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A week or so ago, some Everton fans could not wait for David Unsworth to be shown the door in favour of a new manager.

The 44-year-old received criticism as the club last five in seven games in all competitions.

Now, though, the club’s fanbase have been full of praise for the Under-23s coach.

Unsworth took charge of his final game as interim boss on Wednesday night and it was one for him to remember as the team earned a much-needed 4-0 win over West Ham United.

Wayne Rooney netted a hat-trick and Ashley Williams also got on the scoresheet as the team ruined David Moyes’s return to Goodison as West Ham boss.

After the final whistle, Unsworth received a standing ovation from the crowd, who broke into a chorus of chants dedicated to the former defender.

The praise continued on Twitter, with fans bidding farewell to Unsworth ahead of Sam Allardyce’s arrival.

Celtic take on Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League this evening with qualification for the Europa League after Christmas on the line.

Brendan Rodgers’ side know that if they avoid defeat by a three goal margin they will be heading into the knockout stages of the secondary European competition, sparking dreams of an extended run towards the latter stages in the new year.

The Hoops have every reason to be confident of getting not just the result they need, but a win too, having battered the Belgians in their own backyard in the first meeting between the two sides this season, thanks to goals from Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair.

Fans are certainly looking forward to the encounter with many believing that Rodgers’ first victory at home in the group stages of the Champions League is on its way. Having failed thus far to pick up three points at home in the competition since joining the club, a win tonight would give the Bhoys huge momentum heading into the new year.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts ahead of kick-off…

Nottingham Forest are set to beat Midlands rivals Birmingham City for the signing of former Aston Villa loanee Lewis Grabban, according to The Nottingham Post.

What’s the story, then?

The report says that both the Blues and Forest lodged bids for the man who spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa Park but it is the former European champions who have won the race are set to finalise a £6m deal.

He also banged in the goals for struggling Sunderland in the opening part of the previous campaign and Garry Monk wanted him to add firepower to the spluttering Birmingham attack.

He may have hoped that Grabban’s time in the West Midlands would convince him to return to the area – admittedly on the other side of the city – but it does not look to be the case.

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Wells is a better and cheaper alternative 

With Grabban off the table and Birmingham beaten by a wealthier divisional rival, Monk must go back to the drawing board and one player who should stand out is Burnley outcast Nahki Wells.

The former Bradford man is a livewire and Birmingham’s attack sorely lacks pace and energy; plus, he also knows where the net is and is a good striker in the second tier.

Sean Dyche doesn’t sign players with a bad attitude so it is clear that he has the willingness to run all day that the Blues faithful will love – Monk should forget the Grabban chase and make Wells his top target.

With Unai Emery now at the helm at the Emirates, the Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern will be hoping that the club can secure some new faces to the squad. 

The club has worked fast to bring in Stephan Lichsteiner, Bernd Leno and Sokratis Papastathopoulos as Emery begins his summer rebuild. The Spaniard, however, has dodged a bullet as it looks like Sporting Lisbon winger, Gelson Martins set to join Atletico Madrid according to AS. 

After cancelling his contract with Sporting Lisbon, the winger had been in negotiations with Madrid since Portugal were knocked out of the tournament, with the deal pretty much completed.

The Breakdown

Following fan trouble at Sporting, a host of players decided to terminate their contracts, leading to multiple clubs showing an interest in the players. Arsenal have been linked with Martins in the past and were linked once again.

Although Martins did have a reasonable season for Sporting last year, scoring eight goals and nine assists, the winger has never really shown enough quality to make the move to the Premier League.

While it’s clear that Arsenal could do with some new faces on the wings, Martins is too inconsistent to have been a worthy addition. He’s quick, yes but doesn’t do enough going forward and in the Premier League, his inadequacies would’ve shown.

Moreover, it a system where he will be asked to be incredibly disciplined and help out in defence, Martins may well just be found out. Arsenal have dodged a bullet here and should now be concentrating on some other targets. These are exciting times at the Emirates and Martins wouldn’t be a huge part of that, even if he did join.

The Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern are hoping their club will add another attacking wide player to their ranks this summer to provide backup for the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, and recent reports suggest they could be set to do exactly that, albeit, at Harry Wilson’s expense. 

The Breakdown

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via talkSPORT), Liverpool are interested in signing Marko Pjaca from Juventus this summer, and the Old Lady have named their price at £22 million. The 23-year-old didn’t make a single appearance for Juventus last season due to injury, but he later moved on loan to Schalke in January where he made just 7 appearances for the club.

The price-tag on his head seems rather extortionate on the back of the season he just had, but Juventus’ demands can be justified from the potential he demonstrated whilst rising through the ranks in Croatia as a youngster, and at 23 he has plenty of improving left to do.

A potential deal for Pjaca would go some way to improving Liverpool’s strength in depth – something which was blatantly missing last season.

However, Jurgen Klopp must consider that the arrival of a new wide player would almost certainly force Harry Wilson to pursue his career away from the club this summer.

The 21-year-old impressed whilst on loan at Hull City last season with his direct style of dribbling and quality in the final-third.

With a record of 7 goals and 4 assists from just 13 appearances to boast from his short-term loan spell, it’s fair to say Wilson deserves a chance to shine in the first-team next season, but the Pjaca reports suggest the club have doubts about his ability to succeed.

If that does indeed prove to be the case, Wilson will surely depart Anfield this summer in search of a fresh environment where he will be given the opportunity to showcase his huge talent on a regular basis.

And on the evidence of the progress he has made in 2018, Liverpool’s loss will certainly be another side’s gain.

Liverpool fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea have joined Manchester United and Real Madrid in the race for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

What’s the story?

