Unai Emery has a huge job on his hands at Arsenal this season; tasked with leading the club in the post-Arsene Wenger era and restoring them to the Champions League places.

As he embarks on the major challenge, he has acted swiftly and decisively in the transfer market, securing arrivals in the three positions in which Arsenal needed upgrades; goalkeeper, central defender and holding midfield.

However, with the contract situation of Welshman Aaron Ramsey still unresolved, raising the prospect that he may follow Jack Wilshere out of the Emirates exit door, Emery has reportedly had his eye on Barcelona outcast Andre Gomes.

The Portuguese playmaker has talent but has lost his way and fallen down the pecking order at the Nou Camp, so we asked Gunners fans whether the man reportedly valued at £30m would be a better option than Ramsey.

It was a close call but 54 per cent of those who responded said that Ramsey was the better option as you can see from the full results below…

The Tottenham fans in and around the Transfer Tavern are becoming increasingly worried about the lack of activity in and out of the club this summer, questioning the ambition of those with great power at the club. 

Having reached the Champions League stages once again and the club being on the verge of moving into their new stadium, this was supposed to be an exciting summer for all concerned as Spurs looked to become bigger and stronger. However with no signings thus far, Daniel Levy really needs to get his chequebook out and look at the talent available.

Croatia’s Ante Rebic was one of many standout players within their side this summer and someone who could really improve Tottenham’s offensive power. Valued at £27 million on Transfermarkt, Rebic is currently with German side Frankfurt and after scoring 9 goals in 28 appearances last season should be seen as a real attacking threat as he presented during the World Cup.

After impressing throughout the tournament, interest around Rebic comes from fellow English side Manchester United also as all have seen the talent and potential of Ante Rebic. Predominantly he plays out on the left but he can also operate as a second striker, giving support or competition to Harry Kane, a player he helped his country knock out of the World Cup in the semi-final.

What is known is that Tottenham need to buy quality players and fast with the window now closing in less than a month. This is the club’s chance to show their ambition for the season ahead or willingness to stick to being the challengers.

Thoughts… Let us know!

When Sandro Ramirez joined Everton following the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, pressure was on his shoulders to fill the void.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he was unable to make an impact, making just eight Premier League outings before being shipped off to Sevilla on loan in January.

Ramirez failed to find the back of the net while playing for the Toffees, and it is unclear whether he will have a role in the 2018-19 campaign.

Manager Marco Silva has been positioning the attacker on the wing during pre-season friendlies.

However, if the Portuguese coach wants Ramirez as a wide option, the Spaniard is unlikely to get much game time.

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Richarlison recently joined the club for a hefty fee, which suggests that he will be first choice, while Ademola Lookman is also vying for the position.

With this in mind, we asked you if Ramirez should move on from Everton, and the majority of fans think that it is time to cut ties.

Newcastle’s business has been minimal in many senses of the word. 

For a club that needed large investment in multiple areas, particularly up front, Newcastle have only brought in three players. The most expensive of the trio being Martin Dubravka who joined for a £3.6 million fee according to Transfermarkt following his loan spell with the club.

Mike Ashley has been operating on a very tight budget and has informed Rafa Benitez that the club must sell before they buy. Recently the club completed a deal to send Chancel Mbemba to Porto and as per their transfer strategy, the club will reinvest his fee back into finding a replacement.

This week the club had been linked with a move for Swiss international, Fabian Schar and former Porto man Diego Reyes.

According to multiple reports, Schar is due for his medical at Tyneside this week while the Magpies have lost out to Bordeaux in the race for Diego Reyes according to L’Equipe.

The Breakdown

While it seems Mike Ashley is up to his wheeler-dealer ways, a £3 million fee for Fabian Schar may just prove excellent business.

The 26-year-old has plenty of experiences, is a physical presence and just about to enter his prime years.

While many may see the move for Schar as an alternative to Reyes, Newcastle seemed to have picked the better player. Moreover, considering Reyes is currently a free agent, while Schar will cost £3 million, that tells you what the penny-pinching Mike Ashley thinks of the two players.

So what do you think Newcastle fans? 

An exciting season awaits for the Champions League finalists in the coming campaign, as Jurgen Klopp looks to continue his successes on Merseyside.

After the disappointment of losing the Champions League final, the club have shown a real ambition in the transfer market this summer. Liverpool are looking like a club hungry for silverware. Mohamed Salah was in lethal touch for the Anfield outfit last season, and was the star quality Liverpool had been missing since the departure of Luis Suarez.

