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It is testimony to not only Borussia Dortmund as a club but Jurgen Klopp as a coach that while many were writing the team off as `one hit wonders`, for replacing Bayern Munich as Bundesliga champions, they got on with the job of taking another giant leap forward. That would entail transferring their domestic dominance on to the stage of Europe`s premier club competition, a tough ask considering their poor showing 12 months earlier when they bowed out, with a whimper, after the group stage.

The task became even more daunting when the draw for the Champions` League qualifying group was made putting the champions of Germany, Spain, Holland and England into Group D. Very few pundits outside Dortmund`s home in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr expected Germany`s team of the moment to emerge from the group, let alone unbeaten but that`s exactly what happened. And top of the group for good measure.

Jurgen Klopp`s team made the best possible start to what many considered the toughest of groups with a 1-0 home victory over Ajax. They could have made the winning margin more emphatic but for a missed penalty from Mats Hummels. But they stuck at the task with typical patience and were rewarded three minutes from time with the only goal of the game when the player who was to prove their talisman on the way to the final at Wembley, Robert Lewandowski, scored.

Matchday 2 took Dortmund to the Etihad where their reduced level of expectation was the polar opposite of Manchester City`s cash-fuelled Champions` League dream. Borussia went ahead through German Footballer of the Year Marco Reus, a surprise capture from Borussia Monchengladbach, and would have secured back to back wins but for a late penalty equaliser from the enigmatic Mario Balotelli.

Such was the high quality of Dortmund`s performance on the night that coach Jurgen Klopp said afterwards.

“We were almost terrified out there at how perfectly our plan came together.”

The next fixture would, in many peoples` eyes, be the most testing as far as how well Borussia would fare in this season`s Champions` League.

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Quietly and confidently Dortmund went into that, their third group fixture, at home to Real Madrid, and it was the eventual 2-1 victory that made the rest of Europe stand up and take note as the German champions served notice they would be no respecters of Real`s history and standing. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring late in the first half before Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity. Marcel Schmelzer`s goal shortly after the restart not only gave Dortmund the platform for eventual victory over Madrid but sent them top of the table, a position they were not to relinquish.

The reigning Bundesliga champions cemented their leadership of Group D with a 2-2 draw away to Real Madrid. They would have claimed an historic double over the Spanish side but for a late equaliser, in the 89th minute, from a Mezut Ozil free kick. Marco Reus opened the scoring for the visitors before an equaliser from the unlikely Pepe got Real back into the game. Alvaro Arbelo then put through his own goal to put Dortmund in the driving seat before Ozil saved Jose Mourinho a few blushes with a point saver.

In week five Dortmund went to former European Cup giants Ajax and swept them aside with a 4-1 win. Goals from Reus, Goetze and two from Lewandowski rendered a late Ajax goal mere consolation and set up a final group game with winless Manchester City. The Premier League champions needed victory for more reasons than just three points as no team had ever gone through a Champions` League qualifying group without securing at least one win. But that was the albatross Mancini`s men were burdened with as Julian Schieber scored the only goal of the game in the second half to secure top spot on Group D and send the German champions through to a last 16 showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk.

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Rather prophetically, in the aftermath of Champions` League exit, Roberto Mancini likened City`s situation to that which Dortmund suffered the year previously when they too went out after the group stage. The Italian said that.

“This year I think Dortmund can win the Champions` League.”

The Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern are expecting the summer window to bring with it a lot of excitement. With Arsene Wenger set to leave, the very foundations of the club are going to have their biggest shake-up in years. 

It’s safe to expect a few major signings, as well as a few major departures, and you’d imagine that a lot will change behind the scenes too.

Unfortunately, though, whilst many players are likely to have a different experience under whoever comes in to replace Arsene Wenger, there are a couple of players that may be unaffected.

One such player is young Gedion Zelalem, Arsenal’s talented young attacker. In truth, it’s hard to see any way of him getting into the Arsenal first team, and so perhaps it’s time for him to seek an exit this summer.

After all, he’s already 21 and is yet to have a sniff at gaining a role in the Arsenal first team in the Premier League, and a couple of fairly unproductive loans over the last few years have done little to help his case.

