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Marcel Brands must block any attempts by Atletico Madrid to sign star left-back Lucas Digne this summer, after the publication of a report suggesting that The Blues could cash in on the defender in order to fund a transfer of their own.

What’s the word?

According to Gol Digital, La Liga leaders Atletico are keen on signing Digne in the summer transfer window as boss Diego Simeone strives to improve his options at left-back.

Digne is considered to be a player who meets Simeone’s checklist as the Frenchman is fast, strong and plays with an offensive threat that can make the 27-year-old an extra forward.

Everton are expected to value the former FC Barcelona defender at no less than €30m (£25.5m) after Digne penned a new £119,000-per-week contract last month, keeping him tied down at Goodison Park through to June 2025.

But despite his new deal, Carlo Ancelotti is said to be open to parting ways with the full-back, as the Italian would like to sign Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilon just a year after he left Real Madrid in a deal that could reach £32m.

Digne would also be expected to have admirers from clubs in the Serie A and Bundesliga if his time on Merseyside is set to end this season, while Atletico would need to find new homes for Kieran Trippier, Santiago Arias and Sime Vrsaljko to fund their pursuit.

Should Everton replace Digne with Reguilon?

It certainly seems questionable that Ancelotti would be looking to replace Digne just weeks after he signed a deal to extend his spell at Everton for a further two seasons from the five-year terms agreed upon his £18m arrival in 2018.

But, if true, Everton’s Director of Football Marcel Brands – who Ancelotti claims he enjoys a “beautiful relationship” with – must step in and block the Italian coach from a potentially huge blunder of trying to move Digne on and replacing him with Reguilon.

Everton would be taking a step backwards by parting with Digne, who has six assists in 20 Premier League games this season, for Reguilon, who has offered three assists in 17 top-flight matches since joining Tottenham last year.

Reguilon has talent, no doubt, with Jamie Redknapp claiming the five-cap Spain international was “fantastic” for Spurs before being sidelined with a muscle injury in his right leg at the end of January.

“When he was playing, he was fantastic. He had great energy, was crossing the ball, good in one-on-one situations – he had it all. It’s no surprise that their performances have not been as good since he has not been playing. He offers so much to this team,” the Sky Sports pundit said, via quotes by The Boot Room.

But Reguilon would not be an upgrade on Digne, who averages 1.6 key passes and 1.6 accurate crosses (22%) a game in the Premier League this season to the Tottenham man’s 0.6 chances created and 0.5 accurate crosses (24%), per SofaScore.

Signing Reguilon would also see Ancelotti acquire an inferior aerial presence at left-back with the £48,000-per-week 24-year-old offering 1.0 duels won (40%) a game to Digne’s 3.1 (67%). Although the pair are evenly matched for defensive contributions, with two and 2.2 successful tackles, 2.2 and 2.3 clearances plus 1.2 and 1.0 interceptions respectively.

Though it is in Digne’s offensive contributions that Ancelotti relies on the Frenchman the most, with only James Rodriguez offering a higher volume of key passes (1.7) than the full-back who offers the highest number of accurate crosses per league game at Everton, per WhoScored.

Tottenham would be expected to strive to acquire a substantial figure for Reguilon, as well, so there would not be a financial benefit to replacing Digne with him, making it even more puzzling why Ancelotti would be considering making this change in the summer.

AND in other news, a £15k-p/w Everton dud who gives “absolutely nothing” has been tipped to seal a summer transfer…

West Brom face a mammoth battle to remain in the Premier League this season, and Sam Allardyce’s task isn’t getting any easier as they welcome Manchester United to the Hawthorns this afternoon.

Heading into the encounter, the Baggies are 11 points adrift of safety and have won just once under the 66-year-old since he took over from Slaven Bilic in mid-December.

Albion also hold the unwanted record of being Europe’s leakiest defence while in the English top-flight alone, they have leaked 15 more goals than any other team – 54 goals.

So, what sort of side could we see today? Here’s our predicted XI as well as the latest team and injury news…

There could be as many as four changes from the side that was defeated by Spurs last weekend, including a debut for January arrival, Celta Vigo loanee Okay Yokuslu.

