Liverpool threatened with points deduction as Arsenal target striker

The Premier League season may as well be over, as far as some fans are concerned.

There will be no hair-raising Sergio Aguero-type final day dramatics, nor will any memories of Anfield 1989 be evoked by a sudden Arsenal fightback. Liverpool have a 13-point lead in the league that seems unassailable with just 10 games left to play, albeit with the Gunners having a game in hand.

At the opposite end of the table, the bottom three - Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town - are comfortably worse than the rest of the pack. While not doomed to relegation just yet, the latter two clubs are struggling, five points off 17th-placed Wolves.

Yet, you would be mistaken to think there are no surprises left in store from now until May 25, with Mirror Football bringing you five major twists that could spark life into a season where its likely victor has grown increasingly clear.

Liverpool points deduction

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett this week suggested the Premier League could be tempted to introduce points sanctions for managers' behaviour in the aftermath of Arne Slot's run-in with Michael Oliver.

Liverpool head coach Slot told Oliver exactly what he thought of the referee's decision to allow James Tarkowski's late leveller in the Merseyside Derby in February to stand. The Dutchman was given his marching orders at full-time at Goodison Park, eventually receiving a two-match ban, which he will complete against Southampton in the Reds’ next league fixture.

"I would like to see referees at the final whistle moving towards the tunnel rather than standing in the middle looking for handshakes and any complimentary comments," Hackett told Football Insider. “This will, I feel, reduce any tensions that have built up in the game. I hope that the level of fines will receive a more controlled approach by the manager and his assistant.

“If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect then we may see points deductions coming into play. The last time they used that sanction for an on-field mass confrontation was in the game between Manchester United vs Arsenal [in the 1990s] where I was the man in the middle.”

While a terrifying prospect for Liverpool fans, being hit with a highly-unlikely points deduction for would no doubt make things more interesting. Having also racked up three yellow cards this season, Slot would need to rein in his frustrations - or face costing his side.

Arsenal sign striker on a free transfer

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Arsenal’s seemingly never-ending search for a striker will rampage on for the coming months. Yet, between now and the end of the season - before the summer transfer window even opens - the Gunners could finally complete their long-awaited forward signing in the form of a free agent.

While Mikel Merino's efforts have been admirable as a makeshift No. 9, Mikel Arteta needs a forward who knows exactly where the goal is to come in before the end of the campaign. That is especially true of the Champions League, which remains their only realistic chance at silverware.

But attacking options in the free agency market are bleak and would require the Spaniard to roll the dice on several less popular options. Former Gunners forward Carlos Vela and ex-Premier League winner Diego Costa are among those who, while they may no longer have the legs to last a full 90 minutes, could come in and contribute. Thierry Henry against Leeds United, anyone?

Early Amorim exit

With each passing game as Manchester United's head coach, Ruben Amorim appears more and more like a shell of the exuberant, fresh-faced man that joined from Sporting CP in November. Sixteen long league matches have passed since then, of which the Portuguese has won just five.

His struggles have not been helped by a refusal to deviate from his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation, and Sunday’s FA Cup exit at the hands of Fulham was another crushing blow. Reports in Spain have claimed United bosses are moving closer to making a decision to sack Amorim and have even begun to “analyse” possible successors if the situation doesn’t improve.

He certainly faces an uphill battle in trying to turn around his side’s fortunes with the current crop of players. It is also entirely possible that the daunting scale of the task he faces could lead the dejected tactician to walk away himself to save face.

Maresca gets axed

Image: Getty) Getty)

Despite Chelsea's impressive start to the season, the Blues have fallen outside of the top four and find themselves in a dogfight for just two of the Champions League places, with Liverpool and Arsenal already likely to qualify.

Enzo Maresca’s side have suffered four defeats in their last six games in all competitions, crashing out of the FA Cup and falling to fifth place in the league. Yet Maresca insists that qualifying for the Champions League was not an objective set out for him by Chelsea bosses at the start of the season and will not determine his future.

Club director Jonathan Goldstein has also insisted that he is 100 per cent safe from the sack for the rest of this season despite the drop in form. But failure to secure a Champions League spot for next season will no doubt stall Todd Boehly and BlueCo.’s project.

The board have been known to have backed former managers in similar fashion in the past before brutally sacking them, most notably Graham Potter. It remains to be seen how they will react if Maresca’s miserable run continues, with a loss against Leicester at home this coming weekend arguably being a sackable offence in itself.

Forest collapse

In a mostly dull season at the top of the table, Nottingham Forest have emerged as a much welcome surprise package. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have punched well above their weight, claiming four points off league leaders Liverpool while sitting ahead of Manchester City in third place.

Yet the oncoming cavalry - notably Chelsea, Newcastle and Bournemouth - are not far behind, with just five points separating third and eighth place. Forest face big fixtures in the coming weeks against City, Aston Villa and Chelsea in their race for a Champions League place for the first time in decades.

Bournemouth sneaking into the top four would be a historic occasion for the league, while Newcastle scraping their return after a year’s absence will prove pivotal in their attempts to thwart external interest in star striker Alexander Isak.

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