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Everton injury news on Richarlison

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged involving Richarlison.

The Goodison Park faithful tweeted a few images of the former Watford ace, confirming he is ‘back in full training’, in what has of course come as a mighty relief to a lot of Merseyside club supporters.

Given that Rafa Benitez has been dealt a double blow with the latest injury news on both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it is certainly positive to hear of Richarlison’s return.

The Brazil international has been such a not yet scored for his new club.

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Everton fans on Richarlison news

These Blues were left buzzing as Richarlison’s return was revealed on Twitter, with a few EFC supporters claiming that it is ‘good news’:

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JMarleyWrites

“Good news from Everton. Inject it”

Credit: @mannie_efc

“Finally some good news”

Credit: @EFC_Eve

“At last, some good injury news!”

Credit: @BlueAndy81

“Proper sight for sore eyes that!”

Credit: @RockfallDCUO

“The league is shaking right now”

Credit: @RicharlisonR9

In other news, find out what transfer news has Evertonians fuming here!

Sky Sports drop Spurs claim involving Zouma

Speaking on live TV (via Football Daily), Sky Sports have now dropped a Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-back chase…

It has been reported that Spurs are looking into signing another defender this summer even after completing a deal for 2020/2021 Serie A MVP award-winning defender Cristian Romero.

Claims emerged earlier this week of their renewed interest and contacts for Takehiro Tomiyasu, with managing director Fabio Paratici eager to land another defensive option for Nuno Espirito Santo.

They have also been in talks to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic (Sky Sports), with Sky now bringing news as Spurs eye another West Ham United target.

The Latest: Sky drop live TV claim involving Zouma and Spurs…

As per the broadcast giant, via Football Daily’s post, Tottenham are now interested in signing Zouma this summer as they bring a transfer update out of N17.

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“Tottenham are interested in signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma,” Sky explained.

“He’s one of a number of defenders the club are looking at.”

The Frenchman now joins a growing list of Spurs transfer targets for the central defensive area as Paratici eyes yet more reinforcements to protect goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

The Verdict: Great option, but unlikely…

Lauded as a ‘beast of a player’ by Premier League legend John Terry (Instagram Live via Tribuna), Zouma arguably has the ability to succeed at Tottenham.

Standing at a lofty 6 foot 3, the 26-year-old averaged a higher pass accuracy (90.9%) than any Spurs player in the English top flight last year – highlighting his real composure passing out from the back (WhoScored).

However, Chelsea and Tottenham’s unwillingness to do business is well documented so it is difficult to see this transfer coming off as a result.

In other news: 66-cap ace pushed closer to leaving Tottenham, Nuno leaves him out of ECL squad…find out more here.

Leeds preparing Mariano Diaz transfer bid

With just three wins under their belt from 15 Premier League games so far this season, Leeds United have only scored 15 goals in that time.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the club are keen on bringing a new attacking talent to Elland Road in an effort to bring an extra spark to their forward line.

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet El Nacional (via MOT Leeds News), Leeds are apparently preparing a firm offer to sign Real Madrid attacker Mariano Diaz.

  

Since making his senior debut for the Spanish giants back in August 2016, the 28-year-old – who is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt – has made just 63 senior appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in the process.

With fellow Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scoring 17 goals in 20 appearances so far this season, it’s easy to see why Diaz, who has been described as a “real goalscorer” in the past by former Lyon assistant coach Gerald Baticle, has found regular game-time hard to come by this season, making just one appearance in La Liga.

Taking all of this into account, and with Victor Orta apparently clashing with a Leeds supporter in the stands at Elland Road during their 2-2 draw against Brentford, he would surely get this disgruntled fan and any other unhappy Leeds supporter back onside if he manages to secure a deal for Diaz in January.

If this were to happen and Diaz was then able to score a decent number of goals for Bielsa’s side, he could completely turn around Leeds’ underwhelming first half of the season and finish it on a strong note away from any danger of being in a potential relegation battle.

Also, with Patrick Bamford having returned from injury and back amongst the goals with his late equaliser against Brentford, his presence alongside Diaz’s potential arrival in January could be just the tonic for Leeds going forward.

Looking ahead to January, if the Whites are indeed preparing a bid to sign Diaz, this could be a great piece of business from the Yorkshire club and give Bielsa an extra attacking option who has the pedigree of scoring goals in a top team alongside world class players at Real Madrid.

In other news – Time to shine: Bielsa must now unleash “superb” £17k-p/w prodigy after big Leeds blow

Celtic set to complete three signings

Celtic are close to completing the Parkhead arrivals of three players in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Japanese publication The Mainichi, who claim that Celtic are nearing deals for all three of Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate ahead of the winter market.

