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After a result that saw Everton take another big step to potentially achieving European football for next season, Carlo Ancelotti was quick to praise one player for his efforts at Goodison Park.

It wasn’t either of Richarlison or Gylfi Sigurdsson, whose goals helped the Toffees to a 2-1 win over Leicester, but instead, 19-year-old academy starlet Anthony Gordon.

The teenager has been one of the major positives since the Premier League’s restart last month, featuring in all three of the Merseyside outfit’s opening games, including starting against Liverpool and Leicester on Wednesday night.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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And speaking after his latest display against the Foxes, Ancelotti said: “It is important for him to show quality and above all to be confident to play. Usually when a young player comes in they are a bit worried. But Anthony has personality and did well.”

The winger was in fine fettle against Brendan Rodgers’ side, and whether it was just his youthfulness or willingness to impress, but he was equally as impressive going back towards his own goal too.

As per Sofascore, he managed two interceptions and four tackles, the first being a team-high stat, and the second, ranking him only behind Seamus Coleman amongst all Everton players on the night.

Of course, the major highlight of his evening’s work was the fine assist for Richarlison’s opener, collecting the ball off Lucas Digne’s precise header, before driving to the by-line and cutting it back across goal for his teammate to sweep home with aplomb.

Aside from his set-up for Richarlison, Gordon also provided two key passes and completed two out of his three attempted dribbles. Despite having competition for places out wide, Ancelotti has placed his faith in the Everton teenager, and that is a real testament to the work done by David Unsworth, who is in charge of the U23s.

Speaking back in 2019, Unsworth was full of praise for the potential that Gordon has, saying: “What we’ve got at the moment is a young, exciting player with bags and bags of potential who we feel has a great chance of being a Premier League footballer. He’s got to be managed right.”

And judging by how Gordon has developed over the past few months, and his starring performance against Leicester, it’s clear to see Ancelotti is now more than willing to unleash the talented prodigy.

Manchester United are ready to offer Paul Pogba a new deal after his upturn in form since the Premier League restart. 

According to Fabrizio Romano, as per @utdreport, Man United will try to extend his contract while his agent Mino Raiola waits in the wings.

The Frenchman has insisted that he is “happy” at Old Trafford and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful he will sign a new deal. Pogba’s contract will run out next year, although United have the the option to extend this by another year, amid interest from Real Madrid and Juventus.

The Red Devils will reach out to Raiola, who has a strained relationship with the club’s hierarchy. The super-agent took to social media to fuel the fire earlier this year, although the two sides appear to be on talking terms once again.

Pogba has worked his way back to match fitness after recovering from an injury which required surgery, and his return has enabled him to team up with Bruno Fernandes for the first time, with the duo forming a formidable partnership ever since. The pair have started to build a platform to which Solskjaer could add in the summer.

Unsurprisingly, loads of United fans gushed over the “big” update on Twitter, with one supporter tweeting that the news is “quality,” while another called it a “silver lining” following the team’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions so far…

United fans, are you confident Paul Pogba will sign a new contract? Let us know in the comments below!

Barcelona are a club in turmoil and their financial struggles are probably their biggest issue at the very moment. They have an ageing squad that’s full of players on high salaries and long contracts while the team is also not exactly turning too many heads with their performances on the pitch. For that reason, the arrival of a young talent like Francisco Trincao has been a great scoop for the Catalans and one that’s certainly a bet for both the future and the present.

However, according to a report from Sky Sports, Leicester City are trying to convince Barcelona to part ways with Trincao and are betting on the bad financial situation in the Catalan capital in order to do that. Brendan Rodgers is keen to improve the squad even more and the 20-year-old would do exactly that if he was to arrive at the King Power Stadium.

There were some other reports suggesting the Foxes have offered to take the youngster on loan for two years with an obligation to buy for £45m, which would be quite a sum to turn down. But this is an extremely difficult deal to get over the line, especially since Trincao is yet to play his first game for Barcelona and will only join the squad later on this month.

