OFFICIAL: Mikel Arteta Returns To The Emirates As Arsenal New Manager

Arsenal have announce Mikel Arteta as the new head coach.

Mikel, a former club captain, played for Arsenal for five seasons from 2011 to 2016 and has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Mikel’s coaching team will be announced as soon as possible. 

Josh Kroenke, speaking on behalf of the Arsenal board and our owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing Mikel back to Arsenal. 

He knows our expectations and those of our fans around the world are high and we are confident he can play a lead role in taking the club back to the levels we all demand.

Head of football Raul Sanllehi said: “We met several top-class candidates and Mikel stood out to every single one of us as the perfect person for us. 

“Mikel understands Arsenal Football Club and what it means to our fans around the world. We look forward to him getting down to work and bringing the best out of our squad as we work to get our season back on track.

“I must also pay tribute to Freddie Ljungberg for his hard work and leadership. Together with Per Mertesacker, he has done a vital job for us in difficult circumstances. Freddie and Per are important parts of the Arsenal family and care deeply for this club.”

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Supercomputer Predicts Final Premier League Table For 2019-20 Season

Supercomputer has predicted how Premier League table for 2019-20 season will finally be.

We are two months into the 2019-20 Premier League season and already, the competition has seen a fair share of twists and turns.

Liverpool FC and the Citizens are at the top of the table right now, with the Reds at the top.

While we are almost certain that Liverpool and City will continue with their dormancy at the top of the table, we are yet to say with certainty as to who will take home the coveted trophy at the end of the season.

Given the nature of the competition, a few other teams are also likely to be in contention for the title of Premier League Champions for 2019-20.

We are also unsure as to how and where the other teams will finish their ongoing campaign.

That being said, TalkSport has claimed that their supercomputer already knows how the final league table will look like, at the end of this season.

Let's have a look on what the super-computer predicted:

20. Newcastle United (relegated)
19. Brighton and Hove Albion (relegated)
18. Watford (relegated)
17. Aston Villa
16. Norwich City
15. Crystal Palace
14. Sheffield United
13. Burnley
12. Wolverhampton Wanderers
11. Southampton
10. Bournemouth
9. Everton
8. West Ham United
7. Leicester City
6. Manchester United
5. Arsenal (Europa League qualification)
4. Chelsea (Champions League qualification)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (Champions League qualification)
2. Manchester City (Champions League qualification)
1. Liverpool (Premier League champions, Champions League qualification)

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Jose Mourinho Has To Sell In January If New Players Is To Be Welcomed

Jose Mourinho will not be able to add to his Manchester United squad in the January transfer window unless he offloads some of the fringe players at Old Trafford.

United chiefs want to keep a lid on spending when the window reopens and don't plan on making the squad any bigger than it currently is, according to the BBC.

Mourinho has been allowed to spend big since taking over the reins at the start of last season, splashing out £285million on six major signings.

The Premier League club's latest financial results were released in September and showed a significant rise in their wage bill, with an increase of 13.5% to £263.5m.

And Portuguese boss Mourinho will be told by the Old Trafford board that he has to sell players in order to bring new faces in.

Luke Shaw is among those who could be heading out the exit door, having struggled to cement a first-team spot following his £27m move from Southampton in 2014.

The left back has started just four top-flight matches in a year and it is believed Mourinho would be happy to sell the England international.

Marouane Fellaini could be another departure in January. The midfielder is out of contract in the summer and will be free to talk to overseas clubs when the window reopens.

Mourinho has sold 16 first-team players since replacing Louis van Gaal in 2016 but rarely have those departures generated significant income.

Only the sales of Memphis Depay — sold to Lyon for £16m — and the £22m exit of Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton can be viewed as profitable departures.

However, high-earners Wayne Rooney and Bastian Schweinsteiger have also left the club in the last year.

On the pitch, Mourinho's men suffered a setback at the weekend after the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea saw them slip eight points behind league leaders Manchester City.

CREDIT ALL FOOTBALL

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Everton Discusses With Sam Allardyce Representatives

Everton have held preliminary discussions with Sam Allardyce’s advisors as Farhad Moshiri puts together a contingency plan for the club’s next manager.

Sportsmail understands Moshiri, Everton’s major shareholder, has held talks with representatives of Allardyce, who revealed on Monday that he would give deep consideration to the opportunity of “putting them back together”.

Moshiri is considering a number of candidates, with Burnley’s Sean Dyche and Watford’s Marco Silva amongst them; Allardyce would be immediately available and could work on a contract until the end of the season.

Everton’s hope is that David Unsworth, who was placed in temporary charge after Ronald Koeman was sacked on October 23, wins the next two matches – against Lyon, on Thursday evening, and Watford on Sunday – to settle the situation down.

Unsworth has made no secret of his desire to step up from his role as Under-23 boss on a permanent basis but he has accepted, after losing against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Leicester on Sunday, that his prospects will be determined in the next four days.

‘That doesn’t scare me, because I know the game and I know that in the end you will be judged on performances,’ said Unsworth, who has left senior figures Wayne Rooney, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines on Merseyside to be ready for the game with Watford.

‘I think performances have improved for a game and a half but within those performances, you’ve got to try and dig out some results. So I want to win (here); I want to perform. Sunday is a massive game as well. It’s a cup final, for me, and I think we’ve got to play it like a cup final.

‘I wouldn’t know who was in the running for [the manager’s job]. I’ve heard certain things, but it’s a top job, and I’m not surprised with whoever would be linked with it. We just carry on, day by day, and hopefully we will be in a better position on Sunday.’

