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According to Esporte UOL, Everton are said to be in advanced negotiations along with Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Ajax forward David Neres.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees are punching well above their weight in vying with the French champions for Neres.

The Brazilian international enjoyed an eye-catching 2018/19 campaign with Ajax as they won the Eredivisie title and the Dutch Cup, whilst they were just seconds away from making the final of the Champions League.

Neres played a huge role in helping the Dutch giants achieve these feats, scoring 12 goals and recording 15 assists including Champions League knockout strikes against Real Madrid and Juventus – the latter of which was an absolute scorcher.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

As a result, the 22-year-old is attracting interest from around Europe, with the Toffees and the Ligue 1 outfit reportedly leading the way for his signature.

Good relationships with agents are helping Everton punch above their weight

Normally, it shouldn’t be possible that a club like Everton can compete in the market against a club who spent a combined £366m on Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe alone.

The Qatar-funded French top-flight holders are up to their eyeballs in cash, whereas the Toffees aren’t even in Europe next season.

However, the story from UOL reveals that the Merseysiders are ‘advanced in negotiations’ due to the fact they’re easy to negotiate with after completing the signings of Bernard and Richarlison in the past – both players share the same representatives as Neres.

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Furthermore, it is said to be Neres’ wish to play in England, so the Toffees are even more well placed to land his signature this summer.

There is no way that Everton can match the finances of PSG, but in building up good relationships with representatives in previous deals, it appears that they can viably punch above their weight when needed to.

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Gareth Southgate should switch to a one-man defensive midfield by drafting in Declan Rice for both Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier, which would then allow Callum Hudson-Odoi to be part of the starting lineup.

Good enough to do both jobs

Rice has shown for West Ham this season that he can be trusted to do almost everything in that centre-defensive midfield position.

The 20-year-old is a dominating presence physically, but one who is extremely comfortable on the ball and can also tackle effectively, making him a well-rounded player in the middle of the park.

Matty from the Magpie Channel looks ahead to this weekend’s England fixtures in the video below…

All of these qualities can be found between the pair of Henderson and Dier, who, on their own, have some good traits but are lacking in other areas – Henderson physically, and Dier in terms of his quality on the ball.

Would allow Hudson-Odoi to come in

In his 20 minutes on the pitch, Hudson-Odoi managed to have two shots – both of which were on target – whilst also providing a constant, direct threat down the left flank.

It was his saved effort that led to the fifth goal, diverted into his own net by Tomas Kalas, and Hudson-Odoi provided the perfect foul for Jadon Sancho out on the opposite flank throughout – the pair of them gave the Czech Republic backline plenty to think about.

The Chelsea academy graduate began the evening on the bench, with Raheem Sterling out on the right flank, although the hat-trick hero on the night has shown in Manchester City colours that he can play anywhere across the front free.

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If Rice is drafted in, Southgate can try a 4-1-4-1 system with the Hammers academy graduate holding, Dele Alli ahead of him with Sancho, Sterling and Hudson-Odoi alongside him, whilst Harry Kane plays a lone striker role.

Just uttering those names and the quality that they carry should spark excitement for England fans – that attacking quartet, with the outstanding Rice mopping up behind, could go on to do great things in the near future.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard should make an ambitious loan move for West Ham talent Grady Diangana, as the 20-year-old could be pushed down the pecking order at the London Stadium if Samir Nasri joins the club.

What’s the situation?

According to a recent report from The Mirror, the Hammers have offered Nasri a six month contract that is worth £80,000 per week in order to reunite him with his former boss Manuel Pellegrini.

The pair worked together at Manchester City and won a Premier League title during the 2013/14 season, but Nasri will not be able to play for the East London side until his 18-month doping ban ends on December 31.

The 31-year-old has been training with West Ham in recent weeks and it is no surprise to see the club offer him a contract. However, the Frenchman potential introduction into the playing squad could spell bad news for the game time of youngster Diangana.

Perfect opportunity

Rangers though could capitalise on this by bringing the England U20 international to Ibrox for the rest of the season. Steven Gerrard’s side are currently second in the Scottish Premier League table behind bitter rivals Celtic, but they can make up ground with the Old Firm derby on Saturday.

