Arsenal fans have been hitting out at Mesut Ozil after a graphic showing the Germany international’s attacking contribution since he signed his new contract at the club emerged.

According to The Telegraph, since the playmaker signed a new £350k a week deal back in January of 2018, he has scored and assisted just nine goals in 43 games (prior to last night’s game), leaving him 103rd-place in the Premier League. However, head coach Mikel Arteta came out in defence of the ace, claiming Ozil needs the right structure to perform (via football.london).

The player endured a tough time under former manager Unai Emery, making just seven appearances before the Basque-born coach was sacked by the club (via Transfermarkt). However, under, Arteta, the mood has changed completely and the attacking midfielder has featured in every single one of the fixtures under the former Manchester City assistant coach.

Fans were left lambasting the 31-year-old after the stat about his attacking contribution came out as they took to Twitter to react. Here is a selection of tweets from the Emirates Stadium faithful:

Arsenal fans, do you think the club should sell Ozil in the near future? Let us know your thoughts!

Arsenal, it seems, are close to signing Flamengo defender Pablo Mari.

Globo Esporte first appeared to share the news, saying that the 26-year-old was on his way to London, whilst Nicolo Schira then revealed that the Gunners would be paying €10m (£8.4m) and that he would sign a contract until 2024 – although Sky Sports claim that a loan deal is far more likely.

Now, a photo is doing the rounds appearing to show Edu at Rio de Janeiro airport with the former Manchester City man, whilst another shows the pair already landing at Heathrow airport.

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With the deal within touching distance of completion the Emirates outfit’s supporters have been talking about their potential new arrival, and it seems they are torn on whether they are happy to see him join them.

Many are delighted with the apparent new addition.

Mari had a good 2019 with Flamengo in Brazil, playing in 22 matches in the league as they finished top, whilst also appearing in six Copa Libertadores games – Flamengo also triumphed in that trophy as well.

Other supporters, though, are not as happy.

Even though he is 26 years old, he had only played 32 matches in any country’s top flight prior to making the switch to Brazil.

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With the deal looking close to completion, it remains to be seen whether he will prove to be a good addition.

Meanwhile, this ace has been a major casualty since Unai Emery left Arsenal.

Mark Harrison has been swooning over Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry after he signed from Barcelona, as quoted by the club’s official channels.

What did he say?

Subject to international clearance, the move has been completed for the 16-year-old to join Villa, which will initially see him go into the academy setup.

When he was last in the U18s of an English side, he got four goals and three assists from 13 appearances for West Bromwich Albion in the U18 Premier League.

Harrison, Aston Villa’s Head of Academy, has spoken about how delighted he is to have the youngster among his ranks: “It [Barry’s signing] sends a powerful message about the ambition of this football club. We’re delighted – Louie is a local person and his family are all Villa fans, as is Louie.

“He is still a very young man but as he’s developed, he’s always been one player that you always recognise as having outstanding attributes. He’s got a fantastic mentality, he’s desperate to do well for this football club.

“He’s really driven, he’s got great family support, but in terms of what he can achieve, we firmly believe that he can be an outstanding number nine for this football club.”

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An exciting signing

Barry’s pedigree at youth level is not exclusive to club football, as he has also shown himself to be a valuable asset for England, scoring a combined 10 goals from 14 appearances across the U15s, U16s and U17s.

Former Talent ID Manager for the English FA, Daniel Dodds, who currently works as Head of Academy Recruitment at Nottingham Forest has also been full of praise for the teenager.

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When being interviewed by The Scouted Hub, he even likened Barry to Jamie Vardy, stating: “As a player, his real strength is his work rate, he’s constantly pressurising the opposition when they are on the ball, looking to create opportunities for himself to nick the ball high up the pitch.

“He is quick, and looks to play off the shoulders of the defenders, always looking for space behind them to be able to run into. He’s good in 1v1s and scores a lot of goals from balls in behind that he can run onto. He’s very much in the mould of a Jamie Vardy.”

When Villa fans are hearing references such as that, alongside the fact that he has just spent the second half of 2019 training at La Masia, there should definitely be a reason to join Harrison in his enthusiasm towards the acquisition.

