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We’ve been privy to a heavyweight clash almost every weekend in the Premier League so far this season and the coming one is no different, albeit under rather unexpected circumstances.

Many tipped second-place Manchester United to be near the top of the table after 13 games, but few predicted they’d be kept out of pole position by Leicester City, who boast a whopping 28 points, the most wins and the least defeats of any Premier League side.

Indeed, despite the disparity of finance and resources between the two sides, Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off at the King Power Stadium is essentially a title clash, even if the Midlands outfit are unlikely to still be involved in the race for the English crown come May-time.

Manchester United may boast a superior quality of player but with form, confidence and fate seemingly on their side, the Foxes will fancy another scalp against a team they beat 5-3 in unforgettable fashion last season.

With that in mind, this match could come down to who dominates the key battles. Here are FIVE Football Fancast believe will decide the outcome on Saturday.

THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE VS THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT

It’s an old adage used frequently in sport but certainly rings true with Saturday’s clash at the King Power stadium.

Leicester City haven’t failed to score in a single Premier League game this season – in no small part due to the efforts of Jamie Vardy – whilst Manchester United boast the best goals conceded record (8) and the most clean sheets (8) throughout the division.

Paradoxically, however, both sides have earned such statuses in rather counter-intuitive ways. The assumption would be that Leicester are an offensive side and that United are a defensive one, but it’s actually the Red Devils who like to dictate the flow and tempo of the match through possession, whilst the Foxes create most of their chances on the break. They’ve actually scored the most counter-attacking goals of any Premier League side this season (3).

So Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a classic battle of the unstoppable force and the immovable object quite like no other. You get the feeling that could play more into Leicester’s hands. They’ve averaged the third-lowest possession of any Premier League side this season – just 45% – and will have no qualms about soaking up pressure to create room for Vardy on the counter.

JAMIE VARDY VS CHRIS SMALLING

The human embodiment of the aforementioned battle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

Jamie Vardy has been unquestionably the best striker in the Premier League this season, leading the scoring charts with 13 goals in 13 appearances, whilst Chris Smalling has been amongst its best defenders, featuring in every minute of Manchester United’s league campaign thus far.

Both are overtly physical players, the Leicester City frontman famed for his industrious power-running and the United centre-half’s awkwardly gangly frame reminiscent of a young Martin Keown, and this battle could well come down to who asserts their athletic attributes best.

That being said, Vardy’s finishing has improved immeasurably since the start of the season. If he can find a yard of space and a slither of goal against Smalling, the 28-year-old is likely to find the net – provided the pressure of the occasion, with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goalscoring record in mind, doesn’t get the better of him.

RIYAD MAHREZ VS MARCOS ROJO/DALEY BLIND

Jamie Vardy may be grabbing all the headlines but the performances of Riyad Mahrez have been arguably more instrumental to Leicester City’s miraculous table-topping rise this season, finding seven goals and six assists in eleven starts whilst averaging the most dribbles per match (3.7) and the eighth most created chances per match (2.4) of any Premier League player.

The Algerian international has proved equally influential on both wings and as a No.10 this season but is most likely to feature in his most common role of right midfield this Saturday, which could spell huge trouble for the Red Devils.

To call United’s left-back situation a crisis would be a tad hyperbolic to say the least. But they’re without a specialist in the absence of Luke Shaw and Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young have all played at No.3 since his injury in September – which shows how unconvinced Louis van Gaal is by his current back-up options.

The likelihood is that either Blind or Rojo will be selected after starting against Watford and PSV respectively, with the other slotting in at centre-back instead amid the absence of Phil Jones.

But either way, the fact neither are left-backs by trade could cause massive problems upon facing the most potent winger in the Premier League.

JUAN MATA VS CHRISTIAN FUCHS

Essentially a reverse of the aforementioned battle between Riyad Mahrez and Marcos Rojo or Daley Blind.

Juan Mata was dropped by Louis van Gaal in midweek, but it would be incredibly surprising if the Spain international wasn’t reinstated for the visit to the King Power stadium, having provided the most goals (4), most assists (3) and created the most chances per match (1.8) of any Manchester United player this season.

The 27-year-old has proved a useful entity on the right of midfield and will likely start there against the Foxes, which will see him go toe-to-toe with summer arrival Christian Fuchs.

Jeffrey Schlupp has missed just one Premier League fixture for Leicester so far this season but something tells me Claudio Ranieri will elect Fuchs’ experience over the 22-year-old’s youthful physicality on Saturday.

