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Alexis Sanchez may have been signed over the summer, but, on the whole, the transfer window was a below par one for Arsenal. While attacking concerns were addressed, the sale of Thomas Vermaelen exposed a lack of depth in defence at the Emirates Stadium, while Arsene Wenger’s reluctance to bring in a holding midfielder was once again an issue in the stands.

January, as ever, presents a chance to get some much-needed reinforcements in, and the Gunners have been linked with additions and sales… and with that in mind, here are four to go and four to head to north London.

IN – Petr Cech

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With Szczesny not exactly flavour of the month, Cech has emerged as a top target for the coming weeks at Arsenal. The Czech Republic stopper has been well and truly bombed out of the Chelsea XI this term with Courtois now Jose Mourinho’s No. 1, and rumours suggest that he’s so frustrated with the situation a switch before the impending deadline could happen, regardless of the Blues’ wishes to keep him.

In almost every measurable way, Cech was better the Szczesny last season. The Pole appears superior in terms of catching and punching crosses, but the Chelsea man had a better defence in front of him to deal with those problems. Cech made more saves per shot while keeping a greater level of clean sheets. At around £6m at the age of 32, he makes sense in both the long and short term.

OUT – Wojciech Szczesny

With David Ospina also in the squad, should Cech come in, then Szczesny would have to make way. The Polish international is in Wenger’s bad books following his smoking antics on New Year’s Day, and it looks as if the Frenchman has finally lost his patience with the ‘keeper. Szczesny impressed last term, but there have been doubts for some time about his true ability, with Gunners fans having often called for a more experience goalie to be brought in.

Still young at the age of 24, the glovesman is unlikely to be short of offers if made available.

IN – Winston Reid

The next area of pressing concern for Arsenal is at centre-back. The Gunners’ lack of depth has resulted in the use of full-backs Calum Chambers, Nacho Monreal and Mathieu Debuchy at the heart of the backline on a number of occasions this term, which has caused some shaky showings. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are a good pairing when fit, but a stand-in is needed, with Reid an option.

Soon to be out of contract, a defender of the New Zealander’s calibre for a fee of around £8m is great business, and West Ham appear resigned to selling this month.

OUT – Nacho Monreal

One of the great villains of the season in the eyes of many Arsenal fans, Monreal’s showings have been poor. In fairness, the Spaniard has been shifted into the heart of the Gunners’ defence to cover for injuries, but with performances having been listless and competition for his favoured left-back role appearing to be too much for him, it may be the end of the line.

Monreal was a decent performer in his homeland with Malaga before he joined Arsenal, so there’s every chance that La Liga sides may come in for him should he be available. Athletic Bilbao are one team to have been linked.

IN – Ilkay Gundogan

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A long-term target, Gundogan has recently re-emerged as a player on Wenger’s radar. The silky German is adept in a deep-lying role, with his rage of passing having been the bedrock of Dortmund’s successes of the course of the past few years. But with BVB struggling now, there are suggestions that Gundogan could be axed for around £16m.

OUT – Joel Campbell

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A hero for his nation at the World Cup over the summer, Campbell looked set to play a sizable role for Arsenal this season, claims further boosted when Wenger rejected a late loan offer from Benfica. Yet the Costa Rican has managed just a handful of minutes in the league so far this term, with a bench role under Wenger the reward for his heroics in Brazil.

A full sale makes little sense for the Gunners this month given that Campbell is still 22, but a loan deal could be good for club and player alike. Game time is what both parties need for the striker, and Premier League sides are thought to be interested.

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IN – Alexandre Lacazette

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17 goals in Ligue 1 already this season has seen Lacazette emerge as one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers. The 23-year-old combines electric pace and clever movement with efficiency in the box, making him a promising prospect, which has alerted a host of clubs. Liverpool have been strongly linked with the Lyon ace, yet Arsenal’s name is also in the mix.

With Giroud and Welbeck not exactly prolific and Sanchez a better option from deeper, Lacazette could be a useful tool for Wenger.

OUT – Mathieu Flamini

Okay, Arsenal aren’t blessed with a host of options in the middle of the park, but the walking yellow card that is Flamini is not longer cutting it. You only have to glance at Twitter on a match day to see the level of disdain some Gunners fans have for the Frenchman, and if a replacement is found, surely he can be shipped out?