Meanwhile, Villa’s transfer pursuit shows that they have learned from their past mistake.

According to a new report by ESPN, Manchester United have enquired about the possibility of signing Barcelona’s midfielder, Ivan Rakitic.

The Red Devils were made known of his availability in the transfer market and since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate for some additions to his midfield, with Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay both out injured, this could be a big scoop for him.

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However, it’s also important to note that ESPN emphasise the deal is not yet close as Rakitic’s desire to keep his family in Spain could present a potential stumbling block for the English outfit.

The Croatia international has enjoyed a glowing career and commanded esteemed praise in the process.

This is what a handful of footballing experts have had to say about him…

Jose Mourinho, current Tottenham Hotspur manager

Mourinho is a certified fan of Rakitic and he’s not afraid to show it. Back when he was still doing punditry for BeIN Sports, the Portuguese manager heaped praise on the midfielder.

Most notably, he called him one of the most underrated players on the planet and emphasised the work he’s doing on the pitch that goes unnoticed in the public eye.

Here’s what he said for BeIN Sports, as quoted by Bleacher Report:

“Before I leave let me tell something, because I want to say this for a long, long time. For me, Rakitic is one of the most underrated players in the world.

“He’s a fantastic player at every level. He does defensive work on the right side to compensate [for Lionel] Messi, he runs miles, in ball possession he’s fantastic, he’s simple, he’s effective.”

Xavi, former Barcelona player

Xavi is still held in the highest regard in Barcelona’s pantheon of all-time greats and his words are bound to carry weight in the footballing world.

A couple of years back when he was talking about Luka Modric and Rakitic, Croatia’s two mastermind midfielders, the Spaniard dubbed Blaugrana’s man as one of the best signings in club’s history.

Here’s what he said, as quoted by BarcaBlaugranes:

“They are two of the most complete midfielders in the world, two modern footballers, they have it all.

“Rakitić is one of the best signings Barca have made in their history. Every day he gets better, he knows how to adapt to what the team needs, and in every moment he lives a footballing maturity that is extraordinary.”

Luis Enrique, former Barcelona coach

Another great testament to Rakitic’s skill comes from a little story his former gaffer Enrique used to tell back in the day. Before he joined Barcelona, the midfielder was playing his football at Sevilla and interestingly enough, Enrique decided to sign him instead of Toni Kroos.

When explaining his choice, he went on to heap praise on the Croatian, emphasising some of his best qualities while citing the very performance that made him choose him instead of the German.

Here’s what he said when speaking to Catalunya Radio, as quoted by BarcaBlaugranes:

“Sevilla’s star marked our best player with such discipline, with such a capacity… then offensively, we all know the characteristics he has. Great runs, passing, ball control, ability to maintain the ball, ability to play the final ball, strategy… he has it all as a player.

“And on top of that, his behaviour at the personal level when you ask about him. And that’s something we always ask before we sign someone: how is he as a person? Because this is key.”

Verdict

Even though he is now 31 years old, Rakitic is still an excellent squad player who could potentially fill that void in Man United’s midfield and give Solskjaer what he needs.

However, if ESPN’s report is anything to go by, nothing is in the bag just yet.

edWest Brom got back on track at the weekend, winning their first league game in seven attempts whilst also taking control of their throne back from their nearest challengers, Leeds United.

The situation

Slaven Bilic made measures to bolster his defensive ranks in the transfer window, making a surprise swoop for Cardiff City full-back Lee Peltier, possibly under the presumption that academy grad Nathan Ferguson was leaving for Crystal Palace.

The Croatian has also opted to start fellow youth player Dara O’Shea in recent weeks, starting him at right-back during their last two Championship outings as well as in their FA Cup victory over West Ham United.

It now appears as if he has a wealth of options at his disposal defensively, which only raises question marks over who will feature – and who won’t.

Rising doubt

The player that has been dropped recently, at the expense of O’Shea’s involvement, is summer signing Darnell Furlong.

He’s played 26 times in the league this season but has only managed to feature for a total of 25 minutes in back-to-back matches as a substitute.

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As the Irishman is a centre-back by trade, it surely raises doubt over whether or not Bilic actually trusts Furlong as it makes much more sense to play the natural right-back in his position.

