Arsenal supporters have taken to Twitter to express their reactions to Arsene Wenger’s lineup for their vital Premier League match against Liverpool.
The Gunners have enjoyed a mixed start to the season, and they currently occupy fifth in the Premier League table having already lost five out of their 18 league games.
For yet another season, it seems that Arsenal’s title challenge is over before it really began and tonight’s fixture against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is especially significant in the context of the race for the top four places.
Liverpool are currently positioned in fourth place in the league table, a single point above Arsenal. Even though the Reds have fewer wins to their name than the Gunners, they’ve also endured fewer defeats – three less in fact.
Here’s how the Arsenal supporters have reacted on Twitter to the starting eleven that will face Liverpool in tonight’s crucial clash for the Champions League places.
As reported by The Sun, Manchester United are ready to make David de Gea the highest paid player at Old Trafford in an effort to rebuff interest from Real Madrid.
What’s the story?
The Spanish goalkeeper has been at United for almost seven years now, but over the years has consistently been linked with a move back to his homeland.
Thus far the Red Devils have managed to keep him happy in Manchester, where he’s become one of the most important members of their starting eleven.
To ensure that continues, the club are prepared to make him their highest paid star, with an eye watering £300,000 per week wage set to be offered according to The Sun.
While his contract doesn’t run out until 2019, with the club holding a year extension option, the paper reports that Man United are set to open contract talks soon to up his current £210,000 per week deal.
Is he worth the money?
The shot-stopper is arguably one of the top three goalkeepers in the world and United are undoubtedly better off with him than without him. He’s bailed them out on numerous occasions and has a lengthy highlight reel of stunning saves, making 111 clean sheets in total.
Rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, handing him a new contract not only ties him down to more years at the club but protects his value too should he ever personally wish to make a move back to La Liga.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Retaining him is key to Man United’s trophy ambitions over the next few years though and it’s no surprise to hear they are ready to throw money at him.
With close to 300 appearances for the club, he would be almost irreplaceable at this point, especially as he is heading into his prime years at 27.
Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League during the summer transfer window.
The Gabon international ended up staying put at the Bundesliga club, but now that the winter market has rolled around, Arsenal have been touted as potential suitors.
Sky Italy recently reported that Aubameyang is the Gunners’ amber-one choice to replace Alexis Sanchez if the Chilean departs this month.
However, when asked about the speculation during his press conference on Friday, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters that a deal was “not a possibility”.
The future of Sanchez remains shrouded in doubt due to the fact that he has not signed a new contract at the Emirates.
The attacker is free to pen a pre-contract agreement with another club this month because his current terms at Arsenal expire in the summer.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
With the uncertainty surrounding Sanchez and Wenger’s admission that Aubameyang is not a target, fans have been expressing their thoughts on Twitter.
According to reports in the Sunday Times on January 21, Newcastle United bosses are ready to open talks over extending Rafa Benitez’s contract with the club, despite the side’s struggles in recent months.
The Magpies found themselves in sixth position in the Premier League table after taking 14 points from their opening nine fixtures this season, but a run of just one point from the next 27 available saw them slide back down towards the relegation zone.
Failure to beat the likes of Bournemouth, Watford, Swansea City, Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion at St James’ Park during that period have left the Toon in a precarious position, and the lack of top flight experience and quality they have within their playing squad has certainly been a factor in that and needs to be addressed in the coming days.
Their form dipped as soon as owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale and it was announced that Amanda Staveley’s PCP Partners were keen to complete a takeover deal, which of course would have proven to be a distraction and cause some uncertainty for the players – especially as negotiations rumbled on with little progress.
Ashley eventually pulled the plug on the deal last week and while Benitez certainly wouldn’t have been happy about the news as he looks to try and take Newcastle to the next level – something that won’t be possible under the leadership of the Sports Direct tycoon – he may also have been slightly relieved that the takeover talk that had been hanging over the club had at least disappeared in what is a crucial period for the team.
The Spaniard has 18 months left on his current deal – which is worth £6m-a-year according to the Sunday Times – and while the hierarchy and the supporters will want him to commit his future to the club, the Magpies’ current situation in the Premier League and their lack of transfer action so far this month is more concerning right now.
Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against runaway leaders Manchester City, which was no surprise to anyone betting as a fan – combined with other results across the weekend – mean that the Tyneside outfit are in 15th position and just one point above the relegation zone, and three points off of the bottom of the table, as they look to avoid an instant return to the Championship.
Benitez has made no secret of his desire to improve his squad before the January transfer window slams shut next Wednesday – having also been left unsatisfied with his summer business – and he said last month that he wanted all of the new players through the door by January 20.
However, the breakdown in takeover talks between owner Ashley and Staveley’s PCP Partners and a generally slow window has meant that he didn’t have anyone in before that date, although Newcastle did complete a deal to bring Chelsea winger Kenedy to St James’ Park on loan until the end of the season on Tuesday.
Ashley knows that he needs to back his manager and try and bring all of his top targets to the club before the end of the month, and offering Benitez a new contract may prove to be an unneeded distraction to those endeavours – especially as the former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager probably wouldn’t sign it as things stand anyway.
With no proposed takeover on the table and with the 57-year-old feeling that Newcastle haven’t lived up to their promises when it comes to play recruitment either last summer or so far in January, he could even be tempted to walk away completely if things don’t go his way by the close of play on Wednesday.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Any contract talks for the Spaniard must take a back seat now in the interest of common sense, with a goalkeeper and a centre-forward the priority signings for the Magpies to end the month on a high and in order to keep Benitez satisfied.
