Ivan Gazidis has been a divisive figure at Arsenal during his time as chief executive.

One of the businessman’s biggest tests came at the end of the season when Arsene Wenger walked away from his 22-year tenure as manager.

Gazidis led the way as he helped restructure the club’s hierarchy and transfer process.

Unai Emery was selected as Wenger’s successor in the Emirates hotseat, and funds have been available in the transfer kitty as the club have recruited five new players.

With the post-Wenger era seemingly running smoothly, it was a surprise when Corriere dello Sport reported earlier this week that AC Milan are keen to poach Gazidis.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255898″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Arsenal’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

Italian publication Il Giornale has since reported that the 53-year-old has rejected the chance to become part of the boardroom team at the San Siro.

The Serie A giants have recently experienced a shakeup as US hedge fund Elliott Management Corporation now own the club.

After the surprise news of Milan’s alleged interest in Gazidis, Arsenal fans posted their thoughts on Twitter.

According to HITC, relegated Swansea City are keen on signing striker Fernando Forestieri from Sheffield Wednesday this summer, but their Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion must hijack any move.

What’s the story?

Forestieri joined Wednesday from Watford in 2015 and has gone on to score 32 goals in 88 games for the side who finished 15th in the Championship last season.

Now though, the Owls are having to cut their wage bill in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations and HITC reports that manager Jos Luhukay could be forced to cash-in on Forestieri before he is able to make signings.

Now 28-years-old, Forestieri was kept out of most of last season with a knee injury but recorded five goals in the 10 Championship games he appeared in.

With Swansea relegated from the Premier League last season and a mass exodus on the cards, a proven Championship goalscorer such as Forestieri will be high on new boss Graham Potter’s transfer wish list. However, with Transfermarkt valuing the Italian at just £6.3m, there may be a battle for his signature if he is available for around that fee.

Hijacking a deal

Fellow relegated side West Brom look like they will also be in the market for a striker this summer, as Salomon Rondon continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle.

If the Venezuelan were to leave then Hal Robson-Kanu and Jay Rodriguez would be the only senior strikers remaining at the club and Baggies boss Darren Moore will be keen to reinvest the funds to push for promotion back to the top level of English football.

Forestieri could be the perfect man to lead the line at the Hawthorns or could equally dovetail well with Rodriguez.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273907″ player=”12034″ title=”4 Potential Replacements for Chelsea’s Courtois”]

According to reports in The Independent, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is keen to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, rated at £54m by Transfermarkt, this summer, and their Premier League rivals West Ham United must be watching developments closely.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Independent report that the Red Devils are targeting the Spaniard, and his club teammate Robert Lewandowski, with Bayern open to selling the duo.

The Independent report that United came close to signing the 27-year-old before he joined the Bundesliga giants in 2013, although he is said to be waiting to see whether former club Barcelona want him before committing his future elsewhere.

Should he arrive at Old Trafford, he would be competing with the likes of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Fred, Marouane Fellaini, Scott McTominay and Ander Herrera for a spot in the middle of the park as things stand right now.

Why should West Ham be monitoring the situation?

Well, while the east London club have heavily strengthend between the sticks, in defence and in attack, they perhaps need another new body in midfield despite the arrival of Jack Wilshere on a free earlier this month.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble didn’t enjoy their best seasons last term, and a player that can make a big impact defensively would be the icing on the cake for Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini, who could also bet set to swoop for a Uruguay World Cup star, in what has been an outstanding summer transfer window for them.

Herrera may well be the odd one out at Old Trafford should Thiago sign, and while he is good in possession and has the ability to find those killer passes going forward, his defensive contribution is one of his main strengths – he won 69 tackles and made 46 interceptions in 32 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League for United in 2017/18, as per Transfermarkt, to suggest he would be a huge upgrade on Noble.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

According to reports in The Sun, Newcastle United are targeting a move for £8m Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, and their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur must hijack any potential deal.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says that the Magpies, along with top-flight new boys Fulham, have been alerted to the Argentina international potentially being available for a cut-price £8m fee, following his impressive 2018 World Cup displays.

Despite his country’s poor showing, the 25-year-old started all four of his side’s matches in Russia and showed his ability from both a defensive and offensive point of view, with The Sun reporting that Bundesliga outfits Wolfsburg and Schalke are also keen on a player who only joined Ajax during the January transfer window.

Should he arrive at St James’ Park, he would likely be competing with both Paul Dummett and Kenedy for a spot in the starting XI given the attributes that he has in his locker.

Why must Tottenham hijack any move?

Well, Spurs are one of only two Premier League clubs yet to make any signings this summer, and it seems as though their business may come down to offloading players that are surplus to requirements first.

Danny Rose is one of those that has been heavily linked with an exit having found himself as second-choice in the left-back/left wing-back position behind Ben Davies on his return from injury at the end of 2017.