The report goes on to state that the club are progressing well in discussions with Yokohama F Marinos and Gamba Osaka, the respective clubs of Maeda and Ideguchi, regarding deals, as both sides are happy to sanction the sale of their respective stars.

However, it is also said the Bhoys talks with Kawasaki Frontale, the club of Hatate, are at a less advanced stage, as the J League side are currently demanding much more for the 24-year-old than Celtic are prepared to offer.

Ange will be buzzing

With Ange Postecoglou openly stating that he is willing to raid the Japanese top flight of its most impressive players in January, the fact that Celtic appear close to signing three of Japan’s brightest talents is sure to have left the 56-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, over his 36 J League appearances this season, centre-forward Maeda scored a whopping 23 goals, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £990k-rated man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09 – ranking him as his club’s joint sixth-best performer in the top flight of Japanese football.

Meanwhile, over Hatate’s 30 league fixtures, the versatile midfielder scored five goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, with these metrics seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, while central midfielder Ideguchi averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.76 over his own 29 J League appearances.

As such, should Celtic indeed go on to land all three of these players in January, not only would they continue Postecoglou’s Japanese revolution at Parkhead – following the summer signing of Kyogo Furuhashi – they would also represent a huge step in the 56-year-old’s revolution of the Bhoys first-team squad – something that would only appear to bode well for the club’s title chances this season.

In other news: Major blow: Ange confirms injury update that will surely devastate Celtic fans

Sheffield United: Blades set to swoop for Seny Dieng

Sheffield United are reportedly interested in a deal to sign QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng, according to The Sun (8th August, page 67). 

What’s the story?

Sheffield United have already been faced with considerable interest from Arsenal for goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who has recently returned to the first-team squad having been away from England on international duty over the summer.

Ramsdale has been with the club since 2020, although it’s claimed that he could be heading for the Bramall Lane exit door in the near future, with the transfer window set to close on August 31st.

Therefore, the Blades are seemingly preparing for his departure by targeting a move for Dieng, who has two years remaining on his current contract with Mark Warburton’s QPR side.

He has made 44 appearances in total for the Rs in total, which includes 43 from the 2020/21 season, as QPR finished ninth in the Championship table.

The Sun report that Dieng could be on the move this summer for a fee in the region of £6million, with the Blades eyeing a move for the 26-year-old.

Dieng has been with QPR since 2016, and kept 11 clean sheets with them last season, as they finished last year’s campaign strongly under the watchful eye of Warburton.

The shot-stopper has previously been attracting interest from West Ham United, and you don’t do that by chance, so that speaks volumes about his ability at this moment in time and the exciting potential he has.

Dieng has shown that he’s more than capable of performing to high standard in the Championship, with the shot-stopper adjusting well to the demands of life in the second-tier, which can sometimes be an unforgiving league.

He had an average Whoscored rating of 6.71 from the 2020/21 season for QPR and he could turn out to be a smart signing by Sheffield United this summer.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side will be looking to win promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, having been relegated from the top-flight last term, in what was a disappointing campaign for the Bramall Lane faithful to witness.

The Blades haven’t been very active in the summer transfer window, but Ramsdale’s potential departure late into this summer could prompt some late movement, which is certainly needed.

Sheffield United were beaten by Birmingham City in their opener this term, and Jokanovic will be keen to see a positive response from his side in midweek when they return to action against Carlisle United in the EFL Cup.

Dieng made an error against Norwich City last term, but Warburton labelled the shot-stopper as ‘outstanding’ for his performances during last year’s campaign.

“He’s human. There’s no-one in the world [who doesn’t make mistakes]. [Lionel] Messi makes mistakes, [Cristiano] Ronaldo makes mistakes, the very, very best people in the world make mistakes.

“Seny’s had an outstanding season, he’s just human. It’s as simple as that.”

Dieng would be a smart signing by the Blades if they can get a deal over the line to secure his signature, as he’s shown that he’s capable of performing to a more than good enough standard at this level, and it’s a deal that the Bramall Lane faithful should be buzzing about.

AND in other news; Sheffield United also want to sign this in-demand star before the window closes…

Aston Villa must sign Wales star Aaron Ramsey

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could land a superb teammate for Jack Grealish in Wales and Juventus star Aaron Ramsey in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

A report from Italian outlet Tuttomercato suggests that Villa have got their eye on the former Arsenal man, who is currently on international duty at EURO 2020 with Wales.

It’s suggested that Smith’s side are the front-runners for the midfielder, who has scored 91 career goals for club and country thus far in his career.