Still, seeing how the Catalans only had to pay around £28m to get him from Braga, this would represent good profit for them and a way out of their financial struggles. Of course, it wouldn’t exactly solve them all on the spot but it would be a positive start, something Leicester are certainly banking on.

But, as already stated, this won’t be easy to pull off. Barcelona are looking to sell a lot of high-earners from the club but Trincao is certainly not one of them. Rodgers will have to climb a mountain to make this happen.

Trincao deal will be difficult for Leicester

Signing Trincao would definitely be an incredible piece of business for the Foxes but there is no way the Catalans will just part with one of the most exciting young talents on the planet. Perhaps a shorter loan deal without that obligation to buy would be a better way to go for Leicester.

That way, they would at least get Trincao for a short while and then, potentially, they could look to make the transfer permanent later on.

We’ve been hearing about Manchester United’s quest to bring Jadon Sancho to the Premier League for months now. Borussia Dortmund, however, are seemingly not willing to budge and are adamant on either keeping their young star or letting him go for a price north of £100m.

It goes without saying that the young Englishman is one of the best and brightest talents on the planet right now but it’s also true that the current climate has limited what clubs can do on the transfer market.

Even for a club of Man United’s stature, splashing such a sum right now is impossible. For that reason, as Daily Mail report, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might turn his attention back to Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish instead.

The Villains star is valued at around £75m and while that may not be a low figure, he’s still more affordable than Sancho. And besides, there is no doubting the 24-year-old’s ability either.

He’s an elite chance creator and a player who was linked with Man United on numerous occasions before. Now, as it seems, he’s back on their radar and could be one of their targets in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Of course, Sancho is still very much the number one priority but it’s becoming increasingly likely that he’ll stay in Germany. This may be a now or never situation for the Red Devils but even they can’t afford the English star at this very moment.

Verdict

It’s been a ‘will he, won’t he’ situation with Grealish and Man United for quite some time now. Of course, with them turning their attention to Sancho, Aston Villa’s man was sort of left behind once again.

But he is more attainable and could offer a similar dose of quality as well. However, at the end of the day, he is not Sancho, not least because despite there being some similarities, especially in both players’ creative approach, they are different players with different roles on the pitch.

Only time will tell whether he’d be a good alternative or not.

Alfredo Morelos’ future at Glasgow Rangers remains up in the air.

As it stands, he is still a Gers player, but that may not be the case for too long. The Colombia international has been the subject of intense interest from Lille, with him even reportedly having agreed personal terms with Les Dogues, whilst he has also admitted that he would be open to a move away from Ibrox to a more prestigious league.

Steven Gerrard clearly hasn’t been too happy with his star man recently, with him even dropping him for the clash against Kilmarnock last week. The 54-time Scottish champions travel to Hamilton this weekend, and Gerrard was asked about Morelos and whether he will be included. Whilst he refused to say whether he will be in the squad or not, he did admit that Morelos had done well in training, and that he will select players based on how they perform leading up to the clash.

This has attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters, and it appears they are far from happy – it seems they believe the £13.5m-valued Colombia international’s (as per Transfermarkt) head has been turned and they therefore do not want him to be involved.

Several took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Even though there is some time until the ongoing summer transfer window officially closes, the Premier League season is just around the corner and that means the clubs will have to hurry up with their business on the market.

For Aston Villa, that undoubtedly means solving their striker issue which has become an emergency and a crisis on its own. Of course, the Villains somehow survived the 2019/20 campaign but it’s also quite obvious their strikeforce just wasn’t good enough.

Because of that, signing a new forward is now a priority for Dean Smith. Unfortunately, after missing out on Callum Wilson who joined Newcastle United, they will have to turn to other targets instead.

According to the latest report from The Telegraph, Smith is ready to table a £16m bid to land Bournemouth’s Josh King.

The Cherries were not as lucky as Villa and they got relegated last season. That usually means the players should be available for a cut-price so Smith is looking to cash in on that opportunity.

Still, Bournemouth already lost Wilson and Ryan Fraser so taking King away from them as well could take some negotiating after all. But with enough money to spend now that Wilson is no longer an option, Smith could have the financial power to seal the deal.

All he has to do now is convince Bournemouth they should part ways with their forward.

