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The Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern have been relatively pleased by the recent form that their team has shown signs of, but at this stage in the season – it’s all about results. 

With their dream of regaining the Premier League still merely a fantasy at the moment, the attention of our resident Gunners is already beginning to turn to next season.

With Arsene Wenger leaving the club after 22 years this summer, our punters feel that his successor has to arrive with a bang and bring in an array of quality so that the Gunners can improve their luck next season.

A player in the form of Atletico Madrid defensive midfielder Thomas Partey would do very nicely indeed. The 24-year-old is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt, but that doesn’t tell the full story of how important he’s been for the Spanish side over the course of this season.

Having played in over 45 games so far this season, the defensive rock has been exceptional and a big part in providing a shield for the already tight-knit Madrid defence.

Arsenal’s need for a defensive midfielder stretches back over a number of years with the Gunners never really finding an adequate replacement for Patrick Viera all those years ago. Thomas Partey isn’t quite at the level of the French legend yet, but he certainly has the potential to be one day.

A brilliant tackler with decent agility and mobility, he’d be right at home in what is becoming quite an exciting midfield at the Emirates alongside the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, if the latter renews his contract.

Landlords verdict: 

Arsenal are in desperate need of summer recruitments following a mostly disappointing season.

Both quality and quantity is needed at the Emirates, and Thomas Partey is a player very capable of helping Arsenal move up the table.

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Significantly, Arsenal have been needing a defensive midfielder for a while, with a number of signings over the last few years not quite going to plan. Bringing Partey in wouldn’t necessarily solve Arsenal’s problems, but he’d be a great choice to plug the gaps in their midfield.

Thoughts… Let us know!

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Tonight’s Premier League affair between Arsenal and Sunderland may have lacked the vital ingredient of any classic football match, goals, but it was an intoxicating, exciting, gripping and dramatic scoreless draw which guaranteed the Black Cats’ Premier League status for at least another season.

Indeed, it was a backs-to-the-wall, one-moment-will-decide-it affair, and possibly the most entertaining nil-nil of the season.

But just in case you missed it – perhaps you were busy watching Corrie with the missus – we’ve listed the three biggest talking points, so your mates don’t have to find out!

Pantilimon wins this season’s Underrated Glove award

With the likes of David De Gea, Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris all enjoying superlative form this season, the pivotal performances of Costel Pantilimon have gone unfairly unnoticed.

Despite starting just 22 Premier League fixtures this term, the 6 foot 8 Sunderland No.1 ranks joint-fifth in the division for clean sheets, leaving him on equal terms with Chelsea’s Courtois, and fourth for number of saves.

And the Romanian international was absolutely intrinsic in Sunderland claiming another clean sheet this evening. He began with a sensational close-down of Jack Wilshere as the Arsenal midfielder careered into the box, and ended with a string of saves from point blank range as the Gunners peppered Sunderland’s goal. Overall, he finished up with seven saves.

Needless to say, Sunderland fans on twitter were very impressed:

Arsenal lack killer instinct

Over the last few weeks, many have come to the opinion that Arsenal are just a few signings away from a title-winning side. That may be true – and in terms of using the ball, they were absolutely fantastic once again this evening.

Yet, they lacked the killer instinct of a Chelsea or Manchester City, failing to convert 28 shots and 74% possession into a goal – despite the fact Sunderland didn’t get out of their own box until the hour mark. This now makes it three games without a goal for Arsenal – and 270 minutes since they’ve netted at the Emirates.

Although blame can’t be placed on a single individual, one has to question Olivier Giroud. In terms of hold-up play and occupying defenders, the France international did his job tonight, but he lacked that poacher-esque ability to turn up in the box at the right time and turn a half-chance into a goal, ending the match with only three efforts – equating to just 11% of all Arsenal’s chances. Entering the summer, the Gunners should be looking for a world-class upgrade on the 28 year-old.

Offer Dick Advocaat anything he wants

Since arriving at the Stadium of Light at the expense of Gus Poyet in March, Dick Advocaat has transformed a Sunderland side that at one point looked destined for relegation.

