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It’s an exciting time to be a West Ham fan. The club are playing well on the pitch, spending money off it and are set for a massive move to the Olympic Stadium, which will be among the best grounds in the Premier league as of next season.

Anticipation is, naturally, at fever pitch, but there’s every chance that 2016/17 could be a tricky one for the Irons, who are likely to be balancing European football and domestic responsibilities, and as we’ve seen this season, Slaven Bilic’s impressive starting XI is a little short of cover to slot straight in.

With the increased revenue from the eye-watering Premier League TV deal and the boost in finances the club will receive from moving to their new home in Stratford, the cash for additions should be in place without player sales, and here are FIVE ambitious targets that should be on the lips of those in charge at Upton Park…

Michy Batshuayi

Already a £20m target to kick off the next era at the club, Batshuayi seems like a player the club will be going after this summer. The Belgian – the latest to roll of the nation’s never-ending conveyor belt of talent – has enjoyed a fine breakthrough season so far at Marseille, with the exit of Andre-Pierre Gignac having afforded him regular game time as the focal point of l’OM’s attack.

16 goals all told this season – including a debut strike at international level – leaves him just shy of the fabled ‘one in two’ mark given that he’s made 34 appearances, but that’s no slight on the player at all, with Marseille stuck in very middle of Ligue 1.

Although the Hammers boast Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Emmenuel Emenike, albeit the latter is only on loan, Bilic’s options up top have been restricted by injury, so another option would surely be beneficial.

Lucas Perez

Goalscoring attacking midfielders are always useful, and there aren’t many better in Europe right now than Deportivo La Coruna’s Perez. The 27-year-old has endured a strange career that has taken him from his Spanish homeland to Ukraine and Greece, but he seems to have settled with the Galician side after making his loan stint last season a permanent one over the summer.

With 14 La Liga goals, he’s currently above the likes of Gareth Bale, Antoine Griezmann and even Lionel Messi in the division’s scoring charts, with his performances a major factor in Depor’s relatively lofty position of ninth – the club have endured a difficult few years, only regaining top tier status for 2014/15.

Although West Ham have Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio and loanee Manuel Lanzini, Perez’s talents would surely be welcome, especially with European football a distinct possibility.

Sadio Mane

An ambitious target, granted… but why not have a go? Reports have suggested that the Hammers are keen on the Senegalese star, and with Southampton currently looking like a side destined to tread water in midtable and sell off big stars, perhaps the lure of the ‘project’ at West Ham and life in London could sway him.

Mane’s pace and direct running could add another dimension to Bilic’s attack and help to get the best out of current Irons players such as Valencia and Sakho. Plus, imagine Mane on one flank, with Payet on the opposite side. Magic.

Ruben Neves

Although West Ham’s midfield currently possesses a nice balance of guile and power, there’s always room for improvement, and Neves would certainly be a statement signing. Reports have already suggested that the Londoners are looking at the 18-year-old, who has already been lauded for his neat passing and maturity – evident when Porto names him their captain during a Champions League clash earlier this season to make him the youngest skipper in the tournament’s history – so it’s possible.

Other sides such as Liverpool are thought to be keen, but with Neves so young they could, perhaps, be deterred from making a move, leaving the door ajar for West Ham.

Manuel Lanzini

Yep, Lanzini still isn’t, officially, a West Ham player. ‘The Jewel’ remains a loanee from Middle Eastern outfit Al Jazira, but Hammers big-shot David Sullivan has already declared a willingness to pursue a deal for the player. The 22-year-old Argentine’s four goals in 14 Premier League appearances have defied expectation, and his growing importance has been reflected in the way the Hammers have missed him during his recent injury absences.

It’s likely other English and European sides will be sniffing around Lanzini this summer, but the lure of staying and moving with the club to the Olympic Stadium could be decisive.

It’s tempting to bill Manchester City’s trip to Stamford Bridge this weekend as an FA Cup tie that pits a mid-table side who have fallen from grace against a lethargic, ageing giant who can no longer cope with the pace of it all, swatting at flies and missing by a distance.

