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Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Friday that goalkeeper Michel Vorm is being assessed after picking up a knee injury in the dramatic win against Swansea on Wednesday night.

With the Dutchman set to be absent for the Premier League clash against Watford at White Hart Lane on Saturday, and first-choice stopper Hugo Lloris still a doubt because of illness, it means there could be a debut for Pau Lopez between the sticks.

The victory at the Liberty Stadium kept Spurs seven points behind leaders Chelsea and still in the title race, but

the injuries are starting to pile up.

Harry Wink and Erik Lamela have been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Danny Rose won’t return until the end of the month. However, Harry Kane could return against the Hornets.

Tottenham fans were quick to have their say on the injury update via social media, with many worried about the potential of Lopez starting, and others hoping that Lloris is able to return on Saturday.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the news…

Clearly, there’s a lot more going wrong at Arsenal right now than simply the club’s transfer policy, though there’s little doubt such a poor strategy on that front hasn’t helped the Gunners’ cause.

One of the major sources of frustration for the Emirates faithful has been Arsene Wenger’s tendency to reveal he almost signed players who would go on to star for some of the Champions League’s biggest clubs, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez.

Indeed, dreaming about the type of players who may well have arrived in north London if the club had managed to push a deal over the line must be gutting, when comparing such dreams to the bleak reality of the current situation.

In many ways, it’s a theme that just sums Arsenal up. Constantly almost getting there, the Gunners are experts in falling at the final hurdle. With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the seven stars who almost signed for Arsenal.

Watch below.

Newcastle United picked up their 14th Championship away victory of the season as they beat Cardiff City 2-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night, keeping their chances of winning the title alive.

A second half free-kick from Christian Atsu was added to by a fine strike from Isaac Hayden just 10 minutes later to wrap up all three points for the Magpies, moving them to within one point of leaders Brighton and Hove Albion with one fixture of the campaign remaining.

The 22-year-old moved to St James’ Park from Arsenal on a five-year deal last summer and he has gone on to be a key performer for the Toon this term as they have made an immediate return to the Premier League, scoring two goals in 32 league appearances.

Newcastle supporters were quick to give their reaction to the midfielder’s latest outing via social media, and they believe that he is proving to be one of the bargains of the season.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to his showing…

When you think of Chelsea’s rampant attack, two huge names inevitably come to mind – Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, the dynamic duo who’ve pushed the Blues over the line on countless occasions this season.

But over the last few months, some unsung heroes have emerged in Chelsea’s attacking cast, not least including playmaker Cesc Fabregas.

Indeed, although the Spaniard has been forced to accept a reduced role under Antonio Conte – particularly since his switch to 3-4-3 – he’s still contributed a staggering four goals and nine assists to Chelsea’s Premier League title bid, often changing the game from the bench.

He remains well-liked by the Stamford Bridge faithful, but Fabregas’ career will reach an inevitable crossroads this summer. He’s not a guaranteed starter, he’ll turn 30 later this week and his contract will enter it’s final two years come the end of the campaign.

So with AC Milan linked once again by the Italian media, we have a question for Chelsea fans; should the club cash-in on Fabregas by selling him to Rossoneri this summer or try to keep him on board for at least another season? Let us know by voting below…

As if Paul Pogba hadn’t already caused enough controversy this season by struggling to produce the kind of form you’d expect from the most expensive player in the history of football, his world-record return to Manchester United last summer has created yet another stir.

Earlier this week, FIFA requested more information on Pogba’s move to Old Trafford after it was claimed in extracts of The Football Leaks; The Dirty Business of Football doing the rounds in Germany that his controversial agent Mino Raiola will earn a staggering £41million from the deal – as reported by Sky Sports.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, have been doing some pretty simple number crunching and declared on Twitter earlier today that Manchester United will pay Mino Raiola more than Chelsea forked out for N’Golo Kante last summer – the PFA and FWA Player of the Year for 2016/17.

That’s brewed a bit of a storm on social media, with some Red Devils fans insisting Juventus are paying all of Raiola’s fees and others struggling to see what all the fuss is about. Fans from other clubs, on the other hand, are absolutely loving it.

Here’s a look at how Twitter responded to The Telegraph’s claims…

As reported by The Daily Mirror, Manchester United face a bidding war with Roma if they are to land target Victor Lindelof.

What’s the story?

As Jose Mourinho looks to build a squad worthy of competing seriously in both the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League, he’s expected to be a busy man in the upcoming summer transfer window.

One man reportedly on his radar is Victor Lindelof, who The Mirror say is still a defensive target for the Old Trafford side.

The paper reckons that United almost signed the Swedish international in January but were £10m short of Benfica’s valuation of the defender. Now that’s opened the door for Roma who, according to the report, are willing to meet the fee demands of the Portuguese side for the defender.

Worth it?

Lindelof has been a key part of a successful season for Benfica, making 45 appearances in all competitions as they not only picked up a league and cup double but also reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Impressively he helped his side to an incredible 25 clean sheets in games he was a part of, showing the kind of defensive consistency a team like Man United could do with in the England Premier League.

At just 22 years of age he has a big career ahead of him and if he doesn’t end up at Old Trafford then Mourinho may be missing out on a player who has the potential to become one of Europe’s elite defenders for the next decade.

Most fans of a Manchester persuasion will probably have found themselves looking out for one game when the fixtures were announced: the Manchester derby.

Although we expected fireworks when arch enemies Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola met again at the helm of two rival clubs, the problems both managers faced last season were so enormous that it seemed to dampen hostilities. Both men were too busy putting out fires at their own clubs to think about starting them across the road.

