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After suffering yet more disappointment in the Premier League over the course of the weekend, Arsenal return to the Champions League this week, though that is unlikely to be much better for them at all.

Already trailing Bayern Munich 5-1 following a first leg capitulation at the Allianz Arena, the Gunners are unlikely to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time in seven years, even if they manage to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Perhaps indicative of the problems affecting those in north London right now is the sheer difference in class between themselves and the Bundesliga giants. In truth, there probably isn’t a huge amount splitting the two financially, considering the riches on offer in the Premier League these days, but the attitude of the two clubs couldn’t be further apart.

Both would be considered powerhouses of European football, though you’d get the feeling that any top player worth his salt would opt to move to Munich over Arsenal, with Bayern always battling for honours both home and abroad.

So, to further explain that point, here’a look at THREE Bayern stars Arsenal could only dream of signing.

Robert Lewandowski

One of the major problems at the club over the last few years has been the lack of an elite striker to properly spearhead the side, with Olivier Giroud continually dividing opinion at the club. Ironically enough, perhaps the ideal marksman to finish off this Gunners side would be Bayern star Robert Lewandowski.

Technically gifted and a wonderfully lethal finisher, the Pole is among the finest in Europe, though surely he wouldn’t consider the idea of swapping league titles for a top four battle.

Xabi Alonso

Granted, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid superstar is retiring at the end of the campaign, so Arsenal couldn’t sign him anyway, but he would have been the ideal man at the Emirates Stadium even back in 2014, when he moved to Germany.

It’s more indicative of the mentalities within the two clubs. Arsenal would never have signed a man in his mid-30s from Real Madrid, though the nature of Alonso’s masterful game means age really doesn’t play too big a part in his level of performance. Instead, Bayern moved for him and he brought his winning mentality as they romped to yet more success.

Thomas Muller

Interestingly enough, Thomas Muller hasn’t really been a regular starter in Munich of late following a run of relatively poor form. However, it seems the idea of playing back-up at a powerhouse of continental football rather than starting at a backwater such as Arsenal is preferable to the cream of European football these days.

Muller is a natural born winner and has enjoyed success both domestically and internationally. Considering the problems Arsenal are facing with Alexis Sanchez these days, another man to have that sort of mentality, Muller would find life at Arsenal frustrating.

According to reports in The Sun, Chelsea are ready to spend £70m on a striker this summer, and one of their top targets is Everton marksman Romelu Lukaku.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the story suggests that the Blues are keen to boost their firepower at the end of the season with uncertainties remaining over the future of Diego Costa.

Manager Antonio Conte wants to sign Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata as he believes he has the experience to be a success in the Champions League, but technical director Michael Emenalo believes they should bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge instead.

Why should they get the Belgian?

While he may not have played Champions League football, the 23-year-old has certainly shown his worth in the Premier League by scoring 21 goals this season – which sees him top the goalscoring charts – and he is surely ready to make that step up to the elite European competition as he becomes more and more consistent.

Ronald Koeman wants to keep him, though?

Yes, he does.

According to The Mirror, the Belgium international won’t be leaving Merseyside if his Dutch manager has anything to do with it.

Koeman said: “If it was up to me? Yes. I would keep him for next season at least.”

Would £70m be enough to tempt them to sell?

It’s a bit of a catch 22 situation.

While Koeman will want to keep him for at least another year – as he did with current Toffees star Morgan Schneiderlin during the duo’s time with Southampton – then he will have to be strong with the owners.

An offer of £70m for a player that is unhappy at the club could be too good to turn down though, and it would allow the Dutchman the opportunity to bring in someone that wants to play for Everton.

Replacing that number of goals is never easy but they found Lukaku and they can find someone else, too.

Tottenham Hotspur fans now seem comfortable with Ben Davies taking the left-back role in Danny Rose’s absence.

The Wales international has seen much more game time since the start of February after Rose suffered a knee injury in a goalless draw with Sunderland.

Davies has started the last eight Premier League games, helping Mauricio Pochettino’s team keep pressure on Chelsea in the title race.