For all that Koeman paid the ultimate price for Everton’s dismal form, Ashley Williams – who will captain the side in Lyon – recognises the players must take their share of the responsibility; he gave a frank insight into how the dressing room has been affected.

‘It hurts, definitely, he was someone we all liked and you feel responsible as a player,’ said Williams. ‘We're disappointed for everyone; it's not nice when you're not winning games and it effects everyone. When a manager loses his job and you do take responsibility for that.’

Everton will be eliminated after four games if they lose in Lyon and Italian side Atalanta avoid defeat against Apollon Limassol.

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I Can Understand Why Nemanja Matic Was Sold

The Blues stopper saw his side whitewashed in Rome and now faces another tough task against the Red Devils who line up with a former team-mate.

Thibaut Courtois and Nemanja Matic won two Premier League titles together but they will line up against each other on Sunday and the Chelsea goalkeeper understands why his club sold their midfielder.

Matic joined Manchester United for £40 million this summer and he has been in good form ever since his move to Old Trafford, while Chelsea's midfield has struggled in his absence.

Chelsea's sale of a regular starter from last season to a rival has seen a negative response, particularly as their form has dipped this month, with their most recent defeat coming in a 3-0 away loss to Roma.

Courtois thinks that Chelsea have sold a quality player in Matic but he understands why they chose to let him go.

"I don't know. I think we know he has qualities, he is someone that last year, give us the balance as well," Courtois said at the Stadio Olympico. "He decided to go to another team, we won't live in the past. He decided to leave, he left. Our midfield is very good, we have strong players.

"I don't know if we miss him but obviously, if you see we have two injuries in the midfield then obviously you could say we missed Nemanja. He is a quality player who is doing well at Manchester United. That's not my decision to make [about selling him].

"Those are questions that you need to ask to the people who made that happen. I think that if a player nowadays wants to go to a team, the player has a strong will to join another team, it is hard and you cannot just ignore him and say you can't leave.

"Then you have a disappointed player who maybe won't play at his best. For us, you have given another player to another big teams. These are the choices made in football. He is a quality midfielder but hopefully we can show that we are better on Sunday."

Chelsea have struggled to show the same balance in their side that they showed last season when they won the Premier League and racked up a 13-game winning run in the winter period.

N'Golo Kante's injury has rocked Chelsea and Danny Drinkwater is still being eased back into the squad after a prolonged period of injury. Courtois acknowledges that Chelsea's midfield is part of the problem at the moment and he thinks that Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko are growing tired.

"This season we are conceding more chances than we did last year," Courtois added. "We have to try to get that extra step in, that extra per cent to stop actions, not be 90 per cent. Maybe with a lot of games, sometimes you maybe go a bit less.

"Obviously it is different to last season. Injuries have been coming and not at a good time. We know how important N'Golo is for us, he is the guy that brings a lot of balance into the team. But we can't push him to play if he doesn't feel ready.

"Danny (Drinkwater) was also out for a long time as well. It means Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas have played a lot of games in midfield and obviously that goes into their legs and it is harder for them to keep up the pressure, especially against the midfield three like Roma had last night".

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No Excuse If We Can't Stop Manchester United - Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois thinks that Chelsea need to win at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United on Sunday to give them a chance of retaining their Premier League title.

Chelsea sit in fourth place after 10 games with a nine-point gap between them and Manchester City, who sit at the top of the table. Ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is now leading Man United and his side are four points above the champions ahead of Sunday's clash in west London.

Courtois conceded three goals as Roma comfortably beat the Blues in the Champions League on Tuesday and the Belgium international is hoping to see his side return to winning ways to stay in contention for the title.

"If we want to remain near the top of the Premier League then it is a must win game for us," Courtois said at the Stadio Olympico. "I think City is at nine points [ahead of us], United is at four. Tottenham is just one in front but this game is a must win if you want to remain near the top and near the other teams.

"We will try to get three points and give our lives for it on Sunday.

Chelsea won the title last term without having to play any European football after a rough 2015-16 campaign. Courtois was asked if the Blues were having trouble coping with the Champions League and the Premier League this season.

"I don’t think so," the goalkeeper replied. "We try to do our best and we want to be in the Champions League. A few years ago, we won the league while playing in the Champions League.

"Obviously it is a change so it is harder. We are tired quicker than last year but I don’t think it affects us. I think we just need to keep training well and be ready for Sunday. I think after the Palace game and I think Roma after, we showed some good character against Watford and Bournemouth.

"We could have won 4-0 vs Bournemouth so I think we will have to meet tomorrow, see the images and see what we could have done better and then give 150 per cent of ourselves on Sunday."

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The Blues Set To Renew Cesc Fabregas Contract Amidst Interests From Old Trafford

It is high time Chelsea brace up to renew Cesc Fabregas contract should they still want him at Stamford bridge. There is a strong interest from Manchester United on Cesc Fabregas, who has 18 months left at Stamford bridge. The London side want him to sign an extension to the current contract, but the length of the proposed new deal has yet to be agreed.

According to The Times, Chelsea have a habit of handing players aged over 30 an one-year extension deal but Fabregas wants to sign for a further two years.

This summer's transfer market saw Nemanja Matic moved from Stamford Bridge to the Old Trafford. As much as Antonio's t Conte's disliking of the lack of actions from Chelsea to keep Matic, the deal still went through without any real obstacle.

Surely, Chelsea and Conte would not want any similiar situation to happen in the future. Apart from Fabregas, Chelsea's other priority is to extend Eden Hazard's contract, says The Times.

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