The 28-year-old has impressed when in the starting Xi this season, averaging 2.7 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1 created chance per match, and certainly won’t be overawed by the occasion. He’s claimed 72 caps for Austria and made 29 appearances in European competitions for ex-employers Schalke.

That experience could prove far more effective in stopping a winger who relies on guile and intelligence more than pace or power.

WAYNE ROONEY VS N’GOLO KANTE

Wayne Rooney endured yet another tough 90 minutes against PSV in midweek, failing to create a single chance and producing just one effort at goal despite starting in his seemingly preferred No.10 role.

But in the absence of Ander Herrera, the Red Devils skipper seems set to continue in the attacking midfield berth for Saturday’s game, which puts him directly up against Leicester City’s shrewdest signing of the summer – defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante.

The unsung hero behind Leicester City’s impressive form, the Frenchman has averaged the most interceptions (4.2) and the fourth-most tackles (4) of any Premier League player this season, injecting a new element of steel in the Leicester engine room since his summer arrival from Caen.

Rooney’s struggled for room to breathe this season and could endure similar troubles against the 24-year-old, a particularly physical and feisty midfielder.

That being said, you can never rule out England’s all-time leading goalscorer and at some point Rooney will surely turn his wayward form around. With the reward of moving to the top of the Premier League table on the line, we could finally see some improvement from the United captain.

Arsenal star Laurent Koscielny is adamant that the club will be on the same level as Barcelona and Bayern Munich if it wasn’t for their high number of injuries, London Evening Standard reports.

The Gunners’ injury-plagued season continued this past weekend when star midfielder Mesut Ozil was pulled out of the squad with a toe problem, and his absence saw Arsene Wenger’s men only manage to draw Stoke City 0-0 at the Britannia Stadium.

The result may have kept them at the top of the table, but the North London club are tied on points with Leicester City and only one away from title-favourites Manchester City heading into the crunch London derby against Chelsea this Sunday.

And Koscielny believes that if it wasn’t for their constant injury troubles, the team would be well ahead in the league and would be comparable to European champions Barca and Bundesliga giants Bayern.

“We lose too many elements [through injury] during the season,” he told French publication Journal du Dimanche.

“It’s complicated when you cannot count on four or five guys for six months. It’s like that every year, I do not know where it comes from.

“This prevents us from moving a step closer to the top five clubs [in Europe.”

Despite the complaints, the France international is confident Arsenal can win their first Premier League title since 2004.

“The title is not a given, but I’d rather be in this position than chasing the others. There are four months left to play so it will be complicated,” he added.

“The Premier League is becoming more of a level playing field. Average teams can recruit very good players [due to TV money] which until now had only joined the top five teams.

“But after 10 years without a trophy, the FA Cup wins have done us good. For the past three years, we’ve kept our spine. We know each other better so that allows us to win matches that we would have lost before.”

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Having conceded a goal after 18 minutes and another just after an hour, adding to a 2-0 deficit from the first leg earlier this month, Arsenal are facing a real mountain to climb at the Nou Camp.

From 200 fixtures in the Champions League, Arsene Wenger has never claimed a win at Barcelona’s home ground – and to make matters worse, the Catalans are miles above their domestic and European competition at the moment with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar – otherwise known as MSN – scoring an incredible 105 times already this season.

But as the Gunners attempt the seemingly impossible, January signing Mohamed Elneny has delivered a vital lifeline for the Premier League outfit.

Indeed, some smart play in the final third combined with expert movement from Arsenal’s midfield created a pocket of space for the Egyptian international just outside the penalty box, allowing him to apply a curled yet powerful finish into the top corner that Barcelona’s four-time Ballon d’Or winner would be proud of.

Needless to say, Arsenal fans have been expressing their jubilation on social media – although their side need to score three more times to go through!

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Naturally, Manchester United remain as prevalent as ever in the proverbial rumour rumour mill, despite their continued struggles on the pitch.

A spirited late charge to finish in the Champions League spots may at least provide the club’s fans with something to cheer about, yet a major evaluation on the first-team squad will surely be undertaken this summer.

While their current (kind of) good form is currently masking the deep problems at Old Trafford, the daunting figure of Jose Mourinho continues to loom large over his former mentor, Louis van Gaal.

Though it’s unclear as to who will be in charge next season, one thing is for sure: there will be yet another summer of huge investment into the playing staff.

