Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all contested the first Super Sunday of the season as the Premier League arrived back on our screens with a bang.

Three of the biggest teams in the league got their campaigns underway after contrasting summers at Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates.

Early on in the day, the Red Devils took their superstar squad down to the South Coast in order to take on a hugely competitive Bournemouth side.

While it was barely a vintage performance for the club, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company flexed their muscles as they ran out fairly comfortable 3-1 winners.

Hours later, North London witnessed a goal fest as Liverpool edged a typically fragile home side, winning 4-3.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were fantastic to watch at side, though the defensive frailty that dogged them so much in his opening few months in charge remains prevalent.

So, what else did we learn today?

Herrera – Pass Master

With Paul Pogba now a Manchester United player, a lot of talk has centred around as to who will partner the Frenchman in the engine room.

Numerous names have been mooted, though Ander Herrera today emerged as a potential deep-lying playmaking option.

Dropping deep and acting as somewhat of a quarter-back, the Spaniard kept possession ticking over at all times, performing a role not often seen since his move from Atletico Bilbao in 2014.

Composed on the ball, he could provide a natural foil for the marauding Pogba.

Counting on Coutinho

Since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona in 2014, Liverpool have lacked someone to provide real star quality often enough.

Though the team as a whole is obviously stronger in more general areas, a club the magnitude of the Reds is best served boasting a talisman in which others can feed off.

Slowly but surely, Philippe Coutinho is developing into exactly that man.

The Brazilian, prior to his injury, was majestic this afternoon, notching twice in the goal glut.

Unable to impose himself on proceedings for the opening period, the 24-year old popped up with a moment of magic in his glorious free-kick, before growing into the game.

Barcelona must be casting keen eyes over him.

Zlatan as Blockbuster as they come

With all due respect to Bournemouth, harder tests will come as Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks to prove himself in the Premier League.

Despite the Swede’s standing as one of the elite talents in European football for much of the past decade, he has always had doubts directed about him about his suitability when truly tested.

Early days of course, though the 34-year old was quite excellent on the South Coast today, showing he could deal with the physicality of life in these isles.

Some of the trademark flicks and tricks, as well as an absolute stonker of a goal suggested the former Barcelona man can do it in England.

It’s been a better start than anyone could have expected for Everton this season under Ronald Koeman.

After an opening day draw against Tottenham, the Toffees have embarked on a four-game winning streak to find themselves second in the league and it’s got their fans dreaming of qualifying for the Champions League this season.

There’s still a long way to go of course, but Koeman seems to have got his players playing in his style quickly in a transformation that’s barely believable to how the club finished under Roberto Martinez.

The Dutchman will know, though, that the Everton fans will want to see more than just a good start and winning a trophy would certainly go a long way in affirming his place as a club icon. The Toffees haven’t won something for a long time now but this season’s EFL Cup certainly provides a good opportunity given their form and lack of European football.

And we believe they’ve got a good chance and reckon this line-up against Norwich will help them on their way…

Joel Robles

Robles is back to being the No.2 and should start here.

Mason Holgate

Holgate started the season very well and should get to play once again to give Seamus Coleman the night off.

Ashley Williams

Williams has won this trophy before and will want to do the same with the Toffees, so expect him to start.

Phil Jagielka

Jagielka and Williams’ partnership is looking good and should get another showing tonight.

Bryan Oviedo

Bryan Oviedo is the ideal utility player and should get a run-out tonight at left back.

Idrissa Gueye

Gueye is looking like a top player and simply has to play.

Gareth Barry

One of the best professionals in the game, expect another exemplary performance tonight.

Aaron Lennon

Lennon’s a pretty decent backup player and his pace should cause havoc with Norwich.

Ross Barkley

Koeman seems to know how to manage Barkley and should he play another good performance will be expected.

Gerard Deulofeu

The Spaniard has been in and out of the side but may get a chance with a good showing tonight.

