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Ten years of pent up rage, anger and envy exploded out of Arsene Wenger on Sunday afternoon, as a shoving match ensued between himself and Jose Mourinho amid Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Compared to the ever-humble demeanour of Le Professeur, Mourinho is a dastardly, arrogant and Machiavellian figure; he’s described Wenger as a ‘voyeur’ and ‘a specialist in failure’ in the past, and in truth, Wenger’s eruption of angst could have happened at any point over the last decade. The motivation to do so, amid Mourinho’s persistent public berating of his Arsenal counter-part, has always been there.

But when push comes to shove, as it did on the Stamford Bridge touchline at the weekend, Wenger’s hatred for Mourinho is sourced in his own failings as Arsenal manager. Since the Portuguese first turned up in the Premier League in 2004, it’s as if the Gunners have been frozen in time.

To take you back ten years, Arsenal had just completed perhaps the greatest achievement of any club in Premier League history – their vintage ‘Invincibles’ season, where the north London side went undefeated to claim the English crown.

The Gunners, through their seemingly unstoppable brand of expansive football, looked set to become the Premier League’s new powerhouses. But that all changed in an instance, or rather, within the duration of a single press conference, as Mourinho professed himself to the world as the ‘Special One’ upon being officially appointed Chelsea manager.

His Blues side, funded by fortunes Wenger could only dream of and created around a more attritional, conservative style of play, quickly tore the Premier League, and Arsenal, apart. They may not have been designed specifically to halt the Gunners’ rise, but that’s what Chelsea did and Mourinho has continued to do to an emphatic extent.

During 2004/05, Chelsea’s first ever Premier League title-winning campaign, the Gunners were pushed back to second place, twelve points behind their London rivals. And in the nine seasons since, Arsenal have been trapped between fourth and third.

In Mourinho, Wenger found his nemesis – by definition, an unbeatable opponent. And true to the word, the Frenchman is yet to get the better of the Portuguese in a competitive fixture, a run that now extends to twelve matches. If the two were in a league table of their own, Wenger would have five points, Mourinho would have 26.

Mind-games, a dark art Mourinho unquestionably masters in, have certainly played their part. But in truth, perhaps the greatest counter-attacking manager in world football, the Chelsea gaffer’s philosophy is what Wenger has continually failed to overcome. It perplexed him back in 2004 and a decade later, the Arsenal manager is still searching for a formula, a way for his ideology to outdo Mourinho’s.

In that time, Arsenal haven’t progressed or regressed. Their Champions League status never in doubt but their title credentials eternally limited by Premier League sides of all varieties mimicking the pragmatic performances of Mourinho’s mantra, exposing Arsenal’s fatal flaws. It’s as if the Chelsea manager worked out the cheat codes to defeat Arsenal, before printing them out for every manager in England.

Meanwhile, the Gunners first team has become a dystopian version of its former self; overloaded  with technical attacking players, malnourished in physicality and with the exception of the last two summers, dependent on cheap, young players to prove good value for money.

Just as Wenger had done in the mid-to-late 1990s, Mourinho changed much about the Premier League. His inclusion of Claude Makelele in holding midfield completely transformed views on formations and philosophy – previously, virtually every Premier League club worked within the realms of 4-4-2 – and the likes of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba brought a whole new level of physicality to the top flight.

In a nutshell, he instigated an enormous change in how English sides organise themselves without possession and on the whole, the Premier League has embraced his principles. Only within the last few years has scoring goals over defensive stability truly come back into fashion; in 2010 Chelsea bagged the most goals scored in a single season (103), in 2012 the title was decided between Manchester City and Manchester United on goal difference alone, and last term, two clubs – City and Liverpool – reached triple figures in the league.

Yet Wenger has continually shied away from them. Within three years of Arsenal’s last Premier League title, he’d sold the club’s most physical midfielders – Giberto Silva, Patrick Vieira and Edu – and with the exception of Alex Song, the Gunners haven’t had a true athlete in the middle of the park since. Resultantly, Arsenal have only become more susceptible to counter-attacking football, more subliminally subservient to Mourinho’s will.