The 26-year-old could sit at the base of midfield alongside fellow winter signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles with Matheus Pereira returning to the starting fold in a slightly more advanced role.

It means Romaine Sawyers and Chelsea loan starlet Conor Gallagher are in line to face the chop, as a result.

Back in defence, Allardyce could bring Darnell Furlong back into the mix over Lee Peltier at right-back.

However, the rest of the back four, namely Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend should remain untouched in front of impressive goalkeeper and arguably the only shining light this season, Sam Johnstone.

Robert Snodgrass, another Allardyce addition, should keep his place on the flank but we may see Callum Robinson replace Karlan Grant.

The £9m-rated forward has seen his position put at risk following the signing of Mbaye Diagne, who will once again start up top for the Baggies.

It means club captain Jake Livermore will have to settle for a place on the bench for the second successive league outing, whilst Matty Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu are too substitute options.

AND in other news, Waste of money: West Brom’s “competitive animal” proving to be a big Dowling disaster…

Former Scotland head coach Alex McLeish has expressed his concerns for Celtic after Paul Lambert ruled himself out of the running for the manager’s position.

Issues ahead for the Bhoys?

The Scottish tactician told the Go Radio Football Show that he is not keen on tarnishing the relationship that he had with the Parkhead faithful.

Lambert recently left Ipswich Town by mutual consent after having differences of opinion with the club’s board despite sitting just outside the Playoff places in League One.

Sky Sports’ Jim White confirmed that Steve Clarke, Rafael Benitez and Roberto Martinez are also being considered to replace Neil Lennon who resigned in February.

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish claimed that Lambert’s admission highlights a bigger picture that may be difficult for segments of the supporters to digest.

“It was interesting to hear Paul saying that because it looks like he doesn’t feel it’s going to be a quick fix,” he said.

“There has to be some rebuilding done and that is difficult when you’re an Old Firm manager, to be patient. Rangers fans have been right behind Stevie G for three years and he’s slowly built the team.

“That’s something that the Celtic fans may see as well. That could be a problem for the new manager coming in, is winning straight away. Rangers are in a hell of a good shape.

“The new man has to be aware they have to hit the ground running as well.

“It’s difficult for Old Firm fans to say: ‘Okay, we’ll give this guy a couple of years. We’ll just be patient.’ As soon as it’s a defeat or a draw, it’s chaos.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

McLeish is right. It may be uncomfortable for some of the fans to accept, but the rebuilding job required at Celtic could take years rather than months.

This is not an ideal scenario, but one that might be necessary to galvanise the club back to its place at the summit of Scottish football.

While the 2020/21 campaign will be one to forget, next season could be the start of something special if Celtic get their recruitment spot on.

In other news, Celtic-linked manager responds to Parkhead rumours; Mourinho once dubbed him ‘incredible.’

Former Celtic striker Andy Walker has let rip at the Celtic board, led by majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, over their handling of the Dubai controversy.

Desmond lambasted

Neil Lennon’s side organised the trip back in November to the Middle East and put in a request that their match against Hibernian was moved to January 11th to accommodate it.

After criticism from Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish FA won’t be investigating the Bhoys’ decision to attend their training camp, despite lockdown restrictions being in place across the country, according to Sky Sports.

Desmond is, of course, crucial in the board’s decision-making process – the majority shareholder has made the call for the club to back Lennon even after the Old Firm defeat.

Walker is clearly not impressed with the Hoops chief’s latest move though, via Glasgow Times: “If only the Celtic of today had someone like Billy McNeill who could grasp the feelings of the supporters in an instant and understand what they are all going through in these extraordinary times. Sadly, there’s no one.

“Those in the boardroom stand accused of a complete lack of understanding as to what it means to be a Celtic supporter and I doubt you could find one who spends any time with ordinary fans.

“The next time Celtic fans get a message from the privileged boardroom, it will no doubt be a call to dig deep into their pockets and renew their season tickets. No wonder some fans are in despair.”

