Thomas Hallett @thomas-hallett ?

Liverpool’s aim this summer should be to continue on from the pace they set with the signings of Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge this past January. Do away with the mindless spending close to home and explore the many alternatives available on the continent. Brendan Rodgers may not have the financial means to be reckless this summer. [...]

The summer of rebuilding for Arsenal should also be seen as the one whereby the club move on the deadwood for good. Arsene Wenger has got a lot wrong in the transfer market over the past few seasons and the Arsenal manager has one year left on his contract to rectify those mistakes. Not only should [...]

UEFA are doing all they can to make their secondary competition a little more attractive. Well not necessarily all they can, but they’re moving in the right direction by offering qualification to the Champions League. Although try to spot the irony. The thing about this, and especially with regards to teams like Tottenham, is they still [...]

You could hear the groans from the Arsenal support when the reports came through that the club were wrapping up a deal for Auxerre striker Yaya Sanogo. Same old Arsenal; going in for the youngsters or the unknowns, or, in this case, both. But what is Arsene Wenger supposed to do? If it had been [...]

Wouldn’t last January be seen as a bit of a waste if Newcastle opted to sack Alan Pardew this summer? Why does it have to be this way in football? One season offers nothing but high praise; the next is built on undertones that a new dawn is needed. Isn’t it enough that Pardew and [...]

On paper it makes perfect sense. It’s a nod to the future and the recruitment of Leandro Damiao could offer Tottenham long-term stability in attack – something which they’ve lacked in recent years. But at which point is it ok to accept that a ship has sailed? How many times have Tottenham been down this [...]

It ended in one of the most ridiculous draws we’re likely to see, the 5-5 at the Hawthorns against West Brom. It would have been more befitting if it ended this Saturday at Wembley, the modern game waving goodbye to one of the greatest managers we’ve known as he hoists the European Cup above his [...]

Aaron Ramsey did a lot right when put into his natural position in the centre of the midfield this season. After many frustrating experiments to get the player back on track after his injury problems of the past, Arsene Wenger finally opted to offer Ramsey a role that suited his limited (for now) creative contributions. [...]

It’s so easy in England to downplay the foreigners, largely because there isn’t a big enough campaign in this country for journalists to properly report what goes on in Europe. I most certainly wasn’t the only person to feel nothing but disdain for Martin Samuel’s piece on Manuel Pellegrini last week. But like so many [...]

A little over two years ago, Laurent Koscielny marked his most impressive performance for Arsenal, a 2-1 win at home against Barcelona. It was the level of quality from the defender that the occasion merited, arguably Arsenal’s finest night at the Emirates to date. At the end of this season, the Frenchman is rightly receiving [...]

Alex Ferguson’s final season with Manchester United has often been talked about as one of his finest campaigns, largely because he captured the club’s 20th league title with a squad who, against previous squads, would not be deemed the strongest. It was Ferguson in the dugout who strengthened the weaknesses in this United team, giving [...]

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez announced on Monday night that the club would be parting company with Jose Mourinho this summer, paving the way for a return to Chelsea for the Portuguese manager. In Roman Abramovich’s mind, it’s an act to permanently mend the scorched earth policy that seems to be left by Mourinho once he [...]

This is the most important transfer window of Arsene Wenger’s career at Arsenal; although we’ve been saying that for a few years now. The Arsenal manager knows what’s expected of him, with plenty of unrest this season and a complete change in attitude and character from Wenger himself. With plenty of talk about a substantial transfer budget [...]

Monday morning could have been the most bitter and unbearable ‘morning after’ in a long time for Arsenal fans had Newcastle found a way to equalise at St James’ Park. Actually it would have seemed quite appropriate for Arsenal to hit that self-destruct button in the manner in which they had done so many times [...]

How do you want to look at Fernando Torres’ time with Chelsea? As the player who helped his club to victory in the Champions League and Europa League, or as the striker who failed miserably at warranting his £50 million price tag? The Spaniard’s 23 goals in all competitions this season can hardly be seen [...]

There shouldn’t be too much concern with the news that Jack Wilshere will have a minor operation on his ankle this summer. It seems fairly routine and nothing that should raise any great deal of suspicion. The issue here is that there does seem to be genuine worry about how much that long-term injury will [...]

The problems are clear as day, and I’m a little uncomfortable with the notion that the tides are shifting against Barcelona and that all the power in European football is now centralised to Germany. Skimming over Real Madrid will leave them furious at this stage, I’m sure. But Madrid never had a grasp over all [...]

We keep hearing talk of £70million available and a push from the boardroom at Arsenal for Arsene Wenger to go out and spend it. You can be certain that he will dip into the market, as plenty of outgoings means the squad will need a number of additions. The Arsenal manager also surely understands his team’s limitations, [...]

Luke Shaw could have his name up in lights in the near future, propelling rapidly to the top as one of the Premier League’s best full-backs. I don’t know, that’s just what they say. The youngster has put in many good performances this season, highlighting his talent particularly in the attacking phase of the game. [...]

Paul Scholes – what a player. It says an enormous amount about the Manchester United midfielder that Xavi had nothing but glowing praise for him, even seeking out his shirt following the Champions League final in 2011. The Spaniard is one of the best midfielders many of us have ever seen and certainly the best [...]