Arouna Kone

Kone is never going to replace Romelu Lukaku but he’ll likely be relied upon tonight to get the Toffees through.

Yaya Toure should go down in history as one of Manchester City’s greatest ever players.

He is one of the finest Premier League players in the 25 year history of the division, but Toure has allowed his Ukrainian agent Dimitri Seluk to continue destroying his legacy as he looks to offend Manchester City on a near monthly basis since 2014.

The Ivorian has played a huge role in the incredible journey at the Etihad Stadium in the last seven seasons– scoring some unforgettable and priceless goals during that time. Now heading towards the end of his career, his agent looks set to destroy a legacy Toure has worked so hard to establish.

Seluk was vice-president of Metalurh Donetsk, before he was taken over by a huge Ukrainian industrialist in the mid 2000’s. The new owner allowed Seluk to take a punt on half a dozen young Africans. Among them was Toure, a young Ivorian who struggled to settle into the major leagues in Europe due to difficulties obtaining a work permit.

It is hard to overstate how keen Manchester City were to take on Toure, Seluk’s golden boy, when in 2010 they looked for the big names who would not only make them winners but also establish them as a football club for whom winners would sign. City had previously been turned down by David Villa in 2008, John Terry in 2009, Samuel Eto’o in 2010 before the club managed to secure Toure on a reported £220k-a-week contract over five-years.

With a clean sweep of domestic medals, including two Premier League gongs, two Capital One Cup successes and an FA Cup triumph, Toure has been a major part of a golden era at the Etihad Stadium and proved well worthy of his lucrative contract.

Mario Balotelli got the Man of the Match award for the 2011 FA Cup final, but it was Toure who scored the goal. He scored at Wembley in the 2014 Capital One Cup final against Sunderland, too.

Toure’s brace in a 2-0 win at St James’ Park the week prior to City’s most famous game against QPR in 2012 proved just as crucial. This came against a Newcastle side that had won six of their previous seven.

In the 2013/14 season, Toure’s 20 goals from midfield delivered his team the title. It was an extraordinary campaign for the Ivorian but it was Luis Suarez who walked away with the PFA Player Of The Year award. Now, ever since the birthday cake fiasco back in the summer of 2014, his legacy has been in danger of falling apart.

Toure’s loyalty to Seluk has infuriated City fans, with his lack of denial on his agent’s comments in recent years. To Yaya, Seluk is the man who took him under his wing when he was a struggling teenager and who found himself playing in an unusual world of Ukrainian football. His loyalty knows no bounds because of this.

The summer of 2014 saw the agent at his criminal worst: “City have treated him with disrespect and have really hurt him,” he said.

“There are a number of things that have happened that have left Yaya feeling bitterly upset.”

Bare in mind this came on after Toure’s most successful career. Toure became the peacemaker between the two parties, ultimately denying that a personal joke over a birthday cake suddenly blossomed into football’s biggest talking point.

But publicly, Toure has had more than one opportunity to stop all this and decided against it in 2014 by tweeting: “everything dimitri said is true.”

Toure then went onto state that it was Seluk that tweeted the infamous words and deleted the tweet, but it still sits in the memories of the Etihad faithful.

Birthday-cake gate was not the first instance of Seluk’s abrupt controversy as in April 2013, the Ukrainian claimed that the club didn’t appreciate Toure after City had made it to the FA Cup final. Seluk gave City an ultimatum that unless his client received a new deal, he will be forced to find another club for his client – City refused to bow down to his commands and provided Toure with a new deal when the club entered a new regime, not when Seluk demanded one.

Most recently he has claimed his grandmother would have won the league with Bayern Munich and that Guardiola cannot handle big personalities in players.

Now, Pep Guardiola has wasted little time in asserting his command throughout Manchester City since his appointment as manager earlier this year. Regardless of the legacy, Guardiola does not suffer fools likely and has confirmed that Toure will not play for Manchester City again until his agent apologises – which will not occur.

