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Unai Emery has made a superb start to life at Arsenal as after a tough start to the season The Gunners have put together a run of 16-games unbeaten. 

Following an incredibly disappointing season last year, it was essential that Arsenal not only appointed the right manager for the job but made some solid signings to strengthen the squad.

Although it’s early, it seems as though Emery was the wise choice by Arsenal but if The Gunners want to get back into the top-four places, they must reinvest in the squad in January.

The two key areas that must be strengthened are in defence and also on the wing. According to The Sun, Arsenal are ready to bid £15 million for Brentford defender Ezri Konsa.

The Breakdown

The 21-year-old defender was signed from Charlton over the summer and has been one of the more impressive players at Brentford this season.

Although they signed Sokratis Papastathopoulos over the summer, Arsenal need to sort out their long-term future at centreback.

Rob Holding has looked increasingly assured at the back but his fellow defensive partner, Shkodran Mustafi still looks as though he could make a mistake at any given moment.

Mustafi is a constant liability and Arsenal need to replace him with a younger and more promising defender that can lead the club towards the top four and the title.

Arsenal have improved massively under Emery but at the back, they still need to add some quality and replace the woeful Mustafi.

Arsenal fans, what do you think? 

According to The Express, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba has informed the club that he wishes to return to Juventus in the next transfer window.

What’s the story?

Pogba re-signed for United – having initially left the club as a teenager in 2012 – for a then-world record fee of £89 million in the summer of 2016. Two seasons on, however, and the Frenchman could be set to once again leave Old Trafford behind in favour of a switch to the Turin club.

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In his second spell with the Red Devils, Pogba has struggled to maintain his finest form in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho should perhaps take this opportunity to move the France international on and use the inevitably significant funds raised to bring another midfield lynchpin to the club.

In that case, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ought to be the Portuguese boss’ top candidate to fill Pogba’s boots at Old Trafford. 

Ready for the chance

The Serbian powerhouse, Milinkovic-Savic, is ready for the next step up in his career. The 23-year-old has been in tremendous form for Lazio and could become a dominant presence in the Premier League.

Like Pogba, Milinkovic-Savic provides a goal threat from midfield and also possesses exquisite technique and is capable of unpicking stubborn opposition defences with inventive passes. His athleticism, physicality and imposing 6’4″ frame also makes him an intimidating presence in the centre of the park and allows him to be extremely effective when carrying out his defensive duties. 

The next step he must take in his career is a move to one of Europe’s giant clubs, but with a Transfermarkt valuation of £81 million, he wouldn’t come cheap. However, Pogba himself has a Transfermarkt valuation of £81 million, meaning United ought to be able to raise the necessary funds by selling the World Cup winner on in January.

Replacing Pogba with Milinkovic-Savic would be excellent business on United’s part, and would ensure fans quickly forget about the 2018 World Cup winner.

It would be wrong to label Ronald Koeman a bad manager – clearly, Everton’s biggest errors this season trace back to their recruitment strategy during the summer – but it would also be wrong to ignore how his Toffees side were desperately short of enthusiasm, energy and aggression towards the end of his tenure.

That’s inherently linked with confidence but is exactly what the Merseysiders now need to restore a season that has seen them slump to 16th place, standing three points above the relegation zone, and caretaker manager David Unsworth has turned to the club’s promising array of youngsters to provide it.

Few performances have quite epitomised what those young players can offer Everton quite like Jonjoe Kenney’s against Crystal Palace on Saturday, a high-octane affair in south London that saw the Toffees claim a 2-2 draw with just 31% of the ball.

Accordingly, the 20-year-old’s performance wasn’t the most polished; he completed just 56% of his passes and committed three fouls.

But his commitment and aggression was more than evident by making the most interceptions of any player on the pitch alongside the second-most tackles.

