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Everton have had a busy transfer window securing three signings early into the window and with Rafa Benitez recently sacked, no further signings have been made or attempted with the Everton board distracted by finding the next manager to lead the side at Goodison Park, but the Toffees have now been linked to a huge player.

What’s the word?

Bundesliga journalist, Christian Falks, has confirmed that Everton are interested in signing Bayern Munich player, Thomas Muller, alongside Newcastle United.

Falks tweeted; “TRUE @Everton and @NUFC want @esmuellert_ (contract til 2023 at @FCBayern).”

It has not been confirmed as to whether this interest is for an immediate move in the last days of the January transfer window or if they are looking to the summer window to snatch the World Cup winner from Bayern Munich.

Imagine him & DCL

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is having a slow start in his return to the side since he endured a long term injury for the majority of this season so far and is yet to score since after missing a penalty in his first game back, with fans surely hoping he can find his form as soon as possible to help Everton climb the Premier League table back into a safe place from their current position just four points shy of the relegation zone.

Muller, who was hailed “world-class” by his former teammate Mario Gomez, has been instrumental to the success of both Bayern Munich and his German national team, winning ten Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues and one World Cup to name just 13 of his 30 trophies won throughout his career so far, and that kind of winning experience is something Everton are desperate for.

The £22.5m-rated star is the third-highest scoring player ever for Bayern Munich, bagging 223 goals and registering 238 assists in his time at the club, with an astonishing goal involvement every 98 minutes he has played.

This phenomenal attacking output could definitely provide Calvert-Lewin with a fierce attacking partner who can change the trajectory massively for Everton’s future in the Premier League.

If the interest is genuine, it is a no brainer for Farhad Moshiri to make a move for the 32-year-old who is still having a huge impact this season with nine goals and 20 assists already in just 29 appearances.

That means Everton should not be put off by his age and should seize the opportunity if it arises to bring Muller to Goodison Park either this month or in the summer, as he’s exactly what Duncan Ferguson needs if he is to remain in charge.

In other news: Alan Myers drops two-word update on Everton manager search

Alex Crook has now dropped some key additional transfer news involving Aaron Ramsey and Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Imminent announcement

The Ibrox faithful are patiently awaiting for the official confirmation and announcement of Ramsey, as Italian football journalist and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has even gone as far as to say that it is a ‘done deal‘.

He added that it is an ‘agreement on loan with buy option’, and so an deal will now have to be reached between the two clubs in terms of how to split his quite astronomical £400,000-per-week wages.

The Latest: Crook on wages

Taking to Twitter, talkSPORT journalist Crook has now revealed that Juventus will still pay ‘the majority if not all’ of Ramsey’s wages as he makes the move to the Teddy Bears:

“talkSPORT have been told Rangers are not smashing their wage structure for Aaron Ramsey so #Juventus will pick up the majority if not all of his wages.” The Verdict: Perfect

If the Light Blues can seal the deal for Ramsey and not have to pay any of his wages, then that quite literally would be perfect for them.

There is so much excitement over the Wales international arriving at the Gers, as Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie claims that he will be ‘the most extraordinary signing of Deadline Day’, while RFC legend Ally McCoist even goes as far as to claim that he would be ‘the club’s biggest signing since Gazza’.

Nonetheless, even if Rangers have to pay a tiny portion of his salary, it would still represent a great deal for them, and assuming that they announce him before the deadline, Ramsey would then be eligible to make his debut in the midweek Old Firm clash against Celtic, which would be a huge bonus.

In other news, find out which other Deadline Day move Rangers have been linked with here!

Arsenal are reportedly leading the race to sign Alexander Isak this month, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Catalan outlet El Nacional (via the Daily Mail) claim that the Gunners are in pole position to sign the Real Sociedad striker as manager Mikel Arteta looks to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

The 22-year-old could make his move to the Emirates Stadium this month as the LaLiga outfit do not want to sell to a direct rival, with Barcelona also said to be interested.

Isak has a €90m (£75m) release clause at the Reale Arena, though Transfermarkt value the 31-cap Sweden international at around half that figure (£36m).

