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Manchester City fans are loving the form of Riyad Mahrez this season following a notable improvement in his form.

The Algerian has had an excellent beginning to this season and is already on course to emulate some of the personal records he set himself at Leicester City. In his final season with the Foxes, Mahrez bagged 10 assists in all competitions and now Mahrez already has six assists after just 13 games.

Plus, if you combine this with his statistics from Understat.com, it goes to show how drastically he has improved this season. The stats show that the 28-year-old’s expected assists per game have risen from 0.34 to 0.78, whilst his key passes per game has gone from 1.62 to 3.99.

It does look like supporters are a huge fan of the 56-cap Algeria international this season, with one supporter saying he is a “whole different beast” compared to the last campaign.

Another fan simply labelled him a “maestro”, and it does seem as if his reputation is exponentially rising at the Etihad.

Here’s what some fans have had to say about the in form Algerian…

Arsenal are reported to be monitoring the progress of Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

The 18-year-old has been in the Gunners’ eyesight as the creative midfielder is establishing himself in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Mesut Ozil has found himself ostracised by Unai Emery and looks increasingly like a disenchanted, peripheral and ultimately disposable asset.

The Daily Mail suggest an offer around £20m may be enough to secure the Turkey U21 international’s services, with the club aware of the challenge that lies ahead in keeping him.

Creativity is key

With two goals in 13 games in all competitions so far this season, the youngster has plenty of attacking characteristics that can push Arsenal towards qualifying for the Champions League.

The Gunners have been guilty of fielding three defensive midfielders at times this season, particularly against Manchester United during a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

A lack of creativity has been a notable criticism from the Arsenal supporters towards Emery, but Kokcu could change that as he aims to develop into a high quality creative player.

Emery’s strange deployment of his middle trio has cost his side points at critical moments, despite the Gunners sitting third in the Premier League.

The lack of offensive-minded midfielders could see Arsenal miss out on the Champions League, which would do no favours to Emery’s position as manager.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is ready to make his Premier League debut on Monday, according to manager Unai Emery.

Tierney, 22, joined from Celtic in the summer for a fee of £25m on transfer deadline day. However, he is yet to make his mark in the league campaign due to his double hernia operation at the end of last season with the Bhoys.

Despite this, he has played a significant part in Arsenal’s Europa League and Carabao Cup campaigns respectively, even getting compared to Ashley Cole by Arsenal legend Alan Smith.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

Emery confirmed during his press conference that Tierney will be available for selection on Monday, simply stating: “He is ready to play.”

Throw him in at the deep end

With Arsenal having spent a significant amount of money on the 22-year-old and after his contributions in the domestic and European competitions so far, Tierney must feature if fully fit and he will become a valuable part of Emery’s team.

The Scotsman was credited by Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson for being “different class” during an interview with BBC Sport.  The Arsenal left-back was asked to play on the right for Scotland, and proved he has the versatility and quality to help the team wherever he plays.

Last season, the Scotland international provided five assists in 20 Scottish Premiership appearances, and built up 37 assists in 170 total games for the Hoops in all competitions.

Former Arsenal striker John Hartson even likened him to Robertson, but actually believes he is a better player defensively, per the Daily Record (via the Metro).

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As a five-time Scottish league champion, the former Celtic youngster has the winning mentality to boost the Gunners squad. Former Bhoys teammate Kris Commons told Football Scotland that his desire to win has never fazed him, despite previously breaking his leg during his early years.

Tierney has the potential to become one of the best young players in the Premier League. Combining his ability, versatility and attitude will give Emery a crucial asset, and one that must start from the off on Monday if he truly is “ready to play”.

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Wolves’ form is starting to become a worry.

Last year, they were very impressive, and the £101.03m they spent on new arrivals appeared to look like sound investment. By finishing seventh, they qualified for the Europa League, and almost found themselves in the F.A Cup final.

This term, though, it is a very different story. Nuno Espirito Santo and co are yet to win a game in the Premier League and, although they made it to the group stage in Europe, they lost their first match against Braga at Molineux. On Sunday, they once again failed to win, drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Whenever a team goes through a poor run of form, the manager’s future always seems to be under pressure. Although the Portuguese boss led the team so magnificently last season, he will need to improve results sooner rather than later if he is to breathe easy again.

