Reports from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo are suggesting that the Alexis Sanchez and Arsenal honeymoon is edging towards a messy end. Although the truth in suggestions that he’s worried about the club’s Premier League position, his role in the XI and Santi Cazorla’s emergence as the darling of the Emirates Stadium is unclear, there are now worries growing.

Alexis has been, without doubt, the key man in the Gunners’ XI this term, but his reaction to some losses, and even wins, has been a little alarming. The South American’s face after the dramatic Champions League victory against Anderlecht was one of frustration, but this could be, perhaps, a bi-product of his fierce will to win.

Regardless of what is going on, Arsenal must keep Sanchez… and here are FIVE reasons why!

Arsenal’s main man

A glance at the stats really does say it all… In terms of goals and assists, Sanchez wipes the floor with all his major competitors in the Gunners’ squad, registering a superior efforts on goal and accuracy rating, while creating far more chances for team-mates. Only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is better in terms of beating his man one-on-one – which is an easier task on the wing – while 31 tackles shows he’s adept ant defending from the front in a high-pressing system.

Determination

Arsenal have often been criticised for lacking leaders and having a soft underbelly, but Sanchez is very much a player away from that mould. The 26-year-old’s game is all about action, pressing and fighting for every scrap, and his tendency to chase down lost causes is often infectious in the Arsenal team. Remove him from the equation, and where would the Londoners be this season? Lower than fifth, probably!

Star quality

As well as being a scrapper and a battler, Sanchez is also a pretty decent footballer! His hard-work is matched by silky skills, finishing ability and neat passing (he played for Barcelona, after all), and Gunners fans have witnessed what he can do on more than a few occasions since his arrival, which was made all the sweeter as he rejected rivals Liverpool.

Losing him would lead to ‘selling club’ worries

Over the years Arsenal have developed a reputation as a selling club. Robin van Persie left for Manchester United, Thierry Henry to Barcelona, Bacary Sagna, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor have gone to Manchester City… big blows there! However, with the Emirates Stadium debt now no longer the issue it was – hence the big fee paid for Sanchez over the summer – the time to offload key men for sizable profits may be in the past, so letting the fulcrum of the side head off would be, perhaps, even worse than the aforementioned deals.

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Rivals could pick him up…

Leading on from the last point, rival teams could move for Sanchez. Manchester has been an area of the country north London stars have headed in recent times, and with both City and United financially strong, there is a potential risk that they could weigh in for a player of Alexis’ quality. There have been no official links as of yet, but football is a funny game and proven Premier League quality is always in demand at the top end…

Tottenham Hotspurs certainly know how to develop future stars, with young Harry Kane looking to be the latest “real-deal.”

The 21-year-old has been plastered all over the newspapers and on TV in the last few months, with many clubs across Europe keeping an eye on his progress. Everyone is familiar with the story of Gareth Bale. Played amazing at Tottenham, helped them shoot up the table, got sold for a record fee and Spurs haven’t been as good since. The bosses at White Hart Lane need to make sure they do not cash in on the situation and sell Kane too early. So have they learnt their lesson?

Kane has been the undoubted star and surprise package of this season’s Premier League and it seems like nothing can stop “Hurricane.” The nice thing is though it is clear he just wants to play football and at any level he can. Despite having made his debut for England on Friday night (and scoring) he still wants to join the England U21 team during the summer.

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Last time Tottenham had a superstar in their midst they sold him to the tune of £86million. At the moment the future is bright for Tottenham Hotspur. Mauricio Pochettino is proving to be a great manager, the players are building as individuals and a squad and they are in the middle of planning a new 56,000 seater stadium but should Tottenham fans get used to seeing their main stars leave for bigger and better things?

The big problem seems to be money. It always comes down to money. There is currently a big debate over what Harry Kane will spend his summer doing. Tottenham have a big summer tour planned away in Australia but the young striker wants to play for England U21s. Spurs are keen for him to play in Australia because it will mean more money for him but it could be the worst decision they make.

