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If Arsenal had been bruised by a recent spell of wayward form in the Premier League, they came back fighting and with a new-found resolve with a scintillating 4-2 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park this afternoon.

The Gunners have been imperious this season under Mikel Arteta and have led the way in the top flight for much of the campaign so far.

However, their progress was hindered when title rivals and current champions Manchester City defeated them 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in midweek to reclaim top spot.

Arsenal had to dig through adversity today, falling behind twice in the first half after two excellently-taken Villa goals, but a dogged fightback capped by two stoppage time goals got the Gunners back to winning ways and back on top of the table.

How did Bukayo Saka play vs Aston Villa?

Jorginho, who signed for £12m from London rivals Chelsea at the end of January to bolster Arsenal’s midfield options, may steal the limelight after his emphatic thumping effort ricocheted off the bar and deflected in off the hapless Emi Martinez to give the Gunners a stoppage time lead.

While the collective effort of the unrelenting visitors embodied the quintessence of a title-winning team, it was the marvellous Bukayo Saka who pulled the strings once again, orchestrating a crucial victory.

As per Sofascore, the 21-year-old recorded a match rating of 7.3, scoring his team’s first goal and proving to be an incessant thorn in Villa’ side, having six shots in total, two of which were on target.

On top of that, Saka was in the thick of the action with 85 touches taken, 11 duels won and possession lost 34 times. That last figure might seem careless, but it shows that the 24-cap England star was constantly looking to instigate forward transitions, splitting the play with ten attempted crosses on a very busy afternoon.

Also making four tackles, the robust and all-encompassing nature of the 21-year-old’s work is just a further layer to the multi-dimensional skill set has left the precocious youth valued at £98m by CIES Football Observatory.

Arsenal are “blessed” to have such a blistering talent within their ranks, according to statistical expert OptaJoe, who tweeted that Saka has now been involved in 17 Premier League goals this season, behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

As such, those affiliated with Arsenal would be more than justified in waxing lyrical about the Englishman, and his extraordinary efforts both in and out of possession today made him a rock for Arteta on a day when his team very much needed it after their recent wobble.

While the end of the campaign is still a few months away, Manchester United are currently preparing for what could be a defining week in their season, with Erik ten Hag’s side facing the prospect of potentially dropping out of all three cup competitions in the space of just six days.

That would, of course, be a worst-case scenario for the Red Devils, although there may well be fears that the club’s relentless run of fixtures may finally catch up with them, with a Europa League showdown to come with Barcelona this evening, prior to pivotal meetings with Newcastle United and West Ham United in the League Cup and FA Cup, respectively.

With that in mind, the former Ajax boss may well require some fresh legs in order to keep the momentum going against the Catalan giants later today, with Sunday’s super-sub Jadon Sancho potentially the man who can make the difference in this mouthwatering, second-leg encounter.

Will Sancho play against Barcelona?

The £73m addition has largely endured a frustrating time of it at Old Trafford since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021, having failed to replicate the standout form that he showcased in Germany – where he provided 114 goal involvements in just 137 games for the Bundesliga outfit.

That devastating record has not been matched during his time in Manchester thus far as the 22-year-old has only ten goals and four assists to his name in 57 games across all fronts, having notably missed much of the current campaign after spending time away from the first-team squad at the tail end of last year.

While the reason behind that lengthy absence has not been shared publicly, it does appear that the extended break from action may have done the trick, with the Englishman scoring on his Premier League return at home to Leeds United earlier this month.

Although the attacking “genius” – as lauded by former Dortmund coach Peter Stoger – was perhaps not at his best at Camp Nou last week, having missed a gilt-edged chance in the second half, the fleet-footed winger has more than staked his claim for a starting berth after starring off the bench against Leicester City at the weekend.

The exciting dynamo was instrumental in changing United’s fortunes following what was a “rubbish” first-half performance at the Theatre of Dreams – in the words of Ten Hag – having made sure of the points on the hour mark after rounding off a stunning, sweeping move with a composed finish inside the area.

That eye-catching 45-minute outing – in which the 23-cap gem provided three key passes and created one key chance – saw Sancho flourish away from his usual role on the flanks, having surprisingly been deployed in a playmaking role behind striker Wout Weghorst.

Although the expectation would have been to see Bruno Fernandes take on that central berth, the experiment appeared to work as far as Ten Hag is concerned, with Sancho thriving with the freedom to roam and drift in the midfield.