In fairness, we are likely witnessing what will be remembered as an exceptional Chelsea side – one of the least disputed champions in Premier League history. They’re already five points ahead of the pack at the league’s summit and possess the quality and depth to keep their noses in front until May.

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But Wenger’s harrowing record against Chelsea epitomises Arsenal’s dormancy, their eternally purgatorial state, over the last decade.  The Gunners boss is still clinging onto a philosophy that was ripped apart by Mourinho back in 2004 and the frustrations of its inevitable failing showed on Sunday afternoon.

Last season’s FA Cup triumph at Wembley convinced many Arsene Wenger was still the right man to take Arsenal forward. But if he’ll always be undone by Mourinho, with the proviso that the Chelsea gaffer doesn’t make an abrupt departure in the foreseeable future, will Arsenal ever win another Premier League title under the Frenchman?

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The Premier League is a tough and rigorous competition in which none of the 38 games each team plays will be a walk in the park. The likes of West Ham, Stoke City and Norwich City will work teams to the bone, using their superior fitness and physicality to grind down the opposition and bully their way to victory.

In addition, the cup competitions, as well as continental tournaments, could add a further combined twenty games or more to a season for clubs. Many of the top level talent in the Premier League will be expected to play around 50 games in all competitions by the end of the season.

Considering it is still relatively early in the footballing year – the FA Cup and European tournaments aren’t in full swing until the second half of the season – is tiredness an acceptable excuse for teams putting in dismal performances? Arsenal and Newcastle are the two clubs who stand accused of using fatigue as their justification for below par outings and letting achievable points slip away to their more sprightly opposition.

Following Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Swansea, which saw them slump down to tenth in the table, Wenger’s analysis was that his players looked “jaded”, especially towards the end of the game. It has not been the only instance that the French gaffer has used such reasoning this season, and to be fair to the Gunners, they have had a difficult schedule. Wenger has juggled the Premier League, in which their form has suffered, with the Champions League, not to mention an incredibly draining fixture that went to extra time against Reading in the Capital One Cup.

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However, it’s not as if being in these competitions is of particular surprise to Wenger. He has been managing in England since 1996, and in that time has constantly finished in the top four and should therefore be fully aware of the consequences of playing European football. Manchester United, a club which Arsenal should but no longer fairly compare to, have an almost entire second XI formed of youngsters or squad players that are more than capable of competing in cup matches and against lesser continental opposition.

The same cannot be said for the Gunners, in fact the opposite is true. The lack of depth in the Arsenal squad is troubling, as it severely limits Wenger’s options and ability to rotate. Sebastien Squillaci, Andre Santos and Marouane Chamakh are merely making up the numbers, Johan Djourou and Andrei Arshavin have fallen out of favour for some questionable performances, and Kieran Gibbs, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna appear to be in a perpetual battle against injury. In the past, Arsenal had a conveyor belt of young talent to cover for the first team but that appears to be a less successful element to the team than it used to be.

Perhaps Wenger’s “jaded” line is more understandable considering the players who he can actually have full confidence in starting, and has therefore been required to play at the weekend and in midweek continually. The Gunners have played twice a week since the 20th of October, and it is no coincidence that they improved to beat West Brom this weekend after Wenger rested many of his players for their midweek Champions League clash with Olympiakos. Then again, surely creating a squad of capable players is Wenger’s responsibility. The notion of tiredness is also somewhat contradictory with the Frenchman’s transfer philosophy, in which he argues that hard graft is what wins you the Premier League, not spending sprees – although Chelsea and Manchester City would suggest otherwise.

At Newcastle, the story is similar but with an added bit of misfortune. Although the excuse of tiredness has not been quite so loudly broadcasted by Pardew as it has Wenger, it linked to the concerning injury crisis at St. James’ Park and has been argued as a major cause of the club’s dwindling season. The Magpies have struggled in the Premier League, being largely disappointing considering their 5th place finish last season. Although I still hold my doubts over Alan Pardew, there is little he can do about injuries to key players. Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini, Demba Ba, Dan Gosling, Cheik Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez, Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa, Ryan Taylor and Steven Taylor have all been battling against injury this campaign, and considering these names read like a Magpies starting XI, it is understandable why they have struggled.

