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Reports earlier in the week by Sampiy10 claimed Everton are monitoring Christian Luyindama’s uncertain future at Galatasaray, but Marcel Brands would be barking up the entirely wrong tree by pursuing a January transfer of the DR Congo defender.

Everton are in the midst of a challenge for Champions League qualification under Carlo Ancelotti, having enjoyed their best start to a season since the 2013/14 campaign with 32 points after 17 games.

That season’s early efforts returned 34 points by the same stage of the campaign to sit level with Chelsea but in fifth on goal difference, and ultimately fell seven points shy of fourth-placed Arsenal after losing one in every three of their remaining 21 fixtures.

If this term is to end any different for Everton, Brands and Ancelotti ought to be utilising the winter market to strengthen the Italian’s squad with options who can prove the difference. However, Luyindama would more likely than not prove a wasted investment if signed.

Galatasaray are claimed to be open to parting company with Luyindama during the winter market amid claims of interest from Everton and Aston Villa, as the Turkish giants believe his departure will raise funds that can be put to better use elsewhere.

Yet the Turk Telekom Stadium natives will only sell for offers that exceed €10m (£9m), having seen head coach Fatih Terim utilise the 6 ft 3 titan in 65% of his starting line-ups, with Luyindama given opening roles in 11 of his 13 appearances in Super Lig fixtures ahead of Sunday’s derby with Besiktas.

Luyindama began the season as Terim’s first-choice option but lost his place in Cimbom’s backline after a 2-1 win at Sivasspor in November, which has helped Galatasaray to produce a title-chasing season with three points at Vodafone Park this weekend enough to move above their top-of-the-table rivals.

The likelihood of Luyindama moving to Goodison Park and improving Ancelotti’s defensive line would have to be questioned, especially in a season in which the Italian has a realistic chance of securing Everton’s return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2005/06 season.

Luyindama would not be arriving to offer any experience of playing for the best sides in Europe with his time at Galatasaray the highest level the 27-year-old has ever reached, while only ever making 15 outings on the international stage since making his DR Congo debut in 2017.

Yerry Mina may not have lasted long at FC Barcelona before departing the La Liga powerhouse in a £27m deal two-and-a-half years ago, playing just six times across all competitions, yet at least featured for the Camp Nou natives as they clinched the 2017/18 title.

He is now a firm fixture of Ancelotti’s backline, even though the Italian expects the occasional mistake from the 26-year-old, who has started 15 of Everton’s Premier League games, he would find himself hard done by to be displaced by Luyindama.

The Galatasaray man may be a colossus in the air with success in 3.6 duels a game in the Super Lig this term thanks to a 66% success rate, per SofaScore, enough to rank first at Goodison Park for the efforts of Everton’s current central defenders in Premier League games, but is not an unmovable force for opposition forwards.

Luyindama would rank last on the blue side of Stanley Park for successful tackles a game (0.6) if he were to bring his Super Lig performances to the Premier League, and would join Seamus Coleman as the only member of Ancelotti’s backline in having made errors that have led to opponents taking a shot.

Luyindama has also given away one penalty, which only Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and Ben Godfrey – when playing at left-back – have done to date in the English top-flight. Ancelotti further already has Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane to contend with Mina for minutes after sanctioning a loan deal for Jarrad Branthwaite to join Blackburn Rovers for the rest of the season.

AND in other news, Everton have no reason not to sell a £7m outcast in the January transfer window.

Glasgow Rangers must give Leon Balogun a new contract as soon as possible.

Speaking after last Saturday’s Scottish Premiership win over Celtic, Steven Gerrard has made it clear he wants to retain the services of the Rangers defender, who has been in such fine form since he first arrived at Ibrox from Wigan Athletic in the summer.

The Light Blues boss said: “Leon is someone we want to keep hold of. He knows that, he is performing ever so well. He signed a contract with an option of an extension and we want him to be here beyond this season.”

Originally signed to provide injury cover for Nikola Katic, the Nigerian centre-back has been nothing short of a revelation since joining from the Latics on a free last year, even going so far as to supplant Filip Helander in the starting line-up.

Whilst Rangers have relied on several free-scoring players like James Tavernier, Kemar Roofe and Ryan Kent to steer them to the summit of the Scottish Premiership, it is the unsung heroes who should not go unnoticed for their contributions to the team’s title charge.

Take Balogun, for example. Under Gerrard, the 32-year-old has made 18 appearances across all competitions, scoring his debut goal for the Gers in the 4-0 victory over Aberdeen. But that’s not all, as he is currently averaging at least one tackle, one interception and one clearance per game in the Premiership, via WhoScored.

The Rangers manager struggled to contain his glee after Balogun put in a solid defensive shift against Lech Poznan in the Europa League to help his side earn their second straight win in Group D. He said: “He is an international player, he is very quick, he has got a fantastic profile, a profile that we like in that area, and he has come in and settled in really quickly and put in some real consistent performances.”

