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You have to give a nod to Manchester City for playing a part in their collapse at White Hart Lane. It was much of what we’ve come to expect from Roberto Mancini’s men all season, and the Italian once again didn’t shy away from telling his players exactly what he thought of them. But if only for a moment and with nothing decided at this stage, Tottenham looked like a club destined for the top four – and that is what Arsenal should take from this race for a Champions League spot.

A great deal of credit will once again go to Andre Villas-Boas and his tactical switch. But I don’t really want to talk about tactics and what it did for the finer details of the game, rather what it did for the mood around White Hart Lane.

It’s the safest route for Tottenham fans, I’m sure, to just accept defeat and another disappointing end to the season. Andre Villas-Boas, however, was having none of it. It’s a sense of understanding for what is at stake; no, not a place in next season’s Champions League group stage, but instead the pride of a winning a football match.

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Tottenham had the players but not always the belief. Manchester City could have put the game to bed in the first half and that would have been it. Instead, the result amounted to Spurs delivering a heavy and impressive defeat to one of their rivals at the top of the Premier League table. For all that can be said about Arsenal and their experience as a top four team and the titles of the past, when was the last time Arsene Wenger’s men really put Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea to the sword? More importantly, when did Wenger mastermind a complete turnaround in a match of that significance?

It’s a divide that doesn’t need compliments, traditions or playing style to bridge the gap. They might have similarities and storylines that take from one another, but Tottenham and Arsenal want to remain very much individual.

That’s why it might not sit well for it to be suggested that Arsenal can learn something from Tottenham’s win. Arsenal have put together an excellent record of results over the past two months, with the only blemish coming at White Hart Lane in that 2-1 defeat. Sure, they may kick themselves for failing to take all three points from Everton come the end of the season, but otherwise why would Arsenal need to look across the way for a source of inspiration?

Again, it’s that attitude Villas-Boas had to want to change the game. Ironically, it almost bordered on stubbornness. The game looked up and Tottenham’s hopes for a top four place this season seemed to be coming to an end. The bravery and desire from Villas-Boas should be remembered for a long time, especially if that win against Manchester City acts as the defining point for Tottenham’s season.

It’s different at Arsenal. They will win, play good football and send everyone home happy if the sun is shining, the wind just happens to be in their sails and the opposition play their own part in their downfall. That’s not always the case, of course, but the biggest point here is when did you ever get the sense that Arsenal and Wenger were taking it upon themselves to alter the outcome of an important game? Wenger has that attitude of “leave it be, it’ll sort itself out” that just cannot work at this level of the game. It’s an attitude that Villas-Boas was miles away from on Sunday afternoon.

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Some Arsenal fans will cite the changes made during the game against Norwich at the Emirates, a group of substitutions that forced the turnaround and win. But it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t as grand as Tottenham’s win. A point to be made: Arsenal have not beaten any of the other three teams currently making up the top four this season. In my lifetime, Arsenal have not scored more than two goals at Old Trafford in the league. Spurs, this season, can tick off both of those.

Arsenal may end up finishing in a Champions League place this season, with or without Tottenham rounding out the four. But that doesn’t take anything away from the achievement of Spurs and the mentality that can and should be adopted at the Emirates. Rather than letting the result fizz out into nothing, giving into submission and just playing out the remainder of the 90 minutes as an act of formality; do something different, brave and inventive that will warrant equal praise.

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There is always a discussion of teams needing a quartet of strikers if they are to succeed and have an incisive attacking line. Is it equally important to thrive through wing play? Or is direct play through the middle effective enough?

I would argue wingers are the most underrated aspect of a side in the Premier League. The reason why Chelsea struggled in November and Tottenham have managed to flourish, despite being understrength, recently is width. The pace and precision of Bale and Lennon on the wings certaintly provides Spurs with an advantage. Chelsea’s season has unravelled when teams found out their attacking trio just behind Torres are playing narrow. It makes them predictable and easy to neutralise.

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It is also the reason why you see full backs such as Rafael persistently given a chance at Manchester United, in spite of his defensive deficiencies. The need for a team to have wing play is crucial to counter attacking football as well and being able to surprise opposition. When I talk about wing play I don’t mean necessarily passing the ball to the designated winger and him always putting a ball in the box. There is an aspect of this but it is about spreading the play across the whole pitch. There appears to be an obsession with trying to find the next playmaker that can play in the ‘hole’. Surely this is useless if you don’t have a full back and winger combination which works efficiently.  They need to pick and probe down their designated side. The nature of how wingers play is interchangeable with the full back bombing forward to provide extra width.

