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With the summer transfer window now quickly approaching, Everton will be keen to splash the cash.

They’ve already identified a right winger as a priority but the Toffees need to consider looking at their right-back spot as well.

On the chalkboard

Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed a productive first full season with the Toffees but defensively, there are still plenty of issues to iron out.

Mason Holgate endured a shocker against Aston Villa by losing possession to Ollie Watkins who scored but he was then hauled off after just 45 minutes against Sheffield United on Sunday.

A potential stand-in at right-back, things wouldn’t bode well if Seamus Coleman suddenly picked up an injury.

Jonjoe Kenny has had a torrid loan spell at Celtic so doesn’t seem a viable option which leaves them with the aforementioned Coleman as their only competent option.

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Even then, he’s hardly set the world alight this term. Aged 32, he is approaching the end of his best days and that was evident against Villa last Thursday.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2022, Ancelotti should be searching for replacements.

Odriozola on the way?

One player Everton have been linked with in the last few weeks is Real Madrid full-back Alvaro Odriozola, someone who could move to England on a two-year loan deal.

The 25-year-old was signed from Real Sociedad for €30m (£26m) but rather unsurprisingly, hasn’t been afforded too many opportunities at the Bernabeu.

The full-back has only started eight times this season in La Liga but despite his lack of minutes, he’d still be an upgrade on Coleman.

Speaking about Odriozola in 2018, Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay said: “I’ve known Alvaro since he was a boy as he was friends with my son. I’ve seen him grow up. He is a great person, very responsible.”

Aperibbay added: “He’s a player that will always give his best. He is very fast, I think among the fastest players in La Liga. He is very talented and has a lot of projection.”

Coleman has clearly lost a yard of pace in the last few years so adding someone like Odriozola to the Everton ranks would be incredibly beneficial.

The Spaniard is a rampant force down the right-hand side and possesses plenty of creativity. During his final campaign with Real Sociedad in 2017/18, he produced 155 crosses, putting him in the top five players for that statistic in La Liga.

The Everton skipper has always been a similar player for the Toffees, producing an impressive 28 assists during his time in Merseyside. That said, Odriozola has actually provided more key passes per match (1.2) throughout their respective careers.

Coleman, by comparison, has managed just 0.8. Of course, the Irishman has a larger sample size but it bodes well that Ancelotti could be gaining such a like-minded replacement.

The 25-year-old would be a solid signing from Marcel Brands and co.

AND in other news, Forget Gordon: Ancelotti must unleash “fearless” 21 y/o Everton beast next season…

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ivan Toney was in the building and ready to sign for Celtic last summer.

Following his goalscoring exploits for Posh, the striker was a man in demand, with the Hoops one of many interested in signing him.

But Celtic failed to meet Peterborough’s asking price, and Toney joined Brentford instead.

And the 25-year-old has been in monstrous form for the Bees, scoring 30 goals in 45 Championship appearances to fire them to a top-six finish and leave him on course to win the second-tier Golden Boot.

Celtic, ended up signing West Ham flop Albian Ajeti instead, who’s scored just six times in the Scottish Premiership and has generally been a disappointing addition.

Meanwhile, talisman, Odsonne Edouard has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons, whilst Leigh Griffiths has been a bit part-player, netting just seven times.

And McAvennie told Football FanCast that it was a mistake from Celtic not signing him:

“They had him at Celtic Park. He was in at Celtic Park, that’s a fact, and they were arguing over half a million. And look at the boy now, he’s banging in goals.

“He would have done wonders for Celtic.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Os treinos no Cefat foram totalmente fechados. A escalação do Botafogo, ainda mais com tantos desfalques, é um mistério. Mas alguns indícios são inegáveis. Diogo Barbosa deve jogar, seja na lateral esquerda ou no meio-campo; sem fazer gols nas últimas rodadas, Sassá deve entrar no ataque, na vaga de Rodrigo Pimpão, que não está tão bem como titular; na lateral direita, para não improvisar, Jair Ventura deve escalar Marcinho, em quem confia.

– Não posso dizer, mas é o mais provável. De ofício é o único que temos aqui à disposição, mas como falamos no futebol: quando o técnico inventa e ganha, é magnifico. Quando perde, é “Professor Pardal”. O Marcinho treinou muito bem, por sinal, tem uma disciplina tática importantíssima e um cruzamento muito forte – analisa o técnico.

Confirmada a opção pelo campeão brasileiro sub-20 na lateral, Jair não precisaria expor o também jovem Marcelo, este na zaga; ou improvisar um zagueiro fora de sua posição original. E o treinador garante que Marcinho está adaptado.

– O grupo é bom, ficamos mais aqui do que com nossas famílias. O Marcinho é um dos que está mais adaptado, vem de família de ex-atletas, o que ajuda também – valoriza o técnico Jair Ventura.

