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Hidden in The Times’ latest Manchester City summer overhaul update, there are claims that Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains a key figure on Pep Guardiola’s hit-list. We all know that the Spaniard has been meeting Citizens officials in Amsterdam for a jolly/serious forward planning, and with the Etihad outfit backed heavily by their Middle Eastern owners, big moves are sure to have been discussed.

Is ‘The Ox’ worth the fuss?

Yes. Okay, he’s not lit up the Premier League in quite the manner many expected when the now England international was signed as a precocious teenager from Southampton, but time is on his side. Granted 100 league appearances sine the start of the 2011/12 season, with the majority coming as a sub, and only seven goals – an average of just over one a season – are not awe inspiring statistics, yet it’s easy to forget that he’s just 22, and his consistent Three Lions call-ups are proof that he has quality.

The home-grown issue

Not to be cynical, City have a problem with filling their quotas. This issue runs so deep that a 38-year-old Richard Wright has been floating around in the background since 2012 without making an appearance – albeit we’ve heard he makes a cracking cuppa. Raheem Sterling’s signing is a measure that the club are now going for quality English talent over just filling the slots, as they did with Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell, and Oxlade-Chamberlain is certainly much closer to the former than the latter two in terms of potential.

Will Arsenal sell?

Only Arsene Wenger and the Gunners’ board know this, but it makes sense that they may for the right price – perhaps £20m – £25m. The sheer level of transfer rumours surrounding the player hint that his agent is at work, but even though this may be a plan to push contract talks forward, there’s not often smoke without fire. Add to this the wealth of attacking midfielders Wenger has, and ‘The Ox’s’ situation suddenly looks shaky in north London.

Is he a Pep player?

Again, one cannot be entirely sure what his plans are, but Oxlade-Chamberlain’s versatility is the sort the Spaniard values. Throughout his reigns at Barcelona and Bayern Munich he’s shifted players around, converting Philipp Lahm from full-back to deep-lying playmaker, while also playing a key role in moving Lionel Messi into a central position and really creating the ‘false nine’ phenomenon. The Arsenal man can play anywhere in the attacking midfield zone, and has also shown he’s effective from deeper in the middle when called upon in the past.

Verdict…

For us this transfer rumour is more 2+2=4 than 5. Man City need English players, Pep values energetic, versatile options and Arsenal can surely be persuaded to sell for the right price.

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It’s nearly here and the football world looks set to explode as some of the best players gather in France for the second biggest international football tournament: the EUROs.

The European Championship is a breeding ground for talent. We’ve got some of the world’s best players on show and no doubt some of England’s domestic sides will be scouting for bargains and world class players to add to their squads.

And one side who are in real need of strengthening this summer are Liverpool – with Jurgen Klopp in charge of his first summer transfer window. One group that stands out in terms of talent is Group B, so with this in mind, who should the German be targeting? Here are FIVE…

Artem Dzyuba

At 27, Dzyuba is really starting to hit the peak of his career. Whilst many in England may not know his name, in his native Russia he hits the headlines most weeks. 23 goals in 44 games helped Zenit into third in the season just gone. Whilst he’s not likely to grab the Golden Boot, the Russian is a handy player and could be a good striking option for Jurgen.

Marek Hamsik

The Slovakians made headlines when they knocked reigning champions Italy out of the 2010 World Cup. This year they look well set to progress from their group and a fantastic player at the heart of their side is Marek Hamsik. Year after year he leads his side on the international stage and the Napoli playmaker would make a fantastic addition to this Liverpool squad. Skilful with great passing ability, don’t underestimate the 28-year-old.

Ryan Bertrand

This well-travelled 26-year-old has finally settled down at Southampton and the EUROs gives him a fantastic chance to shine. Liverpool could do with strengthening at the back and Bertrand might be the man to help. He’s got a wealth of experience and with Nathaniel Clyne holding down the right-back berth, could we see and all England affair at Anfield?

Roman Neustädter

This former Germanu U-21 international was a surprise inclusion in Russia’s squad, considering he only registered for the national side in January. Nonetheless, Neustädter has been absolutely solid for Schalke this year and would make a great signing for any top side. Capable of playing at centre-half or central midfield, he has years ahead and could prove a coup for Jurgen Klopp.

Jamie Vardy

He’s been the man of the hour all season now and Jamie Vardy is in hot demand. Whilst everyone is claiming he’s joining Arsenal, until the ink has dried on a contract, he’s still available, and with a few Liverpool players in the England camp, he may be open to some persuasion. He’s got pace, works endlessly difficult and you could really see him pulling on the Red of Liverpool and scoring bags of goals. Ambitious, but wouldn’t he help the side?

In what’s been one of the most surprising league seasons for many years, one thing remained constant – Arsenal being around the top places.

The Gunners have had another successful campaign, one that most of the sides in the league could have only wished for, playing their usual brand of great attacking football and another top four finish in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger has bought in a number of good signings who have added to the squad well and things look bright financially for Arsenal, too, which in football’s current climate is just as vital.

This season then, there have been a number of good news stories at the Emirates, ones that the players and fans should be proud of and overall the season should be considered a success. There’s a number of reasons that have meant Arsenal have had a good campaign and here are the FIVE most prominent…

Finishing above Tottenham

This one largely explains itself. Finishing above Tottenham this season had looked in the balance right up to the final day of the season until a convincing 4-0 victory over Aston Villa, coupled with Spurs’ capitulation at Newcastle, hoisted the Gunners into 2nd spot. Not since 1995 have Tottenham finished above Arsenal and thanks to Olivier Giroud’s hat-trick on Sunday, that run will continue.

Top of the prize money league

Arsenal’s performance this season will see them collect the most Premier League prize money. According to the Mirror the Gunners will collect £101 million and with another season of Champions League football on the horizon, this will help no end in adding further additions in the transfer market this summer, as well as boosting the financial stability of the club.

Improved defence

The signing of Petr Cech has proved one of the deals of this season as he passed the record number of clean sheets by a Premier League goalkeeper, previously set by David James. Cech now has 178 clean sheets to his name, 16 of which were recorded this year as the Arsenal defence recorded more shutouts than any other team, joint with Manchester United.

They still play the best football

The stats show Arsene Wenger’s men still play the most attractive football in the league. The Gunners have the best possession average of any side (56.9%) as well as the highest pass completion rate, a staggering 84.2%. Combine that with fact the north London side have the joint fourth highest amount of goals scored with 65 and it highlights the team’s evident quality going forward.

Good young players

The future looks promising at the Emirates as a number of younger players look set to take the team forward. Alex Iwobi burst onto the scene this year with a number of eye-catching performances out wide whilst it’s easy to forget Hector Bellerin is only 21 given his assured performances at right back. Then considering the likes of Jack Wilshere is back to full fitness, Arsenal have a strong young team that has plenty of years ahead of them.

Ante Coric is apparently one of the hottest properties in Europe at the moment.

The 19-year-old Dinamo Zagreb midfielder has been dubbed the ‘new Luka Modric’ and eyes from across Europe have wandered towards the Croatian.

It’s no surprise that West Ham’s Slaven Bilic has noticed the player. Being the ex-Croatia boss, he would have been aware of players coming up through the ranks, plus he will know his fellow countryman. What’s more of a surprise is that also in the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp has also been keen to invite the youngster to Liverpool.

As Klopp’s re-build of a sleeping giant continues, the German will know the value of bringing in youngsters for the future and that such talents do not grow on trees. However, the usual recruitment for teams like Liverpool is to buy in the finished article.

For Bilic, he will want to entice Coric because West Ham are currently putting together a very good squad of players with a certain emphasis on youth. With the acquisitions of future stars such as Martinez, Dobson and Quina already done, Bilic has a rich selection of youthful talent coming through now.

But who is Ante Coric and why are West Ham and Liverpool so interested? Here are FIVE things you need to know about the Croatian…

Coric Nearly Joined Bayern Munich and Chelsea

In 2009, Coric joined the youth academy of Red Bull Salzburg in spite of interest from other clubs, including Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Barcelona. On joining the club Coric commented: “I wanted to become a Red Bull Salzburg player because my team-mates here are better than players of the same age anywhere else. We train better and more often than others. And I was very impressed by how warmly I was welcomed.”

In 2013, after four years in Salzburg, he returned to Croatia.

Footballer Of Hope

Coric came on as a 77th-minute substitute and scored the fifth goal in Dinamo’s 2014/15 Europa League opener against Astra Giurgiu, a 5-1 win. With this goal, he became the youngest goalscorer in Europa League history, at the age of 17 years and 157 days.

In 2015, Croatian newspaper Večernji list awarded Coric the Croatian Hope of the Year award, given to the best young Croatian player of the year. He’s still under contract at Dinamo until 2020, but Zagreb would be willing to listen to offers of around £10m for the teenager.

He Can Score As Well

10 goals in 67 appearances for Dinamo isn’t scintillating, but then clubs aren’t buying him for his goals. The fact that he can weigh in with the odd goal is useful, but not a major requirement.

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What They’ve Said About Coric

His club manager, Zoran Mamic, admitted that Coric had the ability to usurp Real Madrid’s Modric and Mateo Kovacic. “Ante is a treasure for our club. He is a greater talent than Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic were at his age.”

On top of that compliment Dinamo Zagreb’s club president added: “He is better than Boban or Prosinecki were at the same age.”

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Style

The teenager plays as a ‘No.10’ in the more traditional style. He dictates attacks and is noted for the delicate through balls and passes alongside technical skill and one-twos with the strikers.

His performances last season meant that three of Europe’s biggest clubs approached him directly, but a deal wasn’t done. “I spoke to Manchester City and Bayern Munich representatives, while I also spoke with a Real Madrid scout and there were other clubs interested in signing me as well,” he told Goal in April.

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According to reports from The Daily Mail, West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has revealed defender Jonny Evans could be allowed to leave for Arsenal if they sign a replacement first.

The Gunners were linked with a surprise swoop for the 28-year-old after Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista picked up injuries in pre-season.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal Transfer News | West Brom Transfer News

That forced Arsene Wenger to select youngsters Calum Chambers and Rob Holding during a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates last Sunday.

The north London club have continued to be linked with the former Manchester United defender, who left Old Trafford for the Hawthorns last summer.

The northern Ireland international, who featured prominently for his country at Euro 2016, was a key part of the Baggies side that finished 14th last season and impressed on the opening weekend of the 2016/17 Premier League campaign with a strong performance at left-back against Crystal Palace.

And Baggies gaffer Tony Pulis has suggested the club are open to agreeing an Arsenal transfer for the centre-back, but only if they sign a replacement first.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, he said; “You don’t want to lose your best players, but in football sometimes that happens. If it does happen, you need to make sure you know where your replacements are.

“If Arsenal come in for Jonny, if we do any business we’ll do it between the clubs. I wouldn’t talk here about doing a deal with Arsenal or anybody else.

“The most important thing is that Jonny is with us and we want him to stay because he’s an outstanding player.

“Last Saturday, whether it was Townsend or Zaha, and it’s not Jonny’s favourite position playing as a full back, he was most probably our best player on the pitch.”

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Paul Pogba to forget about his world-record transfer fee and instead focus at what he does best.

The France international returned to Old Trafford this summer for an astronomical fee after spening four years at Juventus in Italy.

Pogba had an impressive reintroduction with the Red Devils but has looked decidedly off the pace, especially against cross-town rivals Manchester City in the recent derby clash.

Mourinho has stated that he is not worries about the French midfielder’s form and knows that he will come good – but only after he dispels thoughts about his transfer fee.

“The world-record player is always a question that will be open until somebody breaks the record,” The Guardian quote the United boss as saying.

“There are clubs that paid 20, 30, 40 million, which is a bigger deal than United paid for Paul because you make a relation between what you pay and the club revenue and you realise that other clubs paying 20, 30, 40 is a much bigger thing than what United did.

“I just want Paul to forget that and to play his football. No pre-season; [after the] Euro final, holidays then come back. It’s normal that in the first week he had the very good impact in the first game.

“It’s normal that after the first game he has a little decrease. But I am full of trust with him because I know the player he is.

“I know he is a very good guy with a lot of ambition so the form will come naturally and will come with the team improving. The team improves, he will improve – no problem.”

Pogba played in his side’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday night but failed to make an impact at De Kuip.

United take on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday and Mourinho will hope that his side can break the losing streak and keep pace with the Premier League’s pace-setters.

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Wayne Rooney was once the name that every opposition fan and player feared.

His strength and power bullied defenders throughout England and Europe. Football fanatics to this day will still remember his Champions League debut, where the young Scouser scored a superb hat-trick against a seasoned, but on this night, hapless, Fenerbahçe defence.

But the last two months have been hard on 30-year-old Wayne Rooney.

Whilst he remains captain of both Manchester United and England, he is no longer the force that has for so long been synonymous with his reputation.

Rooney has found himself benched at club and national level. His general play is lethargic, his first touch has slackened, and arguably most strikingly, the goals are drying up.

Whilst football is a young man’s game, modern technology’s influence on player fitness is extending the careers of professionals well past Rooney’s age. 30 is a goal target for the season, not an age to fear.

But in Rooney’s case, fitness has always been a more complex issue.

Speaking in 2013, former United fitness coach Mick Clegg, said: “Wayne didn’t see the importance of the gym really. He’d say, ‘I’m here to play football’. I always wish I could have pushed Wayne that bit further.”

In the same year, Sir Alex Ferguson wrote in his autobiography, that: “If [Rooney] missed a couple of weeks for United it could take him four or five games to get his sharpness back.”

Both comments are fair. Rooney is a superstar created out of his own hard work and love for the game; he just likes playing football. For Rooney, one consequence of that has been the neglect of his body.

Injuries have only made this issue more serious for the Croxteth native.

Ankle and foot injuries have followed him ever since he broke a metatarsal at Euro 2004. In 2010, Rooney injured his ankle in a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. Only a week later, he played in the second leg and aggravated it further. In 2014, Rooney was reportedly on painkillers during another Champions League match against Bayern Munich, in hope that he could cope with the pain of a chipped bone in his foot.

Such things naturally have an effect on an athlete’s longevity.

For Rooney, the situation worsens when you analyse the amount of football he has played.

By the time Rooney was 20-years-old, he already had 132 league appearances under his belt.

At the same age, the likes of Paul Scholes and Zlatan Ibrahimović had 17 and 40 league appearances respectively. Scholes played at the highest level until he was 38-years-old and Ibrahimović continues to roll back the years at the age of 35.

Looking at this, are fans kidding themselves by believing Rooney can play to the same age and at a similarly high standard?

The reality of the situation is that we could see Rooney’s career follow a similar path to that of Thierry Henry.

The Frenchman had 92 league appearances by the time he was 20-years-old and played at Europe’s top clubs until he was 33-years-old, departing Barcelona to see out the last four years of his career in the MLS.

As football fans, we should appreciate an all-time great whilst he still remains a force (of sorts).

The realisation that a footballing great is not the same player that their reputation has been built upon is tough for anyone with an emotional attachment to the player, not least the player himself.

In Rooney’s case, it might well be reasonable to see his career over sooner rather than later. At that point, it will be left to personal anecdotes and YouTube montages to remind us of what a great footballer Wayne Rooney once was, and to appreciate him for being just that.

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According to reports from Mirror Football, Valencia and Napoli are interested in signing West Ham striker Simone Zaza during the January transfer window.

Didn’t they just sign him?

After falling short in their pursuit for a top-class striker during the summer, West Ham secured a loan deal for Juventus forward Simone Zaza just days before the transfer window slammed shut.

However, father and agent Antonio Zaza claims the Irons have an obligation to buy the Italy international after ten appearances (he’s already made five across all competitions), recently telling TuttoJuve: “He is on loan from Juventus with an obligation to buy after 10 appearances. I think he has four or five so far.”

Based on current form, that would be disastrous for West Ham; Zaza’s Premier League career thus far has consisted of no goals, six shots, none of which were on target, and one hauling off at half time against West Bromwich Albion.

Rather tellingly, our mates at Whoscored rate him as the worst performing striker to have made more than one appearance in the Premier League so far this season:

What’s the word?

Seemingly influenced by the aforementioned claim from Antonio Zaza, Mirror Football report that Valencia and Napoli are both interested in signing the 25-year-old should his West Ham loan spell not work out – which seems more than likely given his sustained anonymity in the final third.

That could create two rather confusing situations; firstly and most probably, Zaza remaining on the books at West Ham but not making any more appearances so they don’t have to pay his £10million permanent transfer fee, until he eventually leaves for Valencia or Napoli in January. Secondly, the Hammers activating the obligation before selling on Zaza anyway – but likely making a loss with the powerful forward’s original loan fee also in mind.

Overall, the situation remains a little murky. But if Zaza’s form doesn’t improve in coming weeks, reports like this one will become increasingly common.

In 2006, Arsenal took the decision to leave their Highbury home and build a new ground, now known as the Emirates Stadium.

To fund such a stadium though, Arsenal’s investment in players took a significant hit and the trophies have consequentially dried up, with just two FA Cups to their name since the historic switch of arenas.

However, Wenger’s boys haven’t failed to entertain the fans in the past eight years despite the lack of silverware. In fact, quite the contrary; Arsenal have consistently been impressive in terms of style of play and a significant portion of their goals have been nothing short of beautiful.

Whittling their best goals at the Emirates Stadium down to just a five-piece shortlist was no easy feat but these are the ones that impressed us the most. Do you agree or have we missed out an absolute classic? Let us know in the comments section below!

Abou Diaby vs Derby

Abou Diaby’s career has been riddled with horrible injuries but there was never any doubt over his ability.

After producing a goal of this quality against Derby in 2007,  it really is a crying shame we didn’t get to see much more of the Frenchman.

He has since moved to Marseille but is struggling for fitness in France, too.

Van Persie vs Everton

The Dutchman might not be popular at Arsenal following his 2012 move to Manchester United but whilst he was still in the capital, he was on fire.

At his prolific best he was scoring some absolute corkers, too.

Alex Song’s dinked ball into him wasn’t half bad either, setting up a quite wonderful volley against Everton in 2011.

RVP ended up scoring an extremely similar goal against Aston Villa a few years later. But in terms of Emirates Stadium goals, this one is right up there.

Fabregas vs Spurs

This goal would have been incredible in any given game but to do it in the North London Derby just shows the ability the Spaniard had.

Minutes after scoring the first goal of the game, Arsenal scored another  – but it was all really down to the magic feet of Fabregas.

He may now play for Arsenal’s other London rivals, Chelsea, but this goal will not be forgotten by the Gunners faithful.

Arshavin vs Barcelona

Whilst it may not be one of the finest goals scored at Emirates, what it stood for and the calibre of game made it all the more special.

Arsenal don’t tend to get outplayed or out-passed but against Barca they had to display their fine counter-attacking prowess, and by golly, they did just that!

As Samir Nasri found himself down the right wing, he pulled the ball back to Arshavin, who curled it around the Barca defenders to leave Victor Valdes flatfooted and give Arsenal a late 2-1 lead.

The Emirates Stadium gets stick for a lack of atmosphere but not that on that night. What a moment.

Wilshere vs Norwich

Wilshere’s goal against Norwich was a thing of absolute beauty.

As he, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazolra flicked it around the box, the Norwich defenders were left standing.

A couple of wonderful back heel passes found Wilshere free and behind the defence leaving him to lightly volley into the bottom corner past John Ruddy.

Rather than lambaste one another, it appeared that Norwich defenders were as dumbstruck as everyone else in the stadium.

A wonderful goal.

According to reports from London Evening Standard, West Ham are considering a January loan move for Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

What’s the word?

Following a humiliating defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, West Ham appear keen to revive their fortunes by signing two proven Premier League players in January – albeit on loan until the end of the campaign.

Whilst the majority of the LES report focuses on the Hammers’ interest in Manchester United’s much-maligned battering ram Marouane Fellaini, which we covered yesterday, the capital-based publication also claim the east London club could swoop for Chelsea’s Asmir Begovic – who has made just three first-team appearances, all in the EFL Cup, so far this season.

What about Adrian?

On the surface, West Ham are pretty well-stocked in the goalkeeping department. Most view Adrian as a Premier League quality glovesman and understudy Darren Randolph performed well when called upon last season, not to mention for Ireland during the summer’s European Championship.

But, perhaps due to the porous defence surrounding him, the Spaniard hasn’t quite been himself this season, conceding the third-most goals of any Premier League goalkeeper – however, also recording the fifth most saves with 35 from eleven games.

Adrian was dropped in favour of Randolph last weekend and although it didn’t have much of an impact on West Ham’s woeful form, losing 5-1 to Arsenal at home, the 29-year-old’s absence suggested Slaven Bilic isn’t happy with his recent contributions.

Begovic, meanwhile, may be out of the limelight at Chelsea but more than proved his Premier League credentials during five campaigns as Stoke City’s No.1, before moving to Stamford Bridge in summer 2015.

Since then, the Bosnian shot-stopper has performed understudy duties diligently, particularly impressing last season while Thibaut Courtois was sidelined through injury. In addition to bringing proven ability to West Ham’s squad, he should inject some much-needed calmness into the Irons’ often calamitous backline.

Courtesy of Squawka.

How likely is a January deal?

Well, Chelsea certainly won’t be worried about strengthening a Premier League rival by letting Begovic leave, with a staggering 22 points separating the west Londoners and the Hammers in the table.

Likewise, Chelsea are already out of the League Cup and didn’t qualify for Europe this season, so the FA Cup is Begovic’s only real chance of picking up game-time during the second half of the campaign – and even that could come to an abrupt end in the third round. The 6ft. 6″ Bosnian will want opportunities and would probably welcome the chance of a loan move to another Premier League club.

At the same time, Chelsea are a football club, not a charity, and they certainly won’t be doing their London rivals any favours. Begovic may be growing frustrated by his limited game-time, but he’s still a vital member of Chelsea’s squad as backup to Courtois. Third-choice Eduardo, the 34-year-old who was No.1 at Dynamo Zagreb before signing for the Blues during the summer, is a far less convincing alternative.

With that in mind, it will likely all come down to Chelsea’s league standing once we reach the final few days of the January window. But currently three points clear at the Premier League’s summit, it seems almost impossible for them to not still be in the title race at that time.

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