In that regard, it would seem as though we will all be crowding round our TV sets (or laptops, iPads, utility belts whatever modern technology has created) to watch something akin to a clash between Fernando Torres and Kolo Toure. Who said the magic of the cup is dead?

Fortunately for everyone, though, that characterisation is way off the mark. Because if this game were a board game, it would look something like snakes and ladders – for both teams, it’s time to roll the dice.

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February is usually the month we associate with the ritual shattering of Arsenal’s dreams, but this month’s losers will probably be one of either Manchester City or Chelsea, that’s how big Sunday’s game is.

There is always a tendency to overstate periods such as this one. The games come thick and fast over the winter period: ‘new’ Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will take charge of his new team for the 31st time when they play Augsburg on Thursday.

That’s 31 games in four months. It’s no wonder he’s constantly railing against fixture congestion in press conferences. Clearly going on a bad form over that period of non-stop football is a terrible affliction, but it’s one that looks like ailing Manchester City.

Two defeats in a row to genuine title contenders have left Pellegrini and his men in fourth place, six points behind the leaders. If City are still in a quadruple chase, they are by the skin of their teeth. They clearly don’t like playing against teams who play with a high intensity, so having to face Liverpool in the Capital One Cup final is a problem for Manuel Pellegrini.

Six points behind in the league, no guarantee of winning the League Cup, and on the back of this run of form, trips to west London in the FA Cup and Kiev in the Champions League look more daunting than usual. Those trips are never walks in the park, but now they could be the difference between a good season and a terrible one.

They’re a team that need to find form again over the next week or two if their season is to hold any interest at all past mid-March. It may not be as random as rolling the dice against Chelsea, but losing this game would be like landing on a very large snake indeed. It may indeed appear unseemly to replace a manager who has given the club a chance of landing a quadruple, but replacing a man who has presided over two trophyless seasons looks very different. At this point, it’s all a matter of degrees – roll the dice and see what comes up.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are praying for a six. They are rubbing the dice between their hands, blowing on them, kissing them and doing whatever you do to get a lucky roll. They have everything crossed, and as well they might – their margins are incredibly fine, too.

It’s as if they’ve woken up from the nightmare that dogged the start of this season. Around Christmas, it was hard to believe that the rest of the season would see Chelsea do anything other than make up the numbers, now there’s a chance of winning a double.

Defeat last night away to PSG was a negative result, but being only one goal behind and having an away goal in the bank will leave Chelsea with every reason to believe that they can overcome their Parisian nemeses for the second time in three years. Whilst beating City would bring them into the quarter-finals of another competition.

So whilst City have an ugly-looking snake on the horizon, Chelsea have a ladder in sight. The next roll is crucial, and what could have been an unprecedented quadruple-winning season for Manchester City could turn into a trophyless one; whilst what could have been an abject season of unprecedented failure for a Roman Abramovich-led Chelsea could yield two trophies.

In fact, Chelsea could manage to win all four major competitions in just two years with pretty much the same squad. If that doesn’t represent success, I don’t know what does. Similarly, if two trophyless years in succession for one of footballing history’s most expensively assembled sides doesn’t represent failure….

Yet City could still win anywhere between zero and four trophies, Chelsea anywhere between zero and two. It’s that time of year again, either your luck’s in or it ain’t. This roll will be crucial.

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Manchester United would have hoped at the start of the season that they would have shown some progression under Louis Van Gaal but it seems more like the Red Devils have taken two steps back.

After returning to the Champions League last year, United have struggled to cement their place in the top-four this season and it looks like they’ll miss out come May. Whilst they do still have the FA Cup to fight for, in which they’re favourites with the bookies and worth using this promo code on, it’s still not looking great for United.

Whether or not Louis Van Gaal remains for next season, United have plenty of lessons to learn and a lot of work to be done over the summer. One positive from the season is that United will know what issues need to be fixed, although that’s of little comfort to the passionate supporters.

