Whether or not Arsene Wenger is going to sign a new two-year contract at the Emirates Stadium is a question that only the Frenchman can answer.

There were more calls for the 67-year-old to step down following Monday’s 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, which left the club seven points adrift of the Champions League positions.

Five defeats in Arsenal’s last 10 Premier League games has piled the pressure on Wenger, but the experienced manager offered no indication of his future plans when questioned at his official press conference on Friday afternoon.

He said:

“What is happening at board level is not down to me. I focus on what is down to me, the performance of the team and what the fans are interested in is the performance of the team.”

As it stands, Wenger, whose current deal at the Emirates Stadium ends this summer, will lead his team into Monday night’s Premier League clash away to struggling Middlesbrough.

The Frenchman has overseen top-four finishes in each of his 20 seasons in charge of the Gunners, but it does appear that the club are going to miss out on a Champions League spot this time around.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers left-back Myles Beerman is set to be handed a new deal after making the transition from the U20s side into the firs team.

What’s the story?

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha had been forced into turning to the teenage star after an injury to Lee Wallace but the Maltese defender has stepped up to the plate, winning high praise for his recent performances for the Light Blues.

Now The Sun reckon those performances will be rewarded with a bumper new deal that will improve his wage and likely extend his current deal beyond 2018.

Gers fans haven’t exactly been spoiled with the amount of youngsters making a transition to the first team in recent years so it’s a move that will likely go down well with supporters.

Beerman was in action on Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic and while he didn’t quite show the good form of recent weeks, will have learned a lot from his first derby showdown.

He may get the chance to do it all again this coming weekend when the Light Blues host the Hoops in the final encounter between the sides this season.

If he can produce another performance like the one witnessed at Pittodrie against Aberdeen, it could go a long way to stifling the Celtic attack in Rangers’ efforts to finally get a win over Brendan Rodgers this term.

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Kyle Walker may have claimed a place in the PFA Team of the Year – and rightly so – but his future at Tottenham Hotspur isn’t exactly certain. Recent reports from The Telegraph claim Manchester City are interested in signing the 25-cap England international, whilst Spurs are surprisingly prepared to listen to offers.

At this point, Walker is up there with the best attacking full-backs in Europe, notching up the most assists – five – of any Premier League defender this season. But there is some logic to The Telegraph’s allegations; instead of agreeing an improved contract to help fend off interest, Spurs could land a big sum for Walker this summer with his current terms not due to expire until 2021.

Likewise, Mauricio Pochettino already has a ready-made understudy at his disposal in Kieran Trippier, who – despite having to wait for his chances this season – is arguably even better than Walker going forward, boasting a lethal delivery with his right foot.

So, Spurs fans, should the Lilywhites cash in on Walker this summer? Let us know by voting below…

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Following Manchester United’s victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, Jose Mourinho, as usual headed down the tunnel and to the press room…for all of 17 seconds.

The Portuguese manager strolled into a virtually empty press room at Old Trafford with the club press officer, who asked the half a dozen unprepared journalists whether they had any questions. Ten seconds later the manager had left the room.

Whether Mourinho was aware that most of the press were still out on the field of play or not remains a mystery so far. However, it once again proved that the United boss doesn’t need to do much to make headline news.

In what has been a less than impressive season at Old Trafford, United have failed to break into the top four, meaning that their Champions League hopes for next season rely on the Europa League final against Ajax on Wednesday.

Man United fans were divided over their opinion of “the shortest press conference of all time”…

Angel Gomes became Manchester United’s youngest debutant since Duncan Edwards when he came off the bench on the final weekend of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.

At 16, Gomes is already being tipped to enjoy a bright future at Old Trafford, with the Englishman pushing to be part of Jose Mourinho’s first-team squad for the new campaign.

Like most of the football world, Gomes was watching the 2017 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus on Saturday night, and the teenager took to his Twitter account to reveal that he was enjoying the performance of Los Blancos midfielder Isco.

Gomes might have only just stepped into the professional game, but there were some Man United supporters that claimed that the midfielder was already a better player than Isco, who has now won the Champions League in each of the last two seasons.

It would be fair to say that most of the comments were meant to be of a light-hearted nature, but the words will have only increased Gomes’ confidence as he bids to make a career at Man United.

If the teenager does turn out to be Man United’s very own Isco, he is sure to enjoy a special career at the Theatre of Dreams.

It must be frustrating being a West Ham fan during the summer transfer window. To say the least, the Hammers’ quality of signings over the years has been erratic.

Signings such as Carlos Tevez, Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini have had Hammers fans delighted with their clubs’ wheeling and dealing – although keeping such players at the club has proven to be slightly more difficult.