To speak now would require humility, dignity and courage, but none of this characteristics are possessed by the Ukrainian, though it would allow Manchester City’s fans to remember Toure with fond memories and one of the club’s most iconic figures. In recent years, Toure has been held in such high regard the debate has rang whether he was more beneficial to City than the club’s greatest ever player – Colin Bell.

After all this controversy, there must be a very good reason why the player chooses to side with his agent rather than move him on and get on with the business of playing for a manager who, by his own admission, has no personal issue with Toure.

Seluk is destroying the relationship Toure has worked so hard for, and fought so rigorously to achieve, but the Ivorian is certainly maintaining his relationship with the man who is destroying his career but also the one who helped find him as a teenager.

When the Premier League spends more than £1billion in a single transfer window, it’s easy to get confused about how much a footballer is actually worth.

So we at FootballFanCast have been trying to find some logic to the madness, partaking in a bit of number crunching to determine who is the best value-for-money striker in the Premier League by stacking their top flight scoring records up against their transfer fees.

Before we get started, it’s important to outline the ground rules. First and foremost, this list only includes out-and-out strikers (so Alexis Sanchez, Roberto Firmino and Heung-min Son all miss out) who have scored at least ten Premier League goals for their current club (therefore, no Christian Benteke).

Secondly, simply because it’s impossible to divide by zero, free transfers and academy products (Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane and Saido Berahino most notably) have all been excluded from this list.

Finally, it’s worth reiterating once again that we’re only including Premier League goals and that all transfer fees have been taken from TransferMarkt.com.

With the house-keeping out of the way, it’s time tor reveal the Premier League’s ten best value-for-money strikers…

10. LEONARDO ULLOA

Keeping you in the top flight before helping you win the Premier League title is one heck of a return for an £8.6million striker. Ulloa’s gone on to bag 17 league strikes for Leicester City – costing them just under £506k per goal.

9. SERGIO AGUERO

Many initially baulked at Manchester City’s £34million investment in Sergio Aguero but he’s certainly paid it back, firing them to two Premier League titles with 107 goals in 154 top flight outings. That works out at £318k per goal.

8. PETER CROUCH

He may be way beyond his peak (and far down the pecking order) at 35 years of age, but Stoke City have certainly got their money’s worth from Peter Crouch. He’s cost the Potters £303k per goal, a steal considering the fortunes Premier League survival annually brings in at the Bet365 Stadium.

7. DANIEL STURRIDGE

When fully fit, Daniel Sturridge nearly always finds the net, to the extent that Liverpool’s £12.75million spend on the England international now seems like peanuts. The Reds have ended up paying around £296k per goal.

6. DIAFRA SAKHO

He may not be in the West Ham faithful’s good books at the moment but Sakho boasts a very healthy return for the East London club. Arriving from Metz for just £4.25million, the Hammers have paid just £283k per goal.

5. JERMAIN DEFOE

Having been swapped for Jozy Altidore, there’s no official fee for Jermain Defoe’s 2015 move to Sunderland. Therefore, we’re going with the veteran striker’s market value at the time, £5.1million, as a measure against his return of 23 Premier League strikes for the Black Cats. That averages out at £222k per goal.

4. OLIVIER GIROUD

This one should silence the Wenger Out brigade. Having purchased him for £10.2million, including add-ons, Olivier Giroud has set Arsenal back just £179k per goal, making him the Premier League’s fourth-best value-for-money front-man.

3. WAYNE ROONEY

Longevity’s worked in Wayne Rooney’s favour on this one, although Sir Alex Ferguson deserves the highest praise possible for the investment he made back in 2004. Over the course of twelve years, Rooney has cost Manchester United £176k per goal.

2. JAMIE VARDY

Picked up for a mere £1million back when Leicester City were in the Championship, former non-leaguer Jamie Vardy has cost the Midlands outfit just £32k per top flight strike. He also got them promoted to the Premier League and fired them to the title.