Under his leadership, the Black Cats have lost two, drawn three and won four, making him directly responsible for over half of the club’s victories in the Premier League this season – and of course, their great escape from relegation via a draw this evening.

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The former Netherlands, PSV, Rangers, Russia and Serbia manager has continually insisted he won’t stay on at Sunderland after the end of the season, apparently due to his wife not liking Wearside too much.

Well, you can hardly blame her – but the Black Cats need to throw the kitchen sink at Advocaat to retain him this summer, because they’re much stronger with him. Overwhelmed with emotion, the 67 year-old struggled to hold back tears after the final whistle, so he’s clearly enjoying his Sunderland tenure too.

For the club’s sake, let’s hope they’re not farewell tears.

Callum McManaman is struggling with an ankle injury ahead of the Norwich game and faces a race against time to be fit.

McManaman initially picked up the injury during the FA Cup victory over Everton at Goodison Park and was also forced off during the victory against Newcastle last time out.

Boss Roberto Martinez has now revealed he is a big doubt for the crucial clash against the Canaries this weekend and he will be monitored over the next couple of days.

“Callum’s been carrying an injury to his ankle, which caused him to be substituted against both Newcastle and Everton,” Martinez told reporters.

“Our major concern now is making sure he’s fully fit and able to take to the field against Norwich.

“He hasn’t trained with the rest of the team yet, and the next 48 hours will be crucial.”

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Latics are three points adrift of safety going into the game and Martinez can ill afford any more injury problems at a crucial stage of the season.

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West Ham fans are split on the latest transfer reports, after the Mail on Sunday linked the Hammers with moves for Jack Butland and Joe Allen.

It’s been a long season for West Ham fans, but most supporters would agree they do have some very talented players in their squad.

Declan Rice has shown his potential despite his mistake against Arsenal on Sunday, and Arthur Masuaku has proved he can be a valuable weapon for the Hammers if given the correct freedom.

Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic bring plenty of creativity, pace and goals to the attack, but above all else David Moyes’ side is missing a spine.

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Mark Noble has shown glimpses of his former self but been largely underwhelming, and the goalkeeper situation seems to get worse every week.

Given all of this, it is perhaps no surprise to see the Hammers linked to Stoke City’s Allen and Butland.

The pair may be all set to get relegated, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good enough for the top tier as individuals, and Butland in particular would surely be an upgrade for the Hammers.

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Fans are split on the rumours though, with some asking for both, some wanting neither, and some picking and choosing between the two.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

If there is one thing missing from this stage of the Premier League campaign, it’s the fact that there is no real title race.

Chelsea are dominating the Premier League, and it seems no one else is going to challenge them for the top spot. If anything, there is more of a battle for the other remaining Champions League places. So is the standard of Premier League slipping?

At this point of the season, Chelsea are just a point better off than they were 12 months ago. But, as I am sure we all remember, it was not a dead cert that Chelsea would win the title. In fact, they finished their season in third place. The top four spots looked very different overall this time last year. Liverpool were in second with 71 points: now they’re in 5th with just 57 points.

Manchester City, on the other hand, were in third after 31 games in April last year. They’re in fourth now, but on a horrendous run of games. The points difference between the side then and now? A staggering nine points. City went on to take the title last year – now, they’ll just be glad to finish within the top four.

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Arsene Wenger’s north London side? Much of the same. At this point, they have just two more points to their name than they did last year, but it just happens to be the difference between sitting in fourth and now in second.

Are the teams getting worse and is the standard dropping? For some sides, the quality of their football has been sub par compared to last year. The current champions Manchester City are falling short of the side they one were. Their recent successive losses show no sign of slowing down, and their manager’s job hangs in the balance.

Liverpool were undoubtedly going to struggle this season. Following the departure of their top goalscorer Luiz Suarez to Barcelona, their attacking presence isn’t what it once was. And surely they have not quite recovered from the loss of last year, and of what could have been.

