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For all the resentment Everton fans have shown towards Sam Allardyce, it’s often forgotten that he’s working with a desperately imbalanced squad and players he inherited from a manager with completely different ideals in Ronald Koeman. Cuco Martina’s regular outings at left-back this season epitomise how the former England boss has been forced to settle for square pegs in round holes and sellotaping ill-fitting jigsaw pieces together for much of his short time at Goodison Park.

After losing their last two outings to Burnley and Watford, the Toffees returned to winning ways against Brighton on Saturday and the man who replaced Martina at left-back – the previously injured Leighton Baines – was a pivotal influence on the result, providing the quality, width and vital balance the right-footed Curacao international has often failed to this season.

Indeed, it was the 30-cap England international who overlapped Yannick Bolasie at the perfect time for the first goal, creating the space for the winger to drift inside and launch a cross that Gaitan Bong then put beyond his own goalkeeper. Baines had a far more direct impact on the second goal – providing the assist for Cenk Tosun’s rifled finish that put the result beyond doubt – and tellingly of how influential he was on Saturday, he had the second-most touches of the ball of any player on the pitch.

Speaking of perfect timing, Baines’ return couldn’t have come at a better time for Allardyce. The 33-year-old not only improves Everton defensively but also going forward as well, his left-footed deliveries from out wide being a defining feature of the Toffees’ attacking play for many seasons now.

And for all the ill-feeling towards Allardyce currently, a positive end to the season – which is far more likely with Baines in the team – could extinguish much of that ahead of a transfer window in which the Everton boss will have the chance to truly imprint his ideas onto the team. Accordingly, Baines’ return to fitness could prove to be something of a turning point for the Toffees’ under-fire manager in the months to come.

With many of the alternatives struggling for both game-time and form this season, is Baines actually still England’s best option at left-back at the age of 33? Let us know by voting below…

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While Arsenal’s victory away to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday may have offered Gunners boss Arsene Wenger some respite following his side’s unconvincing start to the season, there are still murmurings of discontent among the Arsenal fanbase. Many now feel that a change of manager is needed if Arsenal are to progress as a football club and an ominous banner was unfurled by disgruntled Gunners fans at the Hawthorns which read ‘Arsene – thanks for the memories, but it’s time to say goodbye’.

Major Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov also expressed his concerns regarding Wenger’s leadership, stating recently that his stubborn approach is holding the club back. Wenger has been at the Emirates long enough to understand the demands of the Arsenal fanbase, and he must surely acknowledge the fact that lingering issues need to be addressed if his side is to have a successful season. Here are five things in particular the Gunners boss needs to sort out:

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON DANNY WELBECK TO SEE THE FULL LIST

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1. Defensive issues

The most pressing worry for Arsenal is the thinness of their options in the backline.

Four defenders left the club in the summer, with only two coming in as replacements. A spate of injuries in defence – including a long-term lay-off for new recruit Mathieu Debuchy – has meant that Wenger has for most of the season been unable to field his strongest back four, and their poor start could in part be attributed to a lack of familiarity.

He must target a central defender at the very least in the January transfer window to make sure that this problem does not persist for the remainder of the campaign.

2. Where to play Welbeck

Danny Welbeck has made no secret of his desire to be played in his favoured position as a centre forward since his £16 million arrival from Manchester United on transfer deadline day. One of the reasons why the England international decided to leave his boyhood club was his frustration at being played out of position, which, he argued, was to blame for his unremarkable goals return.

Although Welbeck grabbed the decisive winning goal against West Brom over the weekend, he was deployed out wide in the game to accommodate for Olivier Giroud. With the 24-year-old so determined to make his mark as an out-and-out striker, Wenger has a tough decision to make: does he continue to play him occasionally on the wing, therefore running the risk of making the player unhappy, or does he try to fit him in as a second striker alongside Giroud?

3. Ramsey’s loss of form

So instrumental to Arsenal’s FA Cup-winning season last year, Aaron Ramsey has found it tough to carry over his fine form into the current campaign.

