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It’s been one of the worst weeks in Grant Xhaka’s professional career.

The Arsenal captain has come under fire from his own supporters after he was booed off against Crystal Palace, and the gestures he made towards the stands whilst being substituted have seen the fanbase turn on him.

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It’s now been confirmed that the midfielder won’t be the matchday squad as the Gunners face Wolves this weekend, so it’s fair to say that his Arsenal future is a bit up in the air.

Will he lose the captaincy? Will he stay at the club? Nobody knows yet, but Mark Noble has advised his fellow Premier League captain on what the best course of action may be.

Indeed, Noble has been talking about what Xhaka should do about his current predicament.

“In all honesty, the best solution might be to tell his agent, ‘Look, they don’t like me here, so maybe it’s best if I go and play somewhere else.’ There would be a lot of takers for him because he is a quality player.” the Hammers skipper said.

A number of Arsenal fans are hoping that the Switzerland international will take Noble’s advice as they clearly don’t want him at the club for much longer.

Rather than defending their man they were quick to say that they hope he leaves.

Here’s what the Gunners fanbase have been saying about the situation on social media…

Arsenal fans have been reacting to Nicolas Pepe’s goal for the Ivory Coast after an incredible assist from summer target Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha, aged 26, played a part in his team’s successes during Ivory Coast’s 3-1 win against DR Congo on Sunday.

Supporters were in awe as his superb skill led to Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe getting on the scoresheet. The Ivorian netted in injury time along with Wilfried Kanon to secure the win during the all-African friendly match.

The Gunners were heavily linked with the Crystal Palace winger during the summer – with BBC Sport even reporting on a £40m offer – and Zaha admitted that his “head was a bit all over the place” after the summer transfer window closed, per BBC Africa (via the Daily Mail).

Arsenal fans were excited to see Zaha produce the moment of magic which led to their club’s £72m signing scoring from close range.

One supporter said that it would be an “insane statement” from the club to capture the former Manchester United midfielder, while others predicted he’ll be coming to the Emirates soon.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Arsenal fans:

Yesterday was a very special day for Leeds United.

It marked the 100th anniversary of the club and there were a number of events going on to commemorate it.

Part of the celebrations includes a gathering of former players in the Centenary Pavilion to kick things off this Saturday ahead of the club’s ‘Centenary Game’ against Birmingham City.

And the reunion of players means only one thing, plenty of opportunities for the stars of old to get pictures with one another, although two men decided to kick things off a little early.

When the players in question are of this high a magnitude in Leeds’ history, it was always going to get a response from the fans.

Tony Yeboah and Lucas Radebe shared a picture of the two of them making their way to the event, and to say Leeds supporters couldn’t contain themselves would be a little bit of an understatement.

The former featured on 54 occasions for the Whites, registering 28 goals while Radebe played a massive 232 times for the club, per Transfermarkt.

In fact, there were a number of players who thought they’d be able to still do a job in the current team, although that may just be the rose-tinted glasses talking.

In today’s Manchester United roundup, we take a look at the headlines that have been making the rounds. There is an injury crisis ahead of the trip to West Ham United, ex-Manchester City man Alf-Ing Haaland talks about his son’s link to United, and Owen Hargreaves believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must sign Declan Rice and Jadon Sancho.

Injury crisis ahead of Sunday

Report: As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Solskjaer is set to be without Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial for the Sunday clash against West Ham at the London Stadium. All three have missed the wins against Leicester City and Astana, with the French stars yet to return to training, whilst Shaw’s hamstring injury has kept him sidelined.

Verdict: As much as this is a treat for the Hammers, it is dreadful news for United. Yes, Pogba’s form has been questionable, however, the 26-year-old has proven once again to be Solskjaer’s main creative output bagging two assists in the four games thus far, whilst forward man Martial has scored twice and provided one assist this season.

Indeed, with Shaw out, United may become more defensively exposed with Ashley Young set to come in at left-back. Young was a problem for United last season when Shaw was also sidelined, and the 34-year-old has averaged just 0.3 tackles per game in his three Premier League matches this campaign.

