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Aston Villa could be ready to get rid of some deadwood in their squad as Steven Gerrard approaches his first summer transfer window with the Premier League side.

What’s the word?

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who claimed to GIVEMESPORT that Steven Gerrard will be “looking to strengthen” his options out wide ahead of his first full season in charge of Villa.

He said: “Villa are probably going to lose a couple of wingers in the summer with El Ghazi out on loan at Everton and Trezeguet out on loan in Turkey.

“So, that’s two wingers who the club will most likely look to move on. So, it’s going to be an area that Steven Gerrard will be looking to strengthen as well.”

Gerrard needs to bolster attacking options

El Ghazi and Trezeguet have both been out on loan at Everton and Istanbul Basaksehir FK respectively for the second half of the campaign with contrasting success.

Trezeguet has scored five times in just nine appearances for the Turkish side whilst El Ghazi has only played twice for Everton in what is an underwhelming loan spell, to say the least.

With both players making a combined three appearances under Steven Gerrard, then fans will be ecstatic to hear of the news that they could both depart at the end of the campaign.

Gerrard will undeniably want to bring in his own players, with Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne arriving in January, he is stamping his authority on this Villa squad.

Results have been mixed, however, with some bright periods intersected by poor spells and this has largely been the nature of their season.

Villa have been linked to attacking options such as Ryan Kent, via the Daily Mail and Foot Mercato reported on their interest in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby last summer, then there seem to be plenty of options out there for Gerrard to ponder.

The summer transfer window will be a key one for Villa, and if they have a bad start next season, then Gerrard will surely be feeling the pressure so recruitment must be excellent.

AND in other news, Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

Tottenham Hotspur can bolster their claims for a top-four finish in the Premier League with a victory at Leeds United on Saturday but interim manager Ryan Mason will need to get it spot-on with his team selection.

The 29-year-old caretaker boss is facing quite the dilemma after his side bounced back from their Carabao Cup heartbreak with an emphatic 4-0 win over basement boys Sheffield United, although Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit are a completely different kettle of fish.

Mason’s call to start Gareth Bale paid serious dividends as the Welsh superstar profited with a hat-trick, whilst there was another standout performer in Dele Alli.

It was only the 25-year-old’s third league start of the campaign and his 78 minutes on the pitch were the most of any league appearance this term. He excelled in that number 10 role behind Harry Kane, with Heung-min Son and goal machine Bale either side of him.

He has surely done enough to warrant another start against Leeds, where his nifty footwork and ability on the ball will be required to beat their relentless press.

Of course, a case could be made for Tanguy Ndombele, but Spurs have just won 4-0 in his absence, with Alli playing a crucial and industrious role against the Blades.

Speaking after that win on Sunday, Eric Dier lauded his England teammate and provided a clue into the sort of work the 25-year-old has been putting into training.

“I thought he played really well. From the inside I can tell you he’s been working really hard and trained really well,” he said, via the Independent. “And against Sheffield United he put that on the pitch.

“Everyone knows his qualities, but I think he also has a lot of qualities which go unnoticed. The amount of second balls he wins, the amount he runs for the team and presses.

“He’s always attached to the game, it’s like he’s on a string to the ball. He is always attached to the game in every moment and that’s a great quality to have.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-managerial-update-levy-mason-mourinho-sacked” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, managerial gossip and more!”]

Indeed, these are the sorts of performances which saw Alli record a phenomenal campaign in 2016/17, where his 18 goals scored from midfield earned him a second Young PFA Player of the Year award, as well as lofty comparisons to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes.

“I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli for his age is just a freak of a talent,” former Spurs ace Darren Anderton exclaimed, in quotes sourced by Goal. “I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

Again, there’s another hint towards Alli’s work rate for the club, which is pretty strange considering that Jose Mourinho lambasted him for being “lazy” – when putting two and two together, that had to have been a reason for his continued absence under him. However, the recently-sacked manager once lauded the 25-year-old as a “team player,” only adding further mystery to the situation.