If Spurs tell Kane to join them in Australia rather than join England than they may live to regret it. It would certainly not show any learning from the Bale sale. While I think it is clear they will want to keep Kane’s talents for as long as possible they need to think about how best to deal with the situation. It is great to see a young star so desperate to play for his country, but it could have been so easy for him to say no to playing for the U21s now he has started to be noticed by Roy Hodgson for the Seniors but he didn’t and Tottenham should really respect that.

If they don’t respect it, they may just lose Kane whether they want to or not because they might have learnt that selling your best player and not replacing him will not work, but they haven’t learnt that sometimes money is not the best answer.

Kane wants to play football, and Tottenham need to appreciate that.

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Manchester United are set to join Liverpool in the chase for Arsenal contract rebel Theo Walcott, according to reports from the Mirror.

Despite his contract expiring in the summer of 2016, Walcott has yet to start negotiations with the Gunners hierarchy over a new deal.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Liverpool transfer news

The England winger has struggled for a first-team role since returning from a long-term knee injury he picked up at the beginning of 2014, and is reluctant to sign a new deal unless he is guaranteed a pay-rise and regular playing time.

The 26-year-old ‘s situation has alerted Liverpool and Man United, with champions Manchester City supposedly also keen on his services.

But despite his lack of first-team football, Walcott was still called up for the England squad to face Lithuania in a Euro 2016 Qualifier on Friday and a friendly with Italy next week.

And Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson claims that unless Walcott can play on a regular basis, then his national team place could be in real jeopardy.

He said: “That’s the thing about football, isn’t it? If you’re not careful, there’s always someone behind you waiting to take your place. It’s a dog eat dog world, a bit.

“It is an important few months for him. He’s been concentrating on training. We’ve enjoyed having him back. You can see he likes to be with England and enjoys that aspect of his professional football career.

“But he’s got to satisfy a few of his critics and, if you like, make certain a) he stays fit and b) gets his place back as one of the first names on the Arsenal team sheet. When he does that, he might be pushing for a first name on the England team sheet.

“Every time, sometimes through no fault of your own… you can be injured. But then suddenly your position, which had looked very secure, suddenly six months down the line is not so secure. That’s something all footballers learn to live with.

“With England, he’s always been a very good servant. He’s been with me in my three years without necessarily playing the main figure. He’s always been there in the background.

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“Whenever we thought we could use him, he’s got injured again.”

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The two stand-out fixtures from this weekend’s Premier League games are Arsenal vs. Chelsea and Southampton vs. Tottenham. Arsenal bout with Chelsea is the main source of focus, but just because we want to cling to the belief that there’s still a title race to be had. In actual fact, Southampton hosting Spurs is definitely the bigger game.

Realistically, Chelsea won’t lose the title from here. They’ve been so far ahead for so long, and last weekend really needed to go against them if Arsenal were to have any chance. It was never just about the Gunners beating Chelsea, it was about Chelsea collapsing. And having to play Manchester United at home was a real chance for a slip up.

Sunday afternoon was a crunch time for Spurs and Southampton.

As Liverpool were sent crashing out of the FA Cup semi-final, Aston Villa booked their place in the Europa League for next season, leaving only two places available for those teams qualifying through their league position. Had Liverpool won that game to face Arsenal in the final, Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton could all have qualified as seventh place would’ve been given a spot. As it stands, only fifth and sixth will be given a Europa League berth for next term.

And so there are three teams vying for two spots, making Southampton Spurs a must-win for both these teams if they want European football for next season.

For all the talk last week of Liverpool chasing City for the final Champions League spot Liverpool are still level on points with Spurs, the team in sixth and only one point ahead of Southampton who are a further place back.

How short-term the Premier League is – last week it looked as if Liverpool were chasing a Champions League spot again after two defeats in a row. Because of City’s poor form, Liverpool looked to be closing in. But that was last week. Now they don’t look as close to City. The Reds are seven points behind them, albeit they have a game in hand.