It is unlikely that Spurs will overtake the Blues given that Antonio Conte’s men have a seven-point lead and have suffered just four defeats all season.

However, if the West London outfit do slip up, Tottenham will be ready to pounce after they extended their winning league run to six matches with a 4-0 triumph over Watford at the weekend.

After the match, Davies tweeted his joy at picking up another three points.

Fans were understandably concerned when Rose got injured, but the majority feel content with Davies deputising, and they made that clear when responding to his tweet.

Not so long ago David Moyes was ‘The Chosen One’. Hyperbole aside, the Scot’s stock was high in 2013, he had achieved a great deal at Everton without technically achieving anything (a feat in itself) and having the backing of Sir Alex Ferguson – among the greatest managers in the history of the game – was a glowing endorsement as he stepped in at Manchester United. The stage was set for him to step up and make the progression that British managers bemoan never falls their way. And yet three years later, he was unveiled as the Sunderland boss.

It was quite the fall from grace. Conspiracy theorists will point at ‘Fergie’ leaving him with a squad destined to fail, thus saving his legacy, while others will say it was the impossible job. These factors both have enough evidence upon which to draw arguments, but perhaps Moyes didn’t have the right mentality to truly succeed, which seems to be the case at Sunderland.

From the very off he has been a beaten man. From admitting that his side were in a relegation battle as early as August to bemoaning a lack of money with which to work with in the transfer market in the run up to January, the excuses were out early doors from the 53-year-old. Yes, he may be right on both fronts, but what good is being correct in this instance? What extent of this was self-fulfilling?

In Moyes’ defence, Sunderland were rather set up to fail and odds-on to go down with bet365 from the off. The Black Cats had been the Premier League’s limpet club for much of the past five years, desperately clinging on to safety with late surges of form papering the cracks of an overall lack of quality and some unwise investment in on-pitch talent. In the background the Adam Johnson saga still hung like a dark cloud over the club, while owner Ellis Short’s apparent growing disillusionment had grown in obviousness as the seasons have passed. As was the case when he took the Man United job, Moyes was in a difficult position, but he’s done little to battle against the tide and relegation will be his reward.

From getting the band back together with moves for the likes of Steven Pienaar, Joleon Lescott and Darron Gibson to spending what little cash he had on Papy Djilobodji (£8m), Donald Love and Paddy McNair (a combined £5.5m), the transfer equivalent of a waving white flag was held aloft above the Stadium of Light early doors. It was all over before it really began, as shown by the club’s almost constant presence in the bottom three for the entire campaign.

Staying on seems impossible too. The Sunderland fanbase have turned on their manager in great numbers as the weeks have passed as the reality of heading back to the Championship hits home, while you have to question whether or not the repeated blows of his Old Trafford disaster, Spanish adventure at Real Sociedad – where one of his most notable incidents was eating a crisp in the stands – and the dismal Wearside comeback tour have broken his spirit.

Moyes will surely argue he’s as defiant as ever, backed up by his desire to delve into the second-tier with the North East side, but maybe he needs to be put out of his misery when the season ends – if it ever even begun for Sunderland.

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It seems silly season has started even earlier than usual this year, perhaps a consequence of the ridiculous amounts of money circling around the Premier League these days.

Indeed, The Sun and the printed edition of The Sunday Times both claimed last weekend that Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is lining up a shock swoop for Manchester City’s iconic front-man Sergio Aguero, whose long-term future at the club has seemingly been put into doubt by the January arrival of Gabriel Jesus.

Of course, the idea of City selling one of the most potent goalscorers in world football to not only local but likely title rivals ahead of next season verges upon ridiculous. Rather surprisingly, The Daily Mail have been the voice of reason – pouring cold water on the rumour by claiming Aguero isn’t interested in crossing the Manchester divide.