Ever the consummate professional, his importance to Gerrard’s Gers cannot be underestimated as he has become a colossal at the back. It does beg the question what would Gerrard do without him, but Rangers fans may not have to wait too long to find out, as his current deal will run out at the end of this season. Unless of course Ross Wilson gets his act together and offers him a new contract.

AND in other news, Rangers must secure Allan Campbell as a Scott Arfield alternative…

What Sunderland do in the January transfer market will be fascinating to witness.

One thing’s for certain, Lee Johnson and Kristjaan Speakman will look to sign a player that’s competent in attacking scenarios.

What’s the word?

Speaking last week about what he needed in his side, Johnson admitted that he could do with a player capable of stretching the play a bit more.

Of course, Jack Diamond’s introduction has helped somewhat with that but signing a more experienced professional certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

While this is all going on, Sunderland also have a takeover happening in the background. Prospective buyer William Storey outlined that if he sealed the deal, he’d look to bring in some Premier League players from respective U23 sides.

Thus, The Sunderland Echo have compiled a list of targets that could be available. One such player is Southampton’s Josh Sims.

The winger is currently on loan at Doncaster in League One but his deal with the club expires in January so may be available to move on loan elsewhere.

This deal depends on a host of things. Whether the Saints want to loan him again, or whether he just stays at Donny. Currently, Sims is rated at £1.4m.

The new Williams

Sunderland need to sign quick players in January and in Sims, they’d have their missing ingredient.

Speaking about the 23-year-old winger, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “I think the system’s perfect for him. And he’s not so easy to defend, because he’s small, quick and has good movement.”

That must be music to the ears of supporters at the Stadium of Light, people who became accustomed to some laboured build-up play under Phil Parkinson.

However, most promisingly is his similarities to Jonny Williams. The Charlton attacker spent a period of time on loan with the Mackems in 2017/18 but unfortunately endured most of the season out injured.

That being said, when he did play, he demonstrated immense qualities with the ball at his feet. He was a creative spark and if he’d been fit all season, the Black Cats may have stayed in the Championship.

Sims has six strikes this season and has also created eight goals, and if we compare the two players more closely, there are clear similarities.

For Sunderland, Williams averaged one dribble per game while Sims is currently averaging 0.9 for Donny. Furthermore, they are both fouled with great regularity. The former was brought down 1.4 times a game during his spell in the north-east. Sims, on the other hand, is fouled 1.7 times a game.

Combine that with the fact they can play on either wing or through the middle and you have two creative players who can magic something out of nothing.

Sims would be an astute capture if Speakman can pull off a deal.

AND in other news, Storey would be staring at INSTANT disaster if Sunderland sign ace with “big energy”… 

Tottenham Hotspur edged into the Europa League knockout stages following a thrilling 3-3 draw with LASK Linz on Thursday night.

Jose Mourinho’s side twice took the lead before they were pegged back in injury time as substitute Mamoudou Karamoko fired past Joe Hart.

Before being withdrawn ahead of this weekend’s north London derby, both Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son got on the scoresheet while Dele Alli’s 86th-minute penalty had looked to be enough for the victory.

We perhaps witnessed the Spurs defence of old as they conceded a trio of strikes having just gone on a run of four straight clean sheets in all competitions.

And surprisingly, there were players worse than Davinson Sanchez in that backline – we’re looking at you, Ben Davies.

The Welshman endured such a nightmare of an evening, that Mourinho will surely be absolutely furious with his usually-dependable left-back.

After the game, the Special One said: “Some players individually had very good performances but some players individually had very poor performances.”

No doubt in reference to the likes of Davies…

He was wasteful in possession, losing the ball a whopping 25 times from his 58 touches, which was the second-highest amount from any visiting player, as per SofaScore.

Davies was also rather lightweight, winning just 42% of his seven battles while the 27-year-old could only make 59% of his passes too, so it was certainly a shocking night for the defender valued at €20m (£18m).

It’s made even worse by the fact that he was trusted by Mourinho with the captaincy and that display is certainly going to make the Spurs boss think twice before doing that again – should both Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane be absent together in the future.

Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard was particularly scathing in his review of Davies’ performance, grading him a 5/10 before claiming: “The captain for the night was poor in possession and failed to offer any real thrust from left-back. Beaten too easily in the build-up to the third goal.”

The £65k-per-week star also failed to register a single tackle, interception or block and was dribbled past once.

Even with Sergio Reguilon missing tonight, it would be a surprise to see Davies in the starting XI to face Arsenal on Sunday. At least he certainly doesn’t deserve too after this disasterclass.

