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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

Steven Gerrard was appointed the brand new Aston Villa manager during the international break after Dean Smith was sacked following three years at Villa Park due to a run of bad form with the side losing five games consecutively.

Gerrard is already making an impact in his short time with the club so far, as he guided the side to their first win in a handful of matches against Brighton last weekend and will be hoping to continue his confident start.

Dean Smith has also got a new job as Norwich manager, where he was appointed late into the international break, and has had a great start in his first fixture as the Canaries boss, with a 2-1 win over Southampton at the weekend, that gave them a crucial three points as they sit at the bottom of the Premier League table.

The former Villa boss has been tipped to dip into his old club’s squad to strengthen his own team, with former Villa player, Gabriel Agbonlahor speaking to Football Insider. Responding to whether Smith will take a look at some of the players from his time at Villa, he said:

“Conor Hourihane would be a good one.

“But it’s all going to depend on where Villa are. If results don’t go Villa’s way then they’re not going to let players go to a team that is also fighting relegation.

Aston Villa are expected to make moves in the upcoming transfer window as Johan Lange has confirmed the club are “identifying players” to add to the side in an attempt to avoid the drop into relegation in the second half of the season;

“I think we’re always working every day of the year to identify players with the potential of coming in to strengthen Aston Villa.

“We will work closely (with Steven) over the next six weeks to analyse the situation and we will be well prepared as we always are, if we find it is relevant to go into the market in January.”

If Smith did come to take some of the fringe players off the hands of Gerrard, it could really help to boost funds for the new manager to add the players he wants into the team. That’s without asking too much of the board to provide the funds or to have potential signings put on hold, especially in such a fragile time for Aston Villa where a relegation battle is quite possible.

Secondly, it might give Villa an advantage in freeing up space on the wage bill, something that will certainly help when it comes to the freedom of signing new recruits.

Gerrard will be hoping to relieve more pressure off the Villans this weekend in their fixture away at Selhurst Park, with another three points to push them further away from any relegation worries leading up to the New Year. At that point, their former boss might just be able to give them a hand in the market.

In other news: Gerrard handed double injury boost before Palace clash

With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side heading into Thursday evening’s Premiership clash in an excellent run of league form, things are very much looking on the up at Parkhead as we enter the hectic Christmas period.

However, with third-placed Hearts up next for the Bhoys, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be aware that his side will have to be at their best if they are secure all three points against Robbie Neilson’s men, a result which would close the gap to the current Premiership leaders to four points.

So, will Postecoglou make any changes to the team which started the 2-1 win over Aberdeen last time out? Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Hearts, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Postecoglou recently revealing that both Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic will be available for selection on Thursday evening, we predict that the 56-year-old will make two changes to the team that started at Parkhead last time out.

The back five remains unchanged, with Joe Hart starting between the sticks, while Josip Juranovic, Stephen Welsh, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Anthony Ralston make up the defensive quartet.

In the middle of the park, despite impressing against the Dons, the £14k-per-week James McCarthy – who pundit Eamon Dunphy dubbed a “terrible flop” – makes way for the return of Bitton, while Conor McGregor and David Turnbull retain their starting berths.

The front three also sees one change, with the £5.4m-rated James Forrest being handed only his second Premiership start of the season in place of 20-year-old Liel Abada, with the impressive Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi making up the attacking trio.

In other news: Ange must unleash “influential” £14k-p/w Celtic machine vs Hearts, he’s a game-changer

West Ham United have initiated talks regarding a deal to bring Nathaniel Phillips to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh, who revealed that David Moyes and his transfer team are in discussions with the Liverpool centre-back ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

However, the insiders go on to suggest that the 58-year-old manager will first have to hold a meeting with the club’s new board in order to discuss his plans for the January transfer window, as well as the funds he will have at his disposal this winter.

Forget Ogbonna

With centre-back pair Angelo Ogbonna – anterior cruciate ligament injury – and Kurt Zouma – hamstring tendon injury – both facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, the heart of the West Ham defence is undoubtedly an area of the pitch in which Moyes simply must strengthen next month.

And, while it is undeniable that he is a player of extreme importance to the Hammers, should the club manage to get a deal over the line for Phillips this January, he could well be a signing who ultimately goes on to take Ogbonna’s place alongside Zouma in Moyes’ backline.

Indeed, over his 17 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season, the £7.2m-rated man was in excellent form, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 4.8 clearances and winning a whopping 7.5 duels per game.