Following what was his ‘best performance all season’ – in the words of journalist Samuel Luckhurst – the £350k-per-week man no doubt deserves to feature from the start against the La Liga outfit this evening, with such a high profile meeting offering the chance for the ex-Manchester City man to showcase that he is edging back to his best.

On the evidence of his display against the Foxes, Sancho could have found a new home for himself in the number ten role under Ten Hag, with the Dutchman having potentially stumbled across what could prove to be his best experiment yet during his time at United.

The moves to deploy Luke Shaw at centre-back and the aforementioned Weghorst in a makeshift midfield berth have proved fruitful on occasion this season, although, unlike Sancho, neither player is likely to remain in those new positions on a regular basis, while the latter man has the chance to potentially find a new long-term role moving forward.

Whether that tactical shift is a mere short-term fix or a potential plan for the future remains to be seen, although there can seemingly be no greater acid test than coming up against a footballing superpower such as La Blaugrana.

It could prove to be not only a defining night in the Red Devils’ season, but also in Sancho’s United career…

West Ham’s summer signing of Thilo Kehrer was deemed a necessary one because of the lack of centre-back options at the London Stadium but his form since joining suggests that it was a big mistake to bring him in.

With David Moyes’ injury crisis in defence now seemingly over, the Scottish manager must consider ditching the German defender for good, as he looks to turn the Hammers’ form around and keep them in the Premier League.

Why should West Ham ditch Kehrer?

Since joining in a £10.1m deal from PSG last summer, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 18 appearances in the Premier League for Moyes’ side, earning a shocking 6.36 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This ranks him as the 19th-best performer at the London Stadium so far this campaign, which emphasises just how poor he has been since swapping Paris for London.

Only Lucas Paqueta has been dribbled past more in West Ham’s squad, while the German, who earns £80k-per-week, also boasts the unfortunate achievement of being the only player to score an own goal this season.

He also ranks joint-second for the player to concede the most fouls per game this term, which suggests that he hasn’t quite got to terms with the speed and physicality of attacking players in England’s top flight.

This was emphasised earlier in the season when West Ham could only muster a 1-1 draw against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, with Che Adams nearly punishing Kehrer.

Evening Standard journalist Malik Ouzia said at the time: “Big save from Fabianski. Kehrer a bit casual, bullied off it by Adams, bailed out by his ‘keeper.”

It was suggested even before Kehrer’s move to the London Stadium that he could be error-prone, with L’Equipe (via Paris Fans) suggesting that the German’s mistake against Manchester United in the Champions League had seen him lose the confidence and trust of his teammates.

Back in November 2022, Kehrer was claimed to have made five errors leading to goals in the Premier League, which suggests that he has now been a liability for several months.

With the likes of Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna and Nayef Aguerd now back to fitness, with Kurt Zouma also still set to return, Moyes will soon be able to cope without Kehrer in his side.

To put it into context just how poor the Germany international has been, WhoScored has awarded the defender above a 7/10 rating just once this season, while he has been ranked below 6/10 on a worrying five occasions.

Given how disappointing he has been since his arrival in the summer, Moyes should look to bin Kehrer from his plans at the end of the campaign, regardless of the division the Hammers find themselves in.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a potential move for FC Barcelona winger Raphinha this summer.

The Lowdown: Struggled to settle

It is safe to say that Raphinha has struggled to settle to life at Barcelona after moving from Leeds United last summer, to the point that he was linked with both Arsenal and Manchester United in the January transfer window.

He has largely been a bit-part player at the Camp Nou, only starting 12 games in La Liga so far this season, and so Barca could decide to cut their losses this summer by moving him on.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per Spanish sources, Newcastle are eyeing a move for Raphinha this summer.

Barcelona have seemingly been underwhelmed by his performances, and so the 26-year-old could make a swift return to the Premier League.

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The Verdict: Worth a shot

If Raphinha can replicate the kind of form that he showed at Leeds, then he is certainly worth a shot in terms of bringing in for next season.

Hailed as a ‘phenomenal’ player by pundit Tim Sherwood, he blew people away in the top flight with his skill and work-rate, with former Leeds striker Noel Whelan lauding him as being able to produce moments of ‘magic’ and having a ‘relentless’ work ethic.

Indeed, the Brazilian scored an impressive 17 goals and made a further 12 assists from the wing in his two seasons in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), and with his fellow countrymen Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton already at St. James’ Park, the Magpies could well be his new home.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is at the top of Manchester United’s striker shortlist ahead of the summer transfer window, a new report has revealed.