AND in other news, Levy could Spurs land their own Vardy in “crazy” 6 foot 6 workhorse…

When Manchester City allowed Douglas Luiz to join Aston Villa in 2019, it perhaps always seemed likely that the Brazilian would return once he started performing in the Premier League.

The Daily Star have reported recently that the Citizens are exploring the option of bringing him back to the club in January, following his impressive recent performances for Aston Villa.

Issues with the defensive midfielder’s work permit prevented him from making an appearance for the Citizens’ first-team during his time at the club and he opted to join Dean Smith’s side in a £15 million deal last summer (per BBC Sport).

Luiz joined City from Vasco da Gama in 2017 and after a two-year loan spell with Spanish side Girona, he finally departed for Villa, where he was able to secure a work permit.

Since then, the Brazilian has gone on to make 50 appearances for the Birmingham-based club, in which he has contributed three goals and four assists (per Transfermarkt).

His performances with Villa were enough to see him earn a call-up to the Brazilian national side, and he made his debut for Selecao in November of last year.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has appeared in all seven of Villa’s Premier League fixtures, in which he has provided one assist, with his performances earning him a solid average rating of 6.84 (per WhoScored).

Smith suggested last season that following the restart of the Premier League, the Brazilian had been “unbelievable” (per Hampshire Live), so he clearly holds him in high regard.

Unfortunately for the English manager, if City opt to activate their reported buy-back clause for Luiz, then there may not be much Aston Villa can do to keep him.

The youngster is perhaps touted as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho, with the 35-year-old’s best years certainly behind him now, and if he can have anywhere near the sort of impact the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has had during his time with the Citizens, then it will surely prove to be a good decision to bring him back.

If his impressive performances with the Villans continue, it certainly would not be a surprise to see him return to the blue half of Manchester in the near future.

After a couple of impressive results, things looked like they might just be heading in the right direction for Newcastle. And lo and behold, the Magpies saw any momentum gained in recent weeks go down the drain with a 2-0 defeat away to Southampton.

It was a performance that saw Steve Bruce’s side take another two steps back, and whilst the manager will take a lot of the flak – and rightly so for their lack of attacking intent – there was one man in particular who really let him down: Sean Longstaff.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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After returning to the side last week in the win over Everton, it looked like Longstaff had put a marker down and given Bruce no option but to play him for the foreseeable future. And to his credit, the Newcastle boss rewarded his midfielder with some faith and kept him in the line-up for the visit to St Mary’s.

Sadly for him, he delivered anything but the kind of performance he put in against the Toffees. As per Sofascore, he lost possession a staggering 15 times over the course of the game, and lost eight of his twelve total duels too.

The Saints simply ran over him in midfield, and his dilly-dallying on the ball didn’t help his teammates either, leaving them in trouble more often that not.

He failed with both of his attempted dribbles, made no tackles or interceptions whatsoever, and made just 26 passes too. For someone trying to establish himself as a key part of this Newcastle midfield, it was as bad as it gets.

Bruce gave him the opportunity to impress once again, and he let his manager down big time.

Crystal Palace have been linked with winger Ismaila Sarr throughout the transfer window. With today being the domestic transfer deadline day, it looks like the clock may be up on a potential move.

Sarr had not just attracted attention from the Eagles, but also from Liverpool as well. However, new light shed on Friday suggests that the player will be staying put until January at least.

The latest transfer update on Palace target Sarr

According to Adam Leventhal from the Athletic, the Watford winger is expected to stay at club beyond today’s 5pm domestic deadline.

The journalist is also reporting that the 22 year-old is involved in the plan against Derby County this evening and he is expected to play some part. This situation unlikely to change even with a late bid.

Is this a big blow for Palace?

The Senegalese attacker signed for Watford in August 2019, and impressed as he made 28 Premier League appearances last season. He managed five goals and four assists, per WhoScored, and also managed 1.6 shots and 1.7 successful dribbles per game.

To hit the ground running in England at such a young age makes him look like a special player and suggests that he has a lot of potential. Therefore, it will be gutting for supporters of the club to hear that it looks like they will not be making a move for the winger.

Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane hailed Sarr when the youngster signed for Watford, saying: “I’m really happy for him and he made the right choice to come to Watford. For sure I think he will be great.”

That said, he was being valued at around £30 million, so it could be seen as a lot of money for a player with few appearances in England’s top flight. One would have to think Roy Hodgson has enough talent at his disposal, providing none of his attacking players suffer long-term injuries.

It would have been nice if the club could have got him, but with signings like Eberechi Eze and Michy Batshuayi, the South London side cannot complain about their depth and quality in attack, something which could not be said in previous years.

Eagles fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Brighton could face a battle to retain the services of teenage defender Haydon Roberts, who has been the subject of renewed interest from Leeds.