1. TROY DEENEY

Watford paid Walsall just £616k to sign Troy Deeney back in 2010 and he’s certainly repaid that modest fee. Having netted 20 times since their promotion to the Premier League in 2014, Deeney tops this list with an average cost of £31k per goal. Shrewd business indeed.

Aside from Leicester’s ground-breaking success last season, few teams outside of the traditional elite have broken into the top six over the past decade. The less financially powerful upstarts have been unable to retain a place at the top banquet of English football, despite the occasional peek round the corner to keep the richest, most successful clubs honest.

When Everton and West Ham meet at Goodison Park on Sunday, it will be a battle between two sides who are on the cusp of that top six monopoly. Everton spent many seasons as the leaders of the ‘rest’, while West Ham’s surge in investment and the shrewd appointment of Slaven Bilic saw them finish just outside the top six just last season – and only by a point. Both sides may have envisaged such a success this season too, despite the intimidating strength of the top clubs. So far in this campaign, Everton started well and have fallen off a little, whilst West Ham started dreadfully and are correcting their trajectory.

Five points separate the sides in the table, with Everton occupying a position nine places higher than West Ham. Recent form, however, suggests something enormously different. The Toffees are without a win in four league games, while the Hammers have not lost in three and defeated a vibrant, if understrength, Chelsea side in the EFL Cup in midweek.

If form suggests that Everton will struggle, the relative quality of the two squads tells us something quite different. Everton and West Ham are blessed with talented players throughout, along with two of the better managers outside of the top European clubs. In a game that could boil down to a tactical advantage, Bilic will have his work cut out to out-manoeuvre the intelligent, canny Ronald Koeman.

In their respective projects, the performances in this game will give sound feedback on where the clubs are. Koeman’s rapid improvement of Everton’s side was applauded, as was Bilic’s with West Ham last year, but a recent dip in form raises queries over the longevity of their challenge. These two sides are at a similar point in their development; looking for balance whilst trying to draw the best out of gifted, yet inconsistent, players.

Everton’s position in sixth place might be as good as either of these sides can dream of this season. With Manchester United an inevitable returner to the top spots, even sixth may be a little idealistic. The best teams this year look stronger than in previous seasons, particularly with six teams all looking with a near-equal shout of lifting the title. It is destined to be one of the hardest fought seasons at the pinnacle of the English game and these two teams, along with a couple of notable others, are likely to be competing for the crown as ‘best of the rest’. Greater things are on the horizons for these two hugely ambitious football clubs, this season must be about building rather than fretting over potentially unachievable Premier League aims.

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Manchester United picked up a massive and vital victory against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side on Sunday afternoon.

It was a close fought encounter but Mourinho’s men deserved their win to move within three points of the Lilywhites in the Premier League table.

It was a much needed win, United hadn’t won in the league for over a month and pressure was mounting on Jose Mourinho, who many tipped would bring title success back to Old Trafford this season.

That might be a step too far for the Red Devils given Arsenal and Chelsea’s magnificent form but we reckon United will still be challenging for the Champions League spots come the end of the season, especially if they continue to show the steely determination they did on Sunday.

What can we take from the win then? Have Manchester United really turned a corner? Or was this performance a one off?

Here are the FIVE things we’ve taken away from Sunday’s match…

Hugo Lloris is an excellent goalkeeper

If not for Lloris, Spurs would have been on the end of a much heavier defeat at Old Trafford. He made 4 saves across the 90 minutes, most notably from Pogba who got shots on target twice.

Spurs could have been behind within minutes had he not extended himself to beat away Pogba’s effort and then in the second half made another smart as Pogba smashed a shot from close range.

Everyone knew he was a great goalkeeper before going into this game but the Frenchman reaffirmed his status as one of, if not the best, Premier League ‘keeper.

Mkhitaryan CAN be the future for Man United

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has worked hard to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans. Now he’s there, he’s doing everything he can to keep his place.

The attacking midfielder has been involved in 4 goals in his last 4 games, having been involved in none in 8 games prior to that.

