It is only two games and further work must be done to salvage the season, but big strides have been taken and fears of relegation are residing. These signings are a show of intent by Alan Pardew and his scouting team, who have once again shown their qualities with some astute signings.

There is no doubt that fans, however, would prefer to be paying a more reasonable amount to watch their team play. Some season tickets at Arsenal have tipped over the thousand pound mark, which can be used to assist the argument against the amount of money in football.

After calling Newcastle United a 'wee club in the north east' during the aftermath of a thrilling encounter between the Red Devils and Toon Army, Sir Alex Ferguson recently began to backtrack. Renowned for the mind-games he enters with rival managers, Ferguson responded to comments made by Alan Pardew regarding refereeing decisions in the game at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

Amidst a season in which investors saw the fiasco that was the Facebook IPO, the recent news of the proposed listing of English football giants Manchester United on the New York Stock Exchange has raised a few eyebrows.

Three months short of his 22nd birthday, with six unspectacular loan spells under his belt and only 75 seconds of Premier League football, Jake Livermore looked every inch the failed academy graduate destined for lesser things, albeit one that had hung on a year or two longer than most.