Danny Welbeck endured a mixed afternoon as Arsenal beat Southampton 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday but he did end the game as the match-winner.

The England international, valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, netted two goals, including the late winner as the Gunners turned up the heat on Chelsea in the race for fifth by beating Mark Hughes’ struggling Saints.

However, he should really have been leaving the Emirates Stadium with the match ball but he missed a glaring opportunity with the scores level at 2-2 which looked as if it might prove costly at the time.

That was not to be the case as the former Manchester United forward made up for his earlier blunder by powering him a header with just minutes remaining, to cap a largely impressive afternoon only marred by that shocking miss.

He also set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser after Shane Long had put the visitors 1-0 up in the first half and showed impressive all-round play coming in off the left flank.

He showed his strength in the air not just by nodding home the winning goal but by coming out on top in four aerial duels throughout the afternoon.

Meanwhile, his link-up play was also impressive with an 82 per cent passing accuracy which allowed Arsene Wenger’s men to build momentum as they roared forward in search of the win.

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Welbeck is right on the fringes of the England World Cup squad and more performances like this can’t do his chances of going to Russia with the Three Lions any harm at all.

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Arsenal are one of a handful of clubs interested in potentially signing Chelsea’s Kenedy, according to ESPN.

What’s the story?

Like so many of Chelsea’s academy products, Kenedy has struggled to break into the Blues’ first team and hold down a regular spot.

In January, the 22-year-old moved to Newcastle United on loan for the second half of the season, and that is where he has been impressing.

In eight Premier League appearances, Kenedy has scored two goals and created as many assists while playing as a left wing-back.

ESPN report that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are keeping an eye on the young player, while Arsenal are also in the race.

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Kenedy is expected to make a decision on his future when the season comes to an end.

Would he thrive at Arsenal?

Given the left-sided player’s age, it is difficult to know whether he would be a success at Arsenal, but the North London outfit are known for shaping young talent.

Kenedy certainly has plenty to offer the Gunners given that he has the ability to defend, while also the skill to push forward and cut inside to throw opponents off course.

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Arsenal, who currently sit 13 points adrift of the top four in the Premier League, need to freshen up their back line this summer.

Kenedy, who is wanted by Newcastle fans on a permanent basis, could eventually replace Nacho Monreal, but a lot will depend on whether Chelsea are willing to offload to a direct rival.

In addition, there is still uncertainty over whether Arsene Wenger will still be in charge of Arsenal when the 2018-19 season rolls around.

The rivalry between Southampton and Bournemouth has never been an ‘official’ one, so to speak, but due to the proximity of both coastal areas, one has formed since the Cherries earned promotion to the Premier League.

This weekend will witness a crucial match between the two clubs as Southampton fight to remain in the top division.

As it stands, Mark Hughes’s side are four points from safety with as many games left to play, so a result against Bournemouth at St Mary’s is vital.

Since the new manager replaced Mauricio Pellegrino in March, the club have not picked up a league win having lost three and drawn one.

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Things looked brighter in the FA Cup until Sunday when the Saints suffered a 2-0 loss at the hands of Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley.

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Ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Bournemouth, Hughes has issued a rallying cry, which some fans have echoed, while others still feel miserable.

For as long as Daniel Levy keeps Tottenham’s wage budget under strict control and Mauricio Pochettino maintains his principled stance when key players step out of line (see Kyle Walker, Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld), the club will always be on the lookout for ‘the next…’ because there will always be the danger that the current star will leave North London.

The situations surrounding Toby Alderweireld, who started his career at Ajax and Matthijs de Ligt, who currently turns out for the Dutch giants, brings this into sharp focus.

Alderweireld looks set to leave the club this summer after a stand-off over his new contract and Pochettino plans to deal with the blow of losing arguably the Premier League’s most talented centre-half by securing the signature of 18-year-old Dutch international de Ligt, who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

It’s a risky policy but when we asked you whether Spurs should make the switch, the answer was pretty unequivocal. 93 per cent of Tottenham fans want Pochettino to make it happen and you can check out the full results of the poll below…

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Abel Hernandez will see his contract with Hull City expire at the end of next month, and the centre-forward is widely expected to move on this summer.

