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 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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Poor Gonzalo Higuain. He’s the guy we all feel sorry for, the guy struck by lightning twice. He had the chance to win the World Cup for Argentina in 2014. In the Maracana no less, the Argentinian invasion of the Brazilian homeland, the raiders in the temple. But he fluffed his lines.

For a year it played on his mind. He had an up and down season for Napoli in the meantime. Personally he did well, 29 goals in all competitions. But Rafael Benitez’s side failed to make it into the Champions League, knocked out in the play-off, and then failed to make it back into the competition through their league position this season, finishing fourth.

And then lightning struck our poor, feckless unfortunate for a second time. Gonzalo missed another chance to land his country a major international trophy as he missed a sitter in the Copa America final against Chile. Yet again the Albiceleste were the invading pillagers, hoping to beat Chile right in their own back yard. But Higuain once again stepped right into the dog-do. That miss under pressure is becoming an alarming trope in the career of such a wonderful striker.

But no matter. Onwards and upwards. Rafael Benitez has shown that you can have a disappointing season with Napoli and still move onto better things – incidentally, his agent is Charles Manson – so maybe we’ll see Higuain depart the San Paolo in Naples for pastures new in the Premier League.

And if he does, where should he go?

He’s been linked with a move to Manchester United, he’s been linked to Arsenal, and now Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in spending all of their Sterling money in one sweet shop.

So assuming poor Gonzalo wants to exorcise his ghosts in England, and assuming all three can offer him the wage he desires, which club should he choose?

You’d bet that he’d be a starter at all three. He’s a world class striker and more than that he has the profile for the Premier League. All big and burly and powerful. He’s a classy finisher with an eye for goal, and luckily for our trio of Premier League suitors there’s no big international final in sight.

And all three are making waves in the transfer market already this summer.

Arsenal look to be well on track with their squad, with perhaps only a defensive midfielder needed for a full-on assault on the title. Maybe Coquelin will be trusted to do it himself, but another strong midfield presence is surely needed. And then a real world class striker like Higuain would really push them on. Giroud is good, but Higuain and Giroud is much better!

As for Liverpool, they’ve brought in quite a few signings, and they look like good ones. But Ings and Milner, even Firmino… they don’t look like signings to bring the team much further than their current level, they look like great squad players who’ll give the side a bite, a work rate and a little bit of extra in terms of man-power. Admirable things no doubt, but when you’ve already got that adding some pizzazz and Hollywood sexiness to your team is next. Higuain can do that very well indeed. Ok, he’s not exactly Brigitte Bardot, but you get what I mean.

And then there’s Manchester United. Deprived of Falcao, Van Persie and probable Chicharito too next season, United probably need a striker. And Van Gaal might not necessarily want to use one regularly. After all, Rooney can do that job, but he’s not really a ‘number 9’. Neither would someone like Thomas Muller fit that bill. Though both would surely score goals.

Surely if you’re going to play false 9 – especially in the Premier League where teams are powerful and will take no prisoners – you need a number 9 as a backup. Spending upwards of £60m on ‘backup’ is utter madness, but if any team is going to do it this summer it’s Manchester United. Still, I can’t really see Higuain as backup in any team. If they sign him they’ll play him. It’ll just add to Van Gaal’s options and play into his new ‘power and technique’ fad which has seen him buy the likes of Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin.

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If it were me, I’d choose Arsenal. Simply because they look more like the finished article. United are making waves and they look like they’ll be close to challenging next season, but you just don’t know. They’ve bought quite a few players and Van Gaal is sure to want them to play a certain way. It’s an exciting time, but there’s just no guarantee it’s going to come off. It’s a similar story with Liverpool – lots of new faces and plenty of excitement, but a bad start and the wheels can come off even before the first bend.

It just looks like a safer bet to join Arsenal, and if he does he’ll be one of the final pieces of the jigsaw.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the best option. Nor do we, on the outside looking in, have any indication that any of these clubs are preparing a serious bid for Higuain. But the talk certainly is hotting up. And if all are interested then all have a chance of landing him. All that remains to be seen is which route he chooses.

As reported by the Scottish Sun, Rangers will use this month’s transfer window to ship out a large portion of their summer business, with up to five Pedro Caixinha signings set to leave the club.

What’s the story?

The Ibrox side invested heavily in Caixinha’s vision for the club last summer, allowing him to make huge changes to the Light Blues squad. The Portuguese ended up making a massive 11 signings, but failed in his aims for the season and was eventually sacked by the end of October.

