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Arsenal could need to sign two midfielders this summer amid 'ongoing fears' over Thomas Partey, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Who could Edu sign this summer?

Transfer chief and sporting director Edu is reportedly a busy man behind-the-scenes, having apparently identified numerous targets ahead of the next transfer window.

Indeed, while Mikel Arteta's squad contend for their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years, the hierarchy allegedly aren't wasting time in preparing for next season.

Among the names to have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium is West Ham star Declan Rice, who Arsenal have apparently earmarked as a top target and are willing to pay north of £100 million (Football Insider).

An alternative to the 24-year-old could be Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo – a player Edu was thought to be seriously chasing in January.

There have been other names mentioned for a variety of different positions with Wolfsburg defender Ridle Baku and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic also attracting Arsenal's interest.

It could be a busy summer for the north Londoners as reports also suggest that they're set to spend over £100m in a serious statement of backing to Arteta.

Now, speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Jones believes not one, but two midfielders could be signed amid 'ongoing fears' over star midfielder Partey.

The Ghana international is a crucial player in Arteta's midfield, and despite the signing of Jorginho, Jones believes Arsenal could look to seek more cover for Partey.

He explained:

"There's an obvious need for at least one midfielder, but there's possibly a need for two with Champions League football on the table and ongoing fears, too, about how they might cope if Thomas Partey was suddenly missing from the side."

Who should Arsenal sign to support Partey?

The 29-year-old is an imperious figure, ranking among Arsenal's best-performing players by average match rating in the league whilst making more tackles per 90 than anyone under Arteta (WhoScored).

It will take a player of real quality to replicate Partey's influence, and we believe Rice could be the best option.

The Irons captain is David Moyes' best-performing star overall this campaign, averaging more interceptions per 90 than any other West Ham player (WhoScored).

He even replicated that form for England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, again making more interceptions per match than any other Three Lions player (WhoScored).

Rice is also homegrown and already proven in the Premier League, making him a sure-fire candidate to add some steel to Arsenal's central midfield.

Arsenal have seldom had reason to be jealous of their fierce north London rivals. Often throughout their respective time in the Premier League, whatever Tottenham Hotspur have managed, the Gunners have surpassed.

However, on the odd occasion, one truly exceptional player has been born out of White Hart Lane to leave the red half of north London envious. Whilst the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and more recently Harry Kane would all likely fit into this category, Christian Eriksen is likely another who many would have desired.

The Denmark international had signed for Spurs as part of the vast funds acquired after selling the aforementioned Welshman, many of which went on to fail dramatically. However, there were a few successes of note.

It took just an £11.5m fee to tempt him from Dutch champions Ajax, and he would go on to play 305 times for the Lilywhites before his eventual departure. The trickster would score 69 times and assist a further 90 too; form which he has translated to almost every club that has been blessed with his presence.

With a tireless work rate to partner his immeasurably creativity, it seemed that during his time in north London, Arsene Wenger could only secure players who boasted the latter for the most part. Eriksen would have been an ideal member of the Frenchman's various squads.

However, nearly three years since his retirement, their prestigious Hale End academy could now be set to churn out their very own version of the 31-year-old in Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand.

Who is Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand?

Having also moved from the Eredivisie in 2020, the 19-year-old midfielder earns glowing praise on the official Arsenal website. In fact, many of the descriptions could be applicable to the current Manchester United midfielder, as they describe him as: "A classy, creative attacking midfielder" who's also a "set piece specialist".

Eriksen too has been known to strike a free kick with success, scoring eight goals direct from them during his time in England.

The teenage sensation would support this in an interview where he detailed his style of play: "I’m a central midfielder and I like to play box to box. Offensively I’m a creative player and I can play with my left or right foot. I score goals and get assists, and defensively I like to think I do my bit too, especially in the transition."

For Arteta's style of play, the young Dutchman seems like the perfect fit for such a tactically astute setup where his versatility will thrive.

Although this season has been marred by injuries, last season allowed the midfielder to score five and assist two in just 16 Premier League 2 fixtures. This campaign was meant to bolster his senior involvement too before those ailments, but it at least shows a desire to prepare him for the first team, where he is destined to one day shine.

Whilst Wenger missed out on a midfielder like Eriksen during his tenure, his second Spanish successor could benefit with M'Hand, who already seems set to enjoy a career of creating and scoring just like the £150k-per-week magician before him.

