Ancelotti ready for Everton to sell Kean

As per Le10 Sport, Everton are prepared to sell Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain for just €30m (£26m) this summer.

Ancelotti happy to sell Kean

Kean is currently on loan in Paris and has scored 15 goals in 27 games for the Ligue 1 champions (Transfermarkt). Despite that, Carlo Ancelotti would be happy to see him depart, with €30m (£26m) deemed to be an acceptable sum – that is a big difference from the £50m-£60m valuation recently mentioned by Fabrizio Romano.

However, PSG sporting director Leonardo is not willing to pay that fee, and will instead look to sign the 21-year-old on another 12-month loan.

Mistake

After signing for £25.1m from Juventus (BBC), Kean struggled at Goodison Park. In 37 games for the club, he managed just four goals – far less than what most would have expected when he made the switch to England. However, it must be taken into consideration that he signed for the Toffees as a teenager – it was always going to be difficult for him to hit the ground running after moving to a new and strange country at such a young age.

He is proving in France that he has what it takes to play at the highest level. Of course, the Toffees may have no choice but to sell if Kean does not want to return, but if he does, Ancelotti and co should give him another chance. It would be a waste not to do all they can to get the best from a top attacking talent.

In other news, Everton eye a move for this Europa League ace.

Arsenal’s predicted XI vs Burnley

After clinching an impressive victory in the Premier League last time out against Leicester, Arsenal return to top-flight action when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor.

Mikel Arteta’s side came from behind to beat the Foxes, with goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe seeing them overturn an early deficit to take home all three points from the clash at the King Power Stadium.

Sean Dyche’s Burnley await them on early Saturday afternoon, and with a European place for next season well within the Gunners’ sights, there’s no questioning Arteta will once again go with a strong side even with the looming Europa League game against Olympiakos in mid-week.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Arsenal might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno will once again keep his place in between the sticks as the side’s number one, while the back four could see one key change with Hector Bellerin coming in at right-back in place of the £75,000-a-week earning Cedric.

In midfield, Thomas Partey is surely pushing for his first start after coming back from injury, and he could replace Mohamed Elneny to partner Granit Xhaka in the engine room.

Further forward, Arteta has some big decisions to make after both Willian and Pepe delivered some impressive performances after being given the nod to start – the former set up two goals in his last two games, while the latter of course found the back of the net himself.

With Olympiakos on Thursday, and the duo in form, Arteta may feel like he can once again rest Bukayo Saka, while Martin Odegaard should come in for Emile Smith Rowe after he picked up a problem and was forced off against Leicester – the Gunners boss did give some good news, however, when he confirmed that it wasn’t serious.

Alexandre Lacazette should keep his place up front, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in line to come in on Thursday.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Mari, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Pepe, Odegaard, Willian; Lacazette.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could sign their own Van Dijk in this 6 ft 4 powerhouse…

Sunderland injury news for EFL Trophy final

Sunderland head into their EFL Trophy Final with Tranmere Rovers on Sunday full of confidence.

The Mackems are now fourth in the league and have won seven of their last eight outings, so this weekend should prove to be a nice little distraction.

That being said, Lee Johnson’s team have been handed some cruel injury news. The manager revealed during his Friday press conference that Bailey Wright would not be fit to take to the field at Wembley this weekend.

The boss provided an update on the fitness of Aiden O’Brien, who was taken off after an hour against Portsmouth last Tuesday, saying: “We’ll have a look at Aiden. We’ll try and leave it as long as possible.”

However, most devastating was news of Jordan Jones. Johnson added: “We’re not sure about Jordan – he’s a bit like Aiden. We’ll give him a fitness test, but he is probably less likely to be available.”

This is nothing short of a colossal injury blow. The Mackems have been able to deal without Wright with Luke O’Nien and Dion Sanderson at the back, as they have kept five clean sheets in their last six outings.

Though, Jones has just started to thrive in a Sunderland shirt. The Rangers loanee was initially given brief cameo appearances from the bench after arriving in January but he’s been nothing short of exceptional in recent games.

Jones has contributed to five goals in his last six outings, particularly impressing in his last two starts against Rochdale and Portsmouth. He supplied a delicious ball for Charlie Wyke’s goal against Dale before scoring when they travelled to Pompey in midweek.

He was a player who had the potential to be crucial in London this weekend, so missing him could be a massive blow to their ambitions.

