All posts by hc12369.com

Everton have not had the start to their Premier League campaign that Frank Lampard would have been hoping for after surviving relegation only in their penultimate game of last season.

The Toffees are currently 17th after losing four of their last five league games ahead of the World Cup break which has now left them one point clear of the relegation zone and the Everton manager will be scrambling for solutions to improve his side when they return to action after Christmas.

Everton suffered the worst injury record in the entire Premier League last season and the team is yet again struggling with a similar situation this time around with a number of key players picking up fitness problems over the campaign so far.

Currently, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Garner, Tom Davies, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andros Townsend are out of action, with not only the attacking threat weakened but a number of midfielders, in particular, picking up issues.

As a result, Lampard will be hoping that he can add quality depth to his squad in the January transfer window which will open just a few days after the Premier League resumes.

One midfielder who has been linked with a move to Goodison Park is Serbia and Torino ace Sasa Lukic and could be just the profile of player needed to inject some quality into the centre of the pitch.

Over 12 Serie A appearances, the 26-year-old ace has scored two goals and created two big chances, demonstrating his efficiency in the final third. He has tallied up an 89% pass completion rate, as well as averaging 1.4 tackles and winning 3.2 duels per game, proving that he is a solid all-round threat in his central role.

The midfielder, who could cost €15m (£12.8m), has been the recipient of high praise for his performances in the Italian side with former Torino team-mate Gleison Bremer commenting:

“I know some players from Serie A, such as Saša Lukić, I was with him in Turin, he’s an excellent midfielder.”

In fact, Lampard could land his very own Koke with the Atletico Madrid star named as the third most comparable positional peer to Lukic according to FBref.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Spanish and Serbian midfielders have shared many similarities in their output this season so far including goal contributions (2 v 2), pass completion (86.3% v 82.1%), tackles won (12 v 13) and clearances (9 v 9).

That shows that they are both aggressive central fixtures for their team with an element of composure sprinkled into their passing play.

Lukic is currently representing his national team at the World Cup in Qatar and the powers at Goodison Park will surely be keeping a close eye on the player’s progress during the prestigious international tournament with Serbia set to take on Cameroon this morning.

Leeds United most recently oversaw a vast summer of change, with Jesse Marsch using his first transfer window as boss to completely overhaul the squad.

Losing Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips was a huge blow for the American, and so extra reinforcements were brought in to ensure that their output could be maintained despite their absence.

The Brazilian in particular felt like a big blow, given how he was their top scorer and played an integral part in escaping the drop.

He would join Barcelona after a long-running saga for a whopping £55m, where he has quickly become a regular under Xavi who underwent a similarly comprehensive transfer window.

However, with just two goals in 13 La Liga games, and none in their miserable Champions League campaign which saw them crash out at the group stages, it has hardly been the start of dreams for the 25-year-old.

Despite this, he earned a call-up to Brazil’s national squad for this unprecedented World Cup, joining up with the vast wealth of attacking talent they possess.

Although competition for places will be incredibly tough, Tite handed the former Whites man a start on the right flank, joining up with superstars such as Neymar and Vinicius Junior.

It was expected that Raphinha might raise his level given the company he held, however, it seems like he just wilted under the pressure.

This culminated in his 6.7 SofaScore rating, which was the second worst of any of his teammates.

There were many factors that led to this poor rating, but arguably the most damning was his one-on-one miss with Serbia’s goalkeeper.

Having done well to win the ball off the centre-back, he had the option of pushing the ball just to his left to hand Neymar an open goal.

Instead, his touch let him down and he could only fire straight at the onrushing shot-stopper, much to his teammate’s dismay.

This marked one big chance missed, and at 0-0, this could have been crucial.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Fortunately, he was bailed out by the heroics of Richarlison, but not before lost the ball a further 15 times and was successful in just two of his five dribbles, via SofaScore.

Although he did lose 58% of his duels too, his four tackles denote a forward who was willing to do the dirty work as his offence let him down. He has not lost that “incredible engine” that The Athletic’s Phil Hay once tied to him.

Regardless, this display offers a culmination of his disappointing time since moving to Catalonia.

Although he is undoubtedly missed at Elland Road, director of football Victor Orta and co will feel that he hit the jackpot with the big-money sale of an attacker now struggling in front of goal.

Everton have found themselves in a similar situation as last season in the Premier League and are currently now just one point above the relegation zone heading into the World Cup break.

The Toffees have fallen into a poor run of form losing three of their last five league fixtures and Frank Lampard will be desperate to get his team into shape when they return to action after Christmas, as his job at the club has come into question over the last few weeks.

It was reported that the Everton hierarchy were looking at potential successors for the former Chelsea boss due to the poor performances on the pitch, however, it has most recently been claimed that the club are willing to back the manager for the foreseeable future after considering their options.

As a result, Lampard will be feeling the pressure to start putting in performances and picking up crucial points in the Premier League, something that could be achieved by acquiring some top-quality talent in the January transfer window.

One player who has been linked with a move to Goodison Park is Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk and there is no doubt the 21-year-old would offer a huge boost in the attacking threat in the team.

Only Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer goals than the Toffees this season so finding players who can positively affect the amount of goal-scoring opportunities delivered and converted over the second half of the season.

Over 43 appearances for Donetsk so far, Mudryk – who was hailed a “serious talent” by Sascha Pisani – has scored 11 goals and delivered 17 assists, with a goal contribution every 83 minutes, which is an incredibly impressive output for the young winger and that consistency in front of goal would be a valuable asset at Everton.

In fact, the talented player ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers across Europe for non-penalty goals, assists, dribbles completed and touches, proving that he is a potential superstar in the making that could compete at the highest level with some of the biggest players in the world if he continues to flourish.

The £85.75m Ukrainian international has been attracting a lot of attention for his performances over the last 12 months and it is not only Everton interested in securing his signature with Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain also in the mix.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Mudryk’s expensive price tag has been defended by the club’s chief executive Sergei Palkin (via The Athletic):

“Mudryk is a talent in a process. What he is showing today, it’s just 60 per cent of what he can do in the future. And when you multiply this, you realize that he costs much, much more. Therefore, I we believe that in the future he can cost definitely around €100m.”

With that being said, if Moshiri does sanction a move for Mudryk it would certainly be proof of his ambition and intent to get Everton back where they belong in the top half of the table and could be the difference in saving Everton’s season.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Memphis Depay to north London in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte will monitor the Netherlands centre-forward during the Qatar World Cup, before deciding whether or not they will make a move for the 28-year-old this winter.

The report goes on to state that the striker is available to sign in the January market and could even be allowed to leave Barcelona on a free transfer, while the striker himself is believed to be open to a return to the Premier League.

“Unreal”

While it is true that injuries have limited Depay to just three outings for Barcelona so far this season, considering just how impressive the Dutchman was for Xavi’s side in 2021/22, the argument that the 28-year-old would be an unreal signing on a free transfer is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 28 LaLiga appearances last time out, the £22m-rated forward was in astonishing form in the final third, scoring 12 goals, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £174k-per-week talent who Liam Canning dubbed “unreal” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.26, not only ranking him as the Catalan club’s fourth-best performer in the league but also as the joint tenth-best player in the top flight of Spanish football as a whole.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Furthermore, with the 81-cap international being able to operate from attacking midfield, as a support striker, on either wing and as a centre-forward, Depay’s extremely impressive positional versatility would also appear to make him something of a perfect fit for either of Conte’s 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 set-ups at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As such, should the Dutchman prove in Qatar that he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level, it would look to be an extremely wise decision for Paratici to launch a move for the 28-year-old this winter, as Depay would undoubtedly make an unreal addition to Tottenham’s current attacking options.

Eddie Howe has his Newcastle United side flying in the Premier League at the moment as the Magpies have been in phenomenal form so far this season.

The Toon are currently sitting fourth in the table as it stands and are occupying the final Champions League qualification spot, ahead of the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool.

Newcastle have only lost one of their 13 matches in the division, winning six and drawing six, and are on course to challenge for a place in European competition next season.

Their sublime form, however, does not mean that Dan Ashworth will be sitting on his hands when the January transfer window rolls around at the end of next month.

The ex-Brighton chief may look to improve Howe’s squad further to increase their chances of finishing in the top six, or four, in the Premier League.

One player the club are reportedly interested in signing at the start of 2023 is Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Mykhaylo Mudryk.

The Magpies are said to be tracking the talented youngster and he is open to a move to St. James’ Park in January as he is keen on the idea of playing in England.

Ashworth could now land an upgrade on misfiring forward Ryan Fraser by securing a deal to sign the Ukraine international ahead of the second half of the season.

The Scottish winger is in his third season on Tyneside and he is still yet to prove that he can be a reliable option for the club. He produced zero goals and three assists in 18 league appearances in his first campaign with Newcastle before managing two goals and three assists in 27 outings last term.

Fraser has failed to muster up a single goal or assist in eight Premier League games so far this season and these underwhelming statistics suggest that he is a player who the club could find an upgrade on.

Mudryk could be exactly that as he has caught the eye for Donetsk this season, with journalist Hrach Khachatryan describing his performances as “spectacular”.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The 21-year-old has been in fine form in the Champions League and the Ukrainian top flight, producing three goals and two assists in five matches in the former and four goals and five assists in seven outings in the latter. This means that he has as many goal contributions in five European games as Fraser has managed in the top flight since the start of last season.

Mudryk scored two and assisted seven in 11 league matches for Shakhtar in the 2021/22 campaign, with these statistics showing that he is capable of making contributions in the final third on a regular basis.

He is seven years younger than the Scot and has the potential to offer far more for Newcastle in terms of both scoring and creating goals, if he can translate his impressive form over to English football.

Therefore, Ashworth must sign Mudryk as the wing wizard could immediately improve Howe’s options out wide and be a long-term asset who could develop over time.

Chelsea are now monitoring Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: James alternative

The Premier League side have been short of options in that right-back position following the long-term injury to Reece James, with Graham Potter understandably keen to sign an alternative to provide sufficient squad depth.

The Blues held initial talks with the 26-year-old Dutchman regarding a move over the summer, and even though a deal failed to materialise before the deadline, it sounds like their interest is far from over.

The Latest: Chelsea scouting Dumfries

According to 90min, Chelsea have identified Dumfries as a ‘key target’, with his name having cropped up behind the scenes on ‘multiple occasions’.

It’s stated that the full-back ‘is of interest’ to Todd Boehly, though there are slight ‘concerns’ surrounding what his valuation would be, which could force the Stamford Bridge outfit to ‘look elsewhere’.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Dumfries has been hailed a ‘big threat’ in the final third by Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell, and he would be a fantastic addition down that right-hand side looking at his numbers.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Dutchman already has two goals and the same number of assists to his name across all competitions this season, and is currently averaging 1.4 shots and 1.3 key passes per Serie A game (WhoScored).

Dumfries would create excellent competition for James should he make the switch to the top flight, and if the price is right, Potter should be pushing to get this deal over the line either in January or next summer.

Tottenham Hotspur have had their fair share of transfer flops and successes over the years as they have picked up bargains, like Heung-Min Son, and signed flops, like Roberto Soldado, in previous windows.

Transfers are not always perfect and you cannot predict what will happen over the course of a number of years after signing a player, whether that is their form, how the manager uses them, or a number of other factors involved.

One player who the club did have a nightmare with was central defender Sebastian Bassong, as his value plummeted during his time in north London.

Tottenham signed the centre-back from Newcastle United in the summer of 2009 for a fee in the region of £8m and then-manager Harry Redknapp said that he was a player with a “good future”.

He enjoyed a fantastic debut season with Spurs as he played 38 games in all competitions, including 28 in the Premier League, under Redknapp.

However, he was then an unused substitute in 30 matches in the following campaign and this did not go down well with the ex-Magpies gem.

The central defender was left confused by his lack of action in the team, saying:

“I know football’s rules and I know that it’s up to the manager. If he likes someone else more than me, I totally get it. But the fact is that after last season, and what we achieved together, I couldn’t even imagine that I would be in this situation.

“I haven’t made some huge mistake on the pitch or anything. It’s just happened. For a bit, I felt lost because I haven’t faced this situation before in my career. I feel that I have gone backwards, like I have gone from heaven to hell.”

The enforcer went on to say that his value, in the market, had gone down because he had not been playing, when speaking about Daniel Levy wanting as much of the £8m back as possible.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

That was not helped by him playing just five Premier League matches in the first half of the 2011/12 campaign before heading out on loan to Wolves and playing nine times.

This led to the defender eventually being sold to Norwich City for a reported fee of £3m in 2012. This meant that his value plummeted by around 63% from the initial fee they paid Newcastle to sign him.

Based on that, it’s evident to see why Spurs had such a nightmare with the defender as their handling of his situation led to a £5m loss.

West Ham United bounced back from their midweek defeat at Anfield to secure a much-needed victory over Bournemouth on Monday night, with David Moyes’ side running out 2-0 winners to move themselves five points clear of the Premier League drop zone.

That triumph was not without controversy, though, with the visitors likely to feel somewhat aggrieved at the game’s key refereeing decisions, with Kurt Zouma firing the hosts ahead at the London Stadium just before the break despite a potential handball in the build-up by fellow Irons defender Thilo Kehrer.

The Hammers had seemingly been the dominant force in the match, having enjoyed 20 attempts at goal to their opponents’ five, although it would take until stoppage time at the end of the second half for the east Londoners to finally seal the points, with the lively Said Benrahma slotting home from the penalty spot after Jordan Zemura had been penalised for handball.

That late spot-kick ultimately wrapped up the win for West Ham after a somewhat nervy spell in the closing stages, with the Irons having now won their past five matches at home across all competitions.

Amid that eventual victory, one shining light was no doubt Benrahma, with the Algerian ace having made the most of his return to the starting XI after impressing in his left-wing berth. He notably completed four of his five attempted dribbles, while also showcasing a solid work ethic having won six of his 11 ground duels.

While the 27-year-old’s outing ‘lacked some end product’ prior to his late strike – in the words of the Evening Standard’s Malik Ouzia – it was no doubt an encouraging performance from the former Brentford man, having been a truly “exciting watch” once again, according to Sky Sports reporter Ben Grounds (Live Blog, 24/10/2022, 21:28).

The fleet-footed forward was not the only standout figure against Gary O’Neil’s side, though, with defender Aaron Cresswell having also offered a real threat down the left flank, with his overlaps having been ‘key’ to the aforementioned Benrahma making an impact, as per Ouzia.

The long-serving Englishman was heavily involved from his full-back berth as he recorded 91 touches on the night – the joint-most of any player for either team – while also enjoying an eye-catching pass accuracy rate of 93%.

The 32-year-old’s attacking intent is illustrated by the fact that he attempted 12 crosses in his 90-minute outing – completing four of them – having also gone close to getting himself on the scoresheet early on only to see his fierce effort denied by opposition goalkeeper Neto.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Not only a threat going forward, the Liverpudlian machine also showcased his defensive strength by winning six of his eight duels, with his overall match rating of 8.0 (as per SofaScore) having been by far the highest for either team.

Such a performance has again served as a reminder as to just what a “consistently good performer” the former Ipswich Town man is – as described by journalist Henry Winter earlier this season – with the three-cap menace having once again proven himself an unsung hero for Moyes and co with a typically reliable display.

Sunderland return to action in the Championship tonight as they travel away to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers after their 2-1 win over Wigan last time out.

Tony Mowbray’s side have only lost two of their last six matches in the division and will be looking to push into the top six with a win against his former team.

The Black Cats are two points behind Reading in sixth and three points, if other results go their way, could leave them in one of the play-off spots.

Mowbray does look set to be without one of his regular starters at Ewood Park, though, as he provided an injury update heading into the match, saying: “I don’t think Lynden’s going to be available, although it’s Lynden Gooch we’re talking about, so he might well come in and say he’s feeling great.”

This opens up a space in the team out wide and the Sunderland head coach must now unleash Amad Diallo, who is on loan from Manchester United, from the start.

The Ivory Coast international has only started one game in the Championship since completing his move to Wearside but could come into the team in place of Gooch.

Journalist Josh Bunting claimed that the forward injected a “spark” into Sunderland when he came on against Wigan and Mowbray can now energise his side again by naming the 20-year-old in his starting XI.

Bunting described his talent as “exceptional” and his statistics at youth level suggest that there is a very promising player ready to be unearthed there.

He scored six goals and provided four assists in five U21 matches for Manchester United, after scoring 37 goals and assisting 24 in 93 academy games for Atalanta.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The wizard also found the back of the net three times in four Premiership starts on loan at Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers last season, which highlights his potential as a goalscorer at first-team level.

Diallo has the ability to make a big impact in the final third, with his goals and assists, and could spark the team into life with a contribution at the top end of the pitch. That is why Mowbray should bring him into the starting XI as he could be the difference maker for the Black Cats.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has suggested that Ridvan Yilmaz could leave Ibrox on loan in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Galatasaray interest

As per Turkish news outlet Takvim, Galatasaray are planning to make a loan offer for Yilmaz in January, and are closely monitoring his situation with the Gers.

The Turkey international has only made unused substitute again in the 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Premier League Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has admitted that it is a ‘strange’ situation with Yilmaz and the club, adding that he could look to go out on loan in January, just six months after joining:

“It is a strange situation.

“I think Rangers put out a lot of money in transfer fees to bring him in.

“I think it has taken him a little bit longer to settle.

“We are going to see more of him hopefully in the coming weeks, there are a lot of games coming up so there is opportunity for him to shine.

“I think if it goes the way it is going, and Barisic is going to be a regular starter then he might look to go out on loan.

“But something in the back of my mind tells me that Rangers have paid all this money for him they are going to try and get him in the team.

“Hopefully in the upcoming weeks we will see a little bit more of him and he can prove his worth to Rangers.“

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Play him more!

The solution seems simple enough, but Van Bronckhorst simply has to play Yilmaz more and start integrating him into the first team.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Barisic is far from his best form, having received plenty of criticism for his performance against Liverpool, and after spending £5m to bring Yilmaz in, the left-back should be getting more game time.

Nonetheless, with only two senior left-backs in the squad, the Light Blues should do all that they can to persuade Yilmaz to stay past January, and the best way of doing that is to give him more minutes on the pitch ahead of Barisic.