Arsene Wenger has divided Arsenal fans over the last few years, with some keen for the Frenchman to move on.

The 68-year-old is very much part of the fabric at the Emirates having coached the team for two decades.

Last season, there were protests from some groups of Arsenal supporters calling for Wenger to step down, but he ended up signing a new two-year contract.

So far this season, the North London outfit have won six, drawn one and lost four, which has left the club sixth in the standings, 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

The Gunners have not won a league title since the 2003-04 campaign, but Wenger has suggested that he will be eyeing trophies on the international stage in the future.

During an interview with beIN Sports, the Frenchman admitted that he would like to one day manage a national side, but at the moment is still enjoying the day-to-day workings of club football.

As expected, Arsenal fans had plenty to say.

After previously ruling himself out of the job, Sam Allardyce has re-emerged as the firm front-runner to take over at Everton. In fact, The Guardian (amongst other sources) claim the former Crystal Palace manager is set to take over at Goodison Park.

But the fact Everton previously toyed with the idea of hiring Allardyce before considering alternatives suggests he wasn’t their first choice, and also suggests the club’s ambitions have drastically changed since they first sacked Ronald Koeman towards the end of October.

It would be unfair to label Allardyce as simply a relegation expert, but that’s undoubtedly what he’s built his career on and his direct brand of football continues to divide opinion, not least because it seems to come with its own limitations in terms of results.

So, Everton fans, should your club be looking for a more ambitious appointment befitting of a club who just oversaw their costliest transfer window to date, or is Allardyce the right man for the job? Let us know by voting below…

Timothy Fosu-Mensah made his 11th Premier League appearance of the season in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Watford on Tuesday night.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Palace from Manchester United, and after starting the season in the team, the defender was forced to bide his time in the early stages of Roy Hodgson’s tenure.

The Dutchman has now started Palace’s last two matches, however, and played 70 minutes of the clash with Watford before leaving the field with a knock.

Fosu-Mensah, who is valued at £4.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, took to Twitter on Tuesday night to reveal his delight at the win, which lifted Palace out of the Premier League relegation zone.

A number of Palace supporters were on hand to pay tribute to the teenager, who has the potential to form a long and successful career in the Premier League.

The plan is for Fosu-Mensah to return to United next summer and battle for a first-team position. More performances like Tuesday night’s will certainly stand him in good stead.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be found below:

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Joel Matip is likely to be sidelined for Saturday’s trip to Brighton due to injury.

The centre-back suffered a muscular problem on Wednesday night in the team’s 3-0 win over Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Ragnar Klavan is now expected to partner Dejan Lovren at the back as the club aim to keep what would be only their seventh clean sheet in the Premier League this season.

A thigh injury forced Matip out of the Reds’ dramatic 3-3 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League, but he later returned to the lineup against Chelsea and Stoke.

Liverpool have experienced problems in defence this season – an issue that was never fully addressed in the transfer market as Klopp failed to bring in a new centre-back.

The Merseyside outfit have had their fair share of injuries this season, and this latest news has caused frustration for the fans.

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Everton are on the hunt for a creative attacker this summer, and the shock availability of Dimitri Payet should have alarm bells ringing at Goodison.

What’s the word?

Marseille are touting Payet around, and reports suggest West Ham are considering a shock swoop for their former star, but Everton should absolutely throw their hat in the ring.

According to The Guardian, West Ham have been “offered the chance” to sign the 31 year-old, who spent two incredible seasons in East London.

Payet’s representatives are searching for a deal as the French club look to balance their books, and the report claims they want to recoup at least the £25m they paid for him last summer.

West Ham are in need of a new playmaker after the injury to Manuel Lanzini, but their owners are infamous for their frugalness in the transfer market, so Everton should swoop and pay the money while the Hammers are hesitating.

While £25m is a lot to pay for the player in his thirties, it represents significantly better value than some of the deals Everton made last summer, and having that superstar creative power would add to the excitement of a new era under Marco Silva.

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Would he be worth it?

