Although you would imagine that the Gunners will have some pretty stiff competition, if indeed they are interested in landing David Villa this summer. The Valencia striker is arguably Europe’s hottest striking property at the moment after plundering a hat-trick for Spain on Tuesday night, and Setanta report that Cesc Fabregas is getting positively excited at the prospect of the striker wearing the red of Arsenal next season.

“He would be amazing for the English league,” Fabregas said.

“I would like to have him in my team because as you can see he can make the difference.

“He’s an amazing player. He has mobility, he scores goals … he plays well at the back of defenders, in front of them, he’s a tremendous player.”

Indeed, while all the talk before the match was about Fernando Torres, the Liverpool man was more of a provider than scorer during their 4-1 win against Russia. Still, it was encouraging for Reds fans to see El Nino frighten the opposition defence with his pace, something they’ll hope he continues next season.