The 27-year-old’s 2017-18 campaign was blighted by injury problems, with an Achilles issue keeping the Uruguay international on the sidelines for much of the season.

Hernandez managed eight goals in 10 Championship appearances, however, and it is not a surprise that there is a whole host of interest in his services.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a move as they prepare for life in the Premier League, whilst Newcastle United have previously been credited with an interest in the former Premier League striker.

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Rumours on Twitter have claimed that Leeds United are also in the hunt for Hernandez, and it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters would welcome the move.

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Whether Leeds can beat the likes of Wolves to the striker’s signature is another matter entirely, but the club’s fans have called for the deal to go through.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Everton sacked Sam Allardyce on Wednesday and Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca is already one of the frontrunners to replace the unpopular 63-year-old at Goodison Park this summer.

Despite leading the Merseyside outfit to an eighth-place finish, the former England boss was relieved of his duties because of disapproval from the fans over the style of play, and with the club looking to take a new direction.

It would be no surprise to learn that Fonseca is near the top of the list of the Toffees’ targets given his impressive record with Donetsk – where his contract runs out at the end of next month.

The Portuguese boss has overseen 73 win in 93 matches in all competitions, with his team scoring 205 goals during that period, conceding 82, as per Transfermarkt.

The fact that the Ukrainian outfit were only narrowly knocked out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage on away goals by eventual semi-finalists AS Roma shows the quality they have in their squad, and they have certain individuals that could make a real difference for the Merseyside outfit in the 2018/19 campaign.

Here are three Donetsk stars Fonseca should bring to Everton with him, if he is appointed…

While whoever Everton’s new boss is next season will likely keep the faith with Michael Keane following an up-and-down debut campaign at Goodison Park, a new centre-back is likely to be on the agenda.

With Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams now not up to the standard they once were and Ramiro Funes Mori surely likely to leave this summer, the Merseyside outfit will be left a little short of options at the heart of the defence.

If Fonseca is the man to succeed Allardyce in the next couple of weeks, he should look to bring 6ft 4in Ukraine international Ordets with him, in order to provide Keane with a dominant partner.

Everton would have been hoping that Yannick Bolasie could recapture his best form following a return to the first team following a long injury lay-off earlier this year, but instead he struggled – and has often by heavily criticised by his own fans on Twitter for his displays – and it could mean that the Merseyside outfit look to buy a new winger this summer.

While they do have Ademola Lookman and Henry Onyekuru on their books, they may well be better off with a slightly more experienced player on the left-hand side if they really want to push on and progress, and Shakhtar’s Bernard could be the ideal player.

The tricky Brazilian has scored 10 goals and provided a further four assists in 29 appearances for the Ukrainian club this season, while he will be available on a free transfer when his contract expires next month.

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Allardyce had previously mentioned that Everton need a new striker to provide Cenk Tosun with more competition next season, and you would assume that will still be the club’s plan even though they have sacked the 63-year-old.

With Oumar Niasse potentially deemed not good enough in the long-term and Dominic Calvert-Lewin still relatively inexperienced, bringing Ferreyra to Goodison Park could be the answer if Fonseca gets the job.

The 27-year-old former Newcastle youngster has scored 30 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for Shakhtar this term, including three in eight Champions League outings to show the quality that he has.

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

Manchester United fans have not been enthralled by their team’s football this season despite them finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final.

The contrast with Liverpool – who have reached the Champions League final – and Manchester City – who have swashbuckled their way to two trophies, including a record-breaking Premier League title does not bear favourably for United in terms of playing style and not many are expecting much of a spectacle when the Reds take on Chelsea at Wembley in the season’s showpiece occasion.

Mourinho has moved to defend his style of football with some controversial comments about what actually constitutes entertaining football and it has not gone down well at all with the club’s fans.