Newcastle United have been exposed for their failure to utilise their wing play as they did last season. The dynamism of having Santon and Ben Arfa, as well as Simpson and Gutierrez helped the Magpies find a way through opposition defences last campaign. They have neglected using these players strengths, and opting for long ball football. The fact that Ben Arfa has been so crucial to anything that has been remotely good, even when they are playing style that doesn’t suit him this season, is telling to the importance of wing play. Despite Ben Arfa not necessarily sticking to a wing cutting inside and playing sometimes as an auxiliary striker, his game is based around running at a defender down the flanks. This helps carve open opportunities for the Magpies for the likes of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse. Adam Johnson was another example of this though he has failed to flourish since his £10 million move to the Stadium of Light, there was a definite feeling that his keenness on the wings helped relieve pressure for his attacking players when he was at Manchester City as they surged to the title.

David Silva certaintly struggled to recapture his form at the back end of last season, due to his insistence on try to play his way through the middle and found he was endlessly frustrated in spells. There is a reason why wingers command such a high fee. It is because they can free up space in the middle as well as being a creative outlet from which a team can build all their attacks. In this case Silva was forgetting the importance of width. It is something for Sir Alex Ferguson has pondered on too having started both Valencia and Young on the wings in this weekend’s Manchester derby. He decided that playing two out and out wingers was the solution and at the moment it is paying dividends. He also has Nani to call upon too and this strength in depth out wide which could prove telling in the title race.

Chelsea under Mourinho also prospered due to having four efficient wingers who could all add an attacking outlet to their play.  There was Duff, Robben, Wright- Phillips and Joe Cole who were all ready to do a good job if called upon to do so. Then when Chelsea won the title under Ancelotti there was also efficient wingers with Malouda winning the player of the season award. It is not a coincidence that Big Sam went out to buy Matt Jarvis for £10million in the summer, as even a man who is not afraid to play direct football sees how crucial having a successful winger is.  The playmaker may be able to deal with intricate passes but the wingers are the ones who are often relied upon to create the openings.

I would argue that the addition of Jean Beausejour in January was crucial to Wigan’s survival last season. He added flair and invention to the side on the wing. The fact that he operated so successfully out wide helped the 3-4-3 that Martinez wanted to adopt work so successfully. He was seen as a low key signing, but the balance he provided for his team made him so pivotal to everything that went on at the DW Stadium.

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Now that the January transfer window is fast approaching it may be time for clubs to look at adding another winger to their side, like Wigan did. This could certaintly be the answer to rejuvenating the spark in ailing sides. If the club has wingers capable of producing then it is up to the Managers to realise that they can be the key to success.

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Declan Rice followed his impressive performance against Chelsea last weekend with a fine display against Stoke City in the Premier League on Monday night.

The West Ham United centre-back’s stock continues to rise as the weeks pass, and it is not a surprise that the club’s supporters are excited about the 19-year-old.

Rice’s composure on the ball against Stoke was there for all to see, and there is every reason to believe that the Republic of Ireland international will be a key player for the Hammers moving forward.

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Rice, who is valued at £1.8m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has actually made 21 Premier League appearances for West Ham this season, and has played the full 90 minutes in each of the club’s last three league matches.

West Ham were frustrated in their 1-1 draw with Stoke at the London Stadium, but the club’s supporters were keen to pay tribute to the performance of youngster Rice once again.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Last season Steven Gerrard ran the show for Liverpool as they battered Manchester United in the Premier League run-in, scoring twice from the spot for Brendan Rodgers’ side. However, just about a year on, ‘Captain Fantastic’ is confined to the bench for the biggest fixture of the Reds’ campaign, with Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson picked to run the show in the middle for the Merseysiders.

Gerrard himself is just returning from a lengthy injury lay-off, but a player of his magnitude and importance to Liverpool may well have expected to get the nod from Rodgers, but there seems to be little room for sentiment for the Northern Irishman. The ‘No 8’ has not been the all-conquering force he once was this season and is set to leave this summer for semi-retirement in Los Angeles with the Galaxy, and it seems unlikely that he’ll be kissing the camera after a goal today. So, how did Liverpool fans take the news… pretty well!

