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When faced with extreme and severe adversity, this Everton squad seem to have responded this term.

The Toffees have only won once since the back end of September but they have now claimed an impressive four points against teams in the top four of the Premier League throughout their last three fixtures.

Just hours after Marcel Brands had left the club, Rafa Benitez steered his side to a win over Arsenal and despite having a number of their key players out on Thursday, they still drew 1-1 with the European Champions.

To add to injury woes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina this week, Lucas Digne was once again unavailable for selection.

Seamus Coleman, Andros Townsend and Richarlison were all absent through injury too as a particularly young side was fielded against Chelsea.

But, for the most part, they did their team justice in midweek. Jarrad Branthwaite popped up with an incredibly rare goal while fellow academy graduates Ellis Simms, Jonjoe Kenny and Anthony Gordon all got opportunities to show their true colours too.

However, it was one of their longer serving players in Mason Holgate who let his manager down.

He picked up a yellow card early in the game and even if the Merseyside outfit only conceded once to one of the best teams in the country, it was a shoddy display from the centre-half who was turned all too easily by those in Chelsea’s forward line.

The raw stats also don’t paint a very bright picture of his display on Thursday evening.

Holgate had 28 fewer touches than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and registered a quite abysmal tally of three passes in the entire match.

Of course, a defender shouldn’t be judged entirely on his ability in possession but the fact that he was so scarcely involved should be a cause for concern.

After all, in defensive situations, he was far from convincing. The 25-year-old is now at an age where he should be starting to blossom but this performance was yet more evidence of a player who still looks like he’s in the infancy of his career.

Mistakes are too often and he is a lightweight in physical battles. At Stamford Bridge, the Englishman only won 50% of his duels and gave away two fouls as one error led to a shot on goal from the Chelsea attack.

With Mina out injured, he will simply have to improve in the coming weeks because at the moment, Benitez is left with very little choice but to keep playing him.

AND in other news, Imagine him & DCL: Benitez must seal Everton swoop for “unbelievable” 52-goal animal…

Manchester City appear to have won the race for long-term Aston Villa transfer target Julian Alvarez.

That’s according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, and a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Villa have been linked with the River Plate attacker since the summer, with the player’s agent Fernando Hidalgo reportedly planning to speak to the Midlands club over a potential move. However, it is Pep Guardiola’s side who look set to announce an €18.5m (£15.43m) transfer for the 21-year-old, who scored 24 goals and registered 18 assists in 2021.

Romano revealed on Tuesday evening that an agreement has been reached with the Premier League champions, and Alvarez will pen a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium before returning to River Plate on loan until the summer.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to Romano’s post regarding Alvarez, with many of them not exactly thrilled and some thinking it could be a mistake not landing him over the summer.

“Being violently sick right now.”

Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

“Nothing to be said, we bottled it. Now we must get Aaron Hickey in the summer before City do.”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

“Made a big mistake signing others over him”

Credit: @Jamie_UTV

“I hope it’s because he was never going to sign for us. Otherwise, yeah. Nauseating.”

Credit: @nallivdam

“He won the Ballon D’or for us in my FIFA 21 Villa career. I thought it was a sign when we were linked to him.. clearly not”

Credit: @charliepowellm1

“We had a chance and bottled it.”

Credit: @MogarFinley

In other news: ‘Yessss’ – Many Villa fans buzzing as John Percy shares ‘amazing’ transfer news

After Kalvin Phillips was ruled out with a minor injury against Brighton, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa turned to Robin Koch as the man to fill the void in midfield.

A centre-back by trade, the summer signing endured a difficult game in a wholly unfamiliar position, and Leeds Live’s Beren Cross outlined one of the key problems the German faced, saying that “his passing had nothing like the expanse of Phillips’s, nor the accuracy at critical moments as attacks were threatening to build.”

With reports in recent days claiming that Leeds have made signing a new holding midfielder a priority for the upcoming summer transfer window, some much-needed cover for Phillips is set to arrive. However, for the here and now, rather than turning to Koch, Bielsa must surely now unleash academy starlet Nohan Kenneh.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay dubbed the teenager as “supremely gifted”, and he’s capable of playing in holding midfield as well as further back in central defence. Also, at a imposing 6 foot 2, he seems to have the physical attributes to hold his own at Premier League level.