The Welshman scored 16 goals in all competitions last season – despite missing 15 league games through a lengthy injury – yet he has struggled to dominate games this time around. It has been suggested that the midfielder is simply trying too hard to make an impact and that his form will return if he plays his natural game, while others maintain that the 23-year-old still hasn’t fully recovered psychologically from the horrific leg break he suffered in 2010.

Either way, Arsenal are a much better team when Ramsey is on song, and Wenger must do his utmost to get last season’s outstanding performer back to his best.

4. Settle on a best XI

So saturated is the Arsenal midfield that Wenger very rarely settles on a preferred combination of players for an extended period of time.

The injuries of Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere may in fact be something of a blessing in disguise as the Gunners boss will at least find his options more manageable, yet when this trio returns, they will be fighting for a place in the four or five-man midfield with no fewer than eight other Arsenal players.

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Constantly chopping and changing the side surely cannot be advantageous to Arsenal’s chances; Wenger must identify his core starting eleven and stick with them as often as he possibly can.

5. Lack of consistency

The previous point goes hand-in-hand with this one: only once have Arsenal managed to secure back-to-back victories in the Premier League this season, and it is this inconsistency that has reduced them to playing catch-up already with Manchester United in fourth.

Getting anywhere near league leaders Chelsea is out of the question, yet by stringing a run of wins together – which will be helped if he allows the same starting eleven to play together week-in, week-out – Wenger can at least make a decent push for Champions League qualification for the 18th year in succession.

Got any questions? Follow me on Twitter @GruffuddOwen

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva believes that he is close to returning to full fitness.

The Brazilian missed almost the entire 2011/12 Premier League season due to knee ligament damage, and has been out of action for the most part of the current campaign with a thigh injury.

He made his comeback for the Reds earlier this month, but has looked a little short of his best as the club continue to struggle.

Lucas feels that he is not far from reaching peak fitness, and believes that the hectic Christmas fixture schedule will help:

“After a long time out and two difficult injuries, I’m just very happy to be back,” he told Liverpool’s official website.

“I’m still progressing in terms of fitness, confidence and strength but I will get there again. I just need to be patient and when I get back to 100 per cent fitness and the level I was at before, the better it will be for myself and the team.

“In terms of fitness, I’m very close to being 100 per cent but it’s just a question of time and games, to be honest.

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“It’s very hard to predict how long it will take to get back to my best but I can see an improvement every week, especially in the training sessions.

“I’m starting to feel sharper and better every day so I try to take that into the games. It’s important to play well at this crucial time over Christmas, especially because we have a lot of games.”

As reported by The Times, Everton manager Sam Allardyce will try to sign Manchester United defender Phil Jones in the summer transfer window if he remains boss at Goodison Park.

Everton badly need defensive reinforcements before the new season with supporters losing all faith in the likes of Ashley Williams this term.

Phil Jones has had his own critics at Old Trafford, but with 188 appearances for the club has plenty of elite experience that might help improve the Toffees’ defensive fortunes.

Fans though aren’t keen, believing he is just the latest in a long line of transfer targets that have failed to inspire.

They’ve been linked with a number of English top flight talents over the past couple of months, but supporters are looking for the club to put a bit more effort into scouting and unearth a hidden gem or two.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on a potential deal for Jones…

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While Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa having been hogging the limelight and Graziano Pelle has been picking up praise for his adaptation, Saido Berahino has been quietly plugging away in the background. The 21-year-old has now notched six Premier League goals and looks set to fulfil the obvious potential he’s had for some time.

Naturally, with West Brom being one of the division’s smaller clubs, the big teams are circling the young striker, with Spurs particularly keen. Talk of a big money January bid has been doing the rounds, and here are FIVE reasons it would make sense for the White Hart Lane side.

