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Everton made Alex Iwobi the Toffees’ joint-highest earner after the forward left Arsenal for Goodison Park in the summer, according to Nigerian publication Legit.

Iwobi left the Gunners after playing 149 competitive fixtures for the North London side across all competitions (TransferMarkt), and has already represented his new club three times, scoring twice.

According to Nigerian publication Legit, Iwobi had been earning £70,000-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, which would have placed the 23-year-old twelfth on Arsenal’s wage bill, per figures supplied by Spotrac.

A similar wage would have placed the Nigeria international joint-twelfth with Seamus Coleman at Goodison Park, however Legit suggest Iwobi secured a 71.4% pay rise by leaving his boyhood side for the Toffees, where he now earns £120,000-a-week – the same as Yerry Mina and Bernard, the Blues’ joint-highest earners (Spotrac).

Should the figure touted by Legit be true, Lagos-born Iwobi would be due £24,960,000 in wages over the course of his four-year contract, bringing Everton’s spend to a possible £58,960,000 once the potential £34m transfer fee (BBC) is considered.

That said, Spotrac note that Iwobi earnt £50k-a/w at the Emirates Stadium having signed a four-year extension in August 2018, and agreed to remain on the same wage when he put pen to paper with Everton.

It would remain to be seen if Iwobi could justify being Everton’s highest earner, having often struggled to directly influence results in North London, with 15 goals and 27 assists to his name from his 149 appearances (TransferMarkt).

He has started his Blues career promisingly, though, with the goal to put Everton back ahead in the Carabao Cup trip to Lincoln City and then in the Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, the 23-year-old has fashioned just two other shots in the top-flight so far and has played just one key pass, according to data collected by WhoScored.

Being on the alleged £120,000-a-week would also place Iwobi above Richarlison (£90,000-a-week) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (£100,000-a-week) on Everton’s wage bill, who ended last season with 13 goals each in the league and are already leading the way for goals and chances created at Goodison Park this term.

Everton fans, would Iwobi justify being your joint-highest earner? Let us know in the comments below…

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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…

After deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation in the opening five games of the Championship against Stoke, Huddersfield, Bristol City, Swansea and Wigan, Mark Warburton saw the system yield mixed results.

QPR earned seven points from those five games, although in the two most recent outings, the former Rangers boss made the bold decision to alter his system completely.

Warburton used a 5-3-2 formation in recent games against Sheffield Wednesday and Luton, seeing his side win six points out of six while playing some lovely stuff – Eberechi Eze in particular has thrived, scoring a goal and grabbing an assist, while also hitting the woodwork twice last time out.

Speaking after the 3-2 win over Luton, the 57-year-old said that he’ll “happily change” his formation once again, although perhaps for now, the R’s boss should look for some consistency.

Asking your players to play one system for a string of games, then changing it up, before chopping and changing it once again can potentially cause disruption and dent the team’s rhythm, and as happy as Warburton should be with his side’s start, now is the time to stick with what is working.

Along with the aforementioned Eze, left-back Ryan Manning appears to be better suited to a left wing-back role as opposed to just a flat left-back position, and the whole team appears to be running smoothly – you could see that through the fact that they were 3-0 up after just 28 minutes on Saturday.

Of course, having the ability to switch your side around tactically depending on the opponent is a fantastic weapon to have, but Warburton must now take the opportunity to drill this system into his QPR players, seeing as he is yet to utilise it in various games – despite using it numerous times with his former side Nottingham Forest.

Two wins from two with the 5-3-2 formation bodes well, and Warburton must now iron out any creases to ensure his squad familiarise themselves with the system completely.

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Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter want Massimiliano Allegri to replace Mauricio Pochettino if the Argentine leaves Spurs.

There is no doubt that the pressure is beginning to build on the former Southampton boss following a poor week and 2019 in general – they surrendered a two-goal lead against Olympiacos before giving up a 1-0 advantage to lose to Leicester City on Saturday, meaning they have won just five of their previous 18 Premier League games.

It seems unthinkable that the north London outfit could consider sacking the 47-year-old given the progress they have made in recent seasons, but no trophy during his spell and a poor run of form on the road isn’t ideal either.

Pochettino walking may not be out of the question either; particularly if he feels he is unable to take the club any further.

Tottenham supporters certainly seem to know who they want if they lose the South American manager, with Allegri the name on many of their lips.

The Italian is currently unattached having left Juventus at the end of last season, departing after five successive Serie A title wins.

One fan described him as “better than Poch and on the market”, while another said “get Allegri in and move on”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Despite boasting attacking riches like Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Erik Lamela amongst their ranks for the clash against Leicester, Tottenham looked relatively devoid of any tangible creativity.

The north London side’s biggest road to success was through their counter-attacking play, and it was that approach that led to their opening goal in the first half.

But as the Foxes grew into the game, the likes of Kane, Son and Lamela all faded in influence, and it was up to right-back Serge Aurier to provide some inspiration going forward.

