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The transfer window has only been closed for a matter of a month but Everton are already considering their January targets.

It emerged over the weekend that the Toffees might be contenders to sign Aaron Ramsey from Juventus but he’s not the only Arsenal associated player linked with a move to Merseyside.

What’s the word?

An individual Everton were keen on signing throughout the final stages of the summer window was Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

They lodged a bid to sign the player on loan that Arsenal unfortunately rejected.

The man in question wasn’t happy with that decision, taking to Instagram in dismay as he revealed he just wanted to play football.

The Gunners had been seeking a permanent deal for the versatile defender and midfielder but Everton could return with an improved offer in January.

According to reports (Via Transfer Market Web), Rafa Benitez’s side are planning a winter swoop for the England international.

Gray 2.0

It’s well documented just how little money Everton have to invest in the playing squad at the moment.

Benitez and Marcel Brands acquired five players over the summer but only one of them cost a transfer fee.

That happened to be Demarai Gray, someone who at just £1.7m is quickly becoming the bargain of the summer.

Although Everton parted ways with a measly sum to sign him, there were questions raised about whether he’d be consistent enough for the Toffees.

During his time with Leicester, the 25-year-old failed to live up to his true potential, scoring only 13 goals in 169 outings.

However, since signing for Everton, he looks like he’s finally discovering consistency and making himself a potent threat.

In eight outings for his new club, Gray has scored three goals and contributed a solitary assist.

At the age of 24, Maitland-Niles is also a player who is yet to really find himself. He wants to play in midfield but it’s at wing-back or full-back where he’s played more prominently for both club and country.

His attitude has been a continued problem for Mikel Arteta in north London but the £14.4m-rated gem might just need a new home.

Described as a “Rolls-Royce” by Martin Keown, the Gunners academy graduate caught the eye while on loan at West Brom last term.

A permanent move to Everton, therefore, could help him to build confidence and start producing game-changing performances on a more regular basis.

Merseyside has helped Gray realise his potential and it’s even helped Andros Townsend find the net on a regular basis.

Benitez is working miracles at Goodison right now; Maitland-Niles must join the party.

AND in other news, Get rid: £100k-p/w Everton flop who lost 60% of his duels let Rafa down again…

Tottenham Hotspur have been jolted in their pursuit of Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, with one of their London rivals locked in talks to sign the 22-year-old, as relayed by David Ornstein on Twitter.

The Lowdown: ‘Dependable’ Tomiyasu has excelled in Italy

Producing an impressive level of consistency since moving to his current club in 2019, Tomiyasu has shown a dependability in both centre-back and right-back positions.

Adept at mopping up sticky situations at the back, the Japan international obtained a commendable average of 3.3 clearances per Serie A game last season [WhoScored].

Earning adulation for his performances, he was labelled a “very, very dependable player” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy earlier this month [Football FanCast].

The Latest: Late twist in the tale as Arsenal look to strike

Tomiyasu’s form has seen Tottenham Hotspur register serious interest in his services this summer, even having a £15.5m bid rejected for the Japan international in early July [Sky Sports].

However, there could now be a sting in the tail. According to The Athletic journalist Ornstein on Twitter, Arsenal are said to be working on a deal to sign Tomiyasu before tonight’s transfer deadline.

In a surprise turn of events, the Gunners reportedly have ‘talks underway’ to sign the 6 foot 2 ace, although any movement may be dependent on positional departures at the club [The Athletic].

The Verdict: Royal arrival could soften Tomiyasu blow

Losing out on Tomiyasu may come as a source of frustration for Tottenham, but the seemingly imminent arrival of Emerson Royal will help to soften the blow for Nuno Espirito Santo.

A regular for Bologna in 2020/21, the former Sint-Truiden defender featured 33 times in all competitions, scoring twice [Transfermarkt].

Following that up with a strong showing at the Olympic Games with his native Japan, helping them to reach the semi-finals [Eurosport], it is clear to see why Spurs wanted to secure his signature.