Manchester United are the new addition to the top four, being the only side to make a noticeable progression over the last year – unsurprisingly since dropping David Moyes for a competent manager. Twelve months ago United were a joke, and now they’re making their way back into Europe.

By next year, with some luck, there will be an actual title race to watch. Chelsea will still be one of the sides to watch, but should have some more serious competition. Manchester United will be looking to make a real mark next year as Louis Van Gaal will have a year’s Premier League experience under his belt.

And Arsenal will probably be in fourth.

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When Liverpool sacked Kenny Dalglish last summer and brought in Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers as replacement I think everyone in the football world was a little shocked, even the fans were a little concerned that Rodgers wasn’t the best choice of manager to replace King Kenny at that time.

The Merseyside club struggled in the Premier League last season and they finished eighth which was their lowest league position since 1994. Even though they won the League Cup and got to the final of The FA cup, their poor league form led to the sacking of Dalglish when the season finished. Rodgers was unveiled as the new manager at Anfield on the June 1st after meeting with Liverpool owners to establish a long-term plan at the club and he has wasted no time in putting that into action.

His long term plan is to:

Buy two or three players over the next few transfer windows to avoid one big spend this summer, enabling Liverpool to recover some of their financial losses Dedicate more focus on developing the youth team so they don’t have to spend huge amounts strengthening the squad Introduce a different tactical approach and style of play which leaves no weaknesses within the team – he is a fan of fast-paced football and a tika-taka type of play and feels he can introduce this at Anfield Rebuild the defence Introduce younger players to the starting XI

Over the last eight months there has definitely been a visible change in the way Liverpool have played. They have suffered injury problems but yet they have still managed to keep in good form and they have definitely played better this year than under Dalglish. They are currently seventh in the league and if the results go in their favour they could still very much be in the race for European football next season.

One of the biggest changes fans will have noticed is Liverpool’s performances against the clubs lower down the table and results have improved immensely compared to last season. They achieved high scoring results against Norwich (5-2), Fulham (4-0), Wigan, QPR and Sunderland (3-0) and there was a distinct change in attitude of the players in these games – they are no longer playing assuming they are going to win – instead they play for the three points.

He bought young fresh talent in the form of Nuri Sahin, Fabio Borini, Oussama Assaidi, Samed Yesil, Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Phillipe Coutinho who are all under the age of 24, and introduced academy product Raheem Sterling to the squad this season which has rejuvenated the tired look that Liverpool possessed last year. The young players are all fast paced which fits into Rodgers proposed change in style of play with extra attention to the attacking aspect of their game.

The Reds boss admits he spent more than he wanted to in the last two transfer windows and admitted even though it was a necessity he doesn’t want to spend that amount again. He has been given £20million to spend this summer and a fair bit of that will be strengthening up the defence after club legend Jamie Carragher retires in May.

In doing some research on whether fans thought Brendan Rodgers could achieve success in the next 2-3 years with his long-term vision, I asked Simon Donegan, a long term fan of The Reds what he thought.

“Rodgers can do it, but will the fans give him time? The old Liverpool had it right throughout the club at all levels. The last few managers have spent too much.

“The future is with the youth and money is needed to extend the ground. Clubs like City, Chelsea and Manchester United will not be allowed to operate with their debts the way they are, if UEFA get their way.

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“It is important we get that right again. Brendan has got to get a squad that believes in him and will play for him. There is still some deadwood to move out. I am going to have to be patient because he still has a lot to learn.”

Brendan Rodgers has been one of the most discussed managers in football this season and it is easy to see why. They might not be winning every game and they still have some way to go but Rodgers has certainly made a difference this year. If he continues with his philosophy then it’s easy to see Anfield rocking again in the coming years.

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They were brothers in attack last season, but Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri find themselves hoping to achieve the same aim with rival Premier League clubs this time around.

Indeed, Arnautovic’s West Ham are now six points clear of the drop zone but defeat to Shaqiri’s Stoke City on Monday night will reduce that buffer to just four, dragging them back into the relegation scrap and giving the Potters hope of escaping it at the final hour.

