All posts by z3u9t.icu

When Farhad Moshiri brought Carlo Ancelotti to Merseyside, it was seen as a major triumph.

At last, Everton had found themselves a manager capable of lifting them into the top six again.

Ancelotti never managed that with the Toffees but his Goodison Park stay was torn up in dramatic circumstances.

Whenever an elite club come calling, it’s difficult to turn them down. The Italian has already achieved enormous success at Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid but the Spanish club managed to lure him to the Bernabeu for a second stint last week.

With it, Everton are now back at square one. They face the arduous task of finding a new manager who can finally get them to brush shoulders with some of the best in the country.

40 coaches have specified their interest in the vacancy but we’ve already seen a certain set of names emerge as front runners. Nuno Santo has had an interview while Bill Kenwright has also spoken to David Moyes.

Another name he apparently favours is Roberto Martinez. That’s hardly a surprise when you consider how the pair got on when they were last together.

Martinez praised Kenwright for his handling of John Stones before the former Toffees chairman applauded him for masterminding a 2-0 win over Chelsea five years ago.

Speaking at the time, he commented: “You know what I thought today? What a manager. That’s what I thought.”

The Spanish coach laid some promising groundwork but was sacked in May 2016 after three years in charge.

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He won 42% of his games but failed to ensure Everton qualified for that elusive Champions League place.

After all, that was something Martinez promised when he first walked through the door. During his initial unveiling, Kenwright said: “He promised me Champions League football.”

The current Belgium boss guided them to a fifth-place finish in 2013/14, edging them closer than any other manager since Moyes to Europe’s top table.

Though, his methods waned and Everton fell away in typical fashion. When he was given the boot, the Toffees sat in 12th place.

After he was fired, Lyndon Lloyd, editor of popular Everton fansite ToffeeWeb, criticised Martinez’s “stubborn mentality” when speaking to IBTimes UK.

Although he lifted them to a place in the Europa League, inconsistency has dominated the Spaniard’s time as a coach.

He was relegated with Wigan and then finished 11th in 2014/15. Excusing this season, fellow managerial candidate Nuno Santo has at least shown more than that.

He was promoted with Wolves and then took them to consecutive seventh-placed finishes.

Martinez has progressed nicely with Belgium but you should never explore a previous relationship. It would be like reading a book for a second time; you already know how it’s going to end.

In this case, Moshiri would be condemning Everton to more mediocrity. They must look for other options.

AND in other news, Moshiri could revolutionise Everton by hiring 62y/o “architect” as Ancelotti successor…

Ralph Hasenhuttl has suffered an injury blow to his squad at Southampton, with Jan Bednarek set to miss Saturday’s game against Fulham, but there is a silver lining as it could see Mohammed Salisu handed a rare start.

The Poland international was substituted at half-time in the 3-1 win against Crystal Palace in midweek and Hasenhuttl has since confirmed that the 25-year-old is a doubt for the weekend, saying: “Jan Bednarek has a little bit of a problem with his ankle.

“In the last game he got a hit on his heel I think and didn’t train today (Thursday) or yesterday (Wednesday).”

It will likely bring an end to the centre-back’s run in Southampton’s side which has seen him start all 35 of their Premier League fixtures so far this season.

Although he has been an important member of Southampton’s squad this season, and showed great form earlier in the campaign when he and Jannik Vestergaard established a formidable defensive partnership, his recent displays have been poor and his injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Saints.

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Hasenhuttl will want to finish the season strongly whilst also utilising some of Southampton’s younger players, so Saturday’s game against already-relegated Fulham side could be the perfect opportunity to start Salisu at centre-back.

The Ghanaian, who joined from Real Valladolid last summer, has been limited to just five Premier League starts this season, although his recent performances have emphasised why Southampton were so keen to bring him in.

He was superb in their 1-1 draw with Leicester City when the Saints were down to 10 men, posting a formidable 11 clearances, and was solid again when replacing Bednarek in the win against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.

Therefore, Salisu deserves a start against Scott Parker’s side this weekend; and if he can enjoy a strong finish to the season, then it would be an obvious silver lining to the bad news that the “excellent” Bednarek – as hailed by Matt Le Tissier – is sidelined.

In other news… Southampton handed huge transfer boost over 29-goal “phenomenon”, Semmens must deliver

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to CaughtOffside, the Red Devils are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in acquiring the 22-year-old’s signature over the summer.

The report also reveals that Chukwueze has a release clause of £69 million and that Liverpool and Chelsea are among his potential suitors.

