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These days, the race for the sack is almost as exciting as the race for the title, with constant speculation as to whom might be next for the chop.

As a football manager, you do not tend to be given much time to make an impact at your club and we see a lot of teams that will end up averaging one manager per season, sometimes more.

The two most likely managers to face the sack at the moment are Alan Pardew and Sam Allardyce, despite both managers having done a great job at their respective clubs and staying at the helm for more than just one season.

The heat is perhaps a little hotter on Pardew over at Newcastle at the moment after the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Southampton. During the game, chants of “Pardew out” and “It’s never your fault” could be heard and it felt like the atmosphere was quite a tense one with the travelling supporters piling the pressure on the team from the first minute of the game.

The Geordies currently sit at the bottom of the Premiership table with only two points from four games, which is part of a very poor run that has seen them collect only five points from a possible thirty six. Reports suggest that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is considering pulling the plug early on the manager’s eight year contract and he could go as early as before the next game at Hull, with an ironic twist in the tale that sees present Hull manager Steve Bruce as favourite to replace Pardew at St Jame’s Park.

Another manager that has been feeling a lot of pressure recently is West Ham’s Sam Allardyce. He has been quite the unpopular figure at Upton Park from day one with some of the fans despite doing a fantastic job for the club so far. He got them promoted at the first time of asking and managed to gain stability for the team in the Premier League since their return, despite flirting with the drop at times last season.

The main issue with Allardyce has been surrounding his style of football and team sheet selection more than actual results themselves, a very different type of problem than the one Pardew is facing up north with the results and lack of points being the main issue. Big Sam has always been known for his route one, boring football, which sees him try and keep a clean sheet and hope for the odd goal to win the game, a system which does not really fit in with the Hammers way of playing and traditions.

Until the thrilling 2-2 draw with Hull last Monday night, it was looking like Allardyce could be in big trouble and a lot hinged on the game against the Tigers. The board of directors at West Ham set out a new plan for the manager to stick to after a summer of heavy spending in the transfer market. It was made clear to the gaffer that he had to play a more attacking, exciting brand of football whilst getting better results than last season as well.

It was feared Allardyce would stick to his usual formation and stick to the same players who were not performing for the Hammers rather than use the immense new talent at his disposal, but he proved everyone wrong with a fine attacking display of entertaining football, indicating that there is a promising turn around of style and results to come at Upton Park.

If they avoid the chop, both managers have a lot of hard work still to do to show their employers and their clubs’ respective supporters that they are worthy of the job. Pardew looks the most likely to go with his team rooted at the bottom of the table and should he stay to manage his side against Hull at the weekend, the minimum result will surely have to be three points to Newcastle. The axe is looming for the Magpies’ boss and his time is running out. The club are in big danger of entering a relegation scrap unless their fortunes are turned around.

As for Allardyce, he might have a little longer. If his line-up and style of play is similar to the one at Hull then he’ll no doubt start winning over the very fans calling for his head, but the Hammers face two big tests in the shape of Liverpool and Manchester United in their next two fixtures, which doesn’t give him much hope.

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So unless both managers start improving soon, then West Ham and Newcastle will be back in the market for a new manager.

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A rumour that seemingly just doesn’t want to die, Arsenal have once again been linked with a move for Real Madrid star Sami Khedira.

Admittedly, with just six months remaining on the Germany international’s contract by the time we reach the new year, it’s not every day a Premier League club gets the chance to snap up a World Cup and Champions League winner at a bargain rate.

But we at Football FanCast believe the Gunners could be walking into a trap – Khedira, although a talented midfielder, does not address the north London outfit’s vital needs, as we shall soon explain.

And in addition to our explanation, we’ve come up with FOUR alternatives to the Bernabeu star.

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WHY KHEDIRA ISN’T WHAT ARSENAL NEED

There are certainly some misconceptions about Sami Khedira in England, especially in regards to how and where plays. He’s commonly considered a defensive midfielder, but the evidence simply doesn’t add up.