Imagine him and Grealish

Arsene Wenger raved about Ramsey’s ability to get into the box and find himself on the end of moves, saying: “In my head, Ramsey was going to be a player between 10 and 15 goals a year. He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run. Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.”

Described as an “outstanding technician”, Ramsey would offer that same knack of getting into the box at the right times and scoring those poacher-type goals. In fact, Lampard himself wrote in a column for The Evening Standard: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.”

And, after a superb goal-scoring performance in the win over Turkey at EURO 2020, former Wales international, Danny Gabbidon, said: “I love Gareth Bale massive amounts but when Aaron Ramsey gets Hulked up he is my favourite Wales player! There’s nothing he can’t do.”

Having Ramsey in the side could be a huge boost for Grealish. The Villa talisman would have a runner from deep in Ramsey to pick out, rather than just having Ollie Watkins to run in behind the opposition defence.

It would give Grealish a second man to pick out, and given his ability to spot a pass – he averaged 3.1 key passes per game last season in the Premier League, which was almost double that of any Villa player – you would back him to find Ramsey more often than not.

It could be a superb little double-act that would take the weight off Watkins’ shoulders in terms of goal-scoring, and give Grealish another partner in crime.

AND in other Villa news; pundit warns Smith to avoid a move for reported Villa target

Phillips slams Morelos over radio interview

Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has received criticism from Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips over recent comments on a radio interview in his native Colombia.

The Lowdown: Moving away from Rangers

The forward came to Ibrox in 2017 after scoring 46 goals in 62 games for Finish side HJK Helsinki. Since his arrival in Scotland, Morelos has been a consistent scorer for the Gers, netting 97 times in 190 appearances.

The 25-year-old has caused controversy during his time at the club on several occasions, receiving seven red cards since arriving in Glasgow and being called out over some moments of indiscipline by his manager Steven Gerrard.

In a recent interview with Colombian radio station El VBar de Caracol Radio, Morelos claimed that he was “calm” when asked if he wanted to leave Rangers but also said that he hopes to leave “soon”, having been linked with an exit from Ibrox in recent months.

The Latest: Fierce warning from Phillips

Speaking to Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Phillips has criticised Morelos and urged him not to discuss his future publicly.

The former Sunderland striker said of the Rangers marksman: “He’s just making life more difficult for himself.

“He has to live in that area and we all know what supporters are like. He’ll get away with it if he comes back and scores goals.

“People will turn a blind eye but if he stops scoring and doesn’t look interested, you just leave yourself open.

“Keep your mouth shut and do your job. He needs people around him who will tell him to stop talking and to not answer those questions. Just be positive about Rangers and don’t talk about transfers in public.

“I said at the beginning of the season it would be best for him to move on, I can’t imagine this will go down well with the supporters.”

The Verdict: Morelos needs to stay focused

Despite earning his first Scottish Premiership medal, last season was Morelos’ worst goalscoring campaign for Rangers, with only 12 goals as Kemar Roofe scored two more in his debut campaign at Ibrox.

Speaking about one’s future when linked with a move away never goes down well with a club and its supporters, so Phillips’ comments may well be the thoughts of many Light Blues fans.

Fabio Capello once called the striker ‘an excellent player’ and Morelos must remain focused on the job at hand at Rangers and put his all in retaining the Premiership title, as well as impressing in the Europa League.

In other news, many Rangers fans loved recent update ahead of Europa League tie with Lyon. Find out more here.

Spurs handed new injury blow

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a fresh setback ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend…

What’s the latest?

Spurs’ versatile wide man Ryan Sessegnon has been forced to withdraw from international duty this week in what has been described as a “frustrating injury.”

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick relayed the key information from the Three Lions’ official Twitter account, and said:

“Another frustrating injury for Sessegnon who picked up a knock in Eng U21 training & returns to Spurs.”

Frustrating

The 21-year-old, signed for a whopping £25m in the summer of 2019, has found game time hard to come by in north London but the appointment of Nuno Santo should’ve given him renewed hope of making it at the club.

This latest development is another kick in the teeth for a player that, on his day, could be a valuable option in a multitude of positions – notably at left-wing and left-back, where he can back up the likes of Heung-min Son and Sergio Reguilon.

Sessegnon started both of the Lilywhites’ two UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying legs against Pacos de Ferreira, playing in both the aforementioned roles, though that has only taken his total number of appearances for Spurs to 29, per Transfermarkt.

The £16.2m-rated dynamo, who was once lauded as a “big. big talent” by ex-Fulham teammate Stefan Johansen and compared to Spurs legend Gareth Bale, may well struggle to put up a case of being involved in Nuno’s squad should this knock rule him out for the next few weeks and beyond.