Woodward must avoid

Chukwueze has impressed since joining the Yellow Submarines back in 2017, making 119 appearances for the La Liga outfit during his time with the club.

The Nigeria international’s dazzling displays earned praise from fellow African footballing star Samuel Eto’o last year, who lauded the 22-year-old’s talent and potential before adding that an improvement to his end product is required.

“He is an incredible player who is growing in leaps and bounds,” claimed Eto’o.

“He is a quality player and he needs to score more goals, but he has the quality and ability to be more than just a goal-scoring forward. Once he gets all of that he will be top.”

However, in the 12 months since the former Barcelona and Inter striker outlined where Chukwueze needs to improve his game, there has been little evidence of progress.

In 2019/20, the £18 million rated attacker (as per Transfermarkt) bagged four goals and provided six assists in all competitions. In the recently concluded campaign, he boosted those numbers only marginally to five goals and eight assists.

While Chukwueze is certainly a talented player with plenty of room to grow, it’s questionable whether he’s at the level that United currently need in order to close the gap to newly-crowned Premier League champions Manchester City, his goal and assist tallies suggest that he isn’t.

The Old Trafford outfit finished 12 points behind Pep Guardiola’s men in 2020/21 and were dumped out of the Champions League in the group stages, indicating significant progress is still required until they’ll be able to challenge for football’s greatest honours.

With Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho reportedly available for £75m this summer – just £6m more than the Chukwueze’s release clause – Ed Woodward would be making a huge mistake in prioritising the Villarreal man’s signature ahead of Sancho’s.

It’s highly unlikely that United can afford both right-wingers, or that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can find room for both men in his first-team squad, and therefore, Sancho must be the focus rather than Chukwueze.

And, in other words…James Cooper drops huge Man Utd transfer claim that’ll surely have fans buzzing 

Manchester City can seal their place in the Champions League final at the Etihad on Tuesday night, providing they can hold on to their 2-1 win lead from the first leg.

Pep Guardiola’s side produced a superb second-half display to beat Mauricio Pochettino’s side in France last week and are therefore favourites to seal a place in the final.

However, PSG possess incredibly talented players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe so they will certainly not roll over and allow the Citizens to cruise through the 90 minutes on Tuesday, in what promises to be another open and entertaining game.

City took a big step towards winning the Premier League title with a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday after making plenty of changes, and it seems likely that Guardiola will reintroduce some of those who were rested at Selhurst Park.

Here’s how we think the Spanish manager will line his side up on Tuesday, with nine changes from the team that started against Palace.

Ederson is one of just two players to keep his place, with the Brazilian starting in between the sticks for the Citizens.

It is all change at the back, as Ruben Dias and John Stones resume their partnership at centre-back, whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko replaces Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker comes in for Joao Cancelo, who struggled in the first half against PSG last time out.

In midfield, Ilkay Gundogan replaces Fernandinho to partner Rodri, with Bernardo Silva playing a more attacking role ahead of them, with Sergio Aguero dropped to the bench, despite his superb goal at Selhurst Park.

Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling are also slightly unlucky to miss out on the wings, with Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez replacing them, while the “extraordinary” Kevin De Bruyne unsurprisingly returns up front, with Gabriel Jesus sitting on the bench.

And, in other news… Guardiola should ruthlessly axe “unbelievable” ace vs PSG despite superb CPFC display

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur want to offload defender Davinson Sanchez this summer as technical performance director Steve Hitchen shortlists replacements.

The Lowdown: Spurs need to sell…

Tottenham will be adopting a sell-to-buy policy this summer according to reliable sources (Sky Sports), considering the financial toll of coronavirus.

Last year, Spurs announced an ‘irrecoverable’ loss of income totalling £63.9 million for the year ending June 30, 2020 (Evening Standard) – and it’s unlikely the next financial release will make for prettier reading.

As a result, if the next Lilywhites boss wishes to strengthen with marquee signings, then deadwood will need to be turned over for some much needed funding.

The Latest: Sanchez now up for sale…

Bringing the latest on Tottenham’s ins and outs, Football Insider report that Daniel Levy and co now want to offload Sanchez this summer and will to listen to any offers.

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Hitchen is already compiling a shortlist of replacements for the 24-year-old as Tottenham also look set to prioritise a senior centre-back signing.

Even though Spurs will struggle to make much back off the original £42 million paid for the Colombian, the Lilywhites are still planning his sale regardless of who the next manager may be.

The Verdict: Surplus to requirements…

The defender’s recklessness and lack of composure at the back infuriated former boss Jose Mourinho (Football Insider), and it’s safe to say he should be considered for the exit door.

