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Patrick Boyland has named three players who he claims would be a good fit for Everton.

Co-writing his latest piece for The Athletic, the journalist has named Max Aarons, Tariq Lamptey and Zeki Celik as three right-backs who the Goodison Park club should be targeting in the summer transfer window.

Aarons, Lamptey and Celik would all be good fits for Everton

Given that Seamus Coleman is 32 years of age, it may well be time for the Merseysiders to go and invest in a younger right-back in the upcoming market.

Aarons, Lamptey and Celik all seem like more than capable replacements, and at 21, 20 and 24 years old respectively, they are all at an ideal age to potentially cement a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s team for the long haul.

All three players have averaged more interceptions and key passes, and have a higher overall average rating on Whoscored, than Coleman, suggesting that they have outperformed the Republic of Ireland international in their respective domestic leagues so far this season.

Lamptey in particular is a talent who would surely be attractive to the Toffees, with Kevin Phillips recently describing the Englishman as a ‘fantastic’ player at his age; and given that he is already playing in the Premier League for Brighton, he should have no problems whatsoever adapting to Everton should he make the move to the northwest.

In other news, find out which Blues player has been slammed after comments emerged!

TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan believes Glasgow Rangers are just a “stepping stone” for Steven Gerrard and he would not think twice about leaving Ibrox for Liverpool.

Jordan tips Gerrard departure

As the Reds struggle in the Premier League, there have been reports Jurgen Klopp may be interested in becoming manager of Germany (The Mirror). Gerrard is therefore being linked with a move to Anfield.

Jordan believes the Gers boss would not think twice about making the move back south of the border. He said:

“What would be the point in tying Steven Gerrard down to a longer contract because you’ve already got him for three years,”

“You don’t know what those three years are going to look like. You could go up to five or six years and increase the liability for what you’ve got to pay him if he fails.

“Is it not fair to say, whether Rangers like this or not, it’s universally accepted that perhaps Rangers will be a stepping stone for Steven Gerrard.

“Jurgen Klopp leaves Liverpool next month and Steven Gerrard is offered the job and he is going to turn round and say ‘no, I’m staying at Rangers’?.

“He’ll be out of the door quicker than a quick thing from quick land.”

Not yet

Gerrard seems like a dead cert for the Liverpool job at some point during his career. After all, he is a club legend for the Merseyside outfit, and his success in Scotland will only improve his chances of some day managing the Premier League champions.

However, things are going very well at Ibrox at the moment. The Gers are currently 18 points clear of Celtic at the top of the Premiership (BBC) and are within touching distance of a first major trophy in 10 years, while they are also still in the Europa League and the Scottish Cup. Next term, they could well be competing in the Champions League. Gerrard will surely not want to miss out on that, even if the Liverpool job were to become available. He has plenty of time to return to his former club – there is no need to rush.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this journalist’s article.

Manchester City bounced back from disappointment in the derby with an emphatic 5-2 win against Southampton on Wednesday evening.

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne both helped themselves to braces, with Ilkay Gundogan also getting on the scoresheet, although Pep Guardiola’s side perhaps could and should have scored more at the Etihad.

Although Mahrez was arguably the star of the show, Guardiola will be delighted to see Gundogan back on the scoresheet after going six games without a goal, and the German midfielder looked back to his best against the Saints.

As per SofaScore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn an impressive 8/10 rating for his display, with only Mahrez, De Bruyne and Phil Foden rated higher on the night.

During the 90 minutes, Gundogan would have 93 touches of the ball and impressively complete 74/79 of his passes, resulting in a superb 95% pass accuracy, which was joint with Ruben Dias as the best score of any player who started the game.

As well as his goal, the 30-year-old would contribute three key passes, which is even more than City’s chief creator De Bruyne, who would manage just one.

It is also double the 1.5 key passes Gundogan has averaged in the Premier League so far this season, which emphasises just how good he was against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Wednesday.