Anyone who watched Payet at West Ham knows exactly what he would bring to Goodison. The 35-cap Frenchman can play in a variety of positions across the attack, and would most likely operate from the left wing in Silva’s favoured 4-3-3 formation, as he lacks the defensive discipline to take an advanced midfield role.

Everton’s biggest problem under Sam Allardyce was a lack of creativity, as the lethal Cenk Tosun didn’t get nearly enough chances to make his mark. Signing Payet alongside the return from injury of Gylfi Sigurdsson would take the Toffees from being one of the least creative teams in the league right up to the opposite end of the spectrum.

Payet grabbed ten goals and 24 assists in 47 games last season for Marseille, including three goals and seven assists in 12 Europa League appearances, which should quash any concerns about buying a player from an inferior league.

He is one of the best crossers in world football, something Tosun would absolutely love, and his set piece wizardry would have fans on the edge of their seats every time they win a free kick.

Silva has a lot of work to do at Everton. He needs to plug some holes in the ageing defence, inject some energy into the midfield and add some more creativity in attack. Most of all though, the Portuguese tactician needs to give the fans a reason to be excited again after the slow and turgid football under Big Sam.

Signing Payet would kill several birds with one stone, providing creativity, getting the best out of Tosun and most of all getting the fans on their feet again.

So, Everton fans, is £25m worth it for a player of Payet’s quality? Should you swoop in and sign him? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

There is no drastic need for Manchester City to make alterations to the team given that they lifted the Premier League title just two months ago.

Manager Pep Guardiola is likely to bring in some new faces, but when there is such high competition for places, it is inevitable that some fringe stars are going to be heading out of the exit gates.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

One man who has now moved on to pastures new is goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

The 22-year-old is currently third choice behind Ederson and Claudio Bravo, which means that the likelihood of him being an integral part of Guardiola’s team is close to zero.

According to BBC Sport, Gunn, who spent last season on loan at Norwich City, cost Southampton £10m up front, with a further £3.5m potentially due in add-ons.

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In most cases, supporters would not bat an eyelid if their third-choice keeper moved on, especially in City’s case as they already have a world-class stopper in between the sticks.

However, on this occasion, some supporters have been left disappointed with the news, while others are keeping fingers crossed for a buyout clause.

After achieving promotion via the play-offs last season it’s fair to say that Fulham are one of the favourites to be relegated from the Premier League next season – on paper at least – but their recent acquisition of Jean Michael Seri suggests they have both the financial backing and the geographical appeal to steer clear of a relegation battle.

Following months of speculation which consistently linked Seri with a transfer to some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, Seri completed a £25 million transfer to Fulham on Thursday in a deal which nobody saw coming. Maxime Le Marchand has also joined Seri at Craven Cottage as Fulham’s strengthening mission begins to take shape, and it’s unlikely they’ll be the last players to arrive this summer.

Fulham’s acquisition represents a fantastic coup for the club and a timely reminder to the rest of their Premier League rivals that the appeal of a London-based club is one which is difficult to compete with.

You only need to take a look at the success West Ham are enjoying in the transfer market so far this summer to realise that London-based Premier League clubs have a huge advantage in the transfer market, and that notion is deeply concerning for Newcastle United.

Regardless of whether Mike Ashley is cash-strapped or simply unwilling to invest in the Newcastle squad remains unclear, but one thing has become glaringly apparent from Fulham’s recent acquisition: the Magpies will eventually return to the Championship if Ashley fails to sell the club in the near future.

With recently-promoted Wolves also spending huge sums of money in the transfer market there is plenty of reason to suggest that the standard of the Premier League is going to continue to increase in the seasons to come, and clubs such as Newcastle who are financially inferior could be left in the wake of Championship clubs who have get taken over by investors with plenty of cash to invest in new talent.

Not only is the signing of Seri a huge statement of intent from Fulham which proves their owners are willing to back Slavisa Jokanovic in the transfer market, the Ivorian is quite simply a brilliant acquisition who will add a significant layer of play-making quality to their midfield.