Milinkovic-Savic is rated at £81m by Transfermarkt, but talkSPORT have reported that Lazio have set a price tag of £115m for the young Serbian international.

Having provided 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions for the Italian side last season, Milinkovic-Savic is now one of the hottest prospects in European football. The 6ft 4in 23-year-old uses his height and power to excel as a box to box centre-mid.

However, United already have a tall and powerful box to box player in Paul Pogba and have just signed creative midfielder Fred for a considerable fee. If they are still in the market for a midfielder then they should look for a long-term replacement for Nemanja Matic.

A better option

Milinkovic-Savic hardly set the world alight during this summer’s World Cup in Russia, but one man that did could be the perfect signing for Jose Mourinho to add to his ever growing squad.

Holding midfielder Marcelo Brozovic shone alongside Ivan Rakitic and Golden Ball winner Luka Modric in a Croatia midfield that carried their country to its first ever World Cup final.

The 25-year-old Inter Milan man was the anchor at the base of manager Zlatko Dalic’s midfield and offered a defensive shield so effective that Dejan Lovren began thinking he was the best thing since sliced bread.

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, Brozovic offered nine assists in 31 league games last season for Inter and would represent far better value and a better option for United ahead of a title push next season.

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Liverpool have slapped a £27million price tag on Divock Origi and Valencia are keen on the striker, according to The Liverpool Echo.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old forward moved to Anfield in 2014 and has gone on to make 51 appearances, scoring 12 goals and registering four assists.

The Belgium international spent last season on loan at Wolfsburg and had a disappointing spell, netting six goals in 31 games for the German club.

Now, following Liverpool’s big spending this summer, Jurgen Klopp is keen to raise funds and is hoping to make £27million from the sale of Origi, and Valencia are reportedly interested in signing the young striker.

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Liverpool need a backup

Liverpool are right to try and offload Origi this summer.

He’s proved he’s not cut out for a top club despite being given enough of a chance to show it, and if they can raise something close to the £27million they want, they should definitely accept.

The problem is that despite Liverpool’s brilliant attack, they still need a backup striker in case of injury or just to mix things up.

Daniel Sturridge could be that man if he wasn’t so injury prone, which makes it difficult to rely on the England striker.

Instead, Liverpool should look to recruit the in-demand 20-year-old Ismaila Sarr who looks like the dream Klopp signing.

His lightning pace and energy make him a much better alternative to Origi, even if they have to reinvest all the money they recoup and some more.

According to TEAMtalk, Middlesbrough are interested in signing Brentford attacker Sergi Canos this summer as Adama Traore prepares to leave the club.

What’s the story?

Boro face a very tough task when it comes to keeping hold of Traore this summer, and it does appear that the former Barcelona youngster will move on ahead of the new season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers continue to be linked with a move, and Boro have every right to hold out for the best possible price.

According to TEAMtalk, the Championship club’s head coach Tony Pulis is aware that Traore is likely to leave ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, and has identified Brentford attacker Canos as a possible replacement.

The 21-year-old joined Brentford from Norwich City in January 2017, and there is no question that he is one of the most talented players in the second tier.

Should Middlesbrough make a move?

Brentford will be desperate to keep hold of Canos this summer, but Pulis looks to be putting together a squad capable of challenging for promotion in the coming season.

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Canos, who represented Barcelona as a youth, made his professional debut at Liverpool during the 2015-16 season before moving on to Norwich.

The former Spain Under-19 international had an unhappy time at Carrow Road, but joined Brentford on a permanent deal in January 2017, and scored three times in 30 Championship appearances last term.

Canos is a completely different player to Traore, but there is no question that he has the credentials to be a star at the Riverside Stadium.

It is unlikely that Boro would have to break the bank to sign Canos this summer, meanwhile, and he could play a key role in their promotion bid during the 2018-19 campaign.

Arsenal’s summer transfer window has arguably been one of the best the club has had in the last few years. 

With the transfer window ticking down, Arsenal have completed most of their summer business and will now only be looking to sell off some players to help bolster their budget and remove some of the deadwood from the squad.

The Gunners are returning from their tour pre-season tour of Singapore which saw them beat PSG but lose to Atletico Madrid, and with there will likely be a flurry of players departing the squad as the club trims its squad for the season. According to Goal.com, Greek Super League, PAOK are to make a £2 million bid for Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom.

The Breakdown

The Arsenal academy player has been at the club since the age of six but according to the report, he is not a part of Emery’s plans for the upcoming season.

At 22-years-old, Akpom has spent loan spells with Brentford, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Hull City and most recently, Belgian Second Division side, Sint-Truiden.

The youngster has struggled to translate some of his solid performances at youth level into senior football. Although Akpom managed 35 games for Hull City in the 2015/16 season, the young forward has never progressed since then.

Last year’s loan move to Saunt-Truiden saw him make 10 games, scoring five goals but with Eddie Nketiah, Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lcazette all ahead of him in the team, selling Akpom seems a wise move.

Thoughts Arsenal fans? 

For weeks it seemed that Andros Townsend was a top target for Newcastle United, but the Crystal Palace winger’s latest comments suggest that there will not be a reunion any time soon.

While speaking to Sky Sports News, the 27-year-old, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, pledged his future to Palace.

Townsend insisted that there is “nothing” in the rumours linking him with a return to Newcastle.

The winger caused controversy when he left the Magpies after just half a season following his switch from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2016.

After the club were relegated to the Championship, Townsend made a swift exit and headed to Selhurst Park.

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In July, Sky Sports reported that Newcastle were open to selling Matt Ritchie in order to fund a move for Townsend.

Judging from the player’s comments, though, he has no interest in returning to St James’ Park, and some Newcastle fans have not taken it well.