The midfielder, who joined City for £20 million in 2016, also excelled from a defensive point of view, as he made four interceptions and two tackles during the game, which again is far more than the 0.8 interceptions and 0.8 tackles he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

Therefore, it was an all-round display from Gundogan and after some arguably disappointing performances recently, he looked back to his best in the 5-2 win against Southampton, which will surely delight Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki disasterclass: City sold 6 ft 5 beast starring in the PL far too easily

West Brom have finally started to put up a fight, even if it seems a little too late.

Sam Allardyce’s men look like a new side thanks to the late January arrivals of Celta Vigo powerhouse Okay Yokuslu, Arsenal utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles and prolific talisman Mbaye Diagne.

The Baggies notched back-to-back draws in the Premier League last week. However, it could have been six points from six on another day, including a scalp of Manchester United, who they deserved more from after notching two more missed big chances than the title-chasing outfit.

Then against Burnley, Albion were left playing with ten men for around an hour, and they still had more attempts on goal.

However, the biggest thing to take from those two results was their impressive defence, which only leaked one goal and considering the Midlands side have conceded 12 more times than any other top-flight team, that’s a positive step.

Now, it’s on Big Sam to improve their fortunes in front of goal…

On the Chalkboard

And he can do that by unleashing Grady Diangana, who has coincidentally just returned from injury at the perfect time.

A front three involving the £10.8m-rated dynamo, the creative exploits of Matheus Pereira and now a proven scorer in Diagne could see the Baggies actually put up a solid battle at remaining in the top flight.

It’ll be a tough ask, considering they remain 11 points adrift of safety, but with 13 games remaining, it is not yet an impossible feat.

Allardyce believes they need eight clean sheets in those matches to survive, which to some extent is true, but eight draws and then five defeats isn’t going to be enough, for example.

Only two teams have scored fewer than Albion (19), which is why it’s time to unshackle their £18m club-record signing, starting with the game against relegation rivals Brighton this weekend.

Matty Phillips isn’t good enough for the cause, averaging a rating of just 6.59 with one goal to his name all campaign, via SofaScore, whilst Diangana was one of the Baggies’ most influential players last term as he contributed to 15 goals in just 30 appearances.

When he was paired with Pereira, the Hawthorns-based side won 16 of 29 Championship games, losing on only four occasions and the duo combined for 15 goals and 25 assists – this is something Big Sam must replicate, and he has the tools to do now he has Diagne in the mix – via Transfermarkt.

Indeed, the Galatasaray loanee has already contributed to two goals in four starts and he is averaging plenty of aerial duels won (4.8) per game, so he’ll be able to get onto the chances created by Pereira (1.7 key passes per game) and now Diangana, too.

The former Hammers gem has been dubbed an “explosive” player who can be a “total nightmare” on his day by Sky Sports pundits Keith Andrews and Lee Hendrie, so it’s time to bring him back into the fray to complete a dream attack.

If the defence can remain sorted, then this may be the final piece of the jigsaw in Albion’s survival bid.

AND in other news, “Tenacious” £9m-rated beast has become West Brom’s new Claudio Yacob…

Even when Celtic appoint their new manager, they will still have a whole host of problems to address.Whether it’s a crumbling defence or the fact their star men could leave in the summer, it won’t be the easiest of rebuilding jobs.Another priority will be addressing the club’s academy. This term it’s been a particular source of debate for supporters with the Green Brigade growing tired of seeing their best products leave.Cameron Harper looks as though he’ll move back to the United States while Karamoko Dembele is yet to sign a new deal. His current contract expires in the summer and it doesn’t look as though he’ll sign a new one.With that in mind, it will be up to the boss, and indeed John Kennedy before he is dislodged, to bring through a new generation of talent. After all, the current crop are hardly good enough; they’re 15 points off top spot.Kennedy has already started to make progress. Since he walked through the door, young forward Adam Montgomery, never seen in the Celtic senior team before, was handed a long-term deal at Parkhead.He celebrated that accomplishment by being named among the substitutes for the Bhoys 1-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend.The 18-year-old didn’t feature but it looks as though the future is bright for Montgomery, particularly with Kennedy at the helm.The interim manager was Kieran Tierney’s biggest mentor when he was rising through the ranks of the Hoops academy and thus, he could prove highly beneficial for someone like Montgomery.[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-on-celtics-managerial-vacancy” title=”Check out the latest on Celtic’s managerial vacancy!”]With little to play for, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the teenage forward was given an opportunity at earning first-team minutes. He is a crafty attacker and as footage tells us, has a wonderful left foot.Montgomery is always keen to stride forward and inject a sense of energy into the game; something demonstrated by his goal against Inverness nearly a year ago.It was a goal that no doubt will have attracted plenty of onlookers at the top of the Celtic chain. He exchanged passes nicely before bursting forward with sheer pace. The way he turned in the box before burying the opportunity was truly mesmeric.

Moments of quality like that are incredibly rare but with Harper potentially leaving, there is a spot for the youngster to contest for in the senior side.

The former hasn’t been a regular at the first-team level but his departure will well and truly be Montgomery’s gain, especially after penning new terms until 2025.

Possessing the ability to drift past opponents with ease, his energy could give him the edge over players like Patryk Klimala heading into next season. After all, the Pole cut a frustrated and lazy figure versus Aberdeen.

He needs to watch out that Montgomery doesn’t take his place. After earning a new deal, he has earned the right to be unleashed for good by Kennedy.

AND in other news, Desmond could sway Ajer’s Celtic future by hiring 47 y/o who’d be a “very good fit”…

According to The Athletic, Crystal Palace reportedly fear Wilfried Zaha could leave Selhurst Park this summer.

What’s the word?

Zaha, 28, rejoined his boyhood club after an ill-fated spell at Old Trafford with Manchester United for around £3m in 2015.

Since then, he has risen to become a prominent part of Roy Hodgson’s side and helped steer them to Premier League safety last season. He played a key role in their 5-1 win over West Brom in more recent times.

But while the Ivory Coast international still has over two years left on his contract, which is reported to be worth £130k-per-week, The Athletic understands that Palace harbour fears that Zaha could be set to leave the club when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

European giants Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, have previously expressed interest in the playmaker over the past few weeks and months. Premier League clubs Arsenal and Everton were also credited with interest last year.

Same old, same old

Have we been here before? Hodgson has a habit of making some bold statements about his most prized asset.

“Well, Wilf is not for sale, so basically I don’t need assurances,” Hodgson said in 2019. “We aren’t trying to sell Wilfried Zaha, we want to keep Wilfried Zaha. I have the assurance there is no one in the club that wants to sell Wilfried Zaha, but of course you never know where bids are going to come from and I suppose every time there is a serious bid for one of your players the board of directors needs to take it seriously.”

A few months later, Zaha ended up staying at Selhurst Park, which just goes to show that this isn’t anything new and this saga is going to go on and on.

Hodgson has been saying he is unfazed by speculation linking Zaha with a move away from Selhurst Park, that he hopes Zaha will stay, but it’s hard to believe everything he is saying. If Palace receive a colossal offer, that could prove to be too tempting to ignore, and what about Zaha himself?

CIES Football Observatory currently value the Eagles sensation at €40m (£35m) but it remains to be seen just what sort of fee would see them enticed into a sale.

Ultimately, a lot of this will be resolved by what the player wants to do.

Considering he’s arguably in the form of his life right now with nine goals and two assists in 19 Premier League appearances, coupled with the fact he handed in a transfer request in 2019, it’s hard to imagine he will be willing to sign a contract extension should the club try to extend his current deal.

However, until such a time comes, Palace fans had best enjoy his performances whilst they still can.

AND in other Palace news, Steve Cooper could change Crystal Palace’s philosophy…

Marcus Rashford’s hot streak continued as he put on a masterclass to help Manchester United come from behind to beat Liverpool and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Inspired by the spirited Rashford, who earns wages worth £200,000-per-week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side claimed one of their biggest scalps of this season so far.

Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Rashford gave the Red Devils victory in a thrilling FA Cup clash against the defending Premier League champions at Old Trafford.

After Greenwood drew the Red Devils level, the Rashford scored shortly after halftime to put them within touching distance of a place in the next round of the competition.

