Nicolas Anelka

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid striker Nicolas Anelka has taken a coaching role with French team Lille where he will be working with the youth team. The former French international said that this is an exciting opportunity for him as he wants to work with youth players without being in the spotlight.

The former Arsenal player has previously been involved with Mumbai City in India as a player-coach. He said that this time around he wants to focus more on working with the youth and does not want to get involved with the professionals. He said that it has always been his dream to work as a coach and he feels that he will do it in the future.

Nicolas Anelka claimed to have been forced out of the Chelsea by coach Andrea Villa-Boas in 2011, leaving the west Londoners to join China's Shanghai Shenhua on 1 January 2012.

Reports drawn up revealed the former Golden Boot recipient was outrightly banned from using Chelsea's first-team car park, and forced to use different changing rooms, including having training sessions with the club's youth team.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has hinted that there could tensions between him andJose Mourinho, although he would prefer not to discuss about it. The France international was said to have a strained relationship with the manager during the backend of the previous campaign and this has not affected his performances on the field after returning from Russia as a World Cup winner.

Speaking after the Leicester City win, Pogba stressed that he is happy plying his trade for United, though he would restrict himself on other things to avoid being fined, he said: “I am the same Paul Pogba (as at the World Cup). It's a different team, obviously. I still love football and give my best. When you are comfortable, when people trust everyone, are good in the head, it's going to be easier. If you're not happy doing what you're doing, there's no point doing it, right? There's point doing things because you love it.There are things I cannot say, otherwise I will get fined.”

Many states that Nicolas Anelka is one of the greatest players of the Premier League who was not given due credit or received the recognition that he deserved. He was snapped up by the Arsenal team when he was a teenager. He helped the club win Premier League as well as the FA cup in the years 1997 and 1998 consecutively. He then went on to play for clubs like Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Liverpool, and others.

His career has been a glittering one where he had several accomplishments at Serie A and Super Lig as well as at Champions League, Euro 2000 with France and so forth. Anelka has definitely created a considerable impact on English football. When he's started to play for England, he proved to be a formidable player for his opponents. He was one of the best strikers for any team that he played for. At Arsenal, his accomplishments were at a young age, which is a difficult time for any player since players had to be playing away from home. However, Anelka was able to even achieve good at Chelsea and won the league with this team. Even though he left this club for Real Madrid it was definitely a talented striker that these clubs had and he was pivotal for the Arsenal squad as well.

Arsenal favourite Thierry Henry has insisted Nicolas Anelka was one of the best strikers in the Premier League, though he does not get a mention when compared to other greats. The former France international started his Premier League career with Arsenal in 1997 and he thereafter pursued his trade for a number of English clubs including Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion.

Speaking about Anelka on Sky Sports, Henry said: “We all know that he terrorised teams when he first arrived in England. He, for me – people do not mention him as they should mention him. He was one of the best strikers we have ever seen in this league. He won it at Arsenal at a young age, when it was very difficult. You had to battle away from home all the time. He did it at Chelsea, he won the league there.”

French defender Aymeric Laporte is aiming to earn a maiden call-up to the France national side following his Premier League switch. The 23-year-old arrived at Manchester City on a record deal from Athletic Bilbao earlier in January, and he is hoping that the success around the club can enhance his chances of being recognised by Didier Deschamps.

He said: “Of course the more games you win, the more trophies you win, you have more chance of getting into the national side.I have to focus on my club for now, and if things go well, we'll see about that later. I've been very warmly welcomed by the club. The players are very happy to have me, I'm happy to be with them. The club has helped me in every aspect, and that's very good for me. So things are going well on and off the pitch, and we're getting results too, so it's great."

Arsenal are reportedly planning a surprise approach for Luis Enrique in the summer with Arsene Wenger's future at the Emirates pretty much on the line. The Gunners succumbed to a 1-0 loss to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, and they now face the potential prospect of missing out on the Champions League for the second season on the trot.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Gunners could be looking into a possible deal for Luis Enrique in the summer with Wenger's position likely to be assessed. The Frenchman penned a fresh two-year contract with the Gunners after their FA Cup triumph last season, but things have since gone pear-shaped with the club facing a tougher battle than the previous year for the Champions League places.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge snubbed former Reds teammate Luis Suarez in order to pick Nicolas Anelka in his ultimate XI. The 28-year-old played alongside the likes of Anelka and Didier Drogba during his time at Chelsea, and he had no second thought picking the pair in a 4-4-2 formation.

In a report covered by Metro, Sturridge spoke about the guidance offered by Anelka during their time in west London, he said: "Growing up, I was an Arsenal fan and Anelka was my favourite striker at the time so I’ve got an affinity to him. He helped me out a lot and gave me a lot of advice. I love the way he plays the game – he’s just so elegant on the pitch. ‘The way he ran, the way he passed the ball, the way he used to chop defenders which is something that I took from him. He’s probably the best player I’ve seen at faking to shoot to create himself a yard which, in the box, is everything as a striker. He could create goals. He could do everything."

France national team manager Didier Deschamps has claimed that Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud faces the risk of missing out on the national team place ahead of the World Cup 2018.

The 30-year-old received a number of offers to leave the gunners at the start of the season. It became apparent that Giroud would not be the regular first-team player at the club after they brought in Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for around £ 46 million. However, the Frenchman decided to stay at the club in order to fight for his position and it has so far been the wrong decision.

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho has revealed that French star Paul Pogba is not completely happy with the role he features in in the national team. The playmaker played a major role in the success of Juventus where he played at for four years, and has been a growing influence at United.

With the role he plays in the French side, it makes it more difficult for him to net goals. Pogba scored last in the 2-1 victory over Sweden last November. His manager at club level is pushing for Pogba to be allowed to contribute more in attack so he can get more goals and assists.