Looking back though, it’s clear to point out where United’s worst points have been and these moments stick out like a sore thumb.

Hit the image below to see the FIVE worst moments of United’s season!

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Early Champions League exit

Manchester United, a club that have excelled in European football, had to deal with an early exit from this season’s Champions League and it was a fairly comfortable group. Whilst Wolfsburg have excelled, PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow should have been easy to get past.

It didn’t turn out that way though, as United lost to PSV, then drew the reverse leg before a 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg in the final group game condemned them to a third-placed finish and an early exit from the tournament.

Liverpool add further European misery

If enduring one exit from European football was bad enough, Manchester United went through it all again in the round of 16 in the Europa League as they were swept aside by arch-rivals Liverpool. Over a poor 120 minutes, United were never really in it.

With Manchester United in a fierce contest for a top-four finish, where they may fail to achieve their aim, an exit from the Europa League may have shattered their hopes of returning to the Champions League again next season.

Eight games without a win

Over an awful run of form in December, where the pressure upon Louis Van Gaal really started to heat up, Manchester United managed to go eight games without a win. That run of form was when they dropped out of the Champions League and really started to fall adrift in the Premier League.

Losses to Bournemouth, Norwich City and Stoke City over the Christmas period compile the misery upon a hapless Red Devils side- and it’s a wonder how Louis Van Gaal actually kept his job, especially as he could remain in his position next season too.

Torn apart by Arsenal

Losing to Arsenal is never fun but it’s not really usually a defining moment in a season, especially in one as so poor as this one. However, the manner of Manchester United’s defeat at the Emirates Stadium in the first-half of the season was seriously shocking.

United found themselves 2-0 down inside seven minutes after Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez struck, before Santi Cazorla put the game beyond doubt with 20 minutes played. Arsenal were cruising and United were shell-shocked.

Shaw’s leg break

Early in the season, Manchester United had a lot to worry about but things took a turn for the worst in their opening Champions League group stage match against PSV Eindhoven, where the Red Devils lost, as Luke Shaw was ruled out for the season.

The England international was subject to a fair challenge, which looked far worse on replays, and ended off being carted off the field. With not even a free-kick given, it showed how random the injury was and how unfortunate Shaw was.

The season has only just finished, but with the draw for Celtic’s European qualifiers to come in less that three weeks, it certainly isn’t too soon to talk about their chances.

Arguably the most important games of their season, the summer qualifiers are often a battle from the first whistle to the last as Celtic face champions from nations all across the continent. With little time to prepare and often being up against opponents in the middle of their season, the Bhoys needs to ensure they are at the top of their game in order to progress to the group stages.

Here are the FIVE players that Celtic will need to perform if they have any chance of making it back to Europe’s biggest stage…

Craig Gordon

In two seasons Craig Gordon has made more appearances for Celtic than he did in five seasons for Sunderland. Plagued by injury issues in the North East of England, it looked for a time like Gordon would have to retire before the age of 30.

A two year break from the game ended when Celtic came calling and the Scotland international hasn’t looked back since. A number of key saves both domestically (as seen above) and in Europe have ensured that he’s often the first name on the team sheet. He’s only missed 10 games in the 114 the Bhoys have played since he arrived.

There’s no doubting that attackers will breach the defence at some point over the European qualifying campaign and if Celtic are to make the group stages, he must ensure he’s there to meet the challenge.

Leigh Griffiths

Earlier this week we charted Leigh Griffiths’ rise to become Celtic’s most important player by far in the 2015/16 campaign. While his prowess in front of goal had never been questioned domestically, there had been some quarters that questioned his ability to make a mark in Europe.

He scored his first European goals for Celtic last summer and had four by the time Celtic were knocked out of the Europa League. Two of those came in a vital game at home to Malmo in the Champions League playoff, putting to bed the notion he doesn’t have the quality to fire Celtic into the groups.

He’s primed to have another blockbuster season in green and white and supporters will be hoping that starts sooner rather than later in the campaign with so much at stake this summer.

