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Carlo Ancelotti must regret handing Andre Gomes a starting role in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby after witnessing the Everton midfielder struggle against Liverpool.

The Toffees hosted their Stanley Park neighbours at Goodison Park this weekend looking to maintain an unbeaten start to the season, having won each of their opening Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures.

An early goal from Sadio Mane left Everton on the back foot from the third minute, but the Blues refused to break and moved level through Michael Keane midway through the first half.

Mohamed Salah later restored the Premier League champions lead, yet Everton were able to dig deep again through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s tenth goal of the season and seventh in the league.

The Merseyside Derby continued to edge in Liverpool’s favour through a late sending off for Richarlison, with referee Michael Oliver showing the Brazilian a straight red card for a studs-up foul on Thiago Alcantara.

Jordan Henderson appeared to further punish Everton when his stoppage-time effort found a way past Pickford, but would be denied following a VAR check which deemed Sadio Mane to have been marginally – albeit debatably – offside in the build-up.

Everton were able to hold on and claim a draw as a result of David Coote’s decision at Stockley Park, however Ancelotti will have been questioning his decision to start Gomes having witnessed the 27-year-old struggle throughout the affair.

Gomes returned to the Everton starting line-up to face Liverpool having sat out the Blues’ 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break through a minor issue, marking his fourth appearance of the league season.

Ancelotti ultimately had to haul the £21.6m-rated midfielder off in the 72nd-minute once Liverpool moved into a 2-1 lead, however, after a lapse second of concentration from Yerry Mina presented Salah with his chance to strike past Jordan Pickford with a well-placed volley.

Gomes was seemingly always at least a yard off the pace during his time on the field, with the former FC Barcelona midfielder Marco Silva once hailed as “a player with high quality” (Liverpool Echo) losing possession 13 times and losing nine of his 13 duels, per SofaScore.

The £112,212-per-week man, in fact, won just three of his 12 ground duels, committed four fouls, was caught offside once, dribbled past once, misplaced each of his three long balls, failed to find a teammate with his sole cross, failed in two of three attempted dribbles, failed to record a single effort on goal and was shown a yellow card.

Gomes was able to record one key ball from his 20/26 accurate passes, two tackles and one clearance, but his overall impact on proceedings left Liverpool able to utilise their right-hand options in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah.

AND in other news, a Premier League rival has shown Everton a great deal of respect by blocking the Blues’ bid to land Carlo Ancelotti’s £10m target.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Spurs star Son Heung-min can go to any club in the world – tipping the player to leave unless Daniel Levy ties him down with a bumper new deal. 

Son, who has been in electric form recently alongside superstar forward Harry Kane, is actually on much less when compared to his teammate – with the 27-year-old England captain taking home around £200,000-per-week.

In comparison, Son is on around £60,000-a-wek less despite contributing to an equally devastating effect under manager Jose Mourinho so far this season.

Son tipped for possible exit

Now, speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor has dropped a hint that the £67.5 million-valued Son could leave if Spurs fail to tie him down with a new contract.

According to the pundit, he could play for any side in world football, including four Champions League giants who have an abundance of star players already.

“If I was Tottenham I’d be putting down on a contract on whatever he wants, just to get him signed on because he can go to any club in the world,” he explained.

“At any club in the world he’d be starting, we’re talking Liverpool, Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona he’s that good.

“Spurs will know that, Jose will know that, Daniel Levy will know that so I’m sure they’ll tie him down and he’ll be one of the highest earners for sure.”

Transfer Tavern take

Described as a ‘dream’ to work with by ex-Spur Alan Hutton, this news comes after Football Insider revealed a huge ENIC development from behind the scenes.

Indeed, according to the outlet, Joe Lewis and the ENIC group have approved of a new deal for Son, but with January around the corner, Spurs will want to tie him down as quickly as possible.

In other news: Alasdair Gold swooned over this shining light against WBA, find out more here. 

Aston Villa may have already snapped up one striker during this summer transfer window but it appears Dean Smith isn’t finished just yet…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph, the Midlands outfit are keen to add more firepower before next month’s deadline with Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard high on their shortlist.

Smith has dipped into the Championship for his first two signings, clinching Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest as well as his former Brentford talisman Ollie Watkins for a whopping £33m.

Edouard won’t be easy to prize away from the Scottish champions with a tenth title in a row firmly in their sight.

The Sun believe they rate their leading goalscorer at £30m with Leicester City, Everton, Leeds United and many more also interested.