Rafa Benitez did a stupendous job in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League last season with such conviction, but he is not a miracle worker by any stretch, so if Ashley fails to react to Fulham’s watershed acquisition with a marque signing of his own, the Magpies will be set for a relegation scrap next season.

Newcastle and Fulham fans – thoughts on the Seri deal? Let us know below!

Pre-season friendlies offer up all kinds of intriguing propositions not least the chance, if you’re lucky, to see a new signing or two make their semi-competitive bow. Should your club have changed manager there is also the fascination of what tactics are employed and gauging which players feature in his immediate plans. Then there’s the kit; there is always a sleek new kit these days, one that divides opinion on its unveiling but now looks so fricking boss in motion.

Second to last but by no means least there is also the sheer, unbridled joy of seeing the boys back in action again. God you’ve missed them, to such an extent that in hindsight the World Cup was little more than a distraction. Compared to Arsenal v Boreham Wood or Newcastle v Augsburg the World Cup was just a conversation about the weather forecast that airs before Match of the Day.

All of this though pales in pure excitement and indeed symbolism to watching youth prospects stake a claim for a place in the first team squad, or more obliquely, to force their way ‘into the manager’s thinking’.

Of course we’re perfectly aware that the majority of these fresh-faced stars of tomorrow will be relegated once more to relative obscurity once the season starts proper. Barring an injury crisis they are unlikely even to appear on the sub’s bench in 2018/19. But what they represent at a time of the year when optimism is sky high due to the slate being wiped clean is hope. Hope for the future. Hope to help us through the grim reality of being battered away to Spurs in deepest, darkest November. There is always that kid; the one who dazzled in brilliant sunshine way back in July. One day soon he’ll see us right.

Crystal Palace fans will experience this encouragement more than most in the weeks ahead. This summer the south London club offered professional contracts to a number of promising talents who will all be desperate to catch the eye of Roy Hodgson against random fare such as Oxford and Toulouse. It is likely that Joe Tupper, Oliver O’Dwyer, Nikola Tavares, Tyler Brown and Giovanni McGregor will impress given their early reputations.

But it is in Aaron Wan-Bissaka where optimism most resides. The 20-year-old right-back has already made seven appearances in the Premier League and won the club’s Player of the Month award in that brief period so much is expected of the England Under 20 international as he attempts to force a way into Hodgson’s permanent reckoning. Three scheduled friendlies on the horizon will go a long way to determining how that goes.

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Up at Everton, highly-rated Kieran Dowell will be keen to take the next significant step following a successful loan stint at Nottingham Forest last term. With the Toffees yet to make any move in the transfer market the feeling is that should the young midfielder suitably impress, then new boss Marco Silva might prioritise his strengthening elsewhere and perhaps even mould a dynamic central partnership between Dowell and fellow 20-year-old Tom Davies. A big couple of weeks await for last summer’s Under-20 World Cup winner.

Further north in Middlesbrough a buzz is getting notably louder concerning the prospects of centre-back Nathan Wood who accompanied the first team squad to Germany this week. Having only just turned 16, Wood is most definitely one for the future rather than anything short-term yet even so, the experience he accumulates on the trip only bodes well for the career that is to come. It seems that Boro have produced yet another top defender just like they do every few seasons.

At present Manchester United are in the US and true to type Jose Mourinho is unhappy. Of course he is. When is he not?

On this occasion the cause of his crumbled frown is the large group of star names who are unavailable to him but if that brings consternation to United’s management the opposite applies to the fans. Dutch winger Tahith Chong has already excited on his debut this week and prompted calls for a promotion to the first team squad sooner rather than later while Axel Tuanzebe, Angel Gomes, and Andreas Pereira will each be looking to establish themselves further in Mourinho’s estimation. England Under 17 captain James Garner meanwhile will benefit hugely from being around the likes of Antonio Valencia and Juan Mata.

As for their bitter rivals City, their own US tour offers left-sided defender Eric Garcia a golden opportunity to take Oleksandr Zinchenko’s locker while a couple of goals by Lukas Nmecha will go a long way in cementing his position as third choice striker.