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CLICK ON BERAHINO TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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He’s in razor-sharp form

Monday’s cool finish against Manchester United took Berahino’s Premier League tally this term to a whopping SIX. Alongside Southampton new boy Graziano Pelle, the Burundi-born forward only trails Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero in the scoring charts – with the duo having cost their clubs over £30m. In his central striking role, Berahino’s energy and pace make him a headache for defenders, and it’s a virtual guarantee that he will get even more goals over the course of the season. Spurs may want to snap him up to ensure that those goals come in the white shirt of theirs, rather than West Brom’s.

He’s young

Only just 21, Berahino’s form is all the more impressive. The pacey front-man only got the ‘key to the door’ a couple of months ago, and it’s fair to say that he’s been unlocking defences with much more regularity this term. At such an age, Berahino has the potential to do what he’s doing now for at least another ten years, making him a sound long-term investment for Spurs should they offer up the cash.

Spurs have NO QUALITY up top

Roberto Soldado’s missed penalty over the weekend really summed up his awful Spurs career. The Spaniard was dubbed the answer to Tottenham’s attacking ambitions last summer when he cost them £26m, yet his spell at White Hart Lane has been a disaster. Emmanuel Adebayor also fails to provide consistency, albeit his goal return is far superior, while Harry Kane is, arguably, not quite ready to be a week in, week out Premier League forward just yet.

Berahino could be first choice at Spurs, where he would, potentially, get better service than he does now at West Brom.

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Statement of intent

With Spurs some way off of looking like a genuine top four force, a big signing could provide the boost needed and make rivals really begin to fear the Lilywhites. The Baggies are understood to be looking for around £30m for their man, which slots him into the ‘marquee’ sector of the transfer market. Nabbing Berahino could really announce Spurs’ ambitions.

Re-sale value

As much as some Spurs fans won’t want to admit it, the white half of north London has become a shop window in recent years. The likes of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale have passed through on their way to bigger things, but that’s certainly not a major negative for Spurs. The Lilywhites have made massive profits on their big players, and if Berahino develops and the transfer market continues to inflate, there’s no reason that they should not make a tidy sum on potential the deal in a few years.

Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie has apologised to the club for his refusal to play in their Premier League clash with Sunderland.

The Royals’ manager Brian McDermott confirmed after the game that the 25-year-old made the decision not to join up with the rest of the squad as they slipped to a 3-0 defeat.

Guthrie has since been fined two-weeks’ wages for his actions, and said sorry to the club and their fans:

“I hold my hands up and apologise. It’s something that we will deal with internally,” he is quoted by the Reading Post.

“There’s no problem with anyone. I have my reasons for what happened, it shouldn’t have happened, but it did. My head just wasn’t right.”

The ex-Newcastle man went on to insist that he is happy at the Madejski Stadium and not considering moving on in January:

“I love being at this club – I just want to play football,

“I’ve never had problems anywhere I have been and I just want to get back to playing football.

“This is a very rare situation for me.”

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Guthrie began his career with Manchester United, before switching to Liverpool as a youth player.

After making just a handful of appearances for the Reds, he moved on to Newcastle, where he became a key first-team player.

He moved to reading during the summer as part of McDermott’s plan to keep the club in the Premier League.

Liverpool are no strangers to being linked to James Rodriguez, but some fans’ desire to sign him has strengthened following Sunday’s performance at the World Cup in Russia.

The attacking midfielder has been on Real Madrid’s books since 2014 following his impressive display at the Brazil World Cup.

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In recent seasons, though, the 26-year-old has dropped down the pecking order and as a result was sent to Bayern Munich on a two-year loan.

Rodriguez remains at the Bundesliga outfit, but there has been talk about his long-term future.

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Liverpool are in the market for an attacking midfielder as they are yet to replace Philippe Coutinho, who signed for Barcelona in January.

Lyon star Nabil Fekir has been the rumoured top target, but after the deal allegedly fell through, fresh targets have been mentioned.

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On Sunday, Rodriguez, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, was one of the stars of the show as he created two assists in a 3-0 victory for Colombia over Poland in Group H.