He already has Son, Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn and Bryan Gil vying for a starting spot, so this injury will do him no favours. Furthermore, the Portuguese head coach may feel a little gutted himself as the youngster is clearly a player with bags of potential.

Nuno was brought in to oversee the development of the club’s emerging prospects and you could argue that Sessegnon falls under this bracket despite appearances in Europe over the last few seasons.

The Spurs faithful aren’t impressed by this update either. Some were claiming that the Englishman was ‘worse than Erik Lamela’ due to his injuries, whilst others pleaded for the club to offload him at the next opportunity, as relayed by Sportslens.

A little unfair, perhaps, but you certainly want to see a better return from a £25m investment. Hopefully, Sessegnon can shake off this setback and respond if selected.

AND in other news, Nuno could have a future Spurs star in 19 y/o “livewire” who’s got “plenty of talent”…

Celtic hire Ange Postecoglou hire

With Celtic’s pre-season preparations due to get underway in the next few weeks, it is great to see that they now have a permanent manager in place.

The Hoops lost Neil Lennon back in February and had moved forward with only an interim head coach at the helm but that’s all in the past now.

What’s the latest?

At long last, Celtic have their man.

They lost out on Eddie Howe but they have now announced to their supporters, and to the entire world, that they have now officially hired Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian agreed personal terms and reportedly waved farewell to Japan earlier this week where he was managing Yokohama Marinos.

The 55-year-old will take over a club looking for a refresh after their period of complete dominance came to a crashing end last season.

Smart work from McKay

When Dominic McKay entered the building at Parkhead, his arrival was met with a sense of optimism.

After all, he was replacing Peter Lawwell, a man much-maligned for what’s unravelled under his stewardship this term.

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The Hoops failed to win a trophy and much of the anger has been diverted towards Lawwell because it was the CEO who replaced Brendan Rodgers with Neil Lennon in the first place.

Celtic’s struggles can be traced back to that very moment and even if he’s had a say in the new managerial chase, he’s now left the building.

When their move for Howe collapsed, it would have been easy for the hierarchy to panic. However, credit where credit’s due, McKay stood grounded. He moved quickly for another target and has concluded proceedings in a swift fashion.

Their chase for Howe was over two months but their new target is now officially through the door.

This is a wonderful start to McKay’s time in Glasgow; he just needs to hope that Postecoglou turns out to be the right hire.

If the Aussie does succeed, the sense of elation that McKay undoubtedly has from appointing him will turn into pure euphoria.

The former Australia national team boss is an unknown quantity in Europe but his possession-based football and high pressing system should fit the Celtic philosophy.

For once, there is a sense of excitement in the air at Paradise. McKay should be elated, and very proud, of how he handled the post-Howe fallout, but the hard work has only just begun.

AND in other news, Fresh Eddie Howe news comes to light after big Celtic U-turn, fans should be baffled…

Leeds: Struijk’s market value has rocketed

Leeds United still have a significant number of players in their squad who were part of the team that won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League.

One of those players that has proved to have been a particularly good bit of business from the Yorkshire club is Pascal Struijk.

Signed back in the 2018 January transfer window from Ajax’s U19 side, the defender has gone on to make 60 senior appearances for the Whites across all competitions.

With 24 league appearances to his name in this latest campaign, the Dutchman has been a rather prominent figure in the team at the back.

In terms of what he offers the Whites, the 22-year-old has racked up the joint-third highest number of tackles won (31), the third-highest number of blocks (49) and the second-highest number of interceptions (58) in the Premier League out of anyone in the Leeds squad.

The £29k-per-week figure also has the third-highest number of clearances (76) in the league from Jesse Marsch’s outfit, behind only Liam Cooper (96) and Diego Llorente (84).

To further highlight his defensive attributes, only Cooper and Junior Firpo have a higher average for aerial duels won than the former Ajax youth star – out of players that have been involved in more than 10 duels.

Even though the Elland Road outfit have conceded more goals (68) in the league than any other top-flight side this season, it’s safe to say that things would have been a lot worse had Struijk not been around.

Back in October 2020, Transfermarkt had the defender’s market value listed as £675k, whereas it now stands at £13.5m – a whopping 1900% increase – highlighting the significant rise it has taken as a result of his actions on the pitch.

Having been touted to become a “supreme centre-back” for the club in the future by Leeds journalist Beren Cross, it seems as though Struijk has the tools to do just that.

Even though the colossus hasn’t started in Leeds’ previous two league games against Southampton and Watford, he will surely be an important squad option for Marsch heading into next season and beyond – something that leads us to believe Victor Orta hit the jackpot when landing Struijk back in 2018.

AND in other news: Leeds heading for disaster on “wonderful” £38k-p/w “talent”, Marsch would be fuming

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