Only time will tell how easy that task will be.

Verdict

King, just like Bournemouth, didn’t exactly have the best season in front of goal throughout 2019/20. But in general, he seems like a consistent provider and a proven player in the English top-flight.

Getting him for £16m won’t exactly start a revolution at Villa but could help them plug some holes along the way.

Will that be enough for their 2020/21 aspirations, though? We’ll have to wait and see.

Newcastle United ace DeAndre Yedlin looks set to leave the Tyneside club on a free transfer before the summer window shuts, according to Roger Gonzalez.

As per a tweet from the CBS Sports journalist, multiple clubs from the MLS have continued to enquire about his availability, but whether Steve Bruce’s team decide to sell him is another question for now.

Indeed, Yedlin has racked up a fair number of games at St. James’ Park, playing a total of 116 times in the last five consecutive terms, managing to score three goals and make a further 10 assists (via Transfermarkt).

The £5.85 million-valued ace has also earned a quite impressive 62 caps at international level for the United States since his full senior debut back on the 1st February 2014 under Jurgen Klinsmann, and he has also represented the USA three times at youth level for the Under-20’s (per the website).

Yedlin certainly has pedigree, but with the likes of Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth also available at the right-back position in the North East, perhaps his time with the Magpies would be limited in the 2020/21 season, and so maybe it is time to move him on.

However, the Toon will surely not want to lose the 27-year old on a free transfer as he should still hold some considerable value in the market, and so perhaps they could negotiate with some of the sides reportedly interested from the MLS to try and get a good fee for him.

Nonetheless, Yedlin is a player that NUFC should perhaps try and move on as soon as possible.

Geordies, would you let Yedlin go for free? Comment below!

After a disastrous transfer window, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already faces mounting pressure to deliver results this season…

What’s the word?

According to The Independent, Donny van de Beek’s advisor has hit back at the Red Devils less than two months after the midfielder moved to Old Trafford.

And Solskjaer has borne the brunt of the criticism for not giving him enough game time.

Van de Beek has hit the ground running, having scored just 13 minutes into his debut after appearing as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

However, Solskjaer has played his preferred midfield trio of Bruno Fernandes, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba instead, much to his chagrin.

Despite the fact the Dutchman didn’t start during the embarrassing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, he still took to social media to apologise to supporters for the shocking result.

Shades of Scholes

Whilst there was no way of disguising the nature of United’s defensive capitulation, the Red Devils still need to strengthen their midfield if they are to avoid a repeat of last season.

Solskjaer’s side actually started strongly against Spurs, with Bruno Fernandes converting a penalty in the first couple of minutes of the game.

After that it was all downhill from there, as they lost their lead a mere two minutes later, and they struggled to create many chances soon after, as they only had two shots on target throughout the entire game, via SofaScore.

The midfield trio endured a torrid time with Pogba in particular conceding a penalty whilst committing four fouls and failing to score or supply a single assist, via SofaScore.

Van de Beek is the type of player Solskjaer needs to bring some positivity back to the club in a similar vein to Paul Scholes.

Scholes was renowned for being a well-rounded and versatile playmaker while Juan Mata believes Van de Beek is “a very clever player”.

Last season, the Dutch international scored eight goals and supplied five assists in the Eredivisie, whilst averaging 1.9 shots, 1.8 key passes and at least 1 dribble per game, as per WhoScored.

By comparison, Pogba only managed to score a single goal and supply three assists in the Premier League last term, although it is worth remembering he was working his way back from fitness.

Meanwhile, Matic could only muster two assists in the English top flight, via WhoScored.

Lauded as “an exciting player” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, the 23-year-old could be the next big thing to come from the Eredivisie if he is given the chance to prove himself on a regular basis, following in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was named PFA Player of the Year in 2001/02.

While Van de Beek clearly has bags of potential, he is also capable of playing in a deeper role if required, effectively taking Matic’s place in the starting line-up as he is a more versatile option.

After such a dreadful start to the season, Solskjaer will need all the help he can get and it may be time to get Van de Beek into the XI.

