The top six already seems settled and they are standing up for themselves instead of standing aside as happened last seasonThe FA Cup traditionally inserts a much-needed break into the giddy rush of league fixtures at this time of year, though on this occasion the Premier League appears to have arrived at a sort of mid-season crux all by itself.The teams have now played 20 games, just over halfway. Three near or at the bottom have just changed managers. Chelsea’s impressive run of victories has come to an end at a record-equalling 13, giving hope to a chasing pack who were beginning to despair, though the realisation is now setting in that there are six title contenders this season and...
Today’s fluff glows white on the mountain tonightWest Ham have given the world license to gossip after printing an anonymous article on their website, bylined “The Insider”, which reveals that “the board … have allocated significant funds to bolstering the squad. To that end, a bid of £20m was submitted for a player from Scotland. Meanwhile, an £8m bid was made for a player who currently plies his trade in the Championship, and a £6m bid for a current Premier League player. It is my understanding that the board will do their best to bring their selected targets to London Stadium, if at all possible.” Related: Mikel John Obi announces he is joining Chinese Super League from Chelsea Related: Transfer...
Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland, Leicester and others may be hit by loss of players to tournament as clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City capitaliseNow is the time for top clubs to prove that to be forewarned really is to be forearmed. Everyone knew that the Africa Cup of Nations was on the agenda for early 2017 and now, with 23 Premier League players among those heading off to Gabon to compete for their countries in what their employers view as the world’s worst-timed international tournament, rich clubs must show they are resourceful enough to cope. Otherwise they will pay a heavy price. Related: Liverpool’s matchwinner Sadio Mané will head to Gabon with a heavy heart Related: Wilfried Zaha accepts Ivory...
Ibrahimovic achieves statistic of 19 Premier League starts, 13 Premier League goals, showing teenage team-mate how it is done against West HamZlatan Ibrahimovic’s contribution was the garnish rather than the main course but compared with the kind of nourishment he had proposed for some onlookers earlier in the week, it still went down rather well. His had been a supporting part in a Manchester United performance that offered little more than fits and spurts before the game-changing introductions of Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata that terminally stretched West Ham United, but the 35-year-old Swede possesses a knack of having the last word at will. His first goal of 2017 showed once more that time’s passage means little when a showman...
From Wilfried Zaha to Jeff Hendrick, Jordan Henderson and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal’s opener against Crystal Palace has joined some exalted companyArsenal striker Olivier Giroud staked his claim for the goal-of-the-season award with a glorious scorpion-kick finish against Crystal Palace. The Frenchman became the talk of the town when he reached behind him with his left boot to flick Alexis Sánchez’s cross in off the crossbar to give the Gunners a 17th-minute lead. Here are some of his rivals for best league goal this season. Related: Jordan Henderson’s sumptuous strike helps Liverpool to win at Chelsea Continue reading...