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Everton are reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign FC Metz defender Fabien Centonze in the summer.

The Lowdown: ‘Major’ overhaul

It has been reported that Farhad Moshiri is now plotting a ‘major’ overhaul of the squad in the summer, given their struggles this season.

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While both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been heavily linked with a move away from Goodison Park, they have also been linked with moves for Adama Traore and Michy Batshuayi.

The Latest: Centonze eyed

As per The Daily Telegraph, Centonze is now on the list of potential targets in the summer for the Merseyside club.

However, they may face competition from Crystal Palace for the right-back, who could be a replacement for Jonjoe Kenny, as his contract runs out in the summer.

The Verdict: Potential bargain

Centonze could be available on the cheap if Metz get relegated from Ligue 1, as they currently sit at the bottom of the division. Thus, the 26-year-old could be sold for a potential bargain, given his age and individual exploits this season.

Journalist Zach Lowy described him as ‘dazzling’ earlier this year, as the defender has managed an impressive four goals and one assist in total in Ligue 1 so far this term (Transfermarkt).

Interestingly, he also shares the same agent as Jordan Pickford, and so the England international goalkeeper could play a part in luring Centonze to the Toffees.

In other news, find out which ‘top class’ Frank Lampard favourite the Blues are now ‘keen’ on signing here!

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane was on target for Senegal as they beat Namibia 4-1 on Saturday. 

He beat three challenges and found the bottom left corner from the edge of the penalty area to put his side 3-0 up in their World Cup qualifier.

The goal pulls the 29-year-old further clear at the top of Senegal’s all-time scoring list. He has now bagged 24 for his country, seven clear of Mamadou Niang, and the win leaves the Lions five points clear at the top of their group, having won all three of their matches so far.

The two teams will meet again on Tuesday, this time in Namibia, before Mane returns to Liverpool.

Mane’s good form continues

Mane sits second in the Reds’ early scoring charts for 2021/22, with his strike against Manchester City taking him to five for the season. He trails Mohamed Salah, who has nine in as many matches.

Fan feed The Anfield Talk posted footage of the Senegal star’s most recent goal on international duty, and here’s what these Liverpool supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans love Mane’s goal

“An in-form Mane is WHAT WE NEED for the fixtures after the international break”

Credit: @n8_lfc

“Bc everyone’s been focused rightly so on Salah he’s quietly returned to form this season”

Credit: @connor33_

“y’all thought he was joking when he said he would bounce back”

Credit: @Auxanooo

“Oh yessssssss”

Credit: @Helena84164757

“GOATTTTT”

Credit: @sadio10iii

“What a goal!! Sadio ripping apart defences just like the good old days!!”

Credit: @Sayantan_10

In other news, many Liverpool fans were delighted with this contract development

Burnley have been offered the chance to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who is a target for Tottenham Hotspur, with the Clarets said to have submitted a loan offer for his signature [Sky Sports].

The Lowdown: Weston McKennie profiled

Emerging as one of the brightest talents to come out of the United States, the 23-year-old has excelled in Italy since joining up with the Old Lady in 2020.

Last term, he showed his ability in to mix it at the elite level, registering nine goal contributions in 46 fixtures for his current employers; six goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].

In a surprising twist of fate, he could now be set for a move to Turf Moor  after constant links to north London in the last couple of weeks – some reports even suggested he was keen to reject interest from West Ham to join the Lilywhites instead.

The Latest: Burnley offered chance to sign McKennie; loan offer submitted

Burnley are said to have been offered the chance to acquire the USA international, with one source revealing that the Lancashire club have submitted a loan bid for the 6-foot ace [Sky Sports].

Of course, Tottenham have retained an interest in McKennie this window, being linked with a £40 million swoop last week for the anchor man to shore up their midfield ahead of the deadline [The Independent].

The Verdict: Losing out on McKennie to Burnley would be a sore one to take for Tottenham

In the market for a midfielder after the departure of long-serving ace Moussa Sissoko to Watford, the news that McKennie could be going elsewhere in England will come as a body blow to the Spurs hierarchy.

Carrying the requisite qualities to dictate play in central areas, he recorded an impressive pass accuracy average of 85.4% per game during the 2020/21 Serie A season [WhoScored].

McKennie has earned plenty of praise for his talents in the past, once being labelled as ‘outstanding’ by former Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel after scoring his first competitive goal for the club [Schalke 04 Official].