It shows just how tight this part of the league is. Southampton and Spurs are so close to Liverpool, and a win for either of those two puts Liverpool on the back foot. They do have a game in hand though, so they still look the favourites for fifth, and if not fifth, then definitely sixth – barring something disastrous in their last six games, they should qualify alright.

And this is why Saturday becomes such a big day for the others. A draw would suit Liverpool, and Spurs would remain a point clear of Southampton. So it’s presumably a result that would please Spurs more than Saints. But it certainly wouldn’t give them any breathing space and any slip up could still see Saints make their move. Whether Spurs actually do want to play in the Europa League next season is perhaps up for debate, but finishing seventh would put them out of Europe altogether and that is surely still unacceptable.

Southampton on the other hand can go above Spurs, and at this stage of the season it could be huge psychologically as much as anything else. The pressure is on Spurs to qualify for Europe – at the start of the season fourth place was their objective. Southampton, on the other hand, have a different situation. Before the season started, we thought the depleted Saints would be sucked into a relegation battle. Now they’re on the verge of Europe, bettering even last season’s exploits. The pressure is off Southampton and is squarely on the shoulders of Spurs. So this game is just as big for the psychology of the race as it is for the race itself.

If Liverpool have fifth place sewn up then that race is for sixth place. Seventh is no good to anyone and so the pressure is on. But it’s on Spurs more that Southampton.

Saturday is a big game, make no mistake about that. If you watch only one game this weekend, maybe it should be this one, and not the one at the Emirates.

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Despite holding down several managerial posts across Europe during his time in the dug-out, Steve McClaren will arguably always be remembered for his failure to secure England’s seemingly inevitable qualification for Euro 2008.

Whether it be through his questionable selections as Three Lions boss, apparent inability to establish a satisfactory starting XI for England – or just because the former Middlesbrough coach will forever be known as the ‘wally with the brolly’ – the 54-year-old English manager has simply never truly restored his reputation in this country for his past shortcomings.

It therefore comes as somewhat of a shock that Steve McClaren has seemingly become the main man in the frame for the Newcastle manager’s job in the run up to the 2015/16 campaign. It was a potential appointment that no one really saw coming, as although the man in question was once considered good enough for England, very few were expecting him to re-emerge in the Premier League any time soon.

So then, have the Tynesiders made the right choice in selecting their new head coach, or is the increasingly likely appointment of Steve McClaren at St. James’ only further indication of Newcastle United’s recent demise?

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Well, to say that this potential development would go down as a rather unpopular choice for the Magpies, would certainly be something of an understatement amongst the St. James’ faithful. Yes, the former Uefa Cup finalist with Boro and one-time Eredivisie winner with FC Twente has of course had some decent experiences to look back on throughout his managerial career – but do those past achievements mean Steve McClaren deserves another shot in the Premier League? – The likely answer is, no.

Since completely failing to deliver the results for England on the international scene, the ex-Riverside regular has also had some pretty forgetful stints at a succession of different European clubs. For VfL Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forrest and on a return to FC Twente, McClaren once again fell short of his managerial requirements.

His unfortunate decision to take on a Dutch accent during his time in the Eredivisie may have made for excellent viewing for fans back home, but it was ultimately something born out of much more than mere hilarity. Steve McClaren was trying to improve his image during that time, but in launching such ill-fated behaviour during that interview, the reported new Magpies boss certainly didn’t win back a great deal of respect to say the very least.

The 54-year-old’s recent failure to see his Derby County side even reach the play-offs this term only acted as further indication that he is not yet ready to manage in the Premier League once again. Any top-flight English side would be simply mad to hire someone like McClaren at this stage in the proceedings…

That is seemingly where Newcastle United enter however. Whilst the majority of the St. James’ faithful would much likely prefer the more exciting likes of Frank de Boer or even Remi Garde to take on managerial responsibilities on Tyneside next season, it seems the Magpies ultimately have no choice but to fall upon the unfortunately labelled ‘wally with the brolly’ instead.

