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Everton: Woodgate rips into Richarlison

Richarlison was ‘hugely disrespectful’ to the travelling Everton supporters following Sunday’s defeat against West Ham United.

That’s according to BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Jonathan Woodgate, speaking live on air.

The lowdown

Everton lost 2-1 at the London Stadium to deepen their relegation fears ahead of Wednesday’s crunch encounter with Burnley.

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Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen scored either side of a deflected Mason Holgate effort to give the Hammers victory against Frank Lampard’s side, who were reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes left when Michael Keane picked up a second yellow card.

Richarlison started on the left of Frank Lampard’s front three, joining Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray in the attack, and completed the full 90 minutes.

However, Woodgate spotted the Brazilian walking straight down the tunnel following the full-time whistle rather than going over to acknowledge the travelling fans.

The latest

Woodgate said that Richarlison really ought to ‘go and clap’ the fans after the game, many of whom would have made a 200+ mile journey from Merseyside.

He accused the 24-year-old of immaturity, claiming that he was effectively throwing his ‘toys out the pram’.

The verdict

Perhaps Richarlison’s frustration got the better of him. He had chances to score what could have been a crucial goal, but two of shots were off target, and the other three were blocked.

Journalist James Nalton wrote that the 24-year-old ‘should have done better’ with the opportunities he was given, picking out instances where he could have teed up Vitaliy Mykolenko or finished a chance created for him by Alex Iwobi.

It has been a difficult season for the £90,000-per-week forward in general, as reflected by his tally of just four goals. For comparison, in each of his first two years at Everton, he struck 13 times in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

If some Toffees supporters are upset with Richarlison, then maybe he will be able to redeem himself by tucking a chance away at Turf Moor in midweek.

In other news, Everton are ready to axe this midfielder in the summer

Tottenham scouting Serie A stars

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Tottenham Hotspur are scouting a number of Serie A players as they prepare for the summer transfer window, per Tuttomercatoweb.

Spurs have not signed a player in the last two transfer windows but appear ready to dip into the market at the end of the season.

What’s the word?

Spurs last signed a player in January of 2018, when they secured Lucas Moura from PSG.

But the aforementioned Tuttomercatoweb report claims that they are stepping up preparations for the summer by sending scouts to watch a number of players in action in Italy.

Representatives from the north London outfit watched AC Milan beat Atalanta 3-1, with midfielder Franck Kessie and winger Suso both on their radar.

Per Tuttomercatoweb, Spurs also took in Inter Milan’s match against Sampdoria, looking over Ivan Perisic’s performance for the Nerrazurri.

Sampdoria defender Joachim Andersen was also on their shortlist, but according to Tuttomercatoweb the interest in him depends on Toby Alderweireld’s future.

Early preparations

Spurs are clearly readying for a frenzied summer of transfer activity.

Alderweireld has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave if a bid of £25million is tabled this summer, while Christian Eriksen’s future remains up in the air amid reported interest from Real Madrid.

Spurs are in need of reinforcements, particularly if both players depart, and it makes sense that they would be scouting top leagues, particularly for players with the right profile to play under Mauricio Pochettino.

Andersen is just 22 while Kessie and Suso are 22 and 25 respectively, and all three have the ability to grow under the Argentine’s management.

Perisic, of course, is 30, with that deal surely more of a long shot for the north London club.

Phil Hay drops Leeds United transfer update

Leeds United fans won’t want to hear what The Athletic’s Phil Hay has to say about deadline day at Elland Road…

What’s the word?

Speaking on Twitter, the ever-reliable reporter delivered a gutting claim about the likelihood of the Whites conducting any sort of business before the 11pm deadline.

“As for incomings at Elland Road, still expecting a quiet day,” he revealed.

In just 11 words, Hay has surely ruined the hopes and dreams of many supporters around west Yorkshire with just a few hours left to go.

Gutting news

Much of the Leeds faithful have been desperate to see Marcelo Bielsa handed some reinforcements to his decimated squad this month but it appears as if it just isn’t going to happen.

Their attempts to bring a new midfielder to the club have fallen short after seeing bids of £15m and £20m rejected by RB Salzburg for their star maestro Brenden Aaronson.

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That’s a deal that is expected to happen in the summer instead, meaning Leeds haven’t signed anyone for the engine room for four years now when Adam Forshaw joined from Middlesbrough in January 2018.