On the chalkboard

Turning to the Ivory Coast international as an attacking outlet was perhaps understandable; after all, he provided a fine assist in a barn-storming performance against Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side appeared to rely far too heavily on the former PSG defender to create for the team.

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Spurs’ insistence on having both Son and Lamela occupy narrow positions in the game to help support Kane increased the burden on Aurier ten-fold.

By the end of the match, the 26-year-old had registered two key passes and five crosses – both figures being the joint-second highest of any Spurs player on the pitch. And that’s not even to mention his driven strike from inside the box being ruled out by VAR.

The Ivorian’s sizeable influence on the way Spurs operated at the King Power Stadium was arguably to their detriment. Not having a natural winger to take on Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell meant Aurier often had to make his runs from deep to support the attack, allowing sufficient time for the opposition defence to recover.

The 26-year-old finished the game with 84 touches and 55 passes – the second and third-highest numbers respectively in the Spurs side.

If Pochettino is to rectify what went wrong, then he needs to have a serious look at changing the way he gets his team to shape up.

Relying on a defender who has just 17 goals and 35 assists in 259 games of professional football to be your main attacking threat probably isn’t the best way to go about things.

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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…

And just like that, Real Madrid are seemingly out of their early crisis and heading towards the top.

In fact, at this particular point in time, Los Blancos are finally first in the La Liga table, leaving the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid behind them in the dust.

Of course, these are still early days and the table is bound to go through various changes before the end of the campaign. But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Zinedine Zidane is finally getting his whole squad on the same page.

The latest clash with Osasuna, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the Galacticos, proved as much.

But it proved one other thing as well – the future looks bright and a touvh Brazilian.

Both Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo found their names on the scoresheet on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu as the Whites cruised to a rather comfortable and impressive victory over Osasuna.

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Seeing how both players are still very young, Vinicius being 19 and Rodrygo 18 years of age respectively, this was definitely a great sign for all Madridistas.

Two of their young talents stepped up in the absence of the more experienced veterans who were being rested, with the likes of Gareth Bale out of the squad and Karim Benzema on the bench, and completely stole the show in front of the home crowd.

Needless to say, that’s exactly what every manager wants to see.

Of course, it has to be noted, however, that this was indeed Rodrygo’s debut in the 2019/20 La Liga campaign and he only got to play for 20 minutes, coming off the bench in the 70th minute.

Vinicius, on the other hand, has been struggling to regain his best form ever since his injury last season. Since then, he’s been in and out of the team and delivering on a very inconsistent basis.

Both players will, therefore, need some time to get back into the groove and find their footing but there’s still no escaping the feeling that their potential, should it be reached here at the Spanish capital, is enormous.

Zidane has two extraordinary talents in his squad and even though they may not be among the best at this very moment, the early signs are pointing towards that happening in the not so distant future.

And that is a beautiful thing for Real Madrid and the revolution the media has been calling for throughout the whole summer.

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…

The signing of Andriy Yarmolenko is proving better and better with each passing game, and he has started to produce after being ruled out for almost the entirety of last season with an Achilles injury.

Over the last few years players such as Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet have grabbed most of the headlines, but the Hammers now appear to have another positive wide player, and if the former Borussia Dortmund player can maintain his early-season form then West Ham could be in for a successful season.

The Ukranian has scored three goals from his six Premier League games, but such is his form that he will likely keep Michail Antonio out of the starting line-up when he makes a return from injury.

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To make matters even better, West Ham only spent £17.5m on him in summer 2018, and given the current climate in which Declan Rice has an asking price of £100m, that can be considered a very good deal.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed from pundits, too. Darren Bent’s comments to Football Insider show that he has particularly been impressed since the start of the season.

“I saw that Yarmolenko a few years back and I remember thinking: ‘Who is this guy? What a player he is.

“Since he’s been fit, he’s been good, his finish at the weekend was brilliant.”

– Darren Bent

Alongside Lanzini and Anderson, the trio playing behind Sebastien Haller offer West Ham significant threat and variety in attack, evidenced by the fact they have scored two or more goals in four league games so far.

Given their success in attack it is little surprise that the Hammers have lost just once this season, and having been criticised for many years for poor recruitment and not spending money, David Gold and David Sullivan deserve plaudits for their backing of Pellegrini.

It is positive to see the Ukraine international make such a positive return after so long out, and he seems to have adapted very well into the current West Ham set-up, taking up great positions in the box and acting as the perfect support for Haller, who so has the same record in front of goal.

Would you take Jose Mourinho back at Manchester United?

It’s been nine months since the Portuguese tactician was relieved of his duties at Old Trafford, and while United experienced a momentary surge of form as the cloud of his now understandable misery lifted, they’ve somewhat faltered in recent months.

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Former Cardiff City and Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ed Woodward’s designated replacement for serial winner Mourinho, is now a man under pressure, having guided his side to their worst start to a season in 30 years. United’s defeat to Steve Bruce’s Newcastle side on Sunday only compiled the misery.