Johnson has already been left to tear his hair out over numerous injury blows this season. This issue could just be his most disappointing one yet.

AND in other news, Dreyfus may be on the verge of repeating one of Donald’s biggest SAFC mistakes already… 

Difficult for Wolves to find Jimenez cover

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Wolves loanee Marlon Harewood has highlighted one dilemma that comes with having a striker like Raul Jimenez.

Jimenez has been a revelation at Molineux since arriving on an initial loan deal from Benfica back in the summer of 2018. He scored 13 Premier League goals in that 2018/19 season before bagging an even more impressive tally of 17 the following campaign.

Indeed, the Mexico international has had a huge impact at Wolves, helping the Midlands club to firmly establish themselves as a Premier League outfit. His impact, however, has been so huge, manager Nuno Espirito Santo is struggling to find adequate cover for his main man, according to Harewood.

When asked how difficult can it be for a manager to find a capable alternative who’s willing to sit on the bench, Harewood told FFC:

“It’s very difficult. To be fair, I was that player when I was at Aston Villa. Sometimes it will depend on the manager that you’ve got there. They use man-management skills off the field when [they] deal with the team as a whole.

“He had belief in me but, at the same time, I couldn’t get in the team because John Carew and Gabby Agbonlahor were scoring goals, which you appreciate.”

Speaking further on the subject, the retired Premier League forward added: “It is hard, but then that’s the manager’s job to find a different formula if your striker gets injured. You have to find another way to score goals.”

Bearing that in mind, Nuno will be desperate to have Jimenez available for action again, with the 29-year-old still absent after sustaining a nasty head injury against Arsenal last December.

With just 28 goals in 28 games this season, Wolves are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, showing not only the need for Jimenez, but also a capable deputy for when the former Atletico Madrid forward is not available.

Gerrard made a huge mistake with Balogun

Rangers’ run in the Europa League came to an end at Ibrox on Thursday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Slavia Prague, with both Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun seeing red for Steven Gerrard’s side in the second half.

The Liverpool legend took a big risk in selecting the Nigerian international ahead of Filip Helander at centre-back for the tie and unfortunately it did not pay off as the former Wigan Athletic man endured a nightmare display even before his early bath.

As per SofaScore, the 32-year-old earned a 5.9 rating for his performance, which was the worst of any player who started the game.

The centre-back was on tenterhooks for almost the entire match after picking up an early booking, which makes it even more baffling as to why he wasn’t replaced by Gerrard at half-time.

Many Rangers fans were confused as to why Helander didn’t start the game when replying to the team news on Twitter, especially after the Swedish international scored the equaliser in the first leg last week, with many disappointed to see Balogun start.

The Nigerian was perhaps fortunate not to concede a first half penalty when he gave the ball away before finding himself the wrong side of the Slavia attacker but was given the benefit of the doubt by the referee on that occasion.

However, the man in the middle was left with no choice when Balogun made a ridiculous challenge in the second half when Rangers were already down to ten men, as he compounded an awful display by getting himself sent off.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Although Balogun has performed well for Rangers in the Premiership this season, averaging a 7.09 rating, this still rates him below both Helander and Conor Goldson, so it was a surprise to see him start.

The Nigerian international has averaged a less impressive 6.76 rating in the Europa League and was very poor in the 5-2 win against Royal Antwerp recently when he was substituted at half-time by Gerrard.

Therefore, it was something of a tactical disasterclass from Gerrard to select him ahead of Helander for such an important game, but perhaps even more baffling that he kept him on at half-time when it was clear that he was struggling and susceptible to pick up a red card.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Of course, it’s easy to criticise in retrospect and, if Balogun had performed superbly in a Rangers win, then we would probably be talking about how it was such a good decision by Gerrard to start him. However, the reality is that the Gers were let down by Gerrard’s decision to select the Nigerian ahead of Helander on Thursday.

And, in other news… Forget Sakala: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for £2.7m-rated beast, he won’t cost a penny

City fans’ opinions on Dias have changed

There was a lot of scepticism from Manchester City fans in the summer when their club paid £65 million to sign Benfica centre-back Ruben Dia,s but the Portuguese international has now established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Pep Guardiola.

Ahead of the 23-year-old’s arrival at the Etihad, some City fans voiced their displeasure with his potential signing on Twitter, suggesting that they were ‘underwhelmed’ by the signing.