Bye-bye Aubameyang?

Aubameyang has not played for the north London giants since the 6th of December after being stripped of the captaincy and it’s thought that the club are willing to listen to offers for him during the January transfer window, as per Sky Sports.

A disciplinary issue is what has caused the 32-year-old’s demise at London Colney and with him set to continue to earn a whopping £350k-per-week over the next 18 months, it’s no wonder that the Gunners want him gone sooner rather than later.

Isak seems like a very wise replacement and one that could instantly make his mark at Arsenal.

The Swedish sensation has been in electric form once again this campaign, delivering seven goals from 21 appearances, across the Spanish top-flight and the Europa League.

That builds on last season’s tally of 17 goals in 34 league games.

After earning the division’s ‘Young Player of the Year’ award that campaign, Isak caught the eye at Euro 2020, where former Manchester United defender turned pundit, Rio Ferdinand, praised his ability.

“This kid, Isak, he was a problem today for the defenders in the Spain team,” he said during BBC’s coverage of Sweden vs Spain (via football.london). “He was a nuisance. He showed today why he’s got Young Player of the Year in La Liga. He was the outlet.”

Meanwhile, fellow ex-pro Gary Lineker has previously dubbed him an “exceptional talent”.

On the above evidence, Arteta would surely love to replace his controversial former captain with a player of Isak’s calibre. It’ll now be on Edu Gaspar and co to get it done.

The later they leave the Spaniard’s striker situation, the trickier things will get.

Leeds United have joined some huge teams in the race to sign forward Fabio Carvalho, according to The Sun.

The Lowdown: Carvalho profiled

Carvalho, who can play on either wing or in an attacking midfield role, is 19 years of age and has been with Fulham since the age of 12.

He’s made 23 senior appearances for the Championship high-flyers – 17 of which have come during the current campaign.

The teenager, labelled as ‘lively’ by former manager Scott Parker, has scored seven times and registered two assists in 2021/22.

Carvalho was linked with Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid just last month, and Leeds have now joined the race alongside their pursuit of RB Salzburg star Brenden Aaronson.

The Latest: Leeds interest

The Sun shared a story on Tuesday lunchtime, claiming Liverpool are ready to battle West Ham with a £5m swoop for Carvalho.

The report added that Leeds and FC Porto are also interested in the Fulham starlet, who is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes.

The Verdict: Future star

Fulham’s academy director Huw Jennings said last month that Carvalho, who has immense running speed, wants to be ‘competing for the Ballon d’Or’ in the next few years.

It’s a bold statement but he’s clearly a confident young player who can play in a number of attacking roles and is wanted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Leeds have reaped the rewards of bringing a highly-rated youngster to the club in Joe Gelhardt, but it seems as if they could face a tougher task in their pursuit of Carvalho due to the other sides involved. Could Gelhardt’s path into the first-team convince Carvalho to avoid those other clubs, where he may spend more time on the bench and in the youth set-up?

It could be one to watch, but at the minute, it appears as if Victor Orta’s sole focus is on bringing Aaronson to Elland Road.

In other news: Phil Hay drops big claim as Leeds now closer to first major January business. 

India have made a slew of changes for the final one-dayer against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 27. The most significant of them is that openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been rested for the dead rubber. Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay and Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun are among the new faces in the 14-man squad.Tendulkar batted all 50 overs during his unbeaten 200 in Gwalior while Sehwag played that match after suffering a sore back in the first game in Jaipur.Vijay has played a handful of Tests but is yet to make his ODI debut, and has had a decent run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare one-day tournament, making three half-centuries in five matches. This is the first call-up to a national limited-overs squad for Mithun, who is coming off a stunning debut Ranji season but has had lesser success in the shorter formats.The home side will be short on experience as another first-choice player, fast bowler Praveen Kumar, has been rested, while offspinner Harbhajan Singh’s break from international cricket has been extended. Add to that the injuries to Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, and India will line-up on Saturday without seven members of their preferred starting XI.Another addition to the pool is Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma, who was most recently part of the national squad during the tri-series in Bangladesh last month.India have already won the three-match series 2-0.Squad: M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sudeep Tyagi, S Sreesanth, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ashish Nehra