Because Mike Ashley’s ownership of the well supported Premier League club has seemingly made it impossible for Newcastle managers to have the final say down at St. James’, no respectable European coach is ever going to see fit to join up with the Magpies unless a significant amount of head-turning money has been placed on the table. With Newcastle remaining particularly stringent in the financial department however, such an outcome seems unlikely even at the best of times.

The St. James’ faithful will therefore be left with no choice but to accept a clear ‘yes man’ when it comes to finally replacing Alan Pardew in the dug-out, and although his name often sparks disappointment since England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 – in Steve McClaren, the Newcastle fans have exactly that.

The former Derby boss will be desperate for a chance to re-establish himself back in the Premier League, and good luck to him. As that means Mike Ashley will still act as the main decision maker behind the scenes on Tyneside however – with his notorious reputation of caring very little about the club or it’s fans – Newcastle United in general will likely suffer as a result of this potential appointment.

With last season’s rather embarrassing eight game losing streak remaining pretty hard to beat in terms of disappointment though, surely Steve McClaren can’t present anything worse than what the Magpies’ supporters have already witnessed in recent months?

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For the fans’ sake, let’s hope not…

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Despite the departure of two invaluable players over the summer in the form of Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard, Liverpool’s transfer business in the off-season has most of the Anfield faithful entering the new campaign with positivity in mind.

Brendan Rodgers has been backed by the Merseyside club’s owners and money has been spent to bring a host of new players into the Northern Irishman’s squad with Champions League qualification once again the goal in 2015-16.

Liverpool’s goal-shy attack from last term has been bolstered by the arrivals of Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings, while James Milner has the unenviable task of replacing Gerrard in midfield.

Nathaniel Clyne’s acquisition fills the troublesome right-back role, with all-in-all most people being impressed with Liverpool’s swift moves in the transfer market this summer.

However, with Manchester United strengthening considerably this summer also and Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea looking as strong as ever, it will be a big ask for the Reds to break into the top four.

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One position that Rodgers may well feel like he still needs to strengthen if his side are to return to English football’s elite is at centre-half.

The former Swansea boss likes to switch up his formations and as such has used three centre-halves and a back four on countless different occasions. There is an argument to suggest that a dominant central defender would really improve Liverpool, regardless of the system deployed.

Martin Skrtel’s contract renewal was a piece of important business this summer by the Merseyside outfit, with the Slovakian continuing to be the club’s best defender and a leader of men with his never-say-die attitude and no-nonsense approach.

However, there is a feeling that the Reds are one centre-half short to make either a 3-4-3 or 4-4-2 system work.

In a back three, Emre Can has been used to good effect as a ball-playing centre-half on the right-hand side of the defensive trident.

Although the German is a midfielder by trade, the ex-Bayern Munich youngster has the capabilities to fill in at the back if he has two other centre-halves to help carry the defensive burden.

Can is not a good enough defender to be used at centre-half in a back four though and as such another defender is needed in both systems.

Mamadou Sakho is a French international and has a sizeable reputation in European football, meanwhile the fact that he is left-footed offers balance at the back for the club. But, as yet the former Paris Saint-Germain defender has not shown adequate consistency to convince that he deserves an automatic starting berth.

Other options include Kolo Toure and Tiago Ilori, who are at opposite ends of their careers and as such either too long in the tooth or too inexperienced to be trusted week-in, week-out.

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Dejan Lovren at his best would be a terrific player for Liverpool, but the Croat has not showed the form at Anfield that made him such a success at Southampton.

As such, if Rodgers was to complete his summer business by landing an experienced and able central defender that could play alongside Skrtel in a back four and with Can and the Slovakian in a back three, the Reds’ hopes of finishing in the top four would be boosted significantly.