Despite having plundered around a quarter of a billion pounds into the team, the Red Devils still desperately require hefty reinforcements to catch up on the top order of the Premier League. This season may not truly reflect just how far they are behind, due to its brilliant unpredictability, but Pep Guardiola’s arrival across the way at the Etihad Stadium will only prompt them to further invest.

So, with that in mind, here are FIVE big names that could be on their way to Manchester United this summer.

ROMELU LUKAKU

It doesn’t take an overly well connected individual to tell you that Everton forward Romelu Lukaku is attracting the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

After a prolific season on Merseyside, the Belgian marksman has been linked with moves to Bayern Munich, Chelsea and of course, Manchester United.

While he’s likely to be expensive, and Everton have already proved they are no pushovers in matters of this ilk, the 22-year old would surely be worth it.

How often does such a palpable goal threat, proven in the Premier League, with as much time on his side as he does emerge?

Scarily, the former Chelsea ace is only getting better. Pairing him with Anthony Martial is a mouth watering prospect, and one that will only get juicier as both forwards hone their craft.

The forward department is lacking a figurehead, someone to lead the line and hold up play. Martial can do it, but has proved so effective as an incisive option for the left. Skipper Wayne Rooney found his best form before injury, though is noted for his penchant to drop deep.

Lukaku could be just the man to provide a true centre-forward like focal point.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC

Signing Romelu Lukaku makes sense. He’s young enough to prove a sound investment and has plenty of experience on these shores. But this is Manchester United and they do not often make sense in their transfer dealings anymore.

Enter, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Clearly, the superstar Swede is a much bigger name than the aforementioned Everton ace and just because he has no experience in the Premier League does not mean English clubs will be giving him a wide berth this summer.

For a man of such talent, that would be ludicrous.

The huge sums of money that would reportedly be involved in bringing him to the Theatre of Dreams may not be the wisest investment for a player well into the autumn of his career. Still, it’s fun to think about.

The 34-year old has been in rampant form for PSG this term – probably the best season he has had in years – and shows no signs of slowing down just yet.

With Ed Woodward hell bent on landing a ‘Galactico’, and his contract soon to expire, perhaps we could finally see the famous Zlatan try himself out on these shores.

RENATO SANCHES

Despite the need for instant success the club are crying out for, they continue to be linked with 18-year old Benfica starlet Renato Sanches.

The Portuguese international has emerged onto the scene in the last year or so, impressing with a series of robust midfield displays for the Lisbon giants.

He’s a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who often demands the ball before surging forward from the engine room and dragging his team forward.

Though he is still only a teenager, those sort of traits make him the mould of player the Red Devils really could do with being able to call on.

Too often, the United midfield is anything but united. At least the introduction of a talented young dynamo could add a sense of urgency to proceedings.

Obviously, the £40m fee is an astonishing figure for a teenager, but wasn’t the same said about Anthony Martial?

It’s by no means an exact science, though perhaps the Frenchman’s deal will encourage the movers, shakers and decision makers at the Theatre of Dreams into bringing Sanches into the club.

SAUL NIGUEZ

Another exciting youngster has been linked with a blockbuster move to Old Trafford in the shape of Atletico Madrid’s 21-year old starlet, Saul Niguez.

Though age is again on his side, the gifted Spanish midfielder has a stellar pedigree already, establishing himself as a regular in Diego Simeone’s Los Rojiblancos outfit.

Wise beyond his years, the former Real Madrid trainee can be deployed in a number of different positions. This season alone, he’s operated both in central and left midfield berths, while he can also do a decent job as a ball playing centre-half.

Think a classier, less ‘funny face pulling’, all round better version of Phil Jones.

Unlike the England international, Niguez largely does an excellent job wherever he is asked to play and combines his excellent levels of close control with a certain tenacity required to play under a general like Simeone.

JOHN STONES

John Stones seemed set for a move to Chelsea, though Everton stood their ground and refused to budge.

John Stones seemed set for a move to Manchester City, though recent reports suggest incoming manager Pep Guardiola favours a move for Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao despite a recent injury.

So where is John Stones set for next?

Well, there have been rumours of a move to Old Trafford for a number of months, which are bound to intensify should Mourinho eventually take the reins.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ infamously tried and failed to bring the England star to Stamford Bridge, only to lose the battle and eventually his job.

