Sometimes bringing in a familiar face could be an astute piece of business and Arsenal could be the latest club to find that out.

With all things considered, Unai Emery has done reasonably well with the Gunners in his first season in charge, however, there will be pressure on him to deliver the Europa League next week and improve on things as a whole next year.

Steve Bould has been the Spaniard’s right-hand man during his first campaign and it could be argued that he could not have been a better person to learn from about the club and the task at hand.

But, it would seem the same problems still exist in north London following Arsene Wenger’s departure last summer.

The defence is still rather shambolic and embarrassing to say the least. For a club competing for a place in the top-four, conceding 51 goals is hardly good enough.

And, it seems that a change could be on the horizon within the backroom staff, with Football.London claiming Freddie Ljungberg could be promoted up the ranks.

A legendary figure, the Swede has been working with Arsenal’s Under-23s this past year and has helped guide them to a second-place finish behind Everton in their developmental league.

What has caught the eye of many is the way of play that Ljungberg has set his players up with, whilst he has seen a number of bright prospects continue to knock on Emery’s door for a potential first-team opportunity.

Not many will have the experience and knowledge that he has of Arsenal and that is something that the current boss could look to use in his backroom staff, whilst there would still be a link between him and how well the academy players are coming through as he knows how well those men have been developing.

If the Gunners look to move on, or partner Bould with someone else, then promoting Ljungberg could be considered a piece of smart business.

Arsenal fans, would you like to see Ljungberg in the first-team coaching set-up? Let us know below!

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Newcastle fans cannot take their eyes off the takeover rumours swirling around the club, but they are not forgetting what is really important either – the future of Rafael Benitez.

A report from The Sun sent Twitter into meltdown over the weekend, claiming that Mike Ashley has agreed to sell the Magpies.

Since then, there has been countless conflicting rumours and reports, with the truth about Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan’s attempted takeover of the club probably somewhere in the middle.

The Toon Army have been here before though, and while this is certainly not just another ploy from Ashley to avoid spending money in the transfer market, there are some who are concerned it is a distraction from the future of Benitez.

The Spaniard has worked wonders with a sub-standard squad at St. James’ Park, and will be out of contract at the end of next month.

The Evening Chronicle have confirmed talks have taken place for a new deal, but with no concrete progress yet, fans on Twitter are desperate for developments.

Have a look at the Twitter reactions down below…

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According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are closing in on a £15m deal to sign Swansea winger Dan James.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Red Devils are close to agreeing terms with the Swans over a swoop for the Welshman, who only made his international debut this year under the guidance of former United legend Ryan Giggs -James managed to find the back of the net on the day as well.

The 21-year-old is about to see his maiden season in the Championship side’s first team come to a close, having spent the previous campaign playing in the Premier League 2 with the youth team.

Will OGS still be in charge of Man Utd come next May? The Flying Pig discusses in the video below…

James came close to leaving the Liberty Stadium in January, and even travelled to Elland Road for a medical with United’s bitter rivals Leeds before Swansea pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute.

With five goals and ten assists to his name across all-competitions for Graham Potter’s side this term, James has been one of the standout stars in the Swansea team.

An encouraging shift in transfer plans for United

For so long, United have been obsessed with signing the big stars, the glitzy names, those who make the headlines week in, week out.

The likes of Paul Pogba, arguably one of the world’s most marketable footballers, have arrived at Old Trafford for huge fees and on astronomical wages, but it is these types of characters that are detrimental to the club right now; other players such as Memphis Depay, Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao have arrived due to their pedigree, but have been the wrong fit.

It has been years since United signed a little known player who would be willing to run through walls for the club and give his all, with too many egos playing for themselves being signed in recent windows that have created a toxic atmosphere around Old Trafford.

James would arrive with plenty to prove, and with bags of ability and potential in him, the move to sign a player for a minimal fee and presumably on a respectable contract could be a masterstroke by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ed Woodward.

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Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Sun revealed that the midfielder could be moving to Qatar, as a lucrative offer has reportedly been handed to him.

The Spaniard has reportedly been tempted by a two-year deal worth a whopping £12m tax-free, which he is said to be mulling over whilst City try to line up £40m-rated Youri Tielemans as his replacement.

