Arsenal have been backed to replace Arsene Wenger with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson. The Italian is currently under mounting pressure at Stamford Bridge as the Blues sit precariously in fourth place in the Premier League table.
And Gunners supporters have been calling for the head of their boss for some time after a succession of fourth place finishes.
“The day Conte leaves Chelsea, if I was Arsenal, I’d be straight on the phone,” Merson told Sky Sports’ The Debate. “Managers like Conte don’t come along too often. “Arsenal need someone that is going to go in there and upset people. Conte upsets people.”

Wenger swipes at Harry Kane and Dele Alli ahead of Tottenham clash

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has taken a pop at Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli ahead of Saturday’s north London derby clash.
Arsenal take on Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday (12.30pm) and will be hoping to secure back-to-back wins against their rivals.
The Gunners ran out 2-0 winners at the Emirates earlier in the season and Arsene Wenger has already begun the mind games ahead of the weekend showdown.
Making reference to Spurs’ two penalties in their dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool, the Frenchman insisted simulation should have no place in the sport.
And in a thinly-veiled dig at Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Wenger claimed English players had now become the ‘masters’ of diving in the Premier League.
“We have to get the diving out of the game,” Wenger said. “I remember there were tremendous cases here when foreign players did it.
“But I must say the English players have learned very quickly and they might even be the masters now.”
Wenger’s counterpart Mauricio Pochettino appeared to defend diving following Spurs’ draw with Liverpool last weekend.
Alli was booked for simulation in the match but the Tottenham boss insisted “tricking your opponent” was all part of the game.
However, Wenger insisted he would never encourage his players to win penalties by attempting to deceive the referee.

Lacazette needs selling – Petit
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit believes one Alexandre Lacazette’s time with the Gunners is all-but up.
The Frenchman thinks his fellow countryman has been less than impressive since moving to the Emirates Stadium for £46.5million.
“Lacazette is under massive pressure,” Petit told the Sun. “He needs to improve or face the exit this summer. “Aubameyang’s signing tells me it might already be too late. “Arsene Wenger’s belief in Lacazette has gone.”

Aubameyang’s Wenger clue
Paul Merson thinks that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival has one brutal effect on Arsene Wenger’s future in north London.
He claims that if Aubameyang has a similar impact at the Emirates Stadium as Robin van Persie did at Manchester United, and lifts them into the Champions League places, that could allow Wenger to leave with his head held high.
“These don’t seem like Arsene Wenger signings to me,” Merson told Sky Sports’ The Debate. “When has he ever bought a 29-year-old for £60m with no sell-on clause? Never ever. “The Aubameyang signing says to me, ‘this is a top-four signing then see you later.'”

Why Tottenham’s Kane is better than Lewandowski and Higuain – Khedira

TOTTENHAM star Harry Kane is the “most complete striker” in the world according to Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira. Harry Kane has been in sparkling form for Tottenham this season with an amazing 31 goals in 32 games so far.
Adding to this, Kane managed an incredible 56 goals in 2017, outscoring the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he did so.
Due to this, there has been much debate about whether the 24-year-old is the greatest striker around at the moment.
Germany international Khedira was speaking ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus and was full of praise for the England frontman.
“For me he’s an amazing player and still young, so Tottenham are lucky to have him,” Khedira told BBC sport. “Harry Kane for me is maybe the most complete striker, actually. There is also Robert Lewandowski and Higuain too, but he is strong, good with his head, fast, good with his feet, can score with one touch, he can dribble.”
The former Real Madrid man also claimed that Tottenham are “one of the best teams in Europe.”
“I watched them a lot this year, against Liverpool and Arsenal. They are strong, because they have good defending, a really good midfield, a world class attacking line and a really good coach,” he added.“They are still young, maybe that is a good thing for us. We have to be super-focused, because for me they are one of the best teams in Europe and in England.” The first leg of their Champions League tie is on Tuesday February 13 at the Juventus Stadium before the return leg at Wembley on March 7.

De Gea triple swap
Jose Mourinho has reportedly told Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez of the players he wants included in any potential deal for David de Gea.
Spanish publication Diario Gol claim Mourinho has informed Madrid bosses of the three players he would be interested in taking to Old Trafford,
Mourinho’s priority would be defender Raphael Varane, but the Portuguese would also consider Isco and Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid are expected to renew their interest in David de Gea this summer as they finally look to land their long-term target.

