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Farhad Moshiri must sanction the sale of Everton outcast Bernard at the end of the season.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Bernard is one of a clutch of first-team players who are facing uncertain futures at Goodison Park ahead of the summer transfer market.

The Toffees are expected to limit their activity in the off-season to the arrivals of two or three players, as Carlo Ancelotti strives to build on last year’s signings.

Work will also be done to trim the fringes of the squad with the removal of those currently operating below the required standard, and are prepared to sell striker Moise Kean for the right price amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

The Merseyside future of Joshua King is also noted to be up in the air, while Bernard is expected to be sold after a January exit fell through.

Bernard was heavily linked with move to Al Nasr during the winter market, but a deal to join the United Arab Emirates outfit broke down on Deadline Day.

Reports by The Telegraph had suggested Everton valued Bernard at £9m in efforts to trim the club’s wage bill, although later claims by Fussball Transfers alleged that an agreement was reached over a loan that carried a €5m (£4.5m) obligation to buy.

Bernard has struggled to prove himself to Ancelotti since the closing of the winter market, with the 28-year-old playing only three times in Everton’s last nine Premier League games.

Should Everton sell Bernard?

Bernard has lived life on the fringes of Ancelotti’s plans all season, with the Brazilian only starting three Premier League fixtures and making a further six appearances from the bench.

Only three outfield players currently at Goodison Park have featured less often in the top-flight this term than Bernard, with his return of 393 minutes only greater than the 69 minutes given to Niels Nkounkou, 118 awarded to King and 212 Fabian Delph has played.

It has been no surprise that Ancelotti has often overlooked Bernard, even when Everton have been trailing in games, as the 14-cap maestro has only had a direct influence on the scoreline once when he scored in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

His last Premier League assist came in January 2020 when Bernard set Kean up to open the scoring in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, some 22 appearances ago.

All the while, Bernard has been stealing a living at Goodison Park as Everton’s joint highest-earner with Yerry Mina on a £120,000-per-week contract, which has effectively seen Moshiri pay Bernard close to £1.1m for each start in the Premier League this term.

It has been 27 weeks since the Toffees kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, seeing Bernard earn £3.25m in wages to take his total income since joining the Blues on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 to £16.5m.

Bernard would be due a further £8m in wages if he sees out the remaining 15 months of his contract, making it vital that Moshiri cuts both his, and Everton’s, losses this summer.

AND in other news, Farhad Moshiri is set to back Everton as Carlo Ancelotti eyes a 29-y/o he described as “the best” in the world…

Liverpool slumped to their sixth straight home defeat in the Premier League after their 1-0 loss to Fulham on Sunday.

Pearce reacts

Things went from bad to worse for the reigning Premier League champions as they fell further off the pace in the race for the top four. If there were any doubts of their title charge being over before the game, they have now surely been confirmed.

Mario Lemina scored the only goal of the game right on half-time to secure the points for the relegation-battling Cottagers, who latched onto a mistake from Mohamed Salah.

After the full-time whistle, The Athletic journalist James Pearce provided immediate analysis on the game as soon as referee Kevin Friend put the whistle to his mouth.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Liverpool have had just 10 shots on target in their last three games, which is nowhere near good enough for a team which recently won the Champions League and the Premier League in the space of 13 months.

It’s becoming increasing unfathomable that their gruesome run has continued. Jurgen Klopp freshened the squad up and featured some new faces in a bid to provide some new ideas, but ultimately nothing new came to the table.

The mystery is growing. Only Klopp and his coaching staff can work on the possible answers with a huge Champions League game on the horizon in midweek.

In other news, Liverpool blockbuster move in trouble as ‘unplayable’ star’s hefty demands emerge

According to a report by Spanish news outlet Sport, as relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur star striker is ‘committed to leaving’ north London this summer as Manchester City eye a successor for club legend Sergio Aguero – coming as a potential blow for Jose Mourinho and Spurs.

