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An update has emerged on Everton and their plans to improve their options in the final third heading into the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Yuri Alberto to Everton?

According to GOAL, the Toffees are eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Corinthians centre-forward Yuri Alberto ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the club are considering whether or not to make an official offer to land the Brazilian forward's signature, but there has not been any contact between the two teams as of yet.

It is stated that Everton remaining in the Premier League has helped their cause and that Sean Dyche's side has the financial power to make moves in the market.

Who is Yuri Alberto?

He is a 22-year-old Brazil international who is valued at £11m by Football Transfers and his arrival would be terrible news for Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The England international scored a stunning 29 Premier League goals across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns combined, but his form has fallen off a cliff over the last two years.

Since the start of 2021/22, Calvert-Lewin has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 34 appearances in the top flight – including two in 17 this term.

In the current season, the 26-year-old averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 across 17 appearances in the league and contributed with two goals and one assist, with a pass success rate of 61%.

Meanwhile, Alberto averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 and provided eight goals and one assist in 20 outings in the Brasileiro Serie A in 2022 and completed 68% of his attempted passes.

The former Santos man, who was hailed as "dangerous" and "powerful" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has plundered 30 goals in 94 Serie A matches throughout his career to date.

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These statistics show that the ace, who is four years younger than the Everton striker, has the potential to be a reliable goalscorer for the Toffees if he can adapt to playing in English football as the finisher has proven himself in the top-flight in Brazil.

Calvert-Lewin, on the other hand, did not make big contributions for the Toffees in the top flight in England and was a liability for the team as the striker did not score or assist enough and gave the ball away too often with his loose passes.

This indicates that Alberto has the quality to come in as an upgrade on the England international and this would, therefore, be terrible news for the ex-Sheffield United man as it could lead to him being the second-choice striker and sitting on the bench week-in-week-out.

Newcastle United were offered Jorginho during the January transfer window before his eventual departure on deadline day.

What’s the latest?

The Toon did not bring in any midfielders over the course of the January transfer window but it seems as if there were some options potentially on their radar.

Eddie Howe’s side were linked with the likes of Sander Berge over the final days of the window and it is believed they held an interest in Conor Gallagher.

Adding to their desire to bring in a new midfielder, Howe saw the 30-year-old, Jonjo Shelvey, leave the club for Nottingham Forest.

But speaking on the True Faith podcast, journalist Craig Hope has claimed they were offered the new Arsenal midfielder, Jorginho, by his intermediaries.

He said: “Jorginho was offered to them, again, by intermediaries. Now, there was people within the club who I think were for the Jorginho deal – they saw the sense in it.

“I don’t think Eddie was. Just didn’t think he had the legs to get around in terms of that sort of high-energy pressing style he wants from his midfielders.”

Missing out on experience?

The Italian is a player who would certainly have been able to arrive on Tyneside and provided an awful lot of experience at the highest level to Howe’s midfield.

Jorginho has racked up trophies.

However, it appears as if this is a player who Howe was not keen to bring to St. James’ Park.

Although Bruno Guimaraes has provided the Toon with more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, the Italian has offered more tackles and passes per 90 minutes (via FBref).

So perhaps this is a player who could have come into Newcastle and provided them with another option as a holding midfielder following Shelvey’s departure.

And he is a player who has been on the end of some big praise from the likes of Jose Mourinho who had the following to say back in 2019:

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“For me, Jorginho is the best midfielder in Europe. The way he controls the game, how he recycles the ball in the transitions between attack and defence. His ability on the ball when he is under pressure is amazing.”

However, he would have done so on a big weekly salary of £110k which would have seen him become one of the highest earners at the club.

And it seems as if the Italian did not exactly impress in the 31-minute appearance at Goodison Park with journalist Sean Walsh only awarding him with a 5/10 rating after the game.

Given this was a position that Newcastle were keen to strengthen last month, it does show the trust put in Howe’s judgement when there were others inside the club who would have approved the potential deal.

Celtic have no doubt enjoyed notable success during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure thus far, although one worrying trend that has emerged in recent times has been seeing a handful of the club’s young talents poached by Premier League sides.