Both players have very much ascended to talismanic status within their respective teams this season. Arnautovic’s departure from the Bet365 Stadium last summer inadvertently created a chasm of quality that the Switzerland international has done his best to fill with his strongest Premier League season to date in scoring terms. His former team-mate, meanwhile, has increasingly embraced the role of becoming West Ham’s most enigmatic talent under the guidance of David Moyes.

Of course, those roles have translated slightly differently; Shaqiri has become Stoke’s resident No.10 after spending previous campaigns out wide, whereas Arnautovic has moved from the opposite flank in the Potters’ starting XI last season to the potent tip of West Ham’s attack this term.

That’s why Shaqiri has created more than twice as many chances per match this season as the 69-cap Austrian, whereas Arnautovic has completed more dribbles per match than the former Bayern Munich midfielder – who Transfermarkt value at £16.2million.

Both though, have emerged as the standard bearers, taking the game to the opposition almost singlehandedly at times by either scoring or assisting 13 goals apiece in the top flight. Shaqiri has played a hand in 43% of Stoke’s league goals this season – Arnautovic has been involved in 33% of West Ham’s.

Perhaps the resulting question, upon the backdrop of Monday night’s relegation clash at the London Stadium, is therefore obvious; which player would you prefer to have as your team’s talisman for the crunch relegation clash?

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Let us know by voting below…

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Steven Gerrard is a Premier League great. That much is obvious, and his place in the pantheon is assured.

But the Liverpool captain, the talisman of days gone by, is no longer the player that Liverpool need, and this weekend showed it all too clearly.

Liverpool have morphed into a Brendan Rodgers side over the last few seasons. He inherited a team that included an ageing Gerrard and Carragher, a magnificent Luis Suarez, and not much else. Now the last remnants of the old guard are leaving, and Rodgers has built a side that is young, suave and plays football exactly how he wants it played.

In fact, he has built a side that actually can challenge for the title.

But that challenge will come without Gerrard.

Gerrard will leave at the end of the season, so if they challenge next year it will indeed be without Gerrard, unless he comes back on loan. But the challenge will also come without a Gerrard type of player.

Liverpool’s side right now includes some frightening pace, but in the middle of the park, there isn’t too much in the way of power. Jordan Henderson is as close as they come, and while he has some similarities to Gerrard, he is more of a short passing midfielder who looks to bring others into play. Although he does enjoy a good blockbuster strike.

Joe Allen, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Emre Can – these are all players who can play in the centre of the park, but none have the passion and intensity of Gerrard. Coutinho and Lallana, will never play centre midfield of course, but they are players who will drop into that space looking for the ball.

The truth is, this new Liverpool no longer need Gerrard.

They press with intensity – severe intensity – but they are much more measured on the ball than they used to be, and they can pull off some silky smooth moves.

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Last season Gerrard was used in ‘the quarterback role’ – that is, he played in the kind of role that Xabi Alonso plays for Bayern Munich or Andrea Pirlo plays for Juventus. If Gerrard were that kind of player, I feel sure that he’d still have a place in Rodgers’ team. But Gerrard isn’t that kind of player, he is sometimes guilty of being a headless chicken.

That’s not always a bad thing. When you think of Gerrard, you think of the comebacks he inspired in 2005 – against Olympiakos and against AC Milan in the final of the Champions League no less. You might even think of the 2006 FA Cup final, when Gerrard scored two goals and brought Liverpool back from the brink with possibly the most sensational strike in cup final history, just for sheer audacity and precision.

Gerrard, in a rage, is a beast that few teams can live with.

But Liverpool no longer rely on one man to provide intensity; they have a whole team who press in packs. And they no longer need one man to pull them out of trouble. The sale of Suarez shows that Liverpool are now a team who try to have 11 match-winners, not just one.

