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Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday marked only the second time in which Nicolas Otamendi hasn’t started a Premier League game for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, and the significance of that should not be overlooked.

While some will look back at the Argentina international’s worryingly unfocused performance in the Manchester derby, particularly culpable for Chris Smalling’s winner, affording January signing Aymeric Laporte the game-time to prove himself at the heart of defence was most probably Guardiola’s ultimate motivation.

It’s never easy for a young player to come into a title-chasing team mid-season and with City’s Premier League title a mere formality even before Manchester United’s shock defeat to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, the visit to Wembley marked a chance for Guardiola to test the young Frenchman against good quality opposition in strong form.

Not only do Spurs boast a real beast of a goalscorer up front in Harry Kane, but they hadn’t lost a Premier League clash since the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium back in December.

And it was an impressive performance from Laporte, who certainly looked the part alongside Vincent Kompany. While an admittedly out-of-sources and isolated Kane failed to register a single effort at goal, the former Athletic Bilbao centre-half made the most interceptions and won the joint-most aerial duels of any City player, also ranking joint-second for clearances and joint-third for tackles.

What will impress Guardiola most though, is how the 23-year-old contributed in possession as well – something obviously vitally important to this City side.

He had the most touches of the ball and made the most passes of any City player, although a completion rate of 84% may need to be improved upon to ensure the new Premier League champions don’t squander possession to high presses.

That display will only worry Otamendi, and even more John Stones. Whereas Laporte’s chance to audition in a tough game has inevitably put the South American’s place in the first team under some threat, at least in the short term, the injured Englishman now feels as far down the pecking order as he’s ever been since moving to the Etihad Stadium from Everton.

So, City fans, which centre-back do you think is the ideal partner for Kompany (fitness permitting) next season?

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Let us know by voting below…

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Exactly one month ago, Leicester laboured to a 0-0 home draw with fellow strugglers Hull City. With 10 games to go at the time and seven points adrift; many assumed Leicester’s stay in the top flight had come to an end. Speculation off the pitch was being matched by listlessness on it and some were already a penning a red ‘R’ next to their name.

Fast forward a month and two wins on the spin, both with dramatic late winners have highlighted that The Foxes are from done; now only three points adrift of those outside the relegation zone and all the momentum – Leicester may just beat the drop.

West Ham at home may prove to be the pivotal fixture for Pearson’s men. After going ahead, they were soon pegged back by their visitors and for all of their effort and for all of their chances, including a missed penalty, it seemed that Leicester would only pick up the solitary point, probably not enough in their quest for survival. However, with only four minutes left Andy King prodded City’s season back to life and in turn reignited the relegation dogfight.

Prior to the last gasp win against The Hammers, Leicester were going nowhere fast; no wins in a three month period had left them marooned at the bottom of the table, where others were picking up points, the Foxes were not.

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The fact that Leicester followed up that victory with another three points the following week, this time away at fellow strugglers West Brom, showed they were finally on a roll. Again Pearson’s men left it late, displaying the character and fight they suddenly seem to have found in the last two weeks. During the most turbulent times of their season, many questioned whether the manager had lost the dressing room. Those questions are certainly no longer being asked of his charges.

As well as being the team with all the momentum going into the final stretch of fixtures, Leicester’s run-in, on paper, seems a particularly kind one.  Winnable home fixtures against Swansea, Newcastle and QPR are complimented by away fixtures at Burnley and Sunderland. Not only do The Foxes have the opportunity to continue this positive run they now find themselves on, they also have the opportunity to stop their closest rivals from picking up points.

From a mood of despair, the dark clouds seemed to have lifted over the East Midlands; Pearson who once appeared like the world was against him was a more positive man in his post-match press conference at The Hawthorns. Of course winning football matches changes a lot, but they finally they actually are.

Compare the charge Leicester now seem to be on to the downward spiral their opponents from a month ago, Hull City, currently find themselves in. With fixtures against Liverpool, Arsenal, Man United and Tottenham to come, their plight seems to be worsening with every passing week. Leicester will feel they need to reel one team in and leap frog them; Steve Bruce’s men appear ripe for the picking.