The Lowdown: Constant Osimhen links

United’s attacking shortcomings were highlighted painfully on Sunday afternoon, with Wout Weghorst offering very little in the 7-0 defeat away to Liverpool.

It seems clear that the club want to sign a new striker in the summer and Osimhen is someone who has been constantly linked with a move to Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old is enjoying a superb season for Napoli, scoring 19 goals in Serie A and helping them build a 15-point lead at the top of the table.

The Latest: New update emerges

According to Football Insider, Osimhen is ‘top of a four-man striker shortlist’ at Old Trafford ahead of the end of the season.

Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham and Benjamin Sesko are also name-checked as the other three players, but it appears as though the Napoli talisman is their preferred choice.

The Verdict: Could be a game-changer

Osimhen is exactly what United could do with ahead of next season, with Weghorst only at the club until the summer and no goals coming his way in seven Premier League appearances.

The Nigerian is someone who has been unplayable at times in 2022/23 – Gianfranco Zola has called him ‘devastating’ – combining speed, power and a ruthless eye for goal.

Osimhen certainly wouldn’t join United on the cheap but he would be a long-term signing who could transform United’s attack, proving to be the perfect foil for wide men such as Marcus Rashford and Antony.

Not dissimilar to Erling Haaland in terms of style, the 15-goal Nigeria international has all the attributes to be a big success in England, taking the Red Devils up a gear in the process.

A number of Tottenham Hotspur supporters expressed their joy about Richarlison’s performance in the 3-1 Premier League victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Richarlison unhappy

Richarlison has made it clear that he has grown tired of his lack of game time at Tottenham, querying Antonio Conte’s decision to bench him during the recent Champions League clash against AC Milan.

In the wake of the Brazilian’s comments, Conte branded his player ‘selfish’, however, he surprisingly still handed him a start against Forest at the weekend, and Spurs fans were thoroughly impressed with his performance.

The Latest: Fans hail Richarlison

The 25-year-old thought he had opened the scoring before VAR disallowed his opener after six minutes, however, he remained unfazed, winning the penalty for the second goal, and assisting Heung-min Son’s goal just after the hour mark. These Tottenham fans took to Twitter to express their joy about his performance:

“What a performance from Richarlison today, he was everywhere” – @David1882THFC

“Delighted for Richarlison today, v good performance. Robbed by VAR of a great goal An assist Involved in Kane’s first goal Won the penalty for Kane’s second goal” – @AoTottenhamH

“#Respect Richarlison for his MOM Performance today. When you talk the talk you have to walk the walk. Today Richo did that in spades.” – @MichaelStylian9

“Richarlison & Davies absolutely incredible work there!” – @_aditiyasingh20

“Richarlison has been absolutely superb today. Brilliant composure to find Son.” – @AlexMitton10

“Richarlison has been absolutely brilliant today. Crucial to every single goal.” – @STEFANCOYS

The Verdict: Fantastic display

The former Everton man was under pressure to perform, given his recent comments, and he appeared to get off to the perfect start, before what would have been his first Premier League goal for Spurs was ruled out for a marginal offside.

However, the forward still managed to put in a very solid performance, weighing in with his fourth assist of the season and receiving a 7.5/10 match rating from Sofascore for his efforts, the joint-third highest of any outfield player.

The onus is now on Richarlison to continue this form into next week’s trip to Southampton, should Conte choose to stick by him, or the Italian may once again recall Dejan Kulusevski to the starting XI.

Arsenal have got so much right over the past few years, starting with the appointment of Mikel Arteta in 2019, the Spaniard assuming his first managerial role at the Emirates after departing from Manchester City as Pep Guardiola's No. 2.

The high-flying outfit are five points clear of the second-placed Cityzens at the top of the Premier League after 27 matches, having failed to even qualify for the Champions League for the past six seasons, and the steady crafting of this budding super team has indeed left the Gunners in a stellar position to cement their newfound stature for years to come.

Martin Odegaard, ostensibly on for Premier League Player of the Year, was signed from Real Madrid for an initial £30m in 2021, having previously impressed on loan, while Gabriel Martinelli's £6m transfer now looks to be one of the biggest bargains in recent English history, prodigious centre-back William Saliba also integral after his £27m transfer from Saint-Étienne in 2019, earning a shot this season after spending three years out on loan, an opportunity he has taken emphatically.