Even the arrival of Peltier was quite the shock, he’s another right-sided option who has played 25 times this season for the Bluebirds.

Given that there is now serious competition in his role and his recent exclusion from the starting lineup, it seems the 24-year-old’s immediate future is a little suspect as there’s been nothing to suggest he should be dropped.

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In fact, he’s been one of Albion’s most consistent performers this campaign, averaging a rating of 6.84 as well as 1.8 clearances, 1.1 tackles and 0.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

This weekend’s trip to Millwall will provide further clues into whether it’s actually an issue or merely team selection.

And in other news, here’s what fans have been saying about Nathan Ferguson this week…

Jackie McNamara is reportedly in hospital after the former Celtic captain collapsed near his home in York on Saturday.

Of course, the now 46-year-old has a strong association with Celtic and made more than 250 appearances for the club during his career.

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He claimed four league titles at Celtic in that period and even won 33 Scotland caps. Apart from that, he also played for Wolves, Aberdeen, Falkirk and Partick Thistle before he went into management.

And now, following this concerning turn of events, another Celtic icon Henrik Larsson sent a message to McNamara on

/B8aN-e5H7Fh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram.

Larsson, who also played more than 200 games for Celtic during an esteemed career, sent him all his love and urged him to keep fighting.

At this moment, the former Celtic skipper will need all the support and positive thoughts that he can possibly get and Larsson is definitely doing his part with this message.

Marcelo Bielsa isn’t one to change his starting XI that much.

You could probably name Leeds’ team most weeks and get the majority of them right.

Indeed, there are eight players at the club who have played 29 or more league games this term, and six of those have appeared in every single match.

Some positions are absolutely secure, Kiko Casilla starts every encounter in goal when he’s available, Patrick Bamford is quite clearly the first-choice striker and Jack Harrison is Bielsa’s favoured left-winger.

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However, one spot the Argentine has struggled to decide on is at left-back.

The full-back spot has previously been described as Leeds’ problem position, and Graham Smyth echoed that sentiment once again this week when he named right-back as his position of the year.

Left-back has been a dodgy position, but the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t have to be like that.

A look at the stats shows that Stuart Dallas should really be the only man considered to start at left-back.

He’s been needed in midfield quite a lot this season due to injuries to Adam Forshaw and Pablo Hernandez, but the Spaniard is back now, as is Kalvin Phillips after his suspension.

Dallas makes more tackles than both Alioksi and Douglas, and he also blocks more shots.

He doesn’t quite make as many interceptions as the Macedonian, but Alioski’s good work when recovering the ball is far too often undone by sloppy work in possession – he is dispossessed much more often than the Northern Irishman.

Of course, the modern full-back has to get forward as well as he defends, and Dallas may be the best at that as well. The 28-year-old delivers the least number of unsuccessful crosses per game out of Bielsa’s three options.

By no means does Dallas completely blow Alioski and Douglas away, but he’s consistent in every single area, and that’s something that neither of his rivals can offer.

In other news, Leeds may forever live to regret not completing this signing in 2018.

Sheffield Wednesday are faltering at the moment.

The Owls have won just one of their previous 11 league games, and understandably there have been questions raised about the manager’s future.

Some Wednesday fans have called for Garry Monk’s head, and while you can’t really blame them, one man is right behind the boss.

What’s been said then?

Joey Pelupessy was asked whether or not he’s behind the manager.

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“Absolutely. 100 per cent,” he said (Via Sheffield Star).

“This manager and we as a group, we’ve shown what we are capable of, we showed that in his first months here, before Christmas, but let’s make it clear, it’s time to turn that around now.

“We are 100 per cent responsible, nobody else. It’s us as a group, we as players and we do it together, with the manager, with the staff, everybody. One thing is for sure we give 100 per cent, we keep working hard, I know maybe it doesn’t look good at the moment but we are working hard, there is no doubt.”

Good signs

These comments are undoubtedly an encouraging sign.

The midfielder has said that the squad are taking full responsibility on the situation and has reassured fans that the team are working hard to right their recent wrongs.

If everyone is pulling in the same direction there’s no reason why the Yorkshire club can’t get themselves out of this mess and rediscover the form that saw them sitting in third after 23 games.