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There are two ways to digest Roberto Mancini’s assertions that Manchester City are out the Premier League title race as April approaches. They are either the words of a pragmatist or those of a defeatist. Looking at what they’ll have to achieve in order to topple Manchester United and earn a second top-flight crown you’d have to agree with the former. In defence of Mancini his players have seldom hit top gear this term and have far from resembled the devastatingly slick and allied unit that lifted the title Too many of his top players, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany in particular, have failed to hit the standards set last season and while Mancini may come across as pessimistic in his surrender it is also an acknowledgement of how poor City have been across the board.

Alan Pardew can relate to his Italian counterpart. Newcastle were the top-flight’s surprise package in 2011/12 and eventually finished in fifth earning a place in the Europa League. It’s been a completely different story for the Magpies this season as they battle to avoid a second relegation in five seasons while struggling with the bloated fixture list that is part and parcel of competing in Europe. That said their continental exploits have proved a welcome distraction from a dismal league campaign and Pardew will certainly have one eye on the quarter final clash with Benfica on Thursday. Despite sitting 13th in the table the 51-year-old knows his side need at least two more wins to guarantee their top-flight status. A draw at the Etihad Stadium would be welcomed given Newcastle are without five key players.

Team News

Vincent Kompany is Manchester City’s main concern after he featured for Belgium in midweek, much to the annoyance of Roberto Mancini, after spending eight weeks out with a calf injury. Sergio Aguero (knee) is available but may not be risked straight away.

Cheick Tiote and Mathieu Debuchy (both hamstring) along with Davide Santon and Massadio Haidara (knee) are all missing for Newcastle as they soldier on in the midst of another injury crisis.

What the managers said…

“I think when you are a top team and you have good players, you should be very strong when you win or lose. This doesn’t change. Also, when you can’t win a title you can have other situations that you can improve. For this reason it is very important to do our best in the next nine games. We have the FA Cup and we have to get second position. I am sure Chelsea or Tottenham want to take second. We need to do our best for this reason, we want to stay there. If we take second position and have a chance to win the FA Cup – I think in the end, with all the problems we have had this year, I think this could be a good season.” Roberto Mancini is demanding a strong end to the season from his players (The Mirror)

“He’s come out and said it’s over. I think that’s probably to take a bit of pressure off his team. They’ll want to get eight wins, and see where they end up. That’s probably his plan. We won’t get fooled by that. That stadium’s a difficult place to get a result, but we’ve got the players to do it. That’s what we believe, and that’s how we’ll approach the game. I just think there’s always a chance of winning. We were at Man United with 12 minutes to go, and were 3-2 up. And we didn’t have as good a side as we’re taking to Man City, So it’s always possible.” Alan Pardew insists he won’t be fooled by Roberto Mancini’s mind-games (Evening Chronicle)

Pre-Match Statistic: Three of City’s last five goals against Newcastle have come from Yaya Toure. He hasn’t managed that total against any other Premier League team.

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Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United

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Tottenham Hotspur are keeping an eye on Atalanta midfielder Bryan Cristante, according to The Telegraph.

What’s the story?

The majority of transfer gossip surrounding the North London outfit has been centred around the futures of their current players, rather than new arrivals.

Mousa Dembele is one of those members up for discussion, but according to The Telegraph regardless of whether the 30-year-old stays or leaves, the club are keen on bringing in a new central midfielder.

The publication claims that Cristante, who has scored 11 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions this season, is on Spurs’ radar.

There is no mention of how much the 23-year-old, who is currently on loan at Atalanta from Benfica, would cost the Premier League outfit, but Transfermarkt has the midfielder listed with a valuation of £18m.

Do Tottenham need the Italian?

Goals have not been an issue for Mauricio Pochettino and his men this season thanks to Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen chipping in.

In fact, the North London outfit currently have the third-best attack in the top flight, behind Manchester City and Liverpool, having scored 62 times.

In the centre of the park, though, goals have been few and far between, with Dembele, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks contributing two league strikes between them this season.