Shades of Benteke

It would certainly be one hell of a statement from new director of football Johan Lange if they were to clinch the emphatic 22-year-old on top of their Watkins swoop.

During the 2019/20 campaign, the Frenchman delivered 27 goals and 19 assists in all competitions, including important strikes in the Europa League and against arch-rivals Rangers, per Transfermarkt.

His playing style and imposing power draws similarities to that of ex-Villa star Christian Benteke – speaking about Edouard during his time at Parkhead, Brendan Rodgers once said:

“I find myself applauding due to the sheer quality that he possesses, which is incredible. He also has a great footballing brain and technique for such a young player. He’s very strong and he also gets goals.”

At 6 foot 2, he is very much akin to what is perhaps Villa’s last true goalscorer and their recent attempts to replace him in Wesley and Mbwana Samatta have been more miss than hit.

Former Hoops right-back Mark Wilson describes Edouard as “the complete all round striker” as he “can play off the shoulder, can hold it up, can drop into the hole and can score free kicks.”

Just imagine him and Watkins feeding off the creative Jack Grealish this season. That should be enough to have fans drooling from their mouth, which is why the club must push ahead with this signing.

AND in other news, Aston Villa can sign Remi Garde favourite in Clement Grenier

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s future with Chelsea currently resides with a question mark as the club push to find his replacement. 

A move that started out with potential in abundance has become arguably one of the worst record-breaking moves in transfer history. Despite winning the Europa League with the Blues, Kepa’s Premier League career has failed to live up to expectations.

Maurizio Sarri helped orchestrate a £71million swoop for the Spaniard’s services back in 2018, smashing the record for most money spent on a goalkeeper (via BBC Sport). This record still stands, with not even Liverpool’s appointment of Alisson going beyond the hefty price tag.

Now, just two years into his tenure, Frank Lampard has planned for a future without Kepa. The Spain international disappointed his manager after a poor run in the Premier League, conceding a total of 47 goals.

Chelsea are yet to sign a replacement but are eager to strike a deal with latest target Edouard Mendy, with an agreement thought to be close.

Fellow goalkeeper Petr Cech has spoken out on the difficult situation at Stamford Bridge, suggesting that the Spanish international could still have a long term future in west London.

“Kepa struggled last season, that is unquestionable,” he said (via Daily Express). “But the club invested in him and gave him a long-term contract because they believe he has the qualities and attributes to be successful.”

The 24-year-old could re-establish himself as a first team player in the future, but for the upcoming season at least, it seems very unlikely Lampard will trust him as his first choice ‘keeper.

“Additions will be made to the squad, perhaps even in goal, and this is what is being discussed now,” Cech continued. “But nobody is giving up on Kepa and we all hope he has a great future.”

Do you think Kepa has a future at Chelsea? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Lots of Manchester United fans have welcomed the latest transfer link to Sergio Reguilon as Spanish football journalist Alvaro Montero (via utdreport) has claimed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team are one of the options for the Real Madrid ace in the summer transfer window.

However, according to Montero, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, as well as Europa League champions Sevilla, with whom Reguilon spent the 2019/20 term on loan, are also in the frame.

Zinedine Zidane’s side would apparently like to sell the Spanish international but also include a buy-back option, as Reguilon allegedly likes the idea of playing in the Premier League.

Indeed, the left-back would be quite the coup for the Red Devils, as he averaged more tackles, interceptions, shots, key passes, dribbles, crosses and long balls per game than both Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams in their respective domestic leagues in the last season, as per Whoscored.

These Manchester United supporters on Twitter hailed the links to the 23-year old:

United fans, would Reguilon be a good signing? Comment below with your views!

Tottenham are ready to raid Jose Mourinho’s old club Real Madrid for Lucas Vazquez in the summer.

Vazquez, who moved to Madrid from Espanyol, finds himself below the likes of Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Isco in the Bernabeu pecking order.

The former Spanish international has only played 18 games for Los Blancos this season, although he has made more than 200 appearances in total, and has now entered the final year of his contract.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Spurs are keen to sign Vazquez this summer, and such a move may ultimately benefit Son Heung-min.

Although the Spaniard has struggled for consistency this season, as he has registered just two goals and one assist so far, it is worth pointing out that he has won the Champions League three times and lifted the La Liga trophy.

Vazquez has been beset by multiple setbacks in recent years, including a recurring calf problem, and the 28-year-old is working on his recovery from injury.

