Petr Cech believes Arsenal will have to win all their remaining if they are to secure a place in the top five of the Premier League. The Gunners are currently six points adrift of fifth-placed London rivals Chelsea, with both sides having a maximum of 15 points to play for from their five remaining league games this season. Arsenal's best hope of qualifying for European football, next season, however, could lie in winning this term's Europa League, where they face Atletico Madrid in a two-legged semifinal. Sunday saw Arsene Wenger's men suffer a fifth successive away league defeat when they lost 2-1 at Newcastle and Arsenal goalkeeper Cech told the London Evening Standard on Wednesday: "We are in the two competitions, so now need to keep switching between them and do our best. We are in a position now where we must win all our remaining games and hope it lifts us in the table. "We are in a very difficult moment because everybody else has a big advantage.&

Arsenal   are unlikely to follow up their interest in   Anthony Martial   should the forward leave Manchester United this summer. Speculation persists that Martial has become frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities following  Alexis Sanchez ’s arrival from the Gunners in January.  Arsenal boss  Arsene Wenger  enquired about the possibility of including either Martial or  Henrikh Mkhitaryan  as part of a swap deal for Sanchez but was told the former would not be made available. However, relations between Martial and United boss  Jose Mourinho  have soured since then with Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid closely monitoring the situation. Martial is valued at around £60million despite having a year left on his contract and the Gunners are thought to have prioritised other areas to strengthen this summer, namely in central defence and central midfield while they will also look for a goalkeeper as a long-term replacement for Petr Cech. READ MORE

Alexis Sanchez's arrival at Old Trafford has pushed Anthony Martial further down the Manchester United pecking order and his future is uncertain. Is it time to move on? Anthony Martial was in outstanding form when Manchester United confirmed the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January. The Frenchman had scored in consecutive Premier League games against Everton, Stoke and Burnley, delighting supporters and impressing Jose Mourinho enough to hold down his place on United's left flank. His displays presented a conundrum for Mourinho, but Sanchez had been brought in at great expense and he was not there to sit on the bench. The Chilean took up residency on the left straight away, with Martial switching to the right to make room. The message was clear: Martial had moved behind Sanchez in the pecking order before a ball had been kicked. Unable to cut inside and use his stronger foot and with his confidence seemingly dented, Martial's performances suffered.

Injured Brazil striker Neymar has targeted May 17 for a return to training and vowed to work harder than ever to be ready for this year's World Cup in Russia.   The Paris St Germain player, who became the world's most expensive footballer when he joined the club from Barcelona in August, had an operation on his foot after being injured in a French league game against Olympique de Marseille on February 25. He has been receiving treatment in Brazil and said he expects to be training exactly a month before the five-time champions play their World Cup opener against Switzerland on June 17. "I get my final exam, if I'm not mistaken, on May 17 and then I'll be free to play," he told reporters at a news conference in Sao Paulo. "I had an exam last week, it is all perfect, evolving well, so I hope that continues so I can get back as soon as possible... "I am having treatment every day, and from the moment I start training I am going to work harder

The prospect of a winter break is closer than ever with the Premier League happy in principle to introduce it from the 2019/20 season, Sky Sports understands.  From February 2020, Premier League clubs will have a staggered break that will guarantee all 20 clubs at least 13 days between games. Here, we take a detailed look at how the proposal works, the possible pitfalls and what effect it can have... When would the winter break take place? The notoriously busy festive period will remain intact, don't worry. The annual two-week break in late January/early February will come in from 2020 onwards that would allow all Premier League clubs to have at least 13 days off between games. Unlike other European countries who have a complete shutdown of their top division in December, the Premier League break would be staggered so there would be no weekend without Premier League football because there would be five games on the first weekend and five on the following week

Who should win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award this season? Vote here from the star-studded list of nominees. It is that time of year again. As another enthralling Premier League season draws to a close, it is time to look back on who has really impressed, and reward that individual who has taken his team to the next level. Here is the list of nominations for this year's PFA Players' Player of the Year and we are asking you, our readers, to decide who deserves the award most by casting your vote below. Kevin De Bruyne ( 9/4 with Sky Bet ) Manchester City needed someone to help lift them from nearly men to champions, and Kevin De Bruyne has done just that, firing in one defence-splitting pass after another to steer City towards that third Premier League title. De Bruyne has three more assists than any other player in the top flight. David de Gea ( 80/1 with Sky Bet ) With Manuel Neuer out injured, there are few who could doubt David de Gea is th

Lionel Messi was thrown on as a substitute but 10-man Barcelona were relieved to escape with a draw as Celta Vigo came within a whisker of inflicting the Catalans' first league defeat of the season on Tuesday. Messi was introduced after an hour at the Stade Balaidos and looked to have inspired another Barca victory when Paulinho gave the visitors a 2-1 lead four minutes later. But Sergi Roberto was sent off for preventing Iago Aspas sprinting clear and in the 82nd minute the former Liverpool striker made it 2-2, albeit with a large slice of luck given the ball brushed his hand on its way into the net. Vigo pushed for a late winner and should have had it when substitute Lucas Boye went through one-on-one but he took too long and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen made a crucial stop. "I think we deserved to win the game," Celta Vigo coach Juan Carlos Unzue said. Earlier, a superb strike from Ousmane Dembele had been cancelled out by Jonny Castro's close-range finish as B

Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and his Manchester City team-mates made up almost half of the Professional Footballers' Association's Premier League team of the year revealed on Wednesday. Right-back Kyle Walker, centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, midfielder David Silva and striker Sergio Aguero were also named in the XI. Tottenham were the only other team to have more than one representative, boasting three players in defender Jan Vertonghen, midfielder Christian Eriksen and striker Harry Kane. Manchester United's only inclusion was goalkeeper David de Gea, while left-back Marcos Alonso was the sole player from dethroned champions Chelsea. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, with 30 league goals this season, was also included. The six nominees for the men's PFA players' player of the year award are De Bruyne, Silva, De Gea, Kane, Salah and Manchester City's Leroy Sane. The PFA Awards ceremony will be held in London on Sunday. PFA members from the 92 Premier League