Arsenal are facing a midfield crisis following reports that Paris Saint Germain are interested (as per the Express) in poaching their French wonderkid Matteo Guendouzi after only one year in the Premier League.

Having already lost Ramsey, who recently signed a five-year deal with Juventus, and Mesut Ozil desperately out-of-favour, ill, missing or injured, Unai Emery simply cannot afford to lose the talents of young Frenchman Guendouzi.

The midfield ace was only signed from Ligue 2 outfit Lorient at the beginning of this campaign but following a string of quality performances have become the subject of “big team” attention. And quite rightly so.

This isn’t the first time PSG have expressed interest in signing the player either. Apparently, before his move to move to north London, Guendouzi had the option to make his move to the French capital.

“It is true that PSG were very interested, like other teams, there were a lot of discussions, but for me the best decision I could make was to join Arsenal,” he admitted to Canal Football Club ( via GFFN ).

Would he do it again now he’s a far more developed player?

If he did make the move, Arsenal should look at signing this man…

This wouldn’t be the first time Emery has tried to bring in the Argentine, having already failed in the summer and January transfer windows due to a lack of funds according to the Mirror.

But it seems with Arsenal’s midfield options shrinking and their future European status in doubt the boardroom will be willing to part with the reported £17m it will cost to secure his services.

Despite his age (31 when they have the option to buy) we think Banega would be a quality acquisition.

Firstly, it would likely spark the end of the Ozil saga and introduce a far more positive environment conducive to success. You’d also have to say that there’s every chance Arsenal would have more of a player in the Sevilla man. Whilst Ozil has really let him form dip recently, in more ways than one, Banega is starting at the top level of Spanish football.

It’s a no brainer.

Secondly, Emery would have a player he’s very familiar with, having already combined at Valencia and Sevilla. The in-depth knowledge of the midfielder’s skillset, traits and abilities will surely help him finetune his tactics.

Finally, should Guendouzi move back to France, Banega is versatile enough to operate in the centre of midfield and perform a very similar role. He’s a dogged in his defensive efforts, much like the Frenchman, and has supremely better passing and technical ability as an experienced player.

Would you be willing to exchange prodigy Guendouzi for an ageing but experienced Banega?

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John McGinn has arguably been Aston Villa’s best player this season, and despite the 4-0 win against Derby County last time out and the fact the was returning from a two-match ban, it was still something of a surprise to see him ast on the substitutes’ bench against Birmingham City on Sunday.

Because of the quality he has on the ball and the fact he has that bite and is willing to put his body on the line for his side, he looked to be ready-made for the short trip across England’s second city.

However, Dean Smith decided to snub him and stick with the trio – Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane and Jack Grealish – who helped down the Rams and also aided the keeping of a clean sheet, which has been a rarity for the Midlands outfit this term.

With the visitors struggling to break down Garry Monk’s men at the weekend in what was largely a scrappy derby affair – of course overshadowed by the incident involving Grealish and a Blues fan – McGinn was introduced in the 62nd minute in place of Whelan to bring that little something extra seeing as he has eight assists to his name this term.

He quickly made a big impact in the final third for the Villans, and despite his limited time on the St Andrew’s pitch his post-match statistics were very impressive and highlighted why he has been such a bargain buy.

The 24-year-old had one shot, successfully completed two dribbles and made two key passes as Villa turned the screw, and of course they eventually got their breakthrough as the man who was attacked early on found the net to leave the team just four points adrift of the Championship play-off positions.

Villa face fellow promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest at The City Ground on Wednesday night as they look to move a step closer to the top six, and McGinn’s latest display has certainly given Smith lots to think about.

Don’t be surprised to see him back in the starting XI, even if competition for places is rife at the minute with Grealish and Conor Hourihane performing so well.

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Will West Brom ever find a new manager? It’s becoming increasingly unlikely. That’s until the end of the season at least.

James Shan is looking like he may take the job until the end of the current campaign after journalist Matt Wilson confirmed that the club will give him temporary help in the coaching department if he wants it.

It’s yet more news that has left Baggies supporters incredibly frustrated, branding the club a laughing stock and claiming they were utterly incompetent.

One fan’s message was simple, leaving a GIF of a clown, summing up how the entire situation has become a circus since Darren Moore was sacked.

The club dismissed the 44-year-old from his position at the beginning of March but are still yet to find a replacement. Talks with Slavisa Jokanovic were reportedly ongoing but nothing has materialised.

For now, the wait will go on for a new permanent manager to walk through the door at the Hawthorns.

However, Shan has steadied the ship having won his first two games in temporary charge.

Here’s how West Brom supporters reacted to the latest update.

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Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for FC Copenhagen winger Robert Skov, per Sky Sports News.

Spurs are reportedly looking for back-up to striker Harry Kane and Skov has been identified as a potential target.

The winger has scored 24 goals in 38 outings thus far this season, as well as laying on six assists.

The likes of West Ham United, Wolves and Watford are also said to be watching the forward as they consider a move in the summer.

Spurs fans, however, are genuinely unsure as to who Skov is.

