Last season: It is a brand new beginning for Hull as they are returning to the Premier League after a three-year absence and may change their name to the Hull City Tigers, as announced by club owner Assem Allam.

In last season’s Championship, the Tigers managed to finish second and automatically qualify to the big leagues alongside Cardiff City, who finished eight points ahead of Hull. The Yorkshire club avoided the play offs by just two points ahead of Watford, who finished third.

Manchester United veteran Steve Bruce managed to lead his team to 24 wins in 46 matches, just one less than the Bluebirds, but lost 15 matches. Hull managed to get 11 wins in away games and only lose 9 however the home advantage didn’t work very well as, even though they won 13 matches, they also lost six.

The goal-scoring ratio also shows that the Tigers saw quite a lot of competition as they scored 61 goals and conceded 52, where 30 of them were on away games.

Transfer Ins:

Yannick Sagbo (Evian)

Steve Harper (Newcastle)

Allan McGregor (Besiktas)

Curtis Davies (Birmingham City)

Ahmed Elmohamady (Sunderland)

George Boyd (Peterborough United)

Maynor Figueroa (Wigan)

Transfer Outs:

Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers)

Danny Emerton (Northampton Town)

Jamie Devitt (Chesterfield)

Francis McCaffrey (Dundalk)

Sonny Bradley (Portsmouth)

Mark Cullen (Luton Town)

Jay Simpson

Danny East (Portsmouth)

Andy Dawson (Scunthorpe United)

Seyi Olofinjana

Paul McKenna

Player to watch: Robert Koren managed to score the most goals for Hull as the Slovenian midfielder hit the target nine times. His teammate, George Boyd managed to score the exact same amount but only three of those were for the Tigers as he joined the team last February on loan from Peterborough United.

The former Slovenia international could prove to be useful for Bruce however it would also be interesting to keep an eye on the new acquisitions, such as former Championnat player Yannick Sagbo, who made 90 appearances and scored 22 goals with Evian and is also an Ivory Coast international.

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Former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa is also expected to help the team with his Premier League experience and perhaps become the leader of the defense. The Honduran is well-known and remembered by all English fans for his incredible goal against Stoke, four years ago. The 30-year-old’s free kick from the centre of the field won Goal of the Season 2009-2010.

Young player to watch: Tottenham’s Jake Livermore will be playing on loan for the Tigers this season and even though Andre Villas-Boas didn’t include him in his plans this season he still has some faith in the 23-year-old as he might be hoping that the youngster will improve and get much more experience in the field. Since 2011 the young midfielder has been moving around on loan but still counts 36 appearances with Spurs and also caught the attention of the England national team where he played for the Three Lions in a match against Italy a year ago.

Prediction: Just like the other two former Championship teams that qualified, Cardiff and Crystal Palace, Hull are expected to improve and up their game for this season to stay and fight for another season.

The team has made quite a few changes that are expected to bring the club into the Premier League level that is inquired for this season. The Tigers seem perfectly able to score goals but they also seem like they are no strangers to conceding a high number of goals from the opposing club. That is something that the teams will have to work hard on with the defense and midfield as they will be facing a lot harder teams than those in the Championship, such as their very first opponents Chelsea.

Based on the other teams’ progress one could assume that Hull feature quite a mystery for this year’s Premier League. We all know that it is impossible that Bruce’s team will finish on the Top 5 positions but it could be possible that they avoid relegation. For now though, the numbers are not very convincing. Nevertheless, the rest will be left to be discussed on the field.

Our prediction : 19th place.

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striker Matej Vydra believes that his now ready to make a push to become the Baggies’ main man after returning from injury.

The Czech international completed his move to the Hawthorns over the summer after impressing during a loan spell with Championship outfit Watford last season.

However, his start to life as a West Brom player was far from smooth as he picked up an injury during his debut in the Capital One Cup.

The thigh problem has kept him of of action ever since, but he is now back in full training.

