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Arsenal have taken a bit of a battering from the combined force of the media and their own frustrated fanbase of late.

Their comfortable mid-week FA Cup progress however, and their salvaging of a point against Tottenham should give Arsene Wenger confidence that his side can finish the season strongly.

Currently eight points off the pace set by Leicester, Wenger’s men have slipped to 9/2, third favourites with most bookmakers with nine games to go.

The Premier League’s most experienced coach has several reasons to believe his side are still the team to beat. Here are the principle three.

Barcelona

Arsenal must travel to Camp Nou next Wednesday to face a Barcelona side that look nigh-on invincible at present.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, even Wenger would quietly admit to himself that the fixture is likely to be their last in Europe this year.

The almost inevitable impending exit from the Champions League would allow the North London outfit to concentrate on the league campaign for the remainder of the season.

While they continue in the FA Cup after their replay win against Hull, Arsenal would be able to keep key players fresh for league fixtures and gain some momentum over the closing weeks.

Over at Manchester City meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are on the cusp of a quarter final and the Chilean, who already has a Premier League title under his belt, appears to be prioritising Europe before he makes way for Pep Guardiola in the summer.

Newfound steel

For a large a large part of the last decade, Arsenal would continually blow away the lesser sides in the league with their attractive attacking play, only to crumble when facing one of the division’s top teams.

They earned an unwanted reputation for buckling in the face of their top-four rivals. It is not so long ago that they endured an 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford and it is fair to say that for a number of seasons during the construction of the Emirates Stadium, that they became a selling club compared to their main adversaries.

Now though, that label has been banished and over the last year Wenger has managed to re-instate resilience in his side when faced with high-level opponents.

It seems that the fear with which fixtures against title rivals were approached, is gone. Not only that, Arsenal have become more accustomed to getting results when not necessarily at their best.

Salvaging a point at White Hart Lane last weekend is testament to both. Newfound mental strength and big game know-how could yet prove crucial.

Returning stars

While the loss of Petr Cech and Aaron Ramsey is a sizeable blow, the overall health of the Arsenal squad is beginning to look rosier than it has done of the course of the season.

The timing could not be better.

Danny Welbeck suffered a long absence but has returned sharp to give his fellow strikers some necessary competition.

His late winner at Leicester and performances since have offered his manager a huge boost.

Theo Walcott netted twice in the week and will also be pushing for a start.

At the back Laurent Koscielny should return for the next league fixture while even the injury plagued Jack Wilshire, missing for the entire season, is expected to feature in the run-in.

The increase in his squad size could not come at a better time for Wenger, who will expect fierce competition for places from here on.

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Although Liverpool look set to push on under the recently appointed Jurgen Klopp, the widely admired former Borussia Dortmund boss nonetheless has a massive task on his hands this coming summer.

Much of the deadwood piled up during the ill-fated Brendan Rodgers era on Merseyside will have to be chopped sooner rather than later, but as current FC Koln left-back and Germany international Jonas Hector could reportedly be on his way to Liverpool for a £12m transfer at the end of the current season, perhaps Klopp is also keen to carry out a fair amount of carefully sourced recruitment as well.

So then, in light of the recent transfer news to whet the appetite of the determined Anfield faithful, could Hector really do a job down at Liverpool next season, or should the Reds ultimately look elsewhere?

Well, although the 25-year-old defender doesn’t exactly represent the most revered name operating in the European footballing scene right now, Hector has nonetheless put himself forward as somewhat of a well-established regular for the German national team in recent outings, whilst subsequently grabbing the attention of the English media in last weekend’s friendly match held in Berlin.

The up and coming star of the Bundesliga is deserving of the recent praise to come his way this season, for when it comes to dominating his opponents from an aerial point of view, keeping things robust and solid at the back for the vast majority of every 90 minutes and simply impressing his fans with the odd well-taken goal here and there, this is a player who could certainly do the business on Merseyside.

Due to his towering stature in defensive areas of the pitch, ability to play all across the back-four, consistency and sheer bravery in the tackle when putting his body on the line at any cost, Liverpool’s recent interest in the defender ultimately comes as very little surprise in the cold light of day.

The Reds’ current first choice left-back – the sometimes useful, yet often heavily criticised Alberto Moreno – has drawn a great deal of complaint from the Anfield faithful throughout the course of 2015/16, for although the 23-year-old Spaniard can certainly excel, his defensive reliability has been called into question on more than the odd occasion.