Kumar Sangakkara powered his team Kandurata to the Inter-Provincial limited-overs title when they defeated Ruhuna by three wickets with five balls to spare in an enthralling final

Sa'adi Thawfeeq21-Feb-2010Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara powered his team Kandurata to the Inter-Provincial limited-overs title when they defeated Ruhuna by three wickets with five balls to spare in an enthralling final played at Moratuwa. The result looked very much in the balance when Sangakkara got out for a well-paced 76 off 79 deliveries, with 43 needed off 41 balls. But Chinthaka Jayasinghe’s cameo knock of 28 off 23 balls carried them over the line in the final over.Sangakkara, sacrificing his customary No. 3 position, came to bat at the fall of the third wicket and stabilised the innings with a stand of 109 with Chamara Kapugedera who scored a half-century off 49 balls. Despite the dismissals of Kapugedera and Sangakkara in the space of three balls for the addition of one run, Jayasinghe was there to provide the finishing touches.Earlier Ruhuna, winning the toss, rattled off an impressive 263 for 7, making full use of the opening stand of 61 provided by captain Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya in less than 10 overs. Useful contributions from Indika de Saram, Tillakaratne Sampath and Sachithra Senanayake ensured the Ruhuna innings did not lose the momentum provided by the openers.In the semi-finals, Kandurata crushed Wayamba by nine wickets at Nondescripts cricket ground, winning on the D/L method, and Ruhuna snuffed out the challenge offered by Basnahira South by 39 runs in Moratuwa. Wayamba’s strong batting line-up was reduced to a mere 123 by Sri Lanka’s left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara who ended up with five wickets. Kandurata had no difficulty in knocking those runs off in 20.1 overs with more than half the total coming off the bat of Kaushal Weeraratne. Indika de Saram starred for Ruhuna with a patient knock of 76 off 101 balls.

Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici must look to offload Steven Bergwijn amid interest in his signature ahead of the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old is reportedly wanted by Eredivisie champions Ajax this winter, just two years after joining from their top-flight arch-rivals PSV Eindhoven in a £25m deal.

It’s fair to suggest that the Dutch winger has been far from inspiring since his arrival and that much is reflected by the fact that he has played just 13 minutes under Antonio Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last month.

De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij even revealed that the Italian has previously rejected the chance to sign Bergwijn at Inter Milan and, since taking the helm in north London, he has barely spoken to the 24-year-old, which only goes to show how little his manager thinks of him.

“Conte is also the one who opposed Bergwijn’s transfer from PSV to Italy. Inter were an interested club at the time, but Conte did not need him. “Conte has only said two words to Bergwijn in two weeks at Tottenham Hotspur,” he told the Dutch newspaper’s podcast (via Sport Witness).

It’s not as if the £19.8m-rated dynamo was doing the business under Nuno or even Jose Mourinho, who was Tottenham’s manager at the time that he was signed. The Portuguese even revealed that he wasn’t keen to sign the player in quite a damning revelation during his time at Hotspur Way.

“Initially – and I’m always very honest on this – he wasn’t my first option when we decided to make a movement in the winter,” he told reporters (via the Evening Standard).

Indeed, it appears that Mourinho’s original fears have come to fruition as Bergwijn’s poor returns have seen him deliver only four goals and nine assists from 62 appearances, per Transfermarkt. That’s a direct contribution once every 244 minutes, which is pretty abysmal for an attacking player, even more so after averaging a goal or assist every 136 minutes at PSV.

That could suggest that he’s simply not up to the standard of the Premier League, as is often the case as the Dutch top-flight is some way off those levels. For instance, Sebastien Haller, who flopped at West Ham, is now scoring for fun at Ajax.

When factoring in his reported £73k-per-week wages, the Dutchman has cost Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and the club around £32.3m in total, meaning he has cost £8m per goal and £2.5m per goal or assist. Very poor value for money, it has to be said.