However, opinions on the 23-year-old have quickly changed as he has enjoyed a superb debut season in the top-flight for Guardiola’s side, forming an incredible partnership at the back with John Stones.

The Portuguese international has averaged a solid 6.97 rating for his performances in the top-flight, with the Citizens keeping a remarkable 23 clean sheets in the 38 games he has featured in for the Citizens in all competitions so far this campaign.

City fans have been singing his praises on Twitter for most of the season now, as his performances have helped Guardiola’s side establish themselves at the top of the Premier League, whilst they are still going strong in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Therefore, it is easy to see the change in mood from a lot of City fans following Dias’ signing, as surely few would have predicted just how much of an impact he would have in his debut season.

It is fair to suggest, therefore, that despite some of the critisism he recieved at the time, sporting director Txiki Begiristain delivered another masterclass when signing the £63 million-rated centre-back last summer.

And, in other news… 13 duels won: £150k-p/w City star was Pep’s best performer vs Everton

West Ham fans erupt at contract development

According to a report by West Ham United insiders Claret & Hugh, via West Ham News, manager David Moyes will be rewarded with a new two-year contract this summer – but Irons supporters aren’t impressed with GSB as they spot a questionable clause in this alleged offer.

Moyes has debatably done a brilliant job at the London Stadium this season as the Hammers stay within touching distance of a potential European qualifying spot – unprecedented at the start of 2020/2021.

As a result, GSB are reportedly set to offer the Scotsman a new two-year deal this summer – and Moyes will apparently have the option to extend his stay by another 12 months if West Ham finish just ’13th or above’ in his final year.

This latter extension option in the reported deal has prompted much backlash from Irons supporters, who have bashed their owners’ lack of ambition on social media in response.

One Hammers supporter even labelled it as ‘laughable’ – and you can see why given West Ham appear capable of a much higher league finish, as proven by this campaign.

Find all of their reactions to the news down below.

West Ham fans erupt at GSB

“@davidgold 13th? Great ambition you disgrace”

Credit: @Rolphyy14

“13th or above, crikey

That’s real ambition from the owners”

Credit: @JasonHo94454369

“13th or above? Well, it says it all right there. Our owners have no ambition.”

Credit: @SkinSpecialist

“GSB ambition is outstanding.”

Credit: @ScottDavidson26

“Talk about showing ambition eh! Will get an extra year if finish above 13th. Laughable.”

Credit: @AzamWHUFC

“Why GSB have to go . Not because they are offering Moyes a well deserved deal but how low they set the bar for renewal option. No ambition.”

Credit: @WHUFCGeezer

“This tells you everything about their ambitions”

Credit: @AlexFynn

“13th or above. Wow. Shows the owners ambitions right there”

Credit: @Lawrenceee_B

In other news: West Ham insider shares big injury boost, find out more here.

Wolves: Semedo’s value falling dramatically

When Nelson Semedo signed for Wolves last summer, it was a landmark moment for the club.

Fosun were bringing a Barcelona player to the Midlands in a deal that could eventually rise to the £36m mark.

It was an eye-catching transfer; one that marked a significant statement of intent from the Molineux outfit. This type of deal was supposed to help catapult Wolves into the European places.

Instead, they have gone backwards with Semedo on the right-hand side of defence.

The Portugal international has struggled since signing but we shouldn’t really be surprised. The very fact Barcelona were able to sell him for a fee that could reach nearly £40m was baffling when you consider how he was taken to the cleaners by Alphonso Davies in the Champions League.

In the process of Barcelona being demoralised 8-2 by Bayern Munich, Semedo was dribbled past on three occasions, made an error that led to a shot and completed just one tackle all night. For a team who were so relentlessly on the back foot, it was a horror show from the defender.

Since penning terms in the Premier League, he has put in some wretched performances from a defensive point of view. Two games that spring to mind were Everton and Arsenal.

Against the Toffees, Semedo was given the run around by Lucas Digne as the French full-back was able to deliver six crosses. On a regular basis, the Portuguese failed to get close to Digne and that was evident for the opening goal.

The Everton defender got down the left and with Semedo nowhere to be seen, he was able to lay it on a plate for Alex Iwobi to fire home.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

During that clash, Wolves reporter Tim Spiers took to Twitter to express the following: “A liability at the back but nothing wrong with Semedo’s attacking ability of late.”

Indeed, that perfectly sums up the 27-year-old’s time in England. Going forward he looks a constant menace but he’s often left wanting defensively.