Take this heatmap taken from Germany’s 7-1 romping of Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals for example:

As you can see, his energy and power were used more in a box-to-box capacity, providing influence at both ends of the pitch and regularly pressing Brazil’s backline. The holding role, which Arsenal will assumedly be purchasing Khedira for, was adopted by Bastian Schweinsteiger at the World Cup, as well as Xabi Alonso over the last few seasons at Real Madrid.

Likewise, take a look at Khedira’s statistics from 2012/13 – his last full season without injury – compared to some of Europe’s other top defensive midfielders:

As you can see, the 27 year-old ranks the lowest in all categories, epitomising the argument that he’s more of a box-to-boxer than a genuine holding player. This is something Arsene Wenger has already commented on; “We never came close to signing Khedira. Jack Wilshere is back fit and in midfield we already have offensive players and quite a few box-to-box players,” remarked the Frenchman in early August.

A Champions League and World Cup winner, there’s no doubt Khedira has the natural physical assets and the intelligence to transition his game to a more defensive role.

But Arsenal don’t need another pet project in holding midfield, following on from Mikel Arteta and more recently, Abou Diaby. They need an established, proven specialist, born for the anchoring role who can hit the ground running. So what are the alternatives?

MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN

In terms of defensive midfielders that have already earned their stripes in the Premier League, none strike the balance between quality and availability better than Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.

Before the start of the current campaign, no player had made more tackles, 259, and more interceptions, 207, in the Premier League since Southampton’s top flight ascension in summer 2012.

That was enough to earn Schneiderlin a place in France’s World Cup squad and he’s started the current campaign in a similar vein, making it into the Premier League’s top ten tacklers:

He’s also added a new string to his bow, netting three times already to better his entire output from last season, including this curler against Newcastle:

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Here’s how he compared to Khedira and Arsenal’s other holding midfield options last season:

Southampton reportedly rate Schneiderlin at around £27million, but still just 24 years of age, the potential to get good-value-for-money is there by tying the Frenchman down for his best years.

Here’s another look at Schneiderlin in action:

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JOHN OBI MIKEL

A considerably less popular choice than the majority of the names on this list – even Chelsea fans have rather diverse opinions on holding midfielder John Obi Mikel.

But the Nigerian international’s simplistic-yet-effective manner of protecting the back four and moving the ball forward is exactly what Arsenal need to anchor their offensive-orientated midfield.

And his suitability to the English top flight is undoubted, having made 208 Premier League appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge in 2006. Mikel’s appeared in some of the most important fixtures in recent Chelsea history too, including Champions League and FA Cup finals.

He doesn’t feature in the Blues’ starting Xi too often nowadays, so here’s how he compares to Khedira and Arsenal’s current holding options based on per-90-minute metrics:

Mikel also provided this rather incredible backheel assist to Diego Costa amid Chelsea’s 6-3 romping of Everton earlier this season:

Chelsea came close to selling the midfielder to Galatasaray during the summer, with Mikel even claiming ‘all that’s left is for the clubs to reach an agreement’ over fees in August, so logic suggests the Blues will be prepared to sell in January if their apparent £10million valuation is met.

By no means a star-studded candidate, but that in turn epitomises the 27 year-old’s understated style.

JAVI MARTINEZ

Already mentioned in passing in this article, signing Bayern Munich star Javi Martinez would show that Arsenal really mean business.

The Spain international emerged as one of the most impressive holding players in world football as he helped the Bavarians claim the 2013 Champions League title during his first season the Bay Arena. Here’s a look at some of his highlights thus far for the German giants:

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But the 6 foot 5 monolith has never quite taken Pep Guardiola’s fancy, regularly pushed back into his secondary position of centre-half under the former Barcelona boss and making thirteen less appearances than the year previous last season.

Following an injury that will see him out until the new year, Bayern signed the likeminded Xabi Alonso during the summer and Roma defender Mehdi Benatia, so even when fit, Martinez will have a tough task breaking back into Bayern’s first team.