He is out of favour and isn’t in great nick either, as relayed by Lilywhites insider John Wenham to Football Insider, where he claimed that “Bergwijn has been terrible all season,” so it could be very wise to make a brutal decision to cut short his time in north London.

Ajax are reportedly keen, so Paratici and co would be foolish to not let him go for whatever they can recoup.

AND in other news, Conte could finally unlock Harry Kane with Spurs swoop for “incredible” 6 ft 1 beast…

Manchester United have held talks with former Roma boss Rudi Garcia over becoming their interim manager, according to journalist Andy Mitten.

What’s the story?

In a live interview on Sky Sports, the United We Stand editor revealed that the Old Trafford hierarchy have ‘spoken’ to the 57-year-old as the search for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s successor gathers pace.

Mitten said: “He’s spoken to Manchester United, that’s what I can tell you. So, he’d absolutely be interested in the interim manager’s job. He did well at Roma; he took over there when they’d been finishing seventh and eighth, took them to second twice.

“People told him that he was going to have problems with the big-name players, Francesco Totti and (Daniele) De Rossi; they were on side with him within weeks.

“He brings young players through, and he can be a controversial character, a divisive character, but he likes attacking football, and he’s gone into big clubs who have not been doing well.”

Man Utd fans will be concerned

News that Garcia is in talks to take over the reins in the red half of Manchester will leave large sections of the club’s fanbase with serious concerns.

The Frenchman masterminded a famous domestic double when he was in charge of Lille back in 2010/11, guiding a star-studded side including Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho to the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.

However, Garcia has failed to collect any silverware since, taking charge of Marseille, Lyon and Roma without any major success of note.

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He did guide Les Gones to the Champions League semi-final back in 2020, though, overseeing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the quarter-final stage in a game that highlighted his tactical nouse.

Garcia joins the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Brendan Rodgers and Ernesto Valverde to be heavily linked with replacing Solskjaer, but he’s unlikely to be a popular choice amongst supporters due to a lack of major honours under his belt.

Whether the Glazers make a formal offer for the experienced tactician remains to be seen, although recent reports have suggested Michael Carrick could be set for an extended spell in the dugout.

And, in other news…Man United source drops huge manager update that’ll surely leave fans fuming

A number of Norwich City supporters have been left impressed by reported managerial candidate Kjetil Knutsen after footage of his Bodo/Glimt side was shared via Twitter.

The 53-year-old has been strongly linked with the vacant manager’s job at Carrow Road, with Dean Smith and Frank Lampard also reportedly among the leading candidates to replace Daniel Farke, who was relieved of his duties within hours of Saturday’s win at Brentford.

Knutsen made history last year by guiding Bodo/Glimt to their first Norwegian league title and his team also made waves on the continent in recent weeks, thrashing Roma 6-1 in the Europa Conference League and earning a 2-2 draw in the return fixture at the Stadio Olimpico.

According to a report in the Eastern Daily Press, he is renowned as a process-driven coach with a clear footballing identity, his tactics revolving around a possession-based, high-pressing 4-3-3 setup.

Norwich fans impressed by Knutsen

Twitter fan channel Canary Cast shared a 72-second clip from the aforementioned thrashing of Roma which showed Bodo/Glimt playing an intricate, free-flowing move with a multitude of passes before a killer through ball resulted in a sumptuous goal.

These Norwich fans were impressed by what they saw and gave their backing to Knutsen being potentially hired as Farke’s successor.

“Completely missed this. I’m sold. Get him in now. Him or Favre. Let Villa have Lampard. Any team that can put 6 past a Mourinho team and then draw 2-2 in Italy deserves some attention.”

Credit: @MattMorriss76

“Graham Potter did ok coming to Prem from Sweden, so reckon it could work.”

