It perhaps speaks volumes about the nature of the hyperbole that’s managed to sweep around the Luis Suarez incident in recent days, that it’s taken Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher of all people, to emerge as the voice of reason.

Following the Uruguayan’s recent bite to the arm of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic during the two sides’ 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday, the footballing world has quite rightly shown its collective disdain for an act that was as brutishly impromptu as it was freakishly bizarre.

For a 26-year-old man to clasp his jaw around another professional’s arm like that absolutely beggars belief and the fact that Suarez has in fact got previous for the same incident, many have been left wondering with the former Ajax-man truly has a future in the Premier League given his past resume of incidents.

But while it’s important that Liverpool’s number seven is criticized, condemned and dealt with appropriately with retrospective action by the FA, it’s seemed that for some, that’s not quite enough. Far from making him serve his time on the sidelines, the feeling within some quarters is that it’s time for Suarez to pack his bags and leave the Premier League for good.

In recent days, we’ve heard everyone from David Cameron to Mike Tyson weighing in on the Suarez debate, with one rather notorious Fleet Street hack even having the gall to dub the Liverpool striker’s act as one worse than the infamous bite that the latter took out of Evander Holyfield in 1997.

But far from the distant musings outside of English football, it’s been the hypocrisy and damn right lack of judgment that we’ve witnessed from inside the footballing domain that’s been the really disheartening element.

As Carragher elaborated upon in his Mail Online column, while Suarez’s history leaves him in quite some unfavourable stead, he’s not the first person in Premier League history to loose control physically. In fact, when you measure him up against past incidents, his attempted ‘bite’ on Ivanovic doesn’t even see him draw close to the worst offenders we’ve seen.

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Taking the spotlight away from Liverpool for the moment, and in terms of physical incidents that might bring the game into disrepute, Suarez’s nibble on Ivanovic’s arm cannot even hold a candle to the assault that Eric Cantona dished out to Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons back in 1995.

There is a tendency to let bleary-eyed nostalgia and the Frenchman’s cult-status to underplay his now infamous ‘Kung-Fu’ kick, but let’s not forget that Cantona was arrested and charged with assault – one that brought with it a two-week prison sentence before appeal.

But far from being hounded out the country and sold out of disgust, Sir Alex Ferguson did everything in his power to retain his services, following his eight-month ban.

For as uncouth as the sight of Suarez’s bite may have been, it didn’t amount to assault and it most certainly didn’t put the career of another professional in danger, as Roy Keane’s pre-mediated shocker on Alf-Inge Haaland did in 2001.The Ulsterman later admitted he had intentions on going out and ‘hurting’ the Norwegian and he certainly had his desired effect, with his tackle during a Manchester derby playing it’s part in the former Leeds man’s retirement. But of course, that’s nothing compared to Suarez’s peck on the cheek, is it?

But it was listening to one their own – as Carragher so prominently pointed out – that really left you stumbling for words when it came to evaluating the Suarez incident.

There was almost something macabre about Graeme Souness’ public chastising of the Uruguayan during his work as a pundit for Sky Sports on the weekend, as the man who once broke another professional’s jaw during his time at the club, called out Suarez for putting the club in a ‘very very bad light indeed.’

Three European cups or not, a hypocrite is still a hypocrite and regardless of what era you’re in or how football has evolved since 1984, it seems somewhat astounding that Souness can pass opinion on Suarez’s misdemeanor. But far from simply offer conjecture, the damage inflicted by his and others’ take on Suarez has already cast its shadow over Fleet Street.

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Let’s make no mistake here – although Suarez hasn’t broke anyone’s jaw or leg, what we witnessed at Anfield was a truly shocking piece of behavior and it feels really quite hard to comprehend that this is something the 26-year-old has already been found guilty of once before. He will take his ban – one would assume a lot longer than just the three games – and rightfully serve it.

