Steven Gerrard’s Rangers reign got off to a winning start on Thursday night, and fans were particularly impressed by the performance of young Glenn Middleton.

Rangers opened their competitive account for the season with a 2-0 win over Macedonian side FK Shkupi on Thursday, a week after thumping six past Bury in a pre-season friendly.

There is certainly a lot of work left for Gerrard to do, as some of the passing combinations in midfield were slow and ponderous, and Josh Windass and Alfredo Morelos struggled to make any imprint on the game.

However, there were loads of positives to take from the game, notably the rapid combinations and moves down the right hand side, mostly through James Tavernier.

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One man who impressed more than anyone else though was Middleton, who came off the bench in the second half and made an instant impact.

The 18 year-old, who joined from Norwich in January, was making his competitive debut for the Gers, but certainly wasn’t scared of the occasion.

In the 11 minutes he played in place of Windass, the teenager showed off his electric pace, quick feet and excellent decision making.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are starting to feel they might just have something special…

Arsenal have managed to bring in five new faces to the club but importantly they seem set to keep one of their more important players. 

Although he didn’t start his career at Arsenal very well, since then Nacho Monreal has become one of the club’s most underrated and underappreciated players.

Recently reports have linked the Spaniard with a move to La Liga side, Real Sociedad but according to Mundo Deportivo, via talkSPORT, that Sociedad have pulled out of a potential deal for the Arsenal man.

The Breakdown

Entering his seventh season for the Gunners, Monreal became one of a handful of players to actually perform anywhere close to his potential last season. Amid a host of terrible losses and disappointment.

With Emery’s arrival there some rumours that Monreal had become surplus to requirements. With Sead Kolasinac as the only available left-back in the team aside from Monreal, it wouldn’t have made much sense for Emery to get rid of such a solid and consistent performer.

Every team needs depth at every position, and with both Monreal and Kolasinac, Arsenal may have two of the better left-backs in the league.

After a brilliant start to his career at Arsenal, Kolasinac spent much of the second-half of the season coming on as a substitute.

Arsenal have done some great business so far this window, and retaining Monreal will follow that trend.

With 162 league appearances for Arsenal under his belt, it looks as though Monreal is set to build on that next season.

Happy with this Gunners fans? 

This summer, Manchester City had only been expected to bring in a midfielder and winger through the door.

And while manager Pep Guardiola has had no luck yet with the former after losing out on Jorginho to Chelsea, the Spaniard has seen Riyad Mahrez arrive at the Etihad from Leicester City in a club-record deal.

However, according to the notorious Don Balon, Manchester City could also be eyeing up a move for a forward before the transfer window closes shut next month.

The Breakdown

The Spanish publication reports the Premier League champions are prepared to pay up to £35m for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.

Benzema, who is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, could be on his way out of the Bernabeu with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez looking at bringing in a new batch of galacticos – to shake things up – following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Benzema, as a result, could end up as a casualty. But given Manchester City’s current options up front, a move to the Etihad makes no sense.

Despite not being as efficient in front of goal as he once was, Benzema is still a very effective centre-forward. He links up play well and, ultimately, would be a very good fit in a Guardiola side.

However, in Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, Guardiola has two of the most lethal strikers in English football right now.

Quite simply, Manchester City do not have any room for Benzema, while Guardiola will be more concerned with improving his squad in midfield.

Newcastle’s transfer summer has been average at best as Rafa Benitez’s search for additions has been hamstrung by the club’s lack of a transfer budget. 

The club are looking to add to their defence, attack and midfielder following the departures of Jack Colback and Mikel Merino.

The Sunday Times is now reporting that Newcastle have joined West Ham in the race to sign Lille midfielder, Thiago Mendes.

The Breakdown

The Brazilian midfielder is one of West Ham’s top targets this summer and it seems Newcastle may have to work quickly to complete a deal. Moreover, the price stated is £18 million which would surely be too much for Mike Ashley who’s informed Benitez that the club must sell before they can buy.

The 26-year-old midfielder has attracted interest from Germany, Italy and is regarded as one of the better players in France. A holding midfielder, Mendes has the ability to receive the ball under pressure, play forward but also burst from midfield to help the attack. The midfielder was essential for Lille last season, playing 31 games for the club and was a big reason as to why the club avoided relegation. Newcastle have four central midfielders in the squad as it stands, although Isaac Hayden will likely leave the club before the end of the transfer window and need to add some quality.