Put in no uncertain terms whatsoever, Moreno has left the rest of his back-four open to attack far too many times to be taken seriously on Merseyside this season, so unless the former Sevilla man somehow manages to achieve a dramatic turnaround in fortunes between now and the end of the current campaign, Klopp will seemingly have to look for a new left-back this summer one way or another.

…And as the aforementioned Hector could reportedly be available for as little as £12m this summer, his proposed move to Anfield all of a sudden represents somewhat of a no-brainer for Liverpool in the cold light of day.

The emerging German seems to tick all the right boxes for Jurgen Klopp ahead of the hotly anticipated summer transfer window, so with such a notion in mind for all the concerned Reds fans patiently awaiting some renewed fortunes down at their club, it really isn’t all that difficult to envisage Jonas Hector eventually turning out in Liverpool colours.

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Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has predicted that Liverpool will beat Everton in this Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, in what would be a massive blow for Roberto Martinez.

The Toffees have had an underwhelming campaign to date and are not in the running for European qualification.

This has led to speculation that the Goodison Park outfit could axe Martinez this summer and look for a fresh approach with a new manager.

Everton travel to take on cross-city rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday but also have an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United this weekend to keep in the back of their minds.

As such, Nicholas has predicted that the Reds will claim the spoils in the grudge match and put more misery on Martinez’s shoulders.

“I don’t think Roberto Martinez can afford to give Liverpool a free swing at this,” he wrote on Sky Sports.

“Liverpool could turn them over quite badly and the Everton fans have already started to turn on their manager and they’re fed up with his excuses.

“Putting all your eggs in the FA Cup basket is dangerous, especially as it’s not going to help their confidence against Manchester United if they go into the semi-final on the back of a hiding from their rivals.

“For me he has to go for the strongest team and, while I think Liverpool will win regardless with the way Jurgen Klopp’s men are playing, it could be three or four if Martinez plays a weakened team. If I offered him a draw right now I’d have no fingers left.”

Nicholas predicted that Liverpool would win the clash 2-1 and backed Divock Origi to continue strong recent form and score the first goal.

Both Merseyside outfits have chances of winning silverware in cup competitions but this Premier League meeting will still be massively important for the respective fans.

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The summer transfer window is beginning to loom over Manchester United and it looks to be a particularly exciting one after announcing Jose Mourinho as their new manager last Friday.

Some sources have claimed the Portuguese will be handed as much as £270million this summer as he looks to overhaul an underwhelming squad inherited from Louis van Gaal.

And although every department requires a bit of a makeover following a really laboured campaign from the Red Devils, revolutionising the midfield will surely be Mourinho’s first port of call in the transfer market this summer.

After all, options like Maraoune Fellaini, Ander Herrera and Morgan Schneiderlin have all struggled to perform this season, whilst Mourinho seems almost certain to scrap £37.5million signing Juan Mata.

So with that in mind, we’ve combined some of the club’s better engine room performers with top transfer targets to create United’s dream midfield for the 2016/17 campaign.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD – TONI KROOS

Michael Carrick has reportedly been offered a one-year contract extension but the Red Devils still need to find a long-term successor to their ageing maestro at the base of midfield. Real Madrid star Toni Kroos may lack the 34-year-old’s defensive awareness but he’s a similar kind of player, boasting a world-class passing range and the intelligence to dictate possession from deep positions. It has been suggested the German World Cup winner will look to leave the Bernabeu this summer, with Manchester United reportedly poised to revive their interest from summer 2014.

RIGHT MIDFIELD – WILLIAN

It seems inevitable Jose Mourinho will bring at least one old crony to Manchester United this summer and Chelsea winger Willian has been billed as a leading candidate over the last few days. The industrious midfielder came to epitomise the Special One’s philosophy during his second spell at Stamford Bridge and has just completed the strongest campaign of his career with eleven goals across all competitions. The Brazil international would bring some much-needed dynamism to the right side of United’s midfield and rumour has it they’re already lining up a £60million bid.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD – WAYNE ROONEY

Wayne Rooney was nothing short of phenomenal in central midfield during the last few weeks of the season and especially in the FA Cup final, where he demonstrated a relentless work ethic and real quality in possession. It remains to be seen whether the United skipper can hold down the role long-term but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic tipped to lead the line for the Red Devils next season, it’s unlikely he’ll get an abundance of opportunities at centre-forward. The engine room seems like the best fit for the 30-year-old at the minute.