With Steve Clarke’s men not having enjoyed the most fruitful campaign in front of goal so far, Vydra says that he is ready to prove to his manager that he can be the club’s main man.

“Now I feel in perfect shape. The leg doesn’t hurt and I’m ready,” Vydra told Sky Sports.

“I played 60 minutes for the reserve team against Reading and even scored. Then another 45 minutes for the first team versus a youth side from Derby County.

“Everything was fine. I have been in training with the first team for quite some while already and endure the full burden without any problems.”

But, Vydra is aware that he may have a fight on his hands to be a starter following the arrivals of Victor Anichebe and Stephane Sessegnon.

“You could expect that new players would come because we did not have a good start to the season at all,” he added.

“Two new forwards arrived and Anelka is back. So, now we have about seven forwards and use two. There’s nothing you can do.

“I know I have to work hard to convince the manager. Nobody has a place in the XI for granted.”

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Can Matej Vydra make the step from Championship to Premier League football?

Comment below to have your say!

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When the aliens arrive we’re going to have a lot of explaining to do. Of course, any exploratory space faring alien race will be au fait the sciences, naturally, and we’ll likely share at least a parallel common understanding of concepts such as love, economics and restaurants, but none of this is going to help us explain golf. Or cigarettes. Or Paddy McGuinness. Imagine having to explain Dressage as if the reputation of the human race depended on it? Exposed to the cold hard objectivity of an imaginary alien observer, most of our earthly pursuits are completely and utterly daft.

And yet all of them pale in comparison with the nonsense that is ‘Awards Season’. That special, reflective time of the year when we look back on the previous annum and decide the people who really deserve recognition for their efforts are movie stars and sportsmen. Where, not content with staging several lavish near identical events to award golden statues to those who’ve proved the most convincing at reading aloud made up situations, we broadcast them to the world, turning even these glorified readers entering a building draped in different coloured shapes of cloth into it’s own special news event.

We are truly doomed as a civilization.

And yet even within this daft of the daft, there is a dafter brush still. The Ballon d’Ors. For the FIFA Ballon d’Or Awards Gala (to give them their full name) are the worst awards in the entire world.

Only FIFA could take a provincial magazine’s respected singular award and turn it into an excruciating hour and a half prize giving costumed pageant. Only FIFA could turn an impartial voting system trusted since 1956, into such a politically convoluted and controversial one the votes need to be made public to sooth fears of a fix up. And still don’t. Only FIFA could spend half an award ceremony dedicated to the best player of 2013 promoting the World Cup of 2014 only a mere month after it’s similarly egregious draw Gala held specifically to do that.

But this isn’t why they’re the worst awards in the world.

The adding of accessory awards to the ceremony may not intrinsically be a bad thing. The women’s award in particular is a worthwhile addition, having no equivalent of a similar profile. The rest though are merely window dressing, included to fluff out the ceremony so Blatter and his cronies can fill up a few more gratuity seats for the ‘football family’. Is there really any need, for example, for an officially sanctioned Goal of the Season? And does it need to be given at an awards ceremony? Was Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s failure to make the final three for the big prize suitably exorcised by his blue ribbon for scoring the prettiest goal? Will there be a Save of the Season? What does the Fair Play Award actually do? This year even included the 35th annual Pele Award for being Pele, otherwise known as the inaugural Prix d’Honneur, a back door way for FIFA to retrospectively give a Ballon d’Or to whomever they like whenever their PR department demands it.

But these too are not why they’re the worst awards in the world. The reason is overwhelmingly down to one award. The FIFA Presidential Award.

The FIFA Presidential Award was invented in 2001 by Sepp Blatter and is hard to explain largely on the basis that it has no criteria. Sepp can award the FPA to anyone or anything he likes, animal, vegetable, mineral or concept, and frequently does. It seems to have been created solely because Sepp didn’t have enough control over any of the other awards, and wanted one for himself which he could award to, say, Desmond Tutu or the Queen of Jordan if he liked. He did.