Hargreaves thinks United need Sancho and Rice

Report: Hargreaves, when speaking after United’s victory over Astana, said: “Ultimately you’ve got to find a way to win games. I think the next phase is getting players that can make the difference. I think Declan Rice at the base of the midfield in this team makes a difference. I think Jadon Sancho would be a perfect player for this team and they need a no.9 whoever that may be.

“It’s a work in progress and it’s going to take time but at some point they’re going to have to invest. Eventually you have to buy.

Verdict: In a nutshell, this is modern football, and teams who want to win, usually have to buy. Furthermore, United showed against Astana that academy products like Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood could soon be superstars, but they also showed that they need an awful lot of time to work.

Astana formed just 10 years ago, and truthfully, a club the size of United should be netting for fun against them. Yes, of course, they fielded academy players, however, there is only a year between the likes of Sancho and Gomes, so it is tough to disagree with Hargreaves in saying United must buy and not just concentrate on youth.

Haaland’s dad flirts with United

Report: Former Leeds United man Alf-Inge Haaland spoke to TV2, seemingly giving his son Erling Braut Haaland his blessing to join fierce rivals Manchester United if the club were to seek the 19-year-old’s signature.

“It would be nice. It is important to distinguish between being a supporter and a job. So I have a very relaxed relationship with that. It’s a little different when it’s serious.

“Yes, I think most players dream of being in the Premier League at one time or another. It’s the league that gets the most attention around, and it has very good quality teams. There is no doubt the Premier League is attractive to him.”

Verdict: United boss Solskjaer is no stranger to Haaland’s goalscoring ability, having handed the teenager his debut during his time at Molde. Since then, the Leeds-born youngster has got the footballing world talking about him this season after scoring 17 goals in 11 appearances [Transfermarkt], including a hat-trick on his Champions League debut, and coincidentally becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick on his debut since United’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney did in 2004.

The Red Devils are perhaps not in need of a young striker at the moment, with Greenwood also scoring on the European stage in midweek, whilst Marcus Rashford is only 21 and Martial is just 23. However, Haaland’s form is better than the three of them combined, and as Solskjaer knows the striker well – perhaps it would be a clever purchase from him.

Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier has shared his verdict on Marco Silva’s tactics, after Everton were beaten 1-0 at Burnley thanks to a goal scored from a corner kick routine.

Defending set-pieces has been a regular plight of the Blues under the tenure of Silva, with the Toffees conceding a league-high 16 goals from dead-ball situations excluding penalties last season, per WhoScored data.

After eight games in the current campaign, things are looking uncomfortably similar for the Goodison Park natives, as Saturday’s trip to Turf Moor saw Everton once again beaten from a set-piece routine, when Jeff Hendrick fired home the only goal of the day in the 72nd minute to further punish Silva’s 10-man side.

It was the fifth goal Everton have seen hit their net this term from a free-kick or corner routine, which accounts for 38 per cent of the total strikes netted against Jordan Pickford thus far.

Losing at Burnley left Everton sat above the relegation zone come full-time, with one point all that is separating the Blues from last season’s Championship winners Norwich City, and a win for Newcastle United against Manchester United on Sunday will see that Everton end the weekend inside the bottom three.

For former Southampton star Le Tissier, the tactical shape favoured by Silva when defending corners is causing him particular concern, and leaves Everton in a worrisome position.

“This is a really worrying time for Everton,” Le Tissier stated on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (October 5, 17:29). “I have never been a fan of zonal marking. I much prefer players to take responsibility, get a man and if that man scores, you know where to point the finger.

“I’m sure there’s lots of research been done as to why people do use zonal marking, but no manner of statistics will ever back up what I felt like on a football pitch.

“It was a simple corner, which they almost got done by in the first-half. Corner to the back post, Hendrick’s right ’round the back, no one marking him, nearly scored from it the first-half, [Everton] didn’t learn from it at all, second corner [of the] second-half and this time he volleys it into the roof of the net.”

While Le Tissier points to zonal marking being the route cause of Everton’s struggles, it is a system, perhaps, favoured by many sides around the world thanks to its structured nature of handing certain players, certain responsibilities and areas they must cover should an opposing player enter them.