The Parkhead giants have seen both Leo Hjelde and Rory Mahady join Leeds United in the space of the last 18 months, while arguably the greatest loss has been that of Scotland U21 international, Ben Doak.

The highly-rated 17-year-old was snapped up by Liverpool earlier this year having risen up through the Hoops’ youth ranks, with the winger quickly making his mark at Anfield with eight goals and six assists at academy level this season, including four goals and four assists in just six UEFA Youth League games.

The Dalry-born sensation has even made his debut at senior level for the Merseysiders after featuring off the bench in the Carabao Cup triumph over Derby County last month, having been lauded as an ‘exciting prospect’ by former Bhoys hero, Kenny Dalglish.

The “fearless” youngster – as described by journalist Barry Anderson – has already left those back at Celtic Park ruing their inability to keep him in Glasgow, with it looking as if the Reds’ starlet will go on to enjoy a bright future in English football.

For Postecoglou and co, the hope will be to avoid seeing another promising talent follow Doak out the door, with the Scottish champions likely already sweating regarding the long-term future of teenage ace, Rocco Vata.

Recent reports have claimed that the 17-year-old has caught the attention of both Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as the likes of AC Milan, Juventus and Roma, as a result of his sparkling form of late.

The Ireland youth international – who is the son of former Celtic and Albania defender Rudi Vata – has arguably been the star attraction for the club’s ‘B’ team this season, with the versatile forward having scored eight goals and recorded one assist in just 14 Lowland League outings.

That impact has come after the playmaker was included as part of the first-team squad for the trip to Austria in pre-season, while he was more recently part of the travelling party for the Sydney Super Cup voyage.

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The Hamilton-born menace will again have a chance to impress Postecoglou after earning his place in the squad for the warm-weather training camp in Portugal alongside fellow youngster Bosun Lawal, with the title-winning coach hoping to increase the duo’s “exposure” to life at first-team level.

A player with a “killer attitude” who could go right “to the top”, in the words of ‘B’ team coach Darren O’Dea, Vata will certainly be one who could well make the step up from the youth set-up sooner rather than later.

Alternatively, it would also be no surprise if that interest from the Premier League’s big boys ultimately leads to an exit from Paradise for the player, with Postecoglou and co likely dreading a repeat of the Doak scenario.

Liverpool have been struggling to find their form over the season so far with a number of fitness issues in the squad, and now a new injury update has emerged.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce on Thursday, Naby Keita is, unfortunately, suffering from a serious hamstring injury following his absence from the squad over the season so far.

That followed initial suggestions from Pearce who, speaking in his Q&A after the defeat in Naples, said: “The fact he’s not in the CL squad means it has to be serious.”

However, there have been contrasting reports on the condition of the midfielder as he was named in Guinea’s international squad for the international break later this month.

It will give Klopp a headache

There is no doubt that the situation surrounding Keita will be giving Jurgen Klopp a big headache whilst trying to deal with the ongoing issues in the team following a string of embarrassing performances that continued in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Liverpool took a 4-1 battering from Napoli, the worst result by an English team in the opening fixture of a Champions League campaign since Arsenal in 2003/04.

As a result, the German coach will surely be frustrated with his team and Keita’s injury only adds insult to injury for the Reds as their fitness problems have piled up over the last few weeks.

Jordan Henderson, Fabio Carvalho, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones have all been struck with fitness issues and thus, Klopp’s mounting problems in that area of the pitch will certainly be giving him a headache when you combine it with their poor results this term.

It was reported before the transfer window closed that Keita was unhappy at the club and was not prepared to sign an extension with the midfielder in the last 12 months of his contract, which left a question mark over his absence in the squad when the season started.

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That being said, if Pearce’s analysis of his current injury problems are true, it begs more questions as to why he has been selected to play for his country when the international fixtures kickstart in less than two weeks’ time and if he is fit to play for Guinea why was he omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad? It’s something of a headscratcher, not just for Klopp, but for the entire fanbase at Anfield.

With that being said, it remains to be seen if Keita will start for Guinea when they play Algeria on the 23rd of September and should he play for his national team, concern surrounding his future in Merseyside will surely escalate further.

An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to bring in a new forward in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Express reporter Ryan Taylor has suggested that they are more likely to go for Leeds star Raphinha than Everton’s Richarlison in the coming weeks.

Fabio Paratici is looking to add to Antonio Conte’s attacking unit and Taylor believes that the former Rennes magician is the main target.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Spurs are edging slightly more towards Raphinha at the moment.

“I think if you look at Richarlison’s profile, my personal view is he’s mainly better centrally and if you look at Tottenham’s side, he won’t have many opportunities through the middle. Outside of that, he sometimes plays off the left, and Son plays there as well.”

Supporters will be excited

Spurs supporters will be excited by this claim as Raphinha would be a sublime addition to Conte’s squad for the 2022/23 campaign.

Since arriving in England, the Whites gem has scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League – including 11 goals last term – whilst playing out wide on the right.

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In that time, Richarlison has managed 17 goals and eight assists whilst playing on the left and through the middle as a centre-forward.

This means that Raphinha has been more productive than him in the final third, despite the Everton man spending time as a number nine, and this suggests that he would be the better signing.

There is little between them in terms of their scope for development. They are both 25 and heading toward the peak years of their respective careers, which means that they would both come in with the potential to improve in the years to come.

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Therefore, it should be a matter of current ability and suitability for the team. Taylor explained why Raphinha suits Tottenham’s team more than Richalison and the statistics suggest that the Leeds man is also the better player with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis from out wide.

The Spurs supporters will be excited by the prospect of the ex-Ligue 1 attacker coming through the door as he will provide another big attacking threat in the final third. He can support the likes of Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski to form a mouth-watering attack in the top-flight next season.

AND in other news: Conte could land Spurs masterclass in deal for “explosive” £30m gem, he’s Foden-esque…

Writing for inews, reliable journalist Mark Douglas has delivered an interesting transfer update regarding Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen. 

The lowdown: Fairytale comeback

The 30-year-old was an icon in north London prior to moving to Inter Milan in 2020, scoring 69 times and providing an astonishing 90 assists in 305 outings for the Lilywhites.

Having won the Serie A title in Italy under Spurs boss Antonio Conte, Eriksen’s career at the San Siro came to an abrupt end when Italian regulations meant the Danish star couldn’t return to the club following a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

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Since then the cultured midfielder has signed for Brentford on a short-term deal and made a successful return to the international fold, scoring in the most recent international break.

The latest: Reunion on the cards?

Citing his report on Twitter, Douglas stated that Tottenham are amongst the clubs ‘queuing up’ and ‘keen’ to sign Eriksen this summer.

Out of contract at the end of this season (Transfermarkt), it’s claimed that Spurs are ‘interested in a reunion’ with the 111-cap ace as Conte attempts to bolster the ranks.

As per senior sources at inews, there have been ‘no talks’ of an extension with Brentford at present and while Manchester United and Newcastle also watch on with interest, Tottenham are ‘paying the closest attention’.

The verdict: No-brainer

Back in 2019, Spurs placed a minimum eye-watering £100million price tag on the creative Dane (The Times), a reflection of the class and indeed importance of Eriksen to Mauricio Pochettino’s side at the time.

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Since returning to competitive action, the man recently hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by manager and compatriot Thomas Frank has scored once and provided one assist in four Premier League outings.

Having proven to still be a first-class operator, both Fabio Paratici and Conte should be pushing hard to bring Eriksen to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, particularly as a free agent in order to leave the budget untouched for elsewhere in the squad.

In other news: Tottenham favourites to sign England man, find out more here.

Many Sunderland fans have been left buzzing as an official post from the Wearside club emerged on Lee Johnson.

The Stadium of Light faithful tweeted that Johnson has been voted as League One’s Manager of the Month (MOTM) for December, the second time that he has picked up the award this season.

He helped his team pick up four wins in the division last month, including 5-0 thumpings of both Morecambe and Sheffield Wednesday at home, and only conceded three goals in the league over the period (BBC). All in all, the Black Cats scored 17 times in December.

The results leave them in second place in the table, and currently on course for automatic promotion up to the Championship, highlighting the good job that Johnson has done recently.

Nonetheless, it is an award that is thoroughly deserved, as the Black Cats now look to push on for the second half of the season.

Sunderland fans on Johnson news

These SAFC supporters were left buzzing as the news on Johnson was shared on Twitter:

“LEE LEE LEE”

Credit: @ForzaSunderland

“Scenes”

Credit: @sunderlandaye

“Ayyyyyy”

Credit: @TheDistantBlue

“Yessssss! Well in”

Credit: @RokerReport

“Let’s gooooooo gaffer!”

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Credit: @ludsy31

“The silver fox does it again”

Credit: @laurennnhxx

In other news, find out what Academy update has Black Cats buzzing here!

Reliable Crystal Palace reporter Matt Woosnam claimed that midfielder Eberechi Eze is ‘expected back before too long’.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Eze is yet to feature under Patrick Vieira after suffering a freak achilles injury in training back in May but appears to be making good progress in regards to his return.

The 23-year-old posted a training video on social media earlier in the week, and Woosnam shared a story on The Athletic looking at the Eagles’ midfield options.

Woosnam claimed that Vieira will soon be spoiled for choice with Eze expected back in and around the squad before October is out, labelling his recovery as ‘rapid’.

Palace fans react

Woosnam posted a link to his story on Twitter on Wednesday morning, which led to these Palace supporters interacting with his tweet.

This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one describing Eze’s return and more options in midfield as ‘important’.

“woke up smiling matthew”

Credit: @rileyeagles

“May as well change the PL ribbons to red & blue now”

Credit: @Beulah12

“Lovely read, Eze is 23, not 21.”

Credit: @SWPalace

“Having options is important because we will get injuries and suspensions and will need to tackle some matches differently tactically. Great problem to have”

Credit: @rickyj555

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“Only if we have no injuries, which we always get and badly. The biggest fundamental of consistent PL presence is squad depth”

Credit: @CPFCBarbarian

“Good article Matt. Unusual not only to have midfield options but to have some creative midfield players as well. Been a while…and as you say a good problem for PV to have”

Credit: @edmonds_mark

In other news: ‘Finally’ – Many CPFC fans buzz as ‘great news’ is confirmed.

Football.London’s Chelsea correspondent, Sam Inkersole, has backed young midfielder Billy Gilmour to have a serious future at Stamford Bridge.

The 20-year-old midfielder was handed his Premier League debut just two months after his 18th birthday under Frank Lampard, and has since become a part of the first-team set-up.

Despite his impressive form in the senior side, Gilmour, who was man of the match against England at the European Championships, will spend the season on loan at newly-promoted Norwich, with his chances of starting likely to be limited in a talented Chelsea midfield department.

Whilst Gilmour is highly-rated in west London, he’s made just five Premier League starts – a number which should be improved on next season should everything go to plan.

Chelsea have a history of loaning players out without them much first-team action, but at just 20-years-old, Inkersole doesn’t expect Gilmore to fall the same way of so many before him.

He told Football FanCast:

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“He’s an incredibly talented player, I think he will make it at Chelsea. I don’t think he’s going to be one of those players that is going to be constantly sent out on loan, I do think he’s got a serious future at the club.

“Tuchel likes him, Lampard liked him, and I think he’s got a big future ahead.”

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that Jose Mourinho played a part in Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking at Tottenham.

The Argentine was relieved of his duties in north London back in November 2019 with Spurs sitting in the bottom-half in the Premier League, less than six months after losing the Champions League final.

Tottenham had won just three times in their opening 12 league games, and Pochettino paid the price for their poor form.

Just 24 hours later, he was replaced by Mourinho, who made a swift return following his own departure from Manchester United 11 months earlier.

Mourinho has since been chopped, but Roberts believes that the Portuguese played a part in Pochettino’s sacking almost two years earlier.

He told Football FanCast that Mourinho started planting seeds during a test event played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium prior to the opening of the new ground earlier in 2019 when he attended due to his connections with Inter Milan:

“I saw Mourinho at a game at Tottenham when the new stadium opened – Inter Milan played Tottenham in a legends game, he was assistant manager.

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“He didn’t have to be, he just came along, and he instigated Pochettino being sacked 100 percent. That’s how the man works.

“You could see it that day, he was talking to Daniel Levy and the rumours at the club are that he was saying you’ve got brilliant players here, I can get better out of these. Well, he never, he made them worse.”