The Presidential Award also serves another purpose. Such is the almost constant controversy Sepp manages to attract by pitching himself as the hybrid footballing equivalent of Boris Johnson and a dodgy car salesman, that the award can also be used as a convenient tool for damage limitation. It’s unsurprising to learn then, what with his frequent faux pas in sexual politics, that women’s football has received significant recognition. As significant as possible in fact as the entire concept of women’s football won the award in 2008. While it may seem odd to present a single small trophy to an entire sporting concept (and raises all sorts of baffling questions about who gets to keep it) at least its better than giving it to something completely tangential like, say, the actress from Bend It Like Beckham. Thankfully Sepp covered both bases here, awarding Parminder Nagra the FPA in 2002.

Occasionally the honour is afforded to actual footballing people. Pele, naturally, got in 2007 for his continuing dedication to being Pele (and dutifully turning up to present any old guff FIFA asks) whilst Sir Alex Ferguson and Franz Beckenbauer received it in 2011 and 2012 respectively, in what most commentators agree was Sepp being no fun at all. Sometimes though he just feels like being nice, awarding it to a paralysed player in 2001, a dead player in 2006 and Anders Frisk, the Chelsea death threat referee in 2005, seemingly just to cheer him up a bit.

This years award went to Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, undaunted by the fact that we’re two summers away from the last Olympics and a full month away from starting the next, making it practically the only time it’s not appropriate to present an award for Olympic achievement.

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Of course, the Ballon d’Ors would still be awful without this. The forced spectacle, the compulsory yet also completely needless live music, the fact footballers can’t give good speeches, the crying.

When Cristiano Ronaldo first won the award in 2008, it was awarded to him in private, delivered to his house with a photographer and a thought out, well-conducted interview was published. Now we have this. At least actors have a sense of oratory performance that’s plausibly worth watching. How are we supposed to explain Ronaldo’s awkward stunted speech and self-indulgent blubbing to an advanced alien race?  What if our possible inclusion in a new galactic alliance or advanced state of enlightenment depends on it?  Yup, we are truly doomed as a civilization.

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West Ham have set their sights on Genoa striker Alberto Gilardino, in a bid to solve their goal-scoring problems, according to talkSPORT.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce remains keen to sign a new striker, despite Andy Carroll’s return to fitness and the fact Carlton Cole has signed another short term contract.

Allardyce tried to bring Gilardino to Upton Park on loan in the summer, but a deal could not be agreed.

However, reports in Italy claim the club are ready to make a new offer for the experienced former AC Milan striker.

Gilardino was linked with a move to the MLS, with FC Toronto reportedly eager to sign the forward as a partner for Jermain Defoe, who has recently completed a move from Tottenham.

The 31-year-old has a decent goals record across his career, managing 19 goals for in 57 caps for Italy during his international career.

He has scored goals consistently in Serie A with the likes of Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina.

This season he has netted eight goals in 18 Serie A appearances for Genoa.

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Don’t let it be known that Arsene Wenger has lost his touch in the transfer market. At least not completely.

Laurent Koscielny didn’t look the part at first. A scrawny centre-back, Koscielny had dabbled briefly with top flight football with Lorient prior to his move to Arsenal, but for the most part he was a Ligue 2 player in France. He didn’t look the part but he fit the description. Laurent Koscielny: unknown, inexperienced, ripe for moulding; the ideal Wenger project.

Four years on from his move to Arsenal, Koscielny’s high value to the team is indisputable. Wenger saw something in the Polish-born French international that went over the head of most others. Koscielny had the technical attributes and athleticism, but the detractors were drawn in to his physical limitations, which have since been eradicated.