Sadly for supporters, many of those signings haven’t quite worked out and Rangers are set to show no mercy by axeing them from Graeme Murty’s squad.

The Scottish Sun report that Bruno Alves, Fabio Cardoso, Carlos Pena, Eduardo Herrera and Dalcio are all on the brink of a mid-season exit.

The paper say that while the club are attracting suitors for the likes of Alves and Pena from their respective homelands, they could have more difficult offloading flops like striker Herrera.

Another window of upheaval

There’s been quite the revolving door at Ibrox in recent transfer windows. Accompanying all the players coming into the club last summer were as many players going in the opposite direction with no less than 11 first team stars shipped out by Caixinha.

It’s all been a rather expensive and arduous process, with little tangible benefit on the field, still trailing behind Celtic and failing to reach finals of domestic cup competitions.

However, getting rid of these Caixinha flops is better than the alternative of them clogging up the wage bill at Ibrox while under performing or not playing at all.

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Supporters will be hoping that any incoming transfers this month will prove to be more successful than these five players.

The derby between Celtic and Rangers over the Festive period is a tradition in Scottish football that always captures the imagination. Once a definitive fixture in the league that could shift momentum and win or lose a league titles, it’s a massive occasion that comes along when Glasgow is in the midst of Christmas and New Year celebrations, heightening an already electric atmosphere.

This Saturday may not have the weight of those title-deciders of the past, but it’s still going to be a huge 90 minutes for both teams and both sets of supporters.

The teams’ aims will be the same, but expectations different. While Rangers will of course be playing to win, they go into this match as underdogs, facing a Celtic side that have only lost one domestic fixture since May 2016.

Celtic are hoping to re-assert their dominance over their city rivals and move further ahead in the league table, also needing to win to keep Aberdeen at arms length in second place.

How will this one be decided?

These are the THREE key battles that will settle the outcome…

Kristoffer Ajer vs Alfredo Morelos

One of the most intriguing match-ups will revolve around Celtic’s ability to defend against one of the in-form attackers in the Scottish Premiership this season.

Alfredo Morelos has scored 12 goals for the Light Blues so far this term and after a barren spell of 10 matches without finding the back of the net, he’s found his scoring touch again recently, netting four goals in his last five appearances.

That tally is more than both Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele, highlighting Morelos’ importance to Rangers and if they’re to get anything from the game on Saturday he will likely be at the heart of it.

In his way will be young Kristoffer Ajer and likely defensive partner Dedryck Boyata. The Norwegian teenager has brought a calmness and composure to an under fire defensive line in recent matches, helping them to clean sheets in his last three, and has likely done enough to earn a starting spot in his first derby.

Saturday will be one of his toughest tests so far though and dealing with the pacy Colombian will be high on his priority list. Keep him quiet and Rangers will struggle to find goals elsewhere in the team.

James Forrest vs Declan John

James Forrest has arguably been Celtic’s player of the season so far, scoring 12 goals, providing 3 assists and generally being a nuisance for defences both domestically and in Europe. On Saturday he has the chance to end 2017 on the perfect high note with a strong performance in the derby against Rangers and if he plays to the best of his ability, the Light Blues simply might not be able to handle him.

Tasked with countering his attacking threat will likely be Declan John, whose successful loan spell at Rangers was recently made into a permanent one after impressive form for the Ibrox side.

Though primarily a left-back, his strengths lie in attack and it’ll be an interesting tug of war on that flank as both John and Forrest will be tasked with injecting pace and width into the final third, while defending against oncoming attacks and counters.

Can the Welsh defender offer a more disciplined performance to deal with the Forrest threat, or is the best form of defence actually attacking?

Moussa Dembele vs Bruno Alves

If Bruno Alves and Moussa Dembele are selected, both have missed matches recently, it will undoubtedly be the most intriguing battle on Saturday.

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It’s the classic clash of youth vs experience as the decorated Portuguese legend goes up against one of the up and coming names in European football.

Dembele was the scourge of Rangers last season, scoring five goals against the Ibrox side before 2017 ended, but hasn’t scored against them since the Hogmanay fixture at this stage 12 months ago. He’s a big game player and will want to make his mark on Saturday, but in his way is a seasoned competitor who, while not at his peak, still has plenty of experience against elite attackers.

The Alves move to Rangers may not have been the wild success so far that supporters hoped for but he will surely be determined to put in a strong performance against Celtic, having missed out on the first derby match this season.