With so much going right in north London, it's easy to forget that not all the deals have panned out as planned, with left-back Nuno Tavares at the forefront of the scant few of Arteta's signings to have fallen wide of the mark.

How is Nuno Tavares performing at Marseille?

Signing for the Gunners for just £8m from Benfica in 2021, the talented Tavares' arrival initially looked to be a shrewd move indeed, but the prospect would only make 13 starts in the Premier League, scoring a goal and assist apiece, before being shipped out on loan to Marseille last summer.

Arteta would sign versatile City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko for £32m one year later, hampering Tavares' chances of making an impact with a regular starting berth any time soon.

According to a recent report from Coeur Marseilleis (relayed by Sport Witness), The Olympians are growing discontented with the £28k-per-week wide defender, with his last few performances receiving scathing criticism from the French media.

A journalist for the French publication stated: “Tavares is getting worse and worse. Marseille as a whole are less performant, but certain individuals are too. It’s the case of the Portuguese, who frustrates both in his choices and his attitude. On the left, he often made the wrong choices, lost 25 balls through poor passes or wrong runs."

With Arsenal currently boasting the aforementioned Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney – albeit with the latter linked with a move away – it seems unlikely that the powers that be at the Emirates would disrupt the finely-poised fluidity and place Tavares back into the fold when the 23-year-old has been out-of-sorts of late.

As per Sofascore, the Portuguese ace floundered to a lowly 5.9 match rating against Strasbourg, losing possession 25 times, failing with all five of his dribble attempts, winning just four of his 14 ground duels and completing just 57% of his passes.

And despite clinching six goals from 23 Ligue 1 matches this term, Tavares' average rating of 6.7 is an indication that his clinical threat masquerades the overall level of his play, having won just 39% of his total duels and completed only 36% of his total dribbles.

If performances do not improve quickly, the chances of Arteta investing time and energy into the marauder grow slimmer, and his time on Arsenal's books might have be chalked off as one that failed to make the grade.

As such, he must be ruthlessly tossed aside by Edu and co once the window opens in a few months' time.

Leeds United's campaign has been tough, made no easier by the string of injuries they have once again suffered to key individuals.

Last season saw them lose the spine of their side as Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford all faced extended spells on the sidelines as they avoided the drop on the final day of the season.

With a summer overhaul welcoming plenty of new faces, adding even more in January, the expectation was that the squad had been suitably bolstered to avoid an over-reliance on certain players.

However, just as a new wave of main men announced themselves, they too have now been struck down in the form of Tyler Adams and Rodrigo.

The former, signed by Jesse Marsch, has become a mainstay in the Whites engine room which relies heavily upon his work rate to win the midfield battles. Meanwhile, the latter, a Marcelo Bielsa acquisition, has only just found his goalscoring feet in impressive fashion.

With an international break looming, it comes at the perfect time to hopefully allow them to recuperate and return as a dynamic duo to fire them to safety.

When will Rodrigo & Tyler Adams return?

The Spaniard actually made a triumphant return most recently in his side's win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with his late substitution culminating in the goal that would seal all three points.

His deft chip amidst controversy in the build-up marked his 13th of the season, with the nearest teammate only having scored four.

His introduction from the bench outlined an impressive recovery, where he fought his way back a few weeks earlier than was first expected after first picking up an ankle injury.

However, a return date for Adams' hamstring strain still remains unknown, which could worry fans. The £55k-per-week American will remain at Thorp Arch for the international break, giving him a lengthy absence from football to hopefully streamline his recovery.

With a 6.98 average rating this campaign, the 24-year-old is the club's fourth-highest-rated player thus far, with his 3.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per 90 proving imperative, via Sofascore.

Not only this, but his attitude is unrivalled too, as writer James Marshment outlined: "Tyler Adams – a lion on the pitch; a dignified, intelligent, humble and politically savvy person off it. He'll go a long way that lad".

Adding these two key figures back into the fold when domestic football resumes will be like new signings in their push for survival, which has admittedly been bolstered since Javi Gracia's arrival.

The Spaniard will be keen to continue this form with both of them back, as they face league-leaders Arsenal upon their return.

Newcastle United have been thinking about a shock move for AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho to replace Eddie Howe, according to reports.

Howe's instant impact…

The Premier League boss was appointed at St. James’ Park back in November 2021, 15 months on from his sacking at Bournemouth, and it’s fair to say that he’s made a hugely positive and significant impact on the team during his time in charge.

