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There’s nothing you can say about Arsenal that hasn’t already been said, and nothing you can prescribe that hasn’t already been prescribed.

Arsene Wenger has played to the same formula for years, and when it comes to the Gunners’ performance, where they fall short can be traced back to the same old areas as before.

This season, though a new dimension looks to have been added to the Gunners’ woes, their startlingly bad away form is really just another manifestation of an old lack of fight and robustness. It’s something we see season after season in other forms, but this year, it’s surfaced in away games and left Arsene Wenger’s side in fifth again.

All is not lost, of course. Arsenal are through to an EFL Cup semi-final as well as the knockout stages of the Europa League, and winning both competitions could serve as a springboard for future success in the same way that Manchester United’s capture of both trophies last season seemed to herald a new dawn for Jose Mourinho’s side before the Portuguese manager’s negative tactics seemed to blow that chance.

For the Gunners, though, rather than a milestone in the fight back to the top of the premium competitions, where they’ve belonged for so many years, these second tier trophies instead feel like yet another low watermark on the way down. Whereas settling for a top four place was the problem of the decade before this one, will the new year bring confirmation that Arsenal are now the fifth-placed Premier League club who will spend the next few years competing in trophies Arsene Wenger always thought were beneath him?

There is still a chance at the United style fightback, and two shiny new trophies don’t look unobtainable. When you get to the semi-final of a competition you’ve never won before in over 20 years of management in England, you’d like to think that Wenger will finally be up for the League Cup. And when you’re in the second tier competition which yields not just a medal, but an automatic place in the Champions League group stage for next season, you’d also like to think that it means something to the Gunners.

But with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil seemingly heading closer and closer to the exit door – perhaps as soon as next month – and with little chance of replacing players of that quality in the January window at least, you get the feeling that this season is the latest in a long line of write-offs at the Emirates, where Arsenal’s season may well have a different feel, but the same old outcomes.

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That means 2018 will probably not be a year in which Arsene Wenger can sign off as Arsenal manager on the back of a grand old victory to live on through the ages. He may never be able to do that at all, in fact. But instead, he must allow his job to become one of instilling a sense of positivity at the club for the first time in years, and leave Arsenal at some point soon with some genuine hope that the future is bright. The Gunners will likely start 2018 still looking feeling like they’re in decline. They must end it by feeling back where they belong.

Arsenal’s vulnerability has reached near-critical level at this point of the summer. Real Madrid played Arsenal like the high-spending, big market veteran that it is. The La Liga club called Arsenal’s bluff on the Gonzalo Higuain deal and ended up selling the Argentine striker to Napoli. It’s what you get when you’re new to this sort of game and other clubs are well aware of your apparent intentions and ability to spend.

But how much of Arsenal’s need to appease its fan base has distorted the real bargains out on the market?

Monaco, amid huge signings of intent in bringing the Porto band back together in Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao (as well as Ricardo Carvalho), have also been surprisingly astute, picking up Jeremy Toulalan from cash-strapped Malaga for €5million. It’s not really prudence if it’s an unbelievable deal for a very good and experienced international. The question is where were Arsenal before the deal went through?

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It’s further proof that some of the best players don’t always demand inflated fees. Is Toulalan not a player Arsenal need? There can be no discussion as to whether he’d be a signing of necessity. A player in his mould and of his calibre as a defensive midfielder is absolutely necessary. A hitch may be with his age at 29, not being too much younger than Mikel Arteta, but issues like that shouldn’t matter when bargains are waiting to be cherry picked. There’s no doubt the Frenchman would have made an immediate difference at Arsenal, and maybe this highlights a wider criticism of the club during the summer months.

Even prior to Toulalan’s move to Monaco, it has to be asked where Arsenal were in 2011 when he made the switch from Lyon to Malaga. Would Arsenal have been dealing with a financial giant? Well not really. Malaga signed Toulalan for €12 million and were nothing of the financial power that Monaco and PSG are. Furthermore, the European football on offer at the Emirates over La Rosaleda could have been a deciding factor.

But Arsenal rarely seem to be able to work on multiple transfers at once. The truth is we don’t really know, but that’s the general impression that’s created. I’d love to think that the transfer department at Arsenal is a well-oiled machine working diligently and purposely creating a false mask of ineptitude. But that could be a little out there.

This summer has been so central to finding a world-class striker that there has seemingly been total neglect over other areas of the squad in desperate need of attention. Oh, the club have lodged bids for Marouane Fellaini and Lars Bender, but those resembled passing interest over what is at stake in the striker market. Just like Monaco and its counterparts in the market, Arsenal need to make an impression and names like Bender and to an extent Fellaini will do that. But if they’re not there, if all the money in the world can’t prise them from their clubs, players like Toulalan offer an excellent stop-gap until next summer’s window.

