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Manchester City begin their title defence today away at Arsenal, and manager Pep Guardiola has almost a full strength squad to choose from

And two players Guardiola could select are Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. Despite their late returns due to the World Cup, both De Bruyne and Sterling are likely to start or feature at some point in the club’s Premier League opener.

The Breakdown

Guardiola told reporters ahead of the game: “They [De Bruyne and Sterling] are available. Raheem and Kevin arrived quite well. Three weeks off is not too much time after the World Cup and both arrived in the perfect way.” (via Metro)

De Bruyne and Sterling were two of Manchester City’s best players last season in the club’s record-breaking title-winning campaign, so having them available for such a huge clash will come as a massive boost to Guardiola.

The former Bayern Munich manager, however, is in a position where he can afford to slowly integrate the pair back into the side if necessary — even with a trip to the Emirates on the horizon.

Manchester City can take confidence in the fact that they were able to easily dispose of Chelsea in the Community Shield in the absence of De Bruyne and Sterling and showed that day how scary their squad depth really is.

Chelsea, of course, are going through a transitional period with Maurizio Sarri now in the Stamford Bridge dugout. But that does not make Manchester City’s spectacular performance any less relevant.

Bernardo Silva, in particular, was superb in the Citizens’ triumph at Wembley.

The Portugal international is just one player who Guardiola could call upon should he opt against starting either of De Bruyne or Sterling against Arsenal, while new signing Riyad Mahrez is also another option for the Manchester City boss.

In Bernardo and Mahrez, Guardiola has two players capable of filling in for De Bruyne and Sterling until they are at one hundred percent.

There was uproar from some West Ham United fans at the end of the season when the club opted against offering James Collins a new contract.

The defender had been part of the fabric at the East London outfit since his 2012 move from Aston Villa.

However, the club felt that it was the end of the road for Collins, who made 13 Premier League appearances last season.

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The defender – affectionately known as ‘Ginge’ – has not closed the door completely on his West Ham spell as he reportedly returned to the club’s training ground in Chadwell Heath.

Club insider ExWHUemployee revealed on Twitter that the 34-year-old visited the Hammers’ base on Thursday.

Collins is yet to join another club, but some West Ham fans think that the club should bring him back.

A handful believe that he can still contribute on the pitch, while others are convinced that his presence in the dressing room would be invaluable.

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Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino deployed the formation with five (or three depending on how some people look at it) at the back against Fulham last Saturday for the first time in a long time. 

This was a way of getting three of his best players in Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Dávinson Sánchez, on the field at the same time. If the manager is to opt to use this formation in the future, it bodes very well for 20-year-old Juan Foyth.

Foyth (valued at £4.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) joined last season from Argentinian club Estudiantes, but failed to make an instant impact and struggled for game time. But with the news that Cameron-Carter Vickers is expected to go out on loan this season, that leaves Foyth as the only remaining centre-back option after the regular three defenders.

Although the Argentinian is carrying an injury at the moment, it shows the faith that Pochettino has in him, and where he sits in the manager’s plans. Tottenham are a club that will want to be competing on all fronts, meaning the 20-year-old may even feature in the Champions League this season.

Admittedly, if there was an injury to one of Alderweireld, Vertonghen or Sánchez, the manager would likely revert back to playing with four at the back. Also, Eric Dier is always an option to drop back into the centre-back position.

Nonetheless, while Foyth may not be in the forefront of Pochettino’s plans, he can still hope for a promising season. Otherwise, The Lilywhites’ boss would simply loan his young defender out if he didn’t think he had a role in north London this season. After all, this was a player that was hotly pursued by PSG as well, so to those that are unaware of him, he obviously has potential.

After Tottenham failed to add to their squad, it is the players on the periphery that will become the most important in the coming season, as Pochettino will hope to blood them into the first team. This may be the year for Foyth.

Rangers are pushing to sign winger Eros Grezda from Osijek as Steven Gerrard’s 13th summer signing, according to The Daily Record.

What’s the word?

Rangers have enjoyed a fine start to life under Steven Gerrard as they remain unbeaten in their league campaign thus far but the Liverpool icon is still looking to strengthen his squad before the transfer window slams shut on Friday.