The Gers though have been lacking quality in the final third all season, and are far too reliant on Alfredo Morelos for goals.

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Diangana then could be the perfect signing. A tricky winger, he has broken into the West Ham first team having come up through the ranks and would be able to provide assists as well as chipping in with goals from out wide, something that Gerrard has been lacking in this campaign.

So, Rangers fans, would you like to see the club move for Diangana in January? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

After years of serial underachievement, Rangers seem to finally be back on track with new boss Steven Gerrard at the helm. 

The Gers brought in a raft of new faces over the summer and so far it looks as though those new players have had a huge effect on the club as Rangers currently sit sixth in the table and impressively, held Villarreal to a draw after a long and arduous qualifying campaign.

Among the new faces to join the club over the summer was former Hearts striker, Kyle Lafferty.

Ahead of the international break, Lafferty had declared himself unfit to travel although Rangers had informed the Irish FA that he was indeed fit. While it may anger Northern Ireland boss, Michael O’Neill, Lafferty’s decision to put his club career ahead of his international one is only going to benefit Rangers.

The Breakdown

Due to his decision to not play in the international break, Lafferty will miss Northern Ireland’s games against Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The former Hearts striker has scored three goals in six games in the Premiership and crucially scored a goal against Villareal.

At the moment Lafferty and Alfredo Morelos have been a deadly duo for Steven Gerrard, which has been needed considering the poor form of on-loan striker Umar Sadiq.

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While he may not voice his pleasure at his star striker deciding to stay in Glasgow, Steven Gerrard will surely be pleased that his forward can use the week to recover rather than face two European trips.

Thoughts rangers fans? 

It has not exactly been the best of seasons for Leeds United, with a total of 57 points from 45 matches leaving them down in 14th position in the Championship table.

The Whites have only won once in the Championship since the end of March, and suffered a 2-1 defeat at Norwich City last time out.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be looking to end on a positive note when they welcome Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, although even a victory in that match would not exactly make the fans forget what has been a poor campaign.

A number of the club’s players have taken criticism from the supporters this season, and perhaps none more so than the skipper Liam Cooper.

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The 26-year-old has made 30 appearances in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign – scoring once in 28 Championship fixtures.

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Cooper’s suitability for the captain’s role has long been called into question, however, and the centre-back has once again faced scathing criticism from his club’s own fans.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

West Ham United picked up three vital points away to Stoke City on Saturday, winning 3-0 in the English Premier League.

The Hammers looked as good as they have all season against the home side and the performance gives David Moyes’ side a massive confidence boost heading into the busy Christmas period.

Mark Noble, Diafra Sakho and Marko Arnautovic were the goal heroes on the day, blitzing a Stoke defence who struggled to contain the visitors all afternoon.

Arnautovic was in particularly sparkling form and after hitting the woodwork twice, he found the back of the net with a smart low finish after combining with Manuel Lazini 15 minutes from time.

Scoring against his former club was probably written in the stars and it appears he’s finally found his feet at his new club after a difficult start to the season under Slaven Bilic.

Supporters took to Twitter to enthuse about his performance…

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Celtic have had an obscenely good season by anyone’s standards. Even taking into account the financial advantage they have over every other club in Scotland, they had no right to absolute destroy the opposition in the manner they did. Unbeaten, winning every trophy, playing fantastic football, big derby wins, beating Aberdeen in every match; their list of amazing moments across the entire campaign has dozens on it.

Still, no football season is perfect and for some Hoops fans there may still be some niggling things from the campaign that they’ll be hoping Brendan Rodgers can fix in his second season. Football would be boring if your team didn’t continually strive to improve, after all.

Predictably most of these regrets come from Europe, which wasn’t quite the stellar campaign that their domestic season turned out to be. Here are FOUR regrets from the Celtic season that they’ll be striving to make amends for after the summer…

Callum McGregor’s miss in Germany

If you had to distil any regrets Celtic have from the last 12 months into a single moment then it would probably be Callum McGregor’s miss away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League Group Stages. With the game poised at 1-1 and the Germans down to ten men, the scene was set for the Hoops to steal a famous win.