Erik Sviatchenko

In just 18 appearances for the Hoops since joining in January, Erik Sviatchenko has already established himself as a leader and a fans favourite at Celtic. He was even handed the captain’s armband for the night when the Bhoys faced St Johnstone at the tail end of the season, a testament to how important he’s become in the dressing room and squad.

His goal against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final showed that he has an eye for the big occasion and with plenty of those this summer, that mentality is more than welcome at Celtic Park.

Strong in the tackle, strong in the air and rarely flustered, he could offer the defensive stability Celtic need in order to negotiate the tough summer schedule.

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Nir Bitton

The Israeli international found his feet as a Celtic player this season in the heart of Celtic’s midfield, making more appearances than any other player in the middle of the park.

While typically he doesn’t catch the eye, until he batters in one of those long range efforts we see from time to time, his cool head, composure and technical ability are vital in Celtic’s possession heavy set-up.

He’s the metronome that keeps things ticking for the Scottish champions and if he’s playing well, the chances are the team is too. With energy sapping away trips a trademark of Champions League qualifying he’s going to be vital in ensuring the Bhoys stay on top of the opposition.

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Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts will get a career first taste of European football this summer but don’t let that lack of experience put you in any doubt that he’ll be a difference maker in these ties.

He has 15 goals in 39 appearances within England’s youth set-up and was named in the team of tournament in the European U-17 Championships of 2014. Proof that he’s a first rate performer for his age group.

As shown in his short time at Celtic, he’s starting to show that he’s coming of age and these qualifiers are his best chance to date to make a name for himself in the game. With dogged defences to break down, Celtic will need every bit of his guile and skill to score the goals required to make it through.

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Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell believes Celtic’s defeat to Malmo and failure to qualify for the Champions League group stages effectively cost manager Ronny Deila his job.

The Norwegian came under increasing pressure and scrutiny after the loss in the qualifier, and Lawwell told the Scottish Sun, it led to a vicious chain of events which led to an inevitable resignation.

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“We played really well towards the end of last season. So we felt pretty confident. Then Malmo came — and bang! That was the turning point. The pressure started to mount on the back of that.”

“Supporters were disappointed, we were disappointed, pressure came from the media and from that point it was difficult for Ronny to recover. It became difficult to build and create. It reached the stage where our players couldn’t win going into games. They could only lose. There was only really relief when we won games and no real enjoyment.”

According to Lawwell, Deila’s philosophy of building a young side and playing attractive, attacking football could not be realised in a pressure cooker atmosphere as every loss was pounced on in the media.

The Malmo loss had become a millstone around his neck, and therefore the focus switched from a long term focus to a short term one of needing to win.

“It was like a national disaster if we lost. That affected performances. There was a tension around the place. That in turn affected Ronny’s ability to really change the culture, because he had to win.”

Deila’s replacement is still very much open to debate with the favourite changing almost daily with the bookmakers.

Currently Roy Keane is the favourite for the role, with Neil Lennon, David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers and Paul Lambert also in contention for the job.

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Liverpool have started their pre-season campaign extremely well by all accounts, having won again after thrashing League One side Fleetwood Town 5-0 on Wednesday evening.

There were some extremely encouraging signs as boss Jurgen Klopp kept a close eye on the sidelines, but a couple of decent pre-season results won’t have haltered the German’s desire to bring in some more new faces.

Sadio Mane has looked strong in both of the Reds’ first pre-season matches and it will be a case of more the same, whoever comes through the Anfield door next.

Klopp has been happy to give first-team debuts to some of the clubs’ younger starlets in pre-season but realistically, these lads won’t be making up the bulk of the squad when the season begins again in August.

Some with some new faces still needed on Merseyside, who should Klopp be targeting, especially after what we’ve seen on the pitch in pre-season already?

Here’s FIVE transfer targets for the Reds after analysing the impressive Fleetwood win…

Jonas Hector

If there is a particular position in particular where the Reds are looking a little light, it’s left-back. With just Alberto Moreno the clubs’ only senior left-sided defender, reinforcements will be needed in this department in the coming weeks for sure.