Gerrard has drafted in 12 new players so far this summer and is now looking to complete a deal for Osijek’s Albania winger Eros Grezda in a deal that is likely to be worth around £2m, The Daily Record reports.

Rangers are pushing for a deal to sign Grezda following the injury to Jamie Murphy that will leave him out of action until the end of the season and the clubs have begun discussions, with the Scottish side having already dealt with Osijek earlier this summer by bringing Borsa Barisic to Ibrox.

The six-cap Albania international only joined Osijek last summer but has permission to leave if an acceptable offer is tabled for the 23-year-old.

Worth a punt?

With Jamie Murphy’s lengthy injury absence leaving a void to fill in Rangers’ squad, Gerrard is right to seek additions in the transfer market and Grezda could stand as an impressive coup for the Scottish giants – and one that would not be too costly.

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The 23-year-old did not play against Rangers in Europa League qualifying due to injury but caught the eye last season, scoring five goals in 26 league matches and adding another strike to his tally in his eight Europa League appearances.

Murphy, in comparison, scored four goals in the SPL for Rangers last season and the stats, therefore, suggest that Grezda could be a like for like replacement for the 29-year-old Scotland international and would strengthen Gerrard’s squad for the long term.

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Aston Villa have made some brilliant additions to their squad so far this summer with the arrivals of Yannick Bolasie and Anwar El Ghazi adding genuine quality to Steve Bruce’s attacking midfield options, but reports emerging on deadline day suggest they could be set to make their most game-changing acquisition yet. 

Indeed, the loan window is just hours away from closing and time is almost up for Championship clubs to secure any more temporary deals. However, a recent report from The Sun suggests Villa are intent on concluding one more deal before the window shuts which will put them in a fantastic position to secure promotion.

The report claims that Villa are set to sign Tammy Abraham on loan before the 5PM deadline after he was left out of Maurizio Sarri’s squad for the opening 3 fixtures of the season.

With the likes of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud providing stern competition for first-team places it’s extremely unlikely that Abraham will be able to hold down a regular spot in Maurizio Sarri’s first-team squad, never mind the starting eleven.

A loan move to Villa would hand Abraham the opportunity to acquire the first-team football he needs to enhance his development whilst also handing Steve Bruce a player of genuine quality to deploy at the spearhead of his attack.

During a season-long loan spell with Bristol City in the 2016/17 season, Abraham managed to notch an impressive 23 goals from just 41 appearances – a record which suggests he would thrive at Villa Park.

Abraham’s direct style of play and willingness to run into the channels consistently served as a menace to Championship defenders and his composure in the penalty area is illuminated by his phenomenal record at Bristol City.

Not only would Villa’s acquisition of Abraham be a huge boost to their promotion bid, it would send out a strong message of intent to their rivals and ensure the post-deadline day narrative is dominated by discussion over their title credentials.

It’s a deal which makes sense for all parties concerned so the Villans must do everything they can to get it over the line before the 5PM deadline.

Aston Villa fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Sheffield United completed a season-long loan deal for Middlesbrough wide-man Marvin Johnson on the second deadline day in August and Blades fans on Twitter were excited about his potential contribution in boss Chris Wilder’s side.Johnson can seemingly play anywhere on the left hand side and many Sheffield United fans believe that he will be deployed in a left-wing back role as competition for IrishmanÂEnda Stevens, who has made six appearances in all competitions so far this season.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”285457″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Theatre Of Screams & The Serb As Good As Salah”]Birmingham-born Johnson started his career in non-league withÂRomulus FC and thenÂKidderminster Harriers before spells at Motherwell and Oxford. The now 27-year-old then joined Middlesbrough in the summer of 2017 and made 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing four assists.United have started the season reasonably well in the Championship as they look to better their 10th place finish last season. Check out some of the best tweets in reaction to Johnson’s arrival here.

With Jamie Vardy having effectively retired from international football, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck look to be the strikers England manager Gareth Southgate will utilise for the time being. 