And some Wolves fans – albeit a small minority – are already calling for him to be relieved of his duties at the club.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

QPR’s continued search for consistency goes on after falling to a 3-0 defeat to Cardiff on Wednesday, their fourth loss in the Championship from ten games.

Mark Warburton has made a decent start to managerial life in West London, but the loss to the Bluebirds is his second in as many games, so it is once again time to go back to the drawing board.

Prior to that the R’s had enjoyed a four-game winning streak, taking them as high as the play-off places, so there is clearly quality in the side and an understanding of what it takes to win.

Watch Queens Park Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, it hasn’t taken some fans long to identify a recurring issue, and until Warburton fixes the defensive problems it is unlikely QPR will fight for places higher up the league than where they are currently positioned.

Other fans were simply left exasperated following the defeat, with one even calling for the return of Steve McClaren, who was sacked back in April – Warburton eventually being appointed his successor.

Here is some of the reaction to QPR’s thrashing at the hands of Cardiff.

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According to The Express and Star, West Brom’s Zhang Yuning, previously on loan at ADO Den Haag, has returned to The Hawthorns before a proposed move to an unnamed Chinese Super League.

The Chinese striker, signed in 2017, is expected to depart for the East next week with zero minutes in Baggies blue and white under his belt.

The 22-year-old will not be returning to England to train in B71, instead leaving straight for China to finalise his move. Fortunately for the Baggies, the player has cost them nothing in fees as owner Guochuan Lai financed the transfer himself and paid his wages.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

Lai had surely been hoping that the hitman would significantly boost the Midlands club’s fanbase in Asia and perhaps develop into a useful player, but that hasn’t been the case as he has been unable to secure a work permit in England.

Here’s how the West Brom faithful reacted to the news on Twitter…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

It was always to be expected. After a protracted transfer saga this summer, Harry Maguire finally clinched his big-money move to Manchester United in the closing stages of the window. The England international established himself as one of the Premier League’s leading centre-halves in his time at Leicester, and you can understand why Foxes fans brought the typical boos to greet their former hero this weekend.

In Maguire’s first meeting with his former club on Saturday, the 26-year-old produced the kind of display that proved exactly why United shelled out a world-record fee for a defender. The away fans were on him from the first whistle, and it would have been so easy for him to be overwhelmed by the occasion. Instead, the 6 foot 4 powerhouse radiated calmness at the back and helped the Red Devils to a relatively comfortable win over the Foxes.

Coming up against former teammate Jamie Vardy, Maguire was faced with the task of marshalling a striker whose biggest strength is the centre-back’s biggest weakness. Pace. The script was very much there to be written for the Leicester striker to burst on to a through ball and leave the United defender for dust. Instead, the Red Devils star organised the side’s back-line and imposed his will.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 26-year-old registered two tackles and won four aerial duels, but it was his five clearances that really spoke of the maturity United have bought. Vardy’s notorious relentlessness when it comes to hounding opposition defenders means it will always be a dangerous task to try and play out from the back. Maguire took no such risks over the course of the game, hoofing things into row Z if needed, and bringing the ball out of defence when there was no pressure.

Speaking after the game, Maguire shared his thoughts on his performance against his former club.

“I’m really happy and not just because it was against my old team and the pressure of the game and the people talking about the battles during the game. He (Vardy) is a top player and he has done it in the Premier League for numerous years. I know, on his day, he can terrorise defences. I have seen it playing for Leicester for the past few years. It was really important we got hold of him and vital to nullify him because he is a top player.”

Maguire won more than just the battle on the pitch against his former teammates. He won the battle against the Leicester fans who booed him over the 90 minutes, and vindicated United’s decision to splash the cash.

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As per The Athletic, an update has emerged involving Aston Villa, Leeds United and West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph as more January news comes to light.

The Lowdown: West Ham have quiet window…

In the last week of the winter window, multiple reports of marquee bids and last gasp striker signing attempts came out of the woodwork as the Hammers left it too late to bring someone through the door.

Indeed, West Ham and manager David Moyes apparently made big offers for star Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips before turning their attention to deadline day striker swoops for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Duvan Zapata of Atalanta.