Should McKennie move to Burnley, he may turn out to be one that got away for Tottenham, as they could do with some reinforcements in midfield.

In other news, a Tottenham Hotspur ace has performed a u-turn on leaving the club. Find out more here.

Michael Ball has dropped a key claim on Rangers centre-forward Alfredo Morelos’ future…

What’s the talk?

Former Rangers defender Michael Ball has claimed that Alfredo Morelos ‘will’ leave the club as the Gers will want to maximise their profits on him.

He told This is Futbol:

“We know he will move on in the future, Rangers will want to capitalise on a good fee for him but it’s down to him, he’s got to be the key player week in and week out.”

Frustration

Rangers fans will surely be left feeling frustrated by this key transfer claim from Ball. Why is it inevitable for the club to sell star players? Supporters will want to see some ambition from Ross Wilson to retain Steven Gerrard’s top performers, rather than conceding that they will 100% leave.

Of course, there is sometimes little that can be done if a player is desperate to go and play for a top European side who are competing for the best trophies in football. For example, if Real Madrid, Manchester City or Chelsea came calling then you could excuse a player for wanting to move on, but is competing in midtable in the Premier League better than winning trophies with Rangers?

It is a subjective question and one that there is little point arguing over right now, but Wilson needs to put up a convincing case for the Gers in order to keep hold of players like Morelos. The Colombian striker has proven his worth in the Scottish Premiership and losing him would be a huge blow for Gerrard’s side.

Speaking anonymously to The Athletic in 2019, a Scottish Premiership player labelled Morelos as “non-stop” and praised the way his movement made him difficult to defend: “In my experience, he is just non-stop.

“There’s never a time when he’s walking about or not interested in the game. He’s always involved, whether that’s taking you away or dragging you closer to the ball.

“He’s kind of dropping deep now and going out wide. That’s a nightmare for defenders because he’s your player that you’re meant to be man-marking but then you’re dragged out of position and you’ve got midfield runners taking his space. That means you need to start talking to your full-backs and centre-mids to start swapping players, which makes it a lot more difficult.”

This highlights the problems he can cause defenders in Scotland, which is why Wilson must avoid a disaster over the gem. Fans will be frustrated if the club actively looks to sell him on without trying to pin him down to a new contract to keep him at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Gerrard must unleash “exciting” £4.5m-rated Rangers beast, he may get fans off seats…

Having joined Wolverhampton Wanderers’ youth setup back in 2018, Theo Corbeanu is a player who very quickly began to catch the eye at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground.

Indeed, after a rather quiet first season with Wolves U18s, scoring one goal and registering one assist over 14 Premier League U18 appearances in 2018/19, the versatile centre-forward really started to find his feet in the following campaign, bagging six goals and providing one assist over 17 fixtures for the U18 side, as well as making his first appearance for the U23s.

This form led to the Canada international being promoted to the U23 side on a permanent basis last season, during which the £900k-rated man scored seven goals and registered two assists over 21 Premier League 2 appearances, in addition to making his Premier League debut for the first team – coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in May.

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering his impressive rise through the Wolves youth ranks, the opinion of Corbeanu is extremely high at Molineux, particularly in the eyes of U23 head coach James Collins.

Speaking about the potential of the 19-year-old, Collins said: “He’s athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s both footed, he’s got a bit of everything.”

The boss continued: “Theo can be anything he wants to be. He’s an outstanding prospect.”

This assessment of the youngster’s ability is sure to excite Wolves fans, as Collins’ description could also quite easily fit the club’s current first-choice centre-forward, Raul Jimenez – of whom Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said: “For a striker, he is so mobile, but also physically so good and talented technically on the ball.”

However, despite his obvious promise, after being sent on loan to Sheffield Wednesday this summer, Corbeanu’s rise appears to have slowed somewhat, as the striker has so far made just four appearances for Darren Moore’s side – all of which have come from the bench.

Indeed, Tim Spiers recently stated in an article for The Athletic that, with both Lincoln City and Crewe Alexandra thought to have been interested in signing the forward this summer, should the 19-year-old still not be receiving regular game time at Hillsborough by the time January comes around, Wolves could well look to move the youngster to a new club for the second half of the season.