Not to mention, Arsenal are blessed with attacking talent, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi unlikely to lose their prominence anytime soon.

Unfortunately for him, he’s at a point in his career where he needs to make a decision. Unless a new manager comes to the Emirates and immediately signals him out as a star, which is very unlikely, it might be time for him to consider moving on.

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Arsenal fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

It was another case of so close yet so far for Tottenham, who grabbed a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League thanks to their one-nil at Everton on the final day of the season.

Finishing just six points behind Manchester United who took the last Champions League spot may have come as a disappointment, but there are plenty of positives to take from an impressive season; Mauricio Pochettino’s first in charge at White Hart Lane.

To finish where they have with such a relatively young side must give the manager great confidence of challenging for the Champions League places next season, and with the correct changes in the summer they can do just that.

While a number of players are expected to leave the club over the summer, there are sure to be a few new arrivals as Pochettino looks to bolster his squad.

And the work has already begun for the Londoners, who announced the signing of Austrian defender Kevin Wimmer on Friday; who will arrive from Cologne for an undisclosed fee.

Wimmer is unlikely to be the only defender arriving at the club this summer, and there could soon be another one arriving very shortly in the form of Burnley’s Kieran Trippier.

Following an impressive season in the Championship last term where he helped Burnley to promotion, he continued his fine form this year as one of the stand out performers at Turf Moor.

Unfortunately for the England Under-21 star, this wasn’t enough to keep his side in the division, and having been relegated from the top-flight Burnley are expected to lose their right-back as he extends his Premier League stay.

Liverpool and Bournemouth are both interested in the 24-year-old, but reports suggest Spurs are set to win the race for the defender and can trigger his release clause with a £3.5m bid.

Spurs are still believed to have fitness concerns over their first choice right-back Kyle Walker given his recent injury record, and with uncertainty over DeAndre Yedlin’s readiness to slot straight into English football, Trippier is seen as an ideal signing.

He’s certainly proved he can cut it at the top level, and is a great example of a modern day full-back who is just as good going forward as he is in defence, and at less than £4m he represents a real bargain in today’s market

Trippier may not immediately feel like an ambitious signing, but his stats this season certainly prove that he could become a hit at Tottenham.

The Burnley star recorded a total of 91 accurate crosses in 38 appearances, highlighting just how much of a threat he is going forward. Christian Eriksen was Spurs’ leading star in this department but with just 32 in his 38 appearances.

Focusing on both Burnley and Tottenham again; in terms of chances created Eriksen got the better this time with 84, but Trippier came out second with 64; a great return for a defender.

And without the ball he’s just as impressive, finishing second in terms of tackles won with 57, while Danny Rose leads the way having recorded 70 in just 28 appearances.

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The pair could soon be teammates and the first-choice full-backs at White Hart Lane, and all signs point to Trippier becoming an important member of the Spurs squad next season who could prove one of the bargains of the summer.

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With the summer transfer window looming in, every Premier League club will be looking to tailor their roster in time for next season. Although fans much prefer the often hyperbolic and unfounded stories regarding their team’s future purchases, in order to make room for new recruits to bring improvements to the squad, room has to first be made by getting rid of some of the deadwood.

Liverpool, just as any club, have a number of stars who have become surplus to requirements, and are furthermore no longer cost effective. Whilst at Anfield their generation of promising youngsters is finally coming through, there are plenty of senior players who’ve overstayed their welcome, and are no longer living up to expectations.

We’ve complied a list of five Reds players whose tenure on Merseyside is set to be cut short in the summer, unless they fancy making the rare walk across Stanley Park and switch allegiances to Everton.

Click Here or on Stewart Downing to reveal the Five Liverpool stars set for the transfer list.

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Manchester United winger Nani has reportedly retracted his initial increased wage demand, according to The Sun.

At the latter end of last season, Nani, 25, initially requested a pay increase from £90,000 to £130,000 pounds a week which would mean a weekly pay rise of just under 50%. However, in the second half of the 2011/12 season the winger suffered a subsequent loss of form, scoring only two goals.

Nani’s loss of form continued to slump during Portugal’s Euro 2012 campaign and seemingly has failed to improve after a disappointing performance against Everton on Monday, which eventually saw him replaced by Ashley Young with just over ten minutes remaining. The Sun now claims that Ashley Young will now start ahead of Nani when Manchester United play Fulham at Old Trafford tomorrow.