It’s a transformation that is delighting United fans. The Armenian has been a popular figure despite the early poor form coming out of the summer.

Everyone at Old Trafford will be hoping the injury he sustained late on isn’t as bad as was feared when he got stretchered off.

Mourinho isn’t done yet

A lot has been said about Mourinho recently. Not a lot of it has been good. The Man United boss was under serious pressure heading into Sunday’s game against what is a very decent Spurs side.

Had they lost, many would have written them off for Champions League places. They would have been 9 points behind Spurs in 5th, never mind the teams above that.

Mourinho isn’t done yet though. It was a wily, dogged Man United performance and one that showed the Portuguese manager may be starting to get things right at Old Trafford.

Pogba is still Man United’s midfield king

Paul Pogba put in another exceptional performance in a Man United shirt. Not only did he have a higher passing percentage than anyone in United’s midfield but his driving runs cause Spurs problems all afternoon.

He forced two excellent stops from Lloris as discussed but also hammered the crossbar with a beautiful free-kick that deserved to bulge the net.

Even when United have been playing poorly he’s shone brightly, so how good is he going to be if the rest of his team hit form too?

United do have team spirit

Questions have been asked this season whether Man United have the team spirit or cohesiveness to be a top side in the English Premier League.

United held on to their 1-0 lead for 61 minutes and never really looked like drawing. It was a team performance and one that can only be achieved if their’s harmony in the dressing room.

There’s a long way to go for them of course but Sunday’s match could be the makings of their Premier League season going forward.

According to an exclusive reported by The Sun, Arsene Wenger is ready to make AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca his big January signing and may have already opened negotiations to sign him.

What’s the word?

Never one to miss out on the crazy, massive transfer stories, The Sun report that in order to boost their Premier League ambitions this season, Arsenal are looking to a previous transfer target in Carlos Bacca.

The Colombian international is out of favour with Milan boss Vincenzo Montella according to The Sun, who say that Bacca could be available for £20m.

It’d be a sensational move if it came off, given that the paper also reports Bacca snubbed Arsenal last year to join Milan from Sevilla.

Can he fire Arsenal to title glory?

Added to an already impressive Arsenal attack of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, there’s no doubting that if Bacca did sign, Arsene Wenger would have one of – if not the best – strike forces in the Premier League.

The 30-year old scored 20 goals for AC Milan last season in 43 appearances and he’s kept up a similar scoring rate this season, managing six in 13 appearances.

In the past, he helped Sevilla to UEFA Europa League glory two seasons in a row, netting a penalty in the 2013/14 shootout before scoring an unbelievable double in the 2014/15 final to deliver the trophy.

A move for Bacca would should Arsenal are serious about silverware this season with Wenger traditionally hesitant to splash the cash on players at the age Bacca is – especially in the January window.

Still only 30 though, the Milan forward has plenty to offer and we’ll be watching this one closely in January.

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Manchester City’s lack of discipline under Pep Guardiola again came to the fore on Monday, despite victory at home to Burnley.The Citizens had to overcome adversity against Sean Dyche’s men at the Etihad to keep their slim hopes of chasing down Chelsea in the Premier League title race alive.That adversity wasÂdue to a lack of discipline, with one player again letting himself, his teammates and his supporters down. Fernandinho was sent off once again and this stat from Opta shows that it’s becoming a pattern that badly needs addressed by Guardiola.To their credit, City’s quality showed in the end with Gael Clichy and Sergio Aguero providing the moments of magic to secure a 2-1 win, despite playing almost an hour without Fernandinho.It’s not just the Brazilian though, as Squawka show Man City are out-performing every other side in a very disappointing area; most red cards by a Premier League team this season.If City are to turn around their season and secure a Champions League place for next season then Pep Guardiola really needs to get his side under control.Obviously, playing with 10-men isn’t feasible on a consistent basis. The suspensions are hurting their ambitions too with Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho already missing multiple games this season.