Alan Pardew has openly admitted his naivity in the summer about bringing players in. Newcastle signed a single player – unimpressive versatility man Vernun Anita. The club have been performing well in the Europa League, and although Pardew has often fielded youngsters, the continental tournament nearly always has an impact on a team’s domestic form. After Fulham reached the final of the competition under Roy Hodgson in 2010, they finished in 12th the following season – five places lower than the year previous.

Mulling over both Newcastle and Arsenal’s particular scenarios, perhaps the reasoning of tiredness becomes a more acceptable excuse, but in my opinion it is the manager’s responsibility to make sure he has a robust enough squad to handle the challenges of the modern game. Furthermore, both clubs have recently entered into business ventures that should have provided ample profit to build a team of considerable quality in depth. Arsenal have moved to a new stadium, and charge the highest in the Premier League for tickets and matchday food, while Newcastle have recently announced a sponsorship deal with Wonga that will start next season and renamed their stadium for commercial purposes, not to mention their millionaire owner.

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Finally, the extra burden placed on teams competing in several competitions is hardly a secret. Perhaps the Magpies boss can claim ignorance bearing in mind the club’s fifth place finish was rather against the odds and the club’s injury list is incredibly unfortunate, but Arsenal have been competing in the Champions League season after season, in fact Arsene Wenger has used his impressive 16-year feat as a defence for those who say the Gunners have been faltering and moving backwards.

Therefore, I have little sympathy for the words jaded, tired, exhausted, drained, fatigued and shattered as an excuse for poor performance. It may make the players feel better, and may often be true, but from a managerial perspective – in which I include not just head coaches but anyone involved in bringing players to the club – it is hardly good enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQaD8JBvzIc

Everton manager Sam Allardyce confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that Ramiro Funes Mori is available for selection for the Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion at Goodison Park on Saturday after recovering from a long-term injury, and Toffees fans have urged him to start the centre-back, rated at €12m (£10.7m) by Transfermarkt.

The 27-year-old has been out for almost a year after picking up a serious knee injury while on international duty with Argentina, but he is finally ready to make his first-team return for the Merseyside outfit.

It comes at a good time for Allardyce too with his team struggling from a defensive point of view – only three top flight teams have conceded more than their total of 49 in 29 games – and with Ashley Williams suspended, which is something that the Goodison Park faithful won’t be too upset about given their continued criticism of the 33-year-old.

Everton supporters have been quick to have their say on Funes Mori via social media, and while one said “get him in alongside Holgate”, another said “he needs to start for me”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Ahead of this weekend’s Manchester derby, statistics released by EA SPORTS FIFA 15 Ultimate Team have put paid to fan arguments across the country and revealed the best combined starting XI of the two clubs.

Much has been made of the supposed shift in power in Manchester and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League, has revealed that the blue half DO now have the edge. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index has taken data from both Manchester City and Manchester United and measured both sides’ players’ contribution to the success of the team using six key indices to calculate the best starting XI as…

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CLICK ON YAYA TOURE TO REVEAL THE COMBINED XI

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“Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Official Player Ranking Index of the Premier League. Pick, manage and play as your own team of stars in EA SPORTS FIFA 15 Ultimate Team. Find out more at http://www.easports.com/uk/fifa/ultimate-team #FEELTHEGAME”

THE EA SPORTS PLAYER PERFOMANCE INDEX SCORING EXPLAINED…

1. Winning Performance

Players receive points for time on the pitch in a successful team. Players will receive more points if they play the full 90 minutes in a winning team. This index shares league points won by a team between the players according to the minutes they are on the pitch. Only time on the pitch and points scored are taken into account in this first index.

2. Player’s Performance per match

Players receive points for positive influences on a winning performance (shots on target, tackles, clearances, saves etc). Players have points taken away from their score for negative actions such as shots off target and receiving yellow and/or red cards.

