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Arsenal fought back from 2-1 down to prevail as 3-2 winners against Vitoria Guimaraes in a vital Europa League clash for Unai Emery’s side, and whilst Nicolas Pepe’s match-winning brace has understandably stolen the headlines, these Gunners fans have been singing the praises of one individual after yet another sensational European display.

Gabriel Martinelli, 18, got Arsenal’s opener on the night with a well-taken header, taking the Brazilian’s tally to three goals in two Europa League appearances. Although the forward is yet to start a Premier League game in 2019/20, performances such as these are likely to be giving Emery a selection dilemma if his goalscoring form persists.

With the club securing a vital victory in their bid to reach the knock-out stages, maintaining their 100% winning start to Group F, some Arsenal fans were quick to praise Martinelli’s performance. Here are some of the best reactions to the Brazilian’s display against Vitoria Guimaraes.

Everton have approached former Valencia manager Marcelino to take over Marco Silva’s position if he were to be sacked, as spoken on by Cadena Ser and relayed via @EvertonBlueArmy on Twitter.

The Portuguese manager is under severe pressure at Goodison Park after losing three games in their last four and just two wins out of their last seven Premier League outings.

Marcelino is currently out of work after being sacked by Valencia in shocking circumstances, saying that he was sacked for “winning the Copa del Rey last season”. However, Cadena Ser has revealed that Marcelino is top of Everton’s list to replace Silva if he is dismissed.

The Toffees find themselves just two points above the relegation zone with just three wins to their name in their first 10 matches, with their latest loss coming against Brighton in a 3-2 defeat on Saturday.

Supporters were not impressed with the links to the Everton hotseat from the Spanish media. One fan claimed they are now bored of being linked with managers with no experience in the Premier League, while another said that Marcelino is a “sun-dried” version of Silva.

Here you will find some of the best comments from Everton fans:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Newcastle are in contract talks with four first-team players, with a new deal believed to be close for Jonjo Shelvey, according to the Daily Star.

What’s the latest?

The Magpies have been busy on the transfer front in recent days. Steve Bruce is believed to have drawn up a shortlist of possible incomings while Martin Dubravka recently signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2025.

Now, the likes of Isaac Hayden, Fabian Schar and Matt Ritchie are involved in negotiations, with each player’s current deal set to expire in 2021.

Shelvey is another whose contract has just over 18 months left to run, but with reported interested from West Ham and Crystal Palace over the summer, the club is probably more eager to get his future sorted.

He showed his desire to play for the club upon his recall to the side against the Hammers last weekend, and if he displays that high level of performance on a consistent basis then many Toon fans will be happy at his proposed longer stay in the north-east.

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Right fit under Bruce?

While some fans will be hoping for ambition in the transfer market over the coming months, it is wise to maintain a strong core of consistent performers, though of the four Shelvey is probably the worst fit into that category.

He has undoubted quality and has shown that at each of the clubs he has been at – his long-range free-kick against West Ham a fine demonstration of what he offers the side when at the top of his game.

Too often this season he has flattered to deceive and faltered in what is meant to be his best aspect, with a pass accuracy of just 78%. That led Bruce to drop him in favour of Matty Longstaff, but he responded well in his return on Saturday, and is now the Magpies’ top scorer with two goals.

It could prove to be a clever move from Bruce, who has proved throughout his career that man management is one of his best attributes. He has provided the “human touch” to handle Shelvey effectively, get the best out of him, and put an end to his inconsistency which is reflected by his WhoScored average rating of 6.8.

At his best, Shelvey could be a commanding player for Toon. In his first full season on Tyneside he averaged 7.2 successful long balls per game, and a repeat of that would suit the likes of Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, who can use their pace to run in behind opposition defences.

That is the kind of quality Newcastle need and should expect from Shelvey, and if he can begin delivering it on a regular basis once more then he will be well worth his contract extension.

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… 

When Manchester United seemingly fended off competition from arch-rivals Manchester City to land the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk lynchpin, Fred, last summer, the Red Devils may have been hoping for the Brazilian to hold down the fort in midfield.

Instead, the 26-year-old struggled to force his way into the United first-team for any consistent period of time, and by the end of the campaign, had managed just 25 appearances across all competitions – with only 17 of them coming in the Premier League.

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Signings from abroad are always likely to take some time to find their feet, and the Brazil international will surely have made plans to kick on in his second season at Old Trafford. However, his plans were slightly interrupted when he missed some of the club’s pre-season tour for his wedding, and that no doubt halted any chance of him making significant progress.