Perhaps though there is no other Premier League club with more importance and intrigue surrounding their pre-season friendlies than West Ham this month. In Reece Oxford, Marcus Browne, Nathan Holland and Martin Samuelsen the Hammers possess a quartet primed and ready to make their mark. Yet with an incoming new coach not fully versed in their abilities, the club’s short trips to Germany and France will determine a great deal. For them their time to dazzle is now. For others it is mainly about dropping hints on the promise to come.

The Premier League is just a few weeks away, with many teams on worldwide pre-season tours or at least back in training and we can’t wait for domestic football to return.

One thing almost every football fan is longing for is to hear the dulcet tones of Martin Tyler on Super Sundays once again.

Tyler and Sky Sports have been broadcasting Premier League coverage since it’s launch in 1992 and have brought us some incredible moments.

From Wayne Rooney’s volley against Man City to Stan Collymore’s effort against Leeds in 2000, we take you threw the greatest Premier League commentaries of all time.

Steve Bruce v Sheffield Wednesday, April 1993

Martin Tyler’s commentary as Man Utd won the first Premier League title in 1993 is stuff of legend.

“Yes for Manchester United, Alex Ferguson can’t contain himself and that’s totally understandable, it’s been a phenomenal finish”

Nwankwo Kanu v Chelsea, October 1999

Not only was this a stunning effort by the Nigerian but it was his hat-trick goal away at Stamford Bridge. Martin Tyler perfectly describes the emotion of the moment for both Kanu and his opponents:

“It’s Kanu – what’s he going to do? Oh, can you believe it? He’s flattened Chelsea! He’s hit a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge!”

Stan Collymore v Newcastle, April 1996

Martin Tyler has an unbelievable ability to sense when a big moment is on the horizon. Not only was Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Newcastle one of the greatest matches in Premier League history, but it produced one of the greatest commentaries too.

“Collymore closing in… Liverpool lead in stoppage time! Kevin Keegan hangs his head… he’s devastated!”

Tony Adams v Everton, May 1998

Arsenal wrapped up their first Premier League title with a comfortable win over Everton. Captain Tony Adams scored the fourth in a 4-0 win. Adams was just as rare as Man United not winning the title, Tyler described it brilliantly.

“And it’s Tony Adams, put through by Steve Bould… would you believe it! That sums it all up…”

Paulo Di Canio v Wimbledon, March 2000

Sometimes not many words are needed to describe incredible moments, take Paulo Di Canio’s volley for an example. Martin Tyler is almost speechless when it goes in:

“Oh I do not believe that,  that is sensational even by his standards”

Stan Collymore v Leeds, October 2000

Four years after that goal against Newcastle, Stan Collymore was at Bradford and back doing what he does best, scoring incredible goals. This time Martin Tyler described his over head kick against Leeds.

“COLLYMORE! Glorious goal, Stan is back and HOW!”

Leeds United’s summer transfer business is finally picking up after a quiet summer so far.

Just over a month ago, Leeds announced that former Argentina manager, Marcelo Bielsa, would replace Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout at Elland Road. Leeds fans got a first taste of what next season could entail during a 2-1 win over Forest Green Rovers in pre-season. Since then, the Whites are yet to taste victory after draws against York and Southend followed by defeats against Oxford and Guiseley.

It’s clear that Leeds need to strengthen during the summer window. With just two weeks remaining until the window slams shut, time is running out to complete their business. Only two signings have joined thus far with Lewis Baker and Jamal Blackman arriving on loan from Chelsea.

Bielsa should return to Stamford Bridge and attempt to lure Charly Musonda to Elland Road. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian forward endured a dismal 2017/18 campaign. His loan spell at Celtic was cut short, and he played just 35 minutes of Premier League football after returning to his parent club.

Chelsea are eager to avoid the same mistake and want to ensure Musonda receives first-team football if he leaves on loan. Leeds could offer the 21-year-old the perfect platform to express himself. With bags of pace and trickery, the ex-Anderlecht youngster could be a huge hit in the Championship.

With a point to prove, Leeds could pick up one of the signings of the summer.

Leeds United fans, thoughts?