Maybe it’s the recent history of Arsenal’s defenders that dictate people’s opinion on the 28-year-old, but for one reason or another, there is no definitive description of Koscielny in English football. Some, mostly Arsenal fans, acknowledge his development and rate him as one of the top centre-backs in the country. Others remain perplexed as to why there is so much good feeling about the centre-back; he’s been described as error-prone (he does have more than one red card to his name), among other things.

Over the past year, Koscielny has dovetailed perfectly with Per Mertesacker in the centre of the Arsenal defence. The French international will be praised for his quickness and strength, but he, like Mertesacker, is an excellent reader of the game, too.

In an effort to reward him for his good form, Arsenal have tied down Koscielny “long term,” fending off reported interest from abroad as well as from the Premier League. It’s a good show of support from the club for one of their key players, but you’d hope they’ve also learnt from the contractual mistakes of the past. Koscielny isn’t one Arsenal can afford to let go of anytime soon.

The contract extension will give the club a good platform to start from going into what should be a busy transfer period. Bacary Sagna and Lukas Fabianski aside, there are no major issues plaguing the club, as has been the case in recent years. Both first-choice centre-backs are tied down now, with Mertesacker having committed earlier in the season, which should spell a positive campaign next time around. There is stability that can be built upon.

Wenger’s trick of pulling rabbits out of the hat via the market has run a little thin of late. Yet Koscielny’s development is a reminder that the Arsenal boss can still conjure something out of nothing. By no means was Koscielny’s transfer fee large by today’s standards, but at £11 million it was a gamble, one which has since paid off.

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Going into this summer, the gold struck from Koscielny’s transfer will provide a lot of hope and inspiration for what may come. Maybe they timed it – as Arsenal have been known to do. But Koscielny is an example and symbol of Wenger’s work and success in player recruitment. Putting news of his contract extension out there ahead of a crucial FA Cup final and transfer window will help restore faith in the manager that has been lost by so many.

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Not as many goals, but an extremely entertaining round of World Cup fixtures. Here’s our daily round-up!

Colombia 2-1 Cote D’Ivoire

Colombia picked up their second win in a match that saw chances from both sides before the game began picking up pace in the final half an hour. The loss puts Cote D’Ivoire in second place as they continue to stay in the tournament after surviving early dominance from their opponents.

The second half blew wide open when James Rodriguez scored a header for the South Americans to make in 1-0.

Six minutes later they made it 2-0 when Juan Quintero finished off a swift counter, but a few moments from kick off, Gervinho produced some magic on the left flank, drifting pass a few defenders before firing the ball into the net.

Drawing up to the final whistle, Ivory Coast were pilling on the pressure, but some great defensive work from the Colombian players made sure their side picked up all three points.

Uruguay 2-1 England

In a must win match for the two teams or risk being eliminated, it was Luis Suarez playing against five of his Liverpool teammates that stole the show. With club football not playing any role in this encounter, both sets of players gave everything they had in order fight back from their previous losses.

England started the game with a few good attacking forrays, but failed to convert the chances in the final third as Uruguay looked to exploit the English frailties at the back. Wayne Rooney had a free-kick curve inches wide and saw his header hit the bar as he searched for his first World Cup goal.

However, six minutes from the end of the first half, a perfect delivery from Edinson Cavani met the head of Suarez and sent the ball into the back of Joe Hart’s net.

Roy Hodgson’s team came out attacking in the second half as they saw a close opportunity from Rooney bring up a brilliant reflex save from Fernando Muslera. The England number 10 did manage to score the equalizer in the 75th minute before more defensive mishaps saw Suarez lose the back four to fire home a tremendous strike, ending the game with a 2-1 victory for the South Americans and putting the European side on the brink of elimination.

Japan 0-0 Greece

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Japan and Greece competed in a much more tactical affair, but it’s the Europeans who will be the happier of the two when the final whistle blew in Natal. The Greeks had Kostas Katsouranis sent off in the 38th minute after picking up a second yellow, but Alberto Zaccheroni’s side were unable to break down a very stubborn back-line.