But in recent weeks, the £47m man has become a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, starting and completing the previous four Premier League games. And in a largely insipid team display in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, Fred was arguably the only man who could hold his head up high after the game.

In truly horrendous weather conditions, Fred showed no signs of melting under the intense rain and wind. As Bournemouth’s Philip Billing and Jefferson Lerma looked to impose their game in the middle of the park, the former Shakhtar man looked to fight fire with fire. As per Sofascore, he completed two clearances, three tackles and and made two interceptions as he set about trying to hustle the Bournemouth midfield.

And with Paul Pogba still absent, the Red Devils have been crying out for a midfield magician, capable of pulling the strings. On Saturday, Fred did everything he possibly could to help Solskjaer’s side to turn things around against the Cherries, constantly wanting to get on the ball and create chances for his teammates. His total of three key passes were a joint game-high with Ryan Fraser, whilst his 90 touches in the game were the most of any player on the pitch.

The £120k-a-week man produced a display that provides some real encouragement that he could yet enjoy a successful career at Old Trafford. In recent weeks, pundits like Charlie Nicholas and Lee Dixon have raised serious concerns about the midfielder’s ability with the ball, and that he simply isn’t good enough. Well, at the weekend, Fred silenced his doubters in emphatic fashion.

Jack Grealish has been omitted from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming fixtures against Montenegro and Kosovo, and these Aston Villa fans have been having their say on the decision from the Three Lions’ boss.

Despite having started the 2019/20 campaign in impressive form, scoring two goals and registering three assists, Southgate has deemed the playmaker unworthy of selection in the England squad, preferring the likes of Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford in the attacking roles.

After having declared for England in 2015, Grealish is yet to win a senior cap for England, but the Villa captain’s performances in the top-flight this season have led to Southgate stating that is ready to call up the 24-year-old if other players were to drop out of the squad.

This has caused a significant reaction from a number of Villa fans, with many stating they believe their captain should be in the squad.

Here are some of the best reactions to Southgate’s comments regarding Grealish.

Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after Swiss journalist Marcello Pelizzari gave an interview revealing a lot of information about Granit Xhaka and the midfielder’s next move, stating that, unless there is a dramatic turnaround, the 27-year-old will ‘100%’ leave in January.The Switzerland international – who has won 78 caps for his country – was recently stripped of the captaincy by Unai Emery after an outburst in the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace, and Pelizzari has revealed a lot about where Xhaka’s next steps could be.

He details that the former Borussia Monchengladbach man has been linked with Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, although it is AC Milan where Xhaka could end up given his love of the city and the fact that Ivan Gazidis is employed by the Italian giants.

One supporter said that they were “really happy for him” following the news, whereas another simply said “good riddance”.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

In our Loan Watch feature series, the Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a selection of players from a particular club are faring whilst they are away from their parent side, and provide a brief update regarding their form.

Here are reports on a trio of Nottingham Forest players currently out on loan, with goals, heavy defeats and draws all on the agenda as these Reds endure mixed weeks whilst earning valuable minutes for their respective loan clubs.

Virgil Gomis

Virgil Gomis started and played the full 90 minutes in Macclesfield Town’s 4-0 loss at home to Kingstonians in the first round of the FA Cup.

The loss was extended the club’s unbeaten run to three games across all competitions as first-team players continued their strike over unpaid wages (via BBC).

Tyler Walker

Tyler Walker scored a goal as Lincoln City held League One rivals Ipswich Town to a 1-1 draw in the first round of their FA Cup tie.

The 23-year-old loanee scored the opening goal of the game for the Imps as he struck after a cross from Bruno Andrade (via BBC). It was his ninth goal in his 20th appearance for the League Two club (via Transfermarkt).

Walker showed a willingness to get in behind the Ipswich defence, having been caught offside the most number of times and having the second-joint most shots on goal for his side (via WhoScored).

Luke Steele

Luke Steele’s loan spell provided more of the same for the ‘keeper as he sat on the bench for Millwall’s 2-1 win over south London rivals Charlton Athletic.

The Lions won the game deep into stoppage time after Matt Smith struck home a header after c0rner from Jed Wallace (via BBC).

Steele has made just two appearances for the club since his loan move from the City Ground with both of them coming in the Carabao Cup (via Transfermarkt).