Kane, who has been Tottenham’s most crucial asset this season, with the Englishman putting in an enormous contribution for the Lilywhites as they quest to mount a possible end of season top four challenge, is committed to a summer exit according to Sport.

Tottenham dealt potential Kane blow

The 27-year-old has bagged a brilliant 16 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League alone for Spurs this season, averaging a threatening 3.8 shots per 90 in that time under Mourinho.

Indeed, Spurs are heavily reliant on their star target man, but this report from Spain says he is now committed to leaving north London as Man City consider a move.

The Sky Blues are apparently set to ‘bet heavily’ on Borussia Dortmund attacker Erling Haaland in the next transfer window, but both Kane and Romelu Lukaku are also on the shortlist for Pep Guardiola.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho will be hoping Kane doesn’t opt to exit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he seeks to bring silverware to the club for the first time since 2008, but it seems another summer of constant rumours is on the horizon.

Alasdair Gold recently indicated that chairman Daniel Levy will have a ‘huge’ decision to make in regards to Kane being sold off to fund summer additions, especially given the club’s current financial plight due to coronavirus.

In other news: Tottenham have been handed a boost over Gareth Bale, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped his verdict on Phil Jones amid reports linking him with a move to the Hawthorns this transfer window.

Earlier in the month, the forgotten Manchester United centre-back was mooted as a loan target for the Baggies, as per the Daily Star.

They claimed that the 28-year-old colossus was free to leave the Red Devils this month and that they were prepared to pay a sizeable portion of his £120k-per-week wages, even if he remains under contract until 2023.

Jones hasn’t featured for United this season but Albion’s defensive issues continue to increase tenfold after they leaked another five goals to Manchester City on Tuesday night.

It means Sam Allardyce’s men hold the worst defensive record in the Premier League, conceding 12 more goals than any other side, while no team across Europe’s elite divisions has leaked as many goals at home than West Brom.

And Palmer believes Jones could help solve their backline problems…

He told FFC:

“Big Sam’s always fancied him. He has always fancied Phil Jones – big, strong, athletic.

“I haven’t seen Phil play for ages, I thought he’d do really well at Manchester United because he’s got serious pace about him and he’s athletic. It’s just not worked out for him at all.

“Sam certainly needs quality throughout his side. He needs a central defender. And Sam gets the best out of people. It could be a good fit for both Phil and West Brom.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-brom-news-and-rumours-copy” title=”Read the latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The 27-time England international may have not featured in a competitive game since January 2019, but he is someone that Big Sam knows very well from their time at Blackburn Rovers.

Indeed, Allardyce dubbed the young Jones a “leader” who would one day go onto captain England – he was partially right, at least.

The £5.4m-rated defender has played 200 times in the Premier League and over 30 times in Europe, per Transfermarkt; vast experience that is lacking in abundance in this current Albion squad.

Clearly, if fit, he’d be a welcome addition at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, no Sawyers: How West Brom’s XI may look after deadline day…

Celtic banked their fifth win in a row today after they breezed to a 3-0 victory on the road. The reigning Premiership champions made easy work of brushing aside Hamilton, who couldn’t contain their red hot attack.

Neil Lennon will be especially thrilled as he looks to dig Celtic out of a huge hole. They have struggled with an inconsistent season and look more and more likely to lose out on lifting their tenth consecutive Premiership title. Rivals Rangers currently lead the pack and are running away with the league. They top the table with a hefty 16-point lead and are yet to lose a single match.

Lennon has been struggling to unearth his most productive lineup and has been experimenting with his squad in recent weeks. One decision that has paid off in dividends is his gamble on deploying Odsonne Edouard on the wing, rather than in the No.9 role.

A chance for an Edouard rebirth

The French striker has been hit and miss this season with his performances up front. He has looked a shadow of himself from last campaign, in which he contributed an astonishing 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 league games, as per Transfermarkt.

However, this time round he has been more absent in attack and has struggled to lace up his shooting boots. Loan signing Mohamed Elyounoussi has been more in-form than his teammate, but today Edouard, who reportedly earns £19,000-a-week, bounced back as he started on the left-wing instead of the Southampton ace.