Having Cristante within the pack could potentially boost Tottenham’s goal threat significantly, and he has already shown that he can perform against English opposition.

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In the Europa League group stage, the midfielder scored in both fixtures against Everton, who were eliminated before reaching the knockout rounds.

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Although they still sit behind Manchester City in the Premier League table, on current from, there is only one side that appears like they can stop Mourinho’s side. Arsenal is the form team in the league, with nine games to go, are they now in the title race?

Wenger’s men were in scintillating form at home to West ham, playing with the kind of dynamism that makes them a threat to any side in the country. Since the first leg defeat to Monaco in Europe, Arsenal have reacted strongly, winning their next three games.

Mesut Ozil, finally looks like he may be putting a consistent run of performances together, the type that made him one of the best players in the world. Since his signing from Real Madrid, many have been quick to get on the German’s back, however recent outings are beginning to persuade even the most fervent anti-Ozil supporters.

In Alexis Sanchez, they have one of the stand-out performers of the season, 13 league goals has been more than Wenger could have wished for from the Chilean star. Ironically, Arsenal’s recent strengths have coincided with the former Barcelona man’s first dip in form. When Sanchez clicks again Arsenal have yet another potent arm to attack with.

For what has seemed like years, Arsenal have lacked a real top quality striker. Since the departure of Thierry Henry and the retirement of Denis Bergkamp, the Gunners have been a knife without an edge.

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Now they have Olivier Giroud.

Still chastised by some Giroud continues to deliver the goods, he himself acknowledges how disappointing he was against Monaco, but his goal against West Ham highlighted the kind of quality he has. He could still yet fire Arsenal to an amazing end of season party.

With fixtures against Manchester United, Liverpool and title rivals Chelsea to play, Arsenal could still enter the title race.

Chelsea are faltering, it is beginning to look distinctly similar to the late season collapse last year. They threw away the title last time around with poor results against teams they would expect to beat. It could happen again.

With Man City’s season seemingly fall apart too; second place seems a good bet for Wenger’s men. If everything clicks together from now till April, Arsenal could be on the cusp of something they haven’t achieved in a decade.

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Still in the Champions League (just), still in the Premier League race (just) and the favourites for the FA Cup, we could be a few months ago from the greatest ‘shock’ treble in the history of football.

However, this season ends, Arsenal are entering the business end of a season and are genuinely in the tile race. It has to be seen as genuine progression, Mourinho may be looking over his shoulder and he will be more worried to see the Red of Arsenal, than the Sky Blue of City.

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After Reading boss Brian McDermott revealed that the club had an offer in the region of £10m turned down for Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson towards the end of the January transfer window, you have to question the logic in keeping around such an obvious square peg in a round hole, so will the north London outfit come to regret turning down such an attractive offer in the future?

It’s worth noting that Sigurdsson was very much a Daniel Levy signing, put in place even before the Portuguese manager had walked through the door. Andre Villa-Boas was certainly asked his opinion on his first signing in charge, and after such a successful six-month spell at Swansea the campaign before, for a fee of about £8m, with Rafael van der Vaart being ushered towards the exit door, it made sense to bring in a suitable replacement.

Nevertheless, after starting just six league games so far this season and eight across all competitions, it’s become clear that life at White Hart Lane has proven more of a struggle than even his biggest critics would have previously assumed. There’s a sense that unless the 23-year-old is scoring, that he doesn’t really contribute a whole lot less, but he’s still reasonably young and learning his trade, so is there a future still for him at the club?

Villas-Boas would seem to think so, telling reporters why he blocked the deal towards the end of the window: “Obviously he’s a player that means a lot to Reading. But he’s a player that we rate very highly. We brought him here after his amazing contribution [on loan] for Swansea last year and he’s a player that we have high expectations for. Probably this season at the moment he is not going to the level that he wants, but he’s a player that we believe a lot in, and in his future here. We couldn’t allow him to leave.”

The arrival of Clint Dempsey as a utility forward towards the end of the summer and the January acquisition of Lewis Holtby, brought forward a full six months ahead of schedule would seem to complicate matters even further, with Villas-Boas clearly earmarking the latter for that role behind the lone striker, whoever that may be next season. The fact that a deal had already been put in place for Holtby to arrive in the summer when his contract runs out from Schalke, but that a £1.5m switch was secured last month is a sad indictment of the faith they place in Sigurdsson at the moment, who looks bereft of confidence whenever he has featured these past few months, even being tried out in an unfamiliar wide left position.