Indeed, he has been with Copenhagen for a single season, with the aforementioned report claiming that the Danish club paid under £1million for his services.

Prior to his move to the Danish capital, Skov played for Silkeborg IF for six years, a team that are currently in the second-tier of Danish football.

Tottenham keep making the same mistake in their hunt for an adequate deputy for Kane, and fans seem pretty convinced that Skov would just be another Vincent Janssen – the Dutchman excelled in a weaker league, like Skov, but has scored just six times in 39 Tottenham appearances.

The Twitter reactions down below do not make pretty reading…

نجح الثنائي مروان الشوربجي وهانيا الحمامي في الفوز بالبطولة الدولية للاسكواش، التي نظمتها أندية وادي دجلة على مدار 6 أيام.

البطولة شارك فيها 8 لاعبين اسكواش من المصنفين على مستوى العالم من السيدات والرجال.

وحسم الشوربجي البطولة بفوزه على نظيره كريم عبد الجواد، بواقع ثلاثة أشواط للاشيء، كما فازت هانيا الحمامي على نظيرتها نور الطيب بنتيجة ثلاث أشواط لشوطين.

طالع أيضًا | عبد المنصف: أتمنى التواجد مع منتخب مصر.. ويوجه رسالة إلى حسام البدري

وتبلغ قيمة جوائز البطولة المادية 370 ألف دولار أمريكي مقسمة بالتساوي بين الرجال والسيدات، والتي تنافس فيها ثلاثة من أبطال وادى دجلة.

من جانبه، أكد كريم درويش، رئيس قطاع الإسكواش بأندية وادى دجلة أنه فخور بما تحقق في هذه البطولة.

وقال في تصريحات رسمية: “البطولة جاء تنظيمها بعد فترة الانقطاع الطويلة بسبب فيروس كورونا، مع حرصنا على تطبيق كافة الإجراءات الاحترازية والوقائية”.

وأضاف: “أثبت أبطالنا المصريون المشاركون في البطولة جدارتهم وتفوقهم في رياضة الاسكواش، وقدموا أداءً مشرفًا طالما تميزوا به على مستوى العالم، حتى بعد فترة توقف جميع الأنشطة، عادوا ليضعوا مصر على خريطة الرياضة العالمية من جديد”.

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West Ham United host Newcastle United at the London Stadium on Saturday. The visitors arrive in good form, having won three of the their last five Premier League matches. The Hammers, too, are on a decent run, and produced a good performance against the reigning champions Manchester City last time out, even if it ultimately did end in defeat.

Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate to see his side bounce back against the Magpies. The Chilean coach must be aggressive in his team selection and send his side out to chase a positive result.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

On the chalkboard

The Irons have plenty of attacking quality in their ranks. The likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Samir Nasri have the capacity to create chances, and Javier Hernandez is a reliable finisher. However, he was not tasked with leading the line last time out as Andy Carroll started ahead of the Mexican.

Carroll is past his best as injuries have taken a toll on his body. The Newcastle defence would find it all too easy to deal with the 30-year-old No. 9 were he to start again on Saturday. Rafa Benitez’s back line have the physicality and aerial prowess required to deal with the forward.

The man for the attack

For that reason, Hernandez ought to come back into the team.

With the technical ability and creativity in West Ham’s attacking midfield contingent, there ought to be plenty of service for the 105-cap Mexico international to thrive on. With his pace and movement, the 30-year-old is the ideal man to capitalise upon the build-up play of Anderson and Lanzini.

Marko Arnautovic is of course another striking option that Pellegrini could call upon, but considering he missed the Manchester City match due to illness he may not be ready to start on Saturday.

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The arrival of a new manager typically instigates an upheaval in both the personnel within the squad and the philosophy which the players are asked to adhere to.

While Claude Puel’s tactical approach may not be radically different to that which Brendan Rodgers promises to install at Leicester City, it’s fair to say that the squad could be a different entity altogether by the time the 2019/20 season gets underway.

Simply put, Rodgers’ squad is full of deadwood which is draining the resources of the club, so he must take decisive action in the summer to free up space on his wage budget.

With that in mind, we’ve dived into Leicester’s wage structure using figures provided by Spotrac and suggested that the club could save a staggering sum of money by trimming the squad.

End of an era

Wes Morgan, Christian Fuchs, Danny Simpson and Shinji Okazaki all have a special place in Leicester hearts for the roles they played in the title-winning campaign of 2015/16, but it’s important sentiment and nostalgia are cast aside as their contracts tick towards expiration.

All four players, earning £3.12m, £2.6m, £2.34m and £1.82m per year respectively, are tied down to deals which expire in June 2019.

Morgan is the only player of the four who still has enjoyed anything close to resembling regular opportunities so far this season, but at 34 years old it’s time he was released along with the aforementioned trio to pave the way for the next generation.

Those who aren’t warranting their wage

Rodgers should chop four central midfielders to free up more space on the wage budget. Adrien Silva, currently plying his trade on loan at Monaco, is one of the club’s top earners on £4.16m per year – equivalent to £80,000 per week.