RelacionadasBotafogoJair Ventura pondera oscilação do Botafogo: ‘Se um prédio tem 11 pilares e perde cinco, vai balançar’Botafogo25/11/2016

Reports by The Telegraph earlier this week claimed West Ham United may emerge as a ‘realistic option’ for Ross Barkley should the midfielder have no future at Chelsea next season.

And David Moyes sealing a deal for the 27-year-old could see the Irons boss discover his heir to Jesse Lingard, with the London Stadium outfit not in possession of an option to retain the Manchester United loanee.

West Ham are expected to try and do whatever it takes to keep Lingard in claret and blue long-term, having seen the England international strike eight goals and provide three assists in nine Premier League appearances since his January arrival.

Moyes has even marked Lingard and the capture of a new centre-forward as his priorities for the summer market, but West Ham could face an asking price as high as £30m and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to be drawn on potentially offering him a new contract.

If negotiations with the Red Devils prove daunting and no resolution appears in sight, West Ham could turn their attentions to Barkley with the London Stadium considered a ‘realistic option’ for the £18m-rated maestro.

Moyes is claimed to be a big fan of Barkley and may be given the chance to acquire his services if Thomas Tuchel overlooks the Englishman upon his return from a season-long loan with Aston Villa.

The move to Villa Park was expected to see Barkley gain regular minutes and then return to Stamford Bridge to take on a regular role in Frank Lampard’s squad, but those plans went out the window in line with the Blues legend being fired.

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Barkley has also lost the backing of Villans boss Dean Smith, who has not started the Everton product in any of his side’s last seven Premier League games after struggling to rediscover his early form following a hamstring injury.

Smith praised Barkley for being “technically gifted” after helping Villa beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in November, and suggested he would be nudging Gareth Southgate for a recall to the England set-up.

But, more recently, Smith has expressed that Barkley has not been playing to his previous standards, and he will likely now return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season to face whatever uncertainty comes his way.

Barkley may be met with Chelsea deciding to sell him, with The Mirror reporting earlier this month that the south west Londoners could recoup a decent fee through his sale while helping to slash their wage bill by moving on his £96,000-per-week contract.

Moyes, then, could discover his new Lingard by launching efforts to sign Barkley if he does leave Stamford Bridge and the Manchester United loanee heads back to Old Trafford.

A vote of confidence saw Barkley burst out of the gates with goals for Aston Villa against Liverpool and Leicester City in October, like West Ham have seen from Lingard since his mid-season arrival with a double on debut at Villa Park.

The goals and assists are yet to dry up for Lingard, but it remains to be seen if a permanent transfer can be arranged, making Barkley’s situation one Moyes has to keep an eye on in case the West Ham boss ultimately needs to discover his next midfield maestro.

AND in other news, West Ham are weighing up a £21.5m swoop for a “great” 10-goal striker…

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that David De Gea’s days at Manchester United are numbered.

The Spaniard was regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world at one stage in his career, but his form has dipped over the previous few seasons, which has cost him his place on the international stage.

Despite mistakes cropping up, £375,000-a-week man De Gea has continued to remain as United’s first-choice goalkeeper, although his position at Old Trafford is currently under serious threat for the first time in his United career from youngster Dean Henderson.

De Gea has started all-but seven of Manchester United’s Premier League games this season, missing the Palace, City and West Ham games due to personal reasons, but returned to the squad for the wins over Brighton and Manchester United, although former Sheffield United loanee Henderson kept his place.

The experienced-shotstopper has more than two years remaining on his Old Trafford deal, but to couple with reports suggesting that he’s been offered to the likes of Real Madrid this summer, Windass expects him to leave the Red Devils.

“His time is up. It’s been on the lips for ages now. I don’t think De Gea is the answer, I agree with Roy Keane, he makes too many mistakes. He’s been a quality goalkeeper, but sometimes you get rid of the deadwood, and he’s like the deadwood.

“Henderson has done well, course he has, and I think De Gea’s days are over. He’s still linked with Real Madrid, and if De Gea wants to go, then I’d be happy to watch Henderson in goal.”

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has dropped a hugely encouraging update over the future of Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur…

What’s the word?

A lot has been made about the 28-year-old’s future in north London ahead of the summer window, with a lot of the noise and speculation suggesting that he needs to leave Spurs to add trophies to his goal-laden career.

Speaking during the international break, Kane remained coy, he told Sky Sports: “I’m fully focused on doing the job on the pitch from now until the end of the summer, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

That comes one year on from a similar interview that saw the England skipper claim he’d be willing to leave Spurs if they weren’t progressing.

The likes of Roy Keane, Jermain Defoe and Michael Owen have all urged Kane to move on in recent months.