It can be argued that this awards the attacking team an advantage as their players can get a run on a defender, and benefit from that should they be forced into an aerial battle for possession, but with Everton’s goal conceded at Burnley, the issue was more through players not tracking Hendrick’s run, which left the Clarets midfielder with space to operate in.

Had one of Silva’s preferred defenders kept track of the 27-year-old, or intercepted the ball while in flight, they may not have left Turf Moor empty-handed and mounted more pressure on their head coach’s position.

Everton fans, is Silva the man to turn things around, or will he not be favoured a second chance for a second season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Reported 2018 Liverpool target Jorginho’s poor run of form continued in Chelsea’s 2-0 FA Cup fifth round defeat against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, and Reds fans were quick to react to his performance on Twitter.

The Liverpool Echo reported last May that the Merseyside outfit were interested in bringing the Italy international to the Premier League, but at the time Manchester City were the favourites to win the race for the midfielder’s signature.

Of course, the 27-year-old ended up linking up with the manager he worked under at Napoli, Maurizio Sarri, in west London instead, and while he started the season well and earnt pletny of plaudits, his displays have dropped off in recent weeks with his shortfalls off of the ball and defensively coming to the fore – as was the case against the Red Devils.

Liverpool supporters took to social media to have their say on the Italian’s latest showing on Monday, and while one said “Jorginho isn’t fit to lace Wijnaldum’s boots”, another said “he can’t defend and his passing is just average”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sunderland were booed off the pitch by their travelling support at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, but summer signing Jordan Willis has shown his appreciation for the Black Cats faithful.

What’s he said?

Signed by Jack Ross in July, Willis has been a fixture in defence for the Wearside outfit, featuring in nine games already this season.

And after a second half filled with ‘sacked in the morning’ chants and a full-time whistle greeted by boos at the University of Bolton Stadium, Willis’ comments are surprisingly positive.

He spoke very maturely of the 1-1 draw with Keith Hill’s side, branding it “frustrating”, “disappointing” and pointing to the Black Cats’ lack of ruthlessness.

On the fans, he had this to say, per The Chronicle: “The fans backed us right to the end, and that’s appreciated. Hopefully, in the next game, we can give them a proper reward with a win.”

The professional answer

The fans have been growing disillusioned with Ross for quite some time.

From the never-ending 1-1 draws to repeating the same mistakes over and over, failing to fix the full-back issues and somehow managing to put out the Will Grigg fire – it’s all gone horribly wrong for the Scot.

You only need to look at the replies to a recent tweet asking if they should sack the 43 year-old to see that he has well and truly lost the supporters, and Willis has been very clever here.

Rather than siding with the manager who signed him, which would risk turning the fans against him personally as well, the 25 year-old has sidestepped any potential controversy by simply paying tribute to those who dedicate their weekends to their club.

His comments are extremely professional and indicate he is the type of character the club will need going forward, whether Ross is at the helm or not.

Aston Villa had a rather busy January transfer window in terms of their recruitment as well as moving some of their current players out on loan to other clubs.

Even though the winter transfer period has drawn to a close, it seems as though the Midlands club may already have their eyes on one deal in particular that they could look to complete when the summer transfer window opens.

What’s the news?

During a recent online Q&A on the Birmingham Live website, Villa journalist Ashley Preece was asked a question regarding the club’s current left-back situation after Matt Targett made a January deadline day transfer move to Newcastle United on loan.

In response, Preece revealed that the Midlands club are “looking to” try and sign Bologna’s 19-year-old left-back Aaron Hickey when the next summer transfer window opens.

With that in mind and the fact that they were linked with a move for the defender during the recent January transfer window suggests that Villa’s scouting team certainly see the teenager as a suitable recruit for Gerrard’s side.

Likened to Busquets

Prior to joining the Italian side back in September 2020, the £11.7m-rated full-back had racked up 34 appearances for SPFL side Hearts.

Since joining Bologna, the teenager, who has been likened to Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets in the past by Austin MacPhee, has managed to score an impressive four goals in 33 appearances across all competitions.

As well as his goals, the defender has also managed to deliver some solid performances for the Serie A side this season with WhoScored giving him an overall rating of 6.8/10 making him their fourth-highest rated player.

This would also currently place him in the top 10 of Villa’s highest-rated players in the Premier League this season, showing that he has what it takes to perform at a high level.