As a consequence, Nani has dropped his wage demands in fear of losing his place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s first eleven. Nani faces stiff competition in his position, with Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and veteran Ryan Giggs also able to perform on both wings. Sir Alex Ferguson has told the winger that in order to receive a wage increase he needs to emulate the kind of form that saw him in the PFA team of the year at the end of the 2009/10 season.

Nani earns considerably less than the United top earners. These include Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie who comfortably exceed the £10 million pound income received per annum. This is compared to the £4 million pounds Nani earns per annum. Conversely, Nani still earns less than his colleagues vying for the same position Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs, but still earns more than Antonio Valencia.

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Nani was rumoured to be of interest to both Real Madrid and Zenit St. Petersburg in the summer but consequentially to these rumours Manchester United have said that with two years left to run on Nani’s contract, they would not be willing to let him go for any less than £25 million pounds.

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Newcastle United will look to extend their brilliant winning run and boost their chances of securing an eighth place finish at the end of the Premier League season when they face Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night.

The Magpies were in real trouble of being involved in a relegation battle just a few weeks ago, but four successive top flight victories have seen them surpass the magic 40-point mark that will guarantee their spot at this level for at least another year, and they can now start looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.

The last of those victories came as they beat Arsenal 2-1 at St James’ Park last weekend, coming from 1-0 down thanks to goals from the in-form Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie.

Rafa Benitez’s men go into the match on Merseyside in 10th position and just one point and one place behind Sam Allardyce’s side, but despite the momentum they currently have it won’t be a simple task to extend their victorious run.

While the Toffees have sometimes struggled on the road in 2018, they have taken 11 points from the last 18 available on their own patch, and will be determined to finish in eighth too after what has been a hugely disappointing campaign following a big summer of spending.

Benitez has largely kept with the same XI in recent weeks seeing as there hasn’t been too many reasons to change things up, but the Spaniard may feel that he needs to make some alterations at Goodison in order to help his team pick up the three points.

Here is how Newcastle must line up against Everton, ahead of Martin Dubravka in goal…

Newcastle have had a settled back five – Dubravka, Paul Dummett, Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and DeAndre Yedlin – for a number of weeks now, and that consistency and the impressive performances by the backline are one of the reasons why the Magpies have gone on such an impressive winning run.

Considering the Tyneside outfit have only conceded twice in their last four Premier League matches, there is no reason for Benitez to change things ahead of the trip to Merseyside.

Like in defence, Benitez has stuck with a settled midfield four of Kenedy, Jonjo Shelvey, Mo Diame and Matt Ritchie during their winning run, and they once again shone in the 2-1 victory against Arsenal last weekend.

Shelvey put in a man-of-the-match performance, Ritchie scored his side’s winning goal and loanee Kenedy, whom the club are confident they will sign on a permanent deal, hit the woodwork with a looped effort, with the quartet all in fine form right now.

As with the defence, Benitez should go with those four at Goodison Park, and he will be hoping they can make a similar impact in the final third.

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Ayoze Perez continued his fine run of form for Newcastle with his side’s opening goal in the 2-1 win against Arsenal last time out, and the Spaniard is undroppable right now having come under criticism from the St James’ Park faithful for some of his displays earlier in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Dwight Gayle has been a regular starter in attack recently but Benitez should look to bring Slimani into the starting XI for this one after he had a hand in Ritchie’s winning goal last weekend.

Benitez needs to take more of a look at the Algeria international in the final five fixtures to see if the Tyneside outfit should sign him on a permanent deal this summer.

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

Southampton have been tipped to implode for months. They were the team separating the title chasers City and Chelsea in November. They lost heavily to a rampant City side, and we all thought that was the beginning of the end.

Fourth place was still on, though. But they look too far away at this point.

The goal now is to beat Spurs -and former manager Mauricio Pochettino – to a Europa League spot. Easier said than done, of course, but Southampton are in a bit of a dilemma just at the moment.

This season the Saints have been a revelation. Which is strange – they captured hearts last season, with Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez as a front three lighting up the league, Jose Fonte and Dejan Lovren solid at the back, and Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama starring in the middle.

