Everton fans have been embroiled in debate this week after The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe relayed key news on striker Moise Kean.
The 20-year-old has endured a controversial and tumultuous spell at Goodison Park since joining under Marco Silva in the summer.
In November, he was dropped from the matchday squad for disciplinary breaches after being late for a team meeting for a second time, and then a month later he became the substitute that got substituted.
Kean then broke the government’s lockdown restrictions by attending a party in April, which saw him once again disciplined by the club.
The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…
However, O’Keeffe has penned an article stating the Italian’s reasons for why, claiming that he didn’t understand the regulations and how the young forward wanted to phone Carlo Ancelotti straight away.
It has sparked a reaction from sections of the Toffees faithful on Twitter, here’s what has been said so far…
AND in other news, Everton keeping tabs on RIVAL PL midfielder…
Celtic fans have taken to Twitter as they continue to drool over the performances of Jeremie Frimpong.
Neil Lennon’s side recorded a 2-0 win over Motherwell on Sunday, which was the 18-year-old’s third Scottish Premiership start of the campaign since his summer move from Manchester City.
The 3-cap Netherlands U19 international received rave reviews from some Celtic supporters after his first league start for the Bhoys in the 6-0 win over Ross County earlier in the campaign, and the fans on Twitter have continued to drool over the teenager for his showing against Motherwell.
One supporter said that it was “great business” from Neil Lennon’s side to bring Frimpong to Celtic Park, whereas another fan said that the youngster is “yet to have a bad game” for the Scottish giants.
Another even asked when the club can start building a statue for the right-back!
Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Dani Olmo is a name that could soon be well known all across the footballing world.
The now 21-year-old talent is currently plying his trade over in the Croatian top-flight, playing for Dinamo Zagreb, the team from the capital.
And so far, he’s having a wonderful season with the Zagreb Blues.
Dinamo are competing in the Champions League this year once again and Olmo has been a big part of their campaign so far, tallying a goal and an assist in the four games they’ve played so far in Europe.
Over in 1. HNL, the Croatian league, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder has bagged two goals and followed it up with two assists in a total of six games played.
Watch Manchester City Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
But goals and assists can barely begin to describe his talent and for that reason, recent links with Manchester City don’t really come as a surprise anymore.
Calciomercato reported that Pep Guardiola has taken an interest in the young prodigy but might have some competition from Italy on that front, namely from Roma and AC Milan.
Interestingly enough, Olmo made his debut for Spain’s senior team on Friday night and managed to score a couple of minutes after entering the pitch.
Apart from that, he also registered one successful dribble and three shots on target in 24 minutes he spent defending the colours of his country.
With the talent that’s on display with this youngster, it’s difficult to see him stay put in Dinamo Zagreb, and his current coach, Nenad Bjelica, feels the same way.
Just recently, he spoke to 24sata, a Croatian outlet, and stated that Olmo is already too big for Dinamo and that they will find it utterly difficult to fend off all the offers the kid has already warranted.
For that reason, the performance he mustered against Malta with Spain is just another line in his already rich CV that he keeps on growing.
Calciomercato mentioned a price tag of €40m (£34.2m) in their initial report but the longer they wait, the higher his value will go.
Let’s see if Guardiola ends up pulling the trigger and bringing the kid to the Etihad.
Ipswich Town will hope they can catch Everton on an off-day this coming Saturday when the two sides face off at Portman Road in the Premier League.
Kieran McKenna’s men will know the Toffees can be breached at will if they’re feeling charitable defensively, having seen Sean Dyche’s side leak a disastrous seven goals during their opening two clashes of the season, before shoring up in recent weeks with far stauncher displays.
The Ipswich boss will feel confident about his side’s chances at putting goals past Jordan Pickford with Liam Delap leading the line once more, who has proven himself to be a superb buy for the newly promoted side so far this campaign.
Delap's form this season
Delap was known to be a prolific striker on youth pitches for Manchester City before his bumper £20m move to the Tractor Boys, but Ipswich fans would have expected some teething issues to be present as he grew accustomed to being Ipswich’s leading attacking force in the men’s game.
It hasn’t been an uphill challenge for the 21-year-old whatsoever, however, as the ex-Man City wonderkid already has an impressive four strikes next to his name from seven top-flight contests.
Therefore, if Ipswich stand any chance at picking up their first three points of the season when met with the challenge of Sean Dyche’s visitors, Delap will have to continue performing at his A-Game.