Football fans aren’t always the cleverest bunch but Manchester United supporters saw right through this tall transfer tale. Here’s a look at how the Aguero-to-United rumours have been discussed on Twitter…

According to reports in the Sunday Sun, Leeds United manager Garry Monk could be axed after the club failed to make the Championship play-offs this season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Yorkshire outfit looked set to finish in the top six after spending large chunks of the campaign there, but four defeats in their last seven league matches saw them drop down to seventh.

Despite coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Norwich City at Elland Road on Saturday, Monk’s men are three points behind Fulham with just one fixture remaining but because of their inferior goal difference the race is effectively over.

The former Swansea City boss only signed a 12-month rolling contract last summer which is due to run out in June, and they are unlikely to extend it with co-owner Andrea Radrizzani looking to bring in a foreign coach in a new set-up.

Would it be the right decision?

It’s difficult to say.

While he has certainly steadied the ship this season and started to bring some good times back to the club, the way they have bottled it in recent weeks will be worrying if they are to aim for promotion again next term.

How many changes could there be this summer?

Quite a few if the rumours are to be believed.

The whole backroom staff set-up is likely to be shaken up and there could be a Spanish influence to their summer transfer targets after Ivan Bravo was recently brought in as a director.

In addition, the likes of Chris Wood and Pontus Jansson will be heavily linked with moves to Premier League clubs, despite the latter suggesting that he wants to stay at Elland Road.

In good news for West Ham fans, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed midfielder Lucas Leiva and forward Roberto Firmino could both miss the Hammers’ Premier League clash with the Reds this weekend through injury.

West Ham are ending the season in a flurry of decent form, having kept four clean sheets in their last five games – including a 1-0 win over title-chasing bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur last Friday – and will want to continue it when they host Liverpool at the London Stadium in Sunday’s 2.15pm kickoff.

That mission could be made easier should Firmino and Lucas be forced to sit out through injury. Firmino is Liverpool’s second top scorer in the Premier League this term and has grabbed three goals and three assists in his last nine appearances, whilst Leiva has become an important element in their midfield in the absence of Jordan Henderson.

Fortunately, then, Klopp has cast doubts over the availability of the Brazilian duo ahead of Sunday’s showdown – which Liverpool need to win to cement their hopes of Champions League qualification.

As quoted by Liverpool’s official website, he said in today’s press conference; “We spoke about Roberto. Since a few weeks [ago] we have to manage the intensity in training.

“It’s a little bit another muscle which he feels. Everybody can imagine, Roberto is a real mentality player, so he wants always [to play]. We need to make the decisions for him sometimes.We left him out of training. It’s a muscle thing. We have to wait and give him as much time as possible.

“Lucas, after the game, [felt the same]. I asked both a lot of times, ‘OK? OK?’ and everybody said ‘Yes, yes’. After the game they felt it.

“After the game, Lucas felt two different muscles and we said ‘OK, we have to wait also’. Lucas could be back in training today, we have to see. Roberto, tomorrow if possible. Then we make the decisions.”

West Ham United look set to sign an attacking midfielder this summer but rather than spending big on Ross Barkley, they should swoop for Southampton’s Dusan Tadic.

According to reports in the Daily Star, the Irons are interested in signing Barkley while SkyBet make the Hammers the 9/4 favourites to bring Tadic to the London Stadium during pre-season.

The former looks set to leave Goodison Park after so far failing to agree terms over a new contract with his current deal due to run out next summer.

Meanwhile the latter fell out with Claude Puel in March and could look for a move away from St Mary’s in the coming weeks.

The Irons board will be keen to significantly back manager Slaven Bilic in the transfer market following a disappointing debut campaign at their new home, and it could be a very busy summer.

Here are three reasons West Ham should sign Tadic over Barkley…

Price tag

While West Ham will undoubtedly want to make some statements in the transfer market this summer, the potential purchase of Barkley could be a bridge too far.

Despite having just a year left on his contract Everton are said to be demanding a fee of at least £50m for the England international, and frankly any club would be mad to offer that.

Meanwhile, Tadic could probably be purchased for around a third of that price – or even less – meaning the Irons would be getting more value for money and the ability to spend their funds elsewhere.