Reports have most recently been heavily linking fellow defender Serge Aurier with a summer move away (Foot Mercato), but this news of Levy now wanting to offload Sanchez comes as no surprise given his form this season.

Interim boss Ryan Mason has not played the 28-cap ace since the beginning of his temporary tenure and Sanchez’ future in north London looks at it’s most bleak since he signed from Ajax in 2017.

Former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino was overjoyed with the signing, calling him the perfect for his style at Tottenham as well as ‘unbelievable’ (The Guardian).

Once a favourite of the Argentine, with Pochettino also dubbing Sanchez a ‘beast’ (tottenhamhotspur.com), his fortunes have well and truly dipped since then.

In other news: Journalist relays ENIC promise to Spurs fans after big development, find out more here.

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Tyler Onyango as David Unsworth confirmed that the Toffees think he has fractured his leg.

The injury was suffered in an FA Youth Cup game over Manchester City, in which the Goodison Park outfit eventually won 1-0 with a late goal.

Nonetheless, Onyango looked to have suffered a bad injury, which has not gone down well with numerous supporters of the Merseyside club.

The central midfielder made his senior debut for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the FA Cup fourth round win over Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season, and at just 18 years of age, he is certainly an exciting prospect that the Toffees have on their hands.

Nonetheless, the club will hope that it is not serious and wish the teenager a speedy recovery.

Everton fans on Onyango injury update

These Everton supporters bemoaned the injury update on Twitter, with one fan describing it as ‘horrible’:

“Absolutely gutted for the lad. Fingers crossed for a speedy and full recovery.”

Credit: @NTylerVI

“Very sad! been good seeing him on the bench recently, get well soon @OnyangoTyler”

Credit: @karlriley_1997

“So cruel. Lad looks a player and was so close to the first team.”

Credit: @PaulEFC86

“Oh my… Get well soon lad”

Credit: @IndoEvertonian

“Serious… we are absolutely cursed! Just got Gbamin back and now Onyango has a career threatening injury. Feel like our long term injury chain goes back to Oviedo. Our physio team must never get a day off.”

Credit: @evertonian6

“That’s horrible”

Credit: @Matt_S_1982

In other news, find out what injury update before Crystal Palace has left these Toffees fuming!

Swansea City are reportedly one of the sides taking an interest in Sheffield United centre-back Kean Bryan ahead of the summer, and if he were to make the move to the Liberty Stadium ahead of next season, he could be the ideal replacement for Marc Guehi in Steve Cooper’s side.

According to Football Insider, Fulham, Burnley and Swansea are all plotting moves for the 24-year-old defender, who is currently set to leave The Blades at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Although the former Manchester City youngster has previously stated his desire to stay at Bramall Lane, all three sides interested in him could potentially offer him Premier League football next season, whereas the Yorkshire side look destined for a return to the Championship.

Even if Swansea were to fail in their bid for promotion this season, if they could convince Bryan to join, then it could prove to be an excellent signing, as he has earned some valuable Premier League experience with the Blades.

The season-long injury suffered by Jack O’Connell provided an opportunity for the young defender to step in as the Blades’ left-sided centre-back and he has gone on to make 10 appearances for Sheffield United in the Premier League this season, including a game where he struck the winning goal in their shock 2-1 win at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

It seems extremely unlikely that Swansea will be able to keep hold of Guehi next season as a result of his impressive performances on loan from Chelsea over the past two seasons, and therefore, Cooper may well be in the market for a left-sided centre-back for his side next season.

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Considering that Bryan has plenty of experience, is just 24-years-old and would be available on a free transfer, he could be an excellent heir to the England U21 international, so Swansea should definitely try to bring him in.

And, in other news… Forget Lowe: Swansea beast who played four key passes was Cooper’s star vs Millwall 

Sheffield Wednesday’s chances of remaining in the Championship were given a massive boost before the international break after they ended a winless run of eight matches by defeating their local rivals.

The Owls are now six points off safety, though they do have a game in hand on the side occupying that lucrative final spot in the English second tier.

It’ll be a hard task for Darren Moore to keep the Yorkshire giants in the division, but it isn’t out of the realms of possibility just yet. And one man could hold all the key to getting them over the line…

On the Chalkboard

“Out of all the clubs I’ve managed, it’s probably as disjointed a group as I’ve managed. If you look at it, there’s six centre-halves, and I don’t think we’ve got a left back. We’ve got five tens, and really not a centre-forward.”

