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According to a report by Corriere Fiorentino, via Sport Witness, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic this summer – with both teams having ‘recently’ held talks with the player’s agent and ‘tested the waters’.

Vlahovic, standing at a lofty 6 foot 2, is attracting plenty of interest from outside Serie A this season – but his club’s main goal is stop him from leaving Florence for pastures new this summer.

Tottenham join race for Vlahovic

However, things are getting ‘more and more complicated’ as more teams enter the race for his signature – with the north Londoners now testing the waters for his signing.

It is claimed by this report that Spurs have even contacted the 21 year-old’s agent very recently but are only one of many sides who have done the same.

Milan, AS Roma, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Atlético Madrid are the other European giants mentioned as undergoing brief talks with Vlahovic’s representative.

Transfer Tavern take

Receiving glowing recommendations in Italy, former international Antonio Di Natale dubbed him a ‘phenomenon’ when speaking to ‘Zona Mista’ on Rtv38, due to his emergence at such a young age (via TUTTOmercatoWEB).

Time will tell whether Spurs win the race for Vlahovic, but judging by this report, the are certainly up against some stiff competition.

In other news: Tottenham also want this ‘beast’, find out more here.

Marcel Brands should plot a move for Everton to sign VfB Stuttgart winger Silas Wamangituka to solve a key issue with Carlo Ancelotti’s side that Friday’s win over Arsenal exposed.

The Toffees were linked with the Bundesliga dynamo by Eurosport last month, who claimed that Wamangituka had caught the attention of a number of Premier League sides with his direct style of play, immense pace and finishing ability.

Wamangituka is Die Roten’s second-best scorer and playmaker with 11 goals and five assists in 25 German top-flight appearances this term, before requiring surgery for a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament rupture sustained against Bayern Munich on March 20.

The DR Congo native was seen to have been one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting talents before his injury, and is in line for a new contract at the Mercedes-Benz Arena that will increase the 21-year-old’s wage from €1m (£17k-p/w) to €1.5m (£25k-p/w) a season.

It remains to be seen what impact his likely lengthy spell on the sidelines has for the potential suitors assessing swoops for the £22.5m-rated forward, who is under contract at Stuttgart on his current terms through to the summer of 2024.

But the issue should not prevent Brands from plotting plans to sign Wamangituka amid Everton’s search for a new, young attacking option, as the 6 ft 2 maestro can solve a key issue in Ancelotti’s system that Friday night’s 1-0 win over Arsenal exposed.

Die Roten’s rumoured plans to present Wamangituka with a £25k-p/w contract would also be no issue for the Toffees’ to better, with Spotrac and Sportekz figures showing only Joao Virginia (£10k), Anthony Gordon (£10k), Jarrad Branthwaite (£15k) and Robin Olsen (£23k) as currently earning less.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-everton-news%2c-views-and-gossip” title=”Latest Everton news, views and gossip!”]

Everton fortuitously beat Arsenal on Friday through an own goal from Bernd Leno, when the German failed to keep out Richarlison’s pass across the six-yard box that posed no serious threat.

Richarlison had been involved in one of the Toffees’ better chances to score earlier in the game, when the Brazilian was freed to run at the Gunners backline by a powerful pass from Allan only for Leno to save the eventual effort.

Everton too often lacked the pace to get in behind the Arsenal defence beyond that and struggled to purposeful impose any pressure at the Emirates, by either getting to the ball too late or moving possession too slowly without a willing runner.

Wamangituka would be expected to offer that presence in Ancelotti’s attack if Brands can seal a deal, for an exciting forward Stuttgart boss Pellegrino Matarazzo claims has “no bounds” to his “huge” potential and teammate Orel Mangala can only praise.

“He is a calm guy but on the field, he is really wild. He is really good at dribbling and is really fast,” Mangala said, via quotes by Bundesliga.com.

Wamangituka has averaged 1.9 successful dribbles and won 5.5 ground duels per game in the Bundesliga this season, which would see the winger rank first in both accounts at Goodison Park with Richarlison (1.75) and Allan (5.4) Everton’s current respective leaders for their efforts in the Premier League, per SofaScore.

Obviously, Wamangituka’s injury will be a topic of concern for potential suitors, but his immense potential and stunning record in Germany should see that Brands explores a deal to solve a key issue of Ancelotti’s current squad.

AND in other news, Everton have been urged to sign a £30m star who “doesn’t have limits” despite Carlo Ancelotti’s concerns…

Everton loanee Moise Kean wants to stay at Paris Saint-Germain and hopes the club will do ‘everything’ to make the deal happen, according to Le10 Sport.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan in the French capital after a difficult first season at Goodison Park. The Blues signed the Italian striker for an initial fee of £25.1m, but he managed only two goals in 33 appearances in all competitions in his first year on Merseyside.

He has been a player transformed at PSG, scoring 15 times. In fact, he is averaging a goal every 121 minutes this season (via Transfermarkt).

The report added that Juventus are keen to bring him back to Turin, but Kean has his heart set on remaining at the Parc des Princes. However, Everton are apparently proving to be ‘very greedy’ over the transfer fee.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, the 21-year-old is worth between €70m and €90m. When averaged out and converted to sterling, that’s a full £68.7m.

Here’s what some Everton supporters, replying to a tweet from fan feed The Toffee Blues, made of this latest update.

These Blues demand hardball over Moise Kean

“This is where Brands needs to earn his corn. Took an age, perhaps understandably, to get rid of the dead wood but got nothing for them. Now we’ve got a prize asset who’s done brilliantly on loan. He should be getting £60m+. Will he? Or will we see a repeat loan or daft £15m fee?”

Credit: @rlfansSaddened

“So happy that this move has really worked for him. Wish it had happened for us but at least he’s found a home over there!”

Credit: @joshjball_

“Richest club in Europe, no favours please”

Credit: @leapfrog200

“Ahh well. Just make a profit and I don’t mind”

Credit: @HarryLeahy1

“Need to draw maximum value to Everton on such a deal !”

Credit: @rmaycock2

“Take the money & run… but he’s £60m minimum”

Credit: @five15design

“Bleed them for every penny you can get.”

Credit: @Everton1878Ste

“This is where we need to take a leaf out of Leicester’s book. We have asset we could sell for 40-50 million, and with the right scouting we can replace him with 2 young, quality players. Have no confidence in Everton to do good business though, if our record is anything to go by.”

Credit: @BainesOnToast96

In other news, Everton may be offered the chance to sign these two Juventus stars.

RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann has been touted as a potential replacement for Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur recently and if he were to become the new manager, it would surely increase their chances of signing long-term target Marcel Sabitzer.

The Daily Telegraph reported recently that the German manager will be Daniel Levy’s top target for Spurs should Mourinho fail to arrest the North London club’s recent decline, which has seen them go from title hopefuls to mid-table in the top-flight in the space of a few months.

If the 33-year-old were to join Spurs as their new manager, then it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him bring his captain Sabitzer with him, considering the Austrian international has been regularly linked with a move to the North London club over the past year.

It seems as if Mourinho has been a big fan of the midfielder since he scored twice to knock Spurs out of the Champions League last season, although he may never get an opportunity to manage the 26-year-old if he ends up losing his job this season.

Certainly, if Sabitzer is considering the possibility of joining the Lilywhites in the summer, then he could be convinced to make the switch if his current manager follows suit.

Nagelsmann is clearly a huge fan of the former Rapid Vienna man, having made him his captain and suggested that he is the one constant in his midfield as he “always plays well.”

That seems to have been the case so far this season, with Sabitzer having contributed five goals and two assists in his 18 Bundesliga appearances, averaging a very solid 7.06 rating.

There is no doubt that the 26-year-old could be a great addition in this Spurs midfield, and therefore if Daniel Levy does appoint Nagelsmann in the near future, it would not be a surprise to see the young manager bring his £37.8 million-rated captain with him to North London.

AND, in other news… Spurs could find ideal Ndombele midfield partner in Nicolo Barella

It appears Aston Villa haven’t given up hope of signing Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard just yet.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Villa remain keen on signing Edouard in the upcoming summer transfer window, and if the club do end up signing the Frenchman, it could help build a dream attack for Dean Smith.

Speaking after his superb performance in a 3-0 win over Hamilton earlier in the season, Celtic boss Neil Lennon said: “He’s scored goals in cup finals, he’s scored goals in big games from the penalty spot and he took it brilliantly today. He looked far more like himself today and I thought he was magnificent. He’s a joy to watch at times, so he’s had a good day as well.

“We’ve got two good strikers there, the link up for the second goal is great.”

And that last part about the link-up between the two strikers is what should have Smith excited about how Edouard could fit into his plans at Villa Park.

This season in the Premier League, the Villa boss has had to rely on Ollie Watkins as his sole striking option, with Wesley still on his way back to full fitness, and Keinan Davis not getting a look-in.

While Smith has gone with the lone man up front, Edouard’s arrival could see a potential shift in tactics, with the Frenchman lining up alongside Watkins as a two-man duo – the latter of course could drift out wide given that he’s played as a winger before earlier in his career.

The £13.5m-rated Edouard has got the all-round game to be both a finisher and creator, something best seen by his very impressive Celtic record of 81 goals and 35 assists.

Adding the Frenchman to Villa’s striking ranks would give Smith the option of playing the two up top as an old-school strike duo, or play Watkins off the flanks with Edouard through the middle.

It would go a long way to helping Smith build a dream attack at Villa.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa struck a dream transfer deal with this star…

Thousands of Newcastle fans have been voting in a survey by Chronicle Live as to who they next want to see in the dugout at St James’ Park.

A mammoth 95% of the 14,000 supporters who took the survey called for the club to part ways with Steve Bruce. Newcastle are two points above the Premier League drop zone and have a game in hand, but 92% fear relegation under the incumbent manager.

Who do Newcastle fans want instead?

There were 10,000 responses submitted as to the preferred candidate for Bruce’s replacement.

Former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe led the way with the backing of 25%, although he is presently the frontrunner for the vacant role at Celtic.

Around 1,600 respondents favour a return for Rafael Benitez, who led the Magpies to 10th in 2017/18 and 13th the following season before departing the club at the end of his contract.

In third place was Chris Wilder, who left Sheffield United by mutual consent earlier this month. He ‘narrowly’ placed ahead of another intriguing candidate in the form of Frank Lampard, who was sacked by Chelsea at the end of January.

Transfer Tavern verdict

All four of these candidates would likely be welcomed with open arms on Tyneside.

Howe would look to implement an expansive, ambitious brand of football, almost the polar opposite of the conservative tactics often employed by Bruce.

Benitez has proven that he is a world-class coach, as illustrated by his CV, Wilder remarkably led Sheffield United from League One to the top half of the Premier League and Lampard commendably secured a top four finish for Chelsea following Eden Hazard’s departure in the summer of 2019.

In other news, Lee Ryder dropped an inside claim on this promising Newcastle youngster.

Many Everton fans have been left blasting some team news from Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their FA Cup tie at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday night.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the Italian boss said that Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Allan, Fabian Delph, Lucas Digne, Alex Iwobi and Niels Nkounkou are all unavailable against the Owls, meaning that he has a fairly restricted squad going into the clash at Goodison Park.

Supporters of the Merseyside club will surely be worried that both Digne and Nkounkou are out of the game, meaning that the Toffees will have to play with a makeshift left-back.

The Blues will be hoping that they do not need these players to progress through into the next round, when they would face either Spurs or Wycombe Wanderers at home.

Everton fan reaction to team news

These EFC fans blasted the team news on Twitter, as they feel as if some of the players would have helped toward getting a win:

“We’re missing all 3 of our CDM’s and missing both of our left backs what is life”

Credit: @Jackson_EFC

“Jesus Christ have they been attacking Omaha Beach?”

Credit: @15_martyng

“One blow after another”

Credit: @TomDono2

“Iwobi and Digne were fit last week how are they both injured???”

Credit: @efceddiee

“Not having either of the two attacking left backs available is a blow, we need to be able to break teams down better at home”Credit: @marchy27″I give up me”Credit: @LouisMeliaEFCIn other news, find out who Everton fans think should go out on loan here!

Some Sunderland fans have been slamming Lee Johnson for deciding to bench Will Grigg versus Lincoln City for their game in the EFL League One.

The former Bristol City boss decided to start Charlie Wyke up top instead, which is surely going to knock Grigg’s confidence ahead of a busy Christmas period.

The Northern Ireland international has yet to come up with a goal in his eight previous matches in all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term for the Stadium of Light faithful, but there is no doubt that he is a capable scorer in front of the net.

Grigg has scored a total of 130 senior goals for both club and country in his footballing career before today, and perhaps a goal is just around the corner for him, but being dropped by Johnson will certainly not help his cause.

Sunderland fan reaction to Grigg omission

These Black Cats slammed the decision by Johnson to drop the 29 year-old striker, with one SAFC supporter even claiming that it was ‘disappointing’:

In other news, find out the worrying injury update that Johnson has given on one player here!

Ross Wilson must act accordingly after Glasgow Rangers were dealt a potentially huge blow in their pursuit of Thomas Robert during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, Airdrie manager Ian Murray is “confident” that the club will keep hold of the Frenchman in the January transfer window, and at least until the end of the season.

Rangers have been monitoring the progress of Airdrie youngster Robert, the son of former Newcastle United star Laurent, as he has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Murray’s side, having struck four goals in 13 games this season.

The French teenager was a surprise arrival at the Excelsior Stadium in the summer after he rejected a new four-year contract at his former club Montpellier to sign a deal with the League One Diamonds instead.

Wilson must act now

Missing out Robert would be a devastating blow for Steven Gerrard, who is in dire need of strengthening his wide options in the winter transfer market as he bids to stop Celtic from winning an unprecedented ten titles in a row.

Both Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent have mostly picked up where they left off last season having scored ten goals between them at the time of writing, but Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones face uncertain futures at Ibrox, as they have yet to feature for the first team since the turn of the year.

Only Hagi, Kent and Kemar Roofe have reached double digits in terms of goal contributions in all competitions this term, while Barker and Jones have fallen even further down the pecking order after the emergence of Hagi.

Airdrie boss Murray recently heaped praise on his young charge, saying: “He showed his class again against Clyde with the corner kick, but it wasn’t just that, in the first half he was excellent, his touches on the ball, his movement, his timing in the releasing of the ball, the way he picked up space, was excellent.”

Following Murray’s more recent comments, Wilson simply must make Robert an offer he cannot refuse. Signing a player of his obvious potential for a snip of the price he may otherwise have paid would be a shrewd bit of business.

Failure is not an option as it could force Gerrard to look elsewhere for other short-term solutions to solve his lack of depth on the wings. Otherwise, he may have to resort to bringing Barker and Jones back into the fold, which would be most unwise.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Dean Windass questions Rangers interest in John Lundstram…

The winter window has only just closed but after landing just one acquisition in January, Wolves are already being linked with some new faces ahead of the summer.

On the chalkboard

One player linked with Wolves in recent days has been Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

According to TuttoJuve, the Welshman’s future in Italy is now in doubt and thus, the Serie A giants may choose to cash in.

It’s reported that both the Old Gold and Tottenham are interested in signing Ramsey who could cost €10m-€15m (£9m-£13m).

Ramsey is currently on a wage of £300k-per-week in Turin so it seems far-fetched that Wolves would pursue a deal like this. After all, one of the main reasons they didn’t end up targeting Christian Eriksen and Diego Costa in January was because of their wages.

Claims from Tim Spiers suggest that Joao Moutinho could be in his final season of regular football at the club so Wolves will need to find alternative midfielders from somewhere.

The solution

Wolves signed 20-year-old Vitinha on loan from Porto in the summer but after his arrival, he’s started just two Premier League outings.

It’s been a difficult campaign for the Portuguese but he’s progressed well and demonstrated that he has the potential to thrive in Nuno Santo’s system.

Hailed as “special” by Jeff Shi when he first penned terms, he scored an absolute peach against Chorley in the FA Cup. Arguably, his best performance of the season came against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

As the Old Gold tasted defeat late on against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, Vitinha won 100% of his duels and also completed all of the dribbles he attempted. It was a high-class performance on what his very first start in the top-flight of English football.

The youngster may not have had many chances to prove his worth this term but the small glimpses we’ve seen should be enough to convince Wolves to lure him to the Midlands permanently next summer.

Just like they do with Willian Jose, the Old Gold have an option to buy Vitinha next summer. As good as a player like Ramsey is, this would be a smart way for Wolves to save some cash.

Ramsey’s wage demands would be astronomical but in Vitinha, they’d be assured of not only having a player they can develop for the future – a mantra that fits the club’s policies – but also of having a high-class performer on low wages.

Nuno must continue to nurture him this season before unleashing him properly in 2021/22.

AND in other news, 67% duels lost: Nuno must axe £73k-p/w “liability”, he’s been costing Wolves for weeks…