He continued: “The problem with Celtic just now is that they come across as being totally inflexible. ‘We’ve booked a trip and we don’t care that things have changed. We know the whole of the UK is in a lockdown, but we can’t do anything about it’. I’d argue that a bit of compassion and understanding wouldn’t go amiss.

“As a captain and manager, Billy McNeill continually set a wonderful example and could easily grasp the mood of the Celtic support. No one at the club these days comes anywhere near his stature.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

These are strong words from Walker, and ones that are difficult to disagree with.

After what has been a poor season from Lennon’s point of views and with calls for him to be sacked made by the Parkhead faithful, this is the last thing that he would have wanted.

Sitting 19 points behind arch-rivals Rangers, one of two things could happen from now until the end of the season on the back of this.

Either the criticism will spark Celtic into life and inspire a sensational comeback – or it could be the sickening blow to their already dismal campaign.

In other news, Ex-Scotland international fears for Neil Lennon about a situation that ‘doesn’t look right.’

A third-choice goalkeeper should never really a problematic position for any club, but Tottenham Hotspur are merely wasting finances with Paulo Gazzaniga.

The Argentine shot-stopper is thought to be on around £25k-per-week in north London and has quickly become a forgotten man since the arrival of Joe Hart in the summer.

Indeed, the free-agent was signed by Jose Mourinho and has since become a reliable back-up to Hugo Lloris, starting eight matches across the Europa League and FA Cup.

As a result, Gazzaniga, who played a heft chunk of last season in the Frenchman’s absence, is yet to play at all this campaign. In fact, he’s only made a Spurs matchday squad once in 31 outings.

It just seems pointless keeping him around when an academy glovesman can fill that void and still gain valuable experience for the U23 squad.

The 29-year-old outcast deputised for Lloris in 25 matches in 2019/20 but only managed to keep five clean sheets, per Transfermarkt.

Whilst since arriving from Southampton and thus reuniting with Mauricio Pochettino in 2017 for £2m, he’s made only 37 appearances, so he’s pretty much being paid a salary for doing very little, if not nothing at all.

Mourinho did praise him during a run of matches last season, dubbing him “magic hands,” whilst the man he replaced once lauded him “fantastic,” and claimed there was no doubt over his ability.

He’s not even made their Europa League squad either, which speaks volumes on how Mourinho must rate his third-choice goalkeeper.

As does the fact that a player released by Premier League strugglers Burnley has been able to easily usurp him in the pecking order, almost in a flash.

Which is why it would be a smart decision to cash in on him before the transfer window draws to a close in two weeks time – according to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, the one-time international is ‘likely’ to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this month.

A wise decision for someone who is merely robbing Spurs chairman Daniel Levy blind at the minute. In the summer, both Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton were thought to be keen on signing him, so he surely wouldn’t be short of suitors.

Having wasted a total of £5.5m on the Spurs outcast over the past three-and-a-half years, it’s time for Levy to move him on.

AND in other news, Levy could secure Spurs a perfect Eriksen replacement in “extraordinary” £44m maestro…

Leeds United make the trip south later this evening as they look to build on their encouraging recent form.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were unlucky to only draw 0-0 with ten-man Arsenal before dispatching Everton for three points last weekend, and across both matches, the Whites totalled a whopping 48 shots.

Now they head to west London to face third-placed Chelsea, who have a plethora of attacking talent at their disposal.

But this is what you get with the Premier League – some of the very best players to currently grace the game, and Bielsa will need to be at his best tactically to find a way past the division’s best attack. No team has scored more goals than the Blues.

It gives the Argentine plenty to ponder, especially in terms of defensive selection as he will need his men at their very best to compete with the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and even both Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount.

Indeed, this encounter could be one or lost out wide and if you were Frank Lampard, you’d surely be targeting Gjanni Alioski despite his impressive form as of late.

Only two teams have conceded more goals than the Yorkshiremen this term, so it would be wise to consider an actual left-back instead of the attack-minded 28-year-old.