However, for every Carlos Tevez, there is a Mauro Zarate. And for every Mauro Zarate there is a Benni McCarthy. And for every Benni McCarthy there is a Maruoane Chamakh. The list goes on.

After a difficult season for the Hammers in their first ever at the London Stadium, Slaven Bilic will know the importance of making sure he attracts more Manuels, Marks and Michails and less Diarras, Danis and Dyers over the coming summer months.

But seemingly moving towards the more ambitious end of the transfer market, it could be a summer to look forward to. So West Ham fans, who would you like to see your club sign most this summer? Let us know by voting below…

Manchester United will not be offering top goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic a new contract at Old Trafford after his long-term knee injury at the end of last season, according to reports from Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

The imperious Swede looked nailed on to land a contract extension just a couple of months ago, however, after his knee injury sidelined him until 2018, it looks as if United are going to let him go when the Premier League publish their list of released players this Friday.

Arriving from PSG on a free last summer the 35-year-old defied all critics who claimed he could not replicate his famous goalscoring form in the Premier League by notching 28 goals in all competitions.

The former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker was also decisive on more than one occasion, rising above under-performing teammates to change games, none more so than in the EFL Cup final where his brace saw of a far better Southampton side on the day.

Job done?

Having been brought in on a big money one-year-deal the retired Sweden international was never going to be at Old Trafford for the long haul, although fans would have more thank likely wanted to see more than just one year from the self-proclaimed King.

However, Ibrahimovic was brought in to do one thing at United, not necessarily score goals or win games but to bring back an air of arrogance, swagger and a ruthless streak to a side which has fallen well down from it’s pedestal in recent years.

And, in winning two major trophies during his first and seemingly only season at the club, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t done just that. The effect that one season alongside the ‘Lion’ will have on the likes of Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard could pay dividend for years to come. In the short term it’s probably best to get the striker off the wage bill and press on.

Southampton announced on Friday that they have appointed former Alaves boss Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager on a three-year deal.

Saints sacked Claude Puel earlier this month despite the fact that the Frenchman led the side to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League and the League Cup final in his first season in charge at St Mary’s, but there was certainly more to the dismissal than meets the eye.

The south cost outfit scored just 17 home league goals in 19 matches and their style of play became a frustration for the supporters, while Puel is also rumoured to have fallen out with some key first team stars.

Pellegrino moves to England following a successful campaign in Spain with Alaves and comparisons will certainly be drawn to when they brought his fellow countryman Mauricio Pochettino to the Premier League in similar circumstances in 2013.

Here are five things Southampton fans need to know about Pellegrino…

His achievements at Alaves

Alaves decided to sack Jose Bordalas and appoint Pellegrino as their new manager last summer despite the fact that they won the Segunda Division title, as they believed they had more chance of a successful season under the Argentine.

It certainly proved to be the case as the former Liverpool defender led the La Liga outfit to a victory against Barcelona in the opening weeks of the season, a ninth-place finish despite only having the 15th-highest budget in the division according to uMAXit, and a place in the final of the Copa Del Rey.

The importance of full-backs

Some Southampton supporters may have criticised former manager Claude Puel for his failure to shake up formations and tactics during matches in order to change the pattern of a game, but it shouldn’t be the case if Pellegrino takes the reins.

According to uMAXit, the 45-year-old switched between 5-4-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 formations throughout the campaign with his two full-backs, who were also able to seamlessly make the transition to wing-backs, becoming two of the most important players in the team.

If Saints can keep hold of Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares for next season, Pellegrino will certainly be delighted as he knows he would have two players that have proved that they can make a huge impact at both ends of the pitch.

Period managing a club

While his time at Alaves may have been impressive, it only lasted for a year before he quit and it is something that seems to be a regular occurrence during the Argentine’s managerial career so far.

Southampton were said to be looking for a manager that wants to be part of a long-term project rather than leaving when a bigger side comes calling, and the fact that Pellegrino has spent just six months with Valencia, less than a year with Alaves and Independiente and just two years with Estudiantes may be a cause for concern.

Developing young players

Alaves signed left-back Theo Hernandez on loan from Atletico Madrid last summer, and Pellegrino helped develop him into one of the best in his position in La Liga last season.

The 19-year-old is reported to be on the verge of joining Atletico’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, and Southampton will be hoping that the Argentine boss can help their youngsters in the same way.

The south coast outfit pride themselves on bringing players through from the academy to the first team, and they would hope that Pellegrino could help take them to the next level.

Time at Valencia

While some people may take a look at Pellegrino’s six-month spell at Valencia and think it was a disaster considering he was sacked, it is far from the case in reality.

The Argentine left the Mestalla having won 10 of his 21 matches in charge – a win percentage of nearly 48% – and with the club in 12th position in the standings.