The Magpies coach led his side to an 11th place finish in his debut season in the dugout, but having since been backed with signings like Nick Pope and Alexander Isak, has overseen an even further improvement in performances and results. Winning 12, drawing 11 and losing just three of his 26 matches this term, the 45-year-old’s side are two points outside the Champions League places, not to mention that he also guided them to the Carabao Cup final, coming extremely close to securing silverware.

According to Italian outlet Il Corriere Dello Sport (via TEAMtalk), Newcastle have surprisingly “been considering” Jose Mourinho as an ideal candidate to replace Howe at St. James’ Park. The AS Roma boss’ contract at the Stadio Olimpico is set to expire next summer and it’s claimed that the northeast outfit are the “most likely club” to bring him back to the English top-flight.

Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United’s former leader has reportedly always viewed the Magpies with a “degree of affinity from afar” as a result of the relationship he had with Sir Bobby Robson. Should Mourinho depart the Serie A this summer, it’s stated that it would be for either Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain, though it’s claimed that he has decided to see out his deal until 2024.

Should Newcastle swap Howe for Mourinho?

Mourinho is undoubtedly one of the managing greats having been dubbed a “legend” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for the 35 trophies that he’s picked up throughout his career, but Newcastle relieving Howe of his duties would be completely the wrong thing to do, even though this report is suggesting a change could be over a year away.

The Amersham-born coach only signed a new long-term deal last year, showing that the hierarchy want to keep him in charge for the foreseeable future and he is equally as committed to seeing out the project he’s started to build on Tyneside.

Speaking to ChronicleLive, the boss was asked whether he’d consider replacing Gareth Southgate for England, and whilst he didn’t want to rule it out down the line, he admitted that he’s only focused on giving his all for Newcastle and there’s still so much he can achieve with the squad going forward.

Uncertainty over Tottenham Hotspur's managerial position continues to rumble on this international break…

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

Antonio Conte finally took his leave from the club late on Sunday with the Italian mutually terminating his deal in north London.

Prior to that, Sky Sports reported that the club's hierarchy had been conducting their due diligence on a number of potential successors for several weeks, of which FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is one name that has emerged as a likely candidate.

The 48-year-old has been in charge of the Portuguese giants since June 2017 and has led the Dragons to as many as nine trophies across a near six-year spell, including three Primeira Liga titles.

Is Conceicao a good appointment for Spurs?

Conceicao's only success has come at one of Portugal's biggest clubs, with stints at Ligue 1 outfit Nantes and other Iberian sides such as Vitoria Guimaraes and Sporting de Braga failing to hit the same heights.

This would surely make his fit for the Premier League rather dubious, seeing as his one spell outside his home country lasted just a year, with personal and family reasons being cited.

It would certainly be a big gamble from chairman Daniel Levy, though he's done it before, from the very same neck of the woods. Back in 2007, the Spurs supremo appointed a relatively unknown Spaniard called Juande Ramos, who arrived from Sevilla, where he had won six trophies, including two UEFA Cups.

He inherited a struggling side in the relegation zone and went on to win the League Cup later that year, but after a costly £60m summer spree – in which Luka Modric arrived at the club – the 68-year-old recorded Tottenham's worst-ever start to the league and by October, he was sacked.

According to former Spurs striker Darren Bent, Ramos became a very unpopular figure around the dressing room, losing the trust of key players such as skipper Ledley King and it all largely stemmed from his strict diets.

“When you’ve trained in the morning, you’ve had your lunch at the training ground, which isn’t usually that great, and then you get on a coach and get to the hotel and think, ‘I’m a bit hungry, I can’t wait for dinner’ and there’s just some dry rice," he told talkSPORT.

“Dry pasta, dry chicken, plain vegetables… and no crumble. People tried, people said to him: ‘Look, Juande, people are struggling…' Even our captain Ledley King was like: ‘Listen gaffer, we’re struggling here, what’s up with this food?’."

Conceicao is similar in this sense, according to some reports, and just like Ramos, had big success in Europe, but that clearly doesn't always translate into England, for whatever reason.

As such, Levy could be making an all too familiar mistake if he follows up his interest in the Porto tactician in the coming weeks. Whilst things were bad under Conte, they mustn't rush into another catastrophic appointment and given the evidence above, the 48-year-old could well end up being another Ramos in north London.