One key area of strengthening has been between the sticks. The record signing for a goalkeeper, the signing of Alisson from AS Roma could be the key to take Liverpool to the next level. Loris Karius was clearly the weak link in a free-scoring Liverpool side last season. Often, Liverpool relied on out-scoring opponents rather than defensive solidity.

Currently, it seems Liverpool are the best placed side to challenge Pep Guardiola’s extremely strong Manchester City side, a couple more additions could perhaps put the Liverpool squad on a par with that of the Premier League champions.

With that in mind, here are two signings FSG surely have to make ASAP to help Klopp achieve his ambitions…

According to reports on the Daily Record podcast via the Express, Liverpool are keen to bring the Arsenal midfielder to Anfield.

The Welsh international is nearing the last 12 months of his contract at the Emirates. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured, Aaron Ramsey might just be the perfect player for Klopp. Ramsey could add depth to an already strong Liverpool midfield.

Although he has had injury problems in his career, when fit Ramsey is undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s best midfielders. As well as being an intelligent and technically astute player, the Welshman adds crucial goals from midfield.

This deal should be a no-brainer for FSG.

The 6ft 5 non-league star is just 20-years-old, currently playing for Barnet FC of the National League. McKenzie-Lyle could come to the club ready to take up the third choice stopper role. It would be a move against the norm from Liverpool, with Chelsea and Manchester United signing players aged 35 and over to take up the role.

Signing McKenzie-Lyle would allow the Anfield outfit to move Loris Karius or Simon Mignolet on, who would both command relatively large transfer fees. These fees could be spent reinforcing other areas of the squad.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle United are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Ivan Cavaleiro before this summer’s transfer window closes for business.

It has been another largely frustrating transfer window for the Newcastle fans, but the Magpies are expected to sign at least one more player before Thursday’s 5pm deadline.

A new centre-back is believed to be high on the wishlist of head coach Rafael Benitez, but according to TEAMtalk, Wolves attacker Cavaleiro is also being considered.

The 24-year-old joined Wolves from Monaco in 2016, and scored nine times and registered 12 assists in 42 Championship appearances during the 2017-18 campaign.

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Cavaleiro is also a former title winner with Benfica, and has two caps for the Portugal national team.

There is no question that the attacker would provide Benitez with more options in the final third of the field, but it remains to be seen whether the club can get the move over the line.

The Newcastle fans have been discussing the deal on social media, and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The Premier League is back and although there is still more than 300 games to go, we learnt a lot about the season ahead from game week one.

From Manchester City looking just as good as last year, to Cardiff and Huddersfield struggling on the first day, you know the results from the first weekend but there are some things you missed.

As a new feature this year, we will take you through all the moments that you missed but the cameras caught from each game week.

This week there were some embarrassing moments for some, including Klopp and his celebration but also some Premier League firsts, with the first female pundit on Sky Sports Super Sunday.

Scroll through the article and check out what you missed.

Matt Richie’s Anger

After creating his side’s goal in the first half, Matt Richie was absolutely fuming when Rafa Benitez substituted him in the second.

With Newcastle 2-1 down at home to Spurs, he would have backed himself to help his side in the closing stages salvage something. This still of the moment he sat on the bench gave him an almost Gordon Ramsay resemblance.

Tottenham’s 1cm goal

VAR might not be in use in the Premier League this season, but Spurs will be thankful that Goal line technology is.

When Jan Vertonghen headed towards goal, everyone at St. James’ Park and at home believed Martin Dubravka had made an incredible save.

However, the technology showed that Vertonghen’s effort had indeed crossed the line by 9mm, allowing referee Marton Atkinson to award the goal.

Jagielka’s Tackle And Tweet

In the first Saturday evening game of the season, newly promoted Wolves hosted Everton in a fiery encounter.

With the Toffees 1-0 up, the home side were given a lifeline when Phil Jagielka made a heavy touch before making a last ditch tackle on Diogo Jota.

Although it seemed Jagielka got the ball first, it was clear he was out of control and did catch Jota who would have been through on goal.

The Everton defender then took to Instagram to express his thoughts:

“Well done boys for a battling performance! Congrats to @richarlison for ⚽️⚽️ on your debut 💙. As for me I had a bad touch then tried to make up for it with a honest strong tackle, in my eyes I made a good attempt to get the ball (which i did) and I also can see I got player after. Gutted to be sent off but proud of the performance of the boys!”

Klopp’s Weird Celebration

There was a lot of expectation at Anfield in the early kick-off when Liverpool took on West Ham and the Reds truly delivered.

What was unexpected was manager Jurgen Klopp’s celebration when his side went 2-0 up late in the first half.

The positioning of his ‘double fist pump’ was suspect to say the least.