And, should Bruno Lage wish to give Corbeanu the best possible chance of going on to fulfil his undoubted potential, this would appear an extremely wise move. The 19-year-old certainly has the potential to not only become Jimenez’s long-term successor at Wolves, but he could also save Fosun millions of pounds in transfer fees as a result.

In other news: Nixon drops worrying claim on “authoritative” £62k-p/w ace, Wolves fans will be gutted

The Express and Star reporter Luke Hatfield told The Transfer Tavern that Carlos Vinicius would be an interesting signing for Wolves.

The Brazilian striker spent last season on loan at Tottenham having been signed by Jose Mourinho, but managed just one Premier League goal, although he played just 303 minutes in the league.

But in the Europa League and domestic cups, Vinicius proved himself as a lethal goalscorer, netting nine goals in just 670 minutes outside of the Premier League, including one hat-trick and two braces.

However, with Heung-min Son and Harry Kane at the peak of their powers, Vinicius was an unused substitute on 17 times last season, which all but ended any chance of Tottenham activating his buy-out clause.

Just a matter of months down the line, however, according to the Mirror, Wolves, who’re short of options up front, could turn to the £16.2m-rated striker.

Vinicius scored 24 goals under the guidance of Wolves boss Bruno Lage when the pair were together at Benfica in 2019-2020.

“He would be an interesting player were Wolves to sign him,” Hatfield told The Transfer Tavern. 

“He didn’t get a fair crack at the whip at Spurs, it was always going to be tough playing back-up to Harry Kane because he’s always going to want to play week in week out and you’ll only see limited opportunities.

“But he showed enough to attract interest of Premier League clubs, so he’d be an interesting signing for Wolves.”

Manchester United have not made any signings as of yet in the January transfer window, but there has been plenty of speculation with a number of players linked with a move to the club this month, and one of those touted to arrive could be the perfect replacement for Paul Pogba if he does not commit to a future at Old Trafford this summer.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Conor Clancy, has given his perspective on Sergej Milinković-Savić being linked to Manchester United, and the effect he could have on the side, hailing the Lazio midfielder “another Paul Pogba”.

Clancy told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think Milinkovic-Savic is just another Paul Pogba in that they’ve got the same skill set. They’re physically quite similar. When they’ve got the ball at their feet, they’re capable of doing similar things.”

Milinkovic-Savic has been linked this month with a move to Man United, as Rangnick comes under pressure to improve the side, but no official bid has been made for the player as of yet.

Ralf must seal the signing

The £63m-rated beast could surely cure the Pogba headache Manchester United are facing with his contract ending in the summer of this year, and fans would welcome the signing of the midfielder, with one Red Devils fan tweeting;

“@ManUtd why are we not targeting Milinkovic-Savic this window. He looks like the perfect match to a rather subdued midfield.”

The Lazio midfielder is enjoying an impressive campaign so far in his 21 games, scoring seven goals, registering eight assists from a whopping total of 31 key passes and an 82.5% pass success. As a consequence of that, the 26-year-old has claimed the most assists in the Serie A this season.

According to Squawka, when you compare the Serbian to Pogba in their last full season for their respective clubs, the 2020/21 campaign, Milinkovic-Savic scored five more goals, converted more of his chances, bagged six more assists, created a higher degree of chances and completed more passes than the 28-year-old United midfielder.

It’s fair to say that he would not only be a good replacement but could potentially be an upgrade at Old Trafford, and Rangnick should not ignore how well the Lazio midfielder is playing right now, and how his influence could inject a fresh perspective into his currently underwhelming side.

In other news: Rangnick prepared to make offer for Araujo

Manchester United are moving ever closer to appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long-term successor at Old Trafford with Ralf Rangnick’s interim contract ending shortly.

What’s the word?

Man United have had two primary candidates when considering who to replace Solskajer with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag in the running.

However, it looks as though it will be the latter who wins the race to become their new manager.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein, with the Italian journalist taking to Twitter on Monday evening to reveal the following news:

“Sources close to Erik ten Hag confirm @David_Ornstein report: his appointment as new Man United manager is at final stages. Nothing signed yet – back room staff to be decided. No announcement expected this week. Ajax and Man Utd will be in contact about €2m clause.”

Fans will be buzzing

At long last, the wait now finally appears to be over.

It has been a turbulent campaign for the Red Devils, moving from an outside bet for the Premier League title after signing the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, to a club now who are unlikely to even secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

As a result, to rid the club of those scars and bring in a new manager, especially one as exciting as ten Hag should be incredibly exciting for supporters.