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It does appear likely that Liverpool will lose Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona this month.

The Reds managed to prevent the Brazilian playmaker from leaving during the summer, but all of the signs are pointing to Coutinho making the switch to Camp Nou.

Liverpool have already spent £75m on Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk this month, but the club’s supporters are desperate for more business to be completed, especially if Coutinho moves to Barcelona before the end of the month.

Riyad Mahrez is still believed to be keen on leaving Leicester City, and the 26-year-old has been in sparkling form for the Foxes this season – scoring seven times and registering eight assists in 22 Premier League appearances.

Liverpool fans have identified Mahrez, who is valued at £27m by transfermarkt.co.uk, as the perfect player to replace Coutinho.

There is no getting away from the fact that it would be a massive blow if Coutinho left Anfield, especially considering Liverpool’s brilliant form in recent weeks.

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However, it seems that the club’s supporters would accept the Brazil international seeking pastures new if in-form attacker Mahrez was the player to replace him.

Everton left-back Brendan Galloway could have his loan spell at Sunderland cut short, according to the Sunderland Echo.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old made his first-team debut for the Toffees in 2014, but since then he has failed to kick on and grab a regular spot in the team.

The left-back had a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion last season and is currently on a temporary deal at Sunderland.

Things are not quite going to plan, though, as Galloway has made just 10 appearances, only two of which have come under new manager Chris Coleman.

The Sunderland Echo claims that Everton may bring back the young player and send him elsewhere to get regular game time.

Should he call it a day at Everton?

Despite his young age, most footballers at the top level are already showing their respective clubs their promising talent at the age of 20/21.

Galloway’s inability to force his way into the Everton squad could be cause for concern.

Considering that the left-back cannot hold down a place in a Championship team also questions whether he will make it at the top level for Everton.

If Sam Allardyce does not believe that Galloway is able to challenge for a position in his XI, then perhaps it best for both parties to move on.

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The left-back will then have an opportunity to boost his career at a permanent base rather than moving from one club to the next on loan.

It has been a dismal few months for Southampton fans as they have witnessed their team go on a winless run of nine Premier league games.

The club have suffered five defeats and recorded four draws, which has left them just one place above the relegation zone.

Mauricio Pellegrino has come under scrutiny due to the results and disappointing performances.

At the weekend, the Saints switched their attention to the FA Cup, and on this occasion the result was much more positive.

A slender 1-0 win over Fulham sent Southampton into the fourth round of the competition.

Despite the result, plenty of fans are far from satisfied by what they’re seeing on the pitch.

After the game, James-Ward Prowse, who scored the goal, spoke of the team’s determination to turn fortunes around.

Supporters, though, did not buy into the midfielder’s claims, and instead criticised the player for repeating the spiel that they so often hear.

West Ham United star Manuel Lanzini is expected to be on the sidelines for a month with a hamstring injury, according to The Mirror.

What happened?

Manager David Moyes expressed concern for the playmaker following the Argentine’s substitution against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The 24-year-old lasted 64 minutes before he was hauled off with a suspected hamstring strain.

The Mirror reports that the extent of the problem is now known, and Moyes will be without Lanzini for the next four weeks.

The former River Plate player is expected to miss the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Wigan Athletic, as well as Premier League matches against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Watford.

Lanzini will hope to be back in action for the trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on February 24.

Can West Ham cope?

The injury setback is bad timing considering that the team are on a strong run of form, and Lanzini has been a major part of that.

The playmaker has scored twice and produced four assists in his last nine outings in all competitions.

Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic have, in particular, linked up well in recent matches, but this injury blow means that the pair’s fluidity will now be absent from upcoming fixtures.

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On top of that, The Mirror claims that striker Andy Carroll will be sidelined for three months with a hairline fracture in his foot.

Being without Carroll is nothing new to West Ham, but Lanzini’s absence could stop short the team’s seven-game unbeaten run.