At 30, there are still some miles left on the clock, and a free or cut-price deal may temp some of France’s bigger sides to looking at the former Les Bleus star.

are considered to be the best team in the world, and it has even been argued they are the best of all time. It is easy to understand why. Not only do they have personnel who are incomparable to their counterparts in any other club, country or league in Lionel Messi, Andreas Iniesta and Xavi, who play alongside a cast of sensational talent such as Cesc Fabregas, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique and Dani Alves, to name their more prominent squad members, but their style of football is unique, eye-catching, technically perfect and seemingly almost impossible to find an answer to.

So in theory, the Barca way, the employment of “tika-taka” football, with players constantly moving around, using short precise passing and an impetus on keeping the ball, should be the impeccable model to follow, but do the Premier League clubs in any shape or form attempt to adopt this style? Or is it even possible to do so – in a division where physicality and end-to-end play appears to be the most dominant features?

Firstly, it must be said there is a reason that only Barcelona play like Barcelona with the success that only Barcelona have achieved. Not only does their passing game rip teams apart with pinpoint balls and passes that require exceptional skill and vision, but also their high-octane closing down, often conducted by those players more commonly recognised as being creative talents, is a well-oiled method of defending that requires the determination, spirit and work-rate that only the most competitive players with the right attitude can effectively pull off. The Barca team may often have smiles on their faces, conducting themselves in a rather relaxed manner, but they are no doubt the most competitive footballers in the game; that is the driving force behind their collective success as well and their individual performances.

So Barcelona’s style isn’t for everyone, but has any club in the English top-flight tried to play their football in such a manner? Well, the most obvious examples of clubs trying to do so would be Liverpool and Swansea. Both have a possession philosophy and regularly play the ball out of the backline, and aren’t afraid of moving backwards in order to go forward. The latter club signed a number of players from La Liga in the summer, which has very much helped and enriched a style of football that impressed many last season under Brendan Rodgers, and originated at the Liberty Stadium under Roberto Martinez. Rodgers, now at Liverpool, has taken his tactics and applied them to his new club, which have averaged nearly 60% possession this year.

As well as keeping the ball, the Barcelona style has a strong emphasis on attacking, expansive football – an approach which can be attributed to a number of teams, especially over the past few seasons. Manchester United and Chelsea have especially been geared towards attacking play, despite the latter once being thoroughly organised machine under former boss Jose Mourinho, which brought the London Club their most successful period. Similarly, the average number of goals per game has increased steadily by the season since the Premier League’s incarnation.

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But there are a number of subtle differences between the possession-minded and attacking mentality teams of the Premiership and the Nou Camp’s brand of football. Firstly, the way in which the ball is kept is somewhat different, and it is a problem which is also suffered by the England national team. I’m not sure what it is about the English game, but possession football appears to mean in this part of Europe that the ball is continually played along the defence, pushed up the half-way line. In Spain, Barcelona play possession football by keeping their opponents pinned back as far as possible, regularly in their own box, with the ball being kept in the midfield area in little pockets of space. It seems the typical English footballer may well be very good at nailing a 40-yard diagonal through ball, but passing the ball a few metres in a quick and technical fashion proves much more difficult.

Secondly, Barcelona’s team are incredibly short and the nature of the Premier League would never allow such a low height average to be successful. Celtic managed to capitalise on their height advantage in the Champions League group stages, and although in an ideal world, many English clubs would love to play like Barcelona, they would certainly get punished for their lack of physicality. Teams like Stoke City and West Ham especially, where the majority of their Starting XI are towering individuals, and even their shorter players are effective in the air, creates a bit of a defensive stumbling block for a side constructed of short and nimble footballers.

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Of course the theory would be that the benefits of such a style would lead to more positive than negative results come the end of the season, but in the Premier League balance is often key. I do believe Premier League clubs try to play like Barcelona, and may well do in training exercises; it is after all the most ideal form of playing the beautiful game. But there is a reason that no club since the days of Arsenal’s Invincibles – which still included a rather tough defence and physical element in midfield – have made a serious attempt at playing in such a glamorous and stylish manner.