The 18-year-old has already admitted to modelling himself on Phillips, while he also added that he’s a fan of Arsenal Invincible Patrick Vieira too. He said: “Currently I look up to Kalvin Phillips as (we) both play in a similar position, but I occasionally watch videos of Patrick Vieira for his qualities in midfield.”

Describing himself as someone who is “aggressive and hard-working who likes to break down play”, but also likes “getting forward and scoring long-range goals”, Kenneh seems like he could thrive in the anchor man role if given the chance by Bielsa.

This season he has spent all of his time with the club’s academy side, making 11 appearances at Premier League 2 level and helping them clinch the Division 2 title recently.

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The next step for those batch of players who tasted academy success is to make their mark on the first team, and given the injury problems faced by Phillips last weekend and this season as a whole, Kenneh should be the man to whom Bielsa turns sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, a Leeds source has revealed the club’s exciting plans for the summer…

Leeds United are ‘stepping up their interest’ in colossal FC Koln defender Timo Hubers, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Leeds links

The Whites are thought to be planning a defensive overhaul this summer ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge after conceding 68 times in 32 Premier League games.

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Robin Koch has been linked with an Elland Road departure, while Hubers has been name-checked as a potential target.

Leeds are one of five Premier League sides who are thought to be tracking the 25-year-old, who is at the top of his game with a career-high £2.7m Transfermarkt valuation, and it looks as if Victor Orta and co are increasing their interest.

The Latest: Source shares update

FI shared a story on Sunday morning regarding Leeds and Hubers after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that Leeds officials watched the 6ft 3 defender in action for Koln on Saturday, scouting who Hubers has a £6.3m release clause in his current deal.

The Verdict: Whites possibly left impressed

Hubers actually scored an own goal in a 3-1 win for Koln, however, as per SofaScore, he was the best-rated defender on the pitch.

The German, labelled as an ‘exemplary’ professional by Hannover 96’s sporting director Gerhard Zuber, won seven duels, made five clearances, three interceptions and blocked two shots.

He also had more touches than any other player on the pitch, so Leeds scouts could have left Germany impressed with Hubers ahead of a possible £6.3m summer swoop.

In other news: Phil Hay: Marsch now eyeing Leeds move for ‘quality’ rising star alongside Aaronson. 

Reports in Spain over the weekend claimed that West Ham United are set to sign SSC Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic in a free summer transfer, in a potential dreamland scenario for David Sullivan a year after his efforts fell on deaf ears.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium natives are said to have accepted that the Serbian will be leaving the club at the end of the season, after unsuccessful discussions over a new contract.

Maksimovic is due to be a free agent in June when his £38,000-per-week terms expire and he is reported to have already reached an agreement with West Ham.

David Moyes is said to be a big fan of the 29-year-old and put his services before the Irons hierarchy over other potential targets, as he looks to strengthen his defensive options at the London Stadium.

The agreement between Maksimovic and West Ham is thought to be binding and that barring any late hurdles arising, he will become the Premier League side’s first signing of the next transfer window.

The Hammers had sought to acquire Maksimovic ahead of the 2019/20 campaign but Sullivan and Moyes saw the club’s efforts fall short, with talkSPORT reporting in September that Napoli rejected a £14m bid while Calciomercato.it claimed an improved €25m (£21.5m) offer was also rejected.

Moyes had allegedly urged Maksimovic’s transfer in the summer as he sought an alternative option after Burnley’s relentless refusal to sell James Tarkowski, yet faced a similar hurdle in his pursuit of the 6 ft 4 brute who has been likened to his compatriot Nemanja Vidic.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=” The latest West Ham news and views!”]

A year of waiting may now see West Ham land their man without paying Napoli a penny, and be able to put those funds with the £15-20m reserved from Sebastien Haller’s January transfer to Ajax in efforts to improve Moyes’ offensive arsenal.

Moyes has long been expected to covet the arrival of another senior centre-back in the next off-season, despite Craig Dawson now being only one start away from triggering a permanent £2m transfer from Watford.

The Hornets loanee and Maksimovic joining West Ham on full-time deals would see Moyes’ centre-back group expand to six, with Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop two experienced heads plus the versatile Aaron Cresswell and January signing Frederik Alves in line to be unleashed with Fabian Balbuena due to leave.