While Fernandes will be the name in the headlines, it was Rashford who stepped up to derail the Reds’ pursuit of silverware. Mo Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool at Old Trafford but United bounced back in style after a cross-field diagonal ball from Rashford found Greenwood on the right, who coolly slotted home past the helpless Alisson.

But he saved his best moment for later in the game as he latched onto a through ball from Greenwood and found the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, the monstrous Rashford earned a 7.8 match rating for his display, that being the second-highest out of any United player on the pitch, bettered only by a certain Greenwood, which was significantly higher than his season average of 6.96.

Against Liverpool, he would take two shots on target, which was the most of any player from Solskjaer’s squad, including Fernandes.

He’s still not the finished article, that much is obvious, but he’s started to show a maturity far beyond his years both on and off the pitch.

The England international also took more touches (38) than Edinson Cavani as he showed a willingness to bring the ball out from inside his own half to put his team on the front foot, as evidenced by his two successful dribbles from three attempts per 86′ minutes.

He would also win four duels, which is on par with his average of 4.5 in the Premier League, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were tasked with the job of keeping the left winger at bay, received below-par ratings of 6.4 and 6.7 respectively, as per SofaScore, which goes some way to show that it was the United forward who got the best of his direct opponents on the day.

If the Red Devils are to regain the title for the first time since the 2012-13 season and go far in the FA Cup too, United fans will be hoping that he can maintain his impressive run of form, which has seen him score 15 goals in 31 appearances so far this season.

AND in other news, Manchester United should consider January loan exit for Donny van de Beek…

When it comes to the January transfer window, Wolves’ plans solely revolve around finding a new striker.

After Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, they have been relentlessly searching for someone to fill his void.

Fabio Silva has scored just once since the Mexican was ruled out for an unspecified amount of time and as a result, the club recalled Patrick Cutrone from his unsuccessful loan stint with Fiorentina.

The Italian has failed to score all season so it’s rather questionable that Nuno Santo believes him best qualified to replace Jimenez.

That being said, they are surely no better targeting Stephane Bahoken. The Cameroon international has been linked with a switch to Wolves in the last few weeks but hasn’t particularly caught the eye since.

Judging by the acquisitions of Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Bahoken’s club Angers, he’d be a good signing, but his performance off the bench on Saturday was nothing short of a horror show.

His team were defeated 3-0 by Monaco and the striker came on and played the final 34 minutes of the encounter. Unfortunately, he failed to inspire a fightback.

The 28-year-old cut a frustrated figure as he completed just 57% of his passes – four out of seven. Coincidentally that was a worse tally than Cutrone managed when he came off the bench for Wolves last Friday in the FA Cup.

He only managed three passes but was successful with all of them at least. From just ten touches of the ball, Bahoken lost it on four occasions and only managed a solitary shot towards goal.

There was a distinct lack of threat from the experienced forward who didn’t do anything positive of note. Cutrone did at least try one dribble when he came on for Wolves but it would be wrong to say he didn’t struggle too.

It’s unsurprising, though, when you consider it was his first appearance of the season for the Old Gold.

That being said, he is still probably a better option than Wolves’ current target. Cutrone at least knows the demands of Nuno and how the team plays.

They must forget about Bahoken for the time being. This small cameo was a disaster.

AND in other news, Wolves can find their next Boly with swoop for £1.5m “weapon”, he’s a “great talker”…

As soon as an ounce of positivity gets installed at Sunderland, it suddenly gets ripped away from them.

A 3-0 victory over Wimbledon courtesy of a Charlie Wyke hat-trick brought smiles to supporters. However, a dismal defensive display against Plymouth that inspired a 2-1 defeat just about summed up the root of their problems.

They haven’t won at home under Lee Johnson yet but thankfully, they could correct that in the transfer market.

What’s the word?

Sunderland have already welcomed Carl Winchester to the club from Forest Green Rovers but now they are targeting another acquisition from the EFL.

According to Football League World, the Mackems are interested in signing Preston forward Jayden Stockley.