Finally, the way Barcelona play isn’t created by a session in front of a whiteboard or down to a few key individuals; it is very much the club’s underlying philosophy, constantly installed into their players at youth level via La Masia. Their players are bred that way, just as the stereotypical Englishman is bred to be physical, hard-working and direct. Some clubs do try to emulate Barcelona, or at least borrow parts of their ethos but as I said, there is a reason Barcelona play like Barcelona and no one else does. It’s because they are the only footballers capable of performing in such an idealistic style, with the belief, attitude and ability required to do so, and therefore they could never be successfully mimicked in England.

Manchester United can look forward to a big FA Cup semi-final at Wembley after comfortably defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 on Saturday night.

Heading into the match there was plenty of pressure of Jose Mourinho’s outfit after a shocking European exit mid-week, but his side delivered, if not in performance then certainly in the result.

The majority of the players failed to impress across the 90 minutes but the Red Devils could rely upon two Mourinho favourites – Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku.

The duo scored the two goals to put United through and in the case of Matic, produced a man of the match calibre performance, dominating the midfield.

He kept his side pushing forward to put Brighton on the back foot and also assisted Lukaku’s opener. He’s emerged as one of the most important players in Mourinho’s side this season, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed with supporters.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his Saturday display…

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An early innovator of modern diets and transfer policy, a rare, constant beacon of progressive philosophies, the only manager to go an entire season undefeated, a 13-time Manger of the Month winner, a four-time Onze d’Or Coach of the Year and now the longest-serving throughout the entirety of English football by almost a decade, there’s no doubt Arsene Wenger will go down in the annals as one of the greatest gaffers in Premier League history.

But, to be as blunt as I am factually flattering, he’s incredibly lucky to have found a club as patient and loyal as Arsenal – amid a climate where the average management tenure in the Premier League is just 1.4 years.

Of course, the Frenchman’s had plenty of waiting around to do as well; the financial burdens of the Emirates stadium obliged him to scrimp and save in the transfer market whilst Chelsea and Manchester City have enjoyed, exacerbated and even abused the privilege of having endless fortunes to throw at every problem over the last decade.

Wenger could have walked away on numerous occasions; when Arsenal lost the 2006 Champions League final and their ‘Invincibles’ side began to naturally deconstruct, when the Gunners infamously lost the 2011 League Cup final in stoppage time to Birmingham City, when he was forced to surrender Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie to divisional and European rivals in the space of two summers, when PSG came calling for his services in summer 2013. Real Madrid are known to be exceptionally fond of him too.

Yet, as stubbornness in philosophy, tactics and squad building continues to stand in the way of progress, as Arsenal face yet another season where their only likely accomplishment will be retaining their Champions League status, the waiting game has gone full circle. It’s now the Arsenal board and the Arsenal fans who are being exceptionally patient with Arsene Wenger.

Jose Mourinho declared as much in February. His description of the Gunners gaffer as a ‘specialist in failure’ was crude, insulting and even rather spiteful, but the Chelsea manager’s logic is indisputable. “If I do that in Chelsea, eight years [without a trophy], I leave and don’t come back,” remarked the Special One, as he whipped yet another press conference into a frenzy.

Hyperbolic in tone but not in content; Mourinho became the first manager to survive a full campaign without winning anything under Roman Abramovich last season, and although the Russian owner is one of the Premier League’s most trigger-happy, it’s hard to think of another top club in Europe that would stand by their head coach during a nine-year trophy drought. It’s hard to think of another fan-base who would remain equally loyal through a period of paralleled malaise and dormancy.

Once again, Arsenal’s circumstances of the last decade are hardly conventional or indeed enviable when compared to PSG, Real Madrid, City or Chelsea. Limited financial backing remains a glass ceiling Wenger is yet to breach, whilst his prior history of success at the club, winning seven trophies in the first ten years, has earned the Arsenal boss the right to demand patience from the board and the fans.

After all, although he’s often obliged to take the position of scapegoat, clearly some of the club’s biggest disappointments over the years were out of his control, whereas many of their triumphs – including the erection of the Emirates stadium without compromising the club’s financial stability – have had Wenger at their core.

But now the excuses are beginning to wear thin, as is the fortitude of the fan base. This summer was meant to be a turning point in Arsenal’s – and indeed Wenger’s – history.

The FA Cup title at the end of last season exorcised the ghosts of the last nine years, a rediscovery of the club’s winning mentality, whilst the new sponsorship deal with Puma allowed the Gunners to spend a whopping £80million this summer – the most lucrative transfer window to date for the north Londoners.