And what better man to come in than Jonas Hector, who we all know after his promising the Euros. Competent going forward and defensively very good too- he could be a perfect fit.

Piotr Zielinski

He’s been a target for a few weeks now and still, no-one has wrapped up the signing of Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

The Polish international has been linked with the likes of Napoli and AC Milan this year, showing just how good is and The Reds sure would be missing a beat if they didn’t bring him in.

His passing and distribution is excellent and he’s not afraid of testing the goalkeeper from distance either.

Mario Gotze

Another player linked with a move to Anfield, Gotze has the quality to improve any Premier League side. Having worked with Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, the player knows the management and expectations very well indeed.

He would offer fantastic competition to Liverpool’s current playmakers Roberto Firmino and Phillipe Coutinho and we know just how good he is after watching him at Bayern Munich for the past couple of seasons.

Oğuzhan Özyakup

Ozguzhan Ozyakup, otherwise known as “Ozzy” is another creative midfielder that could add masses of quality to Liverpool’s ranks if he was brought in.

He’s seen as one of Besiktas’ brightest young talents and has had an excellent season in the Turkish League, as well as joining his team-mates for his countries Euro 2016 campaign.

Another attacking midfielder, he boasts plenty of flair, trickery and pace.

Raheem Sterling

Perhaps one of the more ambitious names on this list, Raheem Sterling hasn’t had the easiest time of it since his transfer to Manchester City.

With Pep Guardiola bringing Spanish forward Nolito to the Etihad as soon as he was appointed, Sterling’s future looks uncertain.

Whilst a move back to Liverpool might be seen as unlikely, he’s got unquestionable quality when he is in-form.

Mark Hughes’ Stoke City finished ninth in the Premier League for a third season running.

Defensively Stoke weren’t much better than their Premier League competitors as several clubs managed to concede almost the same amount of goals.

The main problem for Stoke has been their attacking prowess. The Potters could manage only 41 goals in the Premier League last term, the least scored by a top half team. Most top half teams have scored more than 59 goals with Manchester United being an exception with 49.

If Hughes’ side plan to finish above ninth position this year, they need to improve upon their strikers. Here are some options to consider for Mark Hughes…

Odion Ighalo

It was a season of underdogs for sure. Apart from Leicester’s fairy tale campaign, promoted club Watford possessed two lethal players when it came to scoring goals. One of them being Odion Ighalo.

The Nigerian had a terrific first season at Watford, scoring 16 goals and clinching five assists in 37 appearances in the Premier League.

Prising away the Nigerian, who is now in his prime years at 27 years of age, will be difficult and with new manager at helm, the task has become tougher.

Troy Deeney

The other in-form Watford striker was the club captain Troy Deeney. Leading by example, he was the perfect partner to Ighalo’s exploits.

The Englishman contributed 13 goals and eight assists in all 38 games for Watford, the striking duo were one of the best in the Premier League.

Now aged 28, Deeney like his partner would be a difficult transfer to be sealed.

Ayoze Pérez

The Spaniard scored six goals for Newcastle United last season. Although the contribution couldn’t save Newcastle from relegation, Perez is quite a decent striker.

But Rafa Benitez might not be much willing to part with his Spanish player, with the striker expected to stay and continue his development with the club, prising Perez away looks a tough job.

Jordan Ayew

Jordan Ayew’s first season at Aston Villa didn’t turn out well. Although the Ghanaian striker was the clubs top scorer with seven goals in 30 Premier League appearances, he couldn’t prevent the club from getting relegated.

Aston Villa owner Tony Xia took to Twitter to strongly claim that he will be going nowhere: “As I said before, Ayew will stay! No more clauses!”

Sorting out his future with the club would be a top priority for Ayew himself. Although he is tied with the club until 2020, he would be glad to explore other options, rather than playing in the second tier of English football.