Football Insider reported that the Whites have rejected a second bid for the 18-year-old, having already turned down an initial offer from the Elland Road outfit last week.

A Leeds source indicated to Football Insider that the club went back to the Seagulls with an improved offer of £800,000 for the England under-18 international, but that has also been rebuffed.

Roberts is in the final year of his contract at the Amex Stadium but Brighton do not want to lose the youngster, who they believe is capable of becoming a Premier League player (as per Football Insider).

The 18-year-old made his second senior appearance for the club in last week’s Carabao Cup win against Portsmouth, having also played (and scored in) the competition a year ago against Aston Villa. However, he has yet to even feature in a matchday squad for a Premier League fixture. [via TransferMarkt]

According to Football Insider, the teenager has been compared to Seagulls team-mate Ben White, who plays in the same position and has also been the subject of renewed transfer interest from Leeds. Following a fruitful loan spell at Elland Road last season, the Yorkshire club made three unsuccessful bids to try and sign him permanently, with the 22-year-old signing a new contract at the Amex at the start of this month.

Roberts, who made 14 appearances for Brighton’s under-23 side in Premier League 2 last term, has stiff competition ahead of him in Graham Potter’s first team, with five centre-backs in the senior Albion squad.

Considering that Brighton had assigned a £50m price tag on White to ward off prospective suitors, for Roberts to draw comparisons with the 22-year-old is a glowing reflection on the teenager.

It is quite understandable why the Seagulls are reluctant to sell him, particularly for a measly sum of £800,000; although they ought to give consideration to a potential loan exit for the youngster so that he, like White has done, can gain valuable first team exposure elsewhere before returning to his parent club when the time is right.

Brighton fans, what do you make of Leeds’ reported offer for Roberts? Have your say by commenting below!

Several Manchester United fans are unhappy with the club’s reported plans to offer a contract extension to Paul Pogba.

The Daily Mail reported that the Red Devils are set to activate a one-year option on the Frenchman’s contract in order to protect his value, with his current deal at Old Trafford set to expire in 2022. The news was later shared on Twitter by @utdreport.

While the club have yet to formally discuss a longer extension to the 27-year-old’s contract, they know that they have the safety net of extending his current deal (as per Daily Mail).

Pogba became the then-most expensive player in world football when he rejoined United from Juventus in 2016 for £89.2m and has scored 32 goals in 159 games for the club since then, as well as making the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19.

However, the midfielder has also been a lightning rod for criticism from elements of the Old Trafford faithful for some mediocre performances and has been accused by some pundits of having attitude problems, with persistent rumours of a move away from the club. He also came under from numerous supporters over a less than stellar display in the recent defeat to Crystal Palace.

These United fans on Twitter voiced their opposition to the reported plans to extend his contract, with one supporter fearing that it will “get messy”:

Man United fans, what have you made of Pogba’s time at the club so far? Have your say by commenting below!

According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are interested in Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

What’s the word?

The Ivory Coast international has long been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, with reports last year suggesting that Arsenal were very much interested in luring him to the Emirates.

But, a move failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, leaving Zaha stuck with Palace. Now, The Daily Mail claim that the winger is primed for another summer of uncertainty, with the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich all interested in securing his signature.

Can you name every one of the Magpies’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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The report further adds that Steve Bruce’s side in particular are “monitoring” the situation, “though any move would likely be dependent on their protracted takeover”.

Exciting

With Zaha’s ability to play on either flank and even through the middle, the Magpies could well have an incredibly exciting attack of the Ivorian, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron – the kind of fluid front three that could terrify most Premier League defences with their pace and directness.

In fact, Zaha’s Palace teammate James McArthur waxed lyrical about his abilities back in 2018, saying: “He is just unplayable at times and I wouldn’t like to be a defender playing against him. For us, he is a great asset when you can give someone the ball and he can run 40 yards with it.” Essentially, Zaha would bring a lot of the same characteristics that Saint-Maximin has in his locker.

In fact, his average of 4.5 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season is only bettered by two players: Wolves’ Adama Traore, and Saint-Maximin himself. Their abilities to play across the front-line could see them interchange positions, and make for the kind of modern forward-line used by the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona of yesteryear.

Zaha has been the standard-bearer at Palace for a number of years now, playing a whopping 359 games for the Eagles and scoring 57 times. Newcastle of course have had their own inspirational figure before in Hatem Ben Arfa, and the 27-year-old could bring that too.

Ben Arfa had his fair share of magic moments at St James’ Park, not least that wonderful solo goal against Bolton. Zaha is capable of similar magic, netting a beauty in Ivory Coast’s win over Russia. That ability to pick the ball up, drive forward but then deliver a superb finish is something the duo have shown in abundance. And so if Newcastle needed someone to be the final piece of their attacking jigsaw, then the Palace star could very well be that man.