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In the end, it was another disappointing defeat away at top six rival for Arsenal on Saturday evening.

The Gunners headed into the Premier League clash against Manchester City full of optimism, with three wins from four and presumably bouncing from their deadline day capture of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

The new signing however had to make do with a place on the bench, but it was another summer arrival who really let Mikel Arteta down: Willian.

The Brazilian arrived on a free transfer from London rivals Chelsea, and after kick-starting life at the Emirates with a fabulous display against Fulham on the opening day when he picked up a couple of assists, things have slowed down considerably for him.

Against City, he was tasked with admittedly an unfamiliar role, playing as a withdrawn striker with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe lining up out wide.

The tactical tweak did Willian no favours, and for the large part of his 69 minutes on the pitch, he was just chasing shadows, caught in no-man’s land between pressing from the front, and dropping deep to collect the ball.

The game simply passed him by, and when you look at his underlying numbers, there’s no question that the former Chelsea man badly disappointed.

As per Sofascore, despite being the most advanced player in a central position, he made just 20 total passes in the entire game, recording 32 touches overall. To put that into context – and perhaps this is more of an indication about how Arsenal struggled creatively speaking to stitch patterns together in their passing – goalkeeper Bernd Leno saw the more 24 more times, with 56.

Willian also registered no shots on goal or dribbles whatsoever, whilst only two of his seven attempted crosses found its target. And if Arteta had positioned him in that false nine role to see him do his part defensively, then he let him down in that sense too, making no tackles or interceptions, and winning just one of three duels.

The Gunners needed their whole team to be fit and firing, but instead, one of their more experienced campaigners just didn’t turn up.

Much of the recent news surrounding Glasgow Rangers is about Alfredo Morelos, as the forward looks to be on his way out as he has reportedly agreed personal terms with Lille.

The ‘Gers don’t want to let the 24 year-old go for less than £20m and former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan believes that this fee will not stop the Ligue 1 side from signing the player.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said: “I do not think English clubs want him and that is because of his attitude and his fragile temperament.

“Lille are interested and that is off the back of other teams poaching their players. I am sure they have the money to spend now.

“Rangers will be holding out for about £20million, in that region. That is what a player that scores the amount of goals he does deserves. Sometimes big clubs cannot turn down big offers.”

Whelan is discussing the fact that star Lille striker Victor Osimhen, who has played 38 times in all competitions this campaign and scored 18 goals along with providing six assists (per £55m.

It is hard to disagree with Whelan on the fact that they will easily have the money to spend and, with Morelos scoring 77 goals in 137 ‘Gers appearances, the French side could have found their ideal Osimhen replacement whilst only having to spend less than half of the reported £55m that they could get for the Nigerian striker.

It’s also fair to say that the ‘Gers may not be able to refuse such an offer. The Ibrox club bought the Colombian for only £1.08m and now could sell him and get just under £19m of a profit for him. With this money, they could sign some good replacements and improve the quality of the squad, particularly in attack.

‘Gers fans, what are your thoughts on Whelan’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below!

2019/20 hasn’t exactly been easy for West Ham United but now that they have successfully survived that particular battle, it’s time for David Moyes and co. to look ahead to the next campaign. Obviously, improving the squad is their priority and with that come purchases in the summer transfer window.

However, the Hammers don’t have a warchest just lying around so in order to buy, they will have to sell first. And according to Sky Sports’ new update, Moyes is ready to part with Issa Diop in an attempt to further raise funds.

Of course, this is not the first time we hear about the young defender attracting a lot of interest from various different teams. Just last summer, as the same outlet reminds, Diop was valued at £75m when Manchester United were knocking on West Ham’s door. Now, however, the Hammers will likely have to sell for around £45m instead.

The financial situation at the club is not brilliant, not in the slightest, and even though every club in the country was hit during the outbreak of the pandemic, the London outfit seem to be struggling more than most.

SkySports mention Diop actually earns less than half what some of his other teammates do and this could be a chance for him to finally start earning more than his £50,000 a week wages somewhere else.

West Ham, on the other hand, are just looking to cash in wherever they can and the same report states at least two Premier League clubs are currently interested.

Verdict

Diop will surely be missed if he ends up leaving the club in the ongoing summer transfer window. However, big changes are needed and this is the only way Moyes actually gets the chance to invest in his squad.

Sacrifices often have to be made and the young defender is looking likely to be the Hammers’ first one of the summer.

League One side Bristol Rovers have offered a contract to Sunderland defender Jack Baldwin, according to Bristol LIVE.