Patrice Evra has remained a favourite among Manchester United supporters following his departure from Old Trafford in 2014.
The Frenchman won 10 trophies with the Red Devils, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League crown.
Since leaving the North-West outfit, Evra has had spells at Juventus and Marseille.
The left-back’s recent stint in France, though, ended sour as he had his contract terminated after kicking a Marseille fan prior to a Europa League match on November 2.
Evra was banned by UEFA until June 2018, meaning that he is not permitted to play in any Europa or Champions League games until that time.
The suspension does not, however, extend to domestic football, and as he is a free agent, the Frenchman is eligible to sign for another club.
According to the Daily Mail, the 36-year-old is on the verge of joining West Ham United on a free after visiting the London club’s training ground on Tuesday.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Not long after the reports began trickling through, Manchester United fans tweeted their thoughts on the speculation, and a possible reunion for David Moyes and Evra.
Villa’s senior team may have seen their seven match unbeaten run in the Championship come to an end on Saturday, but the clubs fans’ think that their youth academy might have the answers to kickstart another good run of form after the U23’s demolished Wolves 6-1.
A brace from Corey-Blackett Taylor alongside strikes from Callum O’Hare, Harvey Knibbs and Alex Prosser cancelled out Jose Xavier’s first-half goal, and the Villans now sit just one point off Group 2 leaders Blackburn Rovers in the race to secure the only automatic promotion spot to the top tier of the PL2.
With the absence of senior team players Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah looking set to continue for tonight’s fixture with Preston North End, Villa fans are calling for manager Steve Bruce to make the most of the youth team’s success and make a few call-ups.
O’Hare in particular has been catching a few eyes as a potential solution to Villa’s injury woes…
O’Hare could help Villa reclaim second place tonight, which they will retake with a win over Preston and a Cardiff loss tomorrow night against Ispwich Town.
Liverpool boosted their English Premier League top four credentials on Saturday with a convincing 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Anfield.
The Reds are now undefeated in six matches in all competitions and 18 goals in that time, delighting supporters by reaching their peak attacking form.
Predictably it was Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who got the goals, scoring either side of half-time to put a game they dominated beyond doubt, with the Magpies offering little in reply.
With four clean sheets in their last six matches though, defensively the Reds are looking as good as they have for a long time and fans believe it’s all down to new signing Virgil Van Dijk.
He’s forming a composed partnership with Dejan Lovren at the back and fans believe it could be the foundation for something special given they have one of the best attacks in Europe.
They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the duo’s performance this weekend…
Former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard says Newcastle would be bottom of the Premier League without Rafael Benitez.
“They’d be bottom without him,” Gerrard said on BT Sport on Saturday, following the Magpies’ 2-0 defeat at Anfield. “I don’t think he’ll be that disappointed because he would have known it was a big ask to come here and win. It was not a fixture he’d have said he’d have to get something from.”
Newcastle face home tests against fellow strugglers Southampton and Huddersfield next.
“They are a Championship team with a Premier League manager,” Gerrard said.
Gerrard worked with Benitez for six years at Liverpool, winning both the FA Cup and the Champions League in that time.
Benitez’s men set up deep as expected at Anfield but couldn’t contain Liverpool’s attacking trio, as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane found the net in what turned out to be a comfortable evening for the hosts.
Mo Diame did threaten shortly before the interval, but the visitors created little after the break and reverted almost immediately to damage limitation mode after the second goal.
“It’s the gulf between your Manchester Citys, your Liverpools and Newcastle,” Gerrard continued. “Years ago, you played Newcastle here – the 4-3 games and all the battles (my team) had – and it was a lot closer than that.”
Newcastle fans have been reacting to Gerrard’s comments, and for the most part are finding it hard to disagree with him. Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
West Ham United defender James Collins will be given every chance to prove his fitness for this afternoon’s Premier League game against Burnley.
The 34-year-old has not played since the team’s 4-1 loss to Liverpool on February 24.
A hamstring injury forced the defender to miss last weekend’s defeat to Swansea City, and it is unsure whether he will make it for the match against Burnley at the London Stadium.
According to the London Evening Standard, manager David Moyes will make a late decision on whether or not to include Collins in his squad.
The publication states that the former Aston Villa player was expected to return to training on Friday, which would give the coaching staff a better idea on where his fitness levels are at.
Meanwhile, fans have been debating on Twitter whether January signing Jordan Hugill should be given his first start this weekend.
The Hammers are in need of some points having lost three of their last four Premier League games.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Moyes’s side are three points above the relegation zone with nine matches left to play before the end of the season.
Mohamed Salah is the talk of the town at the moment thanks to his goalscoring heroics for Liverpool.
The Egyptian international has scored 36 goals in all competitions and is current leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 28 to his name.
The 25-year-old was labelled a Chelsea reject after failing to establish himself in the first team during a two-year spell, but now he is drawing comparisons to five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
Whenever an attacking player is hitting his best form, he is generally likened to the greatest footballers in the game.
[ad_pod ]
After Salah hit four in a 5-0 rout over Watford last weekend, some have begun mentioning the former Roma star in the same breath as Messi, who has won 30 trophies in his career, including four Champions League titles.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In an interview with Sky Sports News, Salah’s club teammate Andrew Robertson, who has gained a major Liverpool following of his own, claimed that the attacker could reach the same heights as Messi.
As expected, plenty of rival fans are not having any of this.