Moving forward, should Villa end up selling Targett at the end of the season when his loan spell at Newcastle comes to an end and if Ashley Young doesn’t renew his playing contract when that expires in the summer, launching a move for Hickey should definitely be at the top of Villa’s priority list to add some depth and freshness in that area of the squad.

After all, they could just find the next Busquets by doing so, landing a player capable of thriving in a multitude of positions; namely holding midfield and full-back.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops major 7-word AVFC deadline day update, Gerrard will be delighted – opinion

Wolves have seen numerous players make the move to Molineux on loan deals over the past few years such as Francisco Trincao, Willian Jose and Jesus Vallejo among others.

While some players that originally joined the Midlands club on loan have gone on to become permanent figures at Molineux such as Raul Jimenez, Hwang Hee-chan and Rayan Ait-Nouri, some end up returning to their parent clubs after a temporary spell with the Premier League club.

One example of a player that spent some time with Wolves and has since gone on to shine with their original side is 22-year-old midfielder Vitinha.

The Old Gold signed the midfielder, who has been described as “complete” by Sergio Conceicao and “special” by Jeff Shi, on a temporary basis from Porto back in September 2020 until the end of the previous season.

During his time at Molineux, the 22-year-old only made 19 appearances in the Premier League, starting five of them and failing to find the back of the net on even one occasion, providing just one assist along the way.

As well as his lack of regular goal contributions, the Portuguese international’s overall performances didn’t do much to impress anyone at the Midlands club, with WhoScored giving him a season rating of 6.23 making him the lowest-rated Wolves player to start more than one league game throughout the entire campaign.

While his spell in England didn’t go too well, things have been much better for the midfielder back at Porto this season where he is currently picking up a weekly wage of £4.5k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

With 23 league appearances under his belt, Vitinha has managed to score two goals and provide one assist as well as earn himself a much-improved overall performance rating of 7.4, making him the third-highest rated player currently in Porto’s squad according to WhoScored.

Back in October 2020, shortly after he made the move to Molineux, Transfermarkt rated the former Wolves loan man’s market value at £4.5m, whereas it now stands at £21.6m, showing a massive increase of 380% since he left England.

Recent reports have now linked fellow Premier League side Liverpool with a summer move for the midfield man, meaning that should he make a return to England, he could well end up haunting his old side after failing to do the business for them during his loan spell and give them some serious nightmares.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of free agent centre-forward Jermain Defoe…

What’s the talk?

According to INews, the Black Cats have made contact with the player and are one of a number of EFL clubs attempting to sign him.

The report claims that he wants to continue playing until the end of the 2021/22 campaign and is seriously considering a deal to join Sunderland.

SOL rocking

Lee Johnson could get the Stadium of Light rocking with a deal to re-sign the attacker. Not only does he have a successful history with the club but he is also a recognised name in English football and has enjoyed a brilliant career for club and country.

This means that he would almost be a marquee signing in the sense of the fanfare that would come with it, irrespective of his age. In 93 games for Sunderland between 2014 and 2017, he plundered an impressive 37 goals and four assists, which is why fans would surely be over the moon to see him back as they were able to enjoy his immense goalscoring talents previously.

The English predator has scored 200 club career goals to date and found the back of the net 20 times for England at international level. This means that the Mackems could be bringing in a player who has 220 strikes to his name, with the majority coming at the top level for club and country.

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson once dubbed him “wonderful” and his record in Scotland suggests that he still has something to offer on the pitch at the age of 39. He managed 32 goals and ten assists in 74 games for the Gers, showing that he still has what it takes to be a regular goalscorer.

Therefore, he could bolster Johnson’s squad and score a few goals in League One to help the club with their promotion push back to the Championship. Fans would surely be buzzing to see him back in red and white after his previous spell with the club and the stands will be rocking if he comes in and has an impact on the season, as his statistics suggest that he will be able to do.

He was also part of the coaching set-up at Ibrox before Giovanni van Bronckhorst came in and brought in his own staff. This means that he could come in and play his part on the pitch before potentially retiring and taking up a coaching role at the club moving forward.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops Sunderland transfer claim that will leave fans gutted…