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If it comes down to the final game of the season, Leicester will fancy their chances against the hapless away version of QPR. Simply to make it to the last game from where they were a month ago is a testament to both Pearson and his players.

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Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart is keeping his fingers crossed the club’s financial problems won’t result in a raft of exits.

The Rothosen are expected to announce huge annual losses this year and as such speculation in the German press has suggested they could be forced to sell off some big names.

Van der Vaart is one player who hasn’t been linked with a move away having only re-joined the club last summer but forward Son Heung-Min could be one player on the move, with Tottenham and Arsenal said to be interested.

Dutch international Van der Vaart hopes the reported financial problems won’t be as bad as first feared and is keeping his fingers crossed Hamburg might even be able to add to the squad this summer.

“It would be great if we could add to the squad,” the former Real Madrid midfielder said. “We need more experienced players with a winning mentality.”

“But I know there is not much money to strengthen the team,” he continued. “So it is important to make sure our best players stay.”

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Arsenal have ramped up their pursuit of Barcelona youngster Robert Navarro after Manchester City cooled their interest, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

City have been working hard on developing a state-of-the-art academy over the last few years in the hope of bringing through some top talent.

The North-West outfit were believed to be closing in on the capture of 15-year-old attacking midfielder Navarro, but the narrative has changed.

The Daily Mail reports that City have eased off and now Arsenal are ready to swoop in and snatch the youngster, who has been offered new terms by Barca.

Navarro will make a decision about whether or not to stay with the Catalan giants later this week when he turns 16.

Could Arsenal produce a future star?

The Gunners are certainly capable of creating a star from their academy, and they have experience developing youngsters from Barcelona’s youth ranks.

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Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin made their way to North London from Barca’s famous ‘La Masia’ academy, and both can be considered success stories.

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Navarro is only a young teen, and even though he is widely rated, it does not mean that he is guaranteed to break into the first team in the future.

With the transfer market how it is, there is an argument that it has become easier for clubs to splash out millions on an established star for quick success rather than give youngsters time.

When it comes to who will be voted Manager of the Season in this year’s top flight, there will be the obvious contenders.

Jose Mourinho will of course, be the overwhelming favourite. He looks sure to lead his Chelsea team to the title. A title that appears will be won at an absolute canter.

Southampton’s Ronald Koeman will also, surely be close to winning the prize. He has produced a startlingly good season on the South Coast, still on the coat tails of the Champions League as we approach the final weeks of the season.

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However, a manager who seems destined to lead his side no higher than 8th, should be the man receiving the gong come May.

Garry Monk’s appointment in South Wales was met with scepticism. A fantastic servant to the club, but following Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup, he was seen as a step in the wrong direction. Many Swans feared the worse. With a manager with next to no experience, would their Premier League adventure be coming to an end?

His first game, was arguably the perfect one for Monk. Not a lot would need to be said to his players before they took on Cardiff, the raw emotion and the passion of the fixture could do most of the work. It did. Monk’s side trounced their dearest rival 3-0.

Premier League survival was clinched on the penultimate day of last season, something that many pundits believed would not be achieved under the inexperienced former captain. He was rewarded with a three-year contract and given the long-term backing of the club’s Chairman Huw Jenkins.

Last summer saw the Swans lose two major players. Michel Vorm, who had been sensational for the club in goal, and Ben Davies, the young full-back, both made the move to north London and White Hart Lane.

Monk recruited cleverly, acquiring players with English experience, Lukasz Fabianksi was purchased to start in goal and vitally, Gylfi Sigurðsson. The man who had previously been at the Liberty Stadium and one that would again become integral for Monk’s Swansea.

The first game of Monk’s first full season could scarcely have gone better in his wildest dreams. Beating van Gaal’s, Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Through the goals of Wilfried Bony and the craft of Jonjo Shelvey and Sigurðsson, Swansea were enjoying almost a perfect season until January. Then, as we know, Bony would be prized away by Champions Man City.