However it was Greece who threatened the Japanese goalkeeper more often, as Eiji Kawashima was forced into a few good saves.

The draw, and Colombia’s win, leaves both teams needing to win in the last game of the group stage in order to advance into the next round.

It was all going so well for Louis van Gaal and Manchester United – until the season actually started.

Indeed, King Louis’ reign at Old Trafford hasn’t kicked off as planned. He’s yet to open his winning account with the Red Devils, overseeing two defeat and one draw, with the most harrowing result coming in a 4-0 hiding by League One side MK Dons last night.

You might expect a manager who once famously displayed his testicles to the entire Bayern Munich dressing room to produce a similarly dramatic display after the shock Capital One Cup defeat at Stadium MK. Perhaps he’d give Danny Welbeck a public spanking, or attempt to kick a Dons fan square in the face.

Yet van Gaal’s reaction was surprisingly subdued. Immediately after the final whistle, rather than heading towards the dressing room with fire in his eyes, preparing to give the Dutch equivalent of the hair-dryer treatment (I’m dubbing that ‘the windmill effect’), he turned to the stands and began signing autographs as if United had just strolled their way to a comfortable 3-0 win without a single hiccup.

Even in the post-match press conference, van Gaal remarked, to the astonishment of one journalist, that he ‘wasn’t surprised’ by the result at all. Perhaps an effort to save face, perhaps keen not to directly comment on the 4-0 score-line.

But it must be asked amid the 62-year-old’s perpetual nonchalance – Does van Gaal truly understand the scale of the job at Old Trafford? Shouldn’t he be as worried and confused as the rest of us?

It seems a rather absurd suggestion, considering we’re talking about a manager who has graced the dugouts at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But as Louis van Gaal stated himself just a matter of weeks ago, Manchester United are the biggest club in the world – the pressure on the players right now to turn their form around is enormous.

When it rains, it pours, and currently  there’s a seemingly immovable monsoon over Old Trafford. Quite clearly, the players are still hurting from last season while many, such as Javier Hernandez and Anderson, demonstrated with their performances yesterday evening that they simply want out of United. Perhaps the Dons fixture was a last chance saloon – perhaps that is why van Gaal wasn’t surprised.

The Dutch gaffer will argue that it’s all part of the plan. He warned in late July that it would take at least three months to get the club up to his standards, the players fully onboard with his new philosophy and confidence resorted after the nightmares of last season. After all, his 3-4-1-2 formation goes against every tactical tradition at Old Trafford and the transition will undoubtedly throw up a few problems.

But was losing 4-0 to a third tier side really an intrinsic learning curve? Did yesterday’s result have to happen? Of course, at the start of a season immediately following a World Cup in South America, van Gaal was undoubtedly keen to rest his players.

But at the same time, defeating the Dons last night could have provided the kick-start van Gaal’s United revolution desperately needed. In my opinion, it was a fantastic opportunity missed – not to mention the fact that the Red Devils are now eliminated from arguably their best chance of silverware this season.

One question that can be rightly posed is whether the Old Trafford boss truly appreciates the competitiveness of English football. In La Liga and the Bundesliga, even the opposition expect the top teams to steamroll everything in their paths. German and Spanish minnows turn up to the Bernabeu, Nou Camp or Allianz Arena, close their eyes and hope it’s all over quickly.

English football on the other hand comes with this instrumental determination – the idea that any team at any level, on their day, can give even the best of the best a run for their money.  That very notion unquestionably inspired MK Dons yesterday evening, but I believe van Gaal is yet to appreciate it fully, perhaps best illustrated by his decision to leave Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney – by far his three most influential players – out of the match-day squad. In short, the United boss must learn that there’s no such thing as an easy game in England.