McDermott revealed that Reading made three offers which were all turned down by Tottenham, so that shows a degree of persistence on their part just as much as it does a stubborn refusal to give up on a player so soon after buying him in the first place.

The club’s fans haven’t quite taken to him either and there’s a sense that he’s something of a forgotten man around the place; not quite quick enough, not quite tricky or technical enough, nor dependable enough to have any sort of lasting impact on the starting eleven and he’s been forced to make 19 of his 27 appearances this term off the bench.

He was bought with a specific role in mind but has faced increased competition in the position he is most effective in and Villas-Boas has even preferred picking Emmanuel Adebayor just behind Jermain Defoe at times in a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, with Dempsey pushed out wide to cover Gareth Bale’s absence, rather than trust Sigurdsson to fill the gap temporarily.

The final offer made by Reading would have seen Tottenham make a £2m profit in terms of the fees involved and you have to wonder whether they’ll ever get as an attractive offer as that further down the line, particularly while his stock continues to fall. Cutting your losses can often be quite embarrassing for every party involved, but with Villas-Boas set to add to his squad once more in the summer, perhaps with another move for Joao Moutinho, you have to ask yourself, how much longer do you wait before coming to the same inevitable conclusion? That’s he’s just not up to the standard required for a side with Champions League ambitions.

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The logic behind his decision to reject Liverpool’s advances and continue to work under a manager in Brendan Rodgers at Anfield that he had a good relationship with at the time looked a strange one, but with every passing fixture, as his rivals continue to stake their claims, it looks even worse. Sigurdsson can only watch from the bench now, frustrated at his lack of prominence and inability to change the tone of the narrative, with the route back looking ever more distant and difficult to travel.

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Chelsea hosted Tottenham in the biggest match of the Premier League weekend, a game that would go a long, long way to deciding who will qualify for the Champions League next season.

It was the visitors who came into the game on the better form as Chelsea have endured a period of struggle since the turn of the year – although both sides have managed to qualify for the last four of the FA Cup.

The Blues and under-fire Conte knew his side really needed to win if they were to keep their top four hopes on track but Christian Eriksen and a double from Dele Alli meant the Blues lost out 3-1.

That scoreline means that the gap between the two sides is now eight points and gives Spurs a real boost in pursuit of a seat at Europe’s top table next season.

Understandably, the Chelsea fans had plenty to say after a heavy loss in such an important match and we’ve taken a closer look at some of their reaction…

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It feels like only yesterday it’s summer counter-part slammed shut, but the January transfer window is now upon us, in what often constitutes a rather chaotic time of year for Premier League clubs.

And rumour has it that it could be an exceptionally busy one for Arsenal; currently a point short of a Champions League spot, there’s plenty of speculation suggesting the north Londoners will look to strengthen ahead of the second half of their campaign.

Even if Arsene Wenger decides not to dip into the piggy bank, there are a number of integral transfer issues that require his attention this month. Being the helpful bunch we are at Football Fancast, we’ve listed the four we view as the most important. So without further ado…

A back-up centre-back

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With the absence of a back-up centre-back already having such a detrimental impact on Arsenal’s Premier League campaign – either Mathieu Debuchy and Nacho Monreal, both attacking full-backs measuring in at 5 foot 11, have filled in at centre-half eleven times already this term – there’s no way the Gunners enter the second half of the season without signing another central defender.

There’s been worryingly little discussion of the issue on the transfer front this month, with the majority of speculation dedicated to the Gunners’ near-completed deal for Krystian Bielik, but The Daily Mail have reported a scouting trip to Espanyol this week to run the rule over Mexico centre-back Hector Moreno, suggesting a bid could be imminent.

In addition to impressing at the last two World Cups, the 26 year-old has been regarded as one of La Liga’s most consistent defenders for some time.

Should that not be the case however, the other options available to Arsenal are well-known; West Ham contract rebel Winston Reid – a master of the nuts and bolts of the defensive trade, albeit, slightly lacking on the technical front – has been strongly linked with an Emirates move, as has FC Basel prodigy Fabian Schar.

