AFTV News

Who could challenge the top six this season?  By Jonny Bray The Premier League is getting stronger and stronger each season.  The gap between the top six and the chasing pack is getting smaller, with several sides threatening to break into a European spot. West Ham and Leicester City look most likely to do it this season, having already cracked the top six in the past. But we have also seen massive investment into Aston Villa's squad over the last 12 months.  Then there is Crystal Palace, who have combined exciting recruitment with an inspirational new manager in Patrick Vieira.  So which clubs can challenge the traditional top six next season?  West Ham  West Ham have been a completely different side since David Moyes started his second stint at the club. They finished sixth in the 2020/21 season and followed it up with seventh place last year.  Some might say they let Champions League football slip out of their grasp two years ago, but regardless, th...

Will Aston Villa be a threat to Arsenal’s European hunt next season?  By James Reid For a while it felt as if the so-called top six were impenetrable in the Premier League.  However, recent seasons have seen a group of clubs launch an assault on that idea, with the likes of Leicester City and West Ham qualifying for Europe and posing a considerable threat to the prevailing orthodoxy.  While the gap between the top two and everyone else feels to be getting bigger, there are a number of clubs closing the gap between sixth and mid-table.  One of those clubs could well be Aston Villa. While the midlands side had a disappointing 2021/22 season, they showed plenty of promise at times under new manager Steven Gerrard and will certainly be looking to improve on their 14 th -placed finish.  Many fancied Villa to threaten the European places last season after recruiting well having sold Jack Grealish but it never really came together.  Nevertheless, there is undoubte...

How would Serge Gnabry fit in the Arsenal attack? By Jack Lacey-Hatton They say never go back. Yet transfer rumours are gathering pace that Serge Gnabry could make a surprise return to the Emirates this summer, having first left the club back in 2016. Gnabry broke through into the first team with some impressive performances during 2013-14, but after two injury-hit seasons followed, which included a disastrous loan spell at West Brom, he decided to move on. Since then the Stuttgart-born winger has returned to his native Germany, first with Werder Bremen before going on to have four trophy-laden years with Bayern Munich. However, despite playing a key role in the Bavarians' recent success, Gnabry is out of contract in 2023 and it is thought the German superclub are keen to cash in rather than let him leave on a free. It certainly feels like the 26-year-old has unfinished business in North London, but how would he fit into Arsenal's forward line?   Current attacking set-up   Man...

How can Arsenal get in the Champions League next season?  By Tom Masters After a long season that promised so much for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side, ultimately, they failed to reach the Champions League, finishing fifth at the expense of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.  At the start of the season, following a year away from European action, Arsenal would no doubt have been content to have finished fifth and qualify for the Europa League, but with three games to go fourth place was in their control, something which the squad will have to look at and get over in the coming weeks before the start of the new season.  But, ahead of the new season, we look at how Arsenal can qualify for the Champions League next season.   Smart signings   Ultimately, one of Arsenal’s clear failings was that their squad just wasn’t good enough to reach the Champions League this season, which makes getting so close more impressive.  But missing out on the Champions League this ...

Did the first month of the season cost Arsenal Champions League football? By Tom Masters With the Premier League season done and dusted last Sunday, it is time to reflect on what ultimately proved to be a slightly disappointing season for Arsenal.  Missing out on Champions League football to rivals Tottenham, after losing to their fiercest rivals and to Newcastle United towards the end of the season, left a bittersweet taste in the mouth. But was it perhaps form earlier on in the season that cost the Arsenal a place among Europe’s elite?  There is a saying in the game that the first month of the season is not going to win you the title but it absolutely can lose you the title, and this can also apply to the Gunners quest for a return to Europe’s premier competition for the first time in five years.  So the question is, did the first month of the season cost Arsenal Champions League football?    What happened?     On Friday 13 August 2021, the new ...

Four Leeds United players Arsenal should try to sign this summer by Brian Matovu This weekend Arsenal return to the Emirates to face Leeds United in what is a huge game for the Gunners as they aim to take one step closer to securing Champions League football for next season. Arsenal are in pole position to clinch the final top-four spot but face stiff competition from north-London rivals Tottenham who are just two points off them and will play host to the Gunners next week, in what is set to be a winner-takes-all fixture. However, the game is just as big for Leeds United who are right in the middle of a relegation dogfight with Burnley and Everton, with all three sides battling it out to avoid taking up the final relegation spot. But ahead of such an important clash for both teams, let’s take a look at four players from Leeds that Arsenal could make a move for this summer to boost Mikel Arteta’s squad ahead of next season. 1. Raphinha This comes as no surprise with everybody licking ...

Arsenal's most disappointing defeats this season By James Reid It has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Arsenal this season, and despite all the trials and tribulations the Gunners have a real chance of Champions League football with just four games left to play.   However, while there have been plenty of great results this season, Arsenal have had their fair share of bad results too.   We took a look back at some of the most disappointing defeats this season.  Brentford 2-0 Arsenal   What better place to start than the first game of the season?  The start of a new season always brings fresh and optimism, but that was quickly dampened by defeat to newly-promoted Brentford on the first day of term.  Sergi Canos opened the scoring in Brentford’s first ever Premier League game just after 20 minutes and Christian Norgaard scored after the break to cap a nightmare start to the season for Arsenal. The Gunners never looked like really troubling Brentford who were ...

Four West Ham players Arsenal should try to sign By Tom Masters Arsenal take on West Ham United in a huge game in the race for European qualification, as Arsenal look to seal their place in the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-16 season. West Ham themselves were previously in the battle for Champions League places but with recent results that has realistically changed to a chase for the Europa League.   Mikel Arteta’s men looked to have blown their Champions League hopes when losing three matches on the bounce against Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, but important victories over Chelsea and Manchester United and the dream is alive again.   But ahead of such a monumental clash for both teams, we have a look at four players that Arsenal should try to sign from West Ham.   1.       Declan Rice  Absolutely no surprises for this one, with virtually every top six club in the country eyeing up a move for ...

How has Arsenal v Manchester United changed the race for fourth? By Alec McQuarrie It’s been a dream week for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. The Gunners bounced back from three straight defeats – only once in Arteta’s reign had Arsenal previously lost three league games on the bounce – with vital wins over top four rivals Chelsea and Manchester United. Both will almost certainly prove decisive come the end of the season, but what does the 3-1 victory actually mean for the race for fourth? United out of the race? Firstly, Arsenal may have just struck a knockout blow to United’s chances of Champions League football next season. Rangnick’s men have now won only once in their last five games and sit six points off fourth, having played a game more than both Arsenal and Spurs. And following a diabolical performance in midweek against Liverpool and a lacklustre showing at the Emirates today, it would be no surprise if they lost their next match to third-place Chelsea. On the other hand, if they ove...