The player who Jurgen Klopp dubbed a “monster” who is “absolutely insane” also chipped in going forwards, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £65k-per-week centre-back earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Reds’ fourth-best performer in the league last time out.

As such, should Phillips be able to refind this form after a potential switch to East London, it would not be surprising to see him take the place of Ogbonna in Moyes’ starting XI going forwards – leading us to believe that the West Ham board must do all they can do land the Liverpool defender in the January window.

In other news: West Ham can repeat Lingard masterclass with “unique” £21m beast who’s “irreplaceable”

Tottenham Hotspur’s Paulo Dybala saga could be set for a renewal this summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato claimed that Juventus are ready to sell the Argentine forward after an injury-hit campaign at the Allianz Stadium, putting both Spurs and their Premier League rivals Chelsea on high alert.

The 27-year-old will be entering the final year of his current contract at the end of the season and sporting director Pavel Nedved remained coy on his future, telling DAZN (via Marca): “He has a contract for one more year and I have nothing more to add to what [Fabio] Paratici and president [Andrea] Agnelli have already said. But it is clear that at Juventus we evaluate every business opportunity.”

Spurs would be keen to sign him, but for no more than €45m (£38m) after having agreed on a deal for him back in 2019, only for it to collapse at the 11th hour due to controversy over his image rights.

Imagine him & Ndombele

Indeed, Dybala has endured a tough season in Turin. Before suffering “a low-grade lesion of the medial collateral ligament of the left knee,” the Juventus attacker had only provided three goals and two assists in 16 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The long-standing Spurs target has not played since the start of January, when he was dealt the devastating injury blow, and it remains to be seen when he could return, having visited a specialist in Barcelona last month.

That said, one poor stop-start season doesn’t turn a superstar into a bad player overnight, especially as he is still their sixth-best rated player.

Last term, Dybala delivered a total of 31 goal contributions in 46 appearances (17 goals, 14 assists). Only a Harry Kane or Heung-min Son could put up anywhere near those returns, even less so with Juventus competing in the Champions League.

Former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey has often been left in awe by him since he swapped north London for Italy, telling The Athletic last year: “I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player. He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”

Spurs still lack a true number 10 to fill the void of Christian Eriksen – Giovani Lo Celso has spent large parts of 2021 on the treatment table, the future of Dele Alli under Jose Mourinho is rather dubious, whilst Tanguy Ndombele has formed quite the partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in a deeper role.

Perhaps the arrival of Dybala could help bring the best out of the box-to-box Frenchman. He is among Spurs’ most influential players in the final third, managing a total of 68 pressures, which is only behind Kane and Son, via FBRef.

Similarly, he tops the charts for successful dribbles (2.92) and is second for most touches per 90 in the middle third (40.7). He needs that extra presence in front of him to truly thrive, and this is where Dybala comes in.

Had he been at the club since 2019, then the loss of Eriksen may have not been so difficult. Daniel Levy cannot let him escape his grasp a second time – he must sanction a deal for the £54m-rated gem this summer.

Just imagine him alongside Ndombele and Hojbjerg.

AND in other news, “very exciting” Spurs gem can become Mourinho’s next William Gallas

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

Many Everton fans have been lauding an update from the Goodison Park faithful as the club tweeted that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training.

The England international missed the Merseyside club’s 2-1 win away at Wolves in their last outing in the Premier League but it looks as if he may be ready to play Sheffield Wednesday at home in the FA Cup on Sunday night, if not in their next top flight match against Leicester City on Wednesday.

He has been such a key player for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the 2020/21 term, scoring no fewer than 14 goals and making a further assist in 19 appearances in all competitions so far (Transfermarkt), and the Toffees will surely be buzzing to have him back fit and available for selection again.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin update

These Blues lauded the update that the 23-year-old is back in training on Twitter, with one EFC fan describing it as ‘wonderful’:

“There goes my heroooooo”

Credit: @seann1878

“Corrrr this is the content”

Credit: @edwardahight

“Yeeeeeeerse. Probably dying to play on Wednesday.”

Credit: @AntiWanKenobi

“Lets gooooooo”

Credit: @aqqqqqqil

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @karimmenem2

“Wonderful to see”

Credit: @StacyMu78345188

In other news, find out why Everton fans are slamming a Sky Sports blunder here!

Former English Premier League referee Mark Halsey has dropped a hint on what outcome Rangers fans can expect to emerge from their club’s appeal of Kemar Roofe’s two-match ban.