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CENTRAL MIDFIELD – PAUL POGBA

What a signing this would be. The Times claim Jose Mourinho is ready to swoop for Paul Pogba and as arguably the top central midfielder in world football, he’d certainly enhance the quality of the Red Devils’ largely underwhelming engine room. Indeed, the France international sits somewhere between Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira on the goalscoring destroyer spectrum and boasts a sublime combination of power, athleticism, technique and netting prowess. Having spent three years at Old Trafford as a youngster before switching to Juventus in 2012, Pogba must feel he has unfinished business with United and will be determined to prove Sir Alex Ferguson, who once overlooked him for Rafael in midfield, wrong. However, agent Mino Raiola claims the 23-year-old is worth a whopping €100million and we at Football FanCast feel inclined to agree. )

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LEFT MIDFIELD – ANTHONY MARTIAL

Anthony Martial has enjoyed a phenomenal debut campaign at Old Trafford, shaking off criticisms surrounding his £37million price-tag to net 17 times across all competitions – including a Premier League return of eleven goals and four assists in 33 outings. Aged just 20, the France international appears to have an incredible future ahead of him and looks set to feature heavily in Jose Mourinho’s plans. Whether he becomes a striker or a winger remains to be seen but with Zlatan’s arrival seemingly imminent, he’ll likely find more game-time out wide next term.

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After a dismal season under Louis van Gaal, Manchester United fans are eagerly waiting for some exciting changes to liven things up.

With Mourinho in charge, it’s a sure thing that there won’t any shortage of fireworks on and off the field, as we all saw from his first press conference.

We know LVG didn’t fulfil the potential he had at Old Trafford, but even the most fierce critics of his can’t knock his eagerness to bring in academy players. But, with Mourinho in the corner now, even the most optimistic Man United fans are skeptical about academy players’ chances, and that’s a real worry given the wonderful bunch of starlets coming through.

But here are FIVE that may convince Mourinho to go for youth over experience…

Anthony Martial

There’s no doubt he was one of the best among the outfield players last year – with 18 goals in his debut season, you might argue he was ‘the best’

With dribbling ability, ice cool temperament, fierce speed, relentless and fearless attitude and good work ethic, anyone would bet him to be one of the best around in the not too distant future. He is certainly a versatile player who can play as a centre forward or down flanks tearing apart opposition full-backs, as he has the pace to get behind the opposition’s defensive line.

So far he is definitely justified his hefty price-tag. If all goes well, Man United may have a future Ballon d’Or winner on their hands.

Jesse Lingard

After a disappointing 2014/15 season hampered by injuries, Lingard has announced his arrival in style. He has shown the ability to find the net from time to time, his usefulness in swift counter attack and his wonderful technique.

So with all these traits at his disposal we can say he is a star in the making. If he is allowed a bit more game time he could be deadly.

After all who doesn’t want a goalscoring midfielder in their team?

Marcus Rashford

The last a few months seem to have been a dream for Rashford. Scoring twice in his debut Europa League match, scoring winner in his first derby match, scoring a brace against Arsenal and scoring in his international debut, the youngster has had a wonderful breakthrough.

With his intelligence he foxed esteemed Premier League defenders many times last season, and his combination with Martial was a treat to watch. Can he fit in Mourinho’s side though? The answer is with him only.

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Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Van Gaal brought him in from Ajax’s youth system, which is splendid in producing international players.

He is physically strong, good in the air, clean in tackle and boasts genuine mental toughness, so surely has all the raw materials to succeed in Premier League. He can play as centre back, full-back and in defensive midfield, which will be handy for Mourinho as he balances the quantity of games the club will face through the season.

Certainly one to watch.

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Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

Another academy product and team-mate of Marcus Rashford. Borthwick-Jackson is quick, has nice defensive ability, is technically very sound and is much stronger than he looks. He has the eagerness to run down the flank, get behind opposition full-backs and make decent final crosses, too.

He has a very calm demeanor and mature head on his young shoulders, and with a bit of faith from his manager we might see some progress from him.

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It’s that time of year again when we suffer from football withdrawal. In that brief period between the end of the season and the start of the next one, there is almost literally nothing to do. It certainly doesn’t feel ‘brief’. What do you mean that’s ‘sad’?

In order to get that footballing fix, we move from being football obsessed to being shopping obsessed, getting our fill of football by watching clubs shop for players. We’ll latch onto any transfer rumour or anything that smells of a transfer rumour: it turns out that we’re in just that much desperation.

And here’s yet another attempt to fill the void: Manchester United have announced their provisional kit numbers ahead of the start of the season, so naturally, everyone is trying to fill in the gaps.