Nevertheless, with three senior right-backs on the books in N17, any notion of Tomiyasu pitching up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this window has probably run its course.

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt another transfer blow. Find out more here.

Kieran Maguire has dropped a brutal view on Newcastle United after reports of unrest behind the scenes at St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Choudhury failure

As per Football Insider, the North East club’s proposed loan move for Hamza Choudhury had collapsed just hours before the deadline.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Mike Ashley was, to the fury of Steve Bruce, unwilling to sanction a loan fee for the Leicester City midfield player.

The Latest: Maguire on unrest

Speaking to Football Insider, football finance expert Maguire has now suggested that the Tyneside outfit are not being run properly behind the scenes and those in charge are not pointing in the same direction:

“A good football club will have everybody rowing in the same direction.

“The nature of the consultation between the board and those on the footballing side should be professional.

“What we have at Newcastle, sadly, is turmoil behind the scenes. It’s haphazard, like a firework going off in all different directions.

“Football clubs are very leaky organisations, and this is further evidence of a further feeling of malaise both within the club and on the terraces as well.”

The Verdict: Clearer vision needed

There certainly needs to be a clearer vision voiced to the Toon Army over the direction of where the Magpies are going or aiming to go.

The fact that both Ashley and Bruce were clearly not on the same page with regards to the Choudhury loan is an example of the total lack of direction or even common sense behind the scenes.

The fans just want to see some sort of progression, and do not want to be fighting relegation in the Premier League every season.

Thus, a clearer strategy needs to be made, especially going into the January transfer window with the takeover legal disputes still rumbling on for what seems like an eternity.

In other news, find out which five players NUFC could sign outside of the window here!

Danny Mills reckons that the injury-enforced absence of Diego Llorente will hurt Leeds United at the start of the 2021/22 season. 

Mills, who played for the Whites between 1999 and 2004, was speaking to Football Insider about the 27-year-old.

The lowdown

Llorente was forced off midway through the first half of a friendly against Real Betis at the end of July, and a source close to the player has said that he faces two to three weeks out with a leg muscle injury.

While the problem is ‘not major’, it could rule Llorente out of Leeds’ clashes with Manchester United and Everton later this month.

The Spaniard struggled with injuries during his maiden season in Yorkshire, missing 13 games with groin issues and a further month with a hamstring problem (via Transfermarkt). He was limited to 14 Premier League starts, averaging 2.2 successful aerial duels, 2.3 tackles and 2.5 clearances per game (via WhoScored).

The latest

Mills is not only fearful of the immediate impact of Llorente’s absence, but also of the long-term repercussions of an early lay-off.

“It is a big blow,” he said to Football Insider. “He’s a real quality player that holds that team together.

“It looks like he’s going to miss the start of the season which is a strange situation.

“He needs to get fit and play in a run of games. We’ve seen before once the season gets underway and you’re playing catch up trying to play your way fit without a proper pre-season it’s tough and really difficult to do.”

The verdict

When Llorente’s injuries abated in the latter part of last season, he enjoyed a fine run of form and grew in stature. The 27-year-old even earned a spot in WhoScored’s Team of the Month for April.

However, availability is just as important as ability and this is a stinging setback for the Whites. It’s a small problem, yes, but it doesn’t bode particularly well for the season ahead, and as Mills notes, it has interrupted the process of ramping up to full fitness.

In the short term, it could well make Leeds’ tough early assignments even trickier.

In other news, Leeds have tabled a offer for this centre-forward target.

Some Wolves fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged involving a potential swap deal.

As per SER Deportivos Valencia, the Midlands club are exploring the possibility of offering both Romain Saiss and Rafa Mir in exchange for Goncalo Guedes and Lee Kang-In.

Guedes is a player who has an eye for both a goal and an assist, having scored seven times and made a further seven assists in 34 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), while Lee can play in a wide variety of different positions across the front line and in midfield, and at just 20 years of age has a lot of potential.

On the other hand, Saiss is a player who has already been heavily criticised by the Molineux faithful during pre-season, while Mir has only played in a total of four senior games for the Wanderers throughout his career so far.