On Twitter, some Liverpool fans urged the club to make a move for the attacker.

Tottenham Hotspur signed Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, and the Brazil international scored on his second appearance for the club against Rochdale in the FA Cup.

Lucas is widely expected to start Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round replay with Rochdale at Wembley, but the 25-year-old is going to find it difficult to break into Tottenham’s Premier League XI in the final weeks of the 2017-18 campaign.

The attacker, who is valued at £25.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, was left on the bench against Arsenal earlier this month, and only played the final 24 minutes of Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

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The presence of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen means that Lucas has a tough task to break into the Premier League team, but the Tottenham fans feel that the former Manchester United transfer target is more than capable of becoming a key player.

Indeed, the supporters have liked what they have seen from Lucas thus far, and many have urged Pochettino to hand him a regular starting position in the next few weeks.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below.

Points in August count just as much as points in May, no matter what position or league you are in. So far this season, Nottingham Forest has been grabbing all the points they can.

Forest has collected 13 points from five games this season in the Championship and is one of only two undefeated teams left in the league. Some of their more impressive results have been an away win of 2-1 at Bournemouth, and an impressive 4-0 home victory against Reading. These results have placed the Reds as an early contender for promotion this season as they sit at the top of the league.

This start to the season is a complete turnaround to what happened to Forest between 8th February and the end of the season last season. Forest played 19 games and only managed to win three games, draw six, and they lost the other 10 meaning they only achieved 15 points out of a possible 57, finishing 11th in the Championship.

Forest has nearly achieved in five games what they couldn’t achieve in 19. Manager Stuart Pearce believes his side can win promotion as in a recent interview, he said: “I think that – with the ability we have in the squad and, on top of that, if we have the hard-nosed professionalism needed to put into place everything that we ask of them – we do have a chance.”

Pearce has to take some credit for Forest’s great start to the season thanks to his activity during the transfer window, probably the best business out of all the Championship sides this summer. Some of Forest’s signings which have had an immediate impact to the squad include Michail Antonio and Britt Assombalonga.

The majority of teams who get promoted from the Championship to the Premier League have a striker who scores on a consistent basis. Last season, Forest did not have a consistent goal scorer and that is one of the reasons why they couldn’t achieve promotion. Forest’s top goal scorer in the league was Andy Reid with just nine goals.

This appears to be a different story so far this season, with Assombalonga finding the net four times in five games and Antonio scoring three. There is now a lot of threat up front for opposition defences to be wary of.

Assombalonga has a proven track record of goal scoring, scored 23 goals in 43 appearances for Peterborough United last season in League One during their unsuccessful promotion push. So far this campaign, it looks like he is going to replicate this goal scoring tally at Forest.

Pearce and Forest know how unforgiving the Championship can be as the team clearly discovered this last season when they only managed to achieve three wins in 19 games. He said: “We have to keep getting better. It is such a long season and it is such an unforgiving league. Myself and the coaching staff are under no illusions, when it comes to what we have to do, to get out of this league.”

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“You know well that it will be a tough league and you cannot take your foot off the gas for one moment. But the exciting thing for me is that I believe I have got a squad that will evolve and get better. We can still get stronger.”

There will be times like there was last season where the road to promotion will get a bit bumpy, but I believe this a great squad that can help Nottingham Forest achieve promotion back to the Premier League.

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Oscar Wilde once said, “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” For a man who died in 1900, he seemed to have an uncanny ability to predict the future of terrible Premier League jerseys.

Throughout the history of the league, there have been some gaudy, ill-fitting and downright nauseating home and away kits.

In the case of the 20 on show here, the sole focus of their design seems to be distracting the opposition. In the case of Manchester United’s famous grey strip, however, it only distracted themselves.

Like art, not everyone will be in agreement, but as you flick from jersey to jersey, remember that players had to wear these and fans actually paid money for them. Sunglasses at the ready—it’s about to get bright and colourful.

Click on Arsenal’s shocker from 95 to get the ball rolling

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