If Everton are to turn their wayward season around, dogged performances like Kenny’s will be vital – especially away from home – and Unsworth clearly appreciates that. The lingering question though, is whether his successor will value the Toffees’ impressive batch of youngsters in the same way.

Chelsea will win the Premier League title with victory over West Brom on Friday night.The arrival of Antonio Conte this summer has completely revolutionised the Blues, who made a huge mess of their title defence last season by finishing 10th.This season, though, they’ve been superb under Conte and will be well deserved title winners if they’re able to get the job done at The Hawthorns.Some of their success can be credited to the summer signing of N’Golo Kante from Leicester City, who has been the midfield workhorse we all fell in love with last season.The France international is about to become the first player to win back-to-back Premier League titles with two different clubs this weekend and the good news is that he is expected to feature against West Brom after sitting out of the Blues’ 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on Monday night.Journalist and injury expert Ben Dinnery confirmed on Twitter today that Kante has indeed recovered from a minor hamstring problem while Antonio Conte has admitted there are no fresh injury concerns ahead of Friday’s night’s game..

It leaves Conte’s side with a clean bill of health as they bid to secure the double in the Italian’s first season in England.

It’s almost time to lock in your FPL team for game week 8 but, if you’re like me, there are still some huge decision to be made.

Does Zlatan Ibrahimovic stay or does he go? Should I gamble on captaining Aguero given his record in GW8 over the years? Is it worth taking a gamble on an inform Christian Benteke?

It’s Benteke who actually got me thinking earlier in the week. The striker banged in a hat-trick for Belgium and has three goals in his last four Premier League fixtures for Palace. Surely he’s worth a punt, perhaps even a replacement for the misfiring and very expensive Zlatan?

I took that conversation on to our weekly slot on FanTV earlier this week to discuss why bringing Benteke in is worth considering, and I compared him with Zlatan and Aguero, the two most sought after strikers on the game…

I also touched upon the importance of looking at average points per 90 minutes, as this is where real value can be had when making your transfers.

Instead of just trying to crowbar big names or seemingly high scoring form players in your team just because everyone else is doing it, sometimes it’s worth looking about for some value in the players who aren’t owned by many other FPL teams, but still return a good points per 90 average.

And you can’t get better value at the moment than Juan Mata…

As you can see, he is only owned by 2.5% of FPL teams but he’s still averaging just under seven points per 90 minutes. That’s really, really good value!

So what the video below to listen to my weekly fantasy football tips on FanTV. Want to have your say? Then make sure you comment below…

AC Milan goalkeeper Antonio Mirante will make a rare appearance this weekend as the Rossoneri are forced to field their third choice against Juventus.

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First choice Maignan suspendedSportiello out with injuryMirante likely to be in starting XIWHAT HAPPENED?

Stefano Pioli's team return to Serie A action on Sunday with a match against Juventus. The Milan coach has been left with a selection headache with many players struggling with injury, and the goalkeeping position is a particular concern.

Mirante will be the man to take his place between the sticks in the weekend's headline clash as first choice Mike Maignan is suspended after he was sent off in their previous match against Genoa. Meanwhile, Milan announced that back-up option Marco Sportiello is also out with a calf injury he sustained in training this week.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pioli has other concerns spread throughout his team heading into the clash at San Siro. Samuel Chukwueze and Theo Hernandez are both unavailable, while Rade Krunic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who are still recovering from injuries, will need to be assessed before kick-off.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mirante's appearance will be his first start since 2021, when he was named in the starting XI for Roma. Since joining AC Milan, he has seen just one minute of competitive action, which was in the final game of last season.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Pioli's team are top of Serie A heading into Sunday's game against Juventus, who are four points behind. A win will see Pioli's side remain ahead of rivals Inter.

Arsenal winners, losers and ratings as Saka sinks Bodo/Glimt

Arsenal made it three wins in the Europa League with a hard earned 1-0 success at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.

The Norwegian champions boasted a formidable home record going into the game, having won their last 14 European games at the Aspmyra Stadion – including a 6-1 victory over Jose Mourinho's Roma last season.

So Mikel Arteta named a stronger team than many expected, with William Saliba, Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka all starting.

And it was Saka who scored the only goal of the game in the first half, albeit with a fortunate finish which saw the ball deflect in off his chest after his initial shot had been blocked.

Bodo did cause the Gunners some problems, especially in the second half, but they failed to really test Matt Turner with any shots on goal.

The win means Arsenal will now secure qualification through to the knockout stages, should they beat PSV Eindhoven at Emirates Stadium next Thursday night.

• Getty
  

  The Winners

  Winner: Bukayo Saka

  Another game, another goal for Saka.

  This one my have been fortunate, with the ball deflecting into the net off his chest after his initial shot had been blocked by a defender.

  But that will not matter to Saka, who now has three goals in his last two games following his double against Liverpool at the weekend.

  The Arsenal winger had endured quite a slow start to the season from a goalscoring sense, netting just once in his first nine appearances.

  So his numbers have taken a real boost in the last few days, with Saka having now scored four in 11.

  That's much more like what we have come to expect from the 21-year-old.

  Winner: Sambi Lokonga

  This was another very tidy performance from the young Belgian, who has quietly enjoyed a strong start to the season for Mikel Arteta's side.

  Lokonga has already accumulated nine appearances in all competitions and appears to have gone up a level from what we saw from him last season.

  In tricky conditions on an artificial pitch, Lokonga was impressive in midfield. He looked calm under pressure, brought the ball forward well and was excellent in possession.

  He also had a big part to play in Saka's first-half goal, playing the ball cleverly into his path on the edge of the box.

  Winner: Matt Turner

  There have been question marks over Turner following his move from the United States in the summer, so this would have been a very satisfying night for the American stopper.

  He didn't have too much to do in terms of making saves, although he did make one smart stop in the second half following a quick counter from the home side.

  But what was impressive about Turner was how sharp he was off his line.

  The artificial pitch meant that the ball was skidding off the surface very quickly and he was always alert to deal with the danger.

  Turner's starting position was always very good and he helped out his defence on several occasions when the hosts were threatening.

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• The Losers

  Loser: Reiss Nelson

  This was a big night for Nelson, who was making his first start for Arsenal since January, 2021.

  He would have been desperate to impress, but failed to make any sort of major impact down the left-hand side of the attack.

  There were a couple of nice runs, but when Nelson did get into a good position his end product was severely lacking.

  There was one shot early in the second half that summed up Nelson's night.

  He was in a good position just outside the box. But, despite having a bit of time to set himself, he sliced an effort which ended up closer to the corner flag than the goal.

  Loser: Fabio Vieira

  He was the star of the show against Bodo in London, but this was a far more frustrating night for the Portuguese playmaker.

  Vieira just couldn't really get into the game while playing alongside Martin Odegaard in the two advanced Arsenal midfield roles.

  He produced a couple of nice touches, but he was mainly on the fringes of things and was unable to get into the sort of areas that saw him cause so many problems a week ago.

  Loser: Cedric Soares

  Still the Portuguese international is waiting for his first start of the season.

  When he returned to full fitness a fortnight ago, the expectation was that Cedric would start both games against Bodo in the Europa League.

  But instead he has been left on the bench for both, with Takehiro Tomiyasu starting at right-back in the game in London and Ben White starting in Norway.

  That will have been a blow for Cedric, who appears to be well down the pecking order this season.

• Arsenal Ratings: Defence

  Matt Turner (8/10):

  Was alert when he needed to be. Came off his line well to deal with danger and made saves when he needed to.

  Ben White (7/10):

  Got up in support of Saka well, left some space behind him at times.

  Rob Holding (6/10):

  Made a couple of important clearances. Good in possession.

  William Saliba (6/10):

  Played in second gear. Never really looked in trouble.

  Kieran Tierney (7/10):

  Looks fully fit now, which is promising. Got up and down the left all night.

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• Midfield

  Sambi Lokonga (8/10):

  Impressive. Stood out in midfield and played a big part in Saka's first-half goal.

  Martin Odegaard (6/10):

  Saw a lot of the ball, produced some nice touches.

  Fabio Vieira (5/10):

  Just couldn't get into the game. He was always on the fringes of things.

Goal takes a look at the 20 highest-paid managers in football

France Football are set to reveal their annual lost of football's highest-paid coaches, and Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone leads the way by quite some distance.

The Argentine has led Atleti to one of the most successful spells in their history and has been well rewarded for doing so by his employers. 

Simeone earns a staggering €10 million (£8.6m/$11.2m) more than Jose Mourinho did when the Portuguese was in charge at Manchester United.

In addition, France Football unveiled the list of highest-paid players in the game, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way. 

Below, Goal takes a look at the 20 highest-paid managers in football. 

saudi arabia20Dragan Stojkovic

Club: Guangzhou R&F.

Total income: €7 million (£6m/$7.9m)

AdvertisementGetty Images19Unai Emery

Club: Arsenal.

Total income: €7 million (£6m/$7.9m)

Getty Images18Zinedine Zidane

Club: Real Madrid.

Total income: €7.5 million (£6.4m/$8.4m).

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CHRISTOF STACHE17Niko Kovac

Club: Bayern Munich.

Total income: €7.5 million (£6.4m/$8.4m).

MatériaMais Notícias

O zagueiro Gustavo Henrique e o atacante Marinho desfalcarão o Santos contra o Fortaleza, nesta quinta-feira, às 20h, no Castelão, pela 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Ambos receberam o terceiro cartão amarelo na vitória sobre o Cruzeiro, por 4 a 1, neste sábado, na Vila Belmiro, pelo Brasileirão. Aos três minutos do segundo tempo, Gustavo Henrique agarrou o atacante Sasha, que caiu. Marinho, por sua vez, foi advertido por discutir com o adversário Fabrício Bruno.

Sampaoli pensará nos substitutos. Na zaga, Luan Peres, Luiz Felipe e Felipe Aguilar disputam a vaga do camisa 6. No ataque, Tailson deve ser a reposição de Marinho.

TABELA
> Veja a classificação e o simulador do Brasileiro clicando aqui

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A goleada fez o Santos empatar em número de pontos com o vice-líder Palmeiras, ambos com 68.

MatériaMais Notícias

15º e 16º colocados da Série B, Vitória e Londrina farão na sexta-feira (18) um jogo absolutamente recheado de ingredientes de tensão pensando na reta final da Série B e o aumento de intensidade na luta para escapar do temido rebaixamento a terceira divisão nacional.

Não à toa um nome de tanto peso no elenco do Leão da Barra, o centroavante Anselmo Ramon, fez questão de não tirar o peso do compromisso apontando que o elenco precisa ver como um jogo decisivo para as pretensões da equipe:

-É um jogo muito importante para os dois lados, um confronto direto nesta briga para fugir do Z4. Sem dúvida, uma decisão. Vamos ter a mesma intensidade que tivemos nas últimas partidas para vencermos. Não podemos nem pensar em outro resultado que não seja a vitória diante da nossa torcida.

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A tradicional força que o Vitória sempre possuiu em casa além da equipe ter conseguido emendar a importante sequência de três jogos sem perder justamente nessa reta final foram elementos também abordados pelo atleta:

-O Barradão sempre foi um aliado do Vitória e agora não será diferente. Contamos com o apoio do nosso torcedor para vencermos juntos esta partida. Um triunfo vai nos ajudar muito visando a sequência da competição.Estamos em uma sequência boa nestas últimas partidas. São três jogos sem derrotas. Temos que manter esse ritmo até o final para terminarmos o campeonato bem.