If Newcastle pulled this deal off, it would be a major coup and one that might win the fans over for Mike Ashley. However, with his fee likely to be close to the club’s record £22.5 million transfer it’s probably unlikely that Ashley would splash the cash on the Brazilian.

Thoughts Newcastle fans? 

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo, according to The Independent.

What’s the story?

The 28-year-old joined United back in 2014 and has gone on to make 68 league appearances for the Red Devils.

The Argentina international has struggled with injury problems and only featured nine times in the Premier League last season under Jose Mourinho.

According to the report, United are looking to move the defender on in order to raise funds for transfers and Wolves are interested in signing the defender who is valued at £16.2million on Transfermarkt.

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Do Wolves need him?

Wolves have had a strong transfer window so far with notable additions being Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio who will add experience and quality to the starting eleven.

Rojo is a versatile defender who can play as a centre-back and left-back, but Wolves will have to spend a significant amount to bring him to the Molineux, and his injury record doesn’t make for great reading.

He would add Premier League experience to the Wolves squad and much-needed reassurance at the back but he won’t come cheap for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Mourinho cut a deflated figure on the touchline at Manchester United several times this summer. The Portuguese boss has continued his disgruntlement at Old Trafford into pre-season. A final flurry of signings may lift his mood before United take on Leicester City on Friday night.

Leicester City will be no easy challenge for the Old Trafford outfit. They carry the threat of Jamie Vardy, who has been lethal for the Foxes for several seasons now, and the England international striker is backed up by a talented midfield and defence.

World Cup star man Harry Maguire will likely be patrolling the Foxes defence, and getting past the England man will be no easy task for the United attack. The East Midlands outfit have also splashed out this summer on the signing of James Maddison, for a fee believed to be around the £20m mark. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder was one of the brightest talents in the second tier last season, and Manchester United would be foolish to underestimate the abilities of the youngster.

With that in mind, Mourinho will need to ensure these two signings are over the line before United face Leicester….

One way to stop the problem of getting past the commanding, ball-playing centre-back, would be to sign him.

Leicester City have so far tried to resist a Manchester United approach for their star defender.

Harry Maguire is in many ways the perfect modern centre-back. He wins almost everything in the air, rarely gets drawn into going to ground, is a huge threat from set-pices, and composed enough on the ball to make surging runs into midfield to overload the opposition.

Signing Maguire before they face Leicester City would be a huge blow to the Foxes.

Mourinho would surely love to have Willian in his United line-up when the Red Devils face Leicester.

The 29-year-old Brazilian has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in this window. His set-piece ability would test Leicester’s defensive organisation, and the general quality of his attacking play would stretch the Foxes defence and create space for United’s forward players.

Mourinho has worked with Willian before and knows his strengths and would likely get his United side to play for them. The Portuguese boss needs to ensure he gets this deal over the line before the Leicester City opening Premier League fixture.

According to ESPN, Arsenal failed in their attempt to sign Ousmane Dembele due to Barcelona’s reluctance to sell, but they should have been focusing on Boca Juniors winger Cristian Pavon.

What’s the word?

Manager Unai Emery recruited five new signings before Thursday’s transfer deadline, but there were two positions he failed to strengthen.

Widespread reports suggested that the Spaniard was hoping to land a winger and centre-back, but neither came through the welcome gates at the Emirates.

Dembele emerged as a target in the final few weeks of the window, but according to ESPN, Barcelona did not entertain an offer.

Instead, Arsenal should have spent their time trying to secure a deal for Cristian Pavon, who they were linked to in January.

Why was Pavon a better target?

This isn’t necessarily related to quality as Dembele is arguably a ‘bigger’ signing, so to speak.

However, Pavon – valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – would have been more attainable than a player who cost Barcelona close to £100m last summer.

The Argentina international may only be 22, but he has already shown on the global stage that he can cause problems down the right-hand side.

Pavon has pace and skill, and would have certainly added an extra dimension to Arsenal’s attack.

The young player is also able to play on the left-hand side or up front, providing plenty of versatility.

If Pavon becomes available in January, then Emery should think about making a move.