According to Sofascore, the 22-year-old contributed a goal and an assist as well as a further big goalscoring opportunity and five key passes. His blistering presence in front of goal caused Hamilton so many problems. As well as his goal and assist, he hit the woodwork and also completed four of his six attempted dribbles.

His new role on the left could be Lennon’s way forward for the rest of this season. Not only did Edouard thrive out wide but it allowed Leigh Griffiths to shine up front as well. This could really be a masterstroke plan from the Celtic boss.

In other news, Signing David Turnbull was a stroke of genius from Hammond…

According to ESPN’s Julien Laurens, Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in signing RB Leipzig star Marcel Sabitzer.

What’s the story?

The Austria international has been a revelation for the Bundesliga side, captaining them to some impressive performances, including in the Champions League where Leipzig knocked out Manchester United in their final group stage game.

Now, it appears Sabitzer is on the radar of Mikel Arteta’s side, with Laurens revealing on The Gab and Juls show: “There is another club (interested in Sabitzer), I think Arsenal are very keen as well. I think there’s a few English clubs (interested).

“He will be perfect for the Premier League – the way he plays, 26 years old, it’s a good age, all that energy. I think he’s ready. He’s just ready. Maybe (he) needs a bit of time to adapt, but I’m not even sure he needs that. He would be a great signing, potentially quite cheap as well for the kind of player that you’re getting. It’s a no-brainer.”

Forget Isco

Make no mistake about it, if it’s a choice between Isco and Sabitzer, the Gunners absolutely have to go after the younger, and more in-form player in the £31.5m-rated Leipzig star.

His coach at the Bundesliga side, Julian Nagelsmann, has waxed lyrical about his abilities, saying: “I have always said I want more goal threat from midfield. He clearly took that both literally and personally. He’s a very important player for us.”

That ability to get goals from midfield is something Arsenal have lacked since the days of Aaron Ramsey, who of course left the Emirates to join Serie A giants Juventus on a free transfer.

Too much of the goal-scoring burden has been placed on the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, so Sabitzer’s arrival would help to lessen that and make the Gunners more of a threat from elsewhere on the pitch than just up front.

It’s a move Edu simply has to make.

Carlo Ancelotti can cast Andre Gomes to the side and solve Everton’s creativity crisis with a winter raid on SS Lazio for rumoured target Luis Alberto.

What’s the word?

According to Il Tempo, via Sport Witness, the Toffees are monitoring Alberto’s situation at the Stadio Olimpico and could offer the former Liverpool dud a route out of Italy amid a dramatic fallout with his Serie A side.

Alberto is currently butting heads with the Lazio hierarchy after publicly shaming their decision to purchase a new luxury private jet, instead of paying the first-team their full salaries during the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

His public outburst on Twitch saw Alberto handed a fine worth up to €70,000 (£62.4k), and will soon meet with manager Simone Inzaghi to see it they can mend the Spaniard’s shattered relationship with President Claudio Lotito and Sporting Director Igli Tare.

Lotito and Tare were furious with Alberto’s outburst and immediately dropped the 28-year-old from the senior squad feeling he betrayed them, and are not expected to offer a recall for this weekend’s meeting with Crotone.

Alberto is very loyal to Inzaghi, who is acting as a mediator and is a staunch advocate of the Spaniard, but could be offered a move to Everton with Ancelotti eager to solve his side’s lack of creativity.

Sevilla, where Alberto grew up, are also interested in the £45million-rated gem who had started six of Lazio’s opening seven Serie A fixtures this term, offering one goal.

Move aside Gomes

While Alberto is said to be loyal to Inzaghi, who likewise harbours a high level of respect for the Spaniard, Ancelotti can solve his creativity crisis by bringing the 28-year-old to Goodison Park in the New Year.

Alberto just penned a new, five-year contract with Lazio in September after a top-draw 2019/20 campaign, with only Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez (16) claiming more assists than the Inzaghi favourite (15) who ranked first among all Serie A players for key balls (106), per WhoScored.