Toulalan has the Champions League experience that’s required at Arsenal, as well as the title success garnered from his days with Lyon. He aided in Ignacio Camacho’s development last season, something that could be used in Aaron Ramsey’s redefining as a deep-lying playmaker/holding midfielder. It’s win-win, and for a club who previously boasted of its spending capabilities being in excess of £70 million, a €5 million deal for a player who will add much, much more than just a backup is not something to fret over or pass up.

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Have Arsenal missed a bargain in Jeremy Toulalan this summer?

Join the debate below

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As the season winds down and the transfer window draws into view, fans of all clubs are looking for signs that can hint at their club’s proposed market activity wherever they can find them.

One that has become more common in recent years is the idea that a player who is chosen to model the new kit cannot be among those the manager is seeking to get rid of.

It would appear that Manchester United fans have fully bought into that way of thinking – wishfully or otherwise – regarding the future of popular forward Anthony Martial.

The Frenchman – valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt – has slipped down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, especially after the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in January.

But, it is clear that the Reds fanbase want the forward to remain at the club past this summer and we’ve taken a closer look at the best of the reaction…

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Manchester United are “front runners” in the race for Barcelona’s Pedro, according to European football expert Andy Brassell.

The Spaniard only signed a new contract at the Nou Camp a few months ago, but it has emerged in recent weeks that he could leave the club if an interested party offers a release clause-triggering £22m.

This has led to links with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, but United have entered the battle of late with Louis van Gaal eager to add proven quality to his Red Devils squad.

WANT MORE? >> Man United transfer news | Latest transfer news

And Brassell has told talkSPORT that the North West club are leading the race for the 27-year-old attacker, who has won just about every prize on offer to him at club and international level, including La Liga, the Champions League and the World Cup:

“Manchester United are the front runners to sign Pedro,

“He would move for around £22m. Pedro signed a new contract which substantially brought down his release clause. It was around €150m before.”

Brassell also believes that the deal makes a great deal of sense for the player and the club, with United not necessarily in need of an orthodox centre-forward given their current options and system:

“It makes a lot of sense for him to move to Manchester United with the sort of football Louis van Gaal wants to play.

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“You could have Pedro on the right and Memphis Depay on the left.

“United have been linked with a lot of strikers but, given that Rooney is going to start and Hernandez is on the bench, there is not a lot of point buying another striker.

“They don’t need someone to play with Rooney because that’s not how Van Gaal plays. They need people to play in a 4-3-3 formation.”

After 26 years in charge of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to call it a day. As an end of an era draws to a close, a new legacy under David Moyes will begin.

Moyes, who was hand picked by Ferguson himself to be the new manager at Manchester United, has a big decision to make on his arrival at Old Trafford.

His biggest and most publicised decision will be what to do with Wayne Rooney, with Unibet offering short odds for him to leave in the summer. The striker wants out. Rooney has handed in another transfer request and many fans have lost patience with him. The man who first wanted to leave because the club lacked ambition, is now being forced out by the ambition the club has shown. His head is gone and he’s no longer committed to United. Ferguson believes he needs a summer away and time to clear his head.

Moyes and Rooney have history. Moyes gave Rooney his Premier League debut and was heavily involved in Rooney’s early career. But after Rooney left Everton, their relationship turned sour. Rooney claimed in his book that Moyes leaked a private conversation to the Liverpool Echo about why he wanted to leave Everton. Moyes sued Rooney for libel damages and Rooney agreed that the accusations were false. They have since patched up their differences.

When Moyes arrives, Rooney’s situation needs to be dealt with quickly. He needs to stamp his mark on this squad. If he feels he needs Rooney in that squad, then Moyes will need to talk Rooney round and assure him he is a vital part of that team. If not, then it’s time for Rooney and United to move on.

The squad that Moyes will inherit is in great shape. That is the belief of the departing manager anyway. Ferguson believes that he is leaving the club at the right time with the squad being in the best possible shape.

Not everyone agrees with Fergie though. Many people believed that this current squad was not one of Ferguson’s best. It lacked the real quality of the Champions League winning sides of 1999 and 2008. But if it was one of Ferguson’s poorer sides, then comfortably winning the Premiership back from their noisy neighbours will satisfy all United fans.

Even with the critics, Ferguson believes that the balance of the squad that he will leave behind bodes well for continued success. The balance of experienced players like Van Persie, Carrick, Giggs, Ferdinand and the mix of youngsters like Jones, De Gea, Rafael, Welbeck, will yet again see Manchester United challenge for the title next season.

United’s youth team is incredibly strong also. Ferguson believed in developing youth and their current youth squad will see future first team players in the not to distant future. Moyes also believes in developing youth and giving youngsters a chance.