The £26m-rated dynamo won nine of 15 duels, made three tackles and recorded three dribbles against the Blades (Sofascore), proving that he can do his bit for the team at either end of the pitch.

There may be a temptation to turn back to Ndombele but, after Sunday’s showing, Mason must keep faith in Alli. It could prove to be a game-changing decision towards their chances of picking up a result to strengthen their top four charge.

AND in other news, Levy could revive Spurs by hiring 9x trophy-winner who dubbed Mourinho “a little man”…

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to a recent report regarding managerial target Frank Lampard.

According to the Evening Standard, the former Chelsea boss is keen on replacing Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

Lampard is thought to be interested in the project with the Eagles and wants his next job to be in the Premier League.

Palace reportedly like Lampard’s work with younger players at Chelsea, however, he would also be backed in the transfer market this summer, should he put pen to paper on a Selhurst Park deal.

Hodgson’s contract at the club expires in around seven weeks time, and it is believed an announcement on his future will be made at the end of the current campaign.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the news of Lampard’s interest in the job and the club’s plans to back a new manager in the transfer market this summer on Twitter.

This is what some Palace supporters had to say in reply.

“Exciting”Credit: @elliotcpfc”All these links from reliable sources. It’s gonna happen”Credit: @Sumo08112″Of course he’s interested it’s a job he should be on his hands and knees begging for, he doesn’t deserve another chance at this level yet he should jump at any opportunity to do so”Credit: @liamb0117″The people that want him worry me. He needs to properly prove himself at this level, including the building of a squad”Credit: @JoeCarey17″I mean he would back the youth but I’m not 100%. I’d back him”Credit: @nikolimorgan”happy Thursday”Credit: @cpfcharlie0

In other news: ‘Joke’, ‘I’m worried’ – Many CPFC fans react as news emerges on £120k-p/w ace, find out more here. 

Everton made five signings during the January transfer window, adding experienced players like Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli, as well as securing the signature of young talents like Nathan Patterson; and now Frank Lampard has the opportunity to put together a team which can pick up vital wins and climb the Premier League into a safer position than their current placing of 16th.

The Toffees are currently just four points above the drop zone in the league, and the former Chelsea boss has been brought in for a fresh perspective in finding solutions to the mounting issues the club has faced this season, with an injury crisis, fans turning on the owners in multiple protests and the poor performances on the pitch from the players who have only secured five wins out of 20 league games.

When Lampard was at Chelsea, he had a strong ethos in developing young players and giving them opportunities in the first team. This contributed to the success of players like Mason Mount and Reece James, who were both instrumental in Chelsea’s Champions League-winning campaign last year.

Right-back James was given his Premier League debut by Lampard in 2019 at just 19 years of age and quickly became a first team regular. The Everton boss now has the opportunity to emulate his successful development of the Chelsea starlet by giving 20-year-old Patterson – who was dubbed “amazing” by Scotland team-mate Che Adams – his Premier League now as well.

The Scottish right-back was signed from Rangers in January by Rafael Benitez after having a fantastic start to his career for both club and country. His most notable performance came from his latest Scotland start, when he scored the opening goal and set up the second to help his nation secure a spot in the World Cup play-offs, which take place at the end of March.

With Seamus Coleman now 33 and into the final 18 months of his contract, the signing of Patterson could be the perfect opportunity to start phasing out the Irishman and integrating more youth into the defence.

That would allow Lampard to mould the youngster into the player he wants to see at right-back, which could be in the more offensive role that we have seen from James at Chelsea. Patterson has shown glimpses of his capability to achieve just that when you look at his aforementioned performance for Scotland.

It will be interesting to see how Lampard sets up his Everton team against Brentford on Saturday in the FA Cup, when the Toffees return to action at Goodison Park for the first time since the 43-year-old took on the head coach role. Hopefully Patterson will be granted a senior Blues debut, potentially the first step to becoming Everton’s answer to James.