Credit: @alexholliman10

“I like the look of this. Very Farke ball but with quick shifts in tempo to make breakthroughs. Would be really open to this as a fan”

Credit: @TwitchyTerryTV

“Looks just the way we play at our best. Would seem to be a perfect fit. Mattias Normann also used to be with Bodo/Glimt”

Credit: @Yellangreen

“Tzolis and Rashica will have a field day in a setup like this”

Credit: @J2arlow

“They even play in yellow! It’s perfect!”

Credit: @CanaryWundaboy

Three days is hardly the ideal pre-season build-up for the defending Sheffield Shield champions. But that’s how long Victoria have been given to adjust from Twenty20 to four-day cricket after their off-season was dominated by preparations for the multi-mi

Brydon Coverdale29-Oct-2009Three days is hardly the ideal pre-season build-up for the defending Sheffield Shield champions. But that’s how long Victoria have been given to adjust from Twenty20 to four-day cricket after their off-season was dominated by preparations for the multi-million dollar Champions League Twenty20 in India.The Twenty20 squad members flew out from India last Friday, weighed down by healthy prize-money for reaching the semi-finals but also the disappointment of being comprehensively knocked out by New South Wales. Then came a couple of precious days at home, the start of four-day training on Tuesday, and a flight to Adelaide for this Friday’s Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.”It’s a super challenge for our players to switch mindsets and the physical challenges are enormously different as well,” the coach Greg Shipperd said. “Instead of bowling four overs in a day they’ll have to bowl 20, 25 overs.”There’s no doubt we’re not as fresh as we have been in the past and across the season now our whole season has been concertinaed into a shorter space of time. So, less rest between games and our management and rotation of our players is going to be extremely important.”Eight of the players in Victoria’s 12-man squad for their Shield opener were in the Twenty20 unit in India, as was Dirk Nannes, who was representing Delhi Daredevils. Only Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell and Lloyd Mash have been at home throughout October, playing grade cricket and itching for their domestic season to kick off.The players need look only as far as their team-mate Aaron Finch for proof that quick adjustment is possible. Finch was part of the Champions League squad and arrived home on Friday, then a few hours later was in Geelong playing grade cricket and posted a healthy 138 from 143 balls.There are others who, like Finch, had little to do in India but run drinks and train in the nets. Among them was Bryce McGain, who seven months ago was making his Test debut in Cape Town and now finds himself fighting with Jon Holland for the role of Victoria’s No. 1 spinner.Form guide: Victoria in 2008-09

Shield – 1st

FR Cup – 2nd

Twenty20 – 2nd

Holland is in India with Australia’s one-day team but will be back in Melbourne in time for Victoria’s second Sheffield Shield game. It means that McGain, 37, is under pressure to deliver this weekend in Adelaide to show that he deserves to retain his state position throughout the summer.”Bryce is champing at the bit to play. This is a huge game for him to again give himself some confidence that those skills are still there,” Shipperd said. “We are really confident that they’re still there and we believe that if he is not the best spinner in the country, then he is a close second to whoever the other person may be.”Bryce is very keen to make the most of these first three or four [Shield and FR Cup] games while Jon is away and then we have got some selection headaches. That will help to put the pressure on the Victorian selectors to think long and hard about who’s the best for which situation, which form of the game we’re playing. We’ll need to delicately balance that as the season unfolds.”While Cameron White is with the ODI team, Victoria will be captained by David Hussey, who will be charged with giving the side a positive start after they reached all three finals in 2008-09. They did the same in 2007-08 but have only that year’s Twenty20 title and last season’s Sheffield Shield to show for the six final appearances.Unlike several other states Victoria have retained a settled squad this summer, losing only the limited-overs wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite during the off-season. But with men like Brad Hodge, Shane Harwood, McGain and Damien Wright in their mid to late 30s, the window for winning more silverware with this group will begin to close.Harwood, 35, is already having his workload managed and has been rested from Friday’s Sheffield Shield opener and will join the squad for the FR Cup game that follows. The next couple of months will be hectic for the Bushrangers, who must squeeze in five Sheffield Shield games and seven one-dayers before Christmas.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, Brad Hodge, David Hussey (capt), Andrew McDonald, Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Clint McKay, Bryce McGain, Dirk Nannes.