But when he returns, let that be the end of it. Suarez’s bite had no place in the game, but it wasn’t a sin that he should have to pay the ultimate price for. Putting Suarez the man to one side, Suarez the footballer is one of the best there is plying his trade in Europe today.

We’ve welcomed back footballers after witnessing far worse crimes than Luiz Suarez’s bite. It’s worth remembering that before the campaign to hound him out of English football sets into full swing.

Former Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic is thought to be on Manchester United’s radar after becoming a key member of Benfica’s team, according to Sport 360.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to be in the market for reinforcements in the middle of the park for next season, with Paul Scholes tipped to retire for a second time in the summer and question marks existing over the long-term future of illness stricken Darren Fletcher.

The Serbian enforcer is one of the names being looked at by Ferguson and his scouting network and another standout performance against Newcastle in the Europa League won’t have gone unnoticed.

Magpies manager Alan Pardew was extremely impressed with Matic’s display for the Portuguese league leaders on Thursday and made a point of commenting about it in his post-match interviews.

He said: “The way they kept the ball was fantastic, but Matic in particular. The way he has grown since he has gone away from Chelsea, he’s a terrific player for them.”

Matic’s opportunities were restricted to just three first-team outings during his two-year stay at Stamford Bridge, before moving to Portugal in January 2011 as part of the deal that saw David Luiz head in the opposite direction.

However, he has clearly developed with a regular run in Benfica’s starting eleven after finally getting his chance for them following Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel’s transfers to Manchester City and Zenit St Petersburg respectively.

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Excluding teenager Nick Powell and the return of Paul Scholes, Sir Alex hasn’t signed a central midfielder since Owen Hargreaves in 2007.

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The controversies surrounding Carlos Tevez’s initial move to England with West Ham have been replaced by other equally infamous stories. The transfer from the red half of Manchester to the blue; the retreat to Argentina following the episode at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich; the persistent stories linking him with a move away.

Is it so bad that no other English club – a fourth English club – has found use for the 29-year-old? Almost as if to say, collectively, the Premier League is sorry to let go of such a headline-producing figure.

£10 million rising to £12 million may seem like peanuts in today’s market – because it is. Tevez may be at that stage of his career where it’s his ‘last big contract,’ but he’s still a 20 goal-a-season striker, more than capable of leading the charge for any of the top teams in Europe. Yet it isn’t such a bad thing that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham have failed to capitalise on his move out of the Etihad Stadium.

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The unwavering power in his game, the desire shown on the pitch and the capacity to match the very best he’s thrown in against would indicate that Juventus have indeed landed a star striker, the club now fully able to launch potentially devastating tandem with Fernando Llorente also in the fold as they seek their third Serie A title in as many years. But Italy is new to Tevez, it’s a different adventure and one where the poorly taken steps of his career in England won’t be so pronounced.

Juventus don’t need a star to legitimise their efforts for this season. The Italian champions have Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, a monster three-man backline headed by Giorgio Chiellini; Tevez is joining a proven group of winners and adding to their bid to transfer domestic success onto the European stage. It would be completely different at any of the three suggested teams in England.

It shouldn’t be misinterpreted: for his abilities and contributions on the pitch, Tottenham and Arsenal would both see value in Tevez, combined with the minimal fee Manchester City have reduced themselves to. It’s the off-pitch personality that neither team need.

Spurs are already dealing with the persistent nuisance from abroad with regards to Gareth Bale and Andre Villas-Boas is trying to reshape a squad in his own image – one that saw him to such success while managing in Portugal. Like their north London rivals, Tottenham also need a marquee name in attack, someone who can finally take them over the line and help to secure Champions League football on a regular basis. Tevez, however, isn’t the long-term fix they need. On the pitch he’ll do what they need and probably more. Off it, you never know what you’re going to get. Coupled with his wage demands that were unlikely to deviate too far from his previous contract at Manchester City, it just rounds out to a deal that Spurs could have afforded to miss.