That area of the pitch has been a pressing need with influential England international Kalvin Phillips, who was subject of interest from West Ham United in the past few days, absent through injury until March at the earliest.

He along with skipper Liam Cooper and last season’s leading talisman Patrick Bamford have been huge absentees for the Yorkshiremen.

There have been times where Bielsa has been without as many as 11 first-team players in the Premier League, leaving him to fill the bench with academy players who simply aren’t ready for a crack at the big time.

This latest bombshell from Hay will leave many around Elland Road absolutely furious, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Enquiry made: Leeds submit last-ditch “offer” on deadline day, Bielsa badly needs him…

Crystal Palace predicted XI to face Arsenal

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira may be forced to make changes ahead of the Eagles’ clash against his former club Arsenal on Monday night.

Take nothing away from Palace this season; these changes won’t be a knee-jerk reaction to their recent form. With three wins and two draws from their last five games in all competitions, the Eagles have hit form at an ideal time.

They have bagged nine goals in that time, although their ability to pick up points of late is not just down to their goalscoring acumen.

Vieira’s side have displayed incredible defensive stability, with their water-tight defence leaking just two goals over their last five outings. Impressively, during that run they faced the second-highest scorers in the league in Manchester City and came away with a point and a well-earned clean sheet.

Unfortunately for Palace fans, there are doubts over the talismanic duo of Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise after the pair picked up injuries whilst on international duty.

The Ivory Coast forward missed his nation’s friendly against England due to a hamstring problem, whilst the France under-21 starlet withdrew from international duty after suffering inflammation on his foot.

Although neither have trained since their respective returns from international duty, Vieira is optimistic that the pair could feature against Arsenal, with Eagles fans able to take solace in the 45-year-old’s positivity as the duo “still have a chance” of playing at Selhurst Park on Monday.

Here is how we think Palace XI will line up against the Gunners, in a 4-3-3 formation:

Guaita; Clyne, Andersen, Guéhi, Mitchell; Gallagher, Kouyaté, Schlupp; Ayew, Mateta, Édouard

If our prediction is accurate, the game on Monday will see Vieira make four changes from last time out as the Eagles look to capitalise on their good run of form.

Those changes could see the likes of Jack Butland, Eberechi Eze, Olise and Zaha – who all featured in Palace’s 4-0 demolition job against Everton in the FA Cup a fortnight ago – drop out. Vicente Guaita, Jeffrey Schlupp, Andre Ayew and Odsonne Edouard, who was hailed as a “special talent” by his former Celtic boss Neil Lennon – all coming in against Arsenal.

Whilst Zaha is Palace’s top scorer this season, perhaps the biggest miss will be the “fearless” Olise, who has asserted himself as one of the most creative outlets in the league, creating seven big chances and providing five assists this season.

In other news – Huge blow as Vieira dealt double setback ahead of Arsenal clash, supporters will be gutted

Man City: Journalist drops big Foden claim

Sharing news midweek, 90min journalist and ‘insider’ Graeme Bailey now has a major player update for Manchester City supporters out of Eastlands.

The Lowdown: Sky Blues in contract flurry…

City sporting director Txiki Begiristain and the club have seemingly been renewing contracts left, right and centre over 2021/2022 as Pep Guardiola aims to tie down both future and first team stars.

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The likes of John Stones, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, James McAtee and Ederson, to name a few, have all put pen to paper on fresh terms in the past 12 months.

According to reports, Guardiola and co aren’t done there, with the likes of Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan also tipped to receive the option.

Superstar playmaker Phil Foden is yet another, and if Bailey is to be believed, a major development has come to light on City’s attempts to tie down the England international.

The Latest: Bailey shares Foden development…

Taking to Twitter, the 90min insider says Man City are now closer to agreeing a new deal for the 21-year-old.

“Man City close to finalising Phil Foden contract extension,” he explained.

“Talks have been ongoing since last year but Premier League champions confident their prized asset will re-sign by end of the season.”

The Verdict: Absolutely huge…

As perhaps best summed up on Tuesday night, Foden looks set to be an absolutely crucial player for City for years to come.

The Sky Blues struggled to break down a resilient Atletico Madrid side in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie in Manchester, but thanks to their homegrown starlet’s cameo off the bench, Guardiola’s men eventually found a way through.

Foden’s delicate through ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who subsequently fired home past Jan Oblak, gifted City a 1-0 aggregate advantage as they gear up for their Wanda Metropolitano visit next week.

