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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Granit Xhaka’s exit from the pitch against Crystal Palace was far from pretty.

The 78-time Switzerland international is not a popular figure at the Emirates Stadium, yet he has been appointed captain by manager Unai Emery.

That has done little to reduce the anger and frustration towards him from the supporters, as was clear on Sunday evening.

Arsenal fans have started to turn on Unai Emery, find out who they’d rather have in charge in the video below…

With 29 minutes left on the clock, the 26-year-old was hooked from the field of play, which was met by cheers and boos from the Gunners’ faithful. This got to the former Borussia Monchengladbach man, with him then deciding to wave his arms, cup his hands to his ears and then appear to shout an expletive word towards the terraces.

Is it the kind of behaviour you would expect from your captain? Absolutely not, and as Emery said after the match, Xhaka was wrong to react in such a way.

However, it can partly be understood, and the way he snapped showed that the fans themselves are part of the problem.

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For the past decade or so, there has been a cauldron of tension and even vitriol amongst the north London side’s supporters. The Wenger In/Wenger Out debate went on for far too long, and it appeared to divide the fanbase.

Emery’s arrival was meant to bring people together, but old habits die hard. After channelling their frustration towards one scapegoat in particular in the past, Xhaka appears to have taken over the unwanted role despite there being plenty of reasons for the team’s lack of success.

Arsenal supporters clearly think they are right to give him such a hard time, maybe even thinking it will be a solution to their problems if they can hound him out of the team. But what good does it do to continually berate the captain?

The players voted for him to be given the armband, and spend their working lives with him. Who are they going to side with? The question answers itself. This comportment from the stands will only be a detriment to the overall morale of their side.

Airing frustration is understandable, but booing your captain off the pitch does no-one any favours.

As the hatred towards him increases, we appear to be bordering on Wenger territory, only even worse. At least the Frenchman had a group who still supported him.

If Arsenal are to go anywhere this season, they need all hands on deck, including from the stands. Publicly condemning one of your own, however unpopular, will get them nowhere.

Former Arsenal fan favourite Robin van Persie has come under criticism from Gunners’ fans after honouring Arsene Wenger during the Legends of Football evening covered by Sky Sports on Monday.

Van Persie, 36, left the Gunners in controversial circumstances after eight years at the club to join arch-rivals Manchester United for £24m in 2012.

The season before the Dutchman’s departure from the Emirates, van Persie scored 30 goals in 38 games and left during the summer to head to Old Trafford and win the Premier League with their hated neighbours.

As Arsene Wenger enjoyed his evening after picking up the Legends of Football award, the 36-year-old posted the following message on Twitter.

Following the Dutchman’s comments, Arsenal supporters were unhappy with his acknowledgement of the French manager’s achievements. Some still haven’t forgiven van Persie for leaving the Gunners seven years ago.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Arsenal fans:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Last Saturday was a big success for the Catalan giants.

Ernesto Valverde’s troops took a trip to the Basque land and faced Eibar at the Ipurua stadium, running out 3-0 winners on the night.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many players managed to impress during the game and even though the spotlight is bound to be on the illustrious front three of Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi, who bagged a goal each, other silent heroes deserve equal praise as well.

One of those said heroes was Clement Lenglet, the 24-year-old defender who was marshalling their backline with his compatriot, Samuel Umtiti.

And even though Lenglet is one of those players who rarely get the plaudits of the pundits or the coaches, it seems that the Barcelona fandom are starting to recognise his contributions.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

He was one of the best performers on the pitch and as a result, managed to tally one of his personal best displays, if not the very best display, while donning the Blaugrana shirt.

According to Whoscored, he was the third-best ranked player on the day, just behind Messi and Griezmann, as he recorded one tackle, one interception and five clearances to his name. He also won five aerial duels as Eibar barraged the box with crosses.

But what was even more impressive, however, was his composure on the ball and his ability to participate and orchestrate from the back.

Lenglet ended the game with 83 touches under his belt, third-best in the team, and a team-highest 95.9% passing accuracy from 73 passes.

More importantly, he managed to deploy two key passes and even netted an assist to his name, setting up Barcelona’s first goal with a long ball into the path of Griezmann on the left side of the pitch.

By all accounts, this was quite a performance, as Lenglet took up the role of both defender and creator.

Even though Gerard Pique was absent from the game, Lenglet was a true leader from the back and dropped a real masterclass performance in the process.

Let’s see if he can continue the trend in the future.