Following the striker’s sale, and a heavy defeat by Chelsea, questions were again asked of Swansea and their manager.

Had they finally been found out?

Would the late season slide now happen?

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However, five wins in the last eight, have, again, confounded the critics. Another win over United and a win over high flying Southampton were particular highlights.

Their recent victory over, in form, Aston Villa, sets them up to finish in a really respectable, or incredible, league position.

Through all the adversity of losing so many top players, including their undoubted superstar in Bony, Swansea have continued to defy the odds and their critics. As has their manager, an appointment met with apathy is now beginning to look a masterstroke.

If the Welsh side can finish strongly, not only will they achieve their record points total, but the August Manager of the Month, may be picking up an even bigger individual award.

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Does anyone remember a time when Chelsea were not owned by a Russian oligarch, but in fact, a rather unpopular Englishman who has, to put it politely, a very particular way with words. Roman Abramovich is coming up to a decade in charge of the Blues, having gone money crazy after taking over at Stamford Bridge from Ken Bates. Chelsea have changed the face of English football, splashing the cash at every available opportunity and not always wisely either.

Sometimes, they’ve simply thrown big fees at players who never really appeared for the club or merely made up the numbers sitting on the bench. Admittedly, Abramovich’s billions have finally bought the Champions League, but they’ve gone through a serious number of players (and not to mention managers) to find the winning formula. The previous owners aren’t entirely clean in terms of dodgy transfers and there’s certainly been some tripe pull on the blue shirt since the Premier League began. We look back and assess the worst Chelsea signing XI in the modern era of English football:

Click on Tal Ben Haim to unveil the starting XI

Ander Herrera has become quite the favourite among some fans at Manchester United, but it does not seem that manager Jose Mourinho shares the same opinion.

The midfielder has struggled to hold down a regular spot in the team having started just eight Premier League games this season.

In total, the 28-year-old has been named in the first XI on 17 occasions in all competitions and has come off the bench in a further 13.

Herrera has played a full 90 minutes on just four occasions in his last 10 outings for the North-West outfit, and supporters feel that he deserves more.

On top of that, the midfielder has just one year left on his current contract, which means he is in that in-between stage of signing fresh terms or being sold.

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At the moment, there has been no official word from the Red Devils about Herrera’s situation, but many fans have urged the club to hand over a new deal.

In response to the midfielder’s interview with the club’s official website talking about the team’s targets for the remainder of the campaign, the supporters made their feelings clear.

As one of the many impressive Colombian stars to stand out at last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, Juan Cuadrado is a player whose stock is currently on a rapid rise. It comes as no surprise that the South American, who is expected to soon be on his way from Fiorentina, has developed admirers in the Premier League as he simply suits the role of one of football’s new emerging stars.

It would seem that nearly all Europe’s elite clubs have been chasing Cuadrado since he first broke onto the scene, but within the closing stages of this season’s January transfer window, it seems that Jose Mourinho and Chelsea may have just won the race according to reports in BBC Sport. The Viola star is expected to be priced around the £23 million mark, with talk of Mohamed Salah – one of Chelsea’s more pointless signings – making way as part of the deal if the above reports are correct.

In light of such developments, it’s important to consider how the Colombian will adapt to his potential new home in the Premier League?And what does his signing signal for the Blues in their quest for silverware this season?

One thing Juan Cuadrado will certainly add to the Chelsea ranks is flair – and lots of it. The Colombian seems to be an avid fan of the trickier side of the game, with his ability to beat defenders and then go on to score leaving many admirers greatly impressed with the attacking midfielder’s talents. It is a style that is seemingly best played by South Americans, and in Juan Cuadrado, Chelsea may have just found themselves one of the most authentic practicers of the form going at the moment. The 26-year-old has also become renowned for his quick passing and direct style of play when marauding into the final third.