3. Appearances

Players receive points for minutes on the pitch. The number of points won by ALL teams in the Barclays Premier League are divided among the players according to the number of minutes they have played. This does not take into account the result of a match, it awards points purely for playing time.

4. Goals scored

Players are awarded points for scoring goals. These points are only given to the goalscorer.

5. Assists

Players are awarded points for assists. These points are only awarded to players that make the assist.

Assists are awarded to the player from the goal scoring team who makes the last touch before the goal is scored.

If after this touch, an opposing player touches the ball outside the penalty area altering the intended destination of the ball, then no assist is given, except if this intervention directly results in an own goal.

In the event of a penalty or free-kick, the player earning the penalty or free-kick gets an assist if a goal is directly scored, but not if he takes it himself, in which case no assist is given.

6. Clean sheets

Allocates points for clean sheets to the whole team. The proportionate split of the points is weighted according to the player’s position. Therefore a goalkeeper will be awarded a greater proportion of the points for keeping a clean sheet than a striker. The points are also awarded proportionately to the time spent on the pitch.

The overall EA SPORTS PPI is a correlation between all of the above six indices. The Index only includes actions that can be measured objectively and does not reward one action more than another (e.g. a pass by a midfielder will not gain more points than a tackle made by a defender). Subjective factors relating to individual players’ skill levels or evidence of a specific flair, such as a particularly spectacular pass or goal, are not included within the index.

Goalkeeper – Joe Hart

Joe Hart has met with competition this season, with Malaga keeper Willy Caballero joining over the summer, however Hart has affirmed his place as the City number one, playing eight of the nine Premier League matches. De Gea, meanwhile, went in to this season with the guaranteed number one spot, and has repaid his manager’s faith with some impressive performances. It is Hart, however, who has pipped De Gea to the goalkeeping spot in the Manchester combined XI.

Right-back – Rafael

Pablo Zabaleta was offered some competition for the right back spot at City this summer, as the club signed Arsenal fullback Bacary Sagna, however the World Cup finalist has played every game he has been fit and eligible for this season, and thus competes with Rafael for the right back spot in the combined XI. It is Rafael, who makes the team, possibly helped by the fact Zabaleta had points deducted after being sent off in the game against Chelsea.

Centre-backs – Vincent Kompany & Martin Demichelis

The centre back position has provided a few problems for Manchester United this season and no fewer than seven players have played in the central defensive positions over the course of the first nine matches. Due to the inconsistency in the United back line, it is the City pair of Kompany and Demichelis who make the team. In the below table, defensive contributions is a combination of clearances, interceptions and blocks.

Left-back – Gael Clichy

The summer saw Manchester United let stalwart Patrice Evra depart the club and be replaced by England youngster Luke Shaw. City already possessed Gael Clichy and Aleksander Kolarov, and both continue to battle for the left back spot, with Clichy spending 528 minutes on the pitch, in comparison to Kolarov’s 373, Clichy edges out the competitors for the left back role in the combined XI.

Centre-midfielders – David Silva & Yaya Toure

Manchester City have a variety of players who can play in the midfield, both defensive and offensively. While many have said Yaya Toure has not been on top form, he makes the team due to his influence in the opposition half. David Silva has enjoyed playing the free role in attacking midfield this season and he ranks highest of any midfielder from the two Manchester sides. In the red half of the city, new signing Ander Herrera has looked impressive but has been unfortunate with injuries, while Daley Blind has also settled in well. More recently, Marouane Fellaini has had a good run of form, notably scoring against West Brom, however doesn’t challenge the main contenders yet, due to lack of games.

Wingers – Angel di Maria & James Milner

The outstanding player for Manchester United this season has undoubtedly been the most expensive player in Premier League history, Angel Di Maria, who has kept the likes of Adnan Januzaj out of the side. At City, James Milner has enjoyed a mini renaissance that has ensured he is a firm fixture in the side. Milner is now consigning plenty of talent to the bench in our combined XI, such as Jesus Navas and Samir Nasri.