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Thus, the stage is set for an abrupt departure, provided the 26 year-old is fit by the time the transfer market reopens in January. Here’s how he compared to Arsenal’s other defensive options last season:

But if Martinez were to become available in the new year, a plethora of top clubs will be interested in his services. He’s been linked to Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG before to name a few.

ALLAN

Udinese starlet Allan may not be a household name in England, or for that matter Italy or Brazil. But following a second successful campaign in the Serie A outfit’s first team, his stock is dramatically rising throughout Europe.

Indeed, the former Brazil U20 has averaged an incredible five tackles per match this season. To put that into perspective, he’s been the sixth-most effective ball-winner on the continent:

He was also Serie A’s second-best tackler last year:

Whether the 23 year-old’s form would quite transition over to the Premier League remains to be seen. He measures in at just 5 foot 8 and is definitively more progressive than your average English top flight holding midfielder, averaging 1.8 successful dribbles per match this season. Here’s a look at Allan in action for former club Vasco da Gama:

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But he’s adapting to European football well and has been tipped by many as a future star. There’s even reports Italy are trying to draft him in to their national team.

Allan comes with big risk but even bigger reward. His pitbull mentality, blended with his south American flair, could be exactly what Arsenal need in front of their back four.

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Manchester United have had a rather strange couple of years by their standard, as the usually Premier League title-challenging squad finished a lowly seventh last season and has seen a huge influx of players used to be frowned upon by their own supporters.

But as they say, “what goes up must come down”, which is the reality that the Red Devils and their supporters must accept.

After already purchasing over £150million in players over the summer, manager Louis van Gaal still has the ingredients to build a successful team, but there could be a few players that will really fill the missing pieces in the Old Trafford puzzle.

Can any of these players be from the Italian Serie A?

Here are FIVE Serie A Players Manchester United should sign in January.

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON KEVIN STROOTMAN TO SEE THE FULL LIST!

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Kevin Strootman

Kevin Strootman has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent years, and he may have arrived if it wasn’t for a serious injury in the middle of last season.

However the Holland international has recovered for Roma, featuring in the last seven minutes of their 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow during midweek.

Strootman is a talented centre midfielder capable of dictating play as well as being strong in the tackle, components required in a box-to-box midfielder.

The Dutchman also chips in with his fair share of goals, but the Red Devils may need to cough up over £20million to sign the former Ajax star this winter.

Nemanja Vidic

Could Manchester United really bring back former captain Nemanja Vidic only after half a year away from Old Trafford? Well according to recent reports they could.

The Red Devils have been struggling with injuries recently, especially in defence, and while it is expected that Phil Jones and Jonny Evans will be the starting pair, Nemanja Vidic’s vast experience and know-how could be extremely beneficial to Louis van Gaal’s side at this moment.

The Serbia international is also having a torrid time in his new surroundings at the San Siro, with new boss Roberto Mancini already dropping him out in the Nerrazurri’s 1-1 draw with AC Milan.

Without regular playing time, United could swoop in with a loan move till the end of the season just to fill the void before Jones, Evans, and Smalling are ready to finally fill his boots.

Arturo Vidal

One of Manchester United’s biggest mistake may have been letting Paul Pogba leave for free to Juventus, as the Frenchman is now one of the best young players on the planet.

Pogba’s rise and Claudio Marchisio’s improvement this season may see Arturo Vidal, who was linked with United all summer, finally depart to Old Trafford.

Vidal is one of the best in his position and will slot easily into the first team, but it is uncertain whether manager Louis van Gaal will risk buying another injury-prone player after Radamel Falcao’s consistent setbacks.

Yet if Juve allow Vidal to search for a new club, expect United to still be interested in signing the Chilean powerhouse.

Mattia de Sciglio

Manchester United have been unlucky with injuries this season, as at one point up to eleven regulars were unavailable due to their respective knocks.

One player that can relieve those woes is AC Milan star Mattia de Sciglio, whose versatility allows him to play at right back, left back, and even centre back at the top level.