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And in many ways that typifies the enormity of the task at hand. Since United last won a Premier League title, Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League, Chelsea have re-hired Jose Mourinho, Manchester City have amassed one of the most impressive squads in Europe and Arsenal have broken their transfer record twice. The momentum of change is relentless in England, but van Gaal thus far has only taken United another step backwards.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United were a club that scrimped and scavenged for every point and victory possible. Louis van Gaal isn’t that kind of manager – he likes to see the bigger picture. But if United are to escape their recent malaise, then that is the approach they must once again take.

Philosophical revolutions are all well and good, but ideas alone aren’t going to get the Red Devils out of the mess they now find themselves in.

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Stats can prove anything, really. Some football fans love the numbers game, while other prefer a more traditional approach, but it’s fair to say whichever camp you’re in, Dejan Lovren has been a flop since his £20m Liverpool move.

The Croatian was one of the Premier League standout performers last season with Southampton, yet this term his confidence appears shot and errors (shown above) have been commonplace. It may seem early to axe the defender, but Liverpool cannot afford to stand still in the top four race, so here are FIVE upgrades to consider ahead of the re-opening of the transfer window…

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CLICK ON THE MAN HIMSELF TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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Fabian Schar

A late starter in the footballing world as he focused on a career as a Bank Clerk, Schar has risen from the Swiss amateur game to become one of his nation’s best defenders astonishingly quickly. Set to be 23 by January, the classy Basel enforcer has been a key member of his club side and international set-up over the course of the past 12 months, and even impressed at the World Cup.

But with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, a cut-price £10m January move has been mooted, and it’s believed that Schar himself is ready to test himself in a bigger league. His composed playing style would suit Rodgers’ Liverpool, while his age and cost meet FSG’s strict transfer policy.

Winston Reid

Like Schar, Reid’s contract expires at the end of the season and he’s keen to move on to bigger and better things, according to rumours, Liverpool may have to fight off Arsenal to land the New Zealander, but an £8m bid for one of the Premier League’s more impressive centre-backs, on current form anyway, may be wise.

Reid is strong, composed, brave and remarkably good on the ball, making him a potential solution to Liverpool’s inability to keep the ball out of their own net.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos

A major target in 2013, the Papadopoulos pursuit went quiet almost overnight. The Greek ace’s questionable injury record may have been a factor, but it seems odd that a leader from the back was passed on so quickly by the Reds, despite genuine efforts to land him.

A fearsome individual who is full-blooded in his playing style, ‘Papa’ would appear to be suited to the English game and could provide the sort of influence Liverpool desperately need at the back.

Ron Vlaar

Vlaar’s sock is at all all-time high. The Dutchman seemed to go from average Premier League enforcer to all-conquering centre-back over the course of one summer after impressing at the World Cup, and the player himself is thought to be aware of the interest in his signature.

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Vlaar himself is understood to be holding off of contract talks with Villa – his current deal expires at the end of the season – and while Liverpool have not yet been linked with a move, it may be worth Rodgers rivalling Man United and Arsenal for ‘Concrete Ron’.

Andre Wisdom

While Liverpool’s crop of players at the back are failing to impress, the Reds actually have one defender on their books impressing in the Premier League. Wisdom is currently on loan at West Brom, where he has been a composed and impressive performer at right-back in a solid Baggies set-up, earning much praise.

Although playing on the flank, the 21-year-old long-term role is expected to be at centre-back, which could be handy for Liverpool now. English, strong and familiar with the club, a January re-call is an ‘out there’ option on Merseyside.

Oh Arsenal, are wonderful… oh Arsenal, are wonderful… This chant sometime echoes around FFC Towers, with the north London club having a strong and loyal following in our ranks, as well as across the country.

The team that brought ‘beautiful football’ to the English shores, the Gunners have wowed everyone through the years with their success and unrelenting pursuit of the perfect goal – which they’ve managed on a few occasions.