Striker – Sergio Aguero & Robin van Persie

Neither City nor United lack in firepower, and between both teams they possess six of the best strikers in the league. Aguero has been in sensational form this season and has the second highest PPI score in the league, only trailing Diego Costa. Robin van Persie earns the second spot in the side ahead of Dzeko, Falcao, Rooney and Jovetic.

The Ameobi brothers Shola and Sami are hoping they can fire Newcastle to Europa League success starting with a victory against Maritimo on Thursday.

Alan Pardew leads his side into the final group game and are looking for a morale boosting victory to get their stuttering season back on track.

The two siblings ran the show last time out in the Europa League when they drew 2-2 with Club Brugge, with Shola edging a goal closer to Alan Shearer’s all-time top European tally of 14 goals.

“It will not just be good for us, it will be good for the team,” younger brother Sami told the Chronicle.

“There is always good combination play between us.

“We want to continue in the Europa League and progress. It is important the team gets into the next stage.”

The brothers have had limited time to impress in the same team since they first did so in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea back in May 2011.

Shola and Sami proved a hit last time out in Belgium and are looking to further continue their success when they come up against the Madeira-based club.

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Shola Ameobi is still fresh from his long awaited debut for Nigeria last Wednesday where he helped the Super Eagles to a 3-1 friendly victory against Venezuela in Miami at the Marlins Park baseball stadium.

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West Ham fans mercilessly mocking Heung-min Son, after Javier Hernandez scored the goal to potentially send South Korea home from the World Cup.

Nothing quite compares to the emotion on offer at the World Cup, and West Ham fans are absolutely loving being on the right side of it.

Javier Hernandez drew plenty of praise for his part in Mexico’s 1-0 win over Germany, as the “little pea” put in tons of hard work despite not finding the killer pass or finish to put the game to bed on the counter attack.

That’s exactly what he did against South Korea on Saturday though, as the 30 year-old found his 50th international goal to put his side in the driver’s seat to win group F.

Chicharito put his side 2-0 up after being played through by Hirving Lozano, a goal that proved crucial as Tottenham’s Son scored a lovely late goal to cut the deficit.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]

The 2-1 defeat leaves the Koreans on the brink of exiting the tournament, and Hammers’ fans are bashing Son for his reaction to the defeat.

The Spurs winger could now be forced to leave football for his country’s mandatory military service, unless they win gold at the Asian Cup next year.

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Spurs have had the better of the Hammers in recent years, so West Ham fans are certainly enjoying this one.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are capable of winning the Champions League this season.

Spurs impressed in the group stages of the tournament in the latter stages of 2017 – finishing above reigning champions Real Madrid to book their spot in the round of 16.

The capital club fell 2-0 behind to Juventus in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night, but fought back to pick up a 2-2 draw at the home of the Italian champions.

Tottenham are seen as rank outsiders to win the Champions League this season, but Redknapp has insisted that his former club have the credentials to lift the crown.

Indeed, the pundit has claimed that the fact Spurs have ‘special players’ will make them a threat to any other team in the competition.

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Redknapp told Sky Sports:

“Can they win the Champions League? Absolutely they can. Liverpool and Tottenham are dangerous teams because they have the special players in there.

“At the start of the season everyone was talking about Spurs’ squad depth, but they have a really strong squad.”

Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are seen as the three favourites to win the competition this season, closely followed by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Leeds United have been pretty busy already this summer. They’ve welcomed a new manager in David Hockaday, an £11million reimbursement from the sale of Ross McCormack to Fulham and a fresh transfer policy, inspired by owner Massimo Cellino, that’s obsessed with talents from Serie A.

But an incredibly disappointing 2-0 defeat to Millwall on the Championship’s opening weekend suggested there’s still work to be done at Elland Road. And Hockaday agrees, citing three areas of the squad that still require strengthening.

So with that in mind and the summer transfer window coming somewhat close to it’s conclusion, here’s a list of FIVE signings the Yorkshire outfit could still make before the end of deadline day.

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON CHRIS WOOD TO REVEAL ALL

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CHRIS WOOD

Leeds United’s search to replace the fire-power of Ross McCormack has reportedly thrust them into the hands of Southampton’s want-away striker Billy Sharp.

But another option the Yorkshire outfit should be considering is a bid for Leicester City front-man Chris Wood. The towering Aussie was expected to join Wolves amid interest from several Championship sides but recent speculation suggests the Molineux deal has now broken down:

It gives Leeds a fantastic opportunity to weigh in, and Wood certainly has the quality to address the goal-scoring gulf McCormack has left behind at Elland Road.

He’s netted 36 times in his last 107 Championship appearances, and measuring in at 6 foot 3, uses his height and strength well to bring others into the game.

Here’s a look at the former West Brom youngster in action:

//www.youtube.com/embed/VjqT9eiYUTE?rel=0

An argument could be had to suggest Wood is too similar to Leeds target man Matt Smith, but at just 22 years of age he’s a fantastic prospect that the Whites would be wise to get their hands on.

SHANE DUFFY

Shane Duffy absolutely excelled on loan to Yeovil last season, in fact, the 37-game spell saw Whoscored.com rate the Everton youngster as the best player in the entire division, picking up an unbelievable nine Man of the Match awards:

But time is running out for the 22 year-old at Goodison and he admitted earlier this summer that pre-season performances could well go on to decide his immediate future with the Mersey outfit.

Roberto Martinez’ appraisal is yet to be revealed, but with England prodigy John Stones shining through, first team opportunities are likely to be slim next term either way.

Leeds currently only have two centre-halves on the books and that has pushed them towards rekindling a deal with Chesterfield’s Liam Cooper.

But the Republic of Ireland international would be a wise investment too. Just take a look at his incredible averages-per-match from last term:

And with just a year left on Duffy’s contract, the current window is the ideal time to convince the Toffees to sell.

KIERAN AGARD

Despite being personally scouted by Massimo Cellino last season and refusing to extend his contract at Rotherham United, Leeds appear to have cooled off their pursuit of Kieran Agard.

Which in my opinion is one monumental error, not least because the former Everton youngster destroyed League One last season, netting 26 times in all competitions to help Miners achieve promotion through the play-offs. Here’s a look at all his goals from the campaign:

//www.youtube.com/embed/2EY8tktd6HE

The 24 year-old comes with blistering pace and can feature as a striker or out wide – two areas of the Leeds roster that desperately require an injection of youth and quality.

Furthermore, although Rotherham were able to extend Agard’s contract until 2015 through a club option clause, they will be powerless to stop the English forward walk out the exit door for free next summer.

Thus, League One’s third-top scorer will be available at a realistic price. But well-known interest from Bristol City could prove to be a stumbling block.

MATTHEW LOWTON

Matthew Lowton will be forever famed for this sensational goal which went on to trigger Aston Villa’s dramatic great escape at the end of the 2012/13 campaign:

But the 25 year-old’s Villa career has since taken a downward turn, in no small part due to a reported spat with Paul Lambert after turning up late for training in January this year.

The Villians boss denies a rift, but rumours persist that the defender could be ousted this summer, amid alleged interest from Middlesbrough.

Lowton – who spent five years at Leeds’ academy before moving to Sheffield United in 2005 – is primarily considered a right-back, an area Leeds don’t currently require drastic strengthening in. But in truth, he’s a utility man, capable at playing anywhere across the backline or in midfield.

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The Whites roster could certainly do with some Premier League quality and versatility, which the Englishman possesses in abundance. Here’s a look at some of his highlights for the Birmingham outfit:

//www.youtube.com/embed/khwV-cIEV3c?rel=0

NICK POWELL

Entrenched hatreds aside, Manchester United’s Nick Powell would be an impressive addition to the Leeds roster for next season on a year-long loan.