Despite his stock plummeting somewhat in recent months, the 21-year old is obviously still a huge talent for both both club and country.

Yes, at times he is too ponderous in possession, but Daley Blind is surely not a long term option in the centre of defence. His arrival at the club would signal an almost certified replacement for Rio Ferdinand and provide defensive cover for many years to come.

Stones is only going to get better and better as he hones his craft, so United should ensure it is with them.

Listen carefully, I will say zis only once. We are ze French resistancé and we are invading ze Roundábout with our pump-action baguettes becausé your dirty Premier Ligue clubs are trying to steal all zè good French players! Je déteste! Je n’ai pas! Take your dirty, stinky pound sterlings and shove them up your l’oeuf holes!

Enough frog-leggery and back to the very serious matter of today’s transfer lies. But there is a recurring trend throughout today’s edition of Le Roundabout; perhaps for their exceptional cooking skills, perhaps because we all need a few lessons from the stereotypical masters of the horizontal tango, every club in world football wants a Frenchman.

So starting us off is news that Yes We Kante! Or at least, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea Kante because Leicester City’s star midfielder, whose tenacious ball-winning style is the illegitimate lovechild of Claude Makelele and Ramires, has a £20million release clause in his contract. Just leave the cash in an unmarked briefcase under the Arc de Triumph and he’s yours.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are in talks to sign another Frenchman, much to the detriment of fellow flirtatious glancers Manchester United, in Fulham frontman Moussa Dembele. No relation to the Tottenham midfielder of the same name, every journalist to have ever written about the 19-year-old in the last twelve months has felt obliged to mention – as if Mrs. Dembele is either stupid or spiteful enough to give her two sons the exact same first name, only for both to become professional footballers.

Likewise, Spurs are keen to sign a token Frenchman of their own in Lassana Diarra, once of played-a-few-games-for-Arsenal-and-Chelsea-before-lifting-the-FA-Cup-with-Portsmouth fame. Apparently, Marseille took the hilariously negligent measure of inserting a clause in the four-year contract he signed at the start of the season that will allow him to leave the club for free this summer, which makes you wonder why they bothered agreeing a four-year contract in the first place.

Even Barcelona want an onion and garlic merchant in their ranks next season. Indeed, the tiki-taka warriors are ready to cough up £50million for West Ham’s Dimitri Payet. Would he start ahead of Lionel Messi? No. Would he start ahead of Neymar? No. Would he start ahead of Andres Iniesta? No. Would he start ahead of Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets or Ivan Rakitic? No. So why are Barcelona going to pay £50million for him? Who Knows.

And finally, in transfer lies not involving French players, the Keisuke Honda rumours have re-emerged – sorry, Spurs and West Ham fans – whilst the tallest tall tale of the day award goes to Italian publication La Nazione, who claim Fiorentina are demand Manchester United give them teenage goal-scoring demi-god Marcus Rashford in exchange for Steve Buschemi Federico Bernardeschi. Go home La Nazione, you’re drunk.

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Group E – Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Rep of Ireland

Prediction: Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden

Group E kicks-off in Paris on Monday 13th June with arguably its biggest game.

In the new Euros format, the top two teams will qualify from the group stages, but so will the four best third-placed teams from the group stages. That gives the Republic of Ireland and Sweden a big chance to play knock-out stage football at this year’s tournament, but in order to do that, both teams surely need to win their first game of the tournament where they meet each other in Paris to kick off Group E proceedings.

Aside from that, you would expect this group to stay true to form. Belgium will be expected to go far in this tournament, taking advantage of their golden generation – though that is far from a given. The Red Devils will be without captain Vincent Kompany through injury, but Tottenham Hotspur’s solid centre back pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen should come to the fore – though one or both may find themselves inexplicably playing at full back instead.

The question mark hangs over the manager, not the playing squad. Marc Wilmots does seem to lack a plan B beyond throwing the ball long to Marouane Fellaini, a tactic witnessed in Brazil during the heady summer of 2014, and indeed throughout Euro 2016 qualifying. Fellaini himself managed four goals in qualifying whilst noted strikers Michy Batshuayi, Divock Origi, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke managed just three between them. You need more than one dimension to win a major tournament, but negotiating the group stages shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

The other three have gone into past major tournaments with more optimism than this current one. Italy’s squad seems devoid of a top quality striker, and big names are thin on the ground. Sweden’s squad is littered with veterans over 30, including the likes of Andreas Isaksson, Kim Kallstrom, and of course, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ireland, meanwhile, will be relying on a squad’s hard work making them greater than the sum of their parts.

