Arsene Wenger expects Arsenal to have an active offseason in the transfer market.

"Yes," said Wenger when asked if Arsenal will have a busy summer. "What I can promise is that we work very hard on a market that is very, very congested with many people who have a lot of money.

"But we have a big advantage, players want to join us and if we find the right quality I'm sure we can strengthen the team."

Barcelona had 17 past and present players in The Guardian's top-100 players in the history of the World Cup.

The team with the most active players on the list is also FC Barcelona. Xavi, Ronaldinho, Messi, Puyol and Iniesta are five of the ten active footballers on the list. The rest are Cristiano Ronaldo (33), Buffon (44), Sneijder (84), Del Piero (86) and Lahm (95).

2- Maradona
4 – Ronaldo
6 –Cruyff
15 – Xavi
16 - Romário
23 – Ronaldinho
27 – Rivaldo
29 - Neeskens
38 – Thuram
47 – Lineker
51 – Messi
56 – Stòitxkov
59 – Figo
61 – Hagi
64 – Puyol
65 - Iniesta
72 – Frank de Boer
76 – Popescu

Brendan Rodgers wants to avoid bringing players on loan this summer to Liverpool.

Nuri Sahin, Aly Cissokho and Victor Moses have come to Anfield on loans since Rodgers arrived.

"I would hope we don't have to go for loans this summer," the Reds boss told the Liverpool Echo.

"But it's always about the availability of players. If you are not satisfied with the squad and you feel you can improve it then you have to look at every option.

"In these first couple of years I've been here we have had to do that as we've had a thin squad.

"The players we wanted we couldn't get but we're hopeful that this summer will be different. We turn the page and it's another chapter in terms of where we are going.

"Hopefully that will mean it will be more permanent players than loan players but I can never rule it out completely.

"There could be a situation where a player becomes available, we can get him and he can add to what we're doing." 

ESPN is releasing a Top-50 #WorldCupRank, which completely excluded any players from the United States.

Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard are widely considered the three best players on the USMNT.

"Some of it just comes down to where you're playing and who you're playing for," ESPN television analyst and former U.S. international Kasey Keller said. "And our national team isn't going to win the World Cup. You start looking at the number of players, it doesn't take a lot when you have the world's elite at a World Cup to come up with 50 players."

Howard just had a great seasons at Everton, but just four keepers made the list.

Bradley couldn't become a regular at Roma before coming to the MLS, while Dempsey had inconsistent moments for Tottenham before his move to Seattle.

Alexi Lalas is convinced that both Bradley and Howard could "play with any team in the world." Lalas believes there are still biases against American players by those in Europe.

Diego Costa was Sid Lowe's player of the year for the 13-14 La Liga season, while Diego Simeone was manager of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gabi were second and third on Lowe's list.

GK: Thibaut Courtois (Atlético)

Fullbacks: Juanfran. (Atlético), Filipe Luís (Atlético), Diego Godín (Atlético), João Miranda (Atlético)

Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Gabi (Atlético), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ángel Di María (Real Madrid),

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Atlético).

Subs: Koke, Raúl García and Turan (Atlético), Bale, Alonso, Benzema and Ramos (Real Madrid), Iniesta and Messi (Barcelona), Rico, Gurpegui, Laporte, Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao), Trashorras and Larrivey (Rayo Vallecano), Navas (Levante), Bacca (Sevilla), Bruno, Gio and Musacchio (Villarreal), Vela (Real Sociedad).

Adam Lallana has downplayed comparisons his game has drawn to Spanish greats Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

"We haven't seen a player like that in this country for a long time," said his Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"It's flattering to hear those comparisons but I had a chat with [Pochettino] and told him I didn't really agree with him," he told reporters.

"I mentioned it to him a couple of times because they are world-class players who have won World Cups, European Championships and Champions Leagues.

"So, hopefully in the summer, I will have the chance to grace the field with them and test myself against them. They are obviously big players that I look up to. The way they move the ball and manipulate it.

"The Spaniards have been at the top for the past five or six years with the national team but we will be looking to change that this summer."

Luis Enrique will make sweeping changes to the Barcelona roster ahead of the 14-15 season.

Enrique was named new manager to replace Tata Martino this week.

"The players must know that you cannot let a year pass at Barça," he said. "If they are not at the level required then there will be changes. We will reinforce the team in the best way possible, to be as competitive as possible. There is a market there -- teams ask a lot of money for players. You must manage it all. We will reinforce, maybe in all lines of the team, to have the best players for the club and for me."

There has been speculation that a host of high-profile players including Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas and Javier Mascherano could make way.

Asked about the trio, he said: "I know Xavi. He is a friend, an ex-teammate. I could tell you great things about him. We will sit down and talk, and see what he wants and what we want. He has a big date with the World Cup.

"I do not want to talk too much about individuals. Good and important players will stay. We will look at everyone and then see what we do. We do not have to make decisions now. We have time."

Barça didn't win La Liga or Copa del Rey and were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarterfinals.

"Barça has an attractive idea of football, but we also have to defend and concentrate, and work hard. The way of playing will be the same as for many years now, but you must evolve the ideas, and improve on them, based on players you have."

There had been speculation this season that Lionel Messi may leave Barcelona, but he ultimately agreed to a rich new contract.

“No, no, no,” club president Josep Bartomeu reiterated when asked if Barça considered selling Messi. “Messi is more than a player. Pep Guardiola organized everything around Messi. He represents an icon to us.

“Barça is bound to Xavi, to Iniesta, and all the rest. He will play with us until he tells us he wants to leave. It will be his decision. He has won that right, but over the next weeks we will offer him a new contract that will reward him for what he is, the best player in the world. He is our future, our leader.”

Over the past five years, there have been 150 players that have cost more than 15 million euros for their transfer fee.

The Premier League has purchased 63 of those players, while the Bundesliga have only acquired 12 for that price or more.

Europe's 728 first division clubs have collectively spent 14.5 billion euro on transfers since 2009. The Premier League alone is responsible for 2.9 billion euro of that total.

Italy is a surprising second with 2.2 billion euro, followed by Spain with 1.6 billion euro and Germany with 878 million euro.

The Bundesliga, however, ranks second in revenues per season since 2009.