The lack of interest from within the Premier League for Tevez – his most notable suitors ahead of Juventus were Monaco and PSG – should also say a lot about the value English clubs have found abroad. Tevez isn’t the only 20 goal-a-season striker who could be had for a financial package that amounts to a good investment. Can anyone really argue that Arsenal haven’t picked up a better deal in Gonzalo Higuain if the mooted £22 million deal goes ahead? What about Tottenham and the links they have with Leandro Damiao and Roberto Soldado? One is a proven goal scorer in Europe, while the former is a Brazilian international with the potential to further enhance his reputation in the Premier League.

For Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool, it makes absolutely no sense. The club are targeting bargain buys in the most literal sense of the phrase, all the while ensuring that they remain smart in their building and receive the best return for their meagre outlay. Should Luis Suarez depart Anfield this summer, a replacement like Tevez might not do a lot to totally appease supporters. The Argentine isn’t a player who you can invest a lengthy project in. Adding his age into the mix, it doesn’t fit the bill for what the club are looking for on the transfer front.

An interesting (or damning) stat is that Tevez hasn’t scored in the Champions League since his final season at Old Trafford. Of course, there was the fallout from the incident at the Allianz Arena, but then City could have done with someone of his experience in the competition last season when they failed to advance out of the group stage yet again. The player himself doesn’t need a project; he needs to go where the pressure is lessened significantly.

Manchester City may have an immediate feeling that they didn’t quite get value for money in the sale of Tevez – Robin van Persie and Andriy Shevchenko are comparable transfers. But Premier League clubs haven’t missed a beat by any means. There are far better options suited to the needs of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal. At 29, the Argentine isn’t quite at the age anymore to be considered a signing of great intent.

Have Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool missed out on Carlos Tevez?

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It appears almost certain at this point that Wayne Rooney will not be a Manchester United player by the end of the summer. The England international has burned too many bridges with the fans, Sir Alex Ferguson and apparently David Moyes, whilst the Premier League champions themselves have done worryingly little to appease Rooney, or quash his concerns of playing second fiddle to Robin Van Persie in the preluding campaign to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The only viable suitors on the horizon are Chelsea, capable of coughing up the cash in terms of transfer fees and wage demands, and also the only English club that can offer Rooney  a similar level of success to what he’s become accustomed to at Old Trafford, barring a shock move to Manchester City. Jose Mourinho has made no qualms about his pursuit of the striker, admitting openly and honestly during a press conference on the Blues’ pre-season tour that Chelsea’s transfer policy this summer can be described in a nutshell as “Rooney or bust”.

So the Red Devils are in the market to sell as long as the price is right, despite David Moyes insisting otherwise at every opportunity, and Jose Mourinho is keen to buy, but could the potential Rooney deal leave the new United boss blue in the face?

The fall-out from Rooney’s transfer will affect David Moyes’ reputation for better or worse, yet  there is little doubt that the current summer scenario is straight out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial hand-book. The Premier League champions have a knack of selling their best players in their prime, with a host of examples throughout Ferguson’s long reign at Old Trafford.

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Jaap Stam was sold to Lazio in 2001, despite being regarded as one of the best central defenders in Europe at the time, David Beckham was allowed to leave for Real Madrid in 2003, aged just 28 and with another ten years of his career yet to go, Carlos Tevez was surrendered to Manchester City in 2009, regardless of the fact he’d played in and won a Champions League final for the Red Devils a year previous, and went on to net 73 times in 138 appearances for the noisy neighbours, before moving to Juventus this summer. Cristiano Ronaldo was sold on for immense profit in 2009, whilst Ruud Van Nistelrooy was surprisingly usurped from the first team in 2006, despite netting 21 goals in 35 appearances during his final season in Manchester.

With the exception of Ronaldo, none were sold on the basis that offers received from potential suitors were too good to turn down. Rather, the practice of deconstructing the United first team and shifting the club’s best players is part of what Steve McLaren describes as Ferguson’s ‘helicopter view’ of the Red Devils, noticing Premier League trends before they happen, and making sure no individual becomes too well acquainted with their surroundings at Carrington. The old adage that no player becomes bigger than the club itself is constantly maintained, whilst room is made for the next generation of stars to burst through, and it’s hard to argue against a method of longevity that has brought United unprecedented success over the last twenty years.