Wages

The report in The Star says that West Ham are willing to meet Barkley’s £140,000-a-week wage demands, but Irons fans may feel that is too much for a player that clearly has great potential, but has failed to show it on a consistent basis.

In addition it could cause unrest among the players, with stories suggesting Michail Antonio was unhappy to be on significantly lower wages than January transfer window additions Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass just weeks ago.

Again, Tadic would accept far lower wages than would be needed to sign the England international and there would be a more content dressing room as a result.

Stats

Over the course of the last three seasons – the amount of time that Dusan Tadic has been playing in the Premier League – Barkley has scored 15 goals and provided a further 18 assists in the Premier League, while the Serbian has netted 14 goals and laid on 25 assists for his teammates.

Those are stats that the Irons and Slaven Bilic will surely take a look at before potentially shelling out more money on Barkley, with the 28-year-old arguably having the ability to make an even bigger impact than the England international next term.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.

According to reports in the Daily Mirror, Chelsea have opened talks with Atletico Madrid over a £50m deal for striker Diego Costa.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Blues manager Antonio Conte told the 28-year-old by text message that he is no longer part of his plans and can leave this summer, and the Daily Mirror says the Spaniard’s former club Atletico Madrid are interested in bringing him back to La Liga.

However, the Spanish side are currently under a transfer ban and can’t officially sign any players until the January transfer window, meaning that even if they did agree a deal with Chelsea, Costa wouldn’t be able to play for them until 2018.

Atletico would loan the striker out for the first half of next season in order to make sure he had the match fitness on being registered at the start of what is a World Cup year.

Will Atletico pay £50m?

It seems unlikely considering they wouldn’t be able to play him until January at the earliest, and Chelsea initially feared that Conte’s text message may have knocked millions of pounds off of his price tag with other clubs knowing they want rid.

However, the Blues are determined to get a respectable fee for a player that scored 20 Premier League goals last term and was an influential part of the side that eventually cruised to the title.

Is Costa definitely on his way out?

It would take a huge backtrack from Conte now for Costa to have any future at Stamford Bridge, and it appears the Italian and the club are actively seeking a replacement having been linked with Everton’s Romelu Lukaku in recent weeks as well as Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday.

Will he be a big miss?

He certainly will be.

While he may have caused issues at times, there is no doubt that Costa has been an integral figure for Chelsea during his time in west London.

His hold-up play to bring his teammates into the game, his work-rate to never give defenders a second to breathe and his goalscoring ability mean that he will be difficult to replace.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, Chelsea are obviously aiming high for their initial negotiations with Atletico for Costa, but with the La Liga outfit knowing they want the Spaniard out – preferably before pre-season – they will be unwilling to meet the £50m price tag.

Tottenham Hotspur are targeting defenders Alfie Mawson and Ben Gibson from Swansea City and Middlesbrough respectively as potential replacements for Kevin Wimmer, according to The Mirror.

What’s the story?

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been very quiet on the transfer front as they are yet to bring in any new players so far in this window.

The club hope to push on from their second-place finish in the Premier League last season, and in order to do that they need to add to the squad.

The Mirror claims that Mawson and Gibson are on Mauricio Pochettino’s wishlist, but they will need to offload Wimmer first.

It is believed that the club value the Austrian at around £20m, despite the 24-year-old making just 10 appearances in all competitions last season.

Could Spurs get the double deal?

It makes sense for Tottenham to be eyeing defenders given that Pochettino tends to play with three at the back.

Given that Spurs will be determined to better in the Champions League this season, they need strength in depth, rather than just rely on what he has.

Toby Alderweireld’s injury problems during the 2016-17 campaign indicate that the club could do with some extra bodies at the back.

Mawson, 23, would fit the mould at Tottenham given that he is a young talent, and despite his lack of experience, he has shown that he can step up to the plate following his performances for England at the Under-21s European Championships this summer.

Gibson may be hard to prise away from Middlesbrough after they dropped back into the Championship at the end of last season.

New head coach Garry Monk is unlikely to want to part with the defender, who played in all 38 of Boro’s Premier League games.

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