Jesse Lingard was also the subject of intense final day interest but recruitment chief Rob Newman fell short in all of these last gasp attempts.

In some exit news, sharing who West Ham and Moyes stopped from leaving, The Athletic have made a claim involving Randolph.

The Latest: West Ham block Randolph exit…

According to their sources, the Irons told their third-choice shot stopper he couldn’t join Leeds or Villa as both sides plotted loan moves for the 50-cap shot stopper.

Indeed, despite being on the very fringes of West Ham’s first team, Moyes held firm and refused to green-light a temporary exit for Randolph.

The Verdict: Wrong move?

Given the 34-year-old’s lack of game time at the London Stadium, we believe not sanctioning a move away is a strange call.

Loanee second-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has barely been granted game-time himself, starting just one Premier League game all season, making you wonder what purpose Randolph has sitting behind the Frenchman.

Randolph’s current deal expires in 2023, giving West Ham two more transfer windows to make a profit off his sale, and letting him attempt to establish game time at another Premier League side could’ve potentially done wonders for his market value.

Ex-Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, Randolph’s former boss, even called the player ‘outstanding’ during their time together at Middlesbrough – perhaps indicating he is wasted on the sidelines.

In other news: ‘Fancies West Ham’…£18m man ‘let down’ after failed January move, find out more here.

Celtic midfielder Scott Robertson has returned to Parkhead following a season-ending injury on loan at Crewe Alexandra.

The Lowdown: Robertson’s loan spell

Robertson, who made the bench under Ange Postecoglou in Champions League and Europa League qualifiers over the summer, was sent to Crewe for the 2021/22 campaign.

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The 20-year-old turned out in a variety of midfield roles for the League One side, making 23 appearances in all competitions.

He scored twice and provided one assist for the club but hasn’t been seen since February due to injury.

The Latest: Successful operation

Crewe shared an official update on Robertson on Thursday, revealing that the midfielder has returned to Glasgow to undergo rehabilitation.

They added that the youngster, labelled as ‘terrific’ by Crewe boss David Artell, has undergone successful surgery.

The Verdict: Injury problems just won’t end

The Hoops’ injury problems just haven’t stopped this season, and they have now spread to a loanee, whose season is now over.

Postecoglou already has concerns over Daizen Maeda and Tom Rogic during the current international break, whereas young forward Johnny Kenny was also stretchered off in recent days playing for Ireland’s U19 side.

Kenny may now be joined by Robertson on the Lennoxtown treatment table, and hopefully, this will be the final injury problem for Postecoglou in his first season in charge.

In other news: ‘Worrying…’ – Sky Sports man claims ‘brilliant’ Celtic ace may now have suffered ‘bone damage’. 

A number of Liverpool supporters have slammed James Milner’s ineffective performance in the Reds’ 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were in semi-final first leg action on Thursday evening, hosting a Gunners side that had just been dumped out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest.

It proved to be an extremely frustrating night for Liverpool, who performed badly throughout, failing to break down an Arsenal side who had Granit Xhaka sent-off in the first half.

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The Reds mustered a single attempt on target and now have plenty of work to do in the second leg at the Emirates next Thursday if they want to make it into next month’s final against Chelsea.

One player who struggled more than most was Milner, who offered little in the middle of the park, losing possession 13 times and playing no key passes, according to Sofascore, with that lack of creativity summing up the team’s overall display.

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Liverpool fans slaughter Milner performance

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to criticise the veteran’s display, with one supporter calling it a ‘disgrace’.

“I’m sorry but Milner and Henderson in the same midfield actually breaks me”

Credit: @ilab1612

“Honestly, I’ve had enough of Milner. He’s washed, it’s a bit of a disgrace he still gets minutes for us”

Credit: @TDJS_92

“Milner and Hendo were woeful yet again”

Credit: @_umairg

“Love Milner done lots for us but surely he has to go”

Credit: @sam76803802

“Milner is one of the worst players in the Prem”

Credit: @UnbiasedLiverp1

“Announce Milner as part of the coaching staff @LFC”

Credit: @KingAfo

In other news, some Liverpool fans have flocked to one transfer update. Read more here.