West Ham could look to bring in Brendan Rodgers as David Moyes' eventual replacement, according to an update from journalist Paul Brown.

Is Moyes getting sacked by West Ham?

There is no doubt that this has been a disappointing season for the Hammers to date, having qualified for Europe last year. This time around, they have found themselves in a Premier League relegation battle, and while safety looks likely, they are not out of the water yet.

Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to current league leaders Arsenal certainly helped, with West Ham showing strong resolve to come from 2-0 down early to earn what could be such a precious point. While the east Londoners are still in the UEFA Europa Conference League, pressure is clearly growing on Moyes, with the Scot not at his best this season, getting too many poor results and performances out of his team.

There is certainly a chance that the Hammers could be looking for a new manager at the end of the campaign, and a key update has emerged regarding the situation.

Could Rodgers be next Hammers boss?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown talked up the idea of Rodgers being Moyes' successor at the London Stadium:

"I still think that the plan really for West Ham is to try and stick it out with David Moyes and see if he can turn things around next season. But I just feel like Brendan Rodgers is the one name who's now out there that might turn their heads a bit and might change things for the owners."

It does feel as though this summer could be the right time for West Ham to make a change in the dugout, with Moyes seemingly not the force he was, having guided the Hammers to back-to-back sixth and seventh-place finishes in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively.

Some managerial reigns simply run their course and Rodgers could be the ideal man to bring in as Moyes' replacement, having recently parted ways with Leicester City. While his time at the King Power grew stagant, too, he is a talented coach who could get West Ham playing more eye-catching attacking football than Moyes, having famously come close to winning the Premier League title with Liverpool back in 2013/14, not to mention clinching two Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic and tasting FA Cup glory at Leicester.

The Northern Irishman would surely jump at the chance to manage the Hammers, so it is one to keep an eye on, although it would be a surprise if it happened before the end of this season.

Tottenham Hotspur could look to get rid of Emerson Royal, Davinson Sanchez and Hugo Lloris this summer as part of a squad clearout, according to journalist Alex Crook.

What's the latest news involving the Tottenham Hotspur trio?

Recently, Emerson Royal's agent and father Emerson Zulu has said on the La Charla podcast via The Evening Standard that the Brazilian defender could look to try and force an exit from Tottenham this summer, stating:

“There is a great possibility that Emerson will leave Tottenham. We believe it’s time for him to take a bigger leap and to go to a team that fights for titles. I think he fits a giant like Real Madrid.”

Colombian outlet Antena 2 has also claimed that Spurs defender Sanchez may also be set to depart north London in the off-season, revealing that La Liga side Sevilla have shown an interest in bringing the 26-year-old to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

As per Football Insider, the Lilywhites are also believed to have drawn up a four-man shortlist to replace veteran goalkeeper Lloris heading into next term, with David Raya, Mike Maignan, Robert Sanchez and Dean Henderson earmarked as potential replacements for the Nice-born stopper.

All three players earn around £205,000 combined at Hotspur Way; however, journalist Crook thinks that the trio could be sold on following their part in Spurs' underwhelming 2022/23 campaign.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Crook said: "Tottenham fans probably have a list of players to sell to be honest. People like Emerson Royal, Davinson Sánchez, I also think the goalkeeper is a big issue.

"Hugo Lloris was dreadful in the first half against Newcastle, he didn't even come out for the second half.”

Who else could leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer?

Out of everyone, Spurs talisman Harry Kane has received the most high-profile coverage over a potential departure this summer, with Manchester United and Chelsea both keen on securing his signature, as per The Daily Mail.

Bayern Munich also remain interested in Kane as they look for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, as per Sky Sports.

Lucas Moura is out of contract at the end of this term while Tottenham have still yet to make a decision on the future of loanees Dejan Kulusevski, Arnaut Danjuma and Clement Lenglet.

Come the off-season, whoever becomes Spurs' new manager will have plenty of groundwork to do ahead of 2023/24 as they look to shape their squad ahead of the new campaign.

Aston Villa's ten-match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end on Sunday as Unai Emery's side lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes' first-half goal was enough to secure all three points for the home side but the Villans remain in contention to secure a place in Europe for next season as they currently sit seventh in the table as it stands.

Whilst the head coach may look to refresh his squad with new additions to bolster the squad in 2023/24, Emery could add to his first-team group by bringing young starlets up from the academy.