The hole Rooney leaves behind will most likely be filled by Shinji Kagawa. The 24 year old is by no means a Rooney replica, and regular inclusion in the first team in a more central role than last season will require some tactical modification on David Moyes’ part, but with few viable alternatives on the horizon, and the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Mario Gotze and Christian Eriksen already passing United by this summer, it appears the mantle will be passed to Kagawa, with full confidence from the Red Devils management.

The Japan international struggled to adapt at times last term, but finished up with six goals and three assists from 20 domestic appearances, despite spending two months out with a knee injury picked up in a Champions League tie against Braga, and also confronting the language barrier. At former club Borussia Dortmund, Kagawa was utilised in a supporting role to Robert Lewandowski and recorded 21 goals in 48 domestic appearances in the space of two years, picking up two Bundesliga titles along the way. The Red Devils invested £17million in the attacking midfielder last summer, and to suggest Kagawa was touted as Rooney’s successor from the point of his signing would hardly be a wild theory.

The process has worked time and time again for the 13-time Premier League champions, but I have my doubts regarding the current situation with Wayne Rooney. The England man finished last campaign with 10 goals and 12 assists in 27 domestic appearances, fielded only twice in his preferred capacity as an out-and-out striker. At the same time, Rooney’s United record stands at 197 goals in 400 appearances, and the forward has claimed five Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League title during his nine years at Old Trafford.

It seems the 27 year old’s main crime is a distain to playing second-fiddle to Robin Van Persie, whilst others have complained over Rooney’s apparent lack of fitness, despite playing in 37 fixtures last season, and averaging over forty appearances per term throughout his United career. On a business front, this summer represents the best opportunity to sell the striker, a campaign before his contract enters its final year and his value begins to plummet as a result.

But making selection and transfer policy based upon business decisions is dangerous territory, and it appears from the outside at least that the Red Devils are essentially surrendering one of the English top flight’s most proven goal-scorers and creators in the final third to a divisional rival who present the biggest threat to United’s title defence next season, simply for the sake of it. Instead, the club will be reliant upon Robin Van Persie for goals, a striker who was 30 less career goals than Rooney, 19 less Premier League goals than Rooney, and in two weeks time, will be three years older than Rooney.

At the same time, the Red Devils are losing the vital element to their strikeforce. Currently, they have the best attack in the Premier League, with Van Persie, Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck  providing great contrast and diversity in style, physicality, strengths and weakness, whilst also representing variation in age and proven track record. But United will suddenly find themselves eclipsed in attack should Rooney jump ship to Stamford Bridge and join up with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku, whilst recent acquisitions at City have added Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic alongside Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero.

Options up-front was undoubtedly United’s biggest strength amid their successful 2012/2013 campaign, but a large chunk of their unrivalled depth laid in Rooney’s versatility. Van Persie and Hernandez are both capable of twenty goals a-piece, and the Mexican international deserves a fairer share of game time, but Danny Welbeck’s inability to find the net is well-known, whilst none on the Red Devils roster, excluding Kagawa, appear capable of taking over the Rooney’s dual role at the tip of United’s midfield.

The fact is, all that Manchester United are gaining from the Rooney deal is a sum between £25million and £35million, money which the club simply doesn’t need, and considering the England international’s availability is well known, I’d predict that his price tag will be closer to the former figure rather than the latter.