But, with both Rashford and Welbeck not automatic starters at Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, the Three Lions boss may have to turn his attention elsewhere in the future.

And one player who Southgate could look to is Danny Ings.

The Breakdown

Ings has not played for England since making his international debut against Lithuania back in 2015 under Roy Hodgson, but has made it clear he has not given up on a recall.

“It [playing for England] is in the back of my mind,” Ings told the Evening Standard.

“I would never give up on that dream having tasted it but for now I just want to play as many games as I can. There’s so much talent in this country. It’s a huge challenge but I’m never going to give up on it.”

While Ings may have missed out on Southgate’s latest England squad, there is no reason why he cannot be called up for the next one.

The 26-year-old has started the season well for his new club Southampton, scoring two goals including the opener in the Saints’ 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last Saturday and looks to have put his injury woes behind him.

Ultimately, Vardy’s decision to take a step back from the international scene has made room for another striker to cement a place in future England squads, and Ings could be that man if he can maintain his early-season form and fitness.

Manuel Pellegrini spent in excess of £100m during the summer transfer window but one of his most high-profile additions was the capture of Jack Wilshere.

The England international joined the Hammers on a free transfer after his contract with Arsenal expired, with new Gunners boss Unai Emery making it clear that the academy graduate would not be guaranteed first-team football.

Wilshere subsequently featured in all four of West Ham’s first matches this season, though the Hammers lost all those matches, but was absent for Sunday’s victory over Everton – and it has since been revealed he has suffered another major injury setback.

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Having undergone surgery on an ankle problem, Wilshere is set to spend around six weeks on the sidelines – missing crucial matches against Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham as a result.

That injury timeline would put the earliest Wilshere could return for down as November, by which stage West Ham will be well into their campaign and he may struggle to force his way back into Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

While it is easy to see why the Hammers jumped at the chance to land a player of Wilshere’s calibre on a free transfer, his injury record speaks for itself and West Ham have made a mistake by securing him to a three-year deal.

Do you agree, West Ham fans? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below…

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FIFA has had it’s fair share of scandals. Corruption, at times, has seemed rife within the company and it’s hard not to wonder whether or not it’s been at play here as Mo Salah has beaten the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Puskas award. The Puskas award is given to the scorer of the best goal from the previous season, and apparently, that was Mo Salah’s goal against Everton.

Even Liverpool fans will laugh and tell you that the Egyptian’s derby strike wasn’t his own best of the season, let alone the best goal out of every single goal last season. In fact, his goal against Everton wasn’t even the goal of the month. Instead, Jermain Defoe won the Premier League’s goal of the month for December for his volleyed strike against Crystal Palace, so even the England striker can feel aggrieved with this one.

A lot of people would go as far as to say that Salah’s goal was the worst of all those nominated, yet somehow he managed to beat both Bale and Ronaldo’s overhead kicks, a scorpion kick to lob the ‘keeper in the A-League, a 30-yard free-kick from Greece and some of the World Cup’s best strikes. It seems that FIFA have outdone themselves here and even Liverpool fans can’t deny that this seems like a bit of a farce.

You can see what the world of football makes of Salah’s award:

The fans are confused and frustrated that such a prestigious award has been given out on such strange terms and they all seem to agree that Salah’s strike was nowhere near Puskas award-winning quality.

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Celtic fans on Twitter couldn’t believe that Dedryck Boyata was sent off in the 1-0 cup win over St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

Luckily for Celtic fans, Leigh Griffiths’ goal in the 83rd minute was enough for the Bhoys to progress to the semi-finals of the competition, but many were fuming with referee John Beaton for his decision in the 90th minute.

The 36-year-old Beaton had a yellow card in his hand that he was about to show to Boyata, but the Belgian centre-back kept protesting and was eventually shown a red for using foul and abusive language.

Boyata has had a turbulent few weeks at Parkhead, as he failed to force a move away from the club in the summer following his third place finish in the World Cup with his national side.

The now 27-year-old joined the club in 2015 from current English champions Manchester City and is not the most popular player among Bhoys fans after his recent antics. However these fans on Twitter were fuming with the decision to send him off. Check out the best tweets below.