[ad_pod ]

Arsenal welcome unbeaten Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to stretch their unbeaten run to fourteen matches in all competitions. However, despite the home advantage, Unai Emery’s side face a tough task in getting a result against the Reds.

In order to come away with any points against Jurgen Klopp’s side, the Gunners must be solid defensively and can’t afford to make any errors. For that reason, the Spanish coach must make a big call and leave Shkodran Mustafi on the bench.

Despite having cost the Gunners more than £35 million to sign from Valencia in 2016, the 26-year-old German has failed to prove his quality in England and is a constant liability at the back. In Sokratis and Rob Holding, Emery has a far more reliable pair to call upon for this weekend’s match.

Many Arsenal fans agree that Mustafi must be dropped, with 65% of those we asked stating that they don’t want him in the starting XI to face Liverpool. See the full results below.

Former Leeds United midfielder Lewis Cook produced another impressive display for Bournemouth in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, and the Whites must be regretting selling him for just an initial £6m fee.

What’s the word, then?

The Cherries signed the highly-rated youngster from the Yorkshire outfit for a fee that could rise to £10m in July 2016, and the 21-year-old has gone from strength to strength for the south coast outfit – establishing himself as a key first-team regular in more recent times having begun the campaign on the substitutes’ bench.

While Eddie Howe’s men fell to defeat against the Red Devils courtesy of Anthony Martial’s injury-time winner, the former Leeds youth graduate once again impressed and played a clever reverse pass in the build up to Callum Wilson’s opener for the hosts.

Cook earned his first senior England call-up back in March, and there will be plenty more to come if he continues his current progress.

Did Leeds undervalue him?

You’d be hard pressed to find many people that believes that they didn’t, although you could argue that transfer fees have become far more heavily inflated since then.

To sell a player of his ability and clear potential for just an initial £6m is obviously a mistake, and the annoying thing for Whites fans is that it wouldn’t have happened – at least not for that low fee – had Andrea Radrizzani been at the helm instead of Massimo Cellino at the time.

It is clear that the technically sound Cook has a huge future ahead of him if he carries on his current path, but the Yorkshire club can do nothing about that right now and they will be hoping that they are playing in the same division as their former hero next season.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham are still waiting to find out if Toby Alderweireld will extend his contract in North London, and they should do their shopping close to home if the Belgian does leave.

What’s the word?

Mauricio Pochettino may just have unearthed another gem with Argentinian centre back Juan Foyth, but he should add to his ranks even further by making a shock move for Issa Diop.

The young Frenchman signed for West Ham this summer, and has far exceeded all expectations.

He is already the most important member of Manuel Pellegrini’s defence, and he could be the perfect replacement if Alderweireld does not renew his contract.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”327140″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Leicester Trump Man City Chelsea & Liverpool”]

Just how good is he?

Diop’s rare combination of speed, strength, intelligence and ball-playing ability make him an absolute force to be reckoned with, and a long-term partnership with Davinson Sanchez could make one of the league’s great duos.

Pundits and fans alike have already started putting Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez alongside the Premier League’s greatest centre back pairings, and Sanchez and Diop would certainly give them a run for their money.

Diop is only 21, but has transitioned from Ligue 1 to the fastest league in the world with ease, the mark of a truly exceptional young talent.

He reads the game incredibly well for such a young player, averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.1 blocks per game.

To put those numbers in perspective, Alderweireld averages 1.2 tackles, one interception and 0.5 blocks in the Premier League this season.

Diop also has the ball-playing ability and composure to play at the very highest level, completing 89 per cent of his passes so far this season.

West Ham fans certainly wouldn’t like it, but a partnership of Diop and Sanchez would strike fear into opposition attacker, and Daniel Levy will simply have to splash the cash Alderweireld does depart.

So, Tottenham fans, do you think Diop would be a good signing? Can you see it happening? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Tottenham may be in the market for a new striker in the January transfer window.

Mauricio Pochettino has tried and failed to sign a suitable back up for Harry Kane in recent transfer windows. Spurs have signed both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen to provide competition to the England captain, but neither player has proved to be a viable option. The Argentine would be wise to target a new forward when the window reopens.

Business opens in less than two months, so Pochettino needs to start drawing up a shortlist of potential targets. After not signing a single player during the summer, he should have a large budget available to bolster his ranks.