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Naturally a right-back, the young Italian has been fielded mostly on the left to accommodate Ignazio on the other side, but has performed admirably… resulting in a call up to play for the Italian national side.

The Rossoneri will be extremely reluctant to let their prized asset depart, but the cash-strapped club may not be able to refuse an offer in the region of £16million.

Mattia Destro

With an abundance of strikers at Manchester United, it may be odd that they would consider a move for Chelsea target Mattia Destro.

However that could very well happen with Robin van Persie rumoured to leave shortly along with Radamel Falcao, who has failed to fully recover from a knee injury which caused him to miss the FIFA World Cup.

Destro is strong in the air as well as a composed finisher, and is touted to one day lead the line for the national team.

The Italian is however having his chances limited at the Stadio Olimpico due to the ever-consistent presence of captain Francesco Totti, which has seen Destro only start six games this season.

Yet Destro, 22, has four goals, and could be a great player to lead the Red Devils front line in the near future.

Deadline day is rapidly approaching, and even though there has been a lack of notable business at Tottenham – just DeAndre Yedlin has been drafted in from Seattle Sounders – there is still time on the clock and plenty of rumours in the gossip columns.

With the top four, as ever, the aim for Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino, a few decent signings could be enough to nudge them ahead of the large chasing pack – but who will be on the Argentine’s shopping list?

Without further ado, here is how we think their post-January XI could look in a dream scenario…

Hugo Lloris

Even though David de Gea of Manchester United has been the subject of much goalkeeping praise this season, Lloris is, arguably, the best stopper in the Premier League. The Frenchman has been a Spurs player for just about two-and-a-half years, and his agility, ‘sweeper ‘keeper’ mentality and athleticism have been vital in the club’s challenges for top four action. Although linked with moves away from The Lane, Lloris looks set to stay until at least the end of the season.

Kyle Walker

Although his development has stagnated a little in recent seasons, Walker is still a top right-back on his day. Lapses in concentration can be an issue, but ferocious pace and sound tackling ability often make up for small errors. With Kyle Naughton gone, DeAndre Yedlin looks to be his major competitor, but the American is likely to need some time to adapt following his move from MLS side Seattle Sounders.

Jan Vertonghen

A classy centre-back capable of carrying the ball forward, Vertonghen is a certain pick for Spurs now after a period of turbulence. Last season appeared to sap some of the motivation from the Belgian’s game after an impressive debut campaign, but Pochettino’s arrival looks to have reignited his desire to be a key man at The Lane.

Younes Kaboul

Captain and powerful influence, Kaboul remains firmly ahead of Vlad Chiriches and Eric Dier in the pecking order, and is likely to keep his spot in the XI unless there is a late January transfer window twist. Experienced in the Premier League, Kaboul knows what he’s doing at the top level, even if his lack of mobility causes problems.

Danny Rose

Loan spells away from the club have allowed Rose to rack up enough experience to be Spurs’ main left-back now, with his pace, power and willing running all key traits in Pochettino’s high-tempo, fast-pressing set-up. Like many attacking full-backs, the 24-year-old is not always the most solid influence heading towards his own goal, but he does offer lots heading the other way.

Yevhen Konoplyanka

Linked with Spurs as far back as last January, Konoplyanka is once again thought to be on the club’s radar, with a £7m swoop having been mooted. The Ukrainian winger is out of contract at the end of the season, and although his father has suggested that teams need to wait until then to snap him up, there remains the chance of a late deal for the Dnipro ace. Quick, good on the ball and cost-effective, ‘Kono’ could be worth a late push.

Ryan Mason

Local lad come good, Mason is very much a fans’ favourite at White Hart Lane. Although there are more established central midfielders around in the squad, the 23-year-old offers genuine desire, hard-work and bags of stamina, which has often shown up the likes of Moussa Dembele and Etienne Capoue.