Losing 6-0 was only told half the story for Watford fans in the FA Cup final. Check out the video below to find out why…

Silva, now 33, revealed last year that he has a desire to return to his homeland of Gran Canaria with Las Palmas so his son can experience the same upbringing he had; given the child’s premature birth last year, it wouldn’t seem likely that Silva would want to take his son to Qatar for two years as some fans have suggested below.

The Citizens have already said goodbye to one cult hero in Vincent Kompany this summer, and it would be heartbreaking for City supporters if they had to let another go at the same time.

Let’s see what the supporters of the Premier League champions have been saying on Twitter…

تحدث مدرب فريق مانشستر سيتي بيب جوارديولا عن هزيمتهم في مباراة اليوم أمام فريق توتنهام، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة التاسعة من البريميرليج، حيث خسر مانشستر سيتي بهدفين دون رد.

وقال جوارديولا، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لقد لعبنا بطريقة مشابهة لطريقة لعبنا طوال الموسم، لم ندافع بشكل جيد في هدفهم الأول، ثم دافعوا بعمق شديد، ودافعوا بستة لاعبين، لم يكن الأمر سهلًا”.

وأضاف: “سنحت لنا الفرص، لكننا لم نتمكن من التسجيل وصنعوا فرصتين أو ثلاث في الهجمات المرتدة، وخسرنا المباراة، كنا نعلم قبل المباراة أنه لا يمكنك منحهم الهدف الأول، أتيحت لنا فرص أكثر ونحن من خسر”.

واختتم: “الأندية التي تلعب تحت قيادة مورينيو تسير على هذا النحو، ترتكب خطأ أمامهم، ويعاقبونك في الهجمات المرتدة”.

Clearly, Celtic fans absolutely love their captain and midfield monster Scott Brown, but at the age of 33-years-old and with his 34th birthday coming up in June, the Parkhead skipper doesn’t have long left. As Neil Lennon, or whoever else takes on the Celtic job, is tasked with looking for a Broony replacement, they need only look as far as Callum McGregor.

Scott Brown may be one of the most iconic men in Scottish football. Everyone knows the scene, the veteran Scot has just scored, the Parkhead atmosphere is electric and the midfield man just stands there, arms aloft, screaming in delight. Soon, that will be just a memory and not a common occurrence, if Scott Brown scoring was ever common, but it could be set to get better for the Bhoys in his retirement.

Scott Brown has made a name for himself at the base of the Bhoys’ midfield, and whilst Callum McGregor has been going about his business much further up the pitch it could be a good opportunity for him drop deeper as he looks to fill the shoes of his surely soon to depart captain. Perhaps it’s not imminent but, obviously, Brown may have a couple of seasons left in him, but sooner or later it will be up to McGregor to replace the iconic Scot.

McGregor has plenty of time to learn the ropes of the deeper midfield base. He has featured there before but is more comfortable when playing further up the pitch in the #10 role in front of the Parkhead crowd. What he does have, though, that’s key for the role is reliability and durability. This season has seen the Scot feature 57 times for Celtic in all competitions, a remarkable stat in itself.

In those 57 appearances, he’s contributed six goals and 15 assists, and if he can carry on producing numbers similar to that whilst operating from Scott Brown’s deeper role then he’ll be well placed to not only act as his skipper’s replacement but also an improvement. There is no shame in admitting that Brown is starting to show signs of his age, and if McGregor can come into his position and add some life next season, slowly phasing out the 33-year-old it would be a step in the right direction.

Celtic fans, how long do you think Broony has left at the top of the Scottish game? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Clearly, Leeds United need a 20-goal-a-season striker to ensure their promotion to the Premier League next season. Frankly, Eamonn Brophy isn’t that and he’ll just become another Patrick Bamford. Harsh, we know, but true in our opinion.

Team Talk have reported Rangers, Derby and Leeds are all after the 23-year-old’s signature this summer. Currently, he plays for Kilmarnock, but he’s only scored nine times in the league after making 24 appearances. Barely thrilling stuff and that’s just not good enough for Leeds.

Patrick Bamford has looked the man to lead the Whites up at times this season, but he’s far too inconsistent and that’s cost the club promotion, with Bielsa publicly ruining the club’s inability to finish chances. Obviously, Bamford needs to make way for a far more prolific striker, but Brophy isn’t that man either.

Yes, he’s still young and is rated at just £450,000 on Transfermarkt, but Leeds can’t afford to be cutting corners and going for bargains. They need to make an investment that would see them reap the rewards of the Premier League in the long term.