Salah Mobbed

Alot of that expectation at Anfield was on Mo Salah, would he continue where he left off last season?

After scoring the opener, chants of ‘Mo Salah, Mo Salah, running down the wing’ were heard in the stands.

One fan couldn’t contain himself as he ran on the pitch midway through the half to get a hug from the Egyptian.

New Technology On Sidelines

Finally at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp was making use of the relaxed rule on using smartphones or tablets on the sidelines.

It is elieved one of his coaches was monitoring individual player performances, including heart rates and fatigue.

Gascoigne Drunk On SoccerAm?

Before the action start on the Saturday, Sky Sports’ SoccerAm returned with their usual antics and a huge guest star in Paul Gascoigne.

After conducting his first interview, Gazza went missing from the rest of the broadcast, with many claiming he was drunk on set.

The former England international took to Twitter later that day to blame ‘new sleeping pills’ for his early exit.

Pogba And Sanchez Row

It all kicked off on Friday, literally and theoretically at Old Trafford as Man United entertained Leicester City.

When United were awarded a penalty in the 3rd minute, Alexis Sanchez was desperate to take it having won it in the first place.

But captain Paul Pogba had other ideas, what followed was a heated but restrained conversation, which resulted on Pogba taking the ball to the spot and luckily for him, scoring.

Alex Scott On Super Sunday

For the first time ever, a woman sat in as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage.

Alex Scott, who impressed many during the BBC’s World Cup coverage in the summer, joined Jamie Carragher and Phil Souness on the panel, making her first ever appearance.

We hope that this is Scott’s first of many.

Coin Thrown At Ryan Fraser

After scoring his side’s opener, Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser was ‘paid’ by Cardiff City supporters after a fan threw two coins at him later on in the match.

Fair play to Fraser who simply picked up the coins and got on with the game. The FA are officially looking into the incident.

According to reports in The Daily Mail, West Ham United are reportedly ready to send highly-rated defender Reece Oxford out on another season-long loan deal, and Championship high-flyers Leeds United must bring the teenager to Elland Road.

What’s the word, then?

Well, following two loan spells with German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach during the 2017/18 campaign, it at one point looked certain that the 19-year-old would be on his way out of the London Stadium this summer.

However, The Daily Mail report that Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini has previously stated that he wants to keep the versatile youngster – who can play in defensive midfield as well as in the backline – this season.

However, The Daily Mail say that the Chilean manager now wants to send Oxford out on loan to get the regular football he needs to aid his development, with clubs in Germany, France and Spain all said to be monitoring the situation, while a move to the Championship surely won’t be ruled out.

Why should Leeds move for Oxford?

It was clear when he made his debut and won the man-of-the-match award as a 16-year-old in his side’s win against Arsenal at the beginning of the 2015/16 that the teenager had something about him, but in all honesty he has failed to really kick on then for whatever reason.

Questions marks have been raised over his attitude at times, but the 19-year-old will know that his next loan move will determine whether he has a long-term future at West Ham or not, and thusly he will surely want to excel.

Leeds were missing Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper in the 2-2 draw against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night which highlighted their need for an extra body at the back moving forward, and the undeniably classy Oxford would arrive at Elland Road able to play both at centre-back as well as covering Kalvin Phillips in the defensive midfield role.

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Once described by Mesut Ozil as a mixture between his famous uncle Jay-Jay Okocha and former Champions League winner Edgar Davids, Arsenal fans have a right to expect more from Alex Iwobi at this stage of his career.

Three years on from his first-team debut, the Nigerian international is still very much a fringe element in the Arsenal setup and his most well-known moment for the north London club, rather than any display of irresistible brilliance on the pitch, remains arguably being snapped at a drug-fuelled party just hours before the Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Nottingham Forest in January – a defeat that probably played a telling hand in Arsene Wenger’s eventual departure.

Indeed, 99 Arsenal appearances have brought ten goals and 18 assists.

It’s a decent return for a player of Iwobi’s age, but when compared to the offensive-minded 22-year-olds at some of Arsenal’s divisional rivals like Dele Alli – 47 goals and 41 assists in 148 Tottenham outings – or Leroy Sane – 23 goals and 27 assists in 89 appearances for Manchester City – much is inevitably left to be desired. Iwobi seems to be several steps behind in the development curve, despite coming from renowned footballing stock and being part of the Arsenal setup since his primary school days.

But it would be unfair to label Iwobi as yet another Premier League youngster who has failed to embrace the chances gifted to him since childhood. His unspectacular road to maturity which still awaits that moment of truly exploding into life is painfully symptomatic of the last decade of Wenger’s reign.