Where Maksimovic would sit in that pecking order remains to be seen, but what is seemingly clear is that Moyes is a big admirer of the £13.5m-rated enforcer and what he can offer West Ham if the Napoli centre-back is on his way to the Premier League this summer.

Being a free signing less than a year after West Ham saw an alleged £21.5m bid turned down will also be a dreamland scenario for Sullivan, who will no doubt be loath to pay out big on a player who turns 30 in November and will thus have little resale value.

The Irons are already likely to be hit heavily in the pocket this summer should they look to offload Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko as has previously been speculated, while Haller’s winter exit saw the east London outfit accept a £25m loss on their record signing.

AND in other news, a West Ham winter target is set to be available for £17m this summer…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Everton striker Marcus Bent has said that bringing in Conor Coady would not only provide competition for places but would improve the Toffees’ back four.

Only Leicester and Leeds conceded more goals than Everton in the top-half of the Premier League last season as Carlo Ancelotti struggled to find a settled back-line.

And therefore, Everton are hoping to improve a defence that kept just 12 clean sheets last season – with only three of those coming at Goodison Park.

According to Football Insider, the Merseysiders are still keen on Coady, regardless of whether Nuno Espirito Santo takes over as manager.

Coady has missed just one Premier League game in the last three seasons, and that was due to having to quarantine, with his form seeing him named in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad.

Everton currently have four centre-backs in Yerry Mina, Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and the versatile Ben Godfrey, but Bent reckons that Coady would be a shrewd signing for his former side.

He told Football FanCast:

“What they’re saying is, Holgate and Michael Keane are Everton’s centre-halves, but he would stabilise them. If he were to come in, he would bring competition for places.

“They’re all on a level where they respect each other, so I think it would be a good thing for Everton to bring him in. Hopefully bringing in another centre-half, who’s been great for Wolves, would help the defence to become more consistent.”

According to a report by Calcio Atalanta, West Ham United and Manchester United have made telephone calls in the race to sign Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu – with the player having one destination in mind.

The Lowdown: West Ham join Tomiyasu race…

Despite Tottenham holding a strong interest in Tomiyasu over the last few days, with the Athletic reporter David Ornstein revealing their bid to sign him, West Ham are also apparently in the race.

The Bologna starlet has been one of their more crucial players in Serie A, making 31 starts over 2020/2021, and this has prompted interest from the Premier League.

As well as West Ham and Spurs, Man United are said to be keeping tabs on his situation, with Calcio Atalanta now bringing the latest.

The Latest: Report makes phone call claim…

The Italian website believes that both the Hammers and United have made phone calls asking for information on the 22-year-old ace.

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However, with Tottenham’s interest very strong, West Ham’s capital rivals appear to be the favourites for his signature and Tomiyasu favours a move there despite the lack of Champions League football.

Spurs find themselves competing in the new UEFA Europa Conference League next season while West Ham managed to secure a place in the Europa League group stages.

Regardless, it appears Tomiyasu would be ‘particularly enthusiastic’ about Tottenham.

The Verdict: Move on…

While West Ham are on the hunt for a new central defender and probably need at leas one signing in that area with a gruelling European campaign to come, we believe the Irons should now move on from Tomiyasu with Spurs seeming inevitable.

The 23-cap international, lauded as a ‘giant’ through the Italian media, would have been a fine addition undoubtedly but there are also great alternatives from Serie A – like 6 foot 4 powerhouse Nikola Milenkovic, who has also been linked with a switch to the capital.

In other news: ‘Exciting’, ‘Here we go’…West Ham fans flock to official club announcement, find out more here.

KV Mechelen boss Wouter Vrancken had admitted that talks with Celtic over extending Marian Shved’s stay in Belgium are on hold.

That’s because of numerous off-field changes at Parkhead, with wide midfielder Shved thought to be keen on a Parkhead exit this summer.

The Ukrainian is currently on a season-long loan and has made 16 Jupiler Pro League appearances during the current campaign, scoring three times and providing two assists.

Vrancken, whose comments were covered by Het Laatste Nieuws and relayed by Sports Witness, admitted that changes in Glasgow have prevented a potential deal materialising.