One man he should be targeting is Borussia Monchengladbach hotshot – Alassane Plea. Valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman was chased by clubs all around the globe following a superb season with Nice where he netted over 20 goals in all competitions. It was Borussia Monchengladbach who won the race for his services despite reports suggesting that Tottenham were interested in bringing the forward to north London.

Plea has hit the ground running after moving to Germany, scoring 11 goals in his first 12 appearances for his new side – he is showing Tottenham exactly what they missed out on in the summer. His performance have not gone unnoticed with the 25-year-old receiving his first call-up to the senior national team. Plea is also comfortable on the left wing which would make him an extremely useful for Pochettino to have at his disposal.

It would take a considerable sum of money to convince Monchengladbach to sell their prized asset but landing Plea would finally give Pochettino the back up forward he has been crying out for.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

[ad_pod ]

So much hype surrounded Reece Oxford when he made his West Ham United debut in 2015 at the tender age of 16.

The Edmonton-born ace is versatile in that he can play in defence or in the middle of the park.

In order to improve his development, Oxford was sent on loan to Reading in 2017, but he only made five appearances.

West Ham continued to send the now 19-year-old on loan spells, as he had two stints at Borussia Monchengladbach.

However, after returning to the London Stadium in the summer, he struggled to win a place in Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

Oxford has faded into the background, but it seems that Monchengladbach remain interested in the youngster moving to Germany.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would peform for them in a hilarious prank by Playmaker FC…

According to Sky Sports News, the Bundesliga outfit are considering making a move for the West Ham youngster in January.

It is believed that they want to sign Oxford, who made seven league appearances for the club, on a permanent deal.

Given how his career at the London Stadium has stalled, should the Hammers let him go, or does he still have the potential to succeed at the club?

Let us know by voting below.

Everton should make it clear to Paris Saint-Germain that they are not interested in selling Idrissa Gueye any time soon after it was reported that the French champions are planning a move for the midfielder to replace Adrien Rabiot.

According to Paris United, via the Sun, PSG are considering the upcoming January transfer window as the best time to search for Rabiot’s replacement after he verbally agreed to move to Barcelona at the end of the season. The void that would be left by Rabiot means that PSG would have big boots to fill if they were to find a similar midfielder with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey also on their radar.

But the Toffees can’t really afford to lose Gueye, especially not in January, after the promising start that he made under new manager Marco Silva. The Senegal international has possibly been playing his best football yet since signing for the Merseyside club in 2016 from Aston Villa.

Gueye also extended his contract in February this year which is supposed to keep him at Goodison Park until 2022.

PSG, however, are expected to offer big sums of money if they go through with the plan of making Gueye an offer to move to Paris, but that shouldn’t tempt the 29-year-old into signing.

Silva should make it clear to Gueye that he is a big part of his plans to get Everton back in the Europa League and will continue to have a vital role to play if the team was to finish on a high at the end of the season.

Everton are currently ninth in the Premier League but have had some good results in recent matches, most notably keeping Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea to 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Gueye seems to have found the right partner in the midfield in Andre Gomes, who has been a major positive for Silva since making his debut. The combination of Gueye and Gomez behind Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Theo Walcott also looks to be working as they offer the attackers much more freedom to press forward, while they remain defensive in the midfield.

Breaking this formation would only cause problems for Silva.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some comments from Carlo Ancelotti, as the Napoli boss bashed the magic of Anfield ahead of the huge Champions League decider.

Liverpool will have to beat Napoli either 1-0 or by at least two goals when the Italian outfit come to Anfield in two weeks, but Ancelotti doesn’t seem too fazed.

“We must go to Anfield with courage and play our game,” he said.

“Now let’s think about the Serie A game at Atalanta on Monday, which will be more difficult than Liverpool.”

The Reds have progressed from similar positions several times over the years, most notably thanks to Steven Gerrard’s late strike against Olympiakos in 2004, when they went on to win the competition.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”335560″ player=”12034″ title=”FIFA Awards”]

Ancelotti is not the first manager to play down the Anfield atmosphere either, as both Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann and former Villarreal boss Marcelino have talked down trips to Anfield only to lose convincingly on the night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will certainly need the lift after the dour performance in Paris, and fans suspect Ancelotti has just cursed his team in the same way Nagelsmann and Marcelino did.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a huge setback for Joe Gomez, as the defender is expected to miss the entire Christmas period with a fractured leg.