The former Liverpool flop, who managed just one assist and zero goals in 12 outings for the Reds in 2013/14, ranked joint-fifth in the Italian top-flight for successful (73) and attempted (107) dribbles, fifth for total passes (2,074) and eighth for shots taken outside the box (55) last term, as well.

His form in Italy has seen Alberto prove former Malaga head coach Javi Gracia right, having backed the midfielder to recover from his Anfield horror while with the La Liga side in 2015.

“He is talented, finishes well and scores goals,” Gracia said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He has a promising future. I have no doubt that he is a very good player.”

Ancelotti would no doubt adore having those traits at Goodison Park, where he has seen his current midfielders struggle to create chances with Abdoulaye Doucoure (8) ranking first among the Italian’s central options for key balls, Allan for successful (9) and attempted (14) dribbles and Gylfi Sigurdsson for shots taken from range (4) in the Premier League.

Gomes, meanwhile, is last for shots from outside the box (0), joint-third for key balls (3) and third for total passes (209) and successful dribbles (3), having played the third-most minutes (366) in the top-flight thus far.

It remains to be seen how Alberto’s crunch talks with Lazio chiefs Lotito and Tare go, and whether or not they decide to cash-in on the 28-year-old this winter despite his new contract.

AND in other news, seriously naïve comments from a Premier League hero show a “fantastic” Everton ace is criminally underrated.

After ten matches, Tottenham Hotspur sit top of the Premier League table and whilst it is still early days, no one could have predicted the immense form Jose Mourinho’s side find themselves in.

And for the first time in what seems like an eternity, Spurs will go into the north London derby this weekend super-confident of picking up a victory.

They have more than shown that they can mix it with the elite this term, thrashing Manchester United 6-1, defeating Pep Guardiola’s City 2-0 and drawing 0-0 to a scary-looking Chelsea attack.

Although, despite the positivity around picking up a point at Stamford Bridge, there was a worrying sign of what could come in the near future.

Spurs were without arguably their best defender, Toby Alderweireld, after the Belgian suffered a muscle injury last week. It did not stop them from keeping a fourth clean sheet in five matches, but it may have exposed their biggest weakness.

After the match, Mourinho lambasted the 31-year-old’s usually defensive partner, Eric Dier. He told reporters, via Football.London: “Dier made more mistakes than him [Rodon], especially in ball possession.”

This certainly appears to be the case too as the England colossus lost possession 12 times, made just four of 12 long-balls (33%) and failed to record a single tackle, interception or block, as per SofaScore.

It is no surprise that Spurs’ defensive record improved the second that Aldweireld was utilised more. It took until the end of October for Mourinho’s men to claim their first clean sheet, in what was only the Belgian’s third start of the season.

Without Alderweireld alongside him, the €30m-rated (£27m) Dier has struggled, failing to record above a 6.9 rating when paired with Davinson Sanchez or Joe Rodon, via WhoScored.

Ex-Spurs legend Gary Mabbutt has called upon the 26-year-old to become “the general” in the absence of his teammate, though the signs aren’t really positive in the chances of that happening.

Another former Lilywhites man, Jermaine Jenas, waxed lyrical about Dier following the City triumph, calling him “sensational.”

In reality, this blow to Alderweireld could be a double sucker-punch as Dier is yet to truly standout with the long-serving giant next to him. Perhaps the £85k-per-week star has been masked by the man next to him, and that should have Mourinho worried tenfold.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt makes bold Spurs Premier League claim…

West Ham United’s failure to sign Bologna centre-half Takehiro Tomiyasu this summer is set to cost David Moyes deeply, with the Serie A outfit confident their star defender will soon be worth in excess of £30million.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, AC Milan strove to sign Tomiyasu in the recent transfer market but failed to convince Bologna to reduce their €25m (£22.6m) valuation closer to the Rossoneri’s offer of €15m (£13.5m) plus a small bonus clause.

