaco man was clearly signed as a replacement for Emre Can, who left for Juventus on a free transfer this summer, but Fabinho ensured that any memories of the German will be erased from Anfield with his dynamic and combative performance.

So, Liverpool fans, should Fabinho keep his place in the side for the visit of Cardiff City on Saturday? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

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Loads of Everton fans have been discussing their need for a dynamic central midfielder, and 53 per cent of fans want to sign Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure.

According to reports in France, several teams are sniffing around a deal for Doucoure.

The colossal French midfielder was linked with moves to the “big six” throughout the summer, and the report claims Arsenal, Liverpool and PSG are all chasing him again.

Watford will reportedly €40m (around £35m) for the 25 year-old, who has been an absolute revelation since moving to Vicarage Road.

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He has four Premier League assists already this season, a total only Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser and Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy can top.

Everton meanwhile have been much improved both in attack and defence under Marco Silva, but the midfield needs a huge upgrade.

Idrissa Gueye has been sensational this season, but the Toffees need a box-to-box player who can impact the game at both ends of the pitch.

Over half of fans think Doucoure could be the perfect solution, hoping to hijack the move that Jurgen Klopp is chasing from just across the park.

You can view the full poll results down below…