The midfield gem’s introduction was a crucial one and this is just one example of his importance at the Etihad Stadium.

As City take one step closer towards tying him down further, it’s safe to say this midweek update could be looked back on as massive for years to come.

In other news: Blues now preparing bid to sign ‘special’ £67m star alongside Haaland! Find out more here.

Leeds given potential huge Bamford boost

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford could be fit for the final two Premier League games of the season despite initial fears he would not return this campaign.

The Lowdown: Bamford’s torrid season

The 28-year-old was arguably the Whites’ star man last season, scoring 17 league goals, but things have panned out very differently this time around.

Bamford has been hampered by injury problems throughout the campaign, being limited to just seven league starts, which has played a part in the Whites’ struggles.

The striker is currently out with a foot injury which was initially expected to make him miss the rest of the campaign, but Jesse Marsch has revealed he could now miss just the next three weeks.

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The Latest: Hay shares good news

Providing his thoughts in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday ahead of Leeds’ trip to Crystal Palace, Phil Hay claimed that Bamford could return for the last two league games of the season, which are at home to Brighton and away to Brentford.

The journalist shared a prospective return date from the Whites manager which essentially means missing the next three weeks, claiming:

“Still no Patrick Bamford [v Palace] but Jesse Marsch thinks he might make it back for the last two games of the season.”

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The Verdict: Could be massive for Leeds

This is a potentially huge boost for Leeds, as they find themselves in danger of getting sucked back into a relegation battle between themselves, Everton and Burnley.

Bamford’s finishing ability means that just one chance could be needed in one of those final two matches, should Marsch’s side still not be safe at that point.

In many ways, the hope is that Leeds have avoided relegation by then and Bamford doesn’t need to be risked, but having him in contention would feel significant, providing the Whites with proven Premier League firepower.

In other news, Hay has dropped a Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

Spurs: Lyon not interested in Ndombele deal

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to move Tanguy Ndombele on in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Lyon will not be taking up their £54m option to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis at the end of the current campaign – with the France international having linked up with his former side on a short-term loan deal in the January transfer window.

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This is sure to come as a huge blow to Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, with recent reports claiming that both men have come to the conclusion that the 25-year-old does not have a future in north London – with Spurs said to be willing to move Ndombele on for the biggest offer received this summer.

Conte must axe Ndombele

While it is true that Ndombele has enjoyed something of a renaissance following his return to the south of France – having registered two assists, created two big chances and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.04 over his seven Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon – considering just how poor the Frenchman had been for Tottenham ever since his £63m move, it would indeed appear the right call for Conte to axe the 25-year-old this summer.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the £25m-rated midfielder offered Spurs next to nothing in the middle of the park, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance, as well as making an average of 0.4 key passes, 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 25.6 passes and winning 3.6 duels – at a success rate of 44% – per game.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week player who John Wenham dubbed “laughable” and claimed “couldn’t be relied upon” average a quite shocking SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Conte’s third-worst player in the English top flight.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Ndombele and Tottenham are simply not a compatible pair, leading us to believe that it would be best for both the player and the club to call time on their relationship this summer.

AND in other news: Levy can form “dangerous” duo as THFC eye “magical” £25m gem who can “become the best”

Celtic: Ange dealt blow ahead of Old Firm

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been dealt a fresh injury setback concerning Stephen Welsh ahead of their Scottish Premiership meeting with Old Firm rivals Rangers this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who revealed that the centre-back was withdrawn shortly after half-time in Scotland U21’s 2-2 draw with Kazakhstan on Tuesday afternoon, with the 22-year-old looking to be holding his groin upon his substitution.

Postecoglou will be fuming

While it would appear unlikely that Welsh would have been handed a starting berth at Ibrox this Sunday, considering just how impressive the youngster has been so far this season, the news that the defender looks to have sustained an injury on international duty that could well rule him out of contention for the Old Firm fixture is sure to have left Postecoglou fuming nonetheless.

Indeed, over his nine Premiership appearances this term, the £1.35m-rated academy graduate has been rock solid for the Bhoys, helping his side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 2.2 clearances, 85.9 passes and winning 5.1 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per game.

These returns have seen the £10.5k-per-week starlet average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Postecoglou’s joint 11th-best player in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, while the 56-year-old manager’s first-choice pairing of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers are both more than likely to be selected in the XI on Sunday, should either player pick up a knock in the run-up to the fixture, or even in the game itself, the loss of an incredibly reliable backup option in Welsh is sure to hit Celtic hard.