Thus, a swap deal involving these four players does look very appetizing from WWFC’s point of view.

Wolves fans on swap deal

These Wolves supporters buzzed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“Let’s just beat sides 7-6, I’m all for it”

Credit: @calwwfc_

“Start the car”

Credit: @toddo08

“No brainer”

Credit: @jacobbwwfc

“Get. It. Done.”

Credit: @CrockfordJack

“If Mendes pulls this off”

Credit: @PortuWolves

“Yes do itttt”

Credit: @Matt123525

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers fuming here!

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told Football FanCast that Sheffield Wednesday would enhance their promotion chances significantly by keeping Barry Bannan and Josh Windass at the club.

The Owls suffered relegation from the Championship last season but Darren Moore, who was appointed as manager in March, will be aiming to seal an immediate return to the second tier.

While a host of players have left Hillsborough since suffering the drop, Wednesday still have stars Bannan and Windass on their books little more than a week ahead of the League One campaign getting underway.

The duo have been linked with a quickfire return to the Championship during the transfer window but Moore is certain the Owls will be able to retain their services.

Windass has been on the radar of Millwall, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City.

Ex-Wednesday midfielder Palmer believes keeping Bannan and Windass could be the difference between a Championship return and another campaign in League One.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “The salaries they are on may work in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour because even though they’ve got relegated, they’re on big salaries for the Championship.

“Even though they might want to move on, they won’t want to move on and take a cut in salary.

“If they can keep those two players, that would be good for Wednesday.”

Liverpool could secure their ideal heir to Jordan Henderson this summer after being linked with a move for Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (as relayed by TheHardTackle), the Reds are keen on signing the Italy international over the coming weeks as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his engine room options.

With Gini Wijnaldum departing for French giants Paris Saint-Germain and the future of club captain Henderson far from secure, Liverpool are believed to be searching for added reinforcements in the centre of the pitch.

However, they will reportedly face competition for Barella’s signature, with fierce rivals Manchester United also credited with an interest in the Inter ace.

He’s better than Gini Wijnaldum

The San Siro could be the ideal destination to pick up a superstar this summer as the reigning Serie A champions look to address their financial troubles. Achraf Hakimi has already departed the Nerazzurri for PSG, while Romelu Lukaku is the subject of intense interest from Chelsea.

And Barella could be the next key figure to depart in the current window after several standout performances for club and country over the last couple of campaigns.

After playing a pivotal part in Inter’s first league title victory in 10 years, the box-to-box beast continued to excel on the international stage for Roberto Mancini’s Italy.

Barella bagged one goal and provided two assists for his teammates in six outings as the Azzurri claimed the European Championship trophy in impressive fashion, catching the eye of several onlookers, including Gary Lineker.

The Match of the Day presenter tweeted his admiration for the midfielder after his crucial goal in the quarter-final against Belgium, saying: “Barella the fella as Italy lead with a cracking goal. Superb game this.”

And his figures for the 2020/21 campaign reveal he could even prove to be an upgrade on Wijnaldum, should Klopp pull off an ambition swoop for the former Cagliari gem.

While the Dutch international and Barella both bagged three goals last season, the Inter man laid on a magnificent 13 assists in all competitions, while Wijnaldum failed to record any all campaign.

As per fbref.com, Barella’s underlying attacking figures were also far superiors, with the 5 ft 6 dynamo producing 52 key passes and 2.66 shot-creating actions per 90 to Wijnaldum’s tallies of 23 and 1.50, respectively.

And it wasn’t just in the final third where the Italian excelled, completing 1.33 tackles per 90 and 0.91 interceptions to Wijnaldum’s 0.75 and 0.75.

Whether Liverpool can afford the £58.5m-rated Barella remains doubtful, though, but if Director of Football Michael Edwards can continue to shift the club’s unwanted fringe players, then his excellent negotiating skills may be able to get this transfer over the line.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive boost in their pursuit of £21.3m “livewire”, Klopp would love him 

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson has suggested that Glasgow Rangers target Siriki Dembele is on the transfer list this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Dembele

The Gers have been heavily linked with a move for the winger in recent months, as per Peterborough Today.

