Premier League Talking Points: 5 things to look out for this weekend
UNDER FIRE GUNNERS: Mikel Arteta's players need to show that they, at least, are not impostors when it comes to the Premier League title race. Photo by: Alex Pantling/Getty Images.
While in Dubai for Arsenal’s warm-weather training week, Mikel Arteta kicked back with a personal dinner service from the celebrity steak chef whose narcissism debased the 2022 World Cup presentation ceremony.
Now his players need to show that they, at least, are not impostors when it comes to the Premier League title race. They need a win to arrest their stuttering form and could face few friendlier assignments than a home meeting with Crystal Palace, who have recorded one win in their past 11 across all competitions.
Palace and the under-fire Roy Hodgson did not receive a proper break of their own, instead travelling to Everton for an FA Cup replay on Wednesday night, so if Arsenal fall short a lack of freshness cannot sit among Arteta’s excuses.
Gabriel Jesus could make a timely return to spearhead the attack and the expectation is that Bukayo Saka, understandably flagging of late, will have been revived by the break. Arsenal hope their time in the sun has only just begun.
As social media campaigns go, Brentford’s “The Return: IT17” was rather scrambled by its subject, Ivan Toney, going public on returning from his eight-month gambling ban: “Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”
No one at Brentford, a club built on realism, expects Toney to stay beyond the summer. This was not the first time he has spoken of grander ambitions but it felt untimely, ungrateful.
Toney’s absence has denied Thomas Frank’s now struggling team their focal point, while the ban removed the possibility of selling him to find a replacement.
With Yoane Wissa at the Africa Cup of Nations and Bryan Mbeumo’s involvement prevented by injury, Toney returns against Forest at a crucial time. He is likely to be rusty but, before achieving his further ambitions, Toney has a considerable debt to pay.
Stick or twist: sell this month or delay until the summer? The now harmonious relationship between Sheffield United’s owner, Prince Abdullah, and Chris Wilder could be tested by Napoli’s serious interest in Anel Ahmedhodzic.
The 24-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina defender, who grew up in Sweden, arrived in South Yorkshire 18 months ago for what now looks a bargain £4m from Malmö. He played a key part in promotion from the Championship and has recently captained Wilder’s side.
With the side’s key centre-half, and usual skipper, John Egan, sidelined by an achilles tendon injury until late spring at the earliest, selling Ahmedhodzic now could ruin Wilder’s hopes of avoiding relegation.
On the other hand, the cash would be extremely welcome at Bramall Lane. Meanwhile, the new loan signing Ben Brereton Díaz will be hoping to endear himself to the fans with a goal or two against West Ham.
It is more than four months until England travel to Euro 2024 but Gareth Southgate’s squad already feels something of a closed shop, with a few undroppables such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham and several, more debatable, shoo-ins, including Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson, almost certain to make the plane.
That sense of continuity is probably a good thing but in attack there is scope for a forward to make a late play for a spot, with Kane the only guaranteed pick. Dominic Solanke, who has registered eight goals in his last eight games, is the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League and, on Sunday, he will hope to extend his prolific run when Bournemouth host one of his former clubs, Liverpool.
Southgate is well versed on Solanke, having selected him while in charge of England Under-21s. Now the 26-year-old needs to prove he is the best of the rest.
While Wolves fans look ahead to the West Brom FA Cup fourth-round tie that follows after beating Brentford, there is a tough Premier League assignment to complete. Brighton have won the teams’ past four meetings, scoring 16 goals in the process, and won this fixture 6-0 last season. They return to action for the first time since 6 January, having enjoyed the full Premier League break. Wolves’ mid-winter break was truncated by the replay against Brentford and Gary O’Neil spoke afterwards of “a very small, tired group to do some work with before we go to Brighton”. A budget teetering close to profit and sustainability limits means there will be no raft of recruitments, with O’Neil admitting to a sell-to-buy situation. Max Kilman, linked with West Ham last week, fits the bill of a pure-profit cashable asset as someone bought in from non-league, but selling the club captain would be unpopular.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