The ball was at McGregor’s feet and instead of guiding it past the goalkeeper, he flashed it wide of the far post. For a midfielder that is usually so reliable in front of goal it was a glaring miss. Unfortunate yes, but ultimately a moment that partially cost the Hoops progress into the UEFA Europa League.

How do they rectify it next season? Well, finishing at least third in their group stage next season, should they get there, would represent fantastic progress under Brendan Rodgers. Celtic love nothing more than European football after Christmas and securing it next term would destroy any memory of this miss.

Not whitewashing Rangers

Of course, it goes without saying that Celtic’s dominance over Rangers this season was an absolute highlight for many fans. However, think how much better the gloating may have been if they’d beat the Light Blues in every single derby match over the last season. The city rivals played six times in all competitions and Brendan Rodgers’ side bodied them completely in five of those.

However, a late equaliser at Celtic Park is a blemish on the record as a whole. In terms of city dominance, there’s nothing better than winning every single match against the other, a green and whitewash if you will.

It doesn’t happen often and letting their lead slip so late against what was Graeme Murty’s eleven must niggle a wee bit. It’s easily rectified next season – simply beat them in every game!

Not winning a home Champions League match

It’s true that Celtic’s group draw was especially tough this season. Facing teams from Europe’s top three leagues is an especially cruel fate for a side that were hoping to find their feet in the competition again after a multi-year absence.

However, no matter who Celtic have gone up against in the past, they’ve always found ways to win against even the elite teams on the continent. Manchester United, AC Milan, Juventus; all teams that have wilted in the pressure cooker that is Celtic Park over the last 15 years.

The main thing missing from the Hoops’ European campaign was that home win in the group stages, the first time they’ve ever failed to win at home in the competition. Had they picked up three points at some stage they may have finished third and progressed beyond Christmas.

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That’ll be a key aim of Brendan Rodgers next season. Even if they do not progress from the groups, he’ll at least want to see his side live up to the legacy at Celtic.

Suffering a record European defeat

Another big blotch on the Hoop’s European record last season was suffering their biggest ever European defeat, at the hands of Barcelona. While it’s true the Catalan giants are capable of inflicting such misery on many, many good sides, it’s still a defeat that stings for many Hoops fans.

The gulf between the two sides in terms of talent is huge but what was most frustrating was the lack of fight in the Celtic side. They looked like they were not up for the battle and that battle is something Celtic teams must always bring to the table.

They did show progress in subsequent away matches in the competition, drawing both in Germany and away to Manchester City. That progress needs to continue next season, even against pot one sides.

Celtic are currently back in training and preparing to return to action in the Scottish Premiership with a trip to face Dundee away from home on Sunday.

The Hoops beat Motherwell 3-2 at Parkhead before the international break, thanks to a last-gasp winner from Daizen Maeda, and will be hoping to follow that up with another victory.

However, Brendan Rodgers may have some injury issues to contend with ahead of selecting his starting line-up to chase the three points against Dundee.

The latest Celtic team news before Dundee

Starting with the positive news, Alistair Johnston has returned to first-team training this week for the first time since he suffered a hamstring injury in August.

He was initially ruled out until November, per the Daily Record, but the Canada international is now in line for an early return against Dundee on Sunday.

There was more positive news out of the camp earlier this week when Sebastian Tounekti played for Tunisia against Namibia, having missed his country’s first match through injury.

Whilst the Tunisian whiz, who scored his first goal for the club against Partick Thistle, may be available for selection, Celtic’s right-sided winger may not be.

Daizen Maeda had to withdraw from international duty with Japan due to a foot issue, not playing a single minute in either match, and his injury has left Rodgers concerned, per Football Insider, ahead of Sunday.

How Celtic could replace Daizen Maeda

Football FanCast recently suggested that unleashing 18-year-old winger Rhys Dargie could be one way for the Hoops to replace Maeda if he is unavailable for selection against Dundee, because the output from the manager’s other options has left a lot to be desired.