Gerrard’s 38-second cameo appearance in what might be his final game against the old foe Manchester United at Anfield was a fairly shocking sequence of events. He came on hugely fired up, made a crunching tackle in his typical ‘raging bull’ mode, became frustrated with a bad tackle in return and let his frustration get the better of him.

It was typical whirlwind Gerrard. He tried to do too much, trying to help his teammates, and as a result he left them right in it.

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The irony is, the teammates didn’t really need the help. They needed a lift at half time, sure, but they didn’t need that.

This isn’t the Liverpool of 2005 who need their talismanic hero to pull them from the depths of defeat and drag them to the sweet shores of victory. It’s a sad fact of life that every era must come to an end, but it would be sadder if Liverpool hadn’t planned for that fact.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s era ended at Manchester United, but the Red Devils hadn’t prepared for his departure, and their dominance fizzled. Liverpool, however, have transitioned superbly for the end of the Gerrard era. They now have a squad that is not reliant on him and sadly, they have outgrown their captain.

Gerrard’s final few games as a Liverpool player will probably not be the kinds of games he will have wanted and they won’t be the kinds he will flourish in. It’s the end of the line for a Liverpool legend and there’s no room for sentimentality in football.

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Arsene Wenger has spoken out about drug testing and his concerns that anti-doping tests are not strict enough in football.

The Arsenal boss believes that the Anti-Doping system is flawed in football because it is not strict or thorough enough which enables players to escape detection, according to The Sun.

“I don’t think we do enough. It is difficult to believe you have 740 players at the World Cup with zero problems,” he said.

“UEFA’s doping control do not take blood, they only take urine. I have asked many times for that to change.”

John Fahey, president of the World Anti-Doping agency has backed Wenger on his opinion. He believes that footballers should be tested more regularly for EPO-a blood boosting drug. Fahey believes that by introducing biological passports for sports stars like in cycling and tennis, that it will eliminate drug issues. Biological passports will show up any changes in body chemistry.

“I saw some examples recently in tennis, where senior players were  saying  they were not tested terribly regularly. I would say tennis can do  more, as can  football,” said Fahey.

“I simply say this about football — they are not testing enough for EPO. They  can do more and we encourage them to do more.

“While testing is a good deterrent factor and may be an effective way of  catching people, I would argue the athlete biological passport is a very  effective tool. Why isn’t football using it?”

In response, a spokesman for the FA reiterated their drug testing policy and reassured that everything was working as it should be. The FA run their own extensive drug testing programme and confirmed in a press release that they: “operate one of the largest and most comprehensive drug testing and education programmes in the world. This includes both urine and blood tests, while the FA regularly tests for EPO. We also conduct blood testing for Human Growth Hormone and run a blood-profiling programme.”

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FIFA have confirmed that they will be collecting blood and urine specimens to start building biological profiles of all the participants in the Confederations Cup and World Cup 2014.

Click here to place a pre-match bet on Wednesday 13th February’s clash between Real Madrid and Manchester United and you will receive a free In-Play bet to the same stake on the big match.

Manchester City find themselves facing the good kind of problem ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby. On the one hand, their Premier League title is a mere formality with seven games left to get themselves over the line; on the other, nothing would be sweeter than clinching it against the club whose shadow they’ve lived in for the vast majority of their modern history.

And thus, Pep Guardiola has a key decision to make over Sergio Aguero, who wasn’t part of the travelling squad that made the trip to Anfield on Wednesday night after suffering an injury. It’s not thought to be serious but it remains to be seen if he’ll be available for the weekend.

Even if he is though, Guardiola is still faced with a dilemma. While Gabriel Jesus’ peripheral display against Liverpool highlighted the significant chasm between City’s two strike options, the Etihad Stadium outfit don’t need to win this game.

So is it actually worth the risk of starting Aguero, especially bearing in mind how injury-prone the Argentine striker, who Transfermarkt value at £67.5million, has been throughout his Premier League career, and especially with the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool just around the corner?

Assuming he’s fit enough to be available for selection, would you risk starting Aguero against United this weekend? Let us know by voting below…

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