In other news: Everton must finally offload this flop

Former Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed has revealed that the club were interested in deals to sign a clutch of Leicester City’s title-winners, as well as some of their more recent stars.

Leicester have a phenomenal track record when it comes to recruitment, bringing in a number of players for small fees and subsequently enjoying exceptional success.

The signings of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante helped the club achieve one of the great underdog stories in the sport, when they won the Premier League title.

And this season, Youri Tielemans scored a brilliant goal to win the FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Southampton have not had anywhere near the same level of success, finishing 15th in 20/21, 11th in 19/20, 16th in 18/19 and 17th in 17/18. They have not won a major trophy since 1976, when they lifted the FA Cup, though they were runners-up in the League Cup in 2016/17.

Reed, though, has now confirmed that it could have been a very different story, with a number of Leicester players on the club’s radar before they made the move to the Foxes, including Vardy, who has scored 118 Premier League goals, and Tielemans.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Reed said: “Going back to when they won the league, Simpson, Fuchs, Albrighton, Vardy had all been on our radar; Fofana, Tielemans, Maddison, Praet.”

When Mikel Arteta first arrived at Everton to play in front of the beloved Goodison Park faithful, he was a player who lacked physicality.

A diminutive character, David Moyes was scared to play him in a natural number 10 position that he’d thrived in while coming through the ranks at Barcelona.

The Toffees initially fielded him in a role on the wing but his career was changed for the better due to a striker shortage in Merseyside.

With Everton unable to play with a centre-forward, Moyes moved the Spanish magician inside to provide them with dynamism in the middle of the park.

It worked a treat as Arteta quickly became one of the most impressive midfielders in the top-flight.

He created goals on a regular basis, was a nuisance for the opposition and would pop up with a plethora of goals. A master of the set-piece, he could also strike a ball incredibly well from long range.

During the 2006/07 season, only Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas assisted more goals than his nine while is he is one of the most fouled players in Premier League history.

The current Arsenal manager had a canny ability of arriving late in the penalty area to score goals, or tip-toeing between defenders with his quick feet.

Everton may have the dancing shoes of James Rodriguez in their side now but they don’t have a midfield playmaker like Arteta.

With that in mind, they should consider signing Aaron Ramsey this summer, someone linked with a move a few months ago.

Described as “outstanding technician” by Martin Keown, the 67-cap Wales international is cut from a similar cloth. His ability to arrive on the scene at the nick of time to score a goal is uncanny.

Flash through Arteta’s highlights reel at Everton and you’ll notice the Spaniard popping up on the edge of the area time and time again. This was a quality synonymous with Ramsey’s time at Arsenal.

He scored 16 times in one season, eventually ending his stay in north London with 65 goals and 65 assists in all competitions.

Both players have a career average of 1.2 key passes per game and they do their bit from a defensive point of view as well.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

Arteta eventually became a holding player after moving to the Gunners, using his incredible game intelligence to his advantage. Ramsey has played in a quarterback role as well but he’s now more of a box to box playmaker, just as his former teammate was when he played in the royal blue.

It’s been a considerable period of time since Everton have had a midfield player capable of scoring goals and assisting them in equal measure. Ramsey, however, could bring that vibe back to Merseyside.

In the process, he could provide a similar style of play to Arteta.

AND in other news, Alan Myers delivers 11-word Everton transfer update, fans will be delighted…

Spurs are interested in a deal to bring Youssef En-Nesyri to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs have joined West Ham United in monitoring the situation of the Sevilla centre-forward ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that Julen Lopetegui’s side require a big-money sale of one of their more valuable players in order to fund their own transfer business, and that, if the LaLiga side fail to sell Jules Kounde, they could be tempted into parting ways with the Morocco international.

However, En-Nesyri himself is not thought to be sold on the idea of a switch to Tottenham in the current transfer window, and is instead hoping that “one of the greats” will make a move for him ahead of next season.

Nuno would love him

While it would appear that a Tottenham move for En-Nesyri would be a difficult deal to get over the line this summer, it is undeniable that the 24-year-old would make a fantastic addition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s attacking options next season, as well as generally being a player the Portuguese boss would love to have at the club.

Indeed, the £49k-per-week man scored 18 goals and set up six big chances over 38 LaLiga appearances for Lopetegui’s side last season, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 0.4 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the striker earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.98, ranking him as Sevilla’s eighth-best player in the Spanish top-flight, playing a key role in his team securing a Champions League spot via a fourth-place finish in LaLiga.

However, it was not only in domestic competition that En-Nesyri impressed, with the 24-year-old also bagging six Champions League goals over eight appearances in the tournament, with his displays earning him an average SofaScore rating of 7.33 – the third-highest rating of any Sevilla player.

As such, with a clinical season in Spain behind him, the centre-forward Euan McTear claimed was “like Benzema” would certainly appear to be a signing Nuno would love to get done this summer, particularly as Harry Kane has been heavily linked with a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, with the £36m-rated man appearing to not be overly enthused by a move to Spurs, perhaps the 47-year-old Tottenham boss should turn his focus elsewhere in the summer transfer window.

In other news: Spurs dealt big blow over “important” £51.5m target, Levy will be fuming

It doesn’t take a lot to work out that proceedings in the Celtic boardroom have been rather unclear for the Bhoys and their supporters over the last 18 or so months.

As the Hoops lost their stronghold on Scottish football last term, supporters protested outside Parkhead against the ownership for their lack of ambition.

Neil Lennon was leading a sinking ship but the Northern Irishman had to take matters into his own hand and left of his own accord rather than being sacked by Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell.

The latter has since left, retiring from his role and following Nick Hammond and Lennon through the exit door.

His replacement, Dominic McKay, has already taken his leave which has left Michael Nicholson as their acting CEO.

What Celtic have struggled to do, however, is bring in some with plenty of football expertise. It looked over the summer as though the Bhoys would bring in a director of football but a move for Fergal Harkin fell flat.

Judging by how some of Celtic’s summer signings have turned out, this issue is now all too apparent.

Speaking in a Q&A with The Athletic, reporter Kieran Devlin shared his own worries when debating the acquisition of James McCarthy on a free transfer.

He said: “I believe the board’s thinking on McCarthy is that on paper he offered the experience and cultural affinity to replace the leadership/Celtic connection gap left by Brown’s farewell, even if it hasn’t panned out like that so far.”

Devlin continued: “But this is where having executives make crucial football operations decisions is a potential issue, rather than someone with expertise and experience in that role like a sporting director or head of recruitment, who can step in and say ‘is this a rational sporting decision’?”

This should be a hugely concerning statement for Celtic supporters to read. After all, the addition of McCarthy to the side has hardly been helpful.

The Irishman should have offered plenty of experience in the middle of the park but the fact of the matter is that he’s been poor. Supporters have torn him apart and although the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota have been successful signings, proceedings won’t improve in the long run until Celtic appoint a proper director who can lead their recruitment.

Unfortunately for the Parkhead faithful, it doesn’t appear as though that model of working behind the scenes is going to be forthcoming with few updates on the matter in the last few months.

Consider Harkin’s prominent work at Manchester City where he was described as a transfer, and this would have been an inspired appointment. Instead, they are left to rue their mistakes of a few months ago.

AND in other news, Less touches than Hart: Celtic dud who made just 5 passes all game badly let Ange down…

When Rafa Benitez was appointed as the new manager of Everton it sparked controversy amongst supporters at Goodison Park.

Already frustrated by Carlo Ancelotti’s surprising exit, Toffees fans were incensed that Benitez was the wrong man.

They went as far as posting signs outside his house in protest of his arrival in Merseyside. The reason was a simple one; his association with Liverpool.

Benitez coached the Reds to Champions League glory in 2005 during a six-year stay at Anfield. In the process, he labelled their fiercest rivals a ‘small club.’

The 61-year-old has since apologised for that but he’s not done a great deal since arriving at Everton to calm the waters.

They’ve made mediocre efforts to improve their squad in the transfer window and lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a pre-season friendly last weekend.

However, it’s important to remember just what Benitez has achieved in his managerial career. He is one of the most renowned coaches on the globe and has helped to define certain aspects of modern football.

You only need to look at Xabi Alonso, a footballer who introduced a new role to a tactics board; a creative defensive midfielder.

The Spaniard played 210 times under Benitez, spraying passes in various directions while showing a bullish approach to defending.

He was a remarkably composed footballer but wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it mattered.

During the 2014/15 campaign at Bayern Munich, he took a mind-boggling 163.5 touches per game, orchestrating play from deep on a regular basis.

Speaking about his style of play, ex-Bayern director Matthias Sammer once said: “Xabi Alonso has incredible skills, passing and ball control. He has an eye for the game, he knows how to defend and he is physically strong.”

But why is this all relevant to Everton? Well, Benitez could discover his new Alonso this summer in the form of Sander Berge.

The Norwegian is valued at a mighty £35m and has been linked with a move to Goodison throughout the last few months.

He has only played three times for the Blades in 2021 but like Alonso was, he’s a composed footballer who loves a tackle.

Described as the “complete midfielder” by Chris Wilder, he completed 85.6% of his passes in the Premier League last term. Sitting deep and distributing play in the manner Alonso did for Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern, he also produced 1.1 successful tackles per game.

It speaks volumes that it wasn’t Berge’s best season either. His greatest tally for tackles came in 2016 when he recorded 2.1 per match for Valerenga in Norway.

That final statistic is close to Alonso whose career average according to data tracked by WhoScored, stands at 2.9 an outing.

The former Spain international was, of course, a class above. Berge would have to do a lot to be registered in the same category but he’s certainly got similar attributes.

He’d be a fantastic signing for Everton based on the aforementioned traits.

AND in other news, Everton dream of signing “dangerous” £34m-rated gem, he’s perfect for Benitez…

Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has been sent a warning by Tim Sherwood after a tough debut for the club at the weekend.

The Lowdown: Palace thrashing

The 22-year-old swapped Barcelona for Spurs on the transfer deadline day and made his debut in the 3-0 London derby defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The wing-back lost more duels than he won and attempted only one dribble, with which he failed to beat his man. Whilst not at fault for any of the three goals, the Brazilian endured a difficult time against Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park.

It remains early days in his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the £25.73m arrival will be hoping to settle in sooner rather than later.

 The Latest: Another Soldado

Speaking to Premier League Productions (11/09/21 at 12:20 pm) [via HITC], former Spurs manager Sherwood said that he hopes Royal does not struggle in the Premier League after a move from Spain, similar to Roberto Soldado under the 52-year-old in 2013/14.

The ex-Spurs boss said: “We have had one there at Tottenham as well. He was a centre-forward in Soldado. He came over with a massive reputation, he couldn’t wait to score a bundle of goals in the Premier League.

“It never really materialised. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t hand the tempo and the intense competition of the Premier League.

“Hopefully, for Royal and Tottenham fans, he can be really interesting.”

The Verdict: Still early days

Soldado, who is now back in Spain with Levante, had a horrid spell at the north London club as he only scored 16 goals in 76 appearances at White Hart Lane.

Royal’s debut performance was not terrible by any means and having to face Zaha, one of the trickiest players in the league, in his first game was always going to be tough, especially when Japhet Tanganga was sent off.

With Matt Doherty waiting in the wings at right-back, Royal now faces a tough upcoming three games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa. That could be his chance to prove why Spurs signed him and show Sherwood that he isn’t going to be another failed signing from La Liga like Soldado.

In other news, Nuno Espirito Santo has been dealt another blow about Tottenham ace. Find out more here.