However, Juan Cuadrado is perhaps best known for his long range shooting and confidence outside the box. The World Cup star loves to line up chance after chance just on the edge of the keeper’s area. Although Chelsea have many other confident talents who are capable of doing just that very thing, adding that bit more Colombian firepower certainly wouldn’t go amiss for Jose Mourinho in the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign.

That said, what Cuadrado’s potential arrival does for Chelsea’s current system remains very much up for debate. Jose Mourinho has traditionally favoured wingers/attacking midfielders who have enough defensive qualities to be effective at both sides of the game. Whilst Juan Cuadrado certainly has all the necessary attacking tools in his locker, his ability to track back and cover his man has never been given huge priority in the no. 11’s game.

Mourinho has already ousted Juan Mata in favour of the more defensively minded, but not as technically gifted, Willian; so what this means for Chelsea’s newest arrivals is anyone’s guess. It also remains slightly tricky to see how both Juan Cuadrado and Eden Hazard will be able to work in the same team, especially when the likes of Oscar are also involved in the mix. As all of the previous three names remain very good players however, it shouldn’t be too hard for Mourinho to eventually get them clicking on the pitch.

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Whilst the Colombian’s much publicised move to Chelsea isn’t finalised just yet, the deal is still likely going to bring one of the world’s most exciting talents to the English game. Although his acquisition will not please all, fans of the Premier League will largely rejoice at the chance to see Juan Cuadrado playing on these shores, even if it continues the theme of English players losing out on their starting places to the ever growing contingency of foreign stars in the Premier League.

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One of the canniest pieces of business so far during the January transfer window saw Chelsea snap up Newcastle striker Demba Ba for just £7m, activating a release clause in his contract in the process while ushering Daniel Sturridge out of the exit door and towards Anfield for £12m, but which club really got the better deal? Let’s take a closer look…

After the club’s transfer policy in the summer seemed to be geared entirely around getting the best out of struggling £50m striker Fernando Torres, bringing in the creative triumvirate of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses to compliment the existing presence of Juan Mata, the Spaniard’s inconsistent form has necessitated a move for Ba this window.

Torres has stated that since Rafa Benitez came into the club on an interim basis that he thrives on more direct service, thus negating all of the work that had been put in to try and make him a success one last time, contradicting his earlier statements that he does well with tippy-tappy players around him along the way. It’s clear now that he’s a write off and in order to maintain their third-placed league position a move for the Senegalese frontman made sense.

Given that he’s just 27-years-old, Ba seems a natural out-and-out goalscorer less reliant on a particular type of service while also boasting a fantastic record of 36 goals in 66 top flight games before his switch to Stamford Bridge. Indeed, the only baffling aspect of the deal is that nobody fancied signing him earlier. The fact that he’s already struck 13 league goals this season for a struggling Newcastle side speaks volumes for his ability to cope under pressure and he seems content to lead the line either on his own or as part of a partnership. At just £7m, he’s a darn sight cheaper than making a move for long-term transfer target, Atletico Madrid forward Falcao, midway through the season. All in all, a sensible deal in the short-term and long-term by the club; a signing that can have an impact right away and doesn’t need to adjust to the demands of English football.

Moving swiftly on to Sturridge’s switch to Merseyside and the £12m paid for him was widely seen as an expensive gamble on a relatively unproven English player; a rehash of a failed and flawed transfer policy from the past two years with an inflated price in tow due to the nature of his passport. The 23-year-old is seen as a selfish, arrogant egotist and his reported demands over guarantees concerning a central striking role had a knock-on effect in that it moved Luis Suarez away from a position where he has been so dangerous, consistent and effective these past six months. A gamble in every respect.

Nevertheless, there’s a feeling that while the move was a risky one that could potentially backfire, given his bright start it could just as easily prove to be a brilliant piece of business at the same time after he went on to score three goals in his first three appearances since completing the switch, becoming the first player to do so since Ray Kennedy did back in 1974. As starts go, it hasn’t been a bad one.

