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Manchester City are among the favourites to claim the 2016/17 Premier League title and with the squad of players currently at their disposal, who could doubt their credentials?

Pep Guardiola has been tasked with bringing the club a third Premier League title in six years but to do so, his City squad still needs some strengthening in January.

The Citizens have been worryingly weak defensively, so much so that the club have only kept two clean sheets all season. Statistics can sometimes be deceiving, however, as the team have the third best defence in the league – but it’s still not where Guardiola aspires to be.

For City to ensure a third Premier League crown comes their way, a few changes are required this January. Guardiola would have already identified key positions needing strengthening, but where do City fall short?

Here are FIVE signings the Citizens could make this winter to push on and claim the title…

Alex Sandro

According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester City were chasing Alex Sandro all summer before he opted for a move to Juventus.

The same report suggested Guardiola has earmarked Sandro as his long-term left-back, and what a signing he could be especially with Guardiola’s constant changing of the formation.

Sandro has been one of Juventus’ best performers this season, and unlike any of the current left-backs at City, the Brazilian can both attack and defend with equal quality.

Fabinho

Along with left-back, City’s biggest outstanding issue remains the uncertainty surround the ageing right-backs the club currently possesses.

For City to end their turbulent issues on the right side of defence, they must be considering a move for versatile, Brazil and Monaco star Fabinho.

The Sun have reported the interest is already present from the club and despite being cup-tied in the Champions League, Fabinho could be ideal for City’s long-term ambitions.

Virgil van Dijk

Reports recently suggested Guardiola is planning to strengthen the central defensive area of his City side following the long-term injury issues of Vincent Kompany.

The Daily Mail claim that City are planning a swoop for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, with the Dutch defender having been identified as a replacement for Kompany.

Van Dijk has been sensational for the Saints this campaign and a move to City may appeal to him while his stock is high.

Mahmoud Dahoud

Syrian-born German midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud has been linked with a move to the Citizens recently by German publication BILD.

Dahoud’s energy and passing range perfectly suit Guardiola’s system, and he could be the ideal replacement for Fernandinho.

City’s midfield is already impressive, but Dahoud would strengthen it even further.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Question marks still surround the ability of Claudio Bravo, and with the Chile international touching 34, City must be considering their long-term options this winter.

AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has been likened to Gianluigi Buffon in recent months as the 17-year-old shot-stopper continues to display his credentials for the Serie A giants AC Milan despite his age.

If Bravo continues to disappoint for the Citizens, then a winter move for the most promising young goalkeeper in world football may not be a bad option.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Leicester are interested in bringing Francesco Acerbi from Sassuolo to the Premier League this month.

What’s the story?

Leicester City have already moved quickly in the January transfer window, picking up midfielder Wilfred Ndidi last week from Belgian club Genk.

Now they’re set to add defensive reinforcements with a move for one of the top performers in Serie A.

The Mail reckon Ranieri is willing to spend up to £8m to land Francesco Acerbi this month, providing competition for the Foxes defence.

The paper say that top target Michael Keane is unlikely to move from Burnley in this window and so Leicester have now moved on to other, more realistic targets.

Who is he?

Sassuolo are struggling in Serie A this year but Acerbi has remained a player at the top of his game. He was a key part of the team that helped the club to 6th place in Serie A last season, their highest ever finish in Italian football.

It also qualified them for European competition for the first time and Acerbi played in 6 of their Europa League matches this season.

At 6ft3, he has the physical attributes required to make an impact in the Premier League and at the age of 28 has the experience required too.

He’s won 2 Italian caps in his career, recognition that he is one of the top defenders in Serie A.

The reported £8m is pocket change to most Premier League clubs in 2017 so a move for the defender is relatively risk free. Can he provide the competition required to displace Wes Morgan and Robert Huth?

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Manchester City today confirmed the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, a deal that was first agreed last summer, and the young Brazilian will arrive in the Premier League hoping to build upon the success he achieved in 2016.

After winning a gold medal with Brazil at the Olympics last summer, Gabriel Jesus took his international form to club level and helped guide boyhood club Palmeiras to their first league title since 1994 – and he was crucial to their success.

Netting 12 goals in 27 league appearances, Gabriel Paulista boasted an impressive ratio of 193 minutes per goal and averaged 2.8 shots a game – showing that he kept the South American defences he came up against busy.

As well as being a goal-threat on his own, Gabriel Jesus also laid on 37 key passes to his team-mates and registered five assists – which shows the impact he can have across Manchester City’s attack.