Along with the Ibrox club, their fierce rivals Celtic are also said to be in pursuit of the 24-year-old.

The Latest: Dembele on transfer list?

Speaking to Peterborough Today, Ferguson provided an update on the future of one of his star forwards. He said:

“I can’t see us selling anyone before the season starts. Championship clubs have been very quiet in general and we have had no offers for Siriki, not ones that will turn our heads at least.

“Siriki is therefore very much part of my plans. If he trains well he will be in contention to play and he has trained very well so far.“All the players on the transfer list will be considered for selection while they are still here.”

The Verdict: Worth a puntDembele enjoyed a fantastic campaign for Posh last time out as they were promoted to the Championship from League One. In 45 games in all competitions, he scored 12 goals and provided 12 assists, and he has now found the back of the net 29 times throughout his career (Transfermarkt). He has proven himself to be a dangerous talent, and it will come as no surprise that plenty of clubs are interested in signing him.It is said that Peterborough are looking for a multi-million pound offer for Dembele, but it is unclear exactly how much Posh are seeking for him. Still, currently valued at just £1.08m by Transfermarkt, his signature is  not likely to be an unattainable one for Rangers. He is worth a punt from Ross Wilson and co.In other news, Alex McLeish is worried about the future of this man.

Luke Hatfield from the Express and Star believes that Sam Johnstone is better than Bernd Leno and would be Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Despite the German being the Gunners number one since joining from Bayer Leverkusen three years ago, Mikel Arteta is looking to add another keeper to his ranks this summer.

David Ornstein has revealed that Johnstone, fresh from his European Championships campaign with England, is being tracked by Arsenal.

Arteta remains in the market for another goalkeeper after Mathew Ryan joined Real Sociedad following his brief spell on loan during the second half of last season, whilst his other senior stopper Runar Alex Runarsson is set to leave after featuring just six times.

But following Johnstone’s outstanding form for West Brom last season, which saw him make more saves than anyone else, even though it allowed him to keep just six clean sheets, Hatfield reckons that he would be targeting the number one spot at the Emirates.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“He won’t want to be a number two, but I suppose the question is, would he be a number two at Arsenal?

“It seems now that Arsenal made a big mistake when they sold Emi Martinez to Villa because Leno is a player that I was always impressed by, but if Sam Johnstone was there last season, would he be ahead of him in the pecking order? I would say yes, Johnstone is a better keeper than Leno now. He has impressed for West Brom and at England level as well.”

Armstrong Oko-Flex has left Celtic and sealed a move to Premier League side West Ham, leading a number of Hoops fans to react to the deal on social media.

The versatile forward made the move to Parkhead back in 2018, with the Hoops delighted at securing his services from Arsenal.

However, things didn’t go to plan for Oko-Flex in Glasgow. He made just two senior appearances for Celtic, both of which came after the Hoops had to rely on a number of their academy players to fulfil Scottish Premiership fixtures following Christopher Jullien’s positive result back in January.

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Oko-Flex featured as a substitute in the draws against Hibernian and Livingston but has now departed after his contract in Glasgow expired.

He has signed a two-year deal with the Hammers, who have the option to extend that for a further 12 months.

Celtic fans react

Celtic confirmed the move on their official Twitter page on Friday evening. This is what these Hoops supporters had to say in reply, with one describing his exit as ‘good’ and another labelling him as a ‘beast’.

“Rotten player. Super deal”Credit: @pajmanio”There’s the first one”Credit: @EddieMcArdle93″Good.”Credit: @RogicSZN”Pointless exercise, like many who have arrived and left”Credit: @COYBIG15″He’s a wee beast anyway”Credit: @kthed0312″He must have some agent”Credit: @gazzarinho1″Goodbye and good riddance”Credit: @Smithybhoy798

In other news: Alan Nixon provides Aaron Hickey to Celtic update, find out more here.