Adrien Rabiot

Alongside Mason in a youthful midfield combo, Rabiot would be an excellent late addition. The 19-year-old PSG playmaker has been linked with moves away from the French capital for some time, and even though Sevilla are thought to be closing in on a deal, there is still time on the clock. Spurs have indeed been watching the teenager, who is known for his composed passing.

Christian Eriksen

At the tip of the midfield set-up, we’ve gone for the obvious choice, Eriksen. The little Dane has been a big hit since Tottenham beat Liverpool to land him from Ajax, with his neat passing, great close control and tendency to net vital goals having contributed to his status as a fans’ favourite in the white half of north London.

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Harry Kane

The ‘Hurricane’ has really emerged as one of Spurs’ key men this season, with his goalscoring antics in the Europa League – and Soldado and Adebeyor’s woes – having allowed him to move in from the fringes to become Pochettino’s main centre-forward. Not the most technically adept striker around, Kane offers bustling energy, willing running and pure graft, which all add up to make him a more than a match for many defenders. In this formation he will be out wide, though, with room made for the marquee striker…

Jackson Martinez

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Although there have been suggestions that Martinez wants a move to Italy, there have also been reports in recent weeks claiming that White Hart Lane is where he wants to go, so the situation is unclear! A late swop could be enough to secure the deadly marksman from Porto, and it’s fair to say that his record of almost two goals every three games since moving to Portugal in 2012 hints that he could be just the man to spearhead a top four charge. Powerful, quick and lethal in the box, Martinez looks the full package.

Arsenal lived up to just about every cliche that surrounds them on Wednesday night, succumbing to a crushing defeat. Pre-game optimism billed this as the start of a new European adventure, Arsenal’s first continental tie in half a decade that they were actually expected to win.

Monaco are currently 4th in Ligue 1, seven points off third place Marseille and only four points ahead of seventh placed Montpellier.

They also were missing five first team players, most notably Jeremy Toulalan – this was the perfect time to be playing the (seemingly) weakest outfit left in Europe’s elite competition.

Five minutes of optimism descended into a blunt, unimaginative and shocking performance. Arsenal now head to the Stade Louis needing to score three big goals, which on the basis of this performance will be near-on-impossible.

Here are five crucial points regarding the game…

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Individually, Arsenal played appallingly

Before this article descends into a pessimistic analysis of Arsenal’s strategic shortcomings around the pitch (and it will), it would be best to crudely say why Arsenal lost last night. Simply, their players – individually – played dreadfully.

Sir Alex Ferguson presented a basic analogy in his autobiography that for a team to win a game of football, eight of their starting 11 had to have a good game – you could carry three under performing players at a maximum, but after that you were in trouble.

Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all put in career defining bad performances. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tomas Rosicky made monumental individual errors for the third (and decisive) goal. Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez, Laurent Koscielny and Danny Welbeck were all below par.

A more assured keeper may have adjusted their body position better than David Ospina did for Monaco’s opener. This was as much an individual breakdown as it was a collective team failing. Arsene Wenger can’t be faulted entirely.

The poorness started from the back

That said, team cohesion and strategy were still lacking, and it started from the back.

Mertesacker and Koscielny laboured on the ball and resembled a hungover pub-team’s defensive pairing, devoid of confidence, careless on the ball and toothless against the counter. Arsenal needed to build from deep because the fantastic Fabinho and Kondagobia could fend off long balls, but Arsenal’s usually dependable pairing could hardly string a pass together.

That, in turn, drew Cazorla and Coquelin (who should have been sent off) deep towards their own goal, where they failed to make any impact on the game.

Arsenal too narrow and too slow in attack

That meant Welbeck and Sanchez came remarkably narrow to influence the midfield, where Monaco were compact and resilient.

Narrowness is fine if somebody stays wide to exploit some space, but this never seemed to happen in the first half. While Ozil was exceptionally poor, on occasions you’d see him pound his fist in frustration at the lack of options around him, with everybody seemingly too close to him.