A loan move for the 24-year-old would be a decent move, giving Mark Hughes better options and it would enough to keep all the parties involved happy.

Saido Berahino

The young Englishman wanted to secure a move away from The Hawthorns, but failed in his attempts. Following a spat with the club’s chairman, the summer was seen as a time for Berahino to leave.

But things aren’t going as expected.

After 13 goals in 2014-15 season, the Englishman had a poor season by scoring only four over 31 appearances in the Premier League.

Aged 23, things might improve for Berahino and Stoke City can provide him the space and a new lease of life to excel.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Aleksandar Mitrovic is one of Newcastle’s most talented strikers. Good strength, speed and aggression surely helps him to be a threat to Premier League defenders.

Newcastle were relegated, and sadly his performances have gone in vain as the Serbian notched nine goals and four assists in 34 appearances last term.

Aged 21, the player could be dejected to see himself in the second tier of English football, especially after featuring in the Champions League prior to his transfer to Newcastle.

This transfer would be worth the gamble for Mark Hughes.

Christian Benteke

The Belgian’s superb performances for Aston Villa convinced Brendan Rodgers to move for Christian Benteke.

After meeting his release clause of £32.5million, he became their second most expensive transfer of all time. He scored a brilliant overhead kick against arch rivals Manchester United in 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford, Benteke was tipped to be a superb signing for Liverpool.

After injuries, Benteke wasn’t sharp, had lost form and was dropped from the first steam squad too. The Belgian managed only nine goals and three assists in 29 outings in the Premier League.

Benteke needs game time in order to regain his sharpness. Mark Hughes may be sceptical to shell out a ‘real offer’ for the Belgian, but a loan move will be helpful for both the parties.

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With the emergence of Marcus Rashford from last season, the Manchester United fans here in the Transfer Tavern are excited about the future of their team.

The young Englishman shot to prominence as United struggled with injuries up top, with him scoring on his debut and going on to impress enough to see him on the plane with England for Euro 2016.

The only appearance he made during that tournament was as a sub in the loss to Iceland, but he still managed to leave a mark with his pace and running whilst all those around him fell to pieces.

What the future holds for Rashford, nobody knows for sure, but United fans are hopeful that there are more like him coming through at the club ready to make an impact.

Our landlord has done a bit of scouting with this in mind then and thinks this THREE are ones to keep an eye on…

Regan Poole

Big things are expected of the Welsh centre-half who came through Newport County and went on to be the club’s youngest ever debutant at the age of 16.

He went on to make 16 appearances for the Welsh before joining United, and in the next few years he’ll be hoping to force his way past Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly at the heart of defence.

It’s a tough ask of course but he’s clearly demonstrated the ability to stick it out so you wouldn’t put it past him.

Callum Gribbin

The midfielder is from Salford and that already makes him one for the fans to keep an eye on.

Local players coming through for the clubs are always what the supporters want to see and Gribbin certainly looks like he could fit the bill.

He trained with the first team occasionally under Louis van Gaal, and has many of the current coaches very excited about his future with the team.

He still has to fulfil that potential but if he does the Red Devils could have a real star.

Sean Goss

Goss travelled with United to Wolfsburg in the Champions League squad last season, and so is clearly highly regarded by those behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

Whilst the club have no Champions League football this season, they still have the Europa League to compete in and Jose Mourinho might feel that it’s the perfect opportunity for the midfielder to gain top level experience.

He was actually born in Germany but is a Red Devils fan through and through.

Are Liverpool title contenders? Many have leapt on the bandwagon and been seduced by the glowing smile of Jurgen Klopp over the course of the past few weeks, with the German’s Reds having pulled off some truly special performances and registered some notable results.

Although wins away at Chelsea and Arsenal and a 4-1 demolition of the champions, Leicester City, at Anfield got tongues wagging, the 5-1 beating of Hull City was perhaps more telling as to where this team is.

Indeed, Liverpool have often dropped points against so-called ‘lesser’ sides over the past few years, so the manner in which they swatted the Tigers aside has sparked dreams among Kopites.