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Without a viable replacement on the horizon, with every established European attacking midfielder and striker already accounted for this summer barring a few exceptions, Rooney’s departure looks set to leave integral holes in the United squad, whilst his unique characteristics, with creativity and composure in the final third, the ability to score from a variety of ranges and chances, a raw energy, robustness and hard-working attitude, and one of the most proven track-records in terms of end product in the top flight, will be willing handed to United’s biggest foes in Chelsea and Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils have little to gain and a lot to lose from selling a player that is currently the heart-beat of the first team, and David Moyes is taking a huge risk in axeing one of his most established players simply for the sake of change. Should Rooney’s form pick up upon his arrival in West London, the critics will come calling, but even before the incoming Premier League season gets underway, United will have to source a new recruit of similar quality and reputation. At the moment that man appears to be Cesc Fabregas, but should the Spaniard wish to stay put, there aren’t too many transfer alternatives for David Moyes that can claim to be a similar caliber to the England international. Rooney’s transfer has huge scope to backfire, and leave the new Red Devils boss blue in the face amid his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

Do United stand little to gain from selling Wayne Rooney?

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There’s a growing contingent of German internationals at the Emirates which seem to enjoy mucking around together on Twitter.

Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil are no strangers to broadcasting their traditional Deutschland mischief via social media, but their shared nationality has also positively contributed to Arsenal’s recent rise in form, which has seen them lead the pack at the top of the Premier League table this season.

The Bundesliga is a competition fast growing in reputation, quality and stature, and many English clubs are now viewing the German top flight as an exciting recruitment pool with cheap cost – including Arsene Wenger, who is reportedly planning on adding to his small collection of Germans in the coming transfer window.

With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of FIVE of the German top flight’s rising stars that the Gunners gaffer should look to snap up in January.

CLICK ON JULIAN DRAXLER TO REVEAL THE FIVE BUNDESLIGA BOYS TO FOLLOW OZIL TO ARSENAL

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For all Tottenham’s transfer activity in recent seasons, it is the acquisition of a certain French stopper that is for me their stand out bit of business. Signed in the summer of 2012 for an initial fee of just £8m from French giants Lyon, Lloris represented genuine world-class pedigree for a side looking to step up from being the great underachievers.

After a slow settling in period to Premier League life, Lloris has finally established himself as one of the best performers in the whole league. Many would place him in the top bracket amongst the likes of Petr Cech and David de Gea, and I would argue that such praise is wholly justified.

Four clean sheets from his opening five games in the league this season really started to highlight how far the defensive unit had come under AVB. A continued belief in a high line with the talented sweeper keeper Lloris in behind to mop up any unnecessary danger. As many know the football wasn’t the best, but for Spurs defensive solidity had been achieved for one of the first times in last decade or so.

Fast forward to 2014 and the Spurs back line is in a state of disarray. Sherwood’s gung-ho attitude has exacerbated the problems left by the ruin of the AVB tenure. Whether it is coincidental or not, Lloris just hasn’t looked like the same keeper ever since his clash with Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park in November; less the assured sweeper, now a calamitous kamikaze style stopper that leaves fans wincing at the sight of him charging out.

It is easy to sensationalise and clearly Lloris is far from entering the Gomes or Robinson categories for Spurs yet, but his drop in form has been both notable and worrying at the same time. At the start of the season Lloris’ decision making was almost faultless, and when he did make a move he was as composed as he was decisive. Watching the recent win over United and you noticed a sense of nervousness amongst the whole defence, unconvincing from crosses and looking incredibly open when balls were played in behind them.

Should Lloris be taking the brunt of the blame here?

I don’t think the defenders and goalkeeper should be treated as stand alone, clearly one impacts upon the other and at Spurs this is no different. Possibly the result of transition from one manager to another, the organisation of the back line has been close to non-existent. Ravaged by injury, the current Chiriches/ Dawson partnership has seen Spurs consistently beaten by balls in behind with poor communication and an inability to hold a line the underlying problems. To make matters worse, rather than having the assurance and pace of a Vertonghen at the back you now have two rather haphazard centre halves that seem unable to react to any piercing of the back line. In the past Vertonghen and at times Walker have worked in tandem with Lloris to track back and cover any break in the line, the feeling during both the Arsenal and united games was that Lloris is very much on his own out there and paying the price for it.