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Jurgen Klopp has been discussing his future once again and has named Steven Gerrard as the man he wishes to replace him when he departs Anfield.

Despite being a club legend, many fans are opposed to the German’s suggestion, and believe that it is important the club doesn’t choose sentiment over ability when deciding on the next manager.

It is an understandable viewpoint given the position Liverpool are in now. Their record shows they are not only one of the best teams in the Premier League but in Europe, and with Klopp showing no signs of slowing down they will need a manager capable of providing continued success.

At this point, there is no evidence to suggest Gerrard is that man. He has spent a little more than a year in management, overseeing just one team in Rangers in a division where he is ultimately expected to win most games.

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He has so far not made any remarkable impression in his spell in Glasgow, certainly not enough to persuade the Anfield faithful, as the following reactions show.

As their goal-scoring struggles continue to get exposed this season, Manchester United quite naturally have been linked with numerous strikers in recent weeks.

Reports have claimed the Red Devils are targeting a potential move for Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson and Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has publicly admitted the club’s next signing will be a centre-forward.

One man who was in their grasp, but was let go, is Brighton prospect Aaron Connolly. Sky Sports have previously reported the 19-year-old was on trial at Old Trafford before joining the Seagulls, and that United were monitoring his development.

Well, on Saturday afternoon against Tottenham, the Republic of Ireland U21 international well and truly showed why it was a major mistake for the Red Devils to not sign him up.

The teenager bagged himself a brace against Spurs and was a real live-wire throughout the game, having six shots at goal and ending the match with an impressive 8.8 rating as per Sofascore.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After seeing his display, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the forward.

Many supporters of the Manchester side hailed the 19-year-old’s performance, and insisted he is already better than Marcus Rashford.

One fan in particular even remarked Connolly “played like a young Rooney” in the clash against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after Calciomercato exclusively revealed that the club is keen to agree a €25m deal for Sampdoria centre-back Joachim Andersen.

The Dane is currently one of the best performing defenders in Serie A and has attracted the north London club’s interest as a result of his fine showings.

One would assume that the Lilywhites are searching for Toby Alderweireld’s replacement, due to serious doubts over his future beyond this season.

Despite tying the Belgian international down to a new contract recently until 2020, the fresh terms have seen a £25m release clause implemented into the former Ajax man’s deal, which could be seen as somewhat of a compromise after the 29-year-old rejected the offer of a long-term contract and was expected to leave in the summer.

Consequently, the interest in Andersen comes at a time when Alderweireld will be free to leave if any club meets his fairly achievable release clause, and Spurs fans have taken to Twitter to react to the transfer news…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Daily Mirror, Barcelona legend Xavi has revealed Raheem Sterling is “winning” the race to replace Lionel Messi as the best player in the world.

What did he say?

The Manchester City winger was in electric form last season, registering 25 goals and 18 assists across all competitions. His start to the current campaign has been similarly prolific, and Xavi has now suggested the England international is leading the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah to be crowned the next greatest player on the planet.

He said: “Messi is the best ever for me – and even though they’re both (Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) still playing at a very high level – there will come the day not so long away when somebody else must step into those shoes. You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, Mbappe, Salah, and of course Sterling. I look at the moment – and Sterling is winning that race.

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“He’s always been a good player, a dangerous player, but under Pep he has become one of the best in the world. I know how Pep works – he would have worked closely with him since his arrival – where he needs to improve and what he needed to work on. We’re now seeing the results of that – he’s still young and can be the world’s best.”

Time to take notice

Over the past couple of weeks, many former players and pundits have jumped on the Sterling bandwagon and proclaimed he should consider himself amongst the best players in the world. Credibility and reputation can often be a deal-breaker when it comes to who you believe, so when Xavi, a World Cup and Champions League winner, becomes the latest to hail the 24-year-old, it may be time for people to start taking notice.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Sterling has become such a household name over the past few years that it is easy to forget he remains only 24. The peak years of his career are undoubtedly still in front of him, and based off what he produced last season, that is a very scary prospect indeed. If he stays at the Etihad and Guardiola remains the City boss then the sky really is the limit to what the winger can go on to achieve.

Everton could be set to bring as many as four players to Goodison Park on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by David Maddock, with The Mirror journalist revealing on Twitter that, following Frank Lampard’s appointment as the new Everton manager, Farhad Moshiri could be set to sanction last-minute moves for as many as four of the 43-year-old’s transfer targets on Monday.