With Arsene Wenger’s merry band of men giving us talking points on a daily basis, we always give them the coverage the deserve, and as a little November treat the best bits are all here…

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CLICK ON EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE CHILEAN TO GET THINGS GOING

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Why Sanchez is the man to fire Arsenal to the Champions League at Liverpool’s expense

A little man from Chile is proving to be a red-hot find for the Gunners this season.

After leaving Barcelona for Arsenal in a £35million move during the summer, Alexis Sanchez has left the crowds at the Emirates Stadium as breathless as a daredevil dumb enough to take a bite out of a Trinidad moruga scorpion (for those of you who aren’t aficionados of spicy food, look it up), with a number of stand-out performances leading him to score ten goals in his first 16 appearances for his new club.

The lightning-quick speed with which Sanchez has adapted to Premier League football aptly complements his on-field rapidity – a trait that fans of Barcelona, Udinese and the South American clubs of River Plate, Colo-Colo and Cobreloa are all too aware of – and the sight of the fleet-footed forward leaving Premier League defenders trailing in his wake, Road Runner-style, will leave the fans of one top flight club in particular wondering what could have been.

Sanchez fans, read on by clicking here…

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FIVE release clauses Arsenal could activate in January

Who first dreamed up the notion of the release clause? Perhaps it was a ploy adopted from the business sector, perhaps it was invented by Mr. R. Clause himself.

Either way, the release clause adds an interesting dynamic to the transfer market – a simple-yet-effective method of saying ‘If you want him that badly, this is how much you’ll have to pay. Don’t bother negotiating’

Indeed, many release clauses are extortionate, especially in regards to younger players, but that’s precisely the point. Nether the less, the Premier League has never shied away from activating them throughout the years and just to prove it, here’s FIVE Arsenal are reportedly prepared to meet when the transfer market reopens in January.

Coming to the Emirates in January? Click here to see who might be…

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Did he finally prove his worth in Arsenal’s draw at Everton?

His inaction proved to be the biggest answer to his detractors. Watching from the sidelines as Alexis Sanchez had been given the nod as Arsenal’s centre-forward for the trip to Everton, Olivier Giroud’s second half introduction for the Chilean gave weight to the importance of the French international to Arsene Wenger’s side.

Had it not been for Giroud’s involvement, it is unlikely Arsenal would have been able to mount a comeback that saw them leave Goodison Park with a point after going two-nil down in the first half. Alexis is the quicker, more inventive of the two, but his position as the team’s central striker doesn’t provide the balance offered by Giroud’s game. The Frenchman can appear rough around the edges, lacking the dribbling skills and speed to get away from defenders. But he gives focus to Arsenal’s attack.

Forgotten about Giroud? Reminisce by clicking here…

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SIX ‘better options than Romulo’ for Arsenal

It’s commonplace to see players dubbed the new ‘X’ or mooted as the player to fill ‘Y’s’ boots in the narrative driven world of the modern football. And today Arsenal have been linked with a certain Brazilian dubbed the ‘new Gilberto Silva’, who actually goes by the name of Romulo.

A Brazilian international plying his trade with Spartak Moscow, the 24-year-old has a decent reputation in Russian football and has attracted the likes of Liverpool in the past. Solid, albeit injury-prone, and young, it would appear that the Selecao star could be a good option for the Gunners in the long-run, but we here at FFC Towers think that the Londoners should be aiming a little higher.

With title aspiration and a craving for silverware at the Emirates Stadium, here are FIVE alternatives that may offer a little more than Romulo.

So who could Arsenal get to boost their midfield? Read on here….

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FIVE January transfer opportunities Arsenal can’t afford to ignore

They say the January transfer window is never the ideal time for Premier League clubs to buy – but that depends on whether you’re looking in the right places.

Take these FIVE stars for example; all highly-talented, all available for incredibly reasonable fees, and all capable of considerably improving Arsenal’s first teams squad for the campaign’s final run-in.

Indeed, being the helpful bunch we are at Football Fancast, we’ve listed FIVE fantastic transfer opportunities the Gunners can’t afford to ignore in January. Something already tells us however, Arsene Wenger most likely will.

Some have expiring contracts, others release clauses and a few simply need a new home.

Click here to read on…

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Happiness never lasts for long at White Hart Lane. After an important victory against Everton last weekend which saw Tottenham put on one of their finest performances of the season, the familiar sense of inferiority and dejection returned on Wednesday evening as Spurs were roundly beaten by London rivals Chelsea, which leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s side in tenth place. For all their glimmers of promise, Spurs remain a team who are a long way off becoming serious contenders for a Champions League place. Pochettino may seek extensive investment in the upcoming January transfer window to imprint his own identity on the club, yet the likelihood is that players will need to be sold if any new arrivals are to come in.

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Click on Pochettino to reveal the five players who should be deemed surplus to requirements at Spurs

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1. Danny Rose

He may have made himself an instant fan favourite with a screamer against bitter rivals Arsenal on his league debut in 2010, yet Danny Rose has struggled to secure a regular spot in the Spurs side since then. The left-back has been criticised for his defensive positioning and his composure on the ball, and with the recent purchase of Ben Davies – who has impressed so far this season – he may find it hard to get back into the first team. A decent defender no doubt, but not of a Champions League standard. For this reason, Tottenham should let him go.

2. Benoit Assou-Ekotto

Another left-back, another player who is simply not good enough to play for Spurs. A regular during the Harry Redknapp years, Assou-Ekotto has not played competitvely for Spurs since the 2012/13 season – he was at loan with Redknapp’s QPR last year, and has been unused by Pochettino this campaign. At 30 years of age, the Cameroonian is unlikely to revitalise his career at White Hart Lane; Spurs would be wise to get rid of him in the new year to lower their wage bill.

3. Lewis Holtby

A lot of people made a lot of noise about the capture of Holtby from Schalke in January 2013 without actually knowing an awful lot about the German. The €1.75 million fee was lauded as a bargain at the time, yet it soon became evident why the 24 year-old had come so cheaply. The attacking midfielder found it difficult at White Hart Lane, scoring just once in a total of 24 league appearances, and was loaned out to Premier League strugglers Fulham in January for the remainder of the 2013/14 season, where then-Cottagers boss Felix Magath accused him of not being a “fighter”. Now on loan at Hamburg, it may be the case that Holtby feels more comfortable playing in his homeland than in England. With Christian Eriksen estabishing himself as Spurs’ first-choice number 10, the London side should look to offload Holtby, and could expect to make a decent profit from his sale.

4. Kyle Naughton

The fact that the 26 year-old Naughton has spent the majority of his Spurs career on loan at various clubs in the lower divisions after his move from Sheffield United in 2009 suggests that the right-back has yet to convince his parent club that he can make the position his own. Kyle Walker – who also moved to White Hart Lane from the Blades at the same time as Naughton – is considered to be the first-choice right-back at the club, and despite the fact that the England international has been absent through a long-term injury, Naughton has been unable to play regularly at the Lane, with Jan Vertonghen often being deployed on the right of defence. Naughton is not getting any younger – he should look to move if he wants to enjoy first-team action on a weekly basis.

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5. Mousa Dembélé

You don’t need to watch Mousa Dembélé play for long to realise that the Belgian is a very talented and technically gifted footballer, yet his lack of consistency has been a real source of frustration for Spurs fans since his arrival from Fulham in 2012. The 27 year-old midfielder has fallen down the pecking order at the Lane and has made just six league appearances all season; given that Spurs already have an abundance of players who play in his position, he may find it tough to break into the first team anytime soon. Dembélé would be a very useful signing to most teams in the Premier League, including those at the top end of the table. A change of scenery and a fresh start could be just what this mercurial player needs to get his career back on track.

Got any questions? Follow me on Twitter @GruffuddOwen