These weaknesses were all compounded by the slow natured tempo of Arsenal’s attacks. Monaco probably couldn’t believe how blunt an offence they had to deal with.

Monaco grew into the game

The question pondered in the wake of this game was whether Monaco played well or Arsenal played badly. In the first half, Monaco looked fairly average – timid, nervous, expectant of a ferocious onslaught.

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Arsenal were worse than them in that opening period, and the fortuitous Kondogbia goal was the fuel needed to energise them into a more stirring display. That gave them confidence to really kick on in the second half, and they were a good side for long spells in that period, while Arsenal maintained their lackadaisical build up play that came to nothing.

Just like Monaco were empowered by their goal, Wenger desperately needed one of Giroud or Welbeck’s dying chances to be converted. It wasn’t to be.

1-3 is considerably worse than 0-2

Emphasis must be laid on the importance of Monaco’s third – no side has lost a European Cup or Champions League first-leg knockout tie at home by two goals and progressed to the next round since Ajax in 1969. Monaco have conceded 1 in their last 10 in the Stade Louis, and they boasted the best defence throughout the group stages.

This will rank very near the bottom in Wenger’s Arsenal career- this was a ‘new-era’, post austerity Champions League chance against a beatable opponent to actually make some headway in Europe after five years of 1st knockout round disappointments. It’s seldom you see so many individual errors in one performance, and Wenger pointed to psychology and mentality in his post-match interview.

If there’s one saving grace, the last time Arsenal disappointed that much in Europe was when they were mauled by Milan at the San Siro 4-0. In the return leg they appeared an entirely different outfit, and were 3-0 up at the Emirates at half time, making a wonderful comeback.

Wenger will need a performance of that ilk if he’s to have any chance of creeping through this disastrous affair.

Brazilian legend Kaka scored his first goal for Orlando City in the MLS last weekend, just the latest a long number of football stars to head to the United States. So why are so many of the games biggest names heading across the pond? When Major League Soccer started in 1993 it took some years to get going; the Americans didn’t take to soccer as much as the rest of the world but slowly it has grown and grown.  Last season there was an average attendance of 18,807 in the league with more people learning to love the sport of “soccer”. The numbers have grown as more people have come to appreciate the division; more stars are going over there but they are also producing stars such as Clint Dempsey who started his career at the New England Revolution before being signed by Fulham. Of course it all started with David Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy. A decision which at first surprised many of his fans but the move turned out to be a great success for everyone involved.  While it wasn’t an easy road to start with as Becks flitted between LA Galaxy and AC Milan, the Californian side’s captain made 98 appearances scoring 18 goals and winning the MLS Cup with them in 2011.  As he grew into the American life and the team grew around him he carved a new idea and a new path for footballers reaching the end of their careers.  Many players now see the MLS has a growing strength and many want to be a part of it so when they are losing their speed or fitness instead of retiring like they would have previously done, many are heading to America.  That might sound slightly harsh on the MLS because it sounds like the players believe they have a chance of first team football because the teams are not as good as they are in Europe but actually there is a positive.  Footballers want to stay playing as long as they can. Football is in their blood and a lot find that their bodies slow down before their brains do. Footballers now see going to play for one of the American teams in the MLS as mutually beneficial and you can see why. While they can carry on playing football longer than they had originally thought, a league which is growing and progressing every year gets the benefit of the skill and knowledge of these famous stars which are not only helping the clubs develop on the football side but is also drawing in fans who want to see these superstars play. There have been many stars join the MLS over the years such as Robbie Keane at LA Galaxy, Obafemi Martins signing for Seattle Sounders, Robert Earnshaw appearing for Toronto FC, Tim Cahill performing at New York Red Bulls and Mikael Silvestre previously joining Portland Timbers and it looks like many stars are going to carry on going.The trend looks set to continue and while no one is expecting the MLS to be able to contend with Europe’s biggest leagues anytime soon, the leap they have made since their first season is phenomenal.Long may it continue!