Real Madrid have held talks with his representatives over an extension but both sides are at a stalemate, which Daniel Levy is eager to exploit.

Meanwhile, Son is Spurs’ second-highest scorer with only two goals separating himself from Harry Kane this season, while he has supplied more assists than the England international.

The South Korean has scored nine goals and created eight assists in the Premier League, taking three shots per game, averaging more than one key pass and completing at least two dribbles per match on average (via WhoScored).

Mourinho previously wanted Vazquez at his old club Manchester United and Tottenham are willing to spend £15m on the right winger, although the Galacticos value him at £23m.

The Spurs manager has been plagued by injuries to his wide options throughout the season so far. Son and Steven Bergwijn have only recently recovered from long-term injury problems, their returns set to boost the Londonders as they had slumped to several poor results in their absence.

Taking this into consideration, Vazquez could provide cover for the wide men as he would share the workload with the 27-year-old Korean to reduce the risk of injury. As his track record shows, he has bags of experience at the top levels of the game, and he has recently revealed he wants to move to England.

However, Spurs have not met Madrid’s asking price, which could prove to be a major sticking point.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Lucas Vazquez in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

After arriving at Old Trafford all the way back in 2011, it is fair to say David de Gea had a lot of expectations on his young shoulders. Nearly nine years later, he has firmly established himself as the number one goalkeeper at Manchester United.

De Gea joined Manchester United from Atletico Madrid for £18.9m on a five-year-deal, teaming up with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side shortly after the Red Devils had won their 12th Premier League title.

His arrival coincided with Edwin van der Sar’s retirement, and the Spaniard had big gloves to fill, as the legendary Dutchman made over 250 appearances for United, saving 135 clean sheets in all competitions.

Almost immediately, De Gea was thrown in at the deep end, as he faced derby rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield. His performance drew criticism from fans and pundits alike, although Fergie’s men went on to win 3-2. He made his league debut in the 2-1 win away to West Bromwich Albion one week later and allowed a Shane Long shot to go past him into the back of the net (The Sun).

The 20-year-old was subsequently dropped for Anders Lindegaard.

However, he didn’t allow this to deter him, and carried out a vigorous training programme to meet the physical demands of the English top flight.

Following a string of four games on the bench, he earned himself a recall to the starting lineup, and demonstrated his full potential in a 3-3 draw with Chelsea.

Evidently, De Gea hasn’t once looked back, as he settled into the role of Ferguson’s first-choice keeper, and it has remained that way ever since, despite the changes in managers over the years.

In total, the Spanish international played in 80 games under the legendary Scotsman, lifting the Premier League trophy in his final season in charge.

During David Moyes’ infamous time at the Theatre of Dreams, it can be said De Gea single-handedly saved his job more often than not, and he was named Manchester United’s Player of the Year in recognition of his incredible efforts. He went on to earn this award for the next couple of seasons in a row.

Indeed, the shot stopper has consistently produced match-winning performances when the Red Devils have needed him the most, and his displays between the sticks attracted attention from La Liga giants Real Madrid in 2015.

The transfer saga overshadowed the entire summer that year, but he ended up staying at Old Trafford, and, ever the consummate professional, he returned to his posts.

Instead of turning his back on the club, De Gea helped Louis van Gaal’s side win the FA Cup in 2016, before picking up the League Cup and Europa League title under the Dutchman’s replacement, Jose Mourinho (Transfermarkt).

As a result of these heroics over the years, his market value dramatically rose from £16.2m in August 2014 to £63m by December 2018. Admittedly, this has now dropped to £36m, although this can be attributed to the economic uncertainty surrounding pandemic, and is still double the original fee the board paid Los Rojiblancos (Transfermarkt).

The 29-year-old has made 304 appearances in the Premier League so far, keeping 108 clean sheets, making a staggering 848 saves, taking 180 high claims, and successfully completing 84 sweeper clearances.

Despite his long spell with United, the veteran has only made 13 errors leading to goals, whereas former Arsenal and Chelsea keeper Petr Cech racked up 24 errors in total. His loyal service to the club has been rewarded with another contract extension which is set to expire in June 2023.

All things considered, De Gea has more than justified his price tag, as he has continued to help the Red Devils add to their impressive collection of silverware, and been recognised with a number of awards up until now.

United fans, do you think David de Gea is Manchester United’s best goalkeeper of all time? Let us know down below!

Leeds United fans have been talking up young teenage striker Ryan Edmondson on social media this week after he posted an image two years on from making his debut for the club.