Donald Trump blame for Man United Losses
Man Utd blamed Donald Trump for biggest loss since 2010.
The Old Trafford outfit released their results yesterday in a statement which showed the club had made a loss of £29million for the second quarter of the financial year.
But that came after the Premier League giants had written off close to £49m due to Trump’s recent tax law changes.
“The reduction in tax rate has resulted in a non-cash accounting charge of £48.8m to be recorded in the quarter,” said Cliff Baty, United’s chief financial officer.
“It’s important to reiterate this is a non-cash accounting charge only which has no impact on our financial competitiveness nor our ability to meet Financial Fair Play regulations.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has three reasons he is angry at Barcelona rival
CRISTIANO RONALDO is reportedly furious with Lionel Messi because of three reasons. The Portugal international has had a shocking season with only four league goals to his name.
His poor form has come hand-in-hand with Real Madrid sitting precariously in fourth place in the La Liga table.
Meanwhile, Messi is enjoying unrivalled success and continuing to flourish at the Nou Camp.
But according to Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Ronaldo has a number of key reasons to be angry with his arch-rival.
The first is because Barcelona are nine points clear at the top of the table. That means if they remain ahead by that many points by the time the El Clasico comes around on May 6 then they will already be crowned champions.
And with that Ronaldo would have to form a guard of honour for Messi and his team-mates as they take to the pitch.
Diario Gol add that the 33-year-old is also worried of Barcelona’s dominance in the Champions League.The striker apparently fears that only Manchester City would be able to stop Ernesto Valverde’s side but it looks likely Messi will help the Catalan club secure the prestigious trophy. To make matters worse, by winning the league title and Champions League Messi would be likely to claim the Ballon d’Or at the end of the year. Finally, because Real are still battling for the Champions League places in the league, Ronaldo thinks he will have to give his maximum all the way to the end of the season, which could burn him out for the World Cup.
On the other hand, Messi could be rested for the final few matches and head to Russia fresh.

Arsenal force Liverpool to make huge transfer decision on Monaco star Thomas Lemar
LIVERPOOL have made a huge decision regarding their pursuit of Monaco star Thomas Lemar.
The Reds were interested in signing the winger in January as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who they sold to Barcelona for £142million.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was also keeping tabs on the 22-year-old but opted against submitting a formal bid.
It was thought that both sides would reignite their interest in the summer but Liverpool have now turned their attentions elsewhere.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Jurgen Klopp’s side will not make a move for the France international.
Reports had circulated during the week that Liverpool’s hopes of signing Lemar were boosted because he had turned down a contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions.
However, the Liverpool Echo add that sporting director Michael Edwards held talks with Monaco last August but a switch failed to materialise.
They claim that once Arsenal registered an interest and inflated the price with the big-money offer, Liverpool have now decided pulled the plug..

MORE GOSSIP AND STORIES..

Liverpool are preparing a second move for Monaco’s 22-year-old France midfielder Thomas Lemar, after he turned down a new contract at the Ligue 1 club. (Independent)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will not revive his interest in Leicester City’s 26-year-old Algeria midfielder Riyad Mahrez in the summer. (Mirror)

Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona boss who has been linked with replacing Antonio Conte at Chelsea, is preparing for a move to England. The 47-year-old does not want to take over until the end of the season. (Telegraph)

Tottenham are interested in signing Watford’s 25-year-old French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure in the summer. (Mail)

Brazil defender Fabinho, 24, whom Manchester United were interested in signing last season, says his time at Monaco is “coming to an end”. (Metro)

Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune are preparing another bid for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 30, after their first move was rejected. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish)

Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred has chosen Manchester City as his next club, according to former coach Mircea Lucescu. The 24-year-old Brazil international has also been linked with City’s neighbours Manchester United. (Mirror)

Arsenal are in talks with midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles over a new deal. The 20-year-old Englishman has 18 months remaining on his current contract. (ESPN)

Italian striker Fabio Borini and Dutch winger Jeremain Lens will leave Sunderland in the summer after triggering the clauses in their loan deals that force their temporary clubs to buy them. They are on loan at AC Milanand Besiktas respectively. (Northern Echo)

Nottingham Forest look set to sign Greece keeper Stefanos Kapino. The 23-year-old left Olympiakos – once owned by current Forest owner Angelos Marinakis – after a series of disputes. (Sun)

Striker Benik Afobe, 24, is in line to make his Wolves return permanent if the Championship leaders seal promotion. He left Molineux to join Bournemouth in January 2016 but returned on loan in January. (Mirror)

Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 28, says he joined Arsenal in January after a phone call with former Borussia Dortmund team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan. (Sky Sports)

Portugal and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 33, says he can continue playing “for years to come”. (GQ – in Italian)

Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw looks set to sign a new contract at the end of the season. (Mirror)

Forward Theo Walcott says Everton boss Sam Allardyce was one of the main reasons he joined the Toffees in January after 12 years at Arsenal. (Sky Sports)

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini, 33, says training sessions with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte left players “dead” when he was in charge of Juve and Italy, and likened him to a “a police sergeant”. (Mail)

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler wants to see the “phenomenal” Mohamed Salah break “all the records going” after he became the fastest Reds player to reach 20 Premier League goals. (Star)

Source: bbc and daily express