Chelsea have joined Arsenal and Manchester City in race to sign Liverpool star Raheem Sterling, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

Sterling has been heavily linked with a move out of Anfield recently after revealing that he rejected a £100,000-a-week contract offer from the Reds, and has stalled any negotiations until the end of the season.

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The England international also admitted that amid interest from the Gunners and City, he was flattered to be linked with Arsene Wenger’s side.

But now Chelsea are in the running for his signature, despite Kop boss Brendan Rodgers’ belief that Sterling will not be going anywhere this summer.

Rodgers said: “He’s got two-and-a-half years to go on his deal and he’s not going anywhere in the summer.

“I cannot speak for the owners but I have a good idea of what they would do. I know them well enough and for me it would not happen.

“Liverpool are one of the superpowers of football and the owners have made it clear that money doesn’t come into it. If the club doesn’t want to sell, it won’t sell, it’s as simple as that. Money has never been the objective for the club.

“Whatever player — Raheem or anybody — it would always be on the terms of the club.

“He still has two-and-a- bit years left of his deal so it’s not something we’re overly concerned about. I’m confident that at the end of the season we’ll find the solution.”

Not only is the 20-year-old attracting interest from the Premier League, but European powerhouses Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also keen in his services.

It is expected that if Sterling was to leave, then it would take a massive offer of £50million to convince the Reds hierarchy to let go of their prized asset.

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Sterling has played 36 games in all competitions this season, scoring seven goals and supplying eight assists.

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Having never really posed a genuine threat for a Champions League place last season, the fact Tottenham finished the campaign in fifth spot and just six points behind Manchester United must provide their fans with plenty of optimism heading into the summer.

While it could be seen as the usual story for Spurs who have found themselves there or there abouts a number of times in recent seasons, their exploits this year with a young squad and new manager have to go down as a decent effort.

There’s expected to be plenty of activity at the club over the next couple of months; with new faces arriving to strengthen the squad while those who haven’t performed so well will most likely be shown the exit.

And it could be their dealings in the forward department that have the biggest bearing on next season and go along way to determining their fate in the race for Champions League qualification.

Harry Kane lead the line in spectacular fashion and enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season at White Hart Lane as he broke the 30 goal mark.

But it was the lack of support from his fellow strikers that was most worrying for Mauricio Pochettino highlighting the need for reinforcement during the transfer window.

It’s hard to see the likes of Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor resurrecting their Spurs careers, and so it’s vital the burden is lifted on Kane by signing a worthy strike partner.

Perhaps the most ideal man for the job is Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke who could well be on his way from Villa Park in the near future.

A number of clubs are reported to be interested in the Belgian forward, Tottenham included, and he has the potential to ensure the North Londoners are a real force next season.

The powerful striker played a big part in Villa’s run to the FA Cup final as well as their escape from relegation; scoring 12 goals between March and May.

It’s hard to see 24-year-old sticking around for too much longer given his ambition to play European football, and with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all linked with a move; now looks the perfect time for Benteke to move on.

Spurs look to be on course to start a bidding war for the Belgian international with a £20m offer, however with a release clause of £32.5m it’s unlikely to be accepted.

Winning the race to sign Benteke would signal a real statement of intent from Spurs, and provided they can hang onto Harry Kane; there is huge potential for a lethal strike partnership to flourish next season.

With a few additions elsewhere in the team, the duo of Kane and Benteke would certainly give Tottenham the firepower needed to help overturn the six point deficit from this season; and it would be no surprise to see a return of 50+ goals between them.

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Despite the fact he has Champions League clubs chasing his signature, a switch to Spurs would still mark as a huge step up in his career and with the assurance of regular first team football under Pochettino; may be seen as a more attractive proposition with next summer’s European Championship in mind.

Having proven himself in the Premier League, Spurs will be confident that he will be worth the investment and so should be doing all they can to fend of the competition and complete a deal for the Villa star.

It’s certainly a signing that could have paid off this time next year.