At just 19-years-old, Gabriel Jesus is one to watch for the coming years but he already possesses the ability to make an immediate impact in Pep Guardiola’s squad and Tottenham Hotspur should be wary of his talents this weekend.

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Tottenham are one of the founding members of the Premier League and have shown real signs over the last few years that they’re finally able to compete for the title.

For years they were consistently competing in mid-table but now they’re a force to be reckoned with and can certainly be regarded as contenders for Leicester City’s crown this season.

They almost won it last season but, with a strong squad with an English core, there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t do it this term.

Whether it’ll last or not is a different matter but, for now, they’re competing at the right half of the table and are impressive under the tutelage of Muaricio Pochettino.

They’ve been lucky enough to boast some of the most iconic goal scorers in Premier League history, but who is in the top 20 players to have scored for Spurs in since the Premier League began?

If you think you’re die hard Spurs then you should be able to name all 20 in the quiz below in just 5 minutes.

Don’t forget to share with your mates to see if they can do any better…

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Leicester have a second shot at FA Cup progression with their replay against Derby on Wednesday night. This is a match that could mean so much to the Foxes after their dire run in the league could also be another nail in Claudio Ranieri’s King Power Stadium managerial coffin. Yes, that’s 2015/16 league winning boss, Ranieri.

Derby have been on an indifferent run in the Championship, but remain firmly in the play-off race. Going into this heated local bout they certainly have more momentum than the Foxes, with the reigning English champions having lost four straight in the league without even finding the net once, which isn’t exactly the form of a side who are going to pull away from a relegation tussle.

This match can either be a further confirmation of the trouble Leicester are in or a brief respite from the pressure of the league. Derby, meanwhile, have little to lose. They can topple the champions and local rivals if they win, but a loss is by no means a crisis and is actually expected – it’s a win-win.

It will be a close run thing, mind. So these THREE duels will be crucial…

Right flank key for Foxes…

Claudio Ranieri’s team selection is a complete unknown at this point. With the match obviously a great opportunity to turn their season around, Leicester could opt to go for a full strength side. However, their woes in the league mean the Italian could opt to rest some of his first-choice players.

Whether it be Demarai Gray or Riyad Mahrez on Leicester’s right flank against Markus Olsson, though, the Foxes will need something special from that side of the field. Challenging their marker in very different ways admittedly, Gray and Mahrez are two of the players in the Leicester squad capable of turning a match on their own.

Ram raid in midfield…

Derby hold the best defensive record in the Championship, and much of that is down to the industry and nous of their midfielders. Likely to have a spare man against Leicester’s two in the centre of the park, the Rams could well dominate the middle third of the pitch.

If they can stop the supply line to Jamie Vardy, Leicester, as they have on far too many outings this season, will be forced to rely on a piece of magic from their wide players. While N’Golo Kante’s departure has taken much of the blame for Leicester’s demise, it is time that their other central midfielders step up.

Ince in form

Starting on the right of Derby’s front three, Tom Ince is the Rams’ top scorer this season. His pace is naturally the biggest threat to a Leicester defence that has been torn to shreds by any runners beyond this season. Likely to attack the channel between the left-back – likely to be Ben Chilwell – and Robert Huth, Ince could be the difference maker.

The hype around the former Liverpool trainee has died down, but the talent that made him such a promising young player is still evident. If nothing else, his presence will create more room for Derby’s other forwards and on-rushing midfielders.

After two consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Watford, Arsenal got their season back on track with a 2-0 win over Hull City at the Emirates on Saturday.

It was a tight game and a hard fought victory with Alexis Sanchez’s brace the difference between the two sides. It seems the Chilean striker can’t stop and won’t stop dragging the Gunners forward, even when they aren’t at their best.

He got the show on the road with an early, perhaps controversial, effort before an injury time penalty made sure all three points were the Gunners’.

Hull City gave it a good go but in the end it was a professional performance from Wenger’s side and the manager will be delighted they’ve managed to get back to winning ways after a tough week for everyone at the club.

Supporters can now look forward to a massive week in the UEFA Champions League with a visit to Bayern Munich on the cards this Wednesday.

Football fans took to Twitter to give their thoughts on today’s action and in particular, Alexis Sanchez…

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Southampton manager Claude Peul is sure to be feeling extremely aggrieved at the start of the week, after seeing the Saints’ 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley heavily influenced by an incorrect offside call.

Star signing Manolo Gabbiadini was the first to tuck the ball away in the EFL Cup final, only to see the goal incorrectly chalked-off for offside. The Italian later scored two goals either side of half-time, after United had stormed into a two-goal lead.