Moyes will look to stamp his own mark on the squad. Even though the current squad won the title, it needs improving. Getting knocked out of the Champions League to Real Madrid in the last 16 is not good enough for a club like United and they will look to mount a challenge next season.

It looks certain that Moyes will look to raid his old club Everton. Leighton Baines looks a target, as does Marouane Fellaini and Phil Jagielka. If Rooney leaves, then a replacement will be needed. With Rio Ferdinand yet to sign another contract, tying the centre half up for another year will be a great signing for Moyes. With Paul Scholes retirement and a lack of quality in depth in midfield, a centre midfielder is a must for United this summer.

With Moyes having to deal with the Rooney issue, he also has to deal with the pressure of succeeding the most successful British manager of all time. There will be a lot of pressure on Moyes when he arrives at Old Trafford.

The shadow of Sir Alex will certainly loom over Moyes, but it shouldn’t let it worry him. Ferguson will still be around the club and helping Moyes behind the scenes. Moyes will need help behind the scenes due to the enormity of the brand that is Manchester United.

On the pitch, Moyes will be encouraged to play his own brand of football. Fans will demand that it is an attractive style of football and Moyes will look to deliver that.

The role that Ferguson will play in Moyes’ early days at Old Trafford will be like an apprenticeship. Ferguson will groom Moyes into the role as Manchester United manager and after a period of time, when Ferguson feels like Moyes knows all he needs to know about being Manchester United’s manager, he will slowly ease away.

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As helpful as it is that the great man will be around to help, it is a performance based industry. If results are not going Moyes’ way, then it will be interesting to see how the United fans react. Moyes has signed a six year contract. Success may not be in his first season. It may take time for Moyes to get to grips with managing one of the biggest clubs in the world. If it does, then the fans need to be supportive. Sir Alex Ferguson did not achieve success straight away. In 1989, fans were calling for Fergie’s head. They wanted rid of Ferguson as they believed he couldn’t deliver success. Now those same fans are hailing the greatest manager of all time as he enters retirement.

It’s going to be a huge challenge for Moyes, but one that he will cherish. Moyes shares the same qualities as Fergie, hence why the Scotsman hand picked Moyes to replace him at Old Trafford. They are both incredibly loyal, share the same immense work ethic, get the best out of their players, clever in the transfer market, media savvy and have an incredible will to win. With Moyes and Ferguson being so alike, this should enable a smooth transition over the summer.

There will never be a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson again. Moyes will try everything he can to emulate Sir Alex. United don’t want a repeat of life after Sir Matt Busby where they faded into the wilderness. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and success is demanded.

Alan Hutton will see his current Aston Villa deal expire this summer, and the Scot has been widely tipped to leave the club on a free transfer.

Hutton joined Villa from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2011, and has made more than 150 appearances for the club in all competitions.

This season, the 33-year-old, who is believed to be a transfer target for Leeds United, has been a regular – appearing in 28 Championship matches.

There is no question that the Scot has an impressive footballing pedigree, but it seems that he will leave Villa in search of pastures new at the end of the season.

The thought of that occurring, however, is not music to the ears of the Villa supporters.

Indeed, the club’s fanbase have taken to social media to demand that Hutton, who is valued at £1.4m by transfermarkt.co.uk, is handed a new contract ahead of a potential return to the Premier League.

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Hutton was a substitute in Villa’s 1-1 draw with Derby County at the weekend, and that was actually his first Championship appearance since the end of March.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

At the start of the 2014-15 campaign, it seemed like Louis van Gaal had all the pieces necessary to complete the big picture: winning the Premier League.There was the pricey new Real Madrid sensation, the two-time UEFA Europa League champion on loan from Monaco and of course the reliable club captain, England born and bred.As the season progressed, however, it became clear that these pieces were not fitting together as planned. The expensive sensation failed to prove his worth, the loaner flopped miserably and the captain couldn’t quite pick up the slack all on his own.

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Now, van Gaal is shopping for a new attacker before next season. United goalkeeper David De Gea is headed over to Real Madrid, and van Gaal has expressed interest in Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema. While a direct trade isn’t likely, Real Madrid have made it clear they’re looking to offload the Frenchman, and van Gaal stands a chance of landing him.Could Benzema be the missing piece to Manchester United’s puzzle?

The centre forward certainly knows how to do the one thing the Red Devils couldn’t do this entire season: score. Benzema notched 22 goals and 15 assists for the Spanish side, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo. He averaged 165 minutes per goal, outperforming teammate Gareth Bale (237 minutes per goal).

Benzema is the perfect candidate to replace Radamel Falcao in United’s front line. The Frenchman has far better possession skills than Falcao, who often loses control of the ball. Benzema is also a deadly counter attack threat, as is Wayne Rooney. Paired together, the two would undoubtedly elevate United’s transition football.