Pochettino has long been admired by the United hierarchy and it was always going to take someone special to leapfrog him in their thoughts.

However, that’s exactly what ten Hag is; special.

The 52-year-old has only ever coached a senior team in the Netherlands so a move to the Premier League, and in particular United, will be an arduous task.

Yet, this only feels positive. The Dutchman was asking for assurances over the amount of say he’d have with incoming transfers and considering he is now close to being appointed, it must mean he is going to play a leading role in proceedings not just in the dugout, but behind the scenes too.

Considering the mess that Man Untied are embroiled in, having a boss with more of a say can only be a good thing for the progression of the club on the pitch.

Combine that with his winning mentality – he has secured two Dutch cups and two Eredivisie titles with Ajax – and this seems like a hire that United have done their due diligence on.

Fans will be elated to finally put this saga to bed.

AND in other news, Ten Hag can become instant hit if MUFC sign £100m “animal” who’s better than Haaland…

Stuart Hodge has claimed that former Glasgow Rangers player Arthur Numan would be a popular appointment at Ibrox alongside Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The Lowdown: van Bronckhorst confirmed

It was reported late last night that van Bronckhorst was ‘close’ to agreeing a deal in principle to become the next manager at Ibrox, after the departure of Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa.

The Teddy Bears were understood to be ‘very pleased’ with the latest developments after a thorough process led by Ross Wilson, and after Fabrizio Romano confirmed the deal with his iconic ‘here we go’ on Thursday afternoon, the Gers took to Twitter themselves to announce their 17th permanent boss.

As is usual when new managers arrive, rumours have already started on who the Dutchman will bring with him to Glasgow as part of his backroom team.

The Latest: Hodge on Numan

As per The Daily Record, Numan is a potential candidate to join GvB’s backroom staff, and so would leave his current role as chief scout at AZ Alkmaar.

He played 44 senior caps for The Netherlands, in which he crossed paths with van Bronckhorst as his former teammate.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, The Daily Record journalist Hodge has claimed that Numan would be a popular appointment with the Gers faithful alongside Gio:

“Numan would be very popular, but as a whole, a host of Dutchmen could potentially come in.”

The Verdict: Fans would love it

Van Bronckhorst has already proved to be a popular candidate among RFC fans even before his arrival was confirmed, and to have Numan alongside him would really add to the feeling of nostalgia at the club.

The latter helped bring two Scottish Premiership titles to Ibrox alongside van Bronckhorst, and being former teammates, should develop a good understanding with the 46-year-old if they end up working together.

Nonetheless, given what they have achieved with the club before as players, they are two men that the supporters can immediately get behind as club football returns after the international break.

In other news, find out which pundit’s manager claim has Gers fuming here!

Rangers bloggers Four Lads Had a Dream have mocked what they’ve heard from across town following their Scottish Cup win on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Rangers beat rivals at Hampden

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men enjoyed a day to remember on Sunday afternoon, beating their most bitter rivals 2-1 in their semi-final clash.

It was a match that not only saw the Gers keep their hopes of winning a treble alive this season, but also ended Celtic’s dream of doing the same in the process.

Rangers were the better team at Hampden Park but that hasn’t stopped Hoops fans from blaming various things on the defeat, including poor refereeing from Bobby Madden, while there are also investigations into potentially offensive songs from some sections of the Ibrox outfit’s support.

[freshpress-poll id=“386877”]

The Latest: Baffled

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Four Lads Had a Dream couldn’t believe the reaction to the loss, not holding back on their thoughts on what they’re hearing from Celtic:

“Tackled hard. Referees fault. Sung bad songs. Over Celebrated. What a bunch of spoilt brats they are in defeat.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“383632”]

The Verdict: Bad losers

Put simply, this feels like a case of sour grapes from Celtic fans, who were outplayed by Rangers at Hampden and were fortunate to even take the lead in the first place – Madden had a better game than several of the Hoops key men.

The rivalry clearly means that any defeat will hurt but there was no bias in Rangers’ favour and supposed over-celebrations is a ludicrous accusation to make, given the magnitude of the game.

Football fans are admittedly fickle and will always feel hard done by when they lose, but this reaction has been particularly intense over the past couple of days.

In other news, a Premier League club are reportedly eyeing up a move for a Rangers player. Read more here.