Instead of being destroyed by it, Unai Emery’s embraced Arsenal’s limitations since arriving last summer. Many managers would complain about the meagre investment, yet Emery’s made the best use of whatever he received while also using his new signings really well.

The Spaniard’s impressed many by bringing spirit into Arsenal’s game and making them play thrilling attacking football. However, the constant loses and embarrassment have happened due to Arsenal’s squad lacking in individuals. With Aaron Ramsey leaving, the Gunners need to get replace him with someone with similar potential.

According to reports (via Daily Mirror) they might’ve found it in a relatively unknown player. They’re keen on Charlton Athletic’s breakout star Joe Aribo, who’s been a standout in the League One. The 22-year-old’s proven himself as a dynamic central midfielder, who can not only distribute the ball around, but also open things up for his attackers.

Aribo’s scored 6 goals and assisted quite a few for the Addicks this season, being a vibrant figure in the middle. Going by his playing style, the youngster almost mimics Adrien Rabiot, while also having traits of Mesut Ozil. He’s quick, alert, has an eye for goal and can carry the ball forward, something which Emery needs to polish in his system.

Yes, it’s a fairly underwhelming name right now (one of our writers is particularly annoyed about it), but think of a certain Dele Alli and his impact across the road in North London…

He could be purchased fairly cheap and allow Arsenal to invest their funds on improving their defence. While signing an untested player like Aribo is a big gamble, Emery’s tendency to elevate promising talents means he can mould the electric 22-year-old into something special.

Arsenal fans, do you think Aribo can be a successor to Ramsey? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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West Ham United fans have lauded Matthew Taylor after the former Hammer announced that he will retire at the end of the season via his official Twitter account.

Taylor spent three years at Upton Park between 2011 and 2014, helping the side win promotion back to the Premier League in the 2011-12 season.

A versatile player who can play in midfield, on the left wing and at left-back, Taylor is currently playing for Swindon Town, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

He announced on Tuesday that, upon the expiration of that deal, he would hang up his boots, after a career that has spanned seven clubs and 20 years.

Taylor began his career at Luton Town before making a move to Portsmouth, where he spent six years. Following that, moves to Bolton, the Hammers, Burnley, Northampton Town and Swindon followed.

And Irons fans have wished Taylor the best of luck in his retirement, with many holding fond memories of his time in east London.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

هاجم كارلوس زامبرانو مدافع منتخب بيرو، البرازيلي نيمار دا سيلفا نجم باريس سان جيرمان، ووصفه بالمهرج.

المدافع البيروفي يرى أن نيمار أحد أفضل اللاعبين في العالم، ولكنه أيضًا مهرج بسبب الطريقة التي تصرف بها في مباراة تصفيات مونديال قطر 2022.

وفازت البرازيل على بيرو بنتيجة (4-2) وسجل نيمار ثلاثة أهداف (هاتريك) في تلك المباراة يوم الثلاثاء الماضي.

وقال مدافع بوكا جونيورز في تصريحات لـ البرنامج التلفزيوني “لا باندا ديل تشينو”، نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “بكل صراحة نيمار لاعب عظيم، ومن الأفضل في العالم، لكنه بالنسبة لي مهرج حقيقي”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بعد تخطيه في عدد الأهداف مع البرازيل.. رونالدو يوجه رسالة مهمة لـ نيمار

واعتبر زامبرانو، الذي طرد بعد 86 دقيقة من المباراة التي أقيمت على الاستاد الوطني في ليما لضربه المهاجم ريتشارليسون بذراعه، أن نجم باريس سان جيرمان ارتكب أخطاء زائفة حتى حصل على ركلتي جزاء لصالح البرازيل.

وأكمل البيروفي: “نيمار على دراية بكل ما فعله في الملعب، إنه لاعب رائع لكنه كان يبحث عن أدنى مستوى، في منطقة الجزاء ألقى بنفسه أربع أو خمس مرات ليرى ما إذا كانوا سيحتسبون له ركلة جزاء، وفي النهاية حقق هدفه وحصل على ركلتي جزاء، لكنهم غير مستحقين”.

وأشار زامبرانو إلى أن المهاجم طلب أيضًا من حكم المباراة التشيلي خوليو باسكونان تغيير البطاقة الصفراء التي أظهرها في البداية إلى حمراء.

وأوضح: “إنها البرازيل وعند اللمس (على الفور) ذهبوا لإلقاء نظرة باستخدام تقنية الفار، سواء كانت اللعبة إيجابية أو سلبية، لقد راجعوا اللقطات لأنها البرازيل، الحكم لم يتصرف بنفس الطريقة عندما طلبنا منه مراجعة اللقطات”.