Throughout the season, van Gaal rarely diverged from his trusted 4-3-3 formation, with mixed results. Many fans clamored for him to adapt a 4-2-3-1, so that Rooney, Juan Mata and Falcao could all play the more central roles they were used to. Benzema regularly played in a 4-2-3-1 under Carlo Ancelotti in Madrid, and could help Manchester United utilise the formation effectively as well.

A transfer would also reunite Benzema with former teammate Angel Di Maria, and possibly jolt the Argentinian back into the form he lacked all season. Overall, Benzema would play quite well with anyone in Manchester United’s attacking force.

It’s just a matter of finding the perfect fit.

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Norwich City, West Brom and Fulham are all keen on signing Birmingham City wonderkid Nathan Redmond this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Redmond will have just 18 months left on his Blues contract when next season gets under way and the cash strapped Midlands club may have no option but to sell another one of their prized assets.

City’s owner Carson Yeung is standing trial for money laundering and so Birmingham are struggling to cope financially, despite selling England goalkeeper Jack Butland to Stoke City in January for £3.5million.

Redmond has regularly featured for England under-19’s and has impressed this season with his tricky wing play and pace that is a constant threat in the Championship.

Norwich, West Brom and Fulham are set to test the water with small bids in the next few weeks but no doubt other Premier League clubs will become interested over the course of the summer and Birmingham will hope to start a bidding war.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger raised some eyebrows this week when he discussed his departure from the club.

On Friday, the club confirmed that the Frenchman will leave his position at the end of the season, despite having a year left on his contract.

During his pre-match press conference, the 68-year-old said that the timing of the announcement “was not really my decision”.

However, according to BBC Sport, Wenger, who has guided the Gunners to three league titles this season, clarified that he was “happy” for the club to decide when to confirm his departure, and that the “timing of the announcement was right”.

For the majority of this season, as well as the 2016-17 campaign, Arsenal fans were keen for the manager to step down as they were frustrated with the lack of genuine challenges for the Premier League title.

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The club have not taken the English crown since 2004 and they are likely to miss out on a top-four spot this season as they are 11 points adrift.

After Wenger attempted to clarify his recent comments, insisting that they referred to the timing and not the decision itself, Arsenal fans posted their reactions on Reddit.

Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.Comment from discussion Ornstein: Arsene Wenger has moved to clarify his comment that the “timing” of his departure “was not really my decision” related to the announcement on Friday rather than the decision itself #AFC.

With only a handful of games left of the current campaign Arsenal look certain to make top four once again and may even have shown an improvement on last season by finishing as high as second. The Gunners may have been dumped out of the Champions League quicker than they would have hoped but it has still been a very successful year.

And if they retain the FA Cup then that will be the cherry on top of their season. Of course they still must overcome Reading this weekend, however, considering that the Royals are in the Championship whilst Arsenal have been in superb form winning all of their last eight league fixtures you can see how the odds are stacked greatly in their favour.

Reading beat Bradford City 3-0 in the previous round – although they needed a replay – to reach this far in the competition but their league form has been shocking. They sit eight points above the relegation zone and notched up their last win over a month ago.

In the other semi-final areAston Villa and top four contenders Liverpool. In their two league meetings this season the Villans won at Anfield but lost 2-0 when the Reds came to their neck of the woods. Villa have greatly improved under manager Tim Sherwood but you’d still expect Liverpool to clinch it on the day. That would set up an exciting final between Arsenal and Liverpool which is surely the match most neutrals would like to see.

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A lot has been said about how as it is Steven Gerrard’s final season with Liverpool after 17-years of loyal service that to win the cup would be the perfect send-off but sentiment aside I still think Arsenal should take the prize.

When the two English giants met in late December they couldn’t be separated but only two weeks ago Arsenal thrashed the Reds 4-1 so the Gunners should be full of confidence if they do indeed both make the final.

Also where Liverpool have had an inconsistent seven or so months Arsenal have steadily won games and thoroughly deserve to be sitting high up the Premier League table. They have suffered six defeats with only Chelsea and Manchester United recording less and Arsene Wenger’s men have a prolific striker putting fear into opposition defence.

The Gunners have incorporated new signing Alexis Sanchez well into their squad proving that not all foreign players need a season to settle into our league. The Chilean has scored 20 times in all competitions, though only one of those were in the FA Cup.

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Even Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil who have both come under some heavy criticism have turned things around and are truly vital team members. If they all play at their best then sadly Reading have no chance of progressing and then only Liverpool will stand in their way.

Arsenal supporters will never be completely happy until they win the domestic title again but claiming their second trophy in as many years will surely buy Arsene Wenger some time. And with this high quality squad that the Frenchman has finally assembled it will only be a matter of time before the Gunners take home the main prize.

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