The Steel City outfit have a mountain to climb if they want to get back in and around the top six with nine points separating them from a playoff place, but stranger things have happened in football. At their best, the Owls are good enough to beat any team in the division as shown by their victory over high-flying Leeds United at Elland Road last month.

In other news, one call Garry Monk has made makes no sense.

A much-changed Wolverhampton Wanderers may not have beaten Espanyol on Thursday night, but there are positives to be taken from the 3-2 loss, with the obvious one being that they have progressed to the next round of the Europa League.

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Another big one is Daniel Podence’s performance, with the 24-year-old acting as their standout performer on the night.

His showing has got plenty of Wolves fans talking about the quality that he possesses.

The Portuguese forward assisted both of their goals against the opposition from La Liga, with his second being the most impressive. He used intelligence to run behind the sleeping defence from a throw, before fizzing a ball into Matt Doherty for an easy finish.

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Aside from that, he completed two dribbles and two key passes, while he also showed his threat with a run and shot that eventually saw the ball go over.

All of the above has caught the attention of Wolves fans, with one jokingly referring to him as a “young Hazard”.

He has been recognised as the team’s main bright spark during the game, with one fan going as far as to say he was “the only good thing to come from tonight”.

WhoScored came close to agreeing that Podence was their best player, as he was just 0.1 behind Adama Traore, who got their biggest score with 7.6.

Regardless of whether he was the best on the night, Podence has caught the eye of fans with his performance – he will be hoping the same can be said for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Meanwhile, Wolves fans want potential summer departee to stay put.

Rangers’ disappointing Scottish Cup defeat to Hearts was full of narratives. Not only was Alfredo Morelos missing but the pressure mounted on Steven Gerrard who earned criticism from the supporters.

Some called for his sacking and resignation as the manager himself admitted that he had a lot of thinking to do.

“I need to think. The plan was to have a day off tomorrow [Sunday] but I need to think hard about where we are at as a group. I need to do some real serious thinking in the next 24-48 hours,” Gerrard said.

When questioned about his future, the boss added: “I just need to think, I am feeling pain right now because I want to win here. I am desperate to win here, but looking from the side today I didn’t get the impression that the feeling among my players was the same.”

It was a clear sign of frustration from the 39-year-old who looked like a beaten man.

Rangers’ form in recent weeks has been inconsistent. One minute the Glaswegian outfit are on the up, beating Braga over two legs and then the next moment they’re down, losing 1-0 to Hearts.

But there is a common theme emerging at Ibrox. Morelos missed both of those matches.

The Colombian sat out in Portugal last Wednesday because of suspension but he wasn’t included on Saturday because of disciplinary issues. When Gerrard needed his star man the most, he was anonymous and causing trouble.

It was typical of a player who has been sent off seven times in his Rangers career. This wasn’t the first time he’s let his manager down, but arguably, this was the most telling. Arriving back late from a trip to his homeland, the sanction and message was clear from Gerrard.

For the sake of his own job, he could have done with his 29-goal striker on Saturday. With Jermain Defoe only just back from injury and Florian Kamberi cup-tied, there was a lack of a central threat.

Gerrard needed Morelos but he was nowhere to be seen. Indeed, he’s been difficult to pick out at all in 2020.

Morelos is yet to score this calendar year and subsequently, the Gers have fallen 12 points behind Celtic in the race for the title – they’ve also failed to take a win from five of their domestic outings.

Had the £13.5m-rated forward been firing in the goals on a regular basis, Rangers might still be in with a chance of stopping their Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Premiership. Had he been available against Hearts, they might have also made it through to the next round of the Scottish Cup.

Those are big ‘what ifs’ but as it happens, Rangers’ chances of securing silverware now look extremely thin this season, primarily because of Morelos’ poor form in 2020.

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It’s clear Rangers have had an over-reliance on the 23-year-old and with fans now on Gerrard’s back and the manager himself mulling over his future, it’s his star man that’s beginning to cost the manager the most. The irony is notable.

If Morelos continues to misfire and cause trouble, it’s likely Rangers’ struggles will also continue.

Meanwhile, check out Chris Sutton’s EIGHT-WORD response to Rangers’ Scottish Cup defeat…