وعن طرده، أردف: “لم أكن مرتبكًا للغاية، أردت فقط التغطية لكني للأسف ضربت ريتشارلسون على وجهه، مازلت أعتذر له، لأنها كانت ضربة بدون تعمد، وبقيت هادئا لأنني كنت أعرف ما حدث”.

وأثارت نتيجة المباراة جدلًا كبيرًا في بيرو، لدرجة أن الاتحاد البيروفي لكرة القدم (FPF) أعلن أنه سيرفع شكوى ضد باسكونان ومديره الرياضي، واعتبر خوان كارلوس أوبليتاس أن الحكم خبيث ومنحاز.

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Crystal Palace’s game-plan at Spurs seemed to just be to not lose and it eventually failed, despite a battling first half in which the Eagles fought valiantly to keep the scores level – they were somewhat indebted to the efforts of James Tomkins and Vicente Guaita though.

Unfortunately for Roy Hodgson and Co, Spurs’ sustained pressure finally paid off as they capitalised on a Luka Milivojevic mistake and scored via Heung-min Son and a sizeable deflection. The Serbian was dispossessed on the edge of his own box, allowing the Spurs number 7 to drive towards goal and get a shot off – one which finally broke Palace’s resolve.

The Eagles captain is usually a reliable figure at the base of midfield, with his penchant for penalties, work-rate and passing abilities all huge assets to his side, although he was caught out on Wednesday – and not for the first time.

The number 4 all too frequently takes far too long on the ball when the best decision would just be to hit it forward and that has cost his side on a couple of occasions – he gave away a silly free-kick, from which Granit Xhaka scored, against Arsenal at Selhurst Park having messed about too much.

The enforcer’s display was otherwise solid – he completed a match-high six interceptions and three tackles as he worked tirelessly in the middle of the park, although a temporary lapse in concentration undid all of that hard work.

Ever willing to get on the ball and control the game when his side were afforded possession, the 6 ft 1 former Olympiacos man also took 63 touches and completed one key pass, although none were impactful – the Eagles were wasteful with their chances and the performance, overall, was poor.

Has this guy found the worst stadium in English football? Decide for yourself by watching the video below…

Milivojevic is one of Palace’s most indispensable players but soon other teams will figure out that, once they get touch tight and put him under pressure, they can force a mistake which they can take advantage of. This is something that the 27-year-old cannot allow to remain in his game as he will soon become a liability.

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Reports in Italy claim Manchester United are ready to swoop for Roma centre back Kostas Manolas.

What’s the story?

Earlier this week, Sport Witness translated a report from Leggo that claimed the Red Devils ‘ready to pay’ the Greece international’s release clause of €36m (£31m).

Now, TuttoMercatoWeb have thrown their hat in the ring, also claiming that United will trigger his release clause at the end of the season.

Milan Skriniar of Inter Milan was another target, the report claims, but he will seemingly be too expensive to pry away from the San Siro.

A perfect partnership?

Manolas is 6 ft 2, incredibly fast for such a big, physical threat, and loves throwing his body on the line – as you would expect from a man who has spent his career in Greece and Rome, two places that require gladiatorial bravery from every player.

This bravery is something that has maybe been missing at Old Trafford too, so the 39-cap Greek ace could well be the commanding leader the Red Devils have been missing at the back.

In fact, he could the perfect partner for the ever-improving Victor Lindelof, as the one aspect of the modern game Manolas struggles with is when he has the ball at his feet, an area where Lindelof just so happens to excel.

The young Swedish international needs an experienced head next to him, and what could be better than pairing a ball-playing viking with a fearless gladiator?

With the release clause currently standing at just £31m, Ed Woodward and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be fools not to make this happen.

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Tottenham look set to revive their interest in Jack Grealish this summer according to the The Mirror. However, Aston Villa fans needn’t be too concerned about a possible sale.

What’s the word?

Spurs are planning to make Grealish a key target as they plan for the summer transfer window. This comes months after they failed in their pursuit of making him a Lilywhite before the current season began.

The north London club had tried to sign him from Villa on deadline day but they refused to sell him for any price, according to Sky Sports.

A fee of £25m had previously been quoted but it remains unclear as to what price Dean Smith’s men would command if Spurs did come back in for their prized asset.

It’s been reported by The Mirror that West Ham and Bournemouth are also interested.

McGinn more dependable?

Losing Grealish wouldn’t be disastrous and they should look to sell him whilst his stock is high. This is because of the form of John McGinn. The summer signing from Hibernian has had an exceptional first season in English football and has arguably been more dependable for the Villans in 2018/19.

Although Grealish scored the winning goal against Birmingham in the Second City derby this month, the Scot was one of the real game-changers and in recent matches with Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough has arguably outperformed his partner in midfield.