However, another telling game awaits on Saturday lunch time in the shape of Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. The boys from South Wales have proven themselves to be an extremely dangerous upper midtable team since their move up to the top tier, and their brand of technical, high tempo football will really test Klopp’s XI.

So how should Liverpool line up? Here is the team we think they should field…

Goalkeeper – Loris Karius

Having won the No.1 spot over the course of the past couple of weeks, Karius looks set to start between the sticks. The German was solid in games against Derby in the League Cup and at home to Hull City in league action and appears to have instilled a new sense of confidence in the defence after the shaky years of Simon Mignolet.

Defence – Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, James Milner

The defence picks itself now that Lovren is back from the illness that kept him out of the Hull win. Although Ragnar Klavan performed well at Anfield and was at his ‘no-nonsense’ best, Lovren and Matip appear to be the pairing Klopp wants to use long-term, so it makes sense to keep them together. At right-back, Clyne is a certainty to start, while Milner has been a revelation at left-back.

Midfield – Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana

With Henderson settling in well as the ‘No.6’ at the base of the midfield, he’s sure to maintain his place, especially as Emre Can looks short of full match fitness. Wijnaldum and Lallana have arguably been Liverpool’s key duo so far this season, with their ability to press from the front and break beyond their attacking team-mates a hallmark of the Reds’ play.

Attack – Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge

This is where it gets very tricky. Liverpool have four top attacking talents and only three places in which to select them. With this game being away from home, it’s unlikely Klopp will sacrifice a player in midfield to get them all on the pitch, so one will drop out. For us, the finishing prowess of Sturridge wins out, with the striker having been back in training all week after a little niggle ahead of the Hull game. Mane’s pace and the supreme talent of Coutinho should flank him, so Roberto Firmino has to start on the bench.

One of the first things you notice about Arsenal these days is that they are, at the same time, part of England’s financial and commercial elite and yet staggering underachievers.

Last season’s second place finish might have been a step in the right direction for a club who had finished either third or fourth every year since 2005, but the reality is that second place represents a missed opportunity – and when you look at their points total, was it really a step forward? Last season, Arsenal amassed 71 points, which is their lowest total since 2012. They’ve finished below that mark only six times in the Arsene Wenger era. It surely can’t be seen, then, as one of Wenger’s greatest seasons of the past decade.

Despite the failings, one of his great strengths over that period of time is his ability to work under financial constraints. The club financed a new stadium, and in doing so had to keep costs low. Wenger then managed to keep the club’s net spend to a minimum whilst producing teams to keep the club in the Champions League, whose prize money represented a vital financial resource.

In the last four years, the approach has changed, as Arsenal have averaged a £49m net spend over the past four years, compared to just £6m in the seven years before that. That’s according to football business blog the Swiss Ramble, who yesterday published a breakdown of Arsenal’s finances and analysed the marked difference in Arsenal’s transfer spending over the last four seasons compared to the seven seasons before that.

On the back of such an impressively comprehensive look at Arsenal’s finances, we thought we’d add our own observations to the discussion.

Firstly, it must be noted that Arsenal’s position as one football’s commercial behemoths shouldn’t be under-represented. Arsenal is a name known around the world, and their position as the main rivals to Manchester United in the early 2000s, when the English Premiership – as it was then – was becoming the globalised superpower that it is today is perhaps key to that position.

That puts Arsenal on an even footing with the likes of Bayern Munich, and on the same playing field – even if it’s not quite a level one – with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona and Manchester United. In terms of prestige, Arsenal are up there with the biggest clubs in world football.

That prestige represents a huge global audience for the club, as can be seen from their reach on digital media. Arsenal are behind only Manchester United and Chelsea in terms of digital reach in the Premier League, according to a recent comparison by German analysts Result Sports. They are also the second-most googled team in the Premier League, not too far behind Manchester United, but quite a bit ahead of third-placed Liverpool

Of course, online presence doesn’t translate directly into revenue, but it does two things to help the club: firstly, it creates greater ability to monetise their social media accounts by attracting sponsors who want to reach Arsenal’s audience, and secondly the global reach of a football club represents increased direct commercial opportunities abroad as well as at home by engaging with the audience at their disposal. Having a great online presence amounts to more than just great advertising.