The Swiss international has continually impressed in the Champions League over the last 18 months – last season, averaging an incredible 3.3 tackles, 4 interceptions, 6.7 clearances and 1.8 successful aerial duels per match – and boasts all the aesthetic, ball-playing qualities one could want in a modern day centre-half.

All can likely be signed for under the £10million mark – but failing to sign any this month, in classic Wenger style, could well cost the Gunners their Champions League status.

MOUSSA SISSOKO – IS HE THE MIDFIELDER ARSENAL NEED?

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Reports linking Arsenal with a £16million bid for Newcastle star Moussa Sissoko have remained regular and consistent this month, suggesting there could be some legitimacy to the rumour – but is the France international the midfielder the Gunners really need?

It’s the 25 year-old’s pace, power and industry that’s believed to have struck a chord with Arsene Wenger, having revealed his desire for a ‘physical presence…like Vieira or Petit’ back in September, and Sissoko would provide some much needed diversity in Arsenal’s engine room from their otherwise diminutive playmakers.

But Sissoko’s physicality, thus far in the Premier League, has been better felt in offensive capacities. Last term, he recorded six assists as an unorthodox right winger and this season he’s being utilised almost as a poor man’s Yaya Toure; a battering ram of attacking brawn in the No.10 role.

The last thing Arsenal need this month is another offensive midfielder, or at Sissoko’s most conservative description, a box-to-box. It’s the exact reason Wenger gave for not signing Real Madrid contract rebel Sami Khedira last summer.

What the Gunners require most is an out-and-out enforcer, which brings us nicely on to…

Defensive midfield – is Krystian Bielik ready?

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Measuring in at a lofty 6 foot 4 and famed for his physicality, impending Arsenal signing Krystian Bielik appears to fit the category of a tough-tackling, imposing holding midfielder. But is the 17 year-old, of Polish side Legia Warsaw, ready for regular first team football at Premier League level?

The immediate assumption, based on his limited experience and age, would be a resounding ‘no’, in which case, Arsenal still need to sign another defensive midfielder this January – especially with Mikel Arteta ruled out for the next three months.

Top level defensive midfielders aren’t in copious supply at the minute but anonymous author ‘The Secret Footballer’ claims Arsenal have reached an agreement for Southampton star Morgan Schneiderlin, who’s currently joint-seventh in the Premier League’s tackle charts, as reported by The Express.

Still an unconfirmed rumour however, it’s worth considering some alternatives. Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender – a lung-bursting ball of robust challenges, work-rate and determination – has been linked with Arsenal before and as recently as November by the Metro, who claim a £19million bid.

Or how about an audacious swoop for Bayern Munich’s Javi Martinez? A 6 foot 5 monolith, capable of playing in midfield or defence, with considerable technical ability, the Spain international would bring huge improvement to Arsenal’s starting Xi. He’s been sidelined for the entirety of the current season season but will struggle to reclaim a first team place following the summer arrivals of Xabi Alonso and Mehdi Benatia, suggesting the 25 year-old could be interested in a move away from the Allianz Arena.

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Loan destinations for younger players

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As ever, the Emirates is brimming with promising young talents, but not all are getting the amount of game-time they’d like to this season.

Particularly, Costa Rican World Cup sensation Joel Campbell. He impressed at Brazil 2014 and on loan last season with Olympiacos, scoring an incredible goal against Manchester United in the Champions League, but has so far seen just 39 minutes’ worth of Premiership action.

Arsene Wenger claimed he ‘loves’ the 22 year-old winger-forward back in November, but he needs to gain some experience in the English top flight if he’s ever to become a recurring feature in Arsenal’s starting XI.

Newcastle have recently been linked with a loan bid by The Metro but it’s a rather turbulent period at St. James’s right now, with the Magpies currently between managers.

Resultantly, Wenger needs to find Campbell a more viable loan destination this month, preferably in the Premier League. My recommendation would be Everton – Roberto Martinez’s progressive philosophy is reminiscent of Wenger’s, and the Spaniard proved his capability with loanees last season, bringing a high level of performance out of Gareth Barry, Romelu Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu.

Others that could, and probably should, go out on loan this month include Serge Gnabry, Chuba Akpom, Isaac Hayden and Gedion Zelalem – all of whom appear ready to ply their trade at a competitive level.