Lloris has always been on the rash side, its what makes him one of the best sweeper keepers in the world and something that should be nurtured rather than changed. Yes he will naturally come under fire for blunders and periods where he looks reckless at the back, but if Spurs want to rectify things they need to look at their centre halves above all else.

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Sherwood has made no secret of the current injury crisis, and I don’t think it has helped Spurs at all given the fact they have played what has been at times a 3rd or 4th choice backline during the winter. For me the return of Vertonghen is crucial, an assured defender that is comfortable playing the offside trap but also capable of working in tandem with Lloris in goal.

A full week of training under Sherwood may help to patch things up in the mean time, but until the return of Vertonghen many fear that the chaos at the back will only continue.

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Arsene Wenger insists Mesut Ozil will return from his break a better player, whilst also claiming Arsenal’s record signing may be putting too much pressure on himself, reports the Guardian.

Ozil has come under fire of late for a string of below par performances, which culminated in a tame penalty miss in the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich last week and leaving Arsenal as huge outsiders to progress in Sportsbook Review.

The former Real Madrid man has since been allowed to return to Germany for some time to recharge his batteries, and missed last weekend’s 4-1 win over Sunderland.

But Wenger insists the German looked fresh in training upon his return, and is ready to help Arsenal try and claim their first league title since 2004.

The Gunners sit just a single point behind Chelsea going into the weekend’s fixtures, and Ozil is set to be recalled to the first team.

“I never tell Mesut: ‘You have to win us the game,'” Wenger said when discussing the pressure placed on the club’s record £42.5million signing.

“He shouldn’t do that. It’s down to the performance of the team. But maybe he feels that a bit in a different way than I do. I just want him to enjoy it and play well.

“It is difficult for him mentally to be confronted with that pressure every three days and in every single competition. But he will adapt. He had a difficult game [against Bayern] because he missed that penalty and it was on his mind. Sometimes, when you are under this kind of pressure, it’s good to refresh.”

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“Many clubs have two days off,” he added.

“We played since the beginning of December, we don’t have to justify why we have two days off. I don’t see why that suddenly is a problem. It’s unbelievable. We are in a society where everybody wants to control everything. It is unusual? We are entitled to do unusual things.”

At time of writing, Luis Suarez hasn’t been ruled out of the World Cup. The Uruguayan FA have confirmed surgery on the player’s knee and that the injury was sustained during Liverpool’s last league game against Newcastle.

The news of Suarez’s race against time to be fully fit for the World Cup would have been music to the ears of England and the nation’s supporters, who are set to meet Uruguay in the second group game of the tournament. Liverpool fans won’t mind a potential summer off for their star striker, either. A chance to recuperate and keep himself out of the shop window – though not entirely, of course – is a bonus to Brendan Rodgers and the club.

Of course, there is the other side of the argument to say Suarez could return to Liverpool later this summer completely deflated at having missed out on a South American World Cup. Let’s not dismiss how important this event is for the entire continent. The last South American World Cup was Argentina 1978. Suarez is a competitor and a winner; there’s absolutely no doubt he’d want to be a part of this tournament.

But in the event this setback keeps him out for good, is it really what fans of football in general want? We saw a similar situation come up late last year when Portugal went head-to-head with Sweden in a playoff for a place at the summer tournament in Brazil. One way or another football would lose out on a global superstar and the tournament would be worse off for it. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at 33, has more than likely missed his last chance to play at a World Cup finals.

The same isn’t the case for Suarez on a personal level, but the World Cup is a celebration of the game and a part of it would remain in the shade without the standout player from the Premier League this past season. There’s understandable selfishness from England and Liverpool supporters over the news of the player’s injury, but really, we do want to see stars like Suarez perform on the game’s biggest stage.

It should also not be overlooked that this is a sizeable blow to Uruguay ahead of kickoff on 12th June. It goes without saying that Suarez is a key piece of the Uruguay team, but his importance goes beyond his obvious star-status in world football.