All of those player, though, attracted more glamourous suitors, and there was a bit of an Exodus from St Mary’s in the summer.

The team everyone tipped to struggle, though, have really had a great season by anyone’s standards under Ronald Koeman. Not just by the standards of a team missing its best players after a summer of departures.

But although this season has been wonderful for Koeman’s side, we do always look to the teams doing well and if they aren’t playing European football alongside their league and domestic cup games, we wonder if their form would have faded if they had played games in midweek too.

This might be one reason for Southampton’s success this season, but it’s harsh to say it’s the only one. They’ve certainly played some wonderful football, and they’ve based their attacking prowess on top of the meanest defence in the league.

So perhaps European football – especially in the dreaded Europa League – next season might be a bad thing for the Saints as they try to build on their wonderful season this time around and cement their place among England’s elite.

The last teams to threaten the cartel who dominate the European places, Everton and Newcastle who both finished fifth, ended up a long way down the table the next season. Newcastle were involved in a relegation battle, and it’s still unclear if Everton will be sucked into it. Though they’ll more than likely be OK.

Travelling to exotic destinations would really test the mettle of Koeman’s men, and they’d need to strengthen in the summer to be able to deal with all the games and travelling. The Thursday – Sunday turnover seems to mess with most teams, and there’s no reason to think that Southampton would be any different.

Yet, although the Europa League may be a blessing in some ways, not getting a European place could be even worse for the team’s future development.

Clubs were circling like sharks for Southampton’s best and brightest stars in the summer. Lambert left to play Champions League football for his boyhood team, and the fans have accepted that as a valid excuse for leaving, but they are bitter about the departures of the rest.

Without European football next season, Southampton may struggle to hold on to other top players like Schneiderlin and Wanyama or even Nathaniel Clyne and Fraser Forster who have earned England call-ups because of their wonderful form.

These players could tempt bigger clubs, and could be tempted themselves by bigger wages and Champions League football. Callum Chambers, for example, seems to have gained an England call-up quite simply on the back of his move to Arsenal.

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So this is the dilemma facing the Saints over the last few games and over the summer. If they qualify for the Europa League, they might be able to hold on to their best players, and maybe even attract new players to strengthen the club. Yet they run the risk of fading away next season, and maybe still losing some important players to bigger teams anyway, and that’s the kind of thing that sets a club back and halts progression.

But if they don’t qualify, the situation may be even worse, strengthening the squad would be tough, and losing players would look all but inevitable. Yet they’d have another season to try to continue to build and create a squad capable of qualifying for Europe next time and competing on two fronts.

Europe can be a blessing and a curse, and not qualifying for Europe could also be a blessing and a curse.

Southampton face uncertainty over their future, but only a few short years ago they were languishing in League 1, so the fact we’re even talking about Europe is incredible. It might not be an easy situation in which to find yourself, but it’s never easy at the top – and that’s exactly where the Saints hope to be.

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It has been an incredibly troubling campaign for Alan Pardew. Every Newcastle defeat appears to chalk a year off of his life, with quickly emerging wrinkles, blemishes to his skin and ever-whitening hair implying that he only rests at night after one of the club’s rather sporadic victories – the only redeeming sign of youth and enthusiasm upon his physical appearance being his apparently trendy facial hair.

No doubt, he was caught off-guard by the Magpies’ complete contrast in form in comparison to last season. Having finished up in 5th place in the Premier League the campaign previous, Pardew was announced as the recipient of the manager of the year award, and thus tied down to an eight year contract by Mike Ashley.

But instead of a season of consolidation, or even a slight dip into mid-table mediocrity, Newcastle find themselves just five points clear of the relegation zone, following a humbling 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at the weekend, in a year in which the club have continually flirted with the idea of getting caught up in the scrap at the bottom of the table.

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It begs the question of what has been going on in the backrooms of St. James’s Park, to turn a side that surpassed expectations as the Premier League’s biggest over-achievers into the top flight’s biggest underachievers in simply a matter of months. Furthermore, considering the money spent by Mike Ashley and the fantastic work by Graham Carr to bring in an influx of exceptional Ligue 1 talent that underpinned the Magpies’ initial success, what effect, if any, does Pardew actually have upon the club or the players?