But according to Romano, it’s “difficult to see that happening. In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport this week, he said:

“I think it’s difficult to see Harry Kane out of Tottenham. I know what he said in the last interviews and obviously, we are in March so at the moment there is nothing advanced, but what I’m told is that Tottenham are planning with Harry Kane as part of the team.

“They want to discuss about this contract in the coming months and let’s see when they will decide to do it but they’re planning with him so at the moment there is nothing advanced with other clubs and they’re happy with Harry Kane so let’s see what he will decide.”

Mourinho will be buzzing

This news should come as a relief to everyone at Spurs but not at least manager Jose Mourinho, given his increasing reliance on the £108m-rated talisman.

The Englishman, a product of the Hotspur Way academy system, has bagged a whopping 27 goals in all competitions and has even broken a Premier League record this season.

Spurs have scored a total of 49 times in the top-flight this campaign, in which Kane has scored or assisted 30 of them, meaning he has accounted for 61.2% of their goals.

It’s no wonder Heung-min Son has lauded his Lilywhites teammate a “monster” in the past.

Without him, Mourinho would clearly be at a massive loss, especially given his doubts over Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius.

“Vinicius is a player with an incredible spirit but his understanding of how to press is something he’s still not comfortable with,” explained the Portuguese boss to BT Sport (via Goal) after snubbing the Brazilian forward against Chelsea in February, with Kane out injured.

Even last season, with the leading striker absent, Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup, Champions League and at one stage looked to be missing out on Europe until his sudden return.

If Romano’s words ring true this summer, then Mourinho can start planning an assault on ending that barren run without silverware, with Kane at the forefront of that quest.

At the same time, he could silence those who believe the 6 foot 2 beast is better off elsewhere.

Click here to see the full GiveMeSport interview with Fabrizio Romano

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kane: Why Spurs must swoop for this “remarkable” Bundesliga sensation…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer is adamant Carlo Ancelotti has no intention of catering to Alex Iwobi’s desire to play in his preferred position at Everton.

Iwobi recently posted a story on Instagram that was interpreted by some as a dig at his club manager for not always utilising him efficiently. Ancelotti has since responded, stating he is willing to play Iwobi in a position he feels more comfortable in if the player speaks to him about the issue.

Palmer, however, doubts the three-time Champions League winning-manager will go through with his words, especially with Everton doing so well in English football’s top flight this season.

Discussing the matter in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“Maybe he’s just saying that for the public. I don’t believe for one minute Carlo Ancelotti would do that, I don’t believe for one minute. I think he’s just trying to deal with it in the press and in the media, defusing the situation by saying that. He’s never going to change the system to suit one player.”

£50,000-a-week man Iwobi has been used in various positions this term, including at left and right wing-back.

As an attacker, naturally, it can be expected that the Nigeria international wants to play further forward. However, at present, there is a lot of competition in that area of the pitch at Goodison Park.

Richarlison and James Rodriguez are just a couple of players Ancelotti can call upon when fielding his forward line, making things a bit difficult for Iwobi in regards to his desire to play in attack regularly.

A nine-man Glasgow Rangers side crashed out of the Europa League at the round of 16 stage on Thursday evening.

Steven Gerrard’s men were defeated at Ibrox for the first time in just over a year by Czech Republic champions Slavia Prague, also ending a 13-game unbeaten run in the competition.

The visitors took the lead early in the first half, but things went from bad to worse after the break. Just six minutes after being introduced from the bench, Kemar Roofe received a straight red card for catching the goalkeeper with a high boot.

Slavia Prague doubled their advantage shortly later as Leon Balogun followed the 28-year-old in for an early shower.

However, the Gers duo weren’t the only two players to badly let Gerrard down on the night. You could probably make a case for pretty much everyone, although the fact that Scott Arfield was hooked after just 55 minutes was rather damning.

As a key member of that engine room, in the absence of the injured Ryan Jack particularly, the 32-year-old veteran should’ve stepped up to the mark in what was a historic occasion for the newly-crowned Scottish champions.

Instead, he was lightweight and anonymous alongside Steven Davis and Glen Kamara.

Arfield managed the fewest number of touches (29) of any Rangers player to start from the off, even fewer than goalkeeper Allan McGregor (40), and that’s just not what you need from someone who is supposed to pull the strings in the middle of the park.

From those limited touches, the Canada international struggled in possession, losing the ball nine times whilst he could only make 71% of his 24 passing attempts. This was comfortably the worst effort from any Gers player, and that’s just not what you need from a midfielder.

Considering Arfield is averaging an accuracy of 84.4% of his passes this season, via WhoScored, he was clearly having an off night.

The former Burnley ace won just one of seven duels (14%) too, only emphasising how much he struggled to combat the industrious strength of the visiting Czech Republicans.