Uruguay at times use all three of Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan in attack, with Forlan playing through the middle as a striker or deep-lying forward, and the other two able to play anywhere across the front three. It’s part of the mystery surrounding Uruguay’s tactics, in that you never know what formation they’ll deploy. Naturally it’s a key aspect to their success.

Throughout the day, there have been recollections and further analysis of the injury suffered by the Liverpool forward. The surgery will reportedly require three weeks to heal before Suarez can compete, meaning he should be fit for the majority of the tournament.

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It’s still early days in regards to this news and it will take some more time to understand whether we’ll see Suarez at the World Cup and if he’ll be fully fit. But the disappointment for him would be huge if he can’t effectively take part. England supporters will find some comfort in his potential absence from the group stages, but I can’t buy into the idea that Liverpool will benefit from a broken and dejected Suarez later this summer.

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Ezequiel Lavezzi has been one of a small handful of strikers linked to Liverpool after the club’s move for Loic Remy broke down.

Lavezzi had a good World Cup for Argentina, and with Paris Saint-Germain desperate to offload Lavezzi, among others, now is the time to capitalise on the 29-year-old’s availability.

But it would be a complete contrast to what Liverpool have bought thus far into the summer. Lavezzi may only be three years Adam Lallana’s senior, but the Argentine, with his age in mind, doesn’t represent good value for money for Brendan Rodgers; certainly not in the way you can explain away Lazar Markovic’s transfer fee.

In addition, Lavezzi is coming off a particularly underwhelming two seasons in Paris. He may have held importance for Argentina on their right flank, and scored the opener at home to Chelsea in the Champions League last season, but the forward doesn’t offer Liverpool anything they don’t already have.

With Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert the only centre-forward options in Rodgers’ squad, the team are worryingly light of numbers, and Lavezzi wouldn’t really do much to address that problem. Yes, he does have a history of playing through the middle, but he is most effective playing wide of a centre forward and, based on his two years in France, doesn’t have the scoring record that would warrant the fee PSG are likely to demand, said to be in the region of £16 million.

His upside, however, is clear. Lavezzi does have experience in European football with both PSG and Napoli, and has lifted silverware with both clubs. With a youthful and inexperienced squad at Anfield, someone of the Argentine’s experience would be of use in the Champions League.

The problem for Liverpool is that they need to be shrewd with their remaining purchases, having already spent a combined £45 million on Lallana and Dejan Lovren from Southampton, and a further £20 million on Markovic, who occupies the same position as Lavezzi.

That’s why there should be some degree of regret over the Remy deal. At £8 million, the Frenchman would have added the goals needed in Liverpool’s attack, as well as the versatility to effectively play in Rodgers’ system. Lavezzi, at double the price, doesn’t offer that, and at 29, he will naturally need some time to adapt to the Premier League.

There are other options available to Liverpool, with Wilfried Bony available and Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette an exciting forward who scored 15 league goals for the French side last season.

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Juventus are also said to be interested in Lavezzi, which will suit him far more than Liverpool considering his experience of playing in Serie A.

But as for Brendan Rodgers, unless the deal is too good to pass up, he should be looking for a striker who can offer Liverpool something much more long term than the Argentine, as well as the ability to play effectively through the middle as an alternative or partner to Daniel Sturridge.

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On summer deadline day 2014, Arsenal Football Club found themselves a new hero. Not £16million signing Danny Welbeck, but the anonymous character whom, either by fortune, fate or design, kept Arsene Wenger out of north London for the final day of the transfer window.

The former Manchester United forward is by no means the greatest signing in Arsenal’s history. That may seem rather presumptuous, but compared to their £11million swoop for Thierry Henry, £2.7million signing Robin van Persie or £3.5million former skipper Patrick Vieira, clearly there have been better pound-for-pound acquisitions over the years.