“Only there is a whole change going on at Celtic.

“There will be another trainer and technical director. The people we talked to are gone now.

“Marian has clearly indicated that he likes being here and wants to stay. I also think that’s best for himself. He needs stability.”

Transfer Tavern take

Shved has made just three Hoops appearances since joining for £1.8m in 2019 and his £7,900-a-week contract at Parkhead expires in 2023.

Therefore, we feel as if the club have a big decision to make on the wide midfielder over the coming months – either give him a chance to impress under the new Celtic manager or cut ties with him completely.

Another loan deal could work against the Hoops, as Shved will then have just 12 months left on his deal in the summer of 2022.

That could then leave the club in a tricky situation, so we feel it’s best if they make a firm call over the summer when a new manager and director of football are in place.

In other news: Celtic interested in signing record-breaking teenager from English side, find out more here. 

A number of Manchester City fans have been reacting to comments from Pep Guardiola on Sergio Aguero after the Argentine played his last Premier League game for the Citizens.

On Sunday, City wrapped up the league campaign in style as they thrashed Everton 5-0. After the match, they received the Premier League trophy at the Etihad Stadium as they were able to celebrate with the fans – it was a special day for the all involved with the club.

The £22.5m-valued striker (Transfermarkt), who scored twice against the Toffees after coming on from the bench, will depart the club at the end of the season. He has scored 260 goals in 389 matches for City (Transfermarkt), becoming their all-time leading scorer, and he will be an incredibly hard player to replace.

After the match, Sky Sports spoke to Guardiola about Aguero, and he was unable to hold back the tears when describing the 32-year-old, about whom he said: “We love him so much. He is a special person for us…We cannot replace him.”

The manager’s emotional comments have attracted plenty of attention from the City supporters, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Guardiola’s comments on Aguero

“This broke me. And this is why I love Pep & #MCFC”

Credit: @BobbieJack77

“Guardiola got me all emotional with this one”

Credit: @Demmiedgod

“And people say he hates him, have some shame!”

Credit: @poli_thundermc

“Can’t stop the tears! I’m so happy for Aguero but really sad for us fans”

Credit: @omidvheravi

“you can’t do without tears – these are emotions and this is wonderful”

Credit: @CgON0NIPt523qIA

“in tears”

Credit: @93Noorr

In other news, some Man City fans slammed this man’s performance against Everton.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips is adamant that Celtic have suffered a “massive blow” following the injury sustained by Kyogo Furuhashi on international duty with Japan.

The Lowdown: Furuhashi has made a stellar start to his Parkhead career

Making a superb start to life at Parkhead, the 26-year-old has swiftly become a key player for the Hoops, registering eight goal contributions in nine appearances with seven goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

However, he now looks set to be sidelined for up to a month with a knee injury following an international clash against China, as confirmed by Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou [BBC].

The Latest: Phillips bemoans ‘awful’ injury sustained by Furuhashi

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, Phillips bemoaned the Japanese international’s injury, stating: “It’s not ideal for anyone”.

He then added: “That’s the risk when you have international players. It’s a massive blow but you plan for things like this.

“It’s an opportunity for someone to come in and perform and they do have a new striker there.

“I hate to say it but it’s always an opportunity, it’s awful for him, the injured player, but it’s true.

“He’s been excellent for them and I’m sure he’ll be back in the side once he’s fit”.

The Verdict: Postecoglou will hope Furuhashi returns soon

After losing one of their most influential players in an important block of fixtures as the Europa League group stage gets underway, Phillips rightly believes that the news will come as a massive source of frustration to Furuhashi and everyone at Celtic.

However, the former England striker also correctly states that there will be opportunities for those on the fringes to step into the void, something that Swiss striker Albian Ajeti has tapped into following his brace against Ross County last weekend [BBC].

Nevertheless, Furuhashi has been an hugely potent threat in his time at Parkhead so far, scoring once every 79 minutes [Footy Stats].

He has also wowed supporters with his pressing ability, anticipation and his pinpoint utilisation of the ball. Looking ahead, Ange Postecoglou will hope that his summer signing will be back to firing on all cylinders as soon as possible.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has given an update on the fitness of another Celtic summer signing.