Roofe was initially given a yellow card for a tackle on Murray Davidson during the Gers’ 1-0 win over St. Johnstone last week but he was subsequently issued a notice of complaint and handed a two-match ban for ‘serious foul play.’ Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has since confirmed that the Glasgow club is appealing this ban.

What has Halsey said about Rangers’ appeal?

However, speaking to This Is Futbol, Halsey has indicated that this appeal is unlikely to result in a positive outcome for the Gers.

The former referee said: “Obviously, in the SFA rules, they can serve notice if the referee hasn’t seen the challenge in its entirety, so I reckon Rangers are well within their right to appeal that notice. But, I think when the SFA serve a notice for a challenge of that nature, I can’t see Rangers winning an appeal, personally.”

Transfer Tavern take

Perhaps it’s not a surprise that the Premiership leaders have decided to try and get Roofe’s ban overturned, given that it may be fair to say the Englishman has quickly become a key player at Ibrox since joining the Glasgow club last summer for £4.5m, as Roofe is currently Rangers’ second-highest goalscorer (10) in the league.

So, with Halsey claiming that Rangers are “well within their right to appeal,” their decision to do so may be understandable, especially as fellow Gers forward Alfredo Morelos is also banned at present.

However, unfortunately for Rangers, it seems from what the pundit had to say that this ban may well be an unavoidable blow for Gerrard’s side and they may have to make do without Roofe for their next two games.

In other news, this newspaper article had many Rangers fans fuming.

According to a report in the paper edition of La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur are keen on former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. 

The Lowdown: Conte quits Inter

Speculation arose over Conte’s future in recent weeks despite the 51-year-old guiding Inter Milan to a first Serie A title in 11 years.

Reports now indicate that the Italian is set to quit the San Siro over Inter’s financial situation and he will be available for hire (Fabrizio Romano).

The Latest: Spurs and Levy eyeing Conte

Bringing the latest on football’s managerial merry-go-round, La Repubblica have dropped an interesting claim involving Tottenham and Conte – with the Italian newspaper believing Spurs are keen on him as well as La Liga giants Real Madrid.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-things-spurry/” title=”Spurs news and gossip!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

This has apparently happened in ‘recent hours’ as Daniel Levy and co carry on the search for a new manager over one month after sacking previous boss Jose Mourinho.

Conte to Tottenham apparently depends on one big factor in what direction Madrid choose to take regarding Zinedine Zidane and the future of their club.

They would most likely have first pick of Conte while the Lilywhites sit second in line.

The Verdict: Outstanding candidate for Tottenham?

Out of the long list of candidates linked to Spurs, one could argue that Conte is certainly one of the more prestigious names.

Having won four Serie A titles overall and two Italian Super Cups abroad, as well as a Premier League crown and FA Cup medal in England (Transfermarkt), Conte’s silverware haul certainly marks him out above other names.

Former Spurs striker Fernando Llorente, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Goal), lifted the lid on his ‘crazy mentality’ and how he ‘gets in your head’ – potentially highlighting Conte’s effective man-management style.

Meanwhile, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni also told La Gazzetta (via sempreinter.com) that Conte is ‘the Messi of coaches’.

All these accolades point to an impressive candidate, but given Real’s alleged interest, he could yet be out of Tottenham’s reach.

In other news: Spurs could now be offered this ‘phenomenal player’ for Kane, find out more here.

According to an update by reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, via West Ham News, Irons trio Angelo Ogbonna, Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko are all targeting a return against Wolves after the international break – with one supporter branding it ‘massive news’.

Masuaku has been out for months after undergoing knee surgery, while both Yarmolenko and Ogbonna suffered knocks recently which have kept them sidelined from the matchday squad.

Providing an update, ExWHUemployee revealed that the West Ham trio are targeting a Premier League return against Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international break.

Given that David Moyes could feasibly have all three back in time for that match, bolstering his options enormously, it is little wonder why these supporters have plenty to say.

Check out some of their verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Ex’s injury update

“Great news”

Credit: @northwesthammer

“Excited to have Oggy and Arthur back.”

Credit: @luke50490576

“Sorry I think you just said all 3 are coming back? I’m getting way too excited”

Credit: @Kappanitreal

“This is good news”

Credit: @gary_killington

“Massive news”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Good to hear”

Credit: @oreeves03

In other news: many West Ham still want this powerhouse, find out more here.