That was apparent when Arsenal and Nicolas Pepe came to town. The Ivorian was a constant thorn in the defence, beating Semedo on several occasions.

All of this has led to a dramatic decrease in his transfer value. When he moved to Wolves, the flying wing-back was valued at £36m.

However, just a matter of months on from when he signed, he is now valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt; that’s a substantial decrease of £7.2m.

Clearly, he has not been at the top of his game since coming to the club. He has often been found out when playing as part of a back four but Wolves had their warnings before spending such a significant amount of money last summer.

Jeff Shi must be cursing his luck, especially after selling Matt Doherty to Tottenham.

AND in other news, Mendes magic: Wolves must sign “unbelievable” 95-goal gem from a “different planet”…

Kamara endured difficult night with Finland

Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara has been with his national side Finland during the international break, although his latest performance may be a cause for concern for Steven Gerrard.

The former Dundee man played the full 90 minutes for Finland as they drew 1-1 with Ukraine in a World Cup qualifying game on Sunday but he struggled to have any real impression on the game.

As per SofaScore, the 25-year-old midfielder would earn a disappointing 6.2 match rating for his display, which was the second-worst of any player who featured in the game, with Ukraine’s Vitaliy Mykolenko earning a 6.0/10 rating after he was sent off for a professional foul late on, which allowed Teemu Pukki to score a late equaliser from the penalty spot.

Although Kamara had the most touches of any Finland midfielder or attacker, he struggled to do anything productive with the ball, as he failed to contribute a single key pass, cross or long ball during the game.

The 25-year-old is renowned at Rangers for his ability to win back the ball and win battles in midfield, but he failed to showcase this at the weekend, as he failed to make a single tackle during the game.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

He also lost all five of his duels during the game and failed to complete a single dribble emphasising that the Ukraine midfield generally had the better of him throughout the game.

In comparison to Kamara, Ukraine’s midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi, who picked up the man of the match award for his display, would contribute four key passes, complete four dribbles and long passes, and win nine duels in what was an excellent all-round display from the Atalanta man.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

Therefore, this emphasises how poor Kamara was on Sunday, with the £4.05 million-rated midfielder enduring something of a nightmare display, and he will be relieved that his side were able to rescue a late point despite his poor performance.

Gerrard will be hoping his midfielder’s performance on international duty does not dent his confidence ahead of his return to club action in the near future.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Edmundson: Rangers signing £1.08m-rated beast would surely be the end for 23 y/o at Ibrox

Leeds facing Liverpool battle for Teun Koopmeiners

Leeds could deliver a big message to Marcelo Bielsa by landing AZ Alkmaar ace Teun Koopmeiners this summer amid reported transfer interest from Liverpool.

What’s the story?

In a list of options suggested by The Athletic’s Phil Hay as potential cover for Kalvin Phillips, Koopmeiner’s name came into the discussion, with the suggestion that he could be set for a move away from his native Netherlands in the summer.

Italian publication Calciomercato have now claimed that fellow Premier League side Liverpool are keen on signing the Dutchman, who they see as a potential replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.

Could be big message to Bielsa

In some player analysis done by The Athletic, it was suggested that: “Koopmeiners has more of an attacking profile than Phillips (something that might fit with Bielsa’s standards of versatility) and there is a lot to like about him. He stands out as a very good all-rounder in top-flight terms: an extremely strong tackler who mirrors Phillips in his constant attempts to look for forward passes rather than lateral balls.

“While the match with Phillips is not perfect, it is close enough to suggest that Koopmeiners is an asset Bielsa could refine with coaching.”

Described as a “leader” by his former coach Koen Stam, Koopmeiners is AZ Alkmaar’s captain, and as well as being a talented footballer, would be another important voice in the dressing room.

Perhaps just as importantly on a bigger scale, his signing would show that Leeds mean business. Fending off competition from outgoing Premier League champions Liverpool to his signature would signal to Bielsa that the Whites are intent on taking that next step forward – a vital message to convey when you consider that the Argentine’s current contract is coming to an end this summer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

While Bielsa seems more than happy at Elland Road, landing a key target like this would be the perfect way to prove to the manager that the club are ready to back him in the transfer market.

It’s all in Victor Orta’s hands to beat Liverpool to the 1.83m (6 foot) Koopmeiners now.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign an ideal partner for Kalvin Phillips in this star…

Game
Register
Service
Bonus