What’s Jose Mourinho’s plan? Why are those the numbers? Are some fringe players being given smaller numbers in a sign they’ll be first team regulars this season? And then there are two big questions:

Why is there no number two? Will that be Fabinho? And why is there no number six? OH MY GOD IS THAT PAUL POGBA’S NUMBER?

And there’s always someone with an alternative theory:

That’s transfer season for you, folks! People will take anything they can get… let’s hope the return of the Premier League in three weeks will give us all our lives back!

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West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna took to Twitter to vent his frustration at West Ham’s 4-2 loss to Watford yesterday afternoon.

The Italian – who was left on the bench by Slaven Bilic for the defeat – tweeted a photo of the final scoreline after the game.

The Hammers started brightly and led 2-0 through two trademark Michail Antonio headers – his third and fourth in as many games, the second that day being set up with an unbelievable Dimitri Payet

The second that day being set up with an unbelievable Dimitri Payet ‘rabona’ assist.

Cruise control seemed to come on however and Bilic’s side let the Hornets come back into the game with some poor defending that led to a first goal of the season for Odion Ighalo.

Troy Deeney then equalised with a cheeky curling effort over a stranded Adrian, before goal-machine (or so it seems this year) Etienne Capoue completed the turn around with his third of the season.

Hornets’ defender Jose Holebas then made the scoreline 4-2 to add insult to the Irons’ injury and resulting in an injury against all Football Odds.

The performance obviously promoted Ogbonna to react, but what he was trying to achieve, no-one knows.

But one thing is for sure is that the reactions and replies to his cryptic tweet weren’t half funny. Take a look at some of them

One thing is for sure is that the reactions and replies to his cryptic tweet weren’t half funny. Take a look at some of them here ….

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Manchester City are beginning to look like a very formidable side.

Pep Guardiola’s men have adopted his tactics seemingly rather quickly and if Saturday’s performance is anything to go by, they’ll be very hard to stop in the Premier League indeed.

A 2-1 scoreline in City’s favour at Old Trafford at the weekend suggested a tight game but in fact, the gulf in class was apparent especially for the first 40 minutes of the game. The men from the Etihad could and perhaps should have killed the game off before giving United hope and Zlatan Ibrahimovic another goal.

Nevertheless, the team saw the game out and now attention is turning to their opening Champions League game.

City face Borussia Monchengladbach in the competition opener and we think this line up should get them started in the perfect manner…

Claudio Bravo

Bravo was certainly shaky on his City debut and got away with a number of things but nevertheless, Guardiola will persist with him.

Pablo Zabaleta

Guardiola likes to rotate his full backs so expect Zabaleta to start. He played a few minutes on Saturday and should oust Bacary Sagna here.

John Stones

Stones is a nailed on starter for this one. He’s impressed so far under Pep Guardiola and his development should continue with his Champions League debut.

Nicolas Otamendi

Otamendi stood up to the challenge of Zlatan Ibrahimovic fairly well on Saturday and should keep his place with Vincent Kompany still recovering from injury.

Gael Clichy

Like at right back expect Pep to rotate his left side of defence. This means Clichy will come in at the expense of Aleksandar Kolarov.

Fernandinho

Fernandinho had Wayne Rooney in his pocket all game and he put in another stock-rising performance. The Brazilian has taken on his deep role perfectly and will start barring a late injury.

Kevin De Bruyne

The best player on the pitch in the Manchester Derby De Bruyne simply has to play. It’s frightening to think he’s only 25 so his best years are yet to come.

David Silva

Silva gave Marouane Fellaini the run about for most of the game as he helped orchestrate United’s downfall so he’ll definitely be in the side for this one.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling had a decent enough game for City at the weekend to go on top of an already great start so he should play in the opening tie of City’s group.

Nolito

Nolito ran himself into the ground in the Manchester Derby but seems to have the recovery ability to be ready in time for this one which if he is will be a big boost to City’s chances.

Sergio Aguero

He’s banned for domestic engagements but the Argentine can play in Europe so Monchengladbach need to watch out. He’ll be fresh from not playing at the weekend too so expect goals.

He’ll be fresh from not playing at the weekend too so expect goals.

With heavyweight clashes few and far between in the Premier League this weekend, Everton vs West Ham is our Fixture in Focus here at Football FanCast.

It should be an incredibly competitive match between two sides with similar aims for the campaign but juxtaposing starts.

Everton’s season began with a flurry but that momentum has seemingly petered out, whilst West Ham have fought back from a disturbing run of defeats to claim three wins on the bounce.