Sebastian Revan, Tommi O'Reilly, and Kadan Young were all named on the bench against United and this shows that the Spanish boss is willing to offer chances to U21 squad members.

Who is Kadan Young?

One of those players in Young is an "exciting" – as dubbed by reporter Ashley Preece – young winger who has caught the eye in the academy this season.

The teenage forward was handed a professional contract by the club in January and journalist Matt Maher described the gem as "one to watch" moving forward, which – along with his inclusion on Sunday – highlights the dynamo's potential.

Despite only turning 17 this year, the attacker has been directly involved in four goals (two assists and two goals) in nine appearances for the U21s this term, whilst the wizard has also produced one goal and two assists in three U18 matches.

This means that the playmaker has racked up seven goal contributions in 12 league outings at youth level this season, which is better than an involvement every other game.

These statistics suggest that the forward has the quality to make things happen in the final third and his emergence could threaten Leon Bailey's position at the club.

How has Leon Bailey performed this season?

The Jamaica international has been an inconsistent performer for Villa in the Premier League and has not been able to regularly deliver in the final third.

Bailey has scored four goals and provided three assists in 29 top-flight appearances for the club this term, which means that the forward has chipped in with a direct goal contribution once every 4.12 matches. Whereas, Young has managed one every 1.86 games for the U18 and U21 sides combined in 2022/23.

The current first-team winger has not been a standout performer for the Villans, as shown by his lacklustre return at the top end of the pitch, and Emery could use pre-season to determine whether Young is ready to step up and be the heir to the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man's position out wide.

If the 17-year-old can translate his stunning youth form over to the senior squad then he could burst onto the scene next term as the club's newest star from the academy, replacing Bailey on the wing, or it may take a season out on loan before the maestro is able to make his impact at Villa Park.

Aston Villa made Jack Grealish the most expensive player in the history of the club in 2021 when they sold him to Manchester City for a British record £100m.

The winger came up through the ranks at Villa Park and made 213 first-team appearances – scoring 32 and assisting 43 goals – before attracting interest from Pep Guardiola.

Grealish proved himself to be an excellent performer out on the left flank by racking up 14 goals and 18 assists in his last two Premier League seasons combined prior to departing the club.

Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany is reportedly closing in on a move to join Villa this summer and the Spaniard could play an instant blinder by swooping for a player who could be the next Grealish for Unai Emery.

It was recently reported that the Villans have been keeping tabs on Juventus' young forward Samuel Iling-Junior, who is contracted with the Italian giants until 2025, and the teenage gem has the potential to be a star in the future.

Who is Samuel Iling-Junior?

The 19-year-old left winger started his career in England with Premier League side Chelsea but currently plays for the Old Lady as a first-team player in the Serie A.

Iling-Junior's impressive form for Juventus at youth level has earned him a chance in the senior squad this season. He has made 12 appearances for the Italian side and registered two assists.

In the Serie A, the dynamo has made eight cameos off the bench and picked up one assist whilst completing 81% of his attempted passes.

The £11k-per-week ace also caught the eye on his Champions League debut against Benfica earlier in the campaign, with talent scout Jacek Kulig hailing him as "simply superb".

As per Sofascore, the forward created two chances, one 'big chance', and registered an assist in just 20 minutes of action against the Portuguese side, which shows that he has the quality to perform on the biggest stage.

Iling-Junior's form for Juventus Primavera suggests that the youngster has the potential to become Villa's biggest talent since Grealish if they can bring him to the club this summer.

The Islington-born attacker has produced 14 goals and 15 assists in 58 outings for the youth side, which works out as a direct goal contribution every two matches and is comparable to the ex-Villans star's goal or assist every 1.94 games between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Premier League seasons.

These statistics, and the teenager's emergence in the first-team at Juventus, suggest that the young magician has the ability to develop into a player who can contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis from the left flank, which could make him Villa's next Grealish if Alemany can get a deal over the line this summer.

Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce will be 'heavily incentivised' financially if he manages to keep the Whites in the Premier League, says journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest news involving Sam Allardyce?

Leeds United look to be pulling out all the stops to secure top-flight survival and have recently sacked Javi Gracia in order to appoint Allardyce, who will take charge of their last four matches of the season.