It’s fair to say that the game would have been entirely different had the correct call been made by the linesman and Southampton boss Puel has called for video replays to aid match officials, after seeing his side robbed at Wembley.

Quoted by The Telegraph, Puel said:

“I would like, of course, video in the future for these situations. It’s very hard when we see this game to lose. It was cruel.”

The Football Association has been trialling the use of video refereeing in unofficial tests this season and the push for new technology has been boosted by Gianni Infantino’s appointment as chief of FIFA, as the Italian is keen to see football develop.

Of course, that will be no consolation to Southampton after they had the chance of a first major trophy since 1976.

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As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers chiefs have been forced to hold a meeting with players at Auchenhowie to re-assure them that their leadership crisis is coming to an end.

What’s the story?

It’s been almost a month since Mark Warburton departed Rangers and left the team without a firm authority figure to lead the team. Graeme Murty has done his best but the inexperienced U20s coach is no match for a permanent manager that has the potential to led them into a new era.

That may be why, as The Record reports, Managing Director Stewart Robertson and Andrew Dickson travelled to Rangers’ training complex at Auchenhowie to re-assure the squad that they believe Pedro Caixinha will arrive as Ibrox boss very shortly.

The Portuguese manager is said to be arriving in Glasgow ahead of Sunday’s massive clash with Celtic, although it looks as though Graeme Murty will take charge of the team having prepared for the match in training all week.

Record sources in the Middle East say he’s now been given permission to sign what will be a three-year contract with the Ibrox side.

Interesting times ahead in Scotland as Rangers try to assemble a squad to rival the dominant Celtic.

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A massive development in the saga involving Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has got plenty of fans talking on social media.

The Telegraph are among a number of mainstream publications to report that the Belgium international has informed the Merseyside club that he will not be signing a new £140,000-a-week contract.

The striker’s agent Mino Raiola mentioned numerous times over the past few weeks that his client was on the verge of penning a long-term deal, but it does not seem as though the pair are on the same page.

This latest bit of news throws up suggestions that a handful of clubs will be in the running for Lukaku when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

It is important to note, though, that the 23-year-old still has two years left on his contract at Goodison Park, which puts the Toffees in a relatively secure negotiating position.

As expected, Everton fans have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on the news, with many disappointed in Lukaku’s conduct, while others believe that he will sign a new deal.

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Derby County will look to keep their faint Championship play-off hopes alive when they host Queens Park Rangers at the Pride Park Stadium on Friday night.

The Rams sit nine points behind sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday with eight fixtures of the season remaining, and while securing a top six spot looks unlikely, new boss Gary Rowett won’t have given up hope just yet.

County looked set to close that gap even further during their last match against arch-rivals Nottingham Forest at the City Ground with the Owls losing to Reading, but a last-gasp equaliser meant that they only took a point in a 2-2 draw.

The international break followed that disappointment and it gave Rowett a chance to take a closer look at the U-23 side, and according to the Derby Telegraph, he was impressed with some of the players on show.

Here are THREE Derby youngsters that could start the crucial clash against QPR…

Max Lowe

Despite being just 19, the left-back has already made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Rams this term, with his last outing coming against Blackburn Rovers last month.

The County starlet will be in confident mood ahead of the clash against QPR on Friday night having helped England’s U-20 side to four nations glory in France last week.

Lowe will hope that is enough to give him a starting role ahead of Marcus Olsson – who started against Forest last time out – at Pride Park.

Timi Elsnik

The 18-year-old made two substitute appearances for the club in the EFL Cup against Carlisle United and Liverpool earlier this season, but he is yet to make an outing in the Championship this term.

However, Rowett personally mentioned the midfielder in his interview with the Derby Telegraph.

He said: “Timi Elsnik looked very good in training, and quite a few others have as well.”

That suggests that the Slovenian midfielder is at the forefront of his thoughts ahead of the clash against QPR, and he will hope that he is given a start ahead of the likes of Craig Bryson and Bradley Johnson.

Mason Bennett

The 20-year-old forward struggled to get a look-in for the Derby first team under Nigel Pearson or Steve McClaren this season, but the early signs are that it will be a different story with Gary Rowett.

Bennett – who became the club’s youngest-ever player when he made his debut aged just 15 in 2011 and has made 36 appearances in total for the club – made only his second outing of the season as a late substitute in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest.

He will hope that he did enough then – and in training – to convince Rowett that he should start against QPR.