Can the Euro 2016 winner keep a young hotshot quiet, or will Dembele’s power and pace show that Alves is coming the end of his playing career?

According to Italian media outlet Gianluca Di Marzio, out of favour Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini is a January target for Serie A side Bologna, and Saints fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.

The Italy international made a huge impression at St Mary’s following his move from Napoli this time last year, including scoring a brace in their 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in the EFL Cup final in February.

However, he has struggled to find the net since or perform well in the lone striker role, and the 26-year-old has only started one of the lowly south coast outfit’s last 12 Premier League matches having fallen down the pecking order under Mauricio Pellegrino, with Bologna ready to take him back to Serie A this month.

Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the potential exit, and while one described it as “a new low from the board”, another said it would be “absolutely criminal to let a talented player like Gabbi leave”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Even though Liverpool lost one of their influential players in Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona earlier this month, everything was progressing well on the pitch.

The Merseyside outfit caused a shock less than two weeks ago when they ended Manchester City’s unbeaten Premier League run to win 4-3 at Anfield.

Monday night was expected to be another routine win for Jurgen Klopp’s men when they took on Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, but Carlos Carvalhal’s side ripped up the script.

The hosts frustrated the Reds and stifled their prolific attack of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

In the end, Alfie Mawson scored the one and only goal, giving bottom-placed Swansea a much-needed win.

The result cut Liverpool’s unbeaten league run to 14 games and now fans have been bombarding the club’s Twitter page with solutions.

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Some have given Klopp a list of transfer targets, while others have suggested that the manager makes some changes to the team.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is unquestionably an exciting signing for Arsenal, but the Gabon international’s presence in north London does create a rather difficult situation.

The Gunners now have two top-quality centre-forwards that cost club-record transfer fees at the time, with Alexandre Lacazette’s summer arrival preceding Aubameyang’s mid-season move from Borussia Dortmund, and thus Arsene Wenger is faced with something of a selection dilemma.

Accordingly, we proposed four solutions to Arsenal fans earlier this week – drop Lacazette, play Lacazette out wide, play Aubameyang out wide or play with two up front – and the latter option was preferred most, receiving 63% of the votes in our poll.

Whether that requires switching to a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2, it would certainly represent a bold formation change from Wenger, who has used one lone front-man almost exclusively at Arsenal since the days of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry – and even the Dutchman played just behind the Gunners’ all-time leading goalscorer.

So, Arsenal fans, how would you set up Wenger’s side to deploy Aubameyang and Lacazette as strikers in the same starting XI? Let us know by voting below…

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Newcastle United could be in a tricky position with regards to Jamaal Lascelles’s future due to wages, according to the Chronicle.

What’s the latest?

A report in the London Evening Standard this week claimed that Chelsea could make a move for the defender in the summer.

The reigning Premier League champions are believed to be interested in recruiting British talent and want to lower the age of their back line.

Gary Cahill and David Luiz are currently in their early 30s, and the publication states that Lascelles fits the bill at Stamford Bridge.

With regards to Newcastle’s standpoint, the Chronicle claims that interest in the 24-year-old is no big surprise, but wages could come into play.

The report states that Lascelles’s wages rose to £35,000 per week when he penned a new contract in October, but his salary is still way short of the £80,000 package handed to Jonjo Shelvey.

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Could Lascelles get his head turned?

When the likes of Chelsea register an interest, it is difficult to resist, especially for an English player rising through the ranks.

This season, the defender has started 21 Premier League games and has even contributed with three goals.

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His future could be dependent upon a variety of factors, including whether or not Newcastle manage to retain their top-flight status and if Rafael Benitez remains as manager.

One major issue could be wages, as Chelsea would be financially able to offer a huge bump in salary.

With Newcastle currently in limbo with regards to ownership, an increase in Lascelles’s wages may not be possible.

Sitting in 9th place having just won their second home game on the bounce, from a distance, it would all seem rosy at Everton, especially considering their dire start to the season.

However, with the Premier League table tighter than ever, even the Toffees are just a couple of defeats away from relegation trouble. And despite a general upturn in form, new manager Sam Allardyce has not been welcomed by the fans, who cite his boring tactics and perennial lack of responsibility for defeats as the reason for their displeasure.

To try and inject some life back into a stagnant season, the Everton squad have travelled to Dubai for a warm weather training camp; the F.A. Cup halting Premier League action for the next seven days.

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However, many Everton fans feel that this trip is undeserved and have taken to Twitter to express their anger…