In his post, Maddock said: “Some complicated negotiations [are] at [an] advanced stage, [Lampard] will have [the] final decision on at least two, possibly three-four new signings on Monday.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Everton have been this season, with the Toffees sitting a mere four points above the relegation zone at present, it is clear that the current playing squad at Goodison Park is in need of much improvement.

One position that undoubtedly looks as if it could do with improving on is that of centre-back, as although Lampard can call upon the likes of Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite in the heart of his defence, there is no real standout star amongst this quintet – something that will be required if the former Chelsea boss is to improve a Toffees backline that has already shipped 35 goals this season.

Another position in which Lampard is lacking any real strength in depth is attacking midfield, something which has led to the club being linked with late moves for Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek, Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Should the three or four players who Maddock suggests could be on their way to Goodison be in either of these two positions, they will undoubtedly be signings that will have Everton fans buzzing – as, not only would strengthening in the aforementioned areas help to steer the Toffees clear of the drop, they could well be enough to fire the club back to the top half of the Premier League table come May.

In other news – Forget Iwobi: Lamps may save Everton’s season by signing “intelligent” £18m-rated ace

Celtic have had plenty of consistent goalscorers in their ranks over the past few years, such as Leigh Griffiths, Kris Commons and Odsonne Edouard among others.

However, it seems as though the Parkhead club could have had another figure in their ranks who may have gone on to become a significant scorer for them but didn’t end up making the move to Celtic Park.

According to an article from Planet Football, back in the 2001 summer transfer window when the Hoops signed winger Momo Sylla from St Johnstone, the Guinean was asked by his former Le Mans team-mate Didier Drogba about a potential move to Celtic the following summer.

Unfortunately for Celtic, Sylla apparently told the striker that he wouldn’t have any chance of making it into the team and should forget about trying to join them.

With a total of 686 club appearances under his belt, the Ivory Coast international ended his career in 2018 with 300 goals to his name and four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League title under his belt among other trophies and individual awards.

Labelled a “remarkable” player by his former Blues boss Jose Mourinho – who knows a good footballer when he sees one having managed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard and Karim Benzema among many others – Drogba could have been a revelation for Celtic had Sylla not put him off a potential move to Glasgow early in the Ivorian’s lengthy and very successful career.

Whether the Parkhead hierarchy had any knowledge at the time over Drogba’s interest in a potential move to the club is unclear, but it’s safe to say that had they known of it, then they should have moved heaven and earth to get the striker in a Hoops shirt.

Looking back, there could now be some Celtic fans displeased with what Sylla had to say to the young Drogba about his chances of breaking into the first team at the time, with the club potentially now having nightmares over the situation.

In other news: Ange must brutally axe “horrendous” £20k-p/w Celtic liability, he’s “been a disaster”

A major transfer update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s efforts to bolster their squad this month… 

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Magpies could have a fresh body in the door at some point this week.

The Toon are on the hunt for addition to their squad in the January transfer window and the reporter has offered a ray of hope to supporters hoping to see the club’s third piece of business done in the coming days.

He told Newcastle Fans TV YouTube channel, via This Is Futbol: “At the moment, the focus is on new signings because they need to have new faces, new players and in particular in the defence.

“So I’m told [that the] board, they’re working to have the new centre-back in maybe Wednesday or Thursday, but they want to have him as soon as possible. So I’m sure that Monday/Tuesday will be really busy with the new signings and then outgoings maybe in the final week of the window, they will have some sort of opportunity on this point.”

Fans will love it

Newcastle fans will surely love this update from Romano for several reasons. Firstly, the player coming in by Wednesday or Thursday means that the Toom Army have exciting news to anticipate imminently, whilst it also means that they could see an improved team for their clash with Leeds at the weekend.

The Magpies are in desperate need of further additions to their squad as they attempt to battle their way out of the relegation zone. They are currently 19th in the table and have only won one game in the Premier League all season, indicating that their current team is not good enough for where they want to be.

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This is why fans will love the prospect of the club’s third signing coming in this week, following deals for Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood earlier in the month. It is impossible to say whether or not this prospective signing will be an upgrade on what they already have, but given that Romano has not name-dropped anyone, fans will still be able to look forward to seeing someone who has the potential to come in and improve the team.

Supporters will also be buzzing to see the club strengthen the centre-back position in particular. Only Norwich have conceded more goals than Newcastle in the top flight this season, so the fans will surely be excited to see an attempt to improve their team’s dreadful defensive record.

AND in other news, NUFC could land big Clark upgrade in “incredible” £7.2m-rated beast, he’s a “monster”…