As I’ve just alluded to, the former West Ham and Charlton boss has had no effect on the club’s incomings and outgoings, despite the transfer market being Newcastle’s most effective vehicle for change since Pardew’s controversial appointment in 2011 at the expense of Chris Haughton, after apparently bumping into Mike Ashley on a rather boozy night out at a casino in London.

All of the hard work, the finding and securing the signings of players such as Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa, Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba, whom were amongst the biggest contributors to Newcastle’s form last year, was conducted by Chief Scout Graham Carr. Similarly, the continuation of the French revolution this season, bringing in more Ligue 1 stars to prize the club away from the relegation struggle, such as Mattieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran and Massadio Haidara, was furthermore none of Pardew’s own doing, despite it probably being the biggest factor which will ensure Newcastle’s Premiership survival come the end of May.

Whether Pardew is even brought into the decision process, given a yes or no option, or even asked for his opinion remains unclear, but the fact that he’s spent most of the season discussing a potential return for Andy Carroll and wishing he could re-sign Kevin Nolan, along with his lack of protest against the club signing just one player in the summer, Vernon Anita, suggests he is on the whole left in the dark when it comes to the club’s transfers, and is certainly not drafting shortlists of targets based upon his superior knowledge of European football for Mike Ashley to consider.

It is hard to determine where the Magpies gaffer would be placed on a managerial spectrum. He is certainly not an avid tactician, with the modern day 4-5-1 of two wide men and a central attacking midfielder or the traditional 4-4-2 being the only deployed systems at St. James’s Park. Similarly, he is not a disciplinarian or win-at-any-cost type of boss, in the style of Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis, despite Newcastle’s distinctly long-ball style. A Newcastle fan commented on a blog earlier in the season, that by November, the Magpies had scored just once from 234 attempted corners, despite the cultured boot of Yohan Cabaye and the considerable aerial prowess of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi and Steven Taylor to name a few, whilst at the other end, Newcastle have been caught out on numerous occasions from set pieces and consequently conceding. It’s safe to say that Pardew is not an astute organiser.

So if Pardew is not a transfer market wheeler-dealer, a training ground organisationalist, a tactical wizard or even philosophical thinker, what does he actually bring to the Newcastle helm?

Well, he’s certainly an enthusiastic and optimistic man, which tends to spill over into his usual excuse-finding spin of events during press conferences. Pardew knows how to work the media, with the world of critical journalism buying into his reasoning of the Europa League’s demanding schedule being the major contributor to the Magpies’ poor domestic form.

But it just one of a number of excuses that have come from the Newcastle boss this season, whom has enlisted a whole range of justifications for the club losing 17 times so far this year, some of which include a “lack of experience” of certain players, a “negative reaction” from the Newcastle faithful on occasion, how refereeing “decisions seem to go against us”, and of course, “we were just tired”.

Pardew being handed the Newcastle job, and furthermore being handed an eight year contract, has as much to do with his inadequacies as a manager as it does his qualities. The 51 year old’s rather passive role at the club, which seems to end at keeping the roster as happy as possible, is an ideal situation for Mike Ashley, and many Magpies fans have alluded to Pardew’s role as a stooge for the board.

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Ashley needs someone who won’t get in the way of big business deals, make demands for more money or new players, and most importantly will not rival his power and authority at the club, in the manner a Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger or David Moyes might do. Even if Pardew were to serve his full eight year term, you get the feeling he’d never challenge the Newcastle owner or openly defy him.

But there seems to be one problem in Ashley’s puppeteering, and that appears to be Pardew himself. I must enquire as to what the Newcastle fans, and indeed the owner, were expecting upon signing the former West Ham gaffer, simply because throughout his career there has been a rather repetitive pattern. Perhaps it is more a sign of the times of the world of football management, but it is no coincidence that the same thing has happened at all of the Magpies boss’s clubs.

There is an initial honeymoon period of unprecedented success; for the Hammers, it was a top half finish and an FA Cup final, at Charlton it was the near avoidance of relegation, and at Newcastle it was ending the season in fifth place. But there soon comes a backlash; West Ham nearly relegated the following year, Charlton hitting a downward spiral and ending up in League One, and now Newcastle just five points clear of the drop, despite their incredibly talented roster.