In the past, Alioski has often been dubbed a “liability” and a “weak link” by the Elland Road faithful, as seen here, which is a train of thought backed up by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, who told Football Insider last season:

“His defending at time is very lacking in quality, he can be a liability. Alioski is a 100 per center who will run all day but when it comes to defending, he goes to ground and sells himself too often.”

Ziyech has already contributed to four goals in four starts in the English top-flight this season, building on his 48 goals and 82 assists across four seasons at Ajax.

Across his career, the North Macedonian international has averaged 1.2 fouls per game and has picked up more yellow cards at Leeds (25) than goals (20), so if he’s not careful the Chelsea sensation could devour him clean tonight.

Bielsa is better off trusting Stuart Dallas over the £55k-per-week livewire in the role. A ruthless but necessary call.

AND in other news, Leeds dodged a massive bullet in mooted Bielsa £20m target once dubbed “unplayable”…

After absolutely thrashing West Brom 5-0 away from home, Leeds United face a more stiffer test when they take on Tottenham.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in imperious form last time out at the Hawthorns, and blew away the Baggies inside the first-half, racing to a four-goal lead before the break.

Spurs on the other hand seem to have hit a sticky patch, failing to win in their past four Premier League games. Bielsa will no doubt be reluctant to make too many significant changes to his side – that isn’t his style anyway – but injuries may play a part in forcing his hand.

And with that in mind, below is a look at Leeds’ potential line-up to face Jose Mourinho’s men on Saturday afternoon.

In goal, Illan Meslier will hope to continue where he’s left off in the past couple of months. The Frenchman has managed to keep two clean sheets in succession in the top-flight since that 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.

The back-four is also likely to remain the same, with Pascal Struijk keeping his place at the heart of defence following Liam Cooper’s injury.

Midfield however could be the one area where Bielsa tinkers slightly. Mateusz Klich picked up a knock against West Brom last week, but the Leeds boss may wish to keep him out of the side regardless of whether he passes a late fitness check, given his questionable form in recent weeks.

That could see Jamie Shackleton make a Premier League start, whilst Bielsa may also make a big call over who plays on the right hand side.

Raphinha – hailed a “complete player” by Victor Orta recently – is beginning to find his feet at Elland Road, but some of the Whites’ best performances against the heavyweight sides this season, against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, have seen Helder Costa start on both occasions.

That could be the case again, as Bielsa goes with a more tried-and-trusted option in a big game like this.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Dallas, Ayling, Struijk, Alioski; Phillips, Rodrigo, Shackleton; Costa, Bamford, Harrison.

Sunderland’s sensational piece of summer business to sign Bailey Wright on a free following his release from Bristol City has proven to be an even better deal than first thought, with the defender now being likened to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk by Black Cats icon Kevin Phillips.

What’s the word?

Wright initially joined Sunderland on a half-season loan in January and made five appearances for the North East giants before the campaign was cut short, only to return this summer and sign a two-year contract following the expiration of his Bristol City deal as CEO Jim Rodwell got a deal over the line.

The Australian has proven an integral aspect of manager Phil Parkinson’s side since, with Wright starting all six of the Black Cats’ League One fixtures and captaining the Stadium of Light natives against Peterborough and Charlton Athletic.

Parkinson has been more than happy with the form seen from Wright, too, noting ahead of this weekend’s clash with Portsmouth how the 28-year-old is offering Sunderland a leader he feared the Black Cats would not be able to sign permanently.

“Bailey was a great signing for us in the summer,” said Parkinson, via quotes by the Northern Echo. “He was a player I’d been speaking to all through lockdown, although we weren’t sure we would be able to get the deal done.

“Credit to the owner of the football club for enabling us to do that, and also to Bailey as well because he was realistic. He can see the potential at Sunderland, and enjoyed his loan time here.

“He’s a very good player. He’s a leader, he’s been a captain at Championship level, and he’s a great influence, on and off the pitch.”

The praise for Wright has kept on coming, too, with Sunderland icon Phillips taken back by what the centre-half has brought to his former home.

“He’s been a great signing,” Phillips told Football Insider. “I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

Sunderland’s Van Dijk?