He is, however, the signing Arsenal desperately needed as they approached the end of the summer window. With Olivier Giroud picking up an injury against Everton that will see him sidelined until at least the turn of 2015, the Gunners’ attack would have been left without a vocal point for the next six months. One can easily envisage the role being passed between Alexis Sanchez, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott and Yaya Sanogo, none providing the potency, physical presence or hold-up play required. That would have ended Arsenal’s planned Premier League title charge before it had even started.

Likewise, £16million is a sensational price for an established England international. Welbeck boasts ten goals and 28 appearances for the Three Lions, yet Luke Shaw on three caps and Adam Lallana on nine, joined Manchester United and Liverpool respectively this summer for a combined £55million. In fact, Arsenal paid the same for Welbeck as they did Calum Chambers, an Englishmen – albeit laced with enormous potential – who had made just 25 competitive league appearances in his entire career before moving to the Emirates.

Not bad for a 23 year-old  who has proved himself useful in every attacking role, possesses a physique as godly as Cristiano Ronaldo’s, a work-rate as intense as Roy Keane’s and has already experienced the top level of the game with the national team and Manchester United. Inconsistencies exist within Welbeck’s game, but his potential is equally evident.

Rather surprisingly however, Wenger has since revealed that the England forward wouldn’t be an Arsenal player right now if he was in London on deadline day – fortuitously, some bright spark had organised for the Frenchman to referee the ‘Match for Peace’ charity event in Rome, an idea spawned from the mind (or channelled to him directly by God, depending upon your personal beliefs) of the impeccably popular Pope Francis.

Wenger wanted a loan deal instead; arguably a more sensible option, but all-the-more an incredibly unrealistic one, considering United will expect to challenge for the same league spots as Arsenal this season and van Gaal’s pejorative opinions on Welbeck are unlikely to be any different in a year’s time.

In short, if the Gunners gaffer had been in London to insist upon a temporary switch as per his wishes, the nightmare of a striker-less Arsenal for the next half-season, or at least an Arsenal dependant on wide-men to play up front, would now be a reality. Forget the Premier League title – even the chances of retaining fourth spot for the third season in a row  and preserving Wenger’s impeccable record of Champions League qualification would have taken a significant hit.

The Arsenal manager clearly has faith in his players to overcome any obstacle, often wearing that loyalty like a badge of honour. But this is just one instance in a dangerous pattern that continually limits Arsenal’s potential as a top European side, that pattern being Arsene Wenger’s  idealistic, unrealistic and thoughtless approach in the transfer market.

The Gunners spent over £80million this summer, making it by far the most lucrative transfer window in the club’s history, and the need for an alternative to Olivier Giroud at the spearhead of the attack has existed for some time. One could even argue it’s existed since the France international moved to the Emirates in summer 2012, considering he was never likely to singlehandedly parallel the 37 goals scored by Robin van Persie the season previous.

Since then, Wenger’s failed to capitalise on opportunities to sign Loic Remy, Gonzalo Higuain, Mario Mandzukic, Mario Balotelli, Stevan Jovetic and Radamel Falcao to name a few. Yet the brief moment transfers are out of his control, a striker turns up in North London; none of the £80million spent in the summer  was reserved for an out-and-out front-man, and it took other sections of the club, acting without Wenger, to find a pragmatic solution to Grioud’s injury.

This isn’t even the first instance this summer of Wenger overlooking drastic flaws in his squad  – Arsenal needed a holding midfielder and extra bodies in defence too, and now, after just six games into the new season, they’ve already been forced to maximise their defensive depth. Youngster Hector Bellerin could resultantly be forced to start against Borussia Dortmund tonight, making a Champions League debut in only the tenth competitive fixture of his career.  Having faith in your players is all well and good, but that faith is futile when it’s spent on overcoming perpetual, self-inflicted injury crises, rather than challenging for silverware.

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But fear not Arsenal fans for the solution is clear, and provided unto you by God himself – just get rid of Arsene Wenger on deadline day every September and August, and you might actually start signing the players you need.

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