With Liverpool on the horizon, and the Red Devils’ teamsheet looking no more appealing than it has in the previous five games, it could be a case of déjà vu for the Old Trafford faithful as the pressure of relieving their 1999 Champions League hero becomes too much.

It’s all hypothetical of course, but would you take Mourinho back at United? ESPN pundits have discussed (between 0:00 and 2:35) …

Loads of Scotland fans have been left furious by the performance of Andy Robertson this week, with many questioning why he is their captain.

Talk about a shock to the system. Every international break, Liverpool’s marauding left-back takes a breather from playing with Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane and lines up alongside Charlie Mulgrew and John Fleck instead.

The Scots were beaten 4-0 in Russia on Thursday evening, and plenty of fans were left pointing the finger at their skipper.

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Perhaps it is because he wears the armband or perhaps it is because he plays for such a huge club at an extremely high standard, but it seems the 25 year-old Glaswegian is getting the bulk of the blame.

And some of it may be deserved, as he earned just a 6.2 out of 10 rating on Sofascore, winning just one duel in the entire match, making one interception and no tackles.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Andy…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sky Sports pundit Darren Bent has stated that he is unconvinced by Jordan Pickford’s command of the penalty area, after the Everton goalkeeper’s string of shaky performances.

What’s he said?

Pickford was once known for his commanding presence in the area, as he did not allow his tender age to prevent him from reacting fast to danger and displaying an authority over his centre-halves.

The Washington-born shot stopper’s fearless nature saw Pickford lauded in his early days as an Everton player, but the England number one’s days as a goalkeeper who is admired by many have dwindled, with Bent now suggesting his lack of communication has become a hindrance.

Bent has suggested that Pickford’s failure to adequately communicate with Yerry Mina and Michael Keane has been a key factor in why the Toffees currently sit inside the bottom three of the Premier League standings, as no player on the blue side of Stanley Park feel confident with him in between the sticks.

The ex-Aston Villa and Sunderland striker feels Pickford, who is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, still tries to take command of the area, but his success at doing so is not to the same extent as it once was, with Everton shipping 13 goals in eight league games and losing five of their last six top-flight encounters.

Speaking with Football Insider, he said:

“I think he tries to [take command of the area], but that comes from uncertainty between the two centre-halves – the people in front of you – and himself.

“Balls are flying in the box left, right and centre and no one’s going and attacking it. No one’s putting their head on it, and then when your goalkeeper doesn’t come and get it, that puts that seed of doubt in everybody’s head.

“Every set play you’re like: ‘Oh god, here we go again, what’s going to happen now?'”

One part of a larger puzzle

Pickford no longer possessing the same command of his area, particularly at dead-ball situations, is just one part of a larger puzzle Marco Silva needs to solve for Everton to turn their fortunes around. Teams will see the Blues’ struggles to defend set-pieces as an easy way to score, should their current record continue for much longer.

The accepted grace period of Silva’s arrival last season has now wavered, but Everton have allowed more goals scored from set-pieces than any other Premier League side since the start of the 2018/19 campaign with 21 (WhoScored), five of which have come this term.

Part of the issue has stemmed from players not tracking runs in Silva’s preferred zonal marking system, with opponents able to break free at the back post to attempt an unimpeded effort on goal.

Pickford regaining his confidence to take control of Everton’s backline will not prevent that, but it will help deal with the ball when it’s initially crossed in.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Let’s not paper over the cracks with all this talk.

Former Leeds United defender Ben Parker believes that Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has finally got used to playing in English football.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Yorkshire Evening Post, he mentioned how there isn’t as much panic when he wanders outside his box as there was last season:

“Any keeper you see outside his area, everyone has a little panic. Even as a player, you’re thinking he has to get there. Kiko’s starting positions this season have been so much better than last year.

“At times he’s been a touch deeper, he’s reading the game better, he’s adjusted to the speed of the Championship and when he has to come out.

“He hasn’t done it every game and that decision making has been crucial. That says to me he’s adjusted to the league, he looks a more solid all-round goalkeeper.”

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That’s not strictly true though, is it?

Whilst Parker talks about what he brings to the table in terms of his style of play when he comes off his line, there is still one thing that should concern Leeds when it comes to the Spaniard, and it concerns what he does on it.

Casilla was no stranger to the odd gaffe last season, with his errors in games against Sheffield United and Derby County, the latter in the play-off semi-final being chief amongst them.

Whilst he may be among one of the better goalkeepers this season in terms of clean sheets, leading the way with five, the fact of the matter is that he still hasn’t eradicated all mistakes from his game and they have the potential to cost Leeds throughout the season.

His ‘flap’ at the first goal during their Carabao Cup defeat to Stoke City and his half-hearted punch for Charlton Athletic’s winner show that there is still a disaster waiting to happen at any moment.

Do Leeds need to invest in a new goalkeeper? No, not just yet.

However, if these errors aren’t eradicated quickly, the decision to go with him over Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the summer could end up haunting them.