While United’s fans won’t care too much if Mourinho continues his record of never having lost a final in normal time and brings in the club’s third trophy in two seasons in charge at Old Trafford, the concerns about the style of play linger…

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Manuel Pellegrini has promised to bring a new brand of football to West Ham this season, so could the Chilean’s arrival bring the best out of Manuel Lanzini?

2017/18 was a difficult season at West Ham for several reasons, but in and amongst the manager tension, fan strife and owner troubles, the injury to Manuel Lanzini was undoubtedly a huge factor in the Hammers’ struggles.

The Hammers lost the little Argentine at a crucial stage in the season, and despite starting just 23 of 38 Premier League games, he still managed five goals and six assists this season.

Lanzini was at his brilliant best in Argentina’s friendly win this week, as the 25 year-old played in a deeper midfield position than he is used to in the 4-0 win over Haiti.

He did not directly contribute to the goals, but linked defence and attack wonderfully, exhibiting exactly the kind of swagger and confidence on the ball that West Ham fans have become so used to seeing from him.

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Under Pellegrini’s free flowing style next season, Lanzini could be the veteran manager’s most important player. Pellegrini likes a 4-4-2 formation, but it becomes more of a 4-2-2-2 when attacking, and Lanzini will flourish roaming in one of those two spots behind the strikers.

Only five players registered both ten goals and ten assists in the Premier League this season, and Lanzini can join this elite club next season.

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There has been plenty of talk about Marko Arnautovic amidst the Austrian’s links to Manchester United, but Lanzini could just be the most important Hammer under Pellegrini.

So, West Ham fans, do you think Pellegrini will get the best out of Lanzini next season? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Reports claim Javier Hernandez could still leave West Ham this summer, so should Tottenham make a bid for the little striker?

According to one popular West Ham insider, Hernandez’s future in East London is still in doubt.

West Ham fans were delighted when reports said Pellegrini wants to use the striker next season, but a good World Cup could have several top teams sniffing around the 30 year-old.

The Mexican striker was cast aside under David Moyes, and despite Manuel Pellegrini wanting him at the club, the striker “has yet to commit his future” to the Hammers.

Tottenham are of course on the hunt for a striker who can give support to Harry Kane, and fans all agree they need to sign someone better than Janssen or Llorente to help their talisman.

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The challenge for Pochettino is to find someone who is good enough to take pressure off Kane, but doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to the 24 year-old, so could Chicharito be the perfect candidate?

The Mexican international, who has an incredible 49 goals in 100 caps for his country, made his name as a “super sub” at Manchester United, so could be happy to play the role at a Champions League club again.

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He is a far superior goalscorer to Janssen and Llorente, and his title winning experience at Old Trafford could also be a boost to the dressing room in North London.

So, Spurs fans, would you make a cheeky bid for Chicharito this summer? Is he the perfect deputy for Kane? Let us know by voting in the poll below…

During a World Cup year, signing players early in the summer can only go two ways.

Either it quickly becomes apparent that you’ve paid far too much for an unspectacular footballer, or alternatively that you’ve landed an incredibly promising talent on the cheap. Stoke City signing Oghenekaro Etebo, who officially joined the Championship outfit just days before the World Cup started, would appear to belong in the latter category.

That, at least, is the most logical assumption from the 22-year-old’s first World Cup outing – Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat to Croatia on Saturday. The first goal actually came off Etebo before beating goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, but that unfortunate own goal was the only blotch in an otherwise highly impressive performance.

Indeed, Etebo completed the most dribbles, nine, created the joint-most chances, two, and had the most touches of the ball, 94, of any Nigeria player in a Super Eagles performance that didn’t offer much hope for their progression at this summer’s World Cup. He also weighed in defensively with two tackles and completed 93% of his passes in a commanding and well-rounded engine room display.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the midfielder is guaranteed to be a success at Stoke or anywhere else in England for that matter, but one thing is for certain – had the Potters signed Etebo after impressing upon his World Cup debut, he would have cost more than the mere £6.35million they paid to Feirense.

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It’s still incredibly early in the summer and our exposure to Etebo remains minimal, but he already looks like a fantastic piece of business for the Championship side.

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