But what Swiss Ramble points out – and Result’s findings also highlight – is that Arsenal are competing in a much more competitive league than most in Europe. The new TV rights deal has boosted the ability of English clubs to buy players; but more importantly, it has allowed the mid-table clubs in England to keep hold of their best players. The result is a much more competitive league as most clubs have strengthened this season, and will only weaken their sides for huge sums of cash.

The Premier League has a combined digital reach of over 398m (p.21 of the PDF) – that is, their number of followers across all their social media platforms – whilst clubs in Germany (p.19) have over 92m, France (p.24) is just over 64m and Serie A (p.23) is over 107m. The only league that comes close to England is – unsurprisingly – Spain (p.22) but that’s a league that is dominated by two clubs, at least on digital media.

If you were to take Real Madrid and Barcelona out of the list, then Spain reaches just over 39m fans. (Obviously taking Madrid and Barcelona out of the findings would take away the main selling point that Spanish football has on a commercial level, but for the purposes of showing the Premier League’s more even spread, it highlights the point quite nicely)

Why am I telling you about Arsenal’s presence on social media compared with other clubs around Europe?

Well, digital audience represents a marketing and commercial audience – it is one of the ways in which the club can raise money beyond its matchday revenue and the money it makes from competing in competitions. Few other clubs around Europe can come close to Arsenal in these categories. In fact, the CIES Football observatory observed last week that Arsenal’s squad is the eighth most expensively assembled in Europe’s top five leagues – which essentially means in the world.

That doesn’t always translate into footballing success, but it does show that Arsenal are spending money. Yet the presence of so many English clubs on that list (five of the top ten, nine of the top 20) shows that having money in England doesn’t necessarily mean having success in the league.

That’s not to say that the distribution of wealth in England makes it likely for a team like Leicester to win the Premier League again – there are still haves and have-nots. But what it does mean is that bigger clubs face tougher tests week to week, compared to the games that Real Madrid and Barcelona face have. The cream may still rise to the top, but how close to the top you get depends on how well you do against the smaller clubs but in England, the smaller clubs aren’t all that small.

As pointed out by the Swiss Ramble’s article, it is also a myth that Arsenal have completely paid off their new stadium debt. One of the common explanations for Arsenal’s increased spending is that they no longer have to pay for the Emirates Stadium. The reality is that their stadium debt is only half paid off. And the club has had to repay both debt and interest on their stadium – as the Ramble says, “[s]ince 2007 Arsenal have produced a very healthy £722 million operating cash flow, though a draining £251 million has had to be used for stadium financing”.

What does all this mean? Well Arsenal are – fairly obviously – in a healthy financial position, but the nature of the Premier League means that their finances and their prestige don’t translate success. Last season’s ‘progress’ only highlights the issue: Arsenal’s spending has increased massively in the last few years, yet their best league position in over a decade came during a season when they didn’t buy one outfield player in the preceding summer transfer window – had they spent the sort of money last season that they’ve spent this season, we may be calling them champions. At the very least, you’d expect that their points tally would have increased, not decreased.

There’s a long-term nature to footballing finances and success – clubs plan over periods of years, not months.

This season, Arsenal have spent the money, and they seem to have spent it in the right areas. If Alexis Sanchez really is good enough to be a world class striker – as opposed to the world class winger we know he is – then Arsene Wenger will find himself with a top goalkeeper, central defender, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder and striker: the spine of a top team. Combine that with talent from wide areas like an in-form Theo Walcott and exciting youthful players like Hector Bellerin and you have a team to match the off-field prestige and financial muscle that Arsenal possess. They now have the kind of squad that the clubs around them in all of the studies mentioned possess.

It’s just taken them four years of spending to assemble that kind of squad.