If there was ever a time for the club to reawaken from its dormant state and begin challenging once again, it was unquestionably this season. Already eleven points behind the pace set by Premier League leaders Chelsea however, it looks like Arsenal and their fans will have to settle for the trophy-less joys of fourth-spot once again – that would make it the seventh time in the last nine seasons.

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Arsenal owe a lot to Arsene Wenger – heck, so does the Premier League. But as the same mistakes of long-sightedness, stubbornness and on occasion, even stupidity, continue to reincarnate, it’s Wenger who is owing more and more to the club and the fans.

As the patience of the supporters begins to wane, what they’re actually waiting for becomes more ambiguous. The long-term effects of their self-imposed financial restraints to come to an end, or their manager to simply buck his ideas up? Either way, one can sense something is about to give at the Emirates.

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Norwich will be looking to make a New Year’s resolution to find the resolve they had not all that long ago. Chris Hughton’s men went on their best ever Premier League run of 10 matches unbeaten before recently suffering three defeats on the bounce.

The Canaries will be hoping a short trip to East London will be able to revive their fortunes. A latest setback was their rollercoaster match which could have ended up going either way.

Sebastien Bassong and Samir Nasri clashing heads was the main talking point of the game and it nearly swung the game away from the defending Premier League Champions.

Norwich have fallen down to 11th position as a result and will be hoping to stay in touch with the top half of the table rather than be dragged down into the messy relegation dogfight.

West Ham have their own problems too mind.  They have barely been able to pick up any wins recently and only have 5 points in their last eight league outings.

This includes three defeats in their last four for Sam Allarydyce’s men and the last one against Reading would have particularly hurt as they would have hoped for a point at minimum from that fixture.

At Upton Park they have a chance to capitalise on their home advantage and Sam Allardyce will be expecting a good start to the New Year and a first 3 points of 2013 against Norwich.

The Hammers will be without suspended captain Kevin Nolan and they will miss their top goalscorer after receiving his fifth booking of the season. Collins is suspended too, and Carroll remains a long term absentee alongside Mohamed Diame.

Bradley Johnson is out for Norwich for exactly the same reason Nolan is for West Ham. Striker Steve Morison (thigh) is doubtful as is Grant Holt (hamstring) so Harry Kane could lead in attack. Steven Whittaker (hip) and winger Andrew Surman (hip) continue their rehabilitation and John Ruddy is not ready for a comeback yet either.

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39% of Norwich’s goals this season have come from direct or indirect free-kicks so they will be wary on set pieces at Upton Park come Saturday.

Prediction: West Ham 2-0 Norwich

Check the odds ahead of the game at Upton Park with William Hill here

You can also Get a Free £25 Bet on the game by clicking here

Reported Newcastle United target Nicolai Jorgensen missed a penalty in Denmark’s shootout defeat against Croatia in the last 16 of the World Cup on Sunday, and these Magpies fans don’t want their club to sign the 6ft 4in tall striker.[ad_pod ]Aside from a neat touch to Christian Eriksen against Australia during the group stages, the Feyenoord centre-forward has struggled to make an impression in Russia, and he started the match at the weekend from the substitutes’ bench.Rafa Benitez seems likely to bring in at least one new striker this summer with the future of Aleksandar Mitrovic in doubt and with Joselu yet to make his mark, but Jorgensen seeing his spot-kick saved has certainly not helped convince the St James’ Park faithful.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]Some Newcastle supporters, who want their club to snap up a £6.3m World Cup quarter-finalist, were quick to have their say on the 27-year-old’s latest display for his country, and while one described him as “a more expensive Joselu”, another said “Mitro is ten times the player”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Fernando Llorente is a triple Serie A winner, a Europa League winner, was a member of Spain’s legendary World Cup and European Championship winning squads, and this time last season was providing the goals to keep Swansea City in the Premier League.

But the 24-cap international has barely made a mark since signing for Tottenham Hotspur last summer, going on to score just two goals across all competitions, and suddenly appears a shadow of the threat that mustered up 15 strikes in the Premier League for a relegation-threatened side throughout 2016/17. The consequential question is obvious – why?

The notion that Llorente isn’t good enough for a club of Tottenham’s stature remains painfully simplistic. Llorente has consistently scored goals in Spain, Italy and Germany and at international level. Furthermore, Mauricio Pochettino is no fool – he clearly saw something in Llorente that would be of crucial use to this Tottenham team this season, to the extent that the club made exception from their usual template of investing in young players with obvious resale value to sign the veteran front-man at a cost of £12million.

There must be more something more systematic at work than Llorente apparently flattering to deceive throughout a hugely successful career, only to be found out at Tottenham Hotspur.

Of course, Llorente hasn’t been afforded a wealth of game-time, with his only two full ninety minutes for the Lilywhites thus far coming against Champions League whipping boys APOEL and League Two’s Newport County. All strikers are confidence players to some extent and the Spaniard hasn’t received enough minutes this season to build up his self-belief through a decent run of form.

But even so, considering the quality of opposition he’s faced – Barnsley, AFC Wimbledon and Rochdale – and the number of substitute appearances he’s made in the Premier League, 13, two goals in 20 appearances is an incredibly modest return. Compare that to someone like Michy Batshuayi, who scored 19 goals in 18 months while playing a similar bit-part role at Chelsea.

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Yet, it’s clear Llorente needs a very specific type of service. Seven of his 15 goals last season were headed goals, the joint-highest return of any striker in the division, and the former Bilbao man has always been an incredibly static striker – even more so at the age of 32. He’s not so much a target man who bullies centre-backs to bring others into the game as he is a poacher who uses his head rather than his feet.

Unlike Swansea last season, who essentially had no option, Tottenham can’t allow their game to become so one-dimensional, based on highlighting the strengths and hiding the weaknesses of one player, even if he is a centre-forward.

However, even though Tottenham’s game doesn’t centre around aerial bombardment, they’re actually the most prolific crossers in the Premier League, averaging two per match more than any side in the division this season.

Considering the personnel, that’s hardly a surprise either; Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose all average at least one accurate cross per match when in Tottenham’s starting XI. That’s more than enough service for Llorente to feed off, even if he’s only featuring sparingly from the bench.

And thus, we come to the true reality of the situation, the white elephant yet to be addressed – Harry Kane. To label Tottenham a one-man team would be grossly unfair, but it’s certainly true that they’ve become intrinsically dependent on Kane’s goals – his 24 this season represent the highest contribution to a team’s overall goals, a whopping 45%, of any Premier League player this season.

He’s Tottenham’s focal point and leaves impossibly large shoes to fill whenever Llorente is asked to  replace him; suddenly, the difference to the team becomes glaringly prevalent as an ageing front-man does his best to imitate the best striker in Europe.

That leaves Tottenham facing a significantly pivotal question; can any striker perform to something close to the best of their abilities when they’re an understudy to Kane? Vincent Janssen struggled last season too and it was the pressure that got to the Dutchman more than the increased demands of Premier League football compared to the Eredivisie; had one of those many point-blank chances to score found the net, he may well have gone on to enjoy a far more successful first campaign in north London.

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But that’s precisely the point – there’s so much focus on Kane that it creates an inevitably pejorative comparison with any striker who tries to compete with him for game-time, and puts too much pressure on them to score during the rare minutes they do receive. No matter who Tottenham bring in, whether they have Janssen’s potential or Llorente’s experience, they will always struggle to overcome that burden.

However, that’s not to say Llorente can’t contribute in other ways, which is perhaps why Pochettino brought him to Tottenham despite knowing he would struggle to provide a consistent supply of goals. As Tottenham further progress in the Champions League, the experience of a player with 64 appearances in European competition under his belt could prove vital – in the dressing room, on the training ground and from the bench.

And perhaps that’s the answer to finding Kane’s understudy; a forward who adds something other than goals to the team – the England international’s got that covered already – whether that’s bringing a new dimension to the attack or providing experience and leadership in the dressing room.

In that sense, Llorente’s performing his role this season perfectly, but it nonetheless feels a failed move for a player who arrived at Tottenham with such a decorated CV.

Back in August 2012, Hugo Lloris transferred from Lyon to Tottenham Hotspur for around £11m. Since his move, he has been regarded as one of the best players at the football club, with some saying he has reached world-class status. Last summer, he was rewarded for his efforts with a new five-year contract.

Spurs set the target for a top four finish almost every season, but they haven’t played Champions League football since the 2010-11 season. Many of Tottenham’s world-class players, like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, have moved on from the club due to the lack of success, silverware, and top European football being achieved. Lloris is the only world-class player in the Spurs squad at the moment, and with their current results and position in the league and in Europe, he may about to leave as well.

If he is, here are FIVE possible destinations he could leave for.

[ffc-gallery]Click on the man himself to reveal all!

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Paris Saint-Germain

The French giants are one of the clubs interested in purchasing the Frenchman. Whilst Lloris has insisted that he left Lyon and France to play in Europe’s top competition, he may be tempted to move back due to the ambitions of the football club, who want to win the Champions League. He would fit right in amongst the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Lucas, and Marco Verratti.

Atletico Madrid

Whilst they don’t have any real defensive problems now, Atletico Madrid may still be on the hunt for a world-class goalkeeper. The Spanish side was able to win the La Liga and reach the final of the Champions League last season thanks to the performances of loanee goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea. Now he has gone back to his parent club, Los Colchoneros may be looking for another world-class goalkeeper to help them reach the same achievements.

AS Monaco

Another club in France who might be interested in bringing the goalkeeper home is AS Monaco. The big spenders will definitely be able to handle any type of contract requests Lloris has, but the problem might be their lack of tangible success in recent years. Despite the money invested in the club, they have failed to win a major French competition since 2003 when they won the Coupe de la Ligue. This would be off putting for Lloris.

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Real Madrid

Recent rumours have linked the French goalkeeper to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Whilst Iker Casillas is currently seen as the No.1 at Los Blancos, they may look to bring in the 27-year-old as his replacement for the future. The prestige of the club will surely be attractive for Lloris as the Spanish side managed to win the Champions League last season.

Arsenal

Whilst this might be one of the moves that will never happen unless hell freezes over, it does have some logic to it. The Gunners current goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has been performing under par and under expectation set upon him. This was demonstrated on many occasions this season, most recently during Arsenal’s 3-3 draw against Anderlecht in the Champions League, after being 3-0 up. The Polish made several errors during the game which cost his side the three points. The 24-year-old could be replaced with Lloris, who would help Arsenal reach their targets in domestic competitions and in Europe, reviving their hopes of once again winning the Premier League

There’s nothing better than a cup upset and in tonight’s Capital One Cup Quarter Final there is a chance of just that as Bradford welcome Arsenal to Valley Parade.

And the good news is, whether you’re a Gunner, Bantam or anyone else for that matter, you can follow all the action here on the FootballFanCast.com LIVE blog.

Arsenal’s form has been patchy at best this season and a loss here tonight could be the final nail in the coffin for long-standing manager Arsene Wenger. On the other hand, Bradford have put the trials and tribulations of last season behind them and launched a promotion bid aiming for League Two glory.

Whatever the result, we can look forward to a great cup tie full of drama, goals and controversy and you can catch every single minute of it below with FootballFanCast.com.

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Get involved by commenting in the LIVE blog below and tweeting using the #CapitalOneCup hashtag to let us know what you thing about tonight’s Capital One Cup clash.

Live Football Blogs on FootballFanCast.com »

Crystal Palace are reportedly keen on bringing young West Ham United prospect Declan Rice to Selhurst Park, the Sun reports.

What’s the Story?

After the arrival of highly-rated Issa Diop to the London Stadium, it appears Rice being pushed down the West Ham pecking order and will not be an automatic starter under Manuel Pellegrini next season.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are mulling over bids for the Irish defender, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt. It is unclear whether Palace and Bournemouth will have to meet or exceed this price tag to snap up Rice this summer.

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Do Palace need the centre-back?

Although Rice has undoubtedly shown he is capable of cutting it at Premier League level, he has been solid whilst not setting the world alight. With Mamadou Sakho, Scott Dann and James Tomkins all experienced Premier League centre-backs, it is unlikely he will break into Roy Hodgson’s starting eleven.

Rice would clearly add some much needed cover, if injuries strike Palace this season in the same way they did the last, but the centre-back position is not the biggest area in which the Eagles need strengthening. A new central midfielder is paramount if Palace are to push on next season, as is a new forward option and a winger as cover for Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend. Valued at £9m, Rice would take a significant chunk out of Hodgson’s budget for some much needed reinforcements and the budget could be better used elsewhere in the squad.

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If the 19-year-old aims to guarantee a starting spot, Selhurst Park is unlikely to be a destination that will suit either club or player.

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