As per The Daily Mail, Allardyce will be paid £500,000 for his time in the dugout at Elland Road; however, he could also earn a hefty £2.5 million bonus if he manages to help Leeds United avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

The 68-year-old spoke to the media before his first test as Leeds United manager away to Manchester City on Saturday, as cited by BBC Sport, stating:

"The nerves carry on until the kick-off, but once the kick-off happens then the nerves disappear for me because I am totally focused on what is happening on the pitch then. We hope we can find a space or two to cause them some problems. We can't afford to miss any chances, we have to be ruthless and clinical and defensively the team will have to be the best it's been this season. Obviously, the defence has been a bit frail, but we will try to put this right."

Matt Lawton, who is a journalist for The Times, has reported on Twitter that former Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane and ex-Oxford United boss Karl Robinson will form part of Allardyce's backroom team. Nevertheless, Sammy Lee has been unable to link up with his regular colleague as an assistant manager due to being on jury service, as per The Mirror.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has said that Leeds United have taken the decision to appoint Allardyce out of desperation to secure their Premier League status.

Jacobs told FFC: "Sam Allardyce is heavily incentivised as well because he gets a healthy package for the games that he's in charge, but if Leeds United stay up, then he gets an absolutely massive bonus on top of that.

"This is really all about throwing long-term out the way, throwing even tactics out of the way and just trying to get the players energized with a fresh perspective and an experienced name to get the points that they need to stay up."

Will Sam Allardyce keep Leeds United in the Premier League?

It's the million-dollar question. Allardyce has a good track record of keeping clubs in the top flight and stabilising their league form, having achieved relative success with the likes of West Ham United, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, all of whom he inherited carrying a dispirited nature, as per talkSPORT.

Nevertheless, Leeds United are on a run of five Premier League matches without a win and face a tough season run-in, with Manchester City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur still to come.

Out of those matches, you would imagine West Ham and Tottenham are the two most likely opponents Leeds United could take points from based on their respective positions and current form. However, the Premier League is an unpredictable environment, making these last few tussles an exciting prospect for the neutral.

Allardyce won't care how, but Leeds' sole focus is now set on keeping their Premier League status ahead of what could be a big summer amid the proposed takeover talk.

Erik ten Hag will be hoping for a much better performance from his Manchester United side as they face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Red Devils have lost their previous two league matches and are currently sitting just one point ahead of Liverpool in the hunt for the final Champions League spot, albeit with a game in hand over their rivals.

United weren’t quite at the races in their defeat to West Ham United last weekend, despite dominating the lion's share of possession (65%) yet they failed to take any of their chances, and if they aren’t careful, this defeat may prove to be very costly indeed.

There will no doubt be changes to the starting XI ahead of the visit of Wolves, with a few players failing to impress against the Hammers.

Christian Eriksen was uncharacteristically quiet, making zero key passes and losing possession seven times, while David de Gea must be worrying about his long-term future after making yet another mistake. However it is Wout Weghorst who must be ditched ahead of the crucial tie today.

Will Wout Weghorst be dropped for Manchester United against Wolves?

Against West Ham, Weghorst was deployed in an unfamiliar attacking-midfield slot, where he has played just twice before at United, with both games resulting in zero goals or assists, and it was yet another poor performance in this position last week.

The Dutchman played just 57 minutes, and failed to display any sort of attacking intent, taking one shot and making just one key pass, while he achieved a rating of just 6.5/10 as per Sofascore – the lowest out of the United starting XI.

The 30-year-old took just 28 touches and played 16 passes, suggesting he couldn’t get into the game whatsoever, and it’s evident that this position isn’t suited to his strengths.

The £35k-per-week flop has managed to score just two goals for the club since joining in January and Ten Hag may be better off going with someone like Marcel Sabitzer directly behind the striker as opposed to Weghorst.

Richard Keys branded him as the “worst player” he’s ever seen in a Man United shirt, and it looks abundantly clear that Ten Hag won’t be pursuing a permanent deal for him come the summer.

Whoever plays in that role today, they must be looking to supply Marcus Rashford as much as possible in order to secure another three points which may prove crucial in the hunt for Champions League football in 2023/24.

Burnley have started their preparations for their return to the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign after securing promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.

The Clarets won the league title, with 101 points, and manager Vincent Kompany will now be looking to build a squad that is capable of avoiding an instant relegation back to the second tier.

It was recently reported, by the Daily Mail, that the club are eyeing a possible deal to sign Torino forward Yann Karamoh in the upcoming transfer window with a view to him improving their side.