A lot has been made of the dummy assist for Suarez’s goal against Norwich at the weekend during the 5-0 demolition at home, with that sort of telepathic connection rarely seen in such a fledgling partnership. Perhaps too much hay has been made at this point, but these are exciting times for Liverpool fans in that they finally have a strike partnership of sorts that looks sure to cause even the biggest of teams in the league problems, as they proved during the second half of the away 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It’s been noted that the one time Sturridge has been granted an extended spell through the middle in the top flight was during his successful loan spell away at Bolton to the tune of eight goals in 12 league appearances back in 2010-11. He clearly has some rough edges to his game that still need ironing out, namely his penchant for trying his luck at goal from ludicrous angles when the pass looks the better option (an affliction Suarez also suffers from) and that truly awful body-popping celebration he does, but he offers a direct, pacy and strong outlet up top and he provides manager Brendan Rodgers with plenty of options given his versatility.

There’s a sense that Ba will never quite be top dog at Chelsea simply because he lacks the crucial currency of status and is merely a dependable and hugely effective back-up striker for when the club inevitably does make a move to replace Torres in the summer with a glitzier name. That in itself is not a bad thing; it’s a squad game now and a club like Chelsea can expect to play in 60+ games a season across all competitions and someone of Ba’s calibre will most certainly come in handy, but he’s hardly the missing piece of jigsaw. His willing running means he will always have an impact, either from the start or off the bench, but is he the long-term solution to bridging the ever-increasing gap between themselves and the Manchester duopoly at the top? You’d have to say probably not.

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Sturridge on the other hand appears to fit Rodgers style down to a tee and when he’s fully fit and had a full pre-season behind him in his new surroundings, he looks as if he could potentially cause plenty of damage in tandem with Suarez. For far too long now Liverpool have been dependant on just one or two players to provide the brunt of their attacking threat, but the England international could remedy that situation once and for all. His face didn’t quite fit in at Chelsea, but it’s a different story entirely now.

Often with transfer deals it’s tempting to get bogged down in the monetary value of them rather than analysing and assessing what impact they can have on the teams that they represent. As the old adage goes, a cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing, and with the Ba and Sturridge deals, it would be useful to use the evidence before our eyes rather on the balance sheet to judge their influence in the future.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

According to reports in the Daily Star, new Southampton manager Mark Hughes is lining up a £20m summer move for Stoke City attacker Xherdan Shaqiri should he keep the club in the Premier League and stay on at St Mary’s.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Star says that Hughes, who has also been linked with a move for Joe Allen, would love to make the Switzerland international his first big summer signing for the south coast outfit and is willing to make a club-record offer of £20m – more than the £19.2m they paid for Guido Carrillo in January – although it of course relies on the 54-year-old helping Saints in their survival bid first of all.

The Daily Star reports Shaqiri will want out of the Britannia Stadium if the Potters are relegated and also says he won’t be short of offers, both in England and abroad.

The report adds that the 26-year-old is a huge Stoke fans’ favourite, and Hughes would like to be reunited with him again having bought him for £12m three years ago when he was in charge of City.

How has Shaqiri done this season?

While Stoke have been struggling down the wrong end of the table for much of the campaign, the Swiss playmaker has been one of their most consistent performers and something of a talisman.

The 26-year-old has scored six goals and provided a further seven assists in 29 Premier League appearances this term, while according to WhoScored.com he has made an impressive 65 key passes.

Would he be a good signing for Southampton?

If they stay up, he certainly would be.

While there may be some question marks over his attitude sometimes, there is no doubt about the quality that he has in his locker considering he has played for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and FC Basel previously, as well as scoring a hat-trick at the 2014 World Cup for Switzerland.

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The 26-year-old is unpredictable and that is something the Saints need to add to their attacking options this summer given that the lack of variety in the final third has often meant that they have been toothless.

Shaqiri is versatile and can also play on the right or in the No 10 role, and the only potential problem for Southampton is that he may well have plenty of offers from elsewhere, especially if a prospective deal isn’t wrapped up before the World Cup.