Should they get rid of the England international before August 9 then Mauricio Pochettino, who should also make a shock swoop for an out-of-favour Chelsea man, will want some competition and cover for Davies on the left, and Tagliafico would be an affordable but experienced and quality addition, and it is well known that Daniel Levy loves a bargain deal.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273047″ player=”12034″ title=”Power Ranking the 1819 Premier League kits”]

Everton’s transfer activity has picked up drastically with transfer deadline day fast approaching.

After a quiet start to the summer, the Toffees have since gone on to bring in Richarlison for big money and Lucas Digne from Barcelona.

As well as incomings, there have also been significant departures with the likes of Davy Klaassen and Wayne Rooney having left Goodison Park during this transfer window.

And more players are expected to follow the pair out of the exit door in the coming days.

The Breakdown

On their official club website, Everton have announced Kevin Mirallas is set to join Serie A outfit Fiorentina for the upcoming season once he completes his medical.

£6.3m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Mirallas has fallen down the pecking order at Goodison Park and spent the second part of the last campaign out on loan at Olympiacos, as a result.

The 30-year-old has often frustrated the Everton faithful and with the arrival of Richarlison and possibly another winger before the transfer window closes, letting Mirallas leave the club again is probably a wise decision.

Alongside Richarlison, Marco Silva has Theo Walcott and the promising Ademola Lookman to choose from when selecting his wingers while Gylfi Sigurdsson was also used out wide at times last term, albeit to the dissatisfaction of Toffees supporters.

Bearing all of that in mind, Mirallas has become surplus to requirements at Goodison Park and with the signing of Richarlison, return of Lookman and potential addition of another forward, the Belgium international’s absence will not be felt.

Appointing him to oversee the biggest fixture in the Premier League this weekend, Arsenal vs Manchester City, is a pretty strong indication of just how much PGMOL value Michael Oliver – arguably English football’s top official at this moment in time.

The 33-year-old certainly isn’t to be messed with; from the 21 referees to feature in the Premier League last season, he ranked in the top seven for fouls per game, fouls per tackle, penalties per game and red cards per game. Whereas some referees prefer to let the game flow as much as possible, Oliver is more than prepared to make his presence felt via the whistle.

In theory then, that should disadvantage Arsenal more than Manchester City this weekend. After all, City are the Premier League’s most free-flowing, offensive side, so it’s the Gunners who will need to do the majority of defending on Sunday – even if that isn’t seen as their most natural forte – and take their chances with robust, physical challenges.

//fixtureinfocus.podiant.co/latest/embed/

But actually, if Arsenal gauge the situation correctly and aren’t too forceful when attempting to win the ball, there’s licence to exploit Oliver’s approach. Because City seek to tire out teams with their meticulous passing game, the longer the ball’s in play the more it suits their style  – tellingly, despite all their possession, Pep Guardiola’s side won the fourth-fewest fouls last season.

Oliver though, awards fouls almost too willingly, while he’s actually more relaxed when it comes to bookings – ranking a comparatively low 11th for yellow cards per game throughout the Premier League’s referee cohort in 2017/18. So if Arsenal can make plenty of fouls that don’t oblige Olivier to get his notebook out, they should be able to disrupt City’s rhythm while giving themselves time to catch their breath.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”278155″ player=”12034″ title=”Every Transfer Window EVER”]

And even if Arsenal do give away fouls in contentious areas, the statistics suggest there isn’t that much danger of City scoring. After all, City scored just one goal directly from a free kick last season, and a mere four from free kicks into the box – the same number as Southampton. So the likelihood of City scoring from free kicks Arsenal concede is actually not that great, especially if Arsenal have sharpened up on defending set pieces.

In worse news for Arsenal though, just 30% of the games Oliver officiated last season ended in home wins, a bias only worsened by Jonathan Moss excepting the two referees to oversee just a single top flight clash. In contrast, his 37% away win rate was the sixth highest, and his 33% draw rate was the seventh highest.

So, Arsenal fans, how do you fancy your chances this weekend? Let us know by commenting below…

Manchester City are looking strong once again as they saw off Arsenal on the opening weekend of Premier League action with considerable ease.

Pep Guardiola’s men carried on pretty much from where they left off last term, and it looks like the writing is on the wall already in terms of the race for the title.

However, the summer saw City slow down in the transfer market somewhat, and there could well be scope for improving the City squad come the next window, if Guardiola feels the need too.

And one player we here at the Transfer Tavern think would be a superb addition is Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The Spaniard worked with Guardiola at both Barcelona and Munich, and is one of few players in the football world who can genuinely come in and challenge for a place in the City squad.

With David Silva ageing, the Manchester club will no doubt be keeping an eye out for a long term replacement, and Thiago fits the mould perfectly.

Bound to be excited by the idea of working alongside his former manager, Thiago might well relish the chance to move to England after proving himself in Europe already. Classy with the ball at his feet and with a footballing brain only few players possess, the young Spanish star would be a superb addition at the Etihad.

City fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Rangers supporters have been making a lot of noise in the Transfer Tavern in recent times after seeing their side move to within 180 minutes of the Europa League group stages courtesy of a 3-1 aggregate victory over Maribor.

Steven Gerrard’s men had made serene progress through the qualifiers for Europe’s secondary competition to set up a meeting with the Slovenian outfit in the third round, beating them 3-1 at Ibrox last week to seize control of the tie. And the Gers got the job done on Thursday in drawing 0-0 in Slovenia, thus earning them a spot in the play-off round where they will face Russian side Ufa next week.

As such, there are many delighted Light Blues fans up and down the country at present, although some feel that further reinforcements are still needed at Ibrox between now and the close of the window on August 31, despite seeing 11 players move to the club this summer.

And the addition of the hugely versatile Oleksandr Zinchenko, valued at £13.5 million by Transfermarkt, would certainly round off an excellent summer at the Scottish giants.

Ultimately, as aforementioned, Gerrard has been extremely busy since taking over at Rangers in bringing 11 players to Ibrox during the transfer window, be it experienced faces in Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield, or indeed exciting young talent in the form of Ryan Kent and Ovie Ejaria.

And while all 11 will significantly bolster several areas of the squad, there are still some departments that could do with slightly more depth ahead of the remainder of the season, a season Rangers fans hope their side will make inroads both domestically and in Europe.

And given the immense versatility possessed by Manchester City’s Zinchenko, Gerrard would be able to improve many areas of the squad in just a single signing.

The 21-year-old made the move to the Etihad Stadium back in 2016 but has since managed just 14 senior appearances for the Premier League champions, some of which coming last year as he occasionally filled in at left back for Pep Guardiola’s men given the early-season injury to Benjamin Mendy.

Significantly, left back isn’t the only area on the pitch in which the Ukraine international can play, with the 21-year-old sensation also hugely adept in the middle of the park, and indeed further forward down both flanks, having turned out in a variety of different positions during his time at City, Ufa, and PSV Eindhoven.

Thus, not only would Zinchenko provide competition for Borna Barisic in the left back ranks, which is significant given Lee Wallace could be on his way out of the club, but the youngster would also ask questions of those in most areas of the midfield – Gerrard’s options would be endless.

And with the 21-year-old turning down a permanent move to Wolves earlier this month, a loan move could well be in the offing for the midfielder, which is why Rangers must seek to get a deal done in a bid to round off an excellent summer of business.

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

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is set to bolster his attacking ranks with the signature of Kyle Lafferty after the forward completed a medical, as reported by reliable journalist Bill Young.

What’s the word?

Gerrard’s reign at Rangers has started positively but he is still seeking depth in key areas before the Scottish transfer window slams shut at the end of the month – and Kyle Lafferty looks set to be the next man through the door.

Bill Young stated on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday evening that a medical bringing the 30-year-old back to the club from Hearts was completed, putting a deal on the verge of being finalised in the coming days.

An earlier hold up in negotiations is said to be down to the fact that Hearts were keen on Lee Hodson, who moved on loan to St. Mirren, but Rangers have been frantically pushing to get a deal over the line before Thursday’s Europa League play-off tie against FC UFA.

Is this needed?

Steven Gerrard and Rangers fans will be thrilled with the performances of Alfredo Morelos, who scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock at the weekend, but depth is needed in the squad due to the club’s plans in Europe.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”256211″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Ranger’s first six fixtures for the 201819 Scottish Premiership season”]

Lafferty can provide that and will also hand a major boost to the squad in other aspects due to the 30-year-old’s history in Glasgow, leaving in 2012 after the financial woes that saw Rangers have to start from scratch in the lower tiers in Scotland.

Boasting a wealth of international experience with Northern Ireland, Lafferty could prove to be a real ace in Steven Gerrard’s deck for the forthcoming campaign.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham have begun the new season in blistering form, heading into tonight’s crunch clash with Manchester United full of confidence after two consecutive victories to begin the campaign.

Admittedly, wins against Newcastle and Fulham were fairly routine for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and the tie with Manchester United will be the first true test of the Premier League title hopefuls – although not all fans are focused on the game.

With the European transfer window closing this Friday, Tottenham could still lose some of their key players to rivals on the continent and concerns have been raised due to Christian Eriksen’s ongoing contract stalemate at the club.

The Denmark international sees his current deal expire in 2020 and it could lead to a difficult time next summer if they intend to retain the services of their creative star and Spurs are determined to agree on a new long-term deal with the 26-year-old.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”285106″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Fixture in Focus Man United v Tottenham”]

However, The Daily Mail reports that there is no end in sight for the ongoing saga and Spurs fans have reacted to those claims.

We have gathered some of the best reactions below.

[ad_pod ]