During that time, how many irrefutably talented wonderkids have really maximised their full potential? If we’re criticising Iwobi at 22 for only marginal progression, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Calum Chambers and Carl Jenkinson can all be accused of the same crime at much more advanced stages of their careers.

So the appointment of Unai Emery represents something of a fresh start for the Nigerian international, working under the direction of a manager with fresher, more detailed and precise ideas.

But for the new Arsenal boss too, Iwobi could be an incredibly important figure in his first season at the Emirates Stadium simply because of the nature of the squad he inherited from Wenger – something that became increasingly evident in Arsenal’s spirited 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, especially when compared to a far more humbling loss to Manchester City the weekend previous.

With Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the wings against the reigning champions, Arsenal’s midfield became painfully dysfunctional, allowing their defensive flanks to be repeatedly exposed. Tellingly, only the introduction of Stephan Lichtsteiner managed to halt the relentless flow of traffic down Arsenal’s left, while both of City’s goals were sourced from Benjamin Mendy’s powerful runs down the Gunners’ right on the overlap.

Ozil and Mkhitaryan just didn’t offer the necessary protection in those wide roles and while they received plenty of criticism, we probably shouldn’t be all that surprised. After all, both have made careers from being central playmakers at the heart of the action, so neither are particularly effective at tracking back, exploding into space on the break or providing moments of sheer brilliance from wide positions.

Structurally too, they’re always looking to drift inside and take up more central roles; that’s all well and good in possession, but as soon as the ball’s turned over they’re already out of position – leaving their full-backs in two-on-one scenarios.

That’s where Iwobi comes into the equation, as a more conventional wide player rather than someone doing a job on the wing hoping they get chances to find space in-field. In comparison to the City defeat, while Mkhitaryan gave Marcos Alonso practically the freedom of London at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea’s impact on Iwobi’s flank was far less devastating and in fact, it’s where Arsenal caused the Blues the most problems during a 15-minute spell in which they could have easy taken the lead rather than merely levelling the scores. Iwobi’s equaliser, though, was just reward for an afternoon of hard work.

In the long-term, Iwobi is probably more of a central player as well. Wenger even lined him up as part of a midfield three at times last season, and he lacks the natural pace and power you’d expect of a modern day Premier League forward – someone who eats up ground on the counter-attack and is much part of the forward line as the midfield.

But right now, in a squad where the other genuine wide options only really include Danny Welbeck and youngsters like Reiss Nelson, Iwobi’s relative comfort on the wing and discipline in that role offers Emery vital balance to probably his most troubled department – one that oozes offensive talent but lacks efficient structure.

And while many Arsenal fans will feel that, if a natural wide-man is indeed the solution to some of the problems Emery’s 4-2-3-1 and consequential team selections have caused during their first two games of the season, an upgrade on Iwobi should be signed in January, we shouldn’t write off the youngster just yet.

After all, his longest ever run in Arsenal’s Premier League starting XI has been just ten games. But now the African attacker’s in a position where he undertakes an important role in the functionality of the team, that could provide the chances and the platform he needs to really raise performance levels in the coming months. There are no guarantees in football, but this space is certainly worth watching.

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According to a report by TEAMtalk, Leeds United are one of the clubs interested in signing in-form Wigan Athletic attacking midfielder Nick Powell, but they should forget about him and sign highly-rated Chelsea attacker Izzy Brown on loan instead.

What’s the word, then?

Well, TEAMtalk report that the Whites – along with Championship rivals Middlesbrough, Aston Villa West Bromwich Albion and Derby County, and Scottish Premiership holders Celtic – are all keen on Powell, who the Latics are said to be willing to sell for £5m.

The link to Powell suggests that Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa is looking to find some competition for Samu Saiz in the central attacking midfield role, and it is no surprise that the 24-year-old Wigan man is on his radar seeing as he has scored three goals and provided a further four assists in four Championship appearances already this term.

Despite Leeds’ promising start to the league campaign, the Argentine boss clearly isn’t finished there in his bid to have a squad that he feels is capable of finally securing a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Why should they sign Brown instead?

TEAMtalk report that despite Leeds’ interest, it is Middlesbrough that appear favourites to get Powell, and the Yorkshire club would be better off raiding Chelsea for a loan player for the third time this summer – something they are able to do as Brown is under 23 years of age.

The 21-year-old is close to a return to first-team action after suffering a serious injury during a loan spell with Brighton and Hove Albion last term, and having starred for Huddersfield Town at this level before he looks to have all of the attributes to be a success for the Whites in their bid to secure a top-flight return this season, and would link up brilliantly with someone like Kemar Roofe.

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