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According to reports in the Daily Express, Arsenal are lining up a £30m January move for out of favour Chelsea centre-back David Luiz.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Express says the Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is looking to strengthen his leaky defence in the New Year, with Luiz moving to the top of his list of potential targets as he can play in central defence and as a defensive midfielder.

The Daily Express says that the 30-year-old’s future with the Premier League holders is in doubt after he fell out with Antonio Conte following the 3-0 defeat against Roma in the Champions League in October.

The Brazilian was then omitted from the squad that faced Manchester United and has only played once since then, with a knee injury keeping him on the sidelines and Andreas Christensen impressing in his absence.

How has Luiz done this season?

The centre-back certainly hasn’t hit the heights that he did in Chelsea’s Premier League winning campaign last time out, and things haven’t been great since the opening day 3-2 defeat to Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

The 30-year-old then saw red in the goalless draw against Arsenal in September, while he was also part of the defence that gave Crystal Palace their first points of the season in October.

The Daily Express says the player is now close to full fitness so it will be interesting to see what happens over the festive period.

Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?

While there is no doubt of the quality and versatility he can bring at times, there are still plenty on question marks over his defensive ability and his consistency – especially this season.

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is generally decent in possession, loves a battle and with the 2018 World Cup only six months away he certainly would have a big point to prove in the second-half of the campaign.

Will a move happen?

It’s difficult to say.

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While Conte may want to sell Luiz following their disagreement, it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to sell the Brazilian to a direct Premier League rival.

A £30m offer could be too tempting to turn down, however.

It’s an odd thing to say that a club who top the table by 11 points and who have the best goalscoring record and the joint best defensive record should need to make improvements: if the first half of the season is anything to go by, even taking away some of Manchester City’s firepower should still see them win the title comfortably at this point.

Yet there are deficiencies in this side.

Benjamin Mendy is the club’s only recognised senior left-back and is currently injured. Captain Vincent Kompany’s fitness cannot be relied upon. And to top all that, John Stones’ injury has shown City just how vulnerable they can be in terms of defensive personnel – they are now in the barely fathomable position of being both champions-elect well before Christmas and sweating on the fitness of Eliaquim Mangala.

2018 could well be the year that Manchester City fans remember forever. On the horizon very soon we will see the return of the Champions League, the final stages of the EFL Cup, the start of the FA Cup and the finale of the Premier League. City will be fighting in all of those competitions, and should they be successful, there could be a Community Shields, and a Super Cup to come later on in 2018, mirroring Pep Guardiola’s success with Barcelona in 2009.

It’s too early to be talking in seriousness about winning even one competition let alone all of them. There’s a long way to go just yet. But what we can say is that if City probably won’t be able to achieve the feat they’re capable of if they don’t strengthen in the defence in January. They need to make sure that they have cover for Stones and Nicolas Otamendi which surpasses the quality of Mangala.

It’s strange to say this, too, but they may also want to strengthen in attacking areas in 2018, too. Whilst Gabriel Jesus brings more to this Manchester City side than just goals – his work rate is one of the reasons he has displaced Sergio Aguero at times this season – he also hasn’t scored since mid-November, and has provided only one assist in all competitions since then.

Aguero, too, hasn’t been on the very top of his game of late, scoring two in his last five. That’s hardly the worst run of form a striker can see, but it’s not quite up to his sparkling best, nor is it a sensational return in a team scoring so many goals. Neither of his last two goals have been particularly big ones either – a penalty against Shakhtar Donetsk when City were already losing, and one against Swansea to seal the fourth goal late on.

Alexis Sanchez is a player who has been mooted as a potential signing for City of late and that might be a boost going into the next phase of the season.

Whilst City don’t need too much extra this season, they do need something. And we’re also talking about the highest level a football team can attain, here. City are good enough to win the league and they may even be good enough to win multiple competitions with the squad they have.

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But you get the feeling that they could go on and win it all with a few additions, because it looks like the only thing stopping them at the moment is injuries and suspensions, whilst they are currently only one bad day away from a fully-blown defensive personnel crisis.