Surely, after the protracted saga that saw him finally agree to stay, Marcelo Bielsa is likely to leave if Leeds don’t earn promotion this season, so the board need to back him with the players to carry out his attacking intent. Merely bringing in a young lad with average form from Scotland just won’t cut it at all.

The club must avoid any more heartbreak, so signing Eamonn Brophy would be a turn in the wrong direction. He’d be another Bamford and no Leeds supporter wants another of those.

Leeds fans, who do you think your club should sign up front this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Newcastle fans will be bidding their midfield maestro and star turned Isaac Hayden farewell soon enough, but when he leaves there will be a need to bring in a new midfield man to replace him. The Geordies have known of his want for an exit for a while, but his perfect replacement may be one that they don’t even need to go out and find.

As Hayden will likely be on his way, Jack Colback will be returning to St. James’ Park this summer after a stellar loan spell at The City Ground with Nottingham Forest. The former Sunderland man has added goals to his game in his time in the Championship, and next season could see the 29-year-old return to St. James’ Park and add to his 102 appearances in the black and white of Newcastle United.

Colback has the ability to star as a box-to-box midfielder but his recent ability to put the ball in the net gives him a new dimension at the club. Hayden may have been a star turned despite his intentions to leave the club and get closer to his family but the one thing he didn’t have to his game despite everything else was the ability to score goals regularly.

This season we’ve seen Nottingham Forest endure an indifferent campaign, but the goals have flown for the City Ground side, with Colback grabbing himself three goals and two assists in his 38 Championship games this season. It may not sound like a lot, but in contrast, the midfielder only managed two extra goals in 74 more games for the Magpies during his time at the club.

It is certainly a long shot, and if Rafa Benitez stays at the club the Spaniard may be reluctant to throw Colback back into action for them, but if the former Sunderland man can come in and prove to be worth his salt then there really is no reason why he cannot step up as the Geordies answer to Isaac Hayden’s departure. It would also save Mike Ashley a few million on a replacement too, working out for everyone at the club.

Yes, it ended fairly sourly for him prior to his exit but a second chance alongside Sean Longstaff could be a masterstroke.

Newcastle fans, wud you mind seeing Colback replace Hayden? Let us know!

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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested that Axel Tuanzebe will be in his plans for the 2019-2020 campaign.

And the Aston Villa fans have been on social media responding to the Norwegian’s comments.

Tuanzebe spent a period on loan with Villa last season before returning to Villa Park for the 2018-19 Championship campaign.

The centre-back has had his injury problems this term, but has impressed in recent weeks and will be looking to help Dean Smith’s side reach the final of the Championship playoff at West Bromwich Albion’s expense.

A number of Villa fans have claimed that United do not actually deserve the 21-year-old, who has only made eight first-team appearances for the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, there are those supporters who feel that their club actually have a decent chance of keeping the 6 ft 1 ace heading into next season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Championship outfit’s fans can be seen below:

كشف المدرب الألماني، هانز فليك، المدير الفني لنادي بايرن ميونخ، عن التشخيص المبدئي، للإصابة التي تعرض لها كورينتين توليسو، في مباراة شتوتجارت بالبوندزليجا.

وتعرض توليسو لإصابة قوية في الدقيقة 80، لم يتمكن بسببها من إكمال المباراة، وخرج في الدقيقة 83، وحل خافي مارتينيز بدلًا منه؛ وخرج توليسو من المباراة وهو يبكي.

بايرن ميونخ كان فاز على شتوتجارت، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء اليوم، على ملعب “مرسيدس بنز أرينا”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة التاسعة من الدوري الألماني (طالع تقرير المباراة).

وقال فليك في تصريحات صحفية عقب نهاية المباراة: “توليسو يُعاني من إصابة عضلية، ولا أعرف مدى خطورة الإصابة”.

وأضاف: ” توليسو سوف يخضع غدًا لفحوصات طبية، وسنعرف المزيد عنه غدًا، نأمل ألا يكون شيئًا خطيرًا”.

وأتم تصريحاته كاشفًا عن إصابتين جديدتين قائلًا: “بواتينج عاني من مشكلة أيضًا وعلينا الانتظار غدًا، بينما خافي مارتينيز اشتكى من مُشكلة عضلية أيضًا!”.