He certainly was performing at the peak of his powers versus Aston Villa last time out at Portman Road, with the Tractor Boys hotshot only needing 22 touches of the ball against Unai Emery’s men to fire home two crucial strikes, to secure his side a well deserved 2-2 draw.
Delap would be too hot to handle for the Villa defence all afternoon with his full-throttle energy, and with Michael Keane and James Tarkowski not exactly the quickest defenders for the Toffees on their day, the entertaining Ipswich number 19 could experience more joy this weekend.
If he isn’t at the races and has a quiet day at the office though, McKenna could be prepared to throw this striker into the mix late on, who he utilised as an impact man in the Championship last season to devastating effect.
The player who could be Ipswich's own Duran
The player in question is Iraq international Ali Al-Hamadi, who was given a shot at the Tractor Boys last season after plying his trade in League Two with AFC Wimbledon previously.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Although he wasn’t front and centre of Ipswich’s promotion efforts – unlike the main first team names of Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead – the ex-Dons man still played his role perfectly from off the bench to fire home some big goals in his side’s ongoing promoton hunt, to almost be Ipswich’s own Jhon Duran in that super-sub role.
Stat
Duran
Al-Hamadi
Games played
7
14
Games started
0
1
Minutes averaged
26 mins
22 mins
Goals scored
4
4
Assists
0
0
Scoring frequency
46 mins
76 mins
Stats by Sofascore
As can be seen looking at the table above, there are parallels to be made between Duran’s instinctive finishing for Villa currently off the bench and Al-Hamadi’s background role for McKenna’s men last season, with the 22-year-old only starting one Championship game but managing to fire home an impressive four strikes all the same – all of which came from a substitute role.
Referred to as an “unreal” talent by football analyst Tom Williams on social media – when charting his rise at Wimbledon – the time could be right for McKenna to spring Al-Hamadi onto tiring Premier League defences more often, with the reserve striker remaining rooted to the bench for his team’s last four league clashes.
Ali Al-Hamadi
Having taken to the Championship well after leaping up from League Two action, time will only tell if the Ipswich number 16 – who did net against his former side in the EFL Cup earlier in the campaign – can hack it at the very top of the English game.
But, McKenna will know he cannot rely on just Delap to come up trumps, with Al-Hamadi perhaps the answer off the bench when he isn’t performing at his finest.
Time's up: McKenna must offload Ipswich ace who earns as much as Delap
His earnings certainly ouweigh his importance on the first-team.
Celtic continued their fantastic start to the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 comeback win over Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday.
The Hoops have now won seven of their matches in the division so far this term and have only conceded one goal, which came from the penalty spot at the weekend.
Ronan Vale found the back of the net at the second time of asking after Kasper Schmeichel was adjudged to have been off his line after saving the first effort.
This means that the Scottish giants are still yet to concede a goal from open play in their seven outings in the Premiership this season, which is a remarkable start to the campaign defensively.
Celtic'sMattO'Riley
Offensively, Celtic have scored an eye-catching 22 goals in seven games – seven more than any other team in the division – and this shows that they are not missing Matt O’Riley, who joined Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer.
The Denmark international racked up 18 goals and 13 assists in the Premiership during the 2023/24 campaign, but the club’s impressive goal return so far this term suggests that his absence has not been felt.
Celtic have been great at finding replacements for the stars that they decide to cash in on and they may have finally found their new version of Jota, who left the club last year.
Jota's time with Celtic
Ange Postecoglou initially signed the Portuguese forward on a season-long loan from Benfica ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, and he enjoyed a terrific first year with the Scottish giants.
The flying winger produced ten goals and ten assists in 29 appearances in the Premiership that term to help the Hoops to win the title, after Rangers had won the division unbeaten in the previous season.
Celtic's former forward Jota.
His sublime form in the Scottish top-flight convinced the Bhoys to trigger the option to make his loan deal a permanent one for a reported fee of £6.5m, whilst it was claimed that Benfica retained a ‘significant’ sell-on clause as part of the agreement.
That turned out to be a fantastic decision by Postecoglou and the club as Jota went on to enjoy even more success in his second season in the Premiership for Celtic.
Appearances
33
Goals
11
Big chances created
13
Key passes per game
1.9
Assists
11
As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese dynamo was directly involved in 22 goals in 33 appearances in the league, two more than he had been involved in during his first campaign at that level.
That form convinced Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad to swoop in for the winger last summer, and they splashed out a reported fee of £25m for the attacker – £7.5m of