Roberto Martínez has claimed Romelu Lukaku’s value to Everton cannot be measured by his £28 million fee and denied the price is excessive compared with the £32 million Chelsea spent on Diego Costa.

Everton will face Chelsea on Saturday.

The Everton manager said: “They are different ages [Lukaku 21, Costa 25] and the situation at Atlético Madrid is very different in how they work. Sometimes as a club you have a say and sometimes you have investment groups who have a say. That could be one reason.

“Second, it’s not about the value. I would have paid £100 million for Lukaku if I had the money. The figure is insignificant. It is about the character and type of player you want in the group. Sometimes a player at £3 million can be an expensive buy and sometimes a player at £28 million can be a very cheap buy.”

Alexis Sánchez played as a central forward on Wednesday against Besiktas and figures to play there repeatedly over the coming months with Olivier Giroud out until at least December.

Arsene Wenger turned Thierry Henry into one of the world's best center forwards after having mixed success as a winger and he believes 

"Not just for three or four months," he said. "He can play there his whole life. I bought him to play as a striker."

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would prefer to play central midfield, but Arsène Wenger thinks his future is out on the flanks.

"I enjoy playing in central midfield but I'll play where the boss asks me to play," said Oxlade-Chamberlain when asked about his preferred position.

But Wenger interjected: "Beckham and Zidane played on the flanks and they turned out to be world-class players. Alex can be the same."

Manchester City defeated Liverpool by a final score of 3-1 in a key early match on Monday, but the Reds played better than the result indicates.

According to data from Michael Caley, Liverpool had a 1.4 expected goal outcome compared to just 1.1 for City.

Liverpool made several defensive blunders to lead to the City goals, which saw Stevan Jovetić score twice along with a Sergio Agüero strike.

"Once again, City carried by their finishing more than their chance creation," wrote Caley.

Thierry Henry has been the best player in the MLS this season, according to the WhoScored player rating.

Henry has seven goals and nine assists in 21 appearances for the New York Red bulls.

Fabian Espondola of DC United, Robbie Keane of the L.A. Galaxy, Chad Marshall of the Seattle Sounders and Brad Davis of the Houston Dynamo round out the top-5.

Clint Dempsey ranks seventh, while Landon Donovan ranks 12th.

Michael Bradley ranks 93rd in the statistic.

Paul Scholes believes Manchester United risks “going into the wilderness in the same way that Liverpool did in the 1990s” if they don't make a series of major moves to improve their roster.

Calling the situation “desperate”, Scholes wrote in the Independent: “Let me be clear: I am sick of having to criticize the club which I gave my life to as a footballer. But United need to arrest their decline.

“I feel it is time for major change. What do United need? Five players. Not five players with potential. Five experienced players … for now. Five proper players who can hit the ground running and turn around a situation that looks desperate. United’s forwards are as good as any team in the league. The problem is what comes behind them.

“My five would be: Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Raphaël Varane, Angel Di Maria and Mats Hummels. It would be one very big cheque for Real Madrid, given that four of them would come from that club. It would be hard to land them all. But that is the level that United need at this stage of the transfer window.”

Former Bayern Munich striker Giovane Elber believes Robert Lewandowski was the perfect addition for the club.

"Mario Mandzukic scored a lot of goals for Bayern, but you must admit that Lewandowski's goal in the Telekom Cup against Wolfsburg was simply stunning," Elber told Spox.

"Bayern should be happy Lewandowski now plays in Munich and no longer for Dortmund. Bayern needed a player like him."

Elber believes the World Cup showed how a mobile striker is necessary in the modern game.

"You can no longer achieve much with a striker who only waits for the ball in the area. We all saw that at the World Cup. Germany had a winning formula with Thomas Muller and Brazil did not with Fred," he said.

"A modern striker should not only score goals, but also contribute to his side. He has to think and add something to the team. Lewandowski is perfect for that role.

"I am very curious to see whether Lewandowski can do as much for Bayern in the Champions League as he did for Dortmund."

José Mourinho claims Barcelona missused Cesc Fábregas during his tenure there and that Chelsea won't limit his abilities.

Fábregas had a brilliant assist to Andre Schürrle in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Burnley.

“He moved to Spain also, so for the last 10 years we have been in the same league for six or seven. I know exactly what he will bring. For Barça he was the fake nine, the number ten and winger but I know and he knows what is his best position so he is giving exactly what we need. Quick thinking in midfield. He brings people in the same direction. I am really happy.”

Louis van Gaal has already admitted that Manchester United needs better players following a 2-1 loss at home to open the Premier League season against Swansea City.

Van Gaal was asked whether the current squad was good enough to aim for the title or whether he needed to bring in more signings. “That is not a question because I knew that before this game. Of course we need defenders. It is also the question if we can play like a team and if we can reach the [right] level. Today, we didn’t reach that level. When you don’t play like a team, when you miss the chances, it is very difficult because every team shall create chances against us because we are playing with a big space behind us.

“I have said before that because of our wins in the United States and against Valencia the expectation is so high, and I have seen in the first half a lot of players very nervous, making the wrong choices, and that is a pity. These players have to get used to that expectation because this is Manchester United. You have to cope with that pressure. I have said to them in the dressing room: ‘I cannot say you didn’t do your very best, unbelievable work, fantastic mentality, but reaching the level is difficult, not only running but using your brain and then you can play like a team.’ In that, we have failed today.”

Van Gaal would like to see United be active before the end of the transfer window.

“I thought that before this match. When we were playing in the United States I saw the same. I know in what positions we need better players but I won’t discuss [how many] with you.”

One of the biggest differences between the rich and the poor in the Premier League is the value of kit deals.

Clubs receive annual revenue from both their kit supplier and a sponsor for the front of the shirt.

Manchester United has the EPL's richest deal at a combined annual amount of $108.9 million, followed by Arsenal at $100 million, Chelsea at $80 million, Liverpool at $75 million and Manchester City's $53.4 million deal.

Tottenham comes in sixth at $43.4 million, which then begins a huge drop to QPR at seventh with $19.1 million and Aston Villa at $14.5 million.

Everton ranks ninth at $10.85 million ahead of Newcastle United at $10 million.

Sunderland, Hull City, Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Stoke City, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Leicester City and Southampton round out the 11-20 rankings.