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Chelsea and Arsenal’s Premier League clash this Saturday serves as a key litmus test of how much these sides have improved since the end of last season and to what extent they’ve successfully adapted to the ideals and ideas of their new managers. Indeed, both clubs missed out on Champions League qualification in 2017/18 and have since looked to usher in new eras through the respective appointments of Maurizio Sarri and Unai Emery.

So Saturday’s encounter will tell us who has made more progress and potentially who has a better shot of qualifying for Europe’s top competition this time around. Our match preview, covering everything you need to know before the 5.30pm kickoff, should shed some light on the likeliest outcome…

What History Tells Us

Just two wins separate the London rivals from their 52 Premier League encounters to date, but the accumulation of those victories has been far less even. Indeed, Chelsea failed to beat Arsenal in the Premier League until 2005, a run spanning ten defeats and nine draws, but Arsenal have only won five times since then including just once in the last 15 meetings – the 3-0 defeat two seasons ago that inspired Antonio Conte’s switch to 3-4-3 and Chelsea’s subsequent title-winning run.

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But the shift in fortunes is no mere coincidence; a year before Chelsea’s first Premier League win over Arsenal, Jose Mourinho arrived in English football. His pragmatic game-plan and deployment of an extra body in deep midfield completely counteracted the philosophy that had made Arsenal the Invincibles the campaign previous; the north Londoners are still waiting for their first Premier League title since, while Chelsea have won five and the 2012 Champions League.

And with two new managers at the helm on Saturday, tactics could once again be at the epicentre of a fixture that has shaped both clubs’ modern histories.

Head-to-Head: Jorginho versus Lucas Torreira

Jorginho and Lucas Torreira are by no means carbon copies of each other; the former is a deep-lying playmaker inspired by Andrea Pirlo whereas the latter is your classic warrior-like Uruguayan, prepared to mix street-footballer-flair with tenacity and aggression. That shows in their statistics; whereas the Italy international made the second-most passes per match of any player in Europe’s five leading top flights last season, Torreira far outshone him in terms of tackles, interceptions and even goals.

But both midfielders have been signed this summer for essentially the same purpose – to bring completely new skills sets to the base of their respective engine rooms. Torreira represents exactly what the Gunners have lacked in the middle of the park over the last few seasons, while Jorginho offers Chelsea the ability to retain possession for extended periods – something they often struggled with under Conte due to his emphasis on counter-attacking football.

Referee in Focus: Martin Atkinson

If there’s one thing both clubs need to know about Martin Atkinson, it’s that he displayed an incredible reluctance to award penalties last season. Perhaps the greatest example of that was in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, when he refused to award Manchester City a penalty for Ashley Young’s dangerous lunge on Sergio Aguero, but it’s reflected in the stats as well – from the 21 referees to work in the top flight in 2017/18, Atkinson ranked 17th for penalties per game.

That should give Arsenal and Chelsea’s centre-backs far more license to be physical inside the box this Saturday, which will give both sets of defenders some peace of mind considering the quality Alvaro Morata, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and company offer, but it arguably benefits the Blues more. Recent history suggests Atkinson won’t be awarding penalties for grappling in the box, and Arsenal scored twice as many goals from corners as Chelsea last term – ten compared to five. The 47-year-old’s leniency in those situations should nullify that threat somewhat, should Chelsea take advantage of it.

Team News

Changes to Chelsea’s starting XI this weekend will prioritise quality over quantity. We’re expecting only one alteration from the team that beat Huddersfield last time out with Eden Hazard returning to the action after arriving late from the World Cup. Regarding Mateo Kovacic, Sarri’s already suggested this weekend has come too soon for the loan signing to start.

That should see Ross Barkley keep his place in the starting XI for at least another week after impressing in pre-season and showing some clever touches in the 3-0 win last Saturday, especially with Cesc Fabregas sidelined, while Sarri now faces a bit of a selection dilemma on the right wing. Willian – who Transfermarkt value at £45million – is probably the choice of Chelsea fans, but the new Blues boss seems pretty keen on Pedro who repaid the faith with a gorgeous goal against the Terriers.