The highly-rated Crewe product impressed in the Championship last year during a term-long stay with Wigan, as viewable below:

He also netted three times in six Europa League outings. Here’s a collection of the 20 year-old’s career highlights thus far:

//www.youtube.com/embed/ZfclynD35gY?rel=0

Furthermore, Powell, who can operate in midfield or as a striker, doesn’t appear to be in Louis van Gaal’s plans, having been left out of the Red Devils’ squad for their pre-season tour of the USA.

Elland Road would be a perfect location for the 20 year-old to get some much-needed playing time, but Wigan are keen on his services permanently and Premier League side Leicester City have also been linked:

Manchester City are lining up a shock move for Brazilian superstar Neymar in the summer, according to Mirror Football.

Roberto Mancini will request funds to initiate the transfer when he meets his new director of football Txiki Begiristian later this week.

Despite the interest across Europe for the Santos wonderkid, the Citizens may have an distinct advantage in Begiristian who spent months trying to sign the player when he was sporting director at Barcelona.

It was understood that Barcelona were set to sign Neymar in the summer after forking out £6m simply to secure first refusal. However Santos have since insisted that no such deal exists.

Mancini said: “I don’t know if it is true that Barcelona have already made a down-payment for Neymar.

“I think when Txiki starts to work here next week we can start to talk about the future for us because this is very important.

“Neymar is a Santos player and I don’t know what can happen with him in the future.

“But I am very happy to work now with the new sporting director because he gives us the chance to move very quickly regarding some players.

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“If we work well together then the next three or four years for Manchester City can be very strong.”

Mancini will be keen to add a player of Neymar’s class after an inadequate summer transfer window where the Premier League champions missed out on long term targets Robin Van Persie and Daniele De Rossi.

Roy Hodgson salvaged a brilliant 11th-place finish for Crystal Palace in the Premier League last season, following a disastrous start under his predecessor Frank de Boer.

The Eagles had lost their opening four games without scoring a goal when the Dutchman was sacked and replaced by Hodgson, but the poor run continued until their eighth fixture when they netted for the first time and secured an impressive 2-1 win against Chelsea at Selhurst Park.

From then on they gradually moved up the standings, and their final placing and tally of 44 points was particularly impressive, with the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Chelsea loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek excelling in attack, while Mamadou Sakho shone at the back on his return from injury alongside James Tomkins at the heart of the backline.

Having only finished 10 points seventh-place Burnley last term, there is certainly the potential for the south London club, whose fans want to see a 29-year-old re-sign for them this summer, to replicate Sean Dyche’s men’s success if they are enjoy a successful summer transfer window, and Hodgson will be relying on chairman Steve Parrish to delive the players he needs.

Here are three signings Palace must make to guarantee they finish seventh in 2018/19…

While Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins formed a strong partnership towards the end of the 2017/18 season, you can’t help but feel that the Eagles could be even better defensively if they find an upgrade on the latter.

Dragovic could be the answer even though he often failed to make it into the starting XI under Claude Puel during a season-long loan spell with Leicester City last term.

The Austria international may not want to join the Foxes on a permanent basis if he isn’t guaranteed regular minutes, and Hodgson should move to bring the no-nonsense defender to Selhurst Park instead.

While he suffered from a few injury niggles during his season-loan spell with the Eagles last term, it would be fair to say that when he was on the pitch during his 24 Premier League appearances that he was a huge success.

As well as scoring two goals and providing a further four assists, his skill and link-up play with the likes of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha was particularly impressive, and if Hodgson could bring him to Selhurst Park on a permanent basis he would surely jump at the opportunity.

The 22-year-old says that he will decide his future after the World Cup, and Parrish must bring him in if he leaves Chelsea.

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If Palace are to gatecrash the top seven next season then they need a centre-forward who is going to make a bigger impact and score more goals than Christian Benteke will, and they should make a big-money move to bring FC Porto striker Aboubakar to Selhurst Park.

The Cameroon international scored 26 goals in 43 appearances in all competition last term, and the pace, power and goalscoring threat that he clearly brings, he could form a fearsome attacking trio alongside Zaha and Townsend next term that could take the Eagles into Europa League contention.

Do you agree, Palace fans? Let us know below.