Considering it was his first managerial job at a big club, that can’t be considered too bad and the 45-year-old is sure to have learnt a lot from the experience.

Would Pellegrino be a good appointment, Saints fans? Let us know below.

It takes time for a giant to fall and in Wayne Rooney’s case the descent to terra firma began three years ago, eventually concluding with a thudding crash towards the tail-end of Louis van Gaal’s first season in charge. Having played over 52,000 minutes of ultra-competitive top-class football since the age of 17 his impact as a rampaging centre-forward was quite obviously diminishing and a deeper role as a playmaker deemed more productive. It wasn’t. It was anything but productive.

Some picked up on this straight away, namely the Stretford End faithful who had sung his name for over a decade. Others made excuses, a long litany of them. The debate quickly grew tiresome.

Then the season before last a strange thing happened. The giant remained slain; a shadow of his former self and now down in the dirt with the rest of us yet the excuses kept on coming. It was just a poor patch, we were told. Pundits and journalists pontificated on what was Rooney’s best position instead of querying why this mortalised, ineffective figure was deserving of a position at all. Game after game, week after week, his passes went astray and his touch was cumbersome and that on the occasions when he wasn’t completely anonymous. By the end of 2015/16 Rooney’s two most impressive achievements were as contradictory as it gets: he became England’s all-time leading goal-scorer while disproving the well-worn adage that form is temporary, class is permanent. As a force – and let’s not take away what an incredible force he consistently was for many a year – he was gone. Not fading. No longer diminishing. He was gone.

Jose Mourinho knew this, as did the bulk of the British public and press by now, which is why his prolonged demotion to the Old Trafford bench was met only with half-hearted sensationalism. The papers tried, bless them, to rally a sustainable narrative around this development – one that two or three years ago would have been given top billing on the six o’clock news – but Rooney simply smiled through it and the nation shrugged.

There was no longer an elephant in the room, there was no longer an elephant in United’s midfield and all that was left was a gravy-train trip across America’s MLS before retirement.

Enter stage left Everton, a schooling ground that had long been considered a destination for the striker to enjoy a sentimental swansong but that was before the trajectories of both club and player essentially swapped. That was then. This is now.

Just a week into the transfer window’s official opening and already Everton have bossed it, signing the best England keeper and centre-back of 2016/17 as they approach their peak, Ajax’s creator and captain Davy Klaassen, and a striker in Sandro guaranteed to bring goals and dynamism to their front line. Throw in the persistent rumours surrounding Olivier Giroud and Gylfi Sigurdsson and things are looking pretty sweet for the blue half of Merseyside with even a top four challenge being prematurely predicted in some quarters.

Should the 31-year-old return down the M62 this summer it will be a disastrous decision undertaken by the Toffees for all manner of reasons and not just football ones. It will breathe new life into the Cult of Rooney that has persisted in spirit only these past three years as his mind and body failed him. The club’s astute and steady progress under Koeman will be relegated to the margins, the spotlight exclusively on the player slowing down attacks and invariably finding row K with an attempted quarterback pass. To the possible detriment – and definite detraction – of all that Everton are creating next season’s travails will be all about a player who became short-hand for modern football; a one-man industry.

Make no mistake about it the media need Wayne Rooney. He is – atop all of his mightily brilliant achievements – their creation. He sells newspapers. He sells beer. He is a mythical beast who helped another mythical beast in Sky become a behemoth. It would not be in the least bit surprising to learn that for the past three years Clive Tyldesley has gobbled down Prozac each morning just to get him through the day.

Rooney to Everton will only re-energise the cult; it will act as the final glorious chapter in a tale for the ages, or at least that’s how it will be presented to us. At what cost to Everton? We’ll start with a quarter of a million in wages a week and go from there.

And all the time he will frustrate, and plod and toil, often the worst player on the pitch by some considerable distance.

It takes time for a giant to fall but he will always remain a giant in some eyes.

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Davy Klaassen made his Everton debut on Thursday night when the Toffees took on Slovakian side MFK Ruzomberok in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie at Goodison Park.

A largely underwhelming contest saw Leighton Baines score the only goal of the match as Everton secured a narrow advantage ahead of the return match.

Klaassen was one of a number of players to make their Everton debuts on Thursday, with Cuco Martina, Michael Keane and Sandro Ramirez all featuring, whilst Wayne Rooney was named in the starting XI following a return to the Merseyside outfit in this summer’s transfer window.

Klaassen took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to post a ‘thumps up’ message following the European victory, and the response from the Everton supporters suggested that the Netherlands international is already a popular figure with the club’s fanbase.

The 24-year-old scored 55 times in 181 appearances for Ajax between 2011 and 2017, and the Everton fans, who have been treated to a number of summer arrivals, will certainly be looking for the Dutchman to contribute goals during his time at Goodison.