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West Ham’s stingy negotiating and handling of the Dimitri Payet affair has been the highlight of the January transfer window to date.

Continuing to make derisory bids for players that are held so dearly by rival Premier League clubs, the Hammers have been the butt of many a joke. Meanwhile, their talismanic superstar has gone on strike and demanded to leave the club. Its never dull for West Ham, that’s for sure.

The thing is, spending in January is for clubs with significant short-term aims, as I wrote last week.

Teams at the bottom of the table or near the top who need depth or reinforcements ahead of the key stretch to end the campaign. Mid-table teams who are safe from relegation and with no chance of European qualification have no justification for paying inflated January prices.  Yes, finishing a place or two higher in the table brings in a bit more revenue, but it’s not worth the hassle.

[ffc_insert title=”Payet Replacements” name=”Stats show West Ham will miss Payet” image_ link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/west-ham/stats-show-just-how-much-west-ham-will-miss-payet” link_text=”Click to read more” ]

Bringing players in during a campaign can unsettle a dressing room and rumours – which West Ham seem to feature regularly in – have an impact on players. Current squad members may not be too pleased to hear the board are after a player in their position. There is often a feeling that January transfers are under-scouted, rushed deals, too.

Though not always the case, it’s hard to believe that a club has taken the time to evaluate a player properly when their interest has seemingly only piqued during this season. West Ham are not to only culprits of this, but they are the most obvious this time around.

The question the West Ham board should be asking themselves is this: what do we stand to gain from signing players this window?

Maybe finishing 9th rather than 11th, but that’s about it for this season. The squad Slaven Bilic is having to work with is far from perfect, it has some glaring issues, but they can be addressed in the summer when months of scouting can be done and bargains are more likely to be found. West Ham are nine points ahead of the relegation zone and 15 behind sixth-placed Manchester United, this season is as good as guaranteed to end in a mid-table finish whether they make signings or not.

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One of the glaring issues in the squad, though – which has seen the Hammers linked to Jermain Defoe and Moussa Dembele – is the striker situation. The departures of Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri – two disastrous summer signings – have left the injury-plagued Andy Carroll under a lot of pressure. West Ham’s inability to sign a reliable striker has been a long-running problem, as Jacob Steinberg wrote about in The Guardian this week.

Rushing through a deal in January is surely not the best way to solve this problem. It could work, and they may end up signing a player they have scouted for months, but they should balance the reward with forcing a January signing with the risk.

West Ham have no time pressures in 2017. Bilic’s side, along with Everton, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and several other teams, will finish in mid-table. The order will be juggled around throughout the remaining Premier League matches, but that’s about all the change there will be.

Thus, the reward for signing a player this month rather than in the summer is negligible. The risk, though, is that they could be left with a player unsuited to the team on a long, costly contract. The January window has a purpose for many Premier League clubs, but West Ham are not one of them.

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West Ham United bounced back from a heavy defeat at the hands of Manchester City mid-week with an impressive away win against Southampton. The Irons ran out 3-1 winners at St. Mary’s to move up into 9th position in the Premier League table.It was an afternoon that promised to be a tough one after Southampton debut boy Manolo Gabbiadini lashed home the opener for Saints after just twelve minutes.However, the Hammers and their travelling fans would enjoy a comeback sparked by none other than Andy Carroll. The big striker scored their equaliser before Obiang and Noble completed the victory.Carroll was superb throughout before being substituted and is enjoying a magnificent spell of form, as this stay from OptaÂshows.

He’s reaching peak form and key to that is his fitness, finally enjoying a run of starts after struggling with injuries for the majority of the season so far.

It’s something that’s been recognised by his manager Slaven Bilic, who praised his striker after the match.

As quoted by the BBC, Bilic said of the striker:

He is a matured man. He is happy, stable, has got three kids. The key is that and the number of training sessions. The best prevention of injuries is training.

It’s something Irons fans will of course hope to see more of and Carroll has the chance to make it five in five when West Ham host West Brom at the London stadium next week.

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