The 18-year-old swapped non-league York for their local big dogs back in November 2017 and impressed for the youth side enough to be granted his debut on the final day of the 2017/18 season.

Edmondson came on as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers for the final 20 minutes of the match aged just 16. Since then though, he has only been able to make one other appearance.

It has led to calls from some supporters claiming that he should have been given more opportunity under Marcelo Bielsa. In September, he was called up to England’s U19 squad, which is a rather encouraging sign to his prospects.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

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Earlier in the season, Edmondson had Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah ahead of him in the pecking order, and now he’s got RB Leipzig frontman Jean-Kevin Augustin blocking his route to the first team.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to his tweet…

AND in other news, Leeds fans furious at Villa CEO’s recent comments…

A post on Twitter showing highlights of striker Gary Hooper during his spell at Celtic has got many fans discussing how good the player was.

The Englishman signed for the Scottish side for £2.61 million from Scunthorpe United and instantly became a fan favourite at the club as he scored four goals in his first four games, per Transfermarkt. He eventually went on to make 138 appearances, scoring 82 goals and picking up 30 goals across all competitions.

Hooper also won the Scottish Cup twice and two league titles during his career with the Hoops, whilst also being the top goal scorer in the league for three successive seasons between 2010/11 – 2012/13 (Transfermarkt).

However he was keen to move after Norwich City, who were in England’s top flight at the time (via Premier League), expressed interest in the player and eventually bought him for £5.67 million per Transfermarkt. It never really worked out and after playing for many seasons in the Championship, Hooper now finds himself in Australia with Wellington Phoenix.

It would have been interesting to see how well the forward could have done at the Celts had he stayed, with fans feeling like he left the club too soon. One said, “He was Ruthless!! Scored some great goals in the Hoops!!! Left way too soon.”

Here is what fans had to say about the player:

Celtic fans, would you have liked Hooper to stay for longer? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Philippe Coutinho’s career hasn’t really gone in the direction he probably envisioned after he decided to leave Liverpool.

While the Reds went on to conquer Europe and make punters using their free bets very happy, the Brazilian flopped at Barcelona and was quickly shipped off to Bayern Munich on a loan deal. Of course, the Bavarians have an option to incorporate Coutinho permanently at the end of that spell for a reported sum of €120m (£102.6m).

But seeing how things for the 27-year-old quickly took a turn for the worse after an initial honeymoon phase, maybe his journey across Europe has not yet been completed.

This does, however, bring us to Tottenham Hotspur and their efforts to secure his transfer back in the summer of 2019.

According to the Sun’s recent report, Mauricio Pochettino is apparently a big fan of the Brazilian and is still fuming at the board for letting him slip through their fingers and into Bayern Munich’s embrace.

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Still, there might be a silver lining in this story for Spurs as we don’t know for sure that the German giants will activate their £102.6m purchase option, especially since Coutinho is currently far from his brilliant best.

But a move to London would actually make more sense for him than staying put in the Bundesliga.

After all, Tottenham Hotspur’s relationship with Christian Eriksen is very much deteriorating and the great Danish playmaker has already experienced a slight dip in both form and game time as he has failed to start three of the north London outfit’s previous five fixtures in all competitions.

Not to mention that his contract is due to expire next summer and all of that combined make his transfer away from Spurs in the near future more than just a distant thought.

And who better to replace an elite playmaker than another one who offers roughly the same skill set, already has Premier League experience and is familiar and trusted by the coach?

Both players are currently far from their best but they still offer similar outputs: Eriksen has registered 1.5 shots and 1.4 key passes per game with one goal and one assist while Coutinho tallied 1.9 shots and 1.5 key passes per game with two goals and three assists.

They are also both attacking-minded midfielders who are good technically and offer a threat from range, which is also evident from their tallies above.

For Spurs, this would almost be a like-for-like replacement for such a big figure as Eriksen and for Coutinho, who can thrive in a system that relies on him and is centred around him, it would be a perfect opportunity to reinvigorate his career.

Before the full emergence of the Salah – Mane – Firmino trident, it was Coutinho who was Jurgen Klopp’s main man as the Brazilian bagged 12 goals and eight assists in his last campaign at Anfield.

Maybe he could do the same for Pochettino if he were to return to England.

On paper, it really does look like a win-win scenario.

And what of Barcelona? In theory, he could also try and reverse his misfortune at the Camp Nou but it’s more likely that the Catalans just leave the European giants to fight for their outcast while rubbing their hands with glee.

Only time will tell.