GlasgowLive graded Arfield a 4/10, the joint-worst from the starting XI alongside Balogun and claimed: ‘It’s just not worked out for him since coming back from injury and he really struggled in his 50 odd minutes on the pitch.’

Indeed, the ageing midfielder hasn’t managed above a 6.22 WhoScored rating since mid-December and last night was just another sign of why the Gers should be looking to move on from him sooner rather than later.

He badly let Gerrard and the club down.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Ham will be monitoring Rangers striker, claims Pundit…

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to the latest comments from Dean Smith on injured star and attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

Grealish’s return date is unconfirmed at the moment, but the Villa manager tried to shed as much light as possible as he said: “I saw him before the game and he said to me if he gets on the grass he’s playing (vs Newcastle). But I said to him, ‘I’ve got to pick you first!’ which he laughed at…”

The Villans are definitely missing an attacking threat without the talisman as they drew 0-0 against rivals Wolves on Saturday night. With the English international picking up six goals and ten assists this season (WhoScored), he could have been the difference between a draw and a win.

The only worrying thing about this latest update on the player is that he is still not back on the grass, and this may be a cause of concern for many fans of the club.

Hopefully the fact that they are mentioning the Newcastle game as a possibility means that he will be back, but for now it seems “touch-and-go”, in the words of Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece.

Here is how Villa fans reacted to the comments from Smith:

“I don’t get it. Surely if he’s pain free and the players wants to play, no-one knows better than the player? Our medical staff are OTT.”

Credit: @AvfcSims

“That sounds hopeful that he will be back for Newcastle. Thought that midfield in first half was excellent, jack in the team and Traore other side or another winger and that is a real strong team”

Credit: @NashNash194

“We need Jack even if he is limping!”

Credit: @techvesting1

“Shouldn’t be needing to rush Jack against the likes of Newcastle, on the bench would still be a boost.”

Credit: @CS_UTV

“Don’t rush him back half fit we’re not in a relegation battle now.”

Credit: @jamsey55

“Judging by the second half display today, he will need to pick Jack even if he is half of his usual self”

Credit: @Berdan08914685

In other Villa news, some fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

West Ham United were dealt a huge blow in their FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday night with Angelo Ogbonna sustaining an ankle injury.

That’s according to the Evening Standard, who note that the Italian centre-half is due for scans after twisting his left ankle while blocking a goal-bound shot from Anthony Martial 16 minutes into the fifth round loss.

Ogbonna let out a hellish scream while down on the Old Trafford turf, but was able to limp back to the dressing room time with the help of the Irons medical team after receiving treatment for quite some.

Moyes will fear Ogbonna facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines having seen the 32-year-old establish a strong partnership beside Watford loanee Craig Dawson in recent weeks, and turn in several pivotal performances to help West Ham contend for European qualification.

The Irons boss also lauds Ogbonna as an important part of his plans at the London Stadium, and confirmed that the former Juventus enforcer has sustained an ankle injury while speaking following Tuesday’s defeat.

“Angelo will be a miss because he has played very well for us. He is a player who has been in the team every game for us, he is important to us,” he said, via quotes by football.london.

The Manchester United affair was Ogbonna’s 25th start of the season across all competitions, having opened all 23 of West Ham’s Premier League games to date plus two of their FA Cup ties.

Moyes has only opted to rest the £4.5m-rated titan against League One side Doncaster Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup, as well as all three of his side’s Carabao Cup fixtures.

Moyes’ worst fears coming true and Ogbonna now facing a lengthy spell out of action may leave the West Ham boss with only two fit centre-halves for when his side host Sheffield United in the Premier League on Monday night.

Issa Diop came on to replace Ogbonna against Manchester United, but later became the first player in English football history to be substituted through the recently implemented concussion protocols.

The Frenchman was taken off at half-time following a clash of heads with Martial, to potentially leave Fabian Balbuena and Dawson as Moyes’ only fit out-and-out senior options.

That being the case will afford Balbuena a chance to step up and regain his place in the starting line-up, having fallen into the wilderness in line with Dawson’s progress and be linked with a potential Deadline Day move away from east London last week.

Balbuena had also been tipped to earn a new contract following his run in the side earlier in the campaign, but is now inside the final six-months of his £40,000-per-week deal and has not featured in the top-flight since December 27.

After starting 12 of West Ham’s first 15 league games, the £7m-rated defender has since been left an unused substitute on six occasions and omitted from two matchday squads, while also left on the bench at Old Trafford despite the injuries to Ogbonna and Diop.

Clearly, Moyes prefers a partnership of Ogbonna and Dawson at the back now, but that will likely not be the case against Sheffield United on Monday after the blows suffered in the FA Cup.

AND in other news, West Ham will have to pay in excess of £26.5m to land a prolific 18 goal striker in the summer…