Van Dijk is among the world’s best centre-halves with no better proof than in the Dutchman being named the runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2019 Ballon d’Or, having already been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.

For Wright to be compared to a player of that calibre shows what Sunderland were able to acquire this summer, while the leadership that Parkinson and Phillips both laud the Australian for will prove pivotal to any promotion push as the Stadium of Light natives strive to avoid a fourth campaign in the third-tier.

One of the standout aspects of Wright’s game that warrants the comparisons with van Dijk is that the Sunderland ace is yet to be dribbled past in a League One fixture this term, something the Liverpool star has frequently been praised for by using his pace and strength to devastating effect.

Liverpool’s £75million man restricted just eight players into being able to record successful dribbles against him over the last three full Premier League seasons, with no single player able to get the better of the Dutchman on multiple occasions.

Wright has also stood out this term with an average 5.8 duels won a game in the league, plus 5.7 clearances, 1.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.8 shots, though missed his best chance to score his first Sunderland goal, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a selection dilemma must see Phil Parkinson award a 20-year-old talent his Sunderland debut.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on defender Joe Gomez after his recent performance for his side.

Gomez in the limelight

The German tactician has had to endure the painful task of adjusting to life without talisman Virgil van Dijk after he was ruled out for a significant amount of time with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

On top of this, Joel Matip continues to struggle with his fitness and Fabinho injured his hamstring during their Champions League win over FC Midtjylland, leaving just Gomez as the only established centre back available for selection.

Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips have both featured in their victories against Atalanta and West Ham United, both playing alongside Gomez who Klopp previously described as a “sensational footballer” (via the club’s official website).

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (cited by Neil Jones), Klopp added to his praise by highlighting how well the young Englishman has taken on his new responsibilities in the team.

“He had so many different defensive partners,” he said. “And he was always the kid in the line-up. But in life, everyone has to grow. He’s used the last few weeks – he was thrown in cold water – and did really well.”

Transfer Tavern take

Liverpool have not conceded a goal in the Champions League in Van Dijk’s absence, and have only let in two goals in their domestic campaign (Fotmob).

This is an impressive statistic. Van Dijk has been labelled as the best defender in the world and even Jamie Carragher believed that the Merseysiders would struggle to defender their title without the Dutch powerhouse (via Football365).

Klopp has worked wonders with Gomez. Alongside Van Dijk over the past couple of seasons, he has matured into a reliable and competent asset that can be called upon.

In other news, Liverpool fans left stunned by official announcement.

If Carlo Ancelotti had drawn up the perfect start to the new Premier League season, then it surely went according to plan on Sunday afternoon.

The Everton boss watched on as all three of his major new signings in Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Rodriguez and Allan played a huge part in a 1-0 victory away at Tottenham, with the latter even being named as man of the match by Gary Neville on Sky Sports commentary duty.

But whilst the trio looked impressive and seem like great pieces of business by Marcel Brands, one man who was perhaps the unsung hero of the Toffees’ win, was Richarlison.

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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On the face of it, the Brazilian spurned a few good opportunities to actually put the game beyond doubt, including missing a gilt-edged chance when the scores were all level at 0-0.

But whilst the former Watford man didn’t seem to have his shooting boots on, he did run the Spurs defence ragged with his movement, aggression and intelligence.

As per Sofascore, his 8.2 match rating was the joint-highest of any player on the pitch, tied with Jordan Pickford. And when you look at the kind of numbers behind his performance, it is easy to see why.

He was a constant threat with the ball at his feet, completing all 11 of his attempted dribbles, and earning six free-kicks. The most impressive stats however were to do with how he competed defensively.

All in all, he contested 26 duels over the course of the 90 minutes, and he won a staggering 23 of them – to put that into context, the rest of his teammates combined won 38.

As well as coming out on top in the 50/50s, Richarlison also made five tackles, another team-high – Allan was just behind with four to his name.

So even though Toffees fans may remember his poor finishing on the day, their Brazilian live-wire was the heart and soul of them picking up a precious away victory against one of the Premier League’s big six.