The battle for third will be between Ireland and Sweden, the battle for top between Belgium and Italy, but these are four teams who may play out six fixtures in a much duller fashion than you might be expecting. With Marouane Fellaini, Graziano Pelle, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jon Walters on show, there may be more target man play than there should be.

Watch out for: a lot of hard running, shape and pressing; Zlatan Ibrahimovic brilliance; long balls to Fellaini.

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Carlos Bacca is edging closer to a move from AC Milan to West Ham.

The Colombian has been targeted by the east London club as one of their key transfer priorities this summer and would signal the club’s intentions of the kind of calibre player they want to attract going forward.

With Europa League football a possibility – they need to qualify first – and games being played in their new home at the Olympic Stadium for the first time, the Hammers are trying to show play up the attraction of playing under Slaven Bilic next season as much as possible.

Bacca joins the club from the aforementioned Milan team who have been struggling in Serie A for some time.

It’s an indication too, that for many Serie A players, if you’re not at Juventus, the chances of winning silverware and challenging at the sharp end come too few and far between.

Bacca could just be the first of an exodus from Serie A if Juventus carry on their stranglehold and West Ham could profit further.

So here are FIVE more Serie A players who could join the Colombian at the club…

Joao Miranda

The Brazilian defender is real favourite of Roberto Mancini’s at Inter but West Ham will fancy their chances of bringing him in.

The Hammers must be surely looking for another centre half following the departure of James Tomkins to Crystal Palace and Miranda would be a more than apt replacement.

The Inter man would surely start for the club as they look to leave a mark in Europe.

Lorenzo Insigne

Insigne would inject some pace up top for West Ham. The Italy international hit double figures in both goals and assists last season as Napoli looked like they might topple Juventus at the top of Serie A for some time.

That never came to pass and if the Hammers make a good enough offer for him the club may be tempted to sell giving West Ham a top European level player.

Ivan Perisic

Perisic is a very good left sided midfielder and would add the vital width needed to make the use of Andy Carroll up front.

The Croatian showed his pedigree at EURO 2016 with a number of eye-catching performances for Croatia, capped off with his break-away goal to put Spain away in their group game.

He’s a talented player and might like the idea of linking up with fellow countryman Slaven Bilic.

Juan Camilo Zuniga

Zuniga is a Napoli player but spent last season on loan at Bologna.

It’s rumoured that the Colombian could be set for a move to fellow Premier League side Watford but with the Hammers needing extra players in the right back position they should take a look at Zuniga closely.

He’s experienced in Europe and probably available for a good price meaning he would help West Ham in a number of ways.

Nicola Sansone

Sansone was one of the shining lights for a Sassuolo side that continue to punch above their weight in Serie A.

The Italian can play as a striker or down either wing in a slightly deeper role and could be another player for Bilic to discover and turn into a top drawer talent.

Sansone scored seven goals and added four assists last season in the league and could prove the be a great find in the Hammers go for him.

As a Monty Python once said of Camelot, Deadline Day is a very silly place.

If the glare off Jim White’s yellow tie doesn’t blind you, the constant talk of multi-million deals will eventually make your ears bleed.

The Premier League spent over £1billion on players during the summer transfer window and over £100million on Deadline Day alone, as no less than 66 players left, joined or moved between clubs in the English top flight. In the process, 13 Premier League sides set new club-record transfer fees.

Supply and demand capitalism at it’s dirtiest, the £5billion television deal further inflated price-tags during the summer yet still left the Premier League with plenty in reserve to ensure one of the silliest Deadline Days we’ve seen for years.

All that was missing was a sex toy in a Sky Sports presenter’s ear and Harry Redknapp hanging out of a car window. But rather than bizarre moments of human interaction, it was the flex of economic strength – or rather, an unnecessary showing of fiscal bravado – that made summer Deadline Day 2016 arguably the most ridiculous yet.

And perhaps inevitably, the Premier League reached it’s climax of silliness at around 8pm yesterday evening as not one but two top flight clubs, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, wrestled over the signature of Newcastle United’s Moussa Sissoko.

It’s abundantly clear neither side were wholeheartedly keen on signing the France international, or else his move wouldn’t have come literally moments before the 11pm deadline, but nonetheless, both were prepared to pay a staggering £30million – albeit broken into £6million instalments.

Spurs eventually came out on top as it became increasingly obvious Everton were used as a pawn in a Deadline Day caper equally befitting of a Coen Brothers film. But Toffees fans should be delighted their club missed out on the former Newcastle man. Here’s why.

Sissoko is an enigma in more ways than one. At first glance, he’s built like a box-to-box midfielder capable of asserting physical dominance and energy in the engine room. Perhaps that can be extended to the ‘Yaya Toure’ role just in front, where his power and pace can be given more licence to roam and penetrate on the counter-attack.

Yet, the 26-year-old has spent the vast majority of his Newcastle career on the wing and it’s incredibly telling four different Newcastle managers – Alan Pardew, John Carver, Steve McClaren and Rafa Benitez – all came to the same conclusion that the Frenchman was far less effective on the inside. There are good reasons for that.

First and foremost, Sissoko doesn’t have the brain of a centre-mid; whilst he offers plenty of up-and-down, he doesn’t spread the ball, he doesn’t see the bigger picture and he doesn’t possess the intelligence to control games from that position. Although dynamism is obviously an asset in the Premier League, Sissoko’s is based more on instinct than calculation – that can be incredibly dangerous when you’re part of a two in front of a back four.

Secondly and perhaps more important is Sissoko’s flickering attitude, which changes quicker than British weather. And whilst a team may occasionally get away with a winger throwing a strop, as Sissoko often does, a lack of commitment from men in the middle will more often than not ensure defeat. It’s almost a case of damage limitation – sticking the 44-cap international out wide in case one of his moods strikes.

Of course, Sissoko has proved somewhat effective on the wing – last season he grabbed seven assists in a Newcastle side with no dependable goalscorer that eventually plummeted out of the top flight. But the conundrum remains; Sissoko either looks like a centre-mid playing out wide or an attacking player shoe-horned into a more disciplined midfield role. He’s a never-ending square peg in a bottomless round hole, so which position have Spurs just spent £30million to strengthen? I’m not convinced Daniel Levy truly knows.

Likewise, any accusation of moping about last season, refusing to pull his weight as one of the few standout talents in Newcastle’s starting XI, was seemingly vindicated by Sissoko’s committed performance in the Euro 2016 final. He was arguably the Man of the Match for Les Tricolores and unfortunate to end up on the losing side. Nobody on the pitch put in more effort than him, both defensively and on the break.

But are Spurs buying a Sissoko filled with national pride, or a Sissoko who has protruded a distinct lack of loyalty throughout his Newcastle career? It’s almost a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The former may well be worth £30million but the latter certainly isn’t and for a team like Tottenham Hotspur, whose ability to overachieve stems from the vibrant team spirit at White Hart Lane, Sissoko could quickly prove to be an incredibly debasing influence.

Don’t get me wrong, Sissoko will surely start his Spurs career all guns blazing, covering a phenomenal amount of kilometres and seemingly responsive to Mauricio Pochettino’s every instruction. But what happens when he’s dropped to the bench for a few weeks? Will the same Sissoko emerge upon his return, or the enigmatic, disinterested manifestation who aimlessly wanders around the pitch wondering why Real Madrid haven’t signed him yet?

Everton fans may be disappointed by a low-key inaugural transfer window from Ronald Koeman and an incredibly disappointing Deadline Day; the Toffees went from trying to sign FC Porto’s Yacine Brahimi to settling for West Ham’s Enner Valencia on loan in the space of 24 hours; but Tottenham have undoubtedly done the club a favour.

Spending £30million on a player whose best position remains undetermined, who was clearly someway down their list of summer transfer targets, whose attitude has been constantly questioned throughout his Premier League career and whose performances continually vary between awesome and anonymous only makes sense in the context of the closing hours of arguably the silliest Deadline Day we’ve ever seen.

Everton are better off holding onto their money.

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Without a doubt, Manchester City’s visit to Celtic yesterday evening was the best Champions League game we’ve seen this season.

Pep Guardiola remains the master of attacking football but Brendan Rodgers is a student from the same school of thought; the result was a 3-3 thriller at Celtic Park, packed with goalmouth action and scintillating moves in the final third.

That point puts City in second place in Champions League Group C and Celtic in third – giving both clubs a decent chance of progressing to the Round of 16.

Did you unfortunately miss last night’s match, or simply want to relive it’s best moments? Well, if that’s the case, you’re certainly in the right place.