Bologna refused to negotiate their asking price as they are convinced the 21-year-old will be worth more than €30m (£27.1m) to €35m (£31.6m) in only a matter of years, making conditions far from ideal for any side wishing to sign Tomiyasu in January.

The Japan international, for his part, is happy at the Renato Dall’Ara yet is aware that Milan continues to track his situation, though the San Siro giants are expected to adopt the same approach as the summer as Tomiyasu’s performances have not consistently been at the highest level.

Tomiyasu has started all five of Bologna’s Serie A fixtures this term, but Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side are yet to keep a clean sheet, have lost on four occasions and have conceded a total 10 goals to sit outside the relegation places only on goal difference.

His form is unlikely to see West Ham revive efforts to strike a deal, either, after the Irons took a keen interest in the 20-cap talent this summer, per the Evening Standard, amid Moyes’ search for a new right-back as Tomiyasu is also capable of playing in wide defence or holding midfield if needed.

A costly error?

While Tomiyasu has not hit the same heights this season as he achieved last term, the 21-year-old Japan international may yet prove to be a costly mistake for West Ham as he is a player well thought of in Italy.

Bologna describe their €7m (£6.3m) signing on their official website as: “Physically well structured, ambidextrous, he has the aptitudes of a true defensive playmaker.

“Takehiro strikes for reactivity, strength in anticipation – in particular, he dominates on high balls – and uncommon football intelligence.”

Tuttobologna reporter Manuel Minguzzi also lauded Tomiyasu while speaking with the Chronicle this summer, after Newcastle United scouted the defender in view of his impressive start to life in Italy once signed from Belgian side St Truiden.

“Tomiyasu is a very versatile defender: he can be both a full back and a central player, he is very applied and focused,” he said. “Fans can always expect maximum professionalism and commitment from Tomiyasu.

“As a central [defender] he made some mistakes, but in Serie A it is quite normal because adaptation is needed. Tomiyasu also possesses great qualities when building the game. I was very struck by the fact that in the first year of Serie A, he immediately became the protagonist.”

Tomiyasu currently averages 67 touches a game in the Italian top-flight, and has played Bologna’s highest number of passes (265), won the most aerial duels (11), recorded the most clearances (17) and made the second-most interceptions (14), per SofaScore.

Clearly, then, if the Japan international is able to shrug off his early struggles this season, his form will return and raise frustrations in east London that West Ham were not able to seal a deal this summer.

AND in other news, David Moyes needs a “terrific” West Ham man he expects “much more” from to step up now more than ever.

One of Leeds United’s top priorities this summer was to sign a striker, and they spared no expense in making sure they strengthened in that area, splashing out £27m to sign Rodrigo from Valencia.

The Spaniard cost a club-record fee this summer, and while United can be happy with their striker acquisition, they could have saved that cash if they’d have done the right thing back in 2019.

Nobody needs reminding that Leeds had Eddie Nketiah on loan last season, but his ill-fated spell was cut short as he grew frustrated with his lack of first-team opportunities.

Before Nketiah went back to Arsenal, Marcelo Bielsa expressed his desire to keep the forward on loan at the club for the 2020/21 season, and if United still had Nketiah, they could have saved the £27m they spent on Rodrigo.

Now, we’re not about to argue that Arsenal’s third-choice striker is better than Spain’s number nine, but it is worth considering that Nketiah has more goals in all competitions than him this season and his minutes per goal record in the Premier League last term was better than Rodrigo’s in La Liga.

£27m is a lot of money, and it had to be spent on a striker this summer because Patrick Bamford was the Whites’ only option heading into this season, but that money could have been put towards something else if United still had Nketiah.

Of course, the Yorkshire outfit would still have needed a striker in 2021 in this hypothetical scenario, but they would likely have had another year of Premier League revenue and perhaps a stronger spine behind them to fix their striker woes.

It’s certainly interesting to imagine what Leeds’ squad would look like right now if Bielsa’s original plan to keep Nketiah for the 2020/21 season had come to fruition.