They report that Alex Neil is willing to let the player leave this month and he could join either Sunderland or Hull according to FLW’s recruitment sources.

At this stage, it’s unclear as to whether the £5k-per-week earner is available on a loan deal or permanently.

The next Grigg

Stockley has had an eye-catching career that is difficult to ignore. He began his playing days at Bournemouth but had a number of loan spells in non-league football and throughout the EFL.

He has scored a bucket load of goals in League Two (56 in 143) – and has since risen up the leagues to earn Championship status with Preston.

That being said, his record above the fourth tier of English football leaves plenty to be desired.

He has netted just eight times in 65 Championship outings, while his record in League One is alarmingly bad. Stockley has only beaten the goalkeeper on one occasion at this level in 22 outings.

Considering League One sides are interested in acquiring his services this doesn’t particularly bode very well, that’s despite his genius hold-up play. Teammate Sean Maguire once said: “The guy can hold up a house. He’s strong and his hold-up play is one of the best I’ve played with.”

Sunderland have made a host of errors when it comes to signing strikers in recent years. Danny Graham has scored once since re-signing last summer while Will Grigg has been nothing short of a disaster.

After being acquired for a fee of £4m, he has scored only eight goals in nearly two years of football, failing to take the Black Cats to a level where they are in a place to be promoted.

Unfortunately, judging by Stockley’s performances in the Championship and League One, he would not be good enough for Sunderland either.

Grigg was brought in with the sole focus of scoring enough goals to take the Black Cats up but that simply hasn’t happened. It’s incredibly likely that a similar story would occur if Kristjaan Speakman brings the 27-year-old to the north-east in January.

AND in other news, Drop him: Sunderland ace who lost possession 17x will surely have Johnson seething…

West Ham United’s vexing decision to sell Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion this summer is being proven right by the winger’s lacklustre form under Slaven Bilic.

The Irons caused uproar during the off-season when it was announced that Diangana was being sold to the Baggies for just £12million, rising to a potential Hawthorns record £18m through add-ons, following his standout campaign with the West Midlands outfit last term.

Diangana offered eight goals and seven assists in 30 Championship appearances during a one-year loan, only blighted by a hamstring injury that prevented his involvement over the festive period and kept the 22-year-old on the sidelines until the restart in June.

West Ham captain Mark Noble led the charge of angry supporters reacting to the east London outfit’s decision to sell Diangana, stating in a post on Twitter how the academy graduate’s exit had left him “gutted, angry and sad”.

“As captain of this football club I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!!!!!” he wrote.

Diangana was nothing but grateful for what West Ham had done for him during his 12-years with the London Stadium natives, having enjoyed 61 outings for the Irons’ Under 23s and breaking into the senior fold to make 21 appearances.

“I would like to say thank you to everyone at West Ham who have helped me to develop and become the player and person I am today, since the age of 10,” he noted in a statement on Instagram. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent such a great club! Thank you to the fans for supporting me along the way, you will always have a special place in my heart.”

But while supporters were so angered by West Ham’s decision to sell Diangana this summer, his performances in the Premier League under Bilic this term are only serving to prove the Irons were right to free up cash in the former England U21 international that could be put toward improving David Moyes’ squad.

In the latest of his nine league games this season, Diangana cut a disillusioned figure against Manchester United before being hauled off in the 62nd-minute having failed to score or assist a goal for the seventh match in a row.

Diangana penned his only goal of the term on matchday two in defeat to Everton, is yet to assist a goal in any competition and failed to come close at Old Trafford on Saturday, where he failed to register a single shot on target, key ball or attempted cross, per SofaScore.

He further lost four of nine ground duels, two of three aerial duels, turned over possession 10 times, was caught offside once and committed one foul on route to a 6.6 match rating – a score he has not bettered since earning a 6.9 in October’s 2-0 loss at Southampton.

The future may still be bright for Diangana, but West Ham cannot afford to wait with the move to the London Stadium continually slammed for failing to bring much reason for supporters to cheer.

AND in other news, GSB would be heading for disaster replacing a key David Moyes player with a “fantastic” prospect.