Output from Celtic RWs

25/26 season (all competitions)

Appearances

Goals + assists

Daizen Maeda (first-team)

13

3 + 2

Michel-Ange Balikwisha (first-team)

6

0 + 2

Hyun-jun Yang (first-team)

8

1 + 0

James Forrest (first-team)

12

0 + 0

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Hyun-jun Yang, and James Forrest have struggled to deliver consistent quality in the final third.

If Rodgers does not want to bring in Dargie, as he has not featured in a matchday squad for the first team, he could solve his Maeda problem by unleashing Callum Osmand for the first time.

The summer signing from Fulham has made the bench for the senior side on two occasions, both against Kairat in the Champions League, which shows that he is in the manager’s thoughts.

Osmand is a centre-forward by trade, but he has played on the right wing before, per Transfermarkt, scoring two goals in one game. He was also hailed as “lightning quick” by Fulham expert Jack Kelly, which suggests that he has the mobility and speed to play out wide.

Callum Osmand’s U18 & U21 form for Fulham

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

24/25

22

11

4

23/24

29

21

6

22/23

21

11

2

21/22

1

0

0

Total

73

43

12

Stats via Transfermarkt

The 19-year-old attacker’s form for Fulham at youth level, as shown in the table above, shows that he has the potential to deliver quality in the final third, particularly as a goalscorer, which is what the Hoops are lacking.

Maeda is Celtic’s top scoring winger, with three goals, which is why it would be a blow to lose him for any number of games through injury, but Osmand is a young talent who could ease that blow.

The Wales U17 international has scored two goals in three Challenge Cup games for Celtic, per Transfermarkt, which also shows that he has carried his goalscoring form over to Scotland.

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This Sunday could be the perfect opportunity to provide him with a chance to impress on the right wing, even if it is not his preferred position, with a first-team debut for the Hoops, if Maeda is unavailable.

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Osmand may be a more viable short-term option for Rodgers than Dargie, who does look like an exciting prospect, because of his first-team involvement earlier this season.

Whether it is Dargie or Osmand, who could both be intriguing options to call upon on the right wing, Celtic may have to do something different on the right flank if Maeda is out, due to how underwhelming their senior alternatives have been.

Arsenal’s summer striker search is set to be one of the major topics for discussion in N5, with two big-names in Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko rumoured to be Andrea Berta’s top two targets.

Arsenal hold talks over signing Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko

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Sesko is fresh off the back of a career-best Bundesliga campaign with Leipzig – bettering his 2023/2024 tally with 21 goals in all competitions – while Gyokeres has quite simply been unstoppable with 54 goals in total across 24/25.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Berta has held extensive talks over a move for Gyokeres (Florian Plettenberg), but Arsenal have also since begun concrete negotiations for Sesko as well – leading to some confusion over who the club’s main target actually is.

Sky Germany’s Plettenberg reported last week that their focus is on both men, but either deal would prove to be “extremely expensive”, prompting Berta to consider the two options very carefully.

Either way, another reliable journalist in David Ornstein fully expects one of Gyokeres or Sesko to seal a switch to Arsenal last summer.

“They’ve got a decision to make between Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig and Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon, both fantastic options and talents,” said Ornstein to NBC Sports.

“I do expect one of them to come into the Emirates Stadium this summer.”

BBC journalist shares update on Arsenal signing Sesko or Gyokeres

Responding to this burning question in a Q&A, about whether Arsenal are going to sign Sesko or Gyokeres, the BBC’s Sami Mokbel has shared “information” on Arsenal’s talks for the pair.

He says that Arsenal are attempting to confirm the “frameworks” when it comes to deals for Sesko or Gyokeres, before they make a final decision on who to go for.

“In terms of Gyokeres or Sesko – my information is that the club are working towards confirming the frameworks of both deals before making a final decision on which to proceed with,” said Mokbel.