Liverpool have confirmed the news fans were dreading, as the injury Gomez picked up at Turf Moor is worse than first thought

Ben Mee’s challenge on the Reds’ rising star seemed clean enough, but the 21 year-old will now miss around six weeks with a fracture to his lower left leg.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

This is a devastating setback for the player, club and of course Jurgen Klopp, who was building the league’s best defence around both Gomez and the colossal Virgil van Dijk.

The race is now on between Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip to take Gomez’s spot, and one would have to assume Lovren is first choice despite Matip’s relatively assured performance at Burnley.

Loads of fans have been reacting to the setback for Gomez, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are considering launching a January bid to land unsettled West Ham United defender Reece Oxford.

What’s the story?

According to the aforementioned report, Oxford is only interested in securing a permanent move away from the London Stadium, as he doesn’t want to be turfed out on yet another loan deal.

Despite the Hammers seeming to prefer another temporary arrangement, they could probably be tempted into selling the 20-year-old in the upcoming winter window. For all his potential, Oxford hasn’t been in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans this season, and is yet to make an appearance for the Irons under the Chilean.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

Letting Oxford go wouldn’t be the end of the world for the east London outfit, but other Premier League clubs should certainly be tempted by the prospect of coaxing the best out of the 6’3” youngster. 

Everton boss Marco Silva will fancy his chances of revitalising Oxford’s stagnating career.

Worth the risk?

The Toffees already have one promising English youngster who Silva has been tasked with getting the best out of, Ademola Lookman.

The similarities don’t end there, either. Both players have also had their attitudes questioned – Lookman by former boss Sam Allardyce, and Oxford for his desire to push for moves elsewhere.

Before attempting to lure Oxford to Goodison Park though, Silva should think carefully about whether such a move is really worth the risk. If he is serious about achieving Everton’s ambitions of securing European football, perhaps signing an unreliable and inexperienced centre-back isn’t the smart way to go. 

According to a recent report from RTL (via Sky Sports), Adrien Rabiot looks set to leave French giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. The 23-year-old has come up through the ranks at the Parc des Princes and been a regular in the first team pretty much ever since breaking into the senior set-up back in 2012, although it doesn’t look as though he has much of a future at the Ligue 1 champions.

And that’s because recent comments from his agent suggest that he will definitely not be signing a contract extension with Thomas Tuchel’s side, and while reports earlier this week suggested that he had rejected a move to Premier League outfit Tottenham, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy shouldn’t be deterred in his quest to land Mauricio Pochettino the perfect Tottenham signing.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the midfield ranks at the North London outfit look set for some change come the end of the season what with Mousa Dembele’s contract set to expire in the summer, and no new agreement seemingly likely to keep the Belgian ace at the club.

And with Victor Wanyama’s fitness proving to be something of a problem in recent times, it seems pretty clear that Pochettino could do with another hugely accomplished option in the middle of the park – after all, it was the combination of Dembele and Wanyama which helped the club finish second behind Chelsea in the Premier League in 2017.

And while the efforts of Eric Dier, Harry Winks, and Moussa Sissoko haven’t gone unnoticed, Spurs need greater quality and players of the calibre of Dembele and Wanyama to take the next step in their pursuit of major honours – Rabiot is of that calibre.

The 23-year-old has proven to be a hugely adept central midfielder over the years at PSG, scoring 24 goals and laying on 17 assists in 224 appearances for the French heavyweights, with the France international pretty much a regular throughout his time at the club other than this season.

And in possessing similar midfield traits to that of Dembele, be it great calmness and strength on the ball in making driving runs and picking a pass, or indeed tenacity off it in breaking up play with well-timed tackles and interceptions, the Frenchman appears to be exactly what Spurs need in the middle of the park were the Belgium international to leave.

And at the tender age of 23, yet having already achieved so much in the game at PSG, Rabiot would be the perfect signing for both the present and indeed the future – he’s the calibre of signing Tottenham must now target if they are to compete with England and Europe’s elite clubs.

Thus, while reports suggested that the 23-year-old has turned down Spurs, the fact that Rabiot’s agent has confirmed that he will be leaving PSG should be of interest to Tottenham chairman Levy – he shouldn’t be deterred by the former reports in his quest to land Pochettino the perfect Spurs signing.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!