The 24-year-old has three more assists than Grealish this season and also has one extra goal to his name.

But it’s his more all-around game which makes him more important to the side than Grealish. As well as making inroads in attack, he contributes to the defensive phase of play too. No other player in the team has made more tackles per game than McGinn, a figure which stands at 2.2.

Villa have held off selling their star man for a long time now, but it seems as good a time as any to finally cash in on him.

حسم التعادل نتائج مباريات المجموعة الخامسة في دوري أبطال أوروبا، أحدهما سلبيًا بمواجهة تشيلسي وإشبيلية، والآخر إيجابيًا بمواجهة رين وكراسنودار.

وحل الفريق الأندلسي ضيفًا على البلوز في ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” بمباريات المجموعة الأولى.

وفشل الفريقان في هز الشباك، لتنتهي المباراة بتعادل سلبي، ويحصل كل فريق على نقطة.

وفي فرنسا تعادل رين إيجابيًا بهدف لمثله أمام كراسنودار الروسي.

وسجل جيراسي هدف رين من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 56، وتعادل كريستيان راميرز سريعًا للضيوف في الدقيقة 59.

ويحصل كل فريق على نقطة في المجموعة، ويتواجد رين في الصدارة ثم كراسنودار ثم إشبيلية ثم تشيلسي.

Saturday’s results in the Championship provided yet another twist in what is turning out to be a season to remember for fans of Leeds United, Norwich City and Sheffield United.

The Canaries kicked off proceedings by hammering Queens Park Rangers 4-0 at Carrow Road, a result which would have put their promotion rivals under a considerable amount of pressure heading into their clashes. Chris Wilder’s Blades responded with a fine victory of their own, beating play-off chasing Preston North End 1-0 yet Leeds were unable to back-up their win over Millwall last week as they succumbed to defeat at Birmingham City.

In what was a frustrating afternoon for the Whites, Marcelo Bielsa’s side were unable to break down their opponents despite dominating large periods of the game at St Andrew’s. This result allowed their Yorkshire rivals to leapfrog them in the league but more importantly allowed Norwich to move eight points clear of third-place in the standings.

With just six games left to play this season, the Canaries are almost certain to finish in the automatic promotion positions which leaves just one spot for either the Blades or Leeds to fill with West Bromwich Albion unlikely to make up the seven-point gap.

It can be argued that the Whites have a tougher run-in compared to Chris Wilder’s side as they still have to face a resurgent Aston Villa side who are battling it out with a host of other clubs to secure a play-off position.

However, United still have to host Nottingham Forest, a team which they lost to earlier on this season and is experiencing a solid end to the campaign under their new manager Martin O’Neill.

Even if both sides prevail in these particular fixtures, giving just how competitive the Championship is, they will have to be on top form against whoever they face in the next four weeks of action as any slip-up could prove costly.

What do you think Leeds fans? Is it now just a straight battle between your side and Sheffield United? How many points do you think Bielsa will need to accumulate in the final six fixtures? Let us know below.

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to criticise Hugo Lloris, after the 32-year-old Frenchman’s inability to hold a tame Mohamed Salah effort saw Spurs concede a last-gasp winner against Liverpool at Anfield.

It is not the first time this season that the French international has made a mistake, most notably against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, and fans are beginning to run out of patience with the former Lyon stopper.

The North London Derby of 2008 may never be matched for drama. Lewis from Norwich City Central explains why it’s his all time favourite derby in the video below…

Salah’s effort was weak, as the Egyptian attempted to make something of a high, lofted ball. The 26-year-old nodded towards Lloris, who spilled the ball onto Toby Alderweireld before both men watched it agonisingly trickle over the line.

It was certainly an effort that Lloris could’ve held onto, and it is another error that has cost his teammates in a game where they were arguably the better side – as captain, he should be a key figure, but he is proving to be a huge liability.

Let’s see what the Tottenham supporters on Twitter have been saying about the howler…

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Republic of Ireland youngster Ryan Burke has been offered a two-year contract by Birmingham City.

The news was confirmed on Wednesday, with Burke being one of the youngsters to be offered a professional deal by the Championship outfit.

Burke, 18, arrived at Birmingham from St. Pats in July 2017 and the club’s official website has called the defender ‘a mainstay of the Development Squad’.

Goalkeeper Zach Jeacock and midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce are also amongst those to be offered professional deals by the Blues.

Burke took to social media on Wednesday to reveal his delight and that led to a number of the Birmingham supporters hailing the teenager.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

The first team might be going through a tough period, but the Blues are looking ahead and Burke will be hopeful of featuring for Garry Monk’s side over the next 12 months or so.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the contract news can be seen below: