Former Portsmouth player Gary Roberts has praised the club for what he calls a ‘great signing’ after Michael Jacobs arrived at Fratton Park on Monday.
The 28-year-old was released by Wigan Athletic earlier this summer after featuring 32 times in the Championship last season.
Having previously worked with Pompey manager Kenny Jackett at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a deal has now been completed, seeing the midfielder sign a two-year contract. Jacobs becomes Jackett’s fourth signing this summer, following Sean Raggett, Cameron Pring and Callum Johnson in making a move to the League One club.
Following his arrival on Monday, Portsmouth boss Jackett is quoted as saying by BBC Sport: “Michael’s an exciting player with good Championship experience.”
Those comments have now been followed up by an endorsement from former Pompey player Roberts who took to Twitter to give his view on the transfer deal. In a simple tweet, Roberts said: ‘Some player crackers – great signing’.
In total, Jacobs made 188 appearances for Wigan, appearing 79 times in League One for the Latics during his five-year spell (via Transfermarkt).
Finally, Jackett makes another signing for Portsmouth.
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With the new season underway, it was becoming a slight concern that little transfer activity had developed over the last few weeks at Fratton Park, but Jacobs’ arrival could be the start of a couple more between now and the end of the transfer window.
Do you think Jacobs can go on and become a key player for Portsmouth this term? Let us know your views in the comments section below…
Everton must secure a positive outcome from crunch talks with rumoured Real Valladolid target Sandro Ramirez as the Toffees seek to mutually terminate the Spaniard’s contract.
What’s the word?
According to Fourth Official, Toffees chiefs are hoping the Merseyside outfit are able to reach an amicable solution with Sandro to terminate his £65,000-per-week contract having thus far failed to offload the 25-year-old this summer.
Sandro has spent most of the past three seasons away from Goodison Park on various loan deals after a string of managers decided the former Under 21 international was not up to the standards required to compete for minutes in Royal Blue.
The forward spent the 2019/20 campaign back in his native Spain with Real Valladolid, for whom he struck home four goals in 26 outings across all competitions. Nevertheless, the Jose Zorilla Stadium natives are understood to be keen on re-signing Sandro providing he arrives as a free agent.
Elche CF, SD Huesca and “especially” SD Eibar are also thought to be interested in the £2.88m-rated forward’s availability, although their hopes are likewise dependent on Everton agreeing to terminate Sandro’s contract.
A move now seems entirely dependent on Sandro accepting Everton’s offer of becoming a free agent, likely alongside a lucrative pay-off to end what has been a horror move for a deal once considered “ideal”.
Sandro’s “ideal” English adventure
Sandro lauded his move to Everton as the “ideal” destination in 2017 after the Blues agreed to trigger the £5.25m release clause in his Malaga contract, but the move has been nothing but a horror show since.
“I’m very happy, this is a big step in my career,” Sandro said, via quotes by AS. “I know I’m signing for a massive club in England.
“Everton is the ideal place for me, I’ve got the ideal manager who is going to keep giving me the confidence to improve my game.”
In three years, Sandro has managed to record just 16 appearances for the Toffees, with the last of which coming during an EFL Cup tie in August 2018 after returning from the first of what became many loan spells.
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Everton fans have also only bore witness to a single goal from the Spaniard’s boots when he struck a consolation effort during a 5-1 defeat at home to Atalanta in the 2017/18 Europa League Group Stage.
Failing to score elsewhere – with his four goals for Real Valladolid his only achieved whilst out on loan in two-and-a-half-years – has ensured no suitors are willing to pay Everton for Sandro’s services, and the Blues must now strike an agreement to end the striker’s association with Goodison Park this summer.
AND in other news, Everton are warming to the idea of sending a rarely-seen man away from Goodison Park.
Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands can land Carlo Ancelotti an offensive gem in AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King, should the Toffees submit an appropriate offer ahead of next Friday’s domestic Deadline Day.
What’s the word?
According to The Athletic, via Inside Futbol, Everton are one of several Premier League clubs considering a late swoop into the Championship to acquire King following Bournemouth’s relegation last season.
Top-flight clubs can still do business with EFL sides until 17:00 on October 16th, despite the international market closing last Monday.
King struck six goals and penned four assists in 26 Premier League appearances under Eddie Howe as the south coast side were relegated last season, making the Norway international one of the most desired forwards still available for a late summer transfer.
Everton could face competition from Aston Villa, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion plus newly-promoted Fulham in any attempt to land King, who is said to be chasing a £90,000-per-week contract – similar to his terms at the Vitality Stadium – which has led the Baggies to hold back on lodging a formal bid.
West Ham have already held talks with King and his representatives over a potential move to the London Stadium, with Bournemouth open to cashing in for around £10million.
King is not said to be in a rush to secure a move away from Bournemouth and is willing to hold out until January, at which point he will have just six-months remaining on his contract, so he’ll be able sign a pre-agreement with an international side ahead of a free transfer.
The 28-year-old missed the start of the new Championship season through an injury sustained on international duty last month, but returned to make his campaign debut under new manager Jason Tindall as a second half substitute against Norwich City.
Everton’s interest in a late move for King has been downplayed however, by the Liverpool Echo.
A potential gem
While King is expected to request a lucrative contract should he leave Bournemouth this week, Brands could land Ancelotti a real offensive gem in the former Manchester United trainee.
Along with his involvement in ten goals in the league last season, King created a further four big chances and spurned three of his own, all whilst recording an average of 1.2 key balls and 0.8 shots a game, per SofaScore.
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The Oslo-born forward also made an average of 2.0 successful dribbles a game, while winning 5.9 duels from 3.7 ground battles and 2.3 aerial contests. He was fouled 1.0 times and won possession 0.8 times – something Ancelotti could tap into and set Everton up to defend from the front to prevent sides from breaking quickly.
Of Everton’s forwards and midfielders who featured in the Premier League last season, only Richarlison (5.58) and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin (4.0) won a higher number of average ground duels a game than King, while only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (5.0) won a higher number of aerial contests.
AND in other news, an outcast of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans is unlikely to win the Everton boss over despite his Deadline Day decision.
Darren Bent has given a rather blunt reaction to Moise Kean leaving Everton on loan for the rest of the 2020/21 term to join PSG.
Indeed, the Italy international has managed to get himself a move away from the Merseyside club to the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League finalists.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa striker gave Football Insider his thoughts on the move:
“First and foremost, he must have the best agent on earth to get a move to PSG because that is crazy.
“He’s going there, I understand it. He’s probably sitting there thinking ‘I’m sitting on Everton’s bench, I may as well go and sit on PSG’s’.
“At least he’ll get to play with the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, players like that. He might as well go and do that.
“It has been difficult for him and he has found it really tough, but if he does need game time, I don’t think he’s going to get it there.”
Kean struggling at Everton
Indeed, Kean only managed to score a mere four goals and make just two assists in 37 matches over all competitions for Everton, according to Transfermarkt.
With the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison as options up front for Carlo Ancelotti at the moment, the 20-year old fell down the pecking order, and so a move away from Goodison Park would have perhaps been best for all parties going into the rest of the season.
PSG move ‘crazy’
As Bent perfectly puts it, Kean getting a move to PSG is ‘crazy’ given his woes at the Toffees and the pedigree of the French champions.
Paris Saint Germain will compete in the UEFA Champions League again in this campaign, with the Blues having no European football to offer, and will also be looking to add yet another league title to their recent success.
Kean fighting for his Everton future
Kean will surely now have to perform on the big stage if he is to have a future at Everton, or else he may be a player that the club look to offload in next summer’s transfer window.
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That said, the goals and chances created in Paris may offer the youngster a chance to – for lack of a better phrase – pad his stats a little, perhaps increasing the eventual transfer fee Everton will receive.
Evertonians, would you keep or sell Kean after his loan spell ends? Comment below!
Celtic will be hoping that tonight’s match against Lille will see them bounce back to winning ways. The Hoops have now gone three games without a victory, rocked by the defeat Rangers handed them at Celtic Park.
Neil Lennon has come under fire for the recent run of form and this evening will be his chance to prove his critics wrong. He has been chopping and changing his lineups throughout this season and could field yet another surprise XI in France.
Football FanCast has predicted how Lennon might opt to set up this time…
Despite shipping three goals against Aberdeen, the boss is likely to stick with his decision to replace Vasilis Barkas with Scott Bain. The Greece international has been disappointing this season and will need to work hard to regain his place in the starting lineup.
Back-up option Bain will be protected by usual duo Kristoffer Ajer and Shane Duffy and Lennon should consider fielding Nir Bitton, after a surprise back four option against the Dons didn’t work out.
Bitton has been confirmed to be in contention for tonight’s clash after returning from a positive coronavirus case.
The Celtic attack is an area that seems to be constantly under review by Lennon. Since the Rangers clash, a double strike force, lone striker, and front four has been deployed in order to search for a winning method. However, these worries could be put at rest today as Odsonne Edouard also rejoins training alongside Bitton.
The Frenchman has five goal contributions in seven Premiership appearances so far and has been a huge miss for the Hoops. The £13.5million-rated forward’s return to the action today could be the boost Lennon has been longing for and could be the difference between a win and a draw against Lille.
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Ryan Christie has been impressing recently and could earn another start to support to two strikers, with Tom Rogic axed despite the fact he assisted twice against Aberdeen. Christie’s penalty against Aberdeen ensured Celtic came away with a point and could be crucial in their European battle.
In other news, Celtic foolish not to sign Scott McTominay amid Neil Lennon crisis…
Things are just beginning to look up if you’re a Newcastle United fan.
After a dreadful and timid display at home to Manchester United eventually saw them lose 4-1, the Magpies have enjoyed a couple of very impressive results in the Premier League.
First, Steve Bruce’s side rescued a very creditable point away at notoriously hard to play Wolves at Molineux, before picking up a huge 2-1 win against this season’s high-fliers Everton.
Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?
With in-form Southampton their next challenge in the top-flight, there’s a real chance Newcastle could end up in the top four by the end of Friday night, if – and it’s a big if – they can beat Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
Below is a look at just how the Magpies could potentially line up.
With Martin Dubravka still no closer to making his return to the starting line-up thanks to injury, Karl Darlow will continue in between the sticks for the Magpies.
In front of him, Bruce will no doubt continue with the same back-five that served him so well in that clash against Everton, with very little reason to make changes there.
The two big decisions that the Newcastle boss will have to make comes further forward. Both Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser came on as substitutes in that win over the Toffees, and will surely be pushing for a start this time around against Southampton.
Sean Longstaff’s inspired performance on his return from injury may however have convinced Bruce that he should be kept in the starting eleven, meaning Hayden will have to settle for a place on the bench.
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Miguel Almiron on the other hand, is surely in danger of losing his place, especially given Fraser’s contribution to Wilson’s second goal, which proved to be the match-winner of course thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late strike.
That could see Bruce field a very exciting, and pacy, front-three of Fraser, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.
Leicester have the chance to put more daylight between themselves and closest Europa League opponents Sporting Braga this evening. The two have three points between them but a win for the Foxes in Portugal will be a huge boost for their 2020/21 campaign.
It will also put Leicester in good stead to top their group and finish on maximum points. However, Brendan Rodgers will be cautious of the fact that they play Fulham in just a matter of days and can’t afford to risk any key players.
With a dilemma on his hands, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Leicester to line up vs Braga tonight…
The Foxes will be reeling after a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool ended their six-game unbeaten run. The reigning champions made easy work of bagging another Premier League win and have now leapfrogged Leicester in the table. Eager not to let it set a dynamic, Rodgers will be putting all of his focus into tonight’s tactics and we could see a change in formation.
Despite playing with three central defenders and deploying his full-backs further up the pitch recently, the boss could revert to a standard four across the back in order to maximise defensive strength. James Justin and Christian Fuchs will shift back as Rodgers could recreate the set up he fielded against Zorya last month.
After struggling against Liverpool and netting an own goal, Jonny Evans could be given a breather ahead of Fulham, with the lesser seen Wes Morgan stepping in to start. The £80,000 per week centre-back could make an appearance in the second half though.
Leicester will need the creative mind of Youri Tielemans in midfield but could also rely on Hamza Choudhury, who started the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium with Wilfried Ndidi still out.
Kelechi Iheanacho will undoubtedly start after bagging two goals last time out, but his support may be altered a little. Ayoze Perez hasn’t started a match for Rodgers in more than a month, with Harvey Barnes now excelling in the team. However, the youngster struggled at Anfield and the Spaniard may finally get the nod to play opposite fellow winger Cengiz Under, with James Maddison pulling the strings in the middle.
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It will be bold option to start Perez after he has fallen down the pecking order, but it could be the boost he needs to perform and stay happy in the squad.
In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…
Glasgow Rangers weren’t exactly quiet in the summer transfer window, but perhaps Ross Wilson could have added the icing on the cake with one final signing.
Steven Gerrard was given not one but two back-up strikers in the form of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe, whilst Wilson also brought in Bongani Zungu before the stroke of play on transfer deadline day.
Whilst Rangers secured the services of Leon Balogun on a one-year deal in the summer with the option to extend his contract for a further year after Nikola Katic suffered a serious knee injury during pre-season training, Filip Helander and George Edmundson are currently self-isolating with the latter having fallen afoul of the coronavirus guidelines.
This means that the Ibrox boss only has three options for two centre-back positions at present – as talented left-back Calvin Bassey can also play in a more central role if required, whilst Connor Goldson and Balogun are almost guaranteed to start against Scottish Premiership rivals Ross County at Victoria Park on Sunday afternoon.
An injury crisis or an outbreak of coronavirus cases could cause several problems at the back, so the Ibrox boss may want to think about dipping into the academy ranks, and he may be more inclined to do so after Leon King made his first-team debut last weekend.
Rangers crushed Scottish League One club Falkirk in a comfortable 4-0 win in the Betfred Cup to cruise into the last eight with the 16-year-old coming off the bench to replace James Tavernier at right-back in the second half.
Primarily a centre-back, King is cut from a similar cloth to Goldson, who has also been utilised at right-back in the past.
In 15 appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, the 27-year-old has scored two goals and supplied one assist, whilst he is averaging 1.1 tackles per game, via WhoScored.
It’s no surprise, then, that Goldson has attracted attention from clubs south of the border, as reports in recent times revealed that several Premier League side retain an interest in the Wolverhampton-born defender, which is where King could come into the fray.
Despite his young age, his rapid progress hasn’t gone unnoticed, as the teenager has already made the jump from the academy ranks to the senior squad, albeit on a temporary basis.
Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton hailed the young talent after the win last weekend, telling Football Insider: “It’s crazy, at 16, to be playing in the Rangers first-team.
“I think he turns 17 just in January but they’ve done really well to hold onto him, I think he’s kind of the next one, the next big one that we see making the breakthrough.
“A lot of teams down south, I know, were interested in him but he signed a new contract back in March – another great prospect for the future, they speak about him very highly.
“Even though he’s physically ready, I don’t think he’s ready in terms of coming in and playing all the time. I think it’s about learning, training with the first-team, getting used to that sort of atmosphere and progressing well.
“To get those compliments from Steven Gerrard, again, another one that must have his confidence absolutely through the roof at the moment.”
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The Daily Record recently reported that King has signed his first professional contract with the 54-time Scottish champions which made him one of the club’s highest-paid youngsters in the process, amid interest from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
If that’s the case, then the Ibrox boss would be wise to integrate him further into the first team to ward off any potential suitors, especially when you consider the impact of Bassey in recent weeks.
Goldson could act as the perfect mentor to the young academy product as it’s fair to say that King is still learning about the game and life in general. After all, he has experienced both the highs and lows of being a professional footballer after returning from successful surgery.
AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard could unshackle Kemar Roofe as the team’s No. 10…
Big things were expected of Calum Chambers when he left Southampton to join Arsenal in 2014, but after a series of injuries and loan spells away from the North London club, it would appear that the Saints sold the defender at the perfect time.
The 25-year-old had made just 25 first-team appearances for Southampton when he made the switch to Arsenal six years ago, with the Gunners paying around £16 million for his services.
In his time with Arsenal, Chambers has managed just 101 appearances for the senior side and has also spent time on loan with Middlesbrough and Fulham in recent seasons.
Unfortunately for the defender, injury problems have heavily disrupted his time with the North London club, most notably when he missed 35 games due to a cruciate ligament rupture suffered in December 2019.
Whilst he recently returned to action with the U’23s, he is yet to make an appearance for Mikel Arteta’s first-team so far this season.
Of course, Chambers is returning from a long-term injury and is most likely just regaining fitness ahead of a return to Premier League action, and his performances last season before his injury suggest that he could be a regular in this Arsenal side once he returns.
During the 2019/20 campaign, the 25-year-old made 14 appearances in the top-flight, averaging a solid 6.86 rating, so when you consider Arsenal’s woes so far this season, perhaps Arteta will want to restore the Englishman to his starting line-up in the near future.
Although, with the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes in the summer, you wonder how much longer the North London club will keep faith in Chambers, considering his injury problems since joining the club.
Either way, it seems that Southampton got a great deal in selling him for as much as they did back in 2015, thanks to former head of football Les Reed, as he was valued at just £1.8 million when he signed for the Gunners.
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Saints fans may well be hoping that Chambers still goes on to have a strong career with Arsenal, but much will depend on how well he performs if he is given a chance in Arteta’s side.
And, in other news… Southampton ace badly let Hasenhuttl down with a shocking display vs Manchester United
Southampton will be hoping to continue their impressive start to the 2020/21 Premier League season by picking up all three points against Sheffield United on Sunday.
The Saints secured an impressive 2-1 win against Brighton last time out, so will be confident when they face Chris Wilder’s side at St Mary’s, with the Blades having picked up just one point in the Premier League so far this season.
Following his winning goal from the bench last time out, it seems likely that Danny Ings will return to Southampton’s starting line up but considering the Saints’ strong recent form, it would be a surprise to see too many other changes.
Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up against Sheffield United…
Unsurprisingly, Hasenhuttl keeps faith in Alex McCarthy, with the shot-stopper no doubt hoping to pick up his fifth clean sheet of the season in Sunday’s game.
Jannik Vestergaard could be a threat with his height from corners, whilst Jan Bednarek continues to partner the Dane in defence, although it surely won’t be long until we see Mohammed Salisu make his first appearance in a Saints shirt.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand continue to start at full-back, with both having been mainstays in Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season.
There’s one change in midfield, as Nathan Redmond is restored to the starting XI after an arguably disappointing display from Moussa Djenepo in the win against Brighton – his 6.4 rating as per Sofascore was the joint-lowest of any Southampton player.
James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu can continue their impressive partnership in midfield, with the duo having been two of Hasenhuttl’s standout performers in the Premier League this year – the duo are both in the top five for average match rating for the Saints as per Whoscored.
Finally, Ings is given the nod to start up front, ahead of Theo Walcott, who drops out after a poor performance against Brighton last time out.
Back in 2016, Lee Dixon was full of praise for the former Arsenal man, saying:
“His speed and quality on the ball is unquestionable.
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“Now all of a sudden he is unplayable. He is thinking about the game. It seems like he has turned into a different player.”
However, Ings’ connection with Che Adams up front has been a key part of Southampton’s impressive run of form – the duo have 14 goal contributions combined – and if those two can perform well, the Saints will surely have a good chance of picking up all three points against Sheffield United.
And, in other news… Southampton can exploit key SHU weakness by unleashing colossus “role model”