Indeed, with the chance of leaving Ibrox six points ahead of Rangers in the league standings – something that would all but confirm Celtic’s reclamation of the Premiership title – it is certain that the Greek-Australian manager will be hoping to have as many as his first-team squad fit and firing by the time Sunday rolls around.

AND in other news: £10.5m and counting: £23.5k-p/w “monster” should have played his final game for Celtic

SAFC: Craig Hope issues manager claim

A key Sunderland claim has emerged regarding their attempts to bring Roy Keane back to the Stadium of Light…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed where the club is at with their talks with the retired Manchester United midfielder.

He Tweeted: “Sunderland remain in advanced discussions with Roy Keane but will continue dialogue with other candidates in case deal for former boss collapses. Some second interviews are planned for this week, with Grant McCann & Alex Neil also in frame.”

Delight

Sunderland fans will surely be delighted with this news as it suggests that the club are finally closing in on a replacement for Lee Johnson.

The Black Cats will have played two games by the end of tonight (Tuesday) without a permanent manager in place, having lost their first match after sacking the ex-Bristol City boss. They were beaten 2-1 by bottom-of-the-league Doncaster at the weekend with their interim coaches in place, showing that the board’s lack of progress is affecting their promotion battle.

Kristjaan Speakman has not been proactive enough in attempting to bring a new manager in, on the evidence available, as it has been over a week since Johnson’s departure and they are still in talks with candidates. This is why fans will unquestionably be frustrated with the current situation and how it has been handled amidst a race to finish in the automatic promotion places.

Supporters will now, therefore, be delighted that their efforts to appoint a new head coach are bearing fruit, with Keane closing in on the role. They will be buzzing to finally be able to welcome their latest manager and he will, hopefully, be in the dugout at the weekend as they are in ‘advanced’ talks.

Whilst the Stadium of Light faithful will be disappointed with the speed at which the club have been working on this move, they will also be pleased to read that they have backup plans. They will not be left shellshocked if Keane ultimately rejects the Black Cats and have out-of-work managers who they can then swiftly attempt to bring in instead.

This shows, at the very least, that they have put a solid plan in place to replace Johnson. Although, the time it has taken them to do it may still leave a sour taste in the mouth, which could be replaced by delight if Keane is announced as manager in the coming days.

AND in other news,  Forget Keane: Speakman must seal SAFC’s new manager in 50 y/o with 2.2 points per game…

Celtic handed Christopher Jullien boost

Ange Postecoglou has been handed a big Celtic injury lift over centre-back Christopher Jullien… 

What’s the latest?

According to Football Scotland, the central defender was sprawled out on the floor in the 70th minute of a B team match on Tuesday, causing concern over a potential injury setback for the gem.

However, he was able to recover from the blow and see out the full 90 minutes to allay any fears that he will now face another spell on the sidelines.

Supporters will be relieved

This news will surely come as a relief to supporters as it means that he will remain on track in regards to getting back to his best after a long-term injury.

He was out of action for a year between December 2020 and December 2021 with a knee injury as he missed 59 matches for the Hoops, before missing a further eight games due to illness in January.

The 29-year-old has not played a single match in the Premiership this term but the fans will be excited to see him eventually make his way back out on the pitch as he has previously showcased his quality at this level.

However, he will need to be patient to get his chance to make a first-team return. Postecoglou spoke about his return from injury earlier this year, saying:

“I get the level of anticipation with Chris as he’s had a long-term injury and he’s a significant player for the club.

“Chris has been here long enough to know that it doesn’t matter who you are, you are always going to be competing for places – and you want to be.

“It’s not just Cam and Carl, Stephen Welsh has had to be patient as he’s done nothing wrong every time he’s played.”

In the top-flight last term, he averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.43 as he won a whopping 67% of his duels and made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game. Meanwhile, full-back Anthony Ralston (7.49) is the only Celtic defender with a higher average score than that this season.

This shows that he has the quality to be a major player for the Hoops when he is at his best, which is why fans will want to see him back in action as quickly as possible. It will be a big boost for Postecoglou to have Jullien fit and firing and that is why this injury relief will delight the head coach and the supporters this week.

AND in other news, Sold in 2019, now facing relegation: Celtic sealed masterclass over “stupid” liability…

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