The report revealed that they are one of a number of teams interested in the former Parma attacker, who is set to be a free agent upon the expiry of his contract with the Serie A outfit this summer.

Who is Yann Karamoh?

Karamoh is a 24-year-old left winger who currently playing in the Italian top-flight and has the potential to be a big upgrade on current Burnley star Anass Zaroury.

The Clarets forward enjoyed an excellent season in the Championship as he produced six goals and six assists in 27 starts for the club but it remains to be seen whether or not the ace can make the step up to the top level.

Zaroury has scored 0.27 non-penalty goals per 90 in the league over the last 365 days and has been in the right positions to accumulate 0.15 non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90.

He does not rank higher than the top 32% of players in his position in the Men's Next Eight Competitions, which includes the likes of the MLS and the Dutch Eredivisie, over the last 365 days in either of those statistics.

Karamoh, meanwhile, has scored 0.44 non-penalty goals and racked up 0.38 non-penalty xG per 90 for Torino in the Serie A over the last 365 days, which places him in the top 6% of players in his position across Europe's top five divisions. This indicates that the attacker is better at getting into goalscoring positions and, as a result, offers more of a goal threat than Zaroury.

The Ivorian right-footed magician, whose qualities were lauded as "not ordinary" by former manager Eric Bedouet, has found the back of the net three times and created nine chances for his teammates in six Serie A starts this term.

It is a small sample size but Karamoh's form for Torino indicates that the gem does have the ability to make a big impact in the final third in a major European league, which is something that Zaroury is yet to prove in his short career to date – playing in Belgium prior to arriving at Turf Moor.

The Burnley wizard's goalscoring form in the Championship is not as impressive as the £31k-per-week whiz's striking exploits in Italy and this suggests that the ex-Inter man could be a big upgrade on the Moroccan due to his ability to find the back of the net at the top level whilst also being able to create opportunities for his teammates from a left wing position.

Newcastle United have entered the race for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.

What’s the latest on Moussa Diaby to Newcastle United?

According to SportBILD (via Sport Witness), the Magpies have become involved in a “tug of war” alongside Paris Saint-Germain for the Frenchman’s signature.

The outlet explains that the German outfit is due to get a 'completely new look' next season, as various members of the team are set to depart after an impressive season.

Therefore, Diaby is one of the players who could leave, and speculation about a move to St James Park has been fuelled by Newcastle’s previous chase for the attacker.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg previously confirmed it will take a fee of between €70m-€80m [£60-£69m] to convince Leverkusen to sell.

However, it is a competitive market for the 23-year-old, and it will ultimately boil down to the player's decision, but fresh from their qualification for the Champions League, Eddie Howe’s side can offer minutes in Europe’s most elite competition.

Who could Moussa Diaby replace at Newcastle United?

The ten-cap international has been unstoppable for Leverkusen this season, having contributed 25 goal involvements in 47 appearances.

Morade Djeddi, president of the forward’s first club Esperance Paris 19e, has eulogised over Diaby’s quality saying: "Since he was young, Moussa had this talent… very quickly, you realise that he has explosiveness, an ability to take on his opponent and dribbling skills.

“He was born with it. It’s just that Moussa has a supernatural, divine gift. A gift that some have and others don’t.”

His imperious form and impressive reputation mean that the former PSG prodigy could displace Miguel Almiron in the starting line up next term.

The Paraguayan began the campaign in scintillating style as he registered ten goals and assists in 14 games between August and December 2022, but since the World Cup, his effervescence has dried up as he’s only found the net three times in 18 outings.

Diaby would provide direct competition and his arrival could be a serious detriment to Almiron’s game time.

Hailed as "dangerous" by Freiburg’s Nils Pederson, the Bundesliga talent ranks in the top 19% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, as well as the highest 30% for assists per 90, according to FBref.

Conversely, Newcastle’s current wideman disappointingly resides in the bottom 41% and 11% for the same metrics, to underline that Diaby is more influential and productive.

Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen’s sporting director, has also heaped praise on the £32k-per-week star, commenting: “Moussa Diaby is an extremely fast, technically strong striker whose qualities suit our game down to the ground.”

With the pressure and workload drastically increased upon Howe’s side next season, Diaby’s signing would be a huge boost for the club but not necessarily to cult hero Almiron.