“Sesko has near-universal backing at the Emirates but, crucially, will be the more expensive deal. Gyokeres’ chances of moving to Arsenal have increased since Andrea Berta’s appointment as sporting director. Price is key here. Sesko ticks many boxes in terms of profile, he is younger than Gyokeres and plays in a stronger league (the Bundesliga) according to recruitment data. But some of the reported figures indicate he could cost £93million.

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“Gyokeres is more economical, but would see the club divert from their longer-term strategy given Sesko has always been a target.”

Sesko already rejected a move to Arsenal last summer, so he’s been a long-term target for Arteta, pre-dating Berta’s arrival as sporting director.

Given just how highly the Spaniard must rate him, splashing in around £93m for the 22-year-old would be a real show of backing to their manager by the Arsenal board.

Aston Villa are gearing themselves up for a tough second half of the campaign, challenging not only in the Premier League but also the Champions League, looking to give a good account of themselves in the European competition, whilst also aiming to qualify again through their league position.

Unai Emery’s side are the closest to neutral for goal difference in the division, scoring 34 goals, and conceding 35 goals, leaving them with a -1 goal difference. In terms of their goal-scoring numbers, Villa are tenth. They are only averaging 12.6 shots per game which is the seventh fewest in the division.

This suggests Emery’s side are struggling at the top end of the pitch this season in comparison to last campaign, averaging 13.6 shots per game and scoring 76 goals (sixth most).

This has already sparked investment in the forward department, bringing Donyell Malen to the club, but Villa could add yet another player to the mix, who could be even better than Malen for them.

Aston Villa in the race to sign another forward

With reports of Arsenal wanting striker Ollie Watkins before the deadline slams shut next Monday and Jhon Duran facing interest from Saudi Arabia, it could well be that Monchi is in need of bringing a new forward to the club in the coming days.

Well, according to reports from Haber Sarikirmizi (relayed by SportsWitness), Aston Villa are now in the race to sign Galatasaray winger, Baris Alper Yilmaz. The reports suggest that the aforementioned Monchi ‘wants him very much.’

Transfer Focus

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The Turkish attacker has also been linked with West Ham and Nottingham Forest in this window. West Ham reportedly had a £25m offer on the table, which was rejected by Galatasaray, telling them to return in the summer instead, which suggests it would take a larger fee to convince them to part ways in January.

Yilmaz has made 30 appearances so far this season, scoring 11 goals, providing two assists and totalling 2,394 minutes played. The 24-year-old has played in a variety of positions too, playing as a left-winger, right-winger, centre-forward and even a right back and left back.

How Yilmaz compares to new Aston Villa signing Malen

Malen made his first Aston Villa appearance against West Ham from the bench, having made 21 appearances for Dortmund prior, scoring five goals and providing one assist in 957 minutes played.

How well he does only time will tell, but could the Villa recruitment team land a quick-fire upgrade on the Dutchman? Quite possibly.

Yilmaz vs Malen in 2024/25

Stats (per 90 mins)

Yilmaz

Malen

Goals

0.43

0.38

Assists

0.04

0.23

xG

0.32

0.47

xAG

0.32

0.11

Progressive Carries

5.26

2.99

Progressive Passes

2.81

2.06

Shots Total

2.96

2.82

Key Passes

1.93

0.41

Shot-Creating Actions

5.26

1.96

Successful Take-Ons

1.58

1.44

Stats taken from FBref

When comparing Yilmaz to Malen, both would be most likely to get their minutes from the right wing, but they are both versatile enough to fill in for others across the front line. With Duran looking more and more likely to be sold this month, Malen could deputise as a centre-forward when Watkins isn’t available, should he not move to the Emirates Stadium.

Both players are direct, looking to impact the game with a high volume of actions (creating shots and taking shots) and looking to provide output.

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One area Yilmaz does prove to be ahead of Malen is in progressive metrics, dropping deeper to help facilitate in build-up with his progressive passing and carrying quality.

The sale of Duran could allow Aston Villa to fund a move for Yilmaz, bringing two versatile forwards to the club who can give Emery different options in attack, whilst continuing to start Watkins as the main striker, ensuring everyone is happy with their share of minutes.

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