So what does Pardew actually bring to the club? Well, quite simply, he is a figurehead and a spokesman -to fill a void out of the requirement to have a head coach or manager, or else appear to be at the total disposal of the owner. He creates a buffer zone between the fans and Mike Ashley, to act as a front man for the media and a representative of the Newcastle squad, but his actual power at the club, in terms of making crucial decisions, regarding the first team or otherwise, is sufficiently limited. He may have brought the luck and charm that a new often manager brings when arriving at a new club, but his influence on results last season and this season can be summed up in a simple word – ineffectual. The only bright side is that the club will be at no loss, excluding his rather large compensation package, upon Pardew’s eventual departure.

As reported by The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the sides interested in signing Norwich City star James Maddison this summer.

What’s the story?

Mauricio Pochettino already has a stable of talented young English players at the club but after developing the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane into polished UEFA Champions League quality players, there’s always room for more.

One 21-year-old who could fit the bill is Norwich midfielder James Maddison, who has impressed in the English Championship this season.

That’s according to The Telegraph, who say Spurs will jostle with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City for his services.

The paper reckon he could cost as much as £25m, with Norwich not especially eager to see him leave the club so early in his career.

Can he make the step up?

It’s difficult enough to step up from the Championship to the Premier League, never mind moving to that next level at one of the division’s top six sides, so wherever Maddison ends up, he’ll have plenty of learning to do.

His season in the second-tier has been absolutely stunning, so he has as much chance as any young midfielder in the country to perform consistently for a side like Spurs.

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With 15 goals and 11 assists, he’s show he can contribute massively over the course of a season and appears ready to play against a higher standard of opposition.

Can Tottenham offer him the first team football he needs? There’s a good chance given Pochettino’s faith in youth English talent and ending up at Spurs could well be the best thing for the player’s development in comparison to a side like Man City.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette recrntly and it’s not surprising. The 23-year-old striker has been in excellent form so far this season and has attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including some in the Premier League.

The Frenchman has excellent ability that will make him one of Europe’s best strikers for many seasons to come. He has remarkable pace alongside concise dribbling skills that makes him very difficult for any defence to handle. His goalscoring form this season is one of the best in Europe, with only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having scored more so far this term.

He has 21 goals in 23 appearances in Ligue 1 since the beginning of the campaign, with 19 of those strikes coming from his lethal right foot. His movement and skill is similar to that of Luis Suarez and, despite being only 5’8, he is a very strong figure who is difficult to knock off the ball.

There is no doubt that the young striker has bags of ability. he has a higher take-on success percentage than the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as well as having a very strong 68% shot accuracy. He is one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe at the moment and it will not be long before the striker will leave Lyon in search of bigger things.

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The striker has received no shortage of praise in recent months and he has been absolutely vital to Lyon’s success in the league. In the five recent matches that Lyon were without Lacazette due to a thigh injury, they failed to record a single victory. Thierry Henry described Lacazette as ‘extraordinary’ and former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier believes the striker can become world-class due to his ability and professionalism, so hopefully he can live up to the high expectations.

The question surrounding Lacazette’s future is intriguing. His pace and finishing ability means that he will be well suited to any of the best leagues in Europe, but there is rumoured to be strong interest from the Premier League in the shape of Arsenal and Liverpool. Arsenal lack a real pacey striker that has a current goalscoring record like Lacazette and Arsene Wenger’s French connections will undoubtedly represent an attractive option for the striker.

Liverpool’s interest will depend on whether the team qualifies for the Champions League next season, though, as Lacazette will want to be playing his club football at the highest level in order to cement a regular place in France’s international squad.

If Lacazette continues to replicate the form that has made him one of the hottest prospects in Europe so far, there could be a huge transfer tug-of-war for the player’s services in the summer. The French league has improved in terms of quality in recent seasons and his current goal tally is something that should not be sniffed at.

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France seem to have developed a knack of producing talented frontmen, and Lacazette is no different. The striker has spent his entire career at Lyon so far but it would be surprising if the striker didn’t move on at the end of the season. Wherever he ends up, Lacazette looks certain to be Europe’s next biggest attacking talent.

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