Walker has enjoyed a brilliant spell with Lincoln this season, and could possibly force his way into the Forest squad next season. Lewis Grabban is already 31-years-old and will need replacing in the near future, giving the 23-year-old hope of securing a regular starting place as he has shown he has the quality in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Virgil Gomis is in the midst of a crisis with Macclesfield. The longer the first-team players aren’t paid, the longer the strike goes on, meaning the loan spell will be meaningless for the 20-year-old. To have any chance to progress his career, Forest need to cancel the loan spell and let him move to another club, which will provide him with a stable environment to thrive in.

Steele’s spell at Millwall is proving a waste of time after just two appearances all season. He will be hoping for an injury to starting ‘keeper Bartosz Białkowski in order to secure a starting spot this campaign.

Forest fans, what do you make of the loan spell of the three players? Let us know your thoughts!

Phil Jones was named in the starting line-up against Sheffield United for the first time in the Premier League this season, and some fans were encouraged by his inclusion.

He is a player often much maligned and mocked by some supporters, and he has seen his importance to the team decline under Solskjaer, who has added Harry Maguire in the summer and also picked youngster Alex Tuanzabe ahead of him.

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However, the Norweigan stated that the England international has been training well this term and showing the right attitude, so he feels he is deserving of a chance to impress.

He also noted his past experience of playing in defence and midfield, and the injury to Scott McToninay means United are light in that area.

Despite fans often being against Jones, some have taken the time to post positive messages in response to him starting, believing that he will prove himself to his manager and the rest of the fanbase.

Here are some of the reactions to the Manchester United team news.

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 situation at Arsenal is seemingly not likely to improve any time soon or at all, for that matter.

The 26-year-old Switzerland international hasn’t played a single minute for the Gunners ever since that incident that happened against Crystal Palace earlier last month, when he swore at his own fans after being booed and jeered from the stands.

That also made him lose his captaincy and now he’s become a misfit and an outcast of the team he was leading not so long ago.

Still, not all is lost for him as Unai Emery has even confirmed there’s a possibility the player actually returns back to the squad against Southampton in the Gunners’ next fixture that lies ahead.

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Currently, their team is sitting in sixth in the table and are struggling to break into the top spots in the Premier League altogether.

Xhaka has been present in the earlier stages of their campaign but maybe they did miss his presence in their last couple of clashes, seeing how they are still on their five-game winless streak.

Either way, the Swiss international might still be heading out the exit door.

Recently, Sky Germany have reported that Xhaka has attracted some interest from both AC Milan and Inter Milan respectively and a loan deal with an option to buy might be put on the table.

Needless to say, that transfer, especially if he were to go to the Rossoneri, would be a golden opportunity and a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

Unai Emery’s side would part ways with a player that’s, at least for the time being, still out-of-favour and simply not tolerated by the crowd anymore, while Milan would get someone with enough quality to slot into their line-up and possibly improve it.

Xhaka has played a total of ten games across all competitions this season for the Gunners, managing to bag one assist in the process but there’s more to the 26-year-old than goals and assists.

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He also averaged two tackles and o.4 interceptions per game in the Premier League with 1.9 clearances.

Clearly, there is still quality in there somewhere and seeing how Milan only have Ismael Bennacer and Lucas Biglia at that defensive midfield spot, Xhaka could be a welcoming addition to a struggling team.

He has enough experience both in the English top-flight and on the European stage and with him only being 26 years of age, he can definitely offer many more years at the very top level.

For those reasons, Milan taking him away from Arsenal seems like a win-win scenario both teams should take advantage of.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Lewie Coyle is looking to complete a permanent move away from Leeds United in January, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The right-back spent a two-year period on loan at Fleetwood Town prior to this season.

He is now on another temporary spell with the Fishermen, with that set to end at the end of December.

His contract with Leeds comes to an end at this season’s culmination so the 24-year-old is keen to complete a permanent move to Fleetwood.

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This season, he has been an integral part of their team, starting 16 games in the league and getting four assists during that time from the full-back position.

Football Insider have previously reported that Leeds are willing to sell the loanee in January so they don’t lose him for free.

Time to move on

This would be a good move for all parties: Leeds are able to demand a fee for someone they are highly unlikely to use, Fleetwood hang onto an important player and Coyle can settle his future.

From Coyle’s point of view, it is about time that he moved on, as at 24 years old he will be looking to have his future secured with a club, rather than continuously heading out on various loans.

The right-back has already shown that he can make an impact for Fleetwood, so this seems like a move that will make sense for him.

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