This time last year, when a Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium was scheduled for the end of April, it looked like it could end up a title decider. In the end it barely decided the minor placings. And although this might seem stupidly similar to opinions trotted out just one year ago, the derbies could well decide the destination of the title this time around. The first derby is at Old Trafford in December whilst the Etihad clash once again comes in April, just seven games before the end of the season.

Both sides will spend heavily this summer. Manchester City have invested in Bernardo Silva and goalkeeper Ederson already, whilst United look set to bring in Alvaro Morata and Victor Lindelof. With four players expected to cost the guts of £180m, it looks like the figures in football have been let off the leash, and the Manchester derby could see the most expensively assembled kick-about in history.

But this fixture could well be about the same old problems for both sides.

This summer, City are expected to spend on attack-minded full-backs, the problem position last season. That might fix the team’s balance, allowing better wide options in attack and lowering the chances that passing moves break down, in turn lowering the number of counter attacks City concede.

But that could put even more strain on central defensive areas, who could find themselves exposed when full-backs attack with abandon, especially against a team like Manchester United next season. If they do manage to bag Alvaro Morata, they’ll have a focal point of a striker who, if not quite in the Ibrahimovic mould, will at least bring others into play.

That could be crucial because, as we saw in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium in April, United lived on the counter attack, yet had severe trouble linking attacks with any real fluidity. The pace of players Mkhitaryan and Rashford will be unleashed by Morata, and that could have real implications for City in their defensive channels after their full-backs have bombed on.

What is interesting about the December clash, however, is that it comes just after the final round of Champions League fixtures. There’s so much that could happen between now and then, of course, but the end of the Champions League’s first phase usually spells the start of the festive period. Last season, you could argue that the wheels came off Arsenal’s title run at the same period – buoyant after topping their Champions League group and unbeaten since the opening day of the season, they came unstuck in away games against Everton and Manchester City before starting their now-habitual pattern in the new year.

Until the Champions League draw is announced, we won’t know which side will have an away game in the midweek leading up to the derby or whether both teams will have been safely through to the knockout stages beforehand, offering up the possibility of rested sides. There are certain to be other factors like injuries to be taken into account, too.

But it’s clear that this summer is going to have a huge effect on the title race, and both Manchester clubs will be looking forward to the derbies not just to beat local rivals, but title rivals, too.

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It is 12 months to the day that Liverpool paid Southampton £34m in order to secure the signature of Sadio Mane, who penned a five-year contract at Anfield.

There were question marks over Liverpool’s willingness to spend in excess of £30m on a player that lacked experience at the highest level.

However, Mane answered all of the doubts with an impressive 2016-17 campaign – managing 13 goals and five assists in 27 Premier League appearances, although injury did make it a frustrating end to the season for the Senegal international.

Mane has now scored 38 Premier League goals since arriving in English football from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2014, and it would be fair to say that the attacker has time on his side as he bids to become one of the league’s biggest talents.

On Wednesday, Liverpool’s official Twitter account looked back 12 months to the day that Mane signed, and as expected, the tweet brought a host of praise from the club’s supporters, who are already looking forward to watching him next season.

Former Newcastle United star David Ginola has urged the club’s owner Mike Ashley to give manager Rafael Benitez the funds that he needs in this transfer window.

During the January market, there were rumours that the Spaniard could walk away due to a lack of transfer activity.

However, after winning the Championship and earning Premier League promotion at the first time of asking, Benitez and the club released statements confirming that the manager was committed to the cause.

Similar rumours have resurfaced, though, with the Daily Star reporting that the ex-Liverpool boss is growing increasingly frustrated with the failure to get deals done.

It is believed that Benitez cancelled his summer break in order to get players through the welcome gates early, but so far, only Christian Atsu is on the list of incomings.

The Star claims that the manager intends to hold talks with managing director Lee Charnley regarding the situation.

Ginola, who played for the Magpies between 1995 and 1997, believes that the club should give Benitez everything that he wants.

The Daily Star quotes the Frenchman as saying:

“You need to provide a manager like Rafa Benitez with all the amenities to help him be successful. You have to give him the chance to compete. Fans want to see the club more involved in the transfer market. You can’t just stand there and watch. Players will go and sign for other clubs and all of a sudden, it’s too late.”

Former Arsenal star Robert Pires believes that striker Olivier Giroud does not need to leave this summer as he is already at the right club.

The Frenchman’s future at the Emirates plunged into doubt following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon.

Giroud’s time on the pitch was already limited last season – starting just 11 Premier League matches – and his chances of being in the first XI are even slimmer following the club’s recent acquisition.

Everton and West Ham United have been linked to the 30-year-old’s signature, while the Daily Mail  claims that Borussia Dortmund will target Giroud if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves the club this summer.

From Pires’s point of view, he feels that the striker should stay at Arsenal as he regularly contributes with goals, but he understands that the player will have one eye on France’s World Cup squad for Russia 2018.

Pires told talkSPORT:

“It will be very difficult for Olivier Giroud but I think he’s a big professional. Competition is very important for strikers so I hope Giroud will stay at Arsenal because he’s really important and he scores a lot of goals during the season, but I don’t know what will happen at the end of the market.

“It’s not easy for Olivier because in one year he will want to play in the World Cup with France, but he is a big professional for Arsenal and it’s better if he stays.”

Giroud joined the club from Montpellier in 2012, and has gone on to win three FA Cup crowns in Arsene Wenger’s team.

In total, the Frenchman has found the back of the net 69 times in 164 outings in the top flight for Arsenal.

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