From illustrious members of the crowd to a poignant embrace at the final whistle, these six photos perfectly capture Celtic and City’s six-goal thriller.

And safe to say, we can’t wait until the two sides meet again in December.

ROD STEWART ROCKS UP

at Celtic Park

Rod Stewart is one of the world’s most famous Celtic fans and rocked up at Celtic Park once ahead of an incredible Champions League night. The Scotsman wasn’t reduced to tears this time – having famously cried after Celtic beat Barcelona a few years ago – but was surely delighted with his team’s display.

BROWN BATTLES AWAY

Scott Brown might have missed out on a place on the scoresheet but he was a key performer at the heart of midfield. The shin-shattering Celtic skipper completed four tackles, five interceptions, two clearances and one block over the course of ninety minutes and was right in the mix throughout. Here, he’s battling Man City’s David Silva.

STERLING CELEBRATES

A failed block from Raheem Sterling on the 20th minute saw the ball skid into the back of his own net. So, as you can tell from his glowing expression, the England international was nothing short of delighted when he managed to level the scoring just eight minutes later. The 21-year-old has been phenomenal since Pep Guardiola took the City hot seat in the summer, netting five goals in ten appearances so far this season.

DEMBELE’S WONDER GOAL

We all knew Moussa Dembele was an exciting talent when Celtic signed him in the summer but the young Frenchman truly proved his world-class potential last night. After inadvertently applying the finishing touch to Celtic’s opener, the 20-year-old completed his brace with a stunning bicycle kick. Above, you can see him landing on the floor and watching his effort fly into the net.

NOLITO’S EQUALISER

It always seemed inevitable Celtic would surrender their lead and Nolito proved that to be the case with 35 minutes remaining. The Spaniard arrived late in the box to tuck away the sixth and final goal of the match, before jubilantly celebrating with his City team-mates.

TOUCHLINE COMRADERY

After playing their parts in an unforgettable Champions League thriller, Pep Guardiola and Brendan Rodgers quickly fell into each others’ arms after the final whistle. There was a great sense of respect between the two managers, who share a devotion to attacking styles of football. We can’t wait for the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium!

Gary Cahill is not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, player to complain about refereeing decisions. Andre Marriner’s call not to stop play for a foul on the defender immediately before Leroy Fer scored for Swansea was strange, and Cahill was right to be annoyed, but unless referees get some help it is unfair to criticise them so extensively.

Clearly, referees make mistakes – they are only human – but there is no intention on their behalf to do wrong. Marriner, just like any other referee, tries to make the right decisions, but that sometimes is not possible.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that managers always claim that referees are biased against them, and fans and in particular young players jump on the bandwagon. Jose Mourinho has claimed of ‘agendas’ and ‘campaigns’ against his teams before, whilst already this season Mark Hughes has claimed that referees are always harsher against his Stoke City than any other team – the fact that Stoke took one point from a possible 15 cannot purely be down to referees, can it?

Football is an emotional sport, and long may that continue, but until referees receive more help through technology, it is not right that they get nothing but criticism. That’s not to say the criticism will soon stop – nothing so far has suggested a change is nigh – but until it does the problem will only grow.

Technology cannot be implemented at all levels of the game, but at least having it at the top level would reduce errors, and therefore high-profile criticism too, and mean that the examples of poor behaviour as a result of perceived injustices would disappear. It would take time, but helping top referees would reduce dissent, abuse and media scrutiny, and that would filter down to grassroots level over a period.

If Match of the Day featured less discussion about referees and focussed more on the game itself, players at youth level would follow their lead. Pundits often get the benefit of replays from several angles, in slow-motion, so until referees do too, why should pundits be allowed to criticise someone who saw an incident once, in real time? That is not a level playing field.

Continuing to ignore the possibility of using technology will only lead to the problems increasing. Mark Hughes will get a touchline ban off the back of his actions last week, but that won’t stop him saying something similar in the future – improving the quality of officiating by having video replays or the like available would: more correct decisions would be made, and with more time to make calls as a team of officials, subjectivity would reduce too.

Until such a time that referees get some help, constant criticism will only make the situation worse. There is already a shortage of officials, and without them, football cannot continue. Without getting more help with decisions, and receiving less abuse in the process, referees will become a dying breed. They are already well on the way to extinction as it is. The only way to encourage more people to take up refereeing is to make it more appealing, and that has to start at the top.

Now is the time to act before it is too late.

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