'The next four fixtures will determine the next five years'

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/next-four-fixtures-determine-next-083724910.html","headline":"'The next four fixtures will determine the next five years'","datePublished":"2026-04-28T08:37:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T08:37:24.000Z","keywords":["Ryan Sessegnon","Aston Villa","Arsenal","final four games","Manchester City","Bournemouth"],"description":"In the week that the club triggered an extra year on his deal, Ryan Sessegnon breathed new life into our European push when all appeared lost. Three wins...","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Drew Heatley - Fan writer","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Drew Heatley - Fan writer","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"BBC","url":"https://www.bbc.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":487,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-06/bde20910-1041-11ee-b7ff-2b001204ebc4"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ym4uBkI23tCsHC560nFxTw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0zNzY7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/7f7084a14173e4060cbb6aa32b6a0a7f","height":188,"width":1200},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ym4uBkI23tCsHC560nFxTw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0zNzY7Y2Y9d2VicA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/7f7084a14173e4060cbb6aa32b6a0a7f"}Story by'The next four fixtures will determine the next five years'[BBC]Drew Heatley - Fan writerTue, April 28, 2026 at 8:37 AM UTC·2 min read[Getty Images]Who else could it be but Sess?In the week that the club triggered an extra year on his deal, Ryan Sessegnon breathed new life into our European push when all appeared lost.His goal gave us our first win against Aston Villa in nearly four years and sparked renewed hope going into similarly tough games against Arsenal and Bournemouth.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_65iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_65iudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }The fact that we then lost him to injury is illustrative of the mixed bag this season has been.Three wins out of our final four games would all-but guarantee a top eight finish, but there is little room for error.Our hardest game comes next week at the Emirates, with Arsenal needing no fewer than three points to stay ahead of a rampant Manchester City side that can smell blood.Our away record this campaign has been poor, which is why it is encouraging that two of our final four games are at home and our other away fixture is a trip to already relegated Wolves.I cannot help but feel these next four fixtures will determine not just the direction of our 2026-27 season, but the next five years.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_6biudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: none; } @media screen and (max-width: 767.95px) { #_R_6biudcaanpfiv65bH1_ { display: flex; } iframe { max-width: 100vw; } }If we fail to secure Europe, I expect Marco Silva to depart in June. If we qualify, I think we can expect a new deal and a continuation of his five-year stay in SW6.Tying down players like Sessegnon for at least another season…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at Yahoo Sports.