AND in other news, Rio Ferdinand’s support of Man United’s Edinson Cavani deal is great news for Solskjaer…

Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive woes continue to linger like a bad stench amongst Jose Mourinho’s squad and it’s something that they arguably failed to rectify during the summer transfer window.

Yes, Spurs’ activity was close to being a 9/10 with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sergio Reguilon already making their impacts felt whilst a sensational return for Gareth Bale has increased the excitement levels tenfold.

Bale, Ndombele and more! Tottenham Daily Update 21/10

But with Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth departing N17, they really needed to find a ready-made centre-back fit to solve their ongoing woes.

Joe Rodon did arrive on the domestic deadline, but it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be ready for first-team action anytime soon.

The north London outfit have not recorded a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, which is hardly a surprise given that they had the second-worst defensive record of any top seven side last term.

Should they have paid up for Milan Skriniar? Well, Inter Milan’s £46m asking price was rather extortionate but you only have to look at Virgil van Dijk’s impact at Liverpool to see that it’s worth paying up for an elite defender these days.

Having signed Rodon for an initial £11m plus add-ons, might Daniel Levy have missed that perfect starter who was available for a similar price earlier in the window?

Spurs were linked with a move for Robin Koch by German outlet Bild before he signed for top-flight rivals Leeds United. They only paid £11.5m upfront for his signature, and he’s since proven his credentials in the Premier League.

That’s merely £500k more for someone that would’ve gone straight into Mourinho’s starting XI whereas Rodon may well be playing a waiting game as the season rumbles on.

Dubbed a “warrior” by his former boss Christian Streich, Koch has impressed in games against Sheffield United, Manchester City and even Wolves on Monday night, despite losing that game 1-0.

SofaScore graded him as Leeds’ highest-rated player at 7.3 having recorded five interceptions and two tackles, as well as winning 75% of his aerial duels.

The 24-year-old has been compared to Javi Martinez due to his “battering ram” abilities, something that Mourinho must be desperate for in the heart of his leaky, error-prone backline. He could have been the perfect fix.

It’s early days, but there are small signs that Levy may have missed out on a potential bargain with Koch, one that they may live to regret if their defensive troubles continue to rumble on this season.

AND in other news, Mourinho must UNLEASH his rusty Spurs star vs LASK Linz…

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, ex-Newcastle United ace Steve Howey has demanded more from midfielder Jonjo Shelvey this season.

The 28-year-old, described as being a ‘liability’ by The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards in 2019, has been one of the first names on the team-sheet for Steve Bruce’s side this season. He has started in every single Premier League game, including taking the captain’s armband for the clash against Burnley.

However, his performances for the Magpies have come under some severe criticism, with fans of the Tyneside club ripping into his display against Tottenham late last month.

Now, Howey has weighed in on the six-cap England international, insisting that whilst he’s got the ability, he simply has to do a lot more for the team.

Speaking to FFC’s James Beavis, Howey said: “I think he’s a very talented player. I think he just needs to grab the game by the scruff of the neck a bit more given his ability. He’s an experienced pro now, he’s been about a bit and been with some top teams. He’s got the ability to spray passes left, right and centre and he’s very, very good at it.

“But obviously, it’s what does he do off the ball. That’s why you’ve got maybe Isaac Hayden in there, who breaks play up and gives it to Shelvey to pass it. Even though he has a very good range of passing, he just has to make sure he finds his men. If you lose the ball, you’ve got to quickly go back on the defensive.

“I’ve got no doubt in my mind that he’s a very good player, but when you’ve got that ability, you’ve got to do the rubbish stuff that players don’t like to do. The hunting, the tackling and getting in there and trying to win the ball back. I’m not saying he doesn’t do it, but everybody’s got to be in the same pot together.”

Given that Shelvey has now been at the club for a number of years now, and has made 146 appearances in total, it’s quite telling that Magpies fans aren’t still unanimously in love with the midfielder.

The 28-year-old has produced some magic in his time at St James’ Park – his screamer against Manchester City last season was just one of those iconic moments – but it’s just far too inconsistent.

It’s up to Shelvey alone to try and answer his critics.