Those were the thoughts of axed Owls boss Tony Pulis back in December as he continued to shun the presence of Jordan Rhodes from his squad.

It was a rather damning indictment on the Scotsman; to say that they haven’t really got a centre-forward when in reality, there was one staring him right in the face each day.

Perhaps if the well-travelled 63-year-old had a little more faith in the long-serving Owls striker, then he may well still be in the job.

Compare that to how Moore feels about the 31-year-old, during his unveiling, he said (via YorkshireLive):

“Jordan is a good striker. He can finish and we don’t doubt that finishing ability. There’s plenty more football left in Jordan. There’s a wonderful talent if we are looking at him as an isolated figure. He’s a goalscorer, and he knows where the back of the net is.”

Since being appointed at the start of the month, no other Owls player has found the net more times than Rhodes, having bagged the opener against former club Norwich City and a brace in last weekend’s South Yorkshire derby.

From being snubbed by Pulis to becoming Wednesday’s joint-top goalscorer almost overnight, it’s clear to see that the 31-year-old, who is the club’s highest earner on £35k-per-week, still has a lot to give at Hillsborough.

His undeniable goalscoring ability will undoubtedly hold the key as to whether or not the Owls remain in the Championship this season. Wins are all that matter now, and you’ll only pick up three points by finding the net.

After all, Rhodes is merely eight goals away from being the division’s most prolific striker, so it’s no surprise to see Moore building his attack around him thus far.

Feed the Rhodes, and he will score.

AND in other news, More goals than Marriott: Chansiri call now looking a big Sheffield Wednesday blunder…

Odsonne Edouard’s performances may be ‘starting to pick up’ because ‘you have to play well if you want a move’, according to Celtic legend Frank McAvennie.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that the 23-year-old impressed him in the recent 1-1 draw with their Glasgow rivals, when the Frenchman laid on Mohamed Elyounoussi’s 23rd-minute opener at Parkhead. The ex-Hoops striker said:

“They complemented each other so well in that first half against Rangers. They were superb. I liked what I saw from those two as a combination but we have not seen it enough this year.

“You have to play well if you want a move and Edouard’s performances are starting to pick up.”

Premier League big hitters eyeing prolific Edouard

Edouard could leave Parkhead this summer before he enters the final year of his contract.

Leicester City are among the clubs said to be keen, with the Daily Mail reporting at the beginning of March that a £15m deal was in the works. Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked with the French marksman.

Edouard, who is Celtic’s record signing at £9.27m, has scored 81 goals and set up a further 36 in 162 appearances for the club. He has hit 20 goals in 34 games this season for the Hoops, but there have been occasional dry spells.

After scoring a hat-trick on the opening day of the season against Hamilton, he found the net only twice more before facing the same opposition on Boxing Day. His output then notably picked up from the end of January with a run of eight goals in six matches.

Transfer Tavern verdict

It will be interesting to see how Edouard performs this summer when, in all likelihood, he represents France in the knockout stages of the Under-21 European Championships, when he will be very much in the continental spotlight.

He has already opened his account for the tournament, netting from the penalty spot in their group stage win over Russia on Sunday. McAvennie is right in saying that Edouard’s form has improved in recent weeks, but it remains to be seen whether that will predicate a summer exit from Glasgow.

In other news, as one Celtic player leaves, a former Hoops ace could return. 

In a recent interview, Kevin Phillips suggested that West Ham United could make a summer move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his Leicester City side have “won the race” to sign Edouard this summer, with the £13.5m-rated 23-year-old said to be keen on a reunion with the Northern Irishman, as well as a fee of around £15m “close to being agreed” between the Hoops and the Foxes.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that, although Rodgers’ influence could sway the striker towards Leicester, should West Ham finish in a European spot at the end of the season, they too could be a contender for the Frenchman’s signature.

He said: “If Edouard is set to leave this summer I think West Ham and a few others would be looking at him. It will ultimately be down to the player but where West Ham and Leicester finish in the league could determine where the player goes. Having worked under Rodgers though, and knowing his style of football, I think he would opt for Leicester.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Having scored a quite remarkable 81 goals over his 161 appearances for the Bhoys, including 20 across his 33 fixtures in all competitions so far this season, it would be a difficult argument to make that Edouard would not be an inspired signing for West Ham.

Considering that David Moyes only has Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his current first team squad, a summer move for a player in Edouard’s position would indeed appear to be a priority for the Hammers. If the Celtic striker is available for a mere £15m as reported, he would not be far off representing the ideal candidate for Moyes given his value and goal return.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!