With the 2019/20 season ending abruptly for the Black Casts, manager Phil Parkinson will now look to the summer months to address a number of pending decisions.

Parkinson’s first port of call will be to review a list of expiring player contracts that sees the likes of Baldwin set to leave this week.

The central defender, who spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan with League Two side Salford City, is now free to discuss terms with a new club as his deal comes to an end tomorrow.

Baldwin, who arrived at the Stadium of Light in the summer of 2018 from Peterborough United, made a total of 42 appearances for the Wearsiders before moving on loan to Salford.

Rovers, who will be looking to strengthen their squad this summer with manager Ben Garner seemingly keen to improve on their 14th-place finish in League One, have reportedly offered a deal to Baldwin.

Valued at a lowly sum of £293k by Transfermarkt, Rovers would be getting an assured option at centre-back should they complete a deal for Baldwin, whilst Sunderland boss Parkinson will be keen to bring in some new options in defence.

Sunderland fans have been through it all over the last few years and they are now set to see a whole host of squad changes this summer.

Baldwin’s exit is unlikely to cause huge fan upset given that he spent time away from the club, but Parkinson must ensure that he has enough cover in defence ahead of next season.

Do you think Sunderland should have kept hold of Jack Baldwin? Let us know in the comments section below…

Divock Origi has declared he has no intentions of leaving Liverpool, even if it costs him a place at the European Championship with Belgium.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the striker is not prepared to embark upon a new challenge away from the Merseyside outfit. Origi has admitted he is quite happy to be viewed as a ‘super-sub’, despite receiving limited action on the pitch.

Although he is not Liverpool’s first choice striker, the Belgian has contributed to some memorable moments for the club. The Reds arguably would not have lifted their sixth European Cup last year without Origi. The 25-year-old scored a brace against Barcelona in the semi-final to help overturn a 3-0 deficit and his goal at the death in the final sealed Liverpool’s Champions League glory.

However, since earning his cult hero status last season, he has struggled to make much of an impact this time round. Origi has made 25 Premier League appearances this term and has found the back of the net just three times (via Transfermarkt).

It seems a lot of Liverpool supporters aren’t a fan of his attitude towards not being in competition with Roberto Firmino. One fan has slammed him for having an ‘absolutely shocking mentality’ whilst another thinks it’s ‘time to go’ based off his unproductive season.

Read more replies from some of the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool should keep or sell Divock Origi? Have your say in the comments below…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter after Ricky Sacks relayed a story from The Daily Mail saying that manager Jose Mourinho’s summer transfer budget will be slashed.

The report says that north London outfit’s projected income is expected to suffer given what is going on in the United Kingdom at the current time, with the Premier League confirming in a statement on Friday that the season will not be resuming at the beginning of May as had previously been suggested.

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In addition, chairman Daniel Levy’s hopes of securing a lucrative naming rights deal for their stadium have also suffered a blow for the same reason, meaning they are now planning cutbacks across the club.

One of those is going to be Mourinho’s summer transfer budget according to The Daily Mail, which isn’t great news for the Portuguese boss.

Indeed, Bild had previously reported that he had five names on his transfer wish-list, while The Telegraph also said that his budget could be £50m if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

This latest blow could even reduce that number further, and after such a poor season and Harry Kane saying last weekend he wouldn’t stay “for the sake of it” if his ambitions aren’t met, this is clearly a setback.

Spurs supporters have acknowledged that below, with one saying it was “nice knowing you Harry”, and another taking aim at the chairman, saying “typical Levy”.

Here is the full reaction…

In other Tottenham news, one journalist’s fresh Spurs transfer claim suggests Pochettino favourite is on his way this summer…

Ibrox, the home of Glasgow Rangers, is one of football’s oldest and most historic stadiums.

The Gers have played there since they were founded in 1872, although it hasn’t always looked as it is now. Whilst it may not be as big as either Celtic Park or Hampden Park, it is still one of the grounds that is known across the world as being the home of the 54-time Scottish champions.

With the current pandemic, there is plenty of time for supporters of all clubs to fill, and that gap has led to Twitter page RangersHistory sharing photos of the Argyle House. In 1990, it was added to Govan Stand after eight months of work to get it completed.

It hasn’t taken long for the club’s supporters to react to the images – but they don’t appear to be fans of the stand in its current form. They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

Let us know what you think!

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to send a message to the club’s owner Gao Jisheng, following a harmless post from the Saints’ official account.