Emery, on the other hand, has some crucial decisions to make after his starting XI grew criticism last weekend. Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan failed to provide enough protection out wide, whereas Aubameyang became an incredibly isolated figure up top and Granit Xhaka was completely anonymous in deep midfield. Considering Chelsea set up in a similar way to Manchester City, using the same 4-3-3 structure, we should see some changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps the most significant of those is Torreira replacing Xhaka in the engine room, hopefully to add some real steel in front of a back four that was continually exposed by Pep Guardiola’s side, as well as Aubameyang taking Mkhitaryan’s place on the left – leaving Alexandre Lacazette to lead the line. With Ainsley Maitland-Niles now a confirmed absentee, Stephan Lichtsteiner will likely undertake the left-back role he impressed in after replacing the youngster against City. All in all, that’s three changes from the starting XI which lost on the Premier League’s opening weekend.

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Arsenal made several additions to their squad in the summer window, but Emery is likely already thinking about new recruits for January. 

Arsenal got off to a rocky start to the season, losing 2-0 at the Emirates to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. It was a tough introduction to Premier League football for Unai Emery, against the Champions who are dripping in quality all over the pitch. However, it may have highlighted the need for better quality at the back.

The Spanish manager will surely have ambitions of taking Arsenal back into the top four, a position Arsene Wenger regularly secured for the Gunners until his last two seasons in charge at the Emirates. Emery will want to have a good January window, as well as summer window, to give the North London outfit the best chance of being a real competitive force this season.

With that in mind, surely Emery has his eye on this Bundesliga defender…

The player the Gunners should go after is Jean-Phillips Gbamin, who plies his trade in the Bundesliga for Mainz. Gbamin is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt.

Gbamin would add some much-needed pace to the Arsenal back-line. The Mainz centre-back possesses real pace, and can get back quickly to quash attacks. He is strong in the tackle, and rarely gets drawn into a last ditch challenge. He could add some much needed steel to the Arsenal defence.

Considering the age of the defenders Emery has brought in, in Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichsteiner, who are aged 30 and 34 respectively. The 22-year-old Gbamin could play a key role in the Arsenal defence for many years to come.

Emery should already be thinking about bringing Jean-Phillipe Gbamin to the Emirates.

Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been pretty quiet in the Transfer Tavern after seeing their side embark upon a slow start to the 2018/19 Championship season.

Jos Luhukay’s men secured a 15th place finish in the second tier last time round and expectations among supporters were for their side to improve upon that effort this term, yet early indications suggest that they could be in for a tough season. And that’s because the Owls have managed to pick up four points from their opening four league matches, losing away games at Wigan Athletic and Brentford alongside drawing 1-1 with Hull City at Hillsborough less than two weeks ago, before beating Millwall 2-1 at home on Wednesday night.

And with a transfer embargo crippling the club for much of the summer, there have been many downbeat Sheffield Wednesday fans up and down the country in recent times, although that has now been lifted leaving Luhukay with the opportunity to improve his squad.

And with their backline somewhat struggling in the early phase of the season, they simply have to strengthen that particular area of the pitch, and West Ham’s £4.5 million-rated sensation Reece Oxford (as per Transfermarkt) could well be the man for the job.

Ultimately, the Owls have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Championship this term in shipping seven goals in their opening four games, and while that number isn’t hugely alarming, it simply has to be reduced if Luhukay’s men are to climb the division.

And with some players playing out of position in recent times, what with Ash Baker lining up at right back and Daniel Pudil at centre back in their 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Sunday, they need greater solidarity in that area of the field – Oxford’s arrival could bring that.

The 19-year-old has been tipped by many to be the next big-thing in English football after making his West Ham debut at the age of 16, yet failed loan spells at Reading and Borussia Monchengladbach have called into question whether he will indeed fulfil that potential.

And while those temporary spells away from the London Stadium are likely to concern Owls supporters, one mustn’t forget that the Englishman has all the traits to go on and become a quality centre back, be it aerial presence and strength in the tackle, or indeed the ability to bring the ball out of defence with composure and calmness.

Thus, it appears that Oxford is in need of regular football at a competitive level to really hone in on his talents, while the ability to also play in a defensive midfield role is sure to be of interest to Wednesday boss Luhukay, who has so far been able to add just one player to his Owls squad.

And with the long, hard slog that is the Championship season likely to take it out of the players, having options in several positions is vital if the Owls are to climb the table this time round.

As such, with the Wednesday backline clearly in need of strengthening, West Ham’s Oxford could well be the man to do the job.

Wednesday fans… what do you think? Let us know!