With not much to choose between either side on paper, Football FanCast asked Everton fans earlier this week to pick which stars from the opposing team they’d like to see their club sign in the coming transfer windows.

Well, the final votes have been counted and we can now reveal the results of our exclusive poll with a look at the top five West Ham stars Toffees fans want to see don the blue jersey at Goodison Park…

5. Cheikhou Kouyate

Perhaps due to Gareth Barry’s ageing legs, Everton fans would like to see Cheikhou Kouyate added to their engine room. The Senegal international is yet to hit top form this season but has been a real success story since moving to East London in summer 2014, going on to establish himself as one of the better enforcers outside of the Premier League’s top four.

4. Michail Antonio

Having started the season with a run of five goals in as many Premier League appearances, we’re not surprised to see Michail Antonio in the top five. The winger-forward’s goalscoring run has earned him two England call-ups but his form has notably waned since, failing to find the net in his last six outings across all competitions. Nonetheless, goals from midfield are an invaluable asset in the modern game – something Everton fans clearly appreciate.

3. Manuel Lanzini

Manuel Lanzini’s continually dazzled since signing for the Hammers, initially on loan, last summer and Everton fans want a bit of the Argentine’s magic in their midfield. That’s perhaps understandable considering the underwhelming form of their habitual No.10 Ross Barkley, who just hasn’t produced to the levels expected this term. Lanzini, meanwhile, has bagged two goals in seven outings, also averaging 1.7 created chances per match.

2. Aaron Cresswell

Perhaps a consequence of Leighton Baines’ continual absence through injury, Aaron Cresswell ranked second in our poll. The West Ham defender is certainly a worthy successor to the Everton left-back with a number of similarities between the two, namely; they’re both English, set piece takers, underrated by many and regularly deliver killer left-footed deliveries from the No.3 berth. Often linked with the Premier League’s top clubs, however, West Ham certainly won’t be letting him leave on the cheap.

1. Dimitri Payet

No surprises here. Dimitri Payet is one of the top attacking talents in the Premier League, if not Europe, and would instantaneously improve the creativity of any side in England. Indeed, the Frenchman has been sensational since signing for the Irons last summer and he’s been in good form this season too, claiming one goal and four assists in seven Premier League outings despite West Ham’s struggle for results.

CLICK THROUGH TO THE NEXT SLIDE TO SEE THE FULL RESULTS OF OUR EXCLUSIVE POLL

Results

Arsenal are set to secure to long-term future of star man Mesut Ozil and will make him the highest paid player in North London, The Daily Mirror reports.

What’s the word?

After months of negotiations, Mesut Ozil is finally set to secure his future with Arsenal and will put pen-to-paper on a lucrative £200k-a-week deal, which will make the World Cup winner the highest-paid player ever to represent the Gunners.

In the form of his life, the 28-year-old has been negotiating with Arsenal for months as he enters the final 18 months of his contract with the Gunners. As the club’s most expensive signing, Ozil is set to break another financial record.

Arsenal have always been confident that the 28-year-old will extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium and it caps off a big week for the Gunners, who secured the long-term service of Hector Bellerin with a new deal last week. Next in-line, Alexis Sanchez.

Will Sanchez follow suit?

The big question for Arsenal now is whether they can secure the hat-trick and get Alexis Sanchez to also extend his stay with the Gunners- but there is less certainty that the Chilean will extend his stay, report The Mirror.

With Manchester City and Juventus monitoring the situation, Alexis enters the final year of his deal next summer and, if that happens, then Arsenal will be open to a sale to ensure they don’t lose the former Barcelona man on a free transfer in 2018.

Arsenal fans can take comfort though with the fact that Arsene Wenger seems to have a plan, having sorted the future of Bellerin and Ozil, and after handing Ozil £200k-a-week, the Gunners have shuffled their pay structure and can offer Alexis a similarly high pay.

What does this mean for Arsenal?

For Arsenal, it shows that Arsene Wenger’s long-term project post Highbury is finally reaping the rewards. The Gunners struggled to keep hold of their star players five-or-so years ago, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas moving on.

It wasn’t just that though, as players who had ok performances with Arsenal were also sold- Emmanuel Adebayor and Samir Nasri being prime examples of that. Fast forward to now and Arsenal can compete financially and on the field.

By securing their biggest star and their most valuable young prospect to new deals, Arsenal have made a statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League, and indeed Europe, that the Gunners are back in business.

Now, they just need to match that on the field.