The tweet showcased the fact that The Killers will be coming to perform at St Mary’s in June, although it is fair to say that these supporters of the south coast outfit on Twitter don’t care about that in the slightest as they aimed their frustrations at Gao.

All of the supporters on Twitter have been tweeting #GaoOut as they take aim at the Chinese tycoon, who owns an 80% stake in the club since spending £210m to become the majority stakeholder back in August 2017 – previous owner Katharina Liebherr retains a 20% stake.

Since Gao’s arrival, the south coast side’s fortunes have dipped drastically as they find themselves consistently battling relegation rather than competing in Europe, as they previously were under Ronald Koeman.

With the Saints currently sitting 19th in the Premier League, the general mood towards Gao seems to have soured because of the aforesaid, a sentiment echoed by the negative message sent to the Chinese owner from these Southampton fans…

Sky Sports commentator and columnist Martin Tyler has revealed his most notable memory of St James’ Park in an article published on the platform’s official website.

The veteran discussed many aspects of the iconic ground, including how he gets to the stadium, what it is like to commentate there, sharing a trivial fact, what he likes about the place and perhaps most interestingly, his most notable memory of the ground.

Loads of Newcastle United fans will be wondering what this is, and it has been revealed that the memory is one of the 5-0 demolition of reigning Premier League champions from the season before Manchester United in 1996 under Kevin Keegan at St James’ Park.

Goals came from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and Philippe Albert, with the latter chipping Peter Schmeichel from 25 yards, an effort that was described as ‘delicious’ and ‘extra special’ by Tyler, as Albert was a central defender by trade.

Remembering the game, Tyler wrote: “They [Newcastle] were like men possessed, even though the first goal from defender Darren Peacock and the third – a powerful header from Les Ferdinand which twice hit the underside of the bar – only just went over the line.

“David Ginola had us reaching for superlatives with a shot that whipped past Peter Schmeichel. Alan Shearer, who carried the fire of the fans in his own heart, also got in on the act.

“It took something extra special to top it all off and Belgian defender Philippe Albert provided it by seeing Peter Schmeichel off his line and chipping the ball over him from 25 yards. A delicious goal!”

The Magpies certainly got their revenge on The Red Devils as the Mancunian club beat them to the title the year before, as Newcastle had to settle for a runners-up spot.

Tyler claims that the campaign before, as well as the 4-0 defeat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the Charity Shield, were used as motivation for The Toon Army as they ran riot on a Super Sunday. As per the article, Keegan said that it was the greatest game of his career, but he was gone just a few months later.

This match lives long in the memory of Tyler and Keegan, and it probably does for many Magpies too.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Newcastle discussion going on in the Vital Newcastle Forum! Click here to get involved!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Brom will have to wait until Monday to see if they still hold sole possession of the Championship lead, but given that the five teams below them all play before the Baggies, they could go into the Stoke City game needing a result.

Slaven Bilic will undoubtedly be looking for improvements after his side failed to pick up a victory last week – they needed a comeback to salvage a point against basement boys Barnsley before Charlton Athletic snatched a draw of their own late at the death.

The Croatian can aid his team’s chances by making a simple switch, one that, in reality, has been a long time coming.

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On the Chalkboard

Charlie Austin’s woes in front of goal continued, which won’t have helped their cause in either stalemate one bit. It’s now just the one goal in ten league appearances, which for a £4m summer signing is abysmal.

Meanwhile, Hal Robson-Kanu has doubled the former Southampton striker’s tally in just three matches – 70 minutes to be precise.

It’s time to hand the Welshman a start over his fellow 30-year-old, not just because he’s showing better form, but he’s also a better fit for the way Bilic wants his team to play.

The majority of Austin’s goals have been from inside the area throughout his career, per Understat’s xG model, yet much of the football under the 51-year-old is with the ball on the ground.

Albion rank third in the league for possession percentage per game at 54.5%, so the summer signing is having to drop deeper to claim the ball as seen in his WhoScored heatmap below from the Charlton game. He’s all over the place.

He doesn’t even look like scoring either. Robson-Kanu is currently building up some excellent form, so it is time to allow an opportunity to start.

The 30-year-old also records less unsuccessful touches (1.3) than Austin (1.9), which will only benefit Bilic’s system as they will retain possession of the ball rather than lose it.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

And as the Express & Star explain in their post-match ratings from the QPR victory, Robson-Kanu’s movement is all that more impressive.

Austin is quickly becoming a flop at the Hawthorns, and this style of football just isn’t helping him at all.