The new boss may yet be inclined to help the Portuguese midfielder resurrect his career at the King Power Stadium, but his lacklustre performances since joining the club hint that he should be on the transfer list when the window opens for business.

Andy King and Matty James, who earn £2.06m and £1.66m respectively, are both surplus to requirements and should be offloaded in a bid to stretch the wage budget.

Rachid Ghezzal, meanwhile, is simply below the standard which Leicester need to fulfil their ambitions. His departure would chop £2.34m from the annual wage bill.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Results of Leicester’s sale

If Rodgers is able to find suitors for all of these fringe Leicester players the financial implications could be huge. A grand total of £20.1 million would be slashed from the yearly wage budget, leaving the new manager with plenty of scope to offer lucrative contracts to some of Europe’s top players.

To put this figure into context, Leicester’s third highest earner, Harry Maguire, is currently on a £90,000 per week deal, which equates to £4.68 million a year. The results of Leicester’s proposed summer clear-out would create space for four new players earning the same figure as the England fan-favourite with money still left to spare.

A summer clean up operation should be firmly at the forefront of Rodgers’s summer strategy, allowing him to make his mark on the squad by freeing up wages for new arrivals.

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to a crushing blow, as Duncan Watmore has once again suffered a season-ending injury.

Sunderland were held to a 0-0 draw at Oakwell on Tuesday night, as Barnsley kept a slight advantage over the Black Cats in the race for automatic promotion.

Jack Ross’ side will certainly take a point from a ground where just six other teams have avoided defeated this season (and not one has won), but the gaffer delivered an update after the game that has taken any gloss off an otherwise decent outing.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Watmore, who missed the first 19 games of the season with a knee injury, will now miss the remainder of the campaign with an ankle problem, the club confirmed.

The 25 year-old became an instant fan favourite when he broke into the first team as a youngster, and has since racked up 65 games for the club.

That 65 would of course be a lot higher if he wasn’t so unfortunate with injuries, and loads of fans have been giving their verdict on his latest setback.

Have a look at the Twitter reactions down below…

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Rangers fans had the opportunity to put their questions to midfielder Ryan Kent on Monday evening and not all of them were sensible ones.

The 22-year-old is currently on loan at Ibrox from Liverpool and it’s clear that a large portion of the fan base want him to make his move permanent at the end of the season.

And why not too? Kent has made an impressive 37 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign in Scottish football, scoring six so far and providing an eye-catching nine assists.

When told that the loanee would be the next to appear in Rangers’ #OnTheSpot series, where supporters get to put questions to first-team players, the bulk of them revolved around the former England youth international’s future.

However, the others ranged from the weird to the wonderful and weren’t short of their fair share of creativity, that’s for sure.

One member of the Gers army comically asked if Kent had let Celtic defender Mikael Lustig out of his back pocket yet, while another asked how he likes his tea and one more went down a more musical route – “If you were a hip hop recording artist what would your rap name be?”

Check out our list of the best questions below…

If their recent nervy wins were any proof, Liverpool’s squad isn’t as strong as they’d want it to be.

Indeed, a tricky encounter almost resulted in a haunting case of déjà vu against Fulham, during which the Reds seemed to be running out of steam. In fact, it all looked very 2013/14 for a few minutes before James Milner’s crucial late penalty.

While the international break gives Jurgen Klopp some breathing room, he can now pinpoint some areas to bolster in the summer. Obviously, the main focus will be on winning both the Premier League and Champions League, it would be mad to assume those behind the scenes aren’t plotting for next term.

With that in mind, Andrew Robertson might be Klopp’s most consistent performer, having made more than 35 appearances this season, but even he needs some resting time.

Alberto Moreno is too error-prone to be trusted, meaning Liverpool need a back-up left-back and reportedly (via Goal) likely to leave in the summer, so that’s an area which could do with some serious strengthening. So, having said that, they should sign one keeping mind the future success, making it perfect to sign Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon.

The youngster even admitted recently towards formerly being a Liverpool supporter and admitting his love for the Reds and has been linked by the Daily Mirror with a £50m move to Tottenham, after previously being touted as an Anfield target by the Independent in 2017, who said Liverpool were confident of a swoop.

If his suggestive comments aren’t enough to convince Klopp, maybe his performance-level is. Sessegnon’s been one of the brighter figures in Fulham’s dreadful season, having scored two goals and assisted five so far this season. Defensively, he’s been solid as well, maintaining a 60% tackling success, 32 clearances and 103 ball recoveries (stats via Premier League), making the perfect modern full-back.

At just 18, he’s already looking like a future England international. Sessegnon, who is valued at £31.5 million (by Transfermarkt), has decent Premier League experience, loves to attack, while being a great crosser as well.

With all that said, he fits into Klopp’s philosophy perfectly and should be brought to the club he adores to help give Robertson some much-needed rest, while also adding another long-term option to Liverpool’s system.

Liverpool fans, would you want Sessegnon as Robertson’s backup next season? Join the discussion by commenting below.