A storm lies ahead for Arsenal on Thursday night.

Coming off an inspired win over Manchester United in the weekend, they need to replicate something similar to defeat a dangerous Rennes side, who dented their Europa League ambitions with a crushing loss in France.

However, to tame the French side, a Frenchman is coming to Arsenal’s rescue. Alexandre Lacazette is available for the Gunners after having his ban overturned thanks to a successful appeal, meaning Unai Emery will have his strongest unit available.

In need of a big win, Lacazette could be their make-or-break factor at the Emirates.

The French striker’s coming into the game in hot form after playing a big part in breaking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect record at Manchester United. Lacazette tormented Victor Lindelof and co with his movement, while getting a few swipes at goal. Furthermore, he even assisted Granit Xhaka’s surprising opener and earned the penalty which sealed the deal.

Countryman Thierry Henry once inspired Arsenal comeback against Inter Milan back in 2003, scoring twice and setting up another to briefly stop an embarrassing Champions League exit. While Lacazette clearly has a lot to do in order to be considered on a similar sort of level than the legendary ‘Titi’, that type of performance would be huge.

As Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slowly finds back his lethal touch, Lacazette is Arsenal’s prized asset in the final third. He’s only made four Europa League appearances this season, one which included a dreadful sending off against BATE Borisov. However, he’s scored one and assisted another in the other three and will look to redeem himself in front of his adoring fans.

Indeed, the Gunners can take heart from the fact that the Champions League has seen many scintillating turnarounds in recent weeks, so things are possible in the Europa League.

Gunners, do you think Lacazette can make the difference to complete the comeback? Join the discussion by commenting below.

Newcastle fans will be hoping Miguel Almiron can steer the club away from the Premier League relegation zone.

The Paraguay international became the Magpies’ club-record signing after completing a £20m move from Atlanta United in the MLS. Almiron was the stand out performer in the United States and now has the chance to prove himself one the world’s biggest stage. Rafael Benitez will hope the playmaker can have an instant impact at St. James Park.

Indeed, Benitez’s long-term future on Tyneside remains unclear due to disagreements with owner Mike Ashley (revealing comments as per Sky Sports). However, keeping the club in the division would greatly increase the club’s chances of keeping the Spaniard at the helm. If so, he simply must be backed financially during the summer transfer window.

One man Benitez could look to sign is Liverpool wonderkid – Harry Wilson. Valued at just £2.7m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old joined Derby County on loan in the summer to link up with Frank Lampard despite an impressive pre-season campaign. The Wales international has proven to be a wonderful signing, scoring 12 goals and registering four assists for the Rams in all competitions so far this season.

Jurgen Klopp will be pleased to see the youngster excelling during his temporary spell away from the club but his future at Anfield. Whilst his form has been terrific, Wilson is unlikely to usurp Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino from the starting line-up. Now approaching his 22nd birthday, first-team football is vital for his development and Liverpool might look to cash in on their academy prospect.

Wilson has a sweet left foot, an eye for goal and excellent dribbling skills that would take Newcastle’s attack to a whole new level if he did decide to depart Merseyside.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?

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Loads of Everton fans have been giving their verdict on a promising transfer rumour, as reports claim the Toffees want to sign Kurt Zouma on a permanent basis.

According to The Liverpool Echo, Everton will test Chelsea’s resolve with a permanent move for Zouma this summer.

The French international joined the Toffees on loan last summer, and has probably been the club’s most reliable centre back this season, although that isn’t really saying much.

The 24 year-old is winning an average of 3.3 aerial duels per game, as well as making 1.4 interceptions, 3.7 clearances and completing 84 per cent of his passes.

According to the report, Marco Silva wanted to sign the towering defender permanently last summer, but Chelsea were not willing to sell. The gaffer still has Zouma on his wish-list though.

Zouma is in contract with Chelsea until 2023 so he will not come cheap, but judging from the Twitter reactions below fans will hope the club pulls the trigger anyway…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after a former transfer target for the club in Nabil Fekir reportedly closes in on a new contract with Lyon, as reported by the AnfieldHQ.

The France international and World Cup winner came extremely close to becoming a Liverpool player back in the summer before failing a medical, after concerns arose over his knee which saw his £53m move collapse almost immediately.

Given the fact that the 25-year-old is a sensational player and one fans viewed as a potential Philippe Coutinho replacement, most of the Reds’ fanbase have continued to track the Lyon playmaker’s situation in the months following his failed move.

However, the latest news regarding a new contract for the diminutive No.10 could all but put an end to the fans’ obsession with Fekir.

Naturally, the Liverpool supporters have taken to Twitter to react following the news of a potential new contract…

Last season saw a lot of football fans take to loving Bristol City in the Championship. Lee Johnson’s side won over the nation with their Carabao Cup run to the semi-finals and their famous goal-GIFs on Twitter, yet this season could see them better their achievements of last season as they look like a side that could win promotion.

After an uneventful start to the season, the Robins found themselves looking like they might be in trouble when they lost four games on the spin from the end of October to November 24th. After that torrid spell, the Ashton Gate faithful saw a rise in form that nobody predicted. The 4th loss of that spell, a 2-0 defeat against Leeds United, was their most recent in the Championship as they’ve climbed the table.

That defeat at Elland Road left them in 14th with the fans resigned to another season in the Championship. However, in the 13 games that have followed the Robins have won nine and drawn four, winning their last seven consecutive games conceding just two goals in the process. Whatever Lee Johnson has been feeding the players has been working and they now look like promotion candidates.

To win the playoffs and gain promotion, any side needs their fair share of luck as well as quality and it looks like City may have what it takes to make the jump. Whether or not they’d fare well in the Premier League is a different matter, but to be putting up such a strong fight in an attempt to climb to the top flight despite the fact they lost their top goalscorer from last season in Bobby Reid.

Last season saw Reid, who Johnson had expertly converted from a midfielder to a centre-forward, grab an impressive 21 goals in all competitions, including 19 in the Championship. If the Robins can continue their scintillating form in the Championship then their promotion chances will be excellent. It’s unlikely they’ll break into the top two, but considering their only loss of 2019 was to Wolves in the FA Cup then anything is possible.

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Liverpool fans weren’t happy with James Milner after Sunday’s draw at Old Trafford, and some stunning stats reveal just how wrong Jurgen Klopp was to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the starting XI.

Klopp will feel like he missed an opportunity when he reviews the 0-0 draw against Manchester United, as the Red Devils were there for the taking once injuries forced all three of their substitutions in the first half.

He is surely already aware of one crucial mistake though, as the charismatic German decided to start Milner at right-back over Alexander-Arnold only for it to backfire horrifically.

Alexander-Arnold had a nightmare dealing with Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford last season, perhaps what prompted the change, but the 20 year-old’s impact is at an all-time high, and he likely would have produced some magic with all the space Milner was afforded on Sunday.

In fact, the stats below suggest this was an absolutely catastrophic blunder from Klopp.

On the chalkboard

Per Simon Brundish, the Reds have earned a whopping 2.5 points per game in the 24 games Alexander-Arnold has played in this season, but they average just 1.58 points per game without the local lad, a mind-blowing difference.

This disparity carries on right across the board too, as the Reds’ goals, goals conceded, expected goals and expected goals against are all worse when the youngster is left out.

To really add salt into the wounds, Brundish states that Mohamed Salah is massively effected by Alexander-Arnold’s presence as well.

When the right-back plays, Salah scores or assists a goal every 95 minutes. Without the 5-cap England international, Salah manages a goal or assist every 131 minutes.

Given Salah’s struggles at Old Trafford last season, Klopp should have been doing everything in his power to get the best out of his talisman, and starting Alexander-Arnold may just have unlocked the Egyptian international.

If the Reds miss out on the league title by a couple of points, Klopp would be right to look back at this as perhaps his biggest blunder of the season.

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Charlton secured a massive three points at The Valley on Saturday, with goals from Joe Aribo and Lyle Taylor enough to sink fourth placed Portsmouth and thus further establish the Addicks in the coveted play-off spots.

The departure of Karlan Grant in January heaped a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the latter goalscorer, although Taylor seems to think that the Addicks won’t be missing the Huddersfield man’s goals for too long.

What did he say?

Well, speaking after the game, the 29-year-old expressed his delight at how his partnership with Igor Vetokele up front is beginning to develop:

“There were times today when I was looking for Igor [Vetokele] and he was there, the same way that i would look for Karlan [Grant] and he was there, so it is very promising.

“We’ll do everything we can to let that partnership bear fruit and, hopefully, the team will continue to pick up points.

“Me and Karlan didn’t click straight away. We scored goals, but we didn’t click as a partnership straight away. It takes a few games. We’ve only started a few games together and had limited number of minutes together, so we will continue to work on it and gain an understanding, but Igor is a very good player, so I can’t imagine it will be that difficult.”

Can do without Karlan

Grant joined the Terriers in January after an extremely impressive first half of the season in which he chalked up 14 goals and 5 assists and there was surely a fear amongst the Charlton faithful that his departure would be the demise of their promotion hopes.

Taylor, though, whose strike at the weekend was his 13th of the season in the league, clearly thinks that his pairing with 26-year-old Vetokele will soon flourish and make the Addicks fans forget all about the partnership he forged with Grant.

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The Charlton number 9 drew comparisons between his former teammate and Vetokele, and if the Angolan forward can get into the positions which Grant used to more frequently, Lee Bowyer won’t have a goal problem on his hands at all.

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Manchester United are looking to send Alexis Sanchez out on loan for next season, with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not interested in fighting to keep the forward at Old Trafford, as exclusively revealed by The Sun.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Chilean international has managed to score just five goals since arriving at the club in January 2018, and has been a complete and utter flop for the Red Devils.

United will struggle to offload the 30-year-old on a permanent basis as a result of his huge salary – roughly £391,000-a-week and potentially £500,000-a-week with bonuses – and may look to see if another club would be willing to take him on loan and share the burden that is his astronomical wages.

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The former Arsenal man has just over three years left on his contract with the club, which is a worrying aspect for United as they could potentially be held to ransom by the attacker unless they terminate his contract, or somehow manage to find someone happy to take on his wages.

Causing disharmony amongst the squad

Obviously, when you have a player performing so ineffectively like Sanchez is, whilst also earning a considerable amount more than his teammates, there are sure to be questions asked behind the scenes.

This has been backed up by David De Gea’s recent refusal to sign a new contract worth a huge £350,000-a-week, as the Spaniard is reportedly keen to be placed on the same wage as Sanchez to reflect his vastly superior contribution to the team.

It could even be argued convincingly that players such as Scott McTominay are more valuable to the team than the South American, which will have almost every player at the club’s agent salivating at what they could demand for their client.

If United don’t solve the Sanchez dilemma soon, it could severely impact the squad’s morale and affect performances on the pitch – the former Barcelona man is becoming a virus at Old Trafford, and one that cannot be allowed to set in and contaminate the players even more.

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Norwich City missed the chance to forge ahead at the top of the Championship table last time out when they fell to a heavy 3-1 defeat at the hands of Preston North End. Despite a late Teemu Pukki strike, goals from Ben Davies, Paul Gallagher and Sean Maguire sealed the points for the home side.

Daniel Farke must inspire the Canaries to bounce back with a positive result against strugglers Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

Alex Neil’s Preston side were able to take advantage of Norwich’s disjointed approach last time out. Farke’s outfit failed to apply the requisite focus and diligence to the task at hand and suffered a defeat as a result. Whilst they streamed forward in attack and were thwarted on numerous occasions by Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd, the Canaries failed to defend effectively at the other end. 

Bolton edged closer to the Championship drop zone with defeat at home to Preston on Saturday. Check out Thogden’s matchday vlog below…

Their performance lacked balance, as at times they charged forward without affording appropriate care for not leaving themselves exposed. The Lilywhites were utterly clinical, defended as a cohesive unit, and were therefore able to punish the title-chasers.

Back to basics

In order to get back on track, Norwich need to simplify things. For the approaching clash with Bolton, Norwich must focus on getting the simplest elements of their game right. If they do that, their technical superiority over Bolton ought to pay off.

Farke must recognise this need to get back to basics and make the necessary changes to the mentality of his squad. Failure to do so could result in the Canaries’ title bid derailing.

أكد الفرنسي أوليفيه جيرو، مهاجم فريق تشيلسي، أنه سيقاتل من أجل حجز مركز أساسي في تشكيل المدرب الإنجليزي، فرانك لامبارد المدير الفني للبلوز، رغم التعاقد مع تيمو فيرنر وفي وجود تامي أبراهام.

فرانك لامبارد، رغم التعاقد مع فيرنر والذي يلعب رأس حربة صريح (9)، لكنه يلعب به كجناح وتواجد على الجانب الأيسر والأيمن في المباريات القليلة الماضية.

وقال جيرو في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “تريبال فوتبول” البريطانية: “حاربت من أجل اللعب كأساسي مع الفريق في نهاية الموسم الماضي، المدرب منحني الفرصة وقمت بعمل جيد مع تشيلسي”.

وأضاف: “بفضل الأداء الذي قدمته والأهداف التي سجّلتها تمكن تشيلسي من التأهل لـ دوري أبطال أوروبا، وكنت فخورًا بذلك أيضًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. توتنهام يصارع برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان على ضم مدافع تشيلسي

وواصل: “لم أرد المغادرة مع بداية الموسم الحالي، على الرغم من أنني أعلم أنّ المنافسة ستكون أكثر صعوبة، لكن ما زلت أؤمن أنّ لديّ القدرة على اللعب، وسأقاتل من أجل مكاني”.

وتابع: “لقد تحدثت مع لامبارد، النادي تعاقد أيضًا مع فيرنر، وضمه بمثابة دافع إضافي له، وهو يُمكن أنّ يتطور حال الفريق لعب بمُهاجمين”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “لقد أصبح يلعب على اليسار، وستكون هناك مُنافسة بيني أنا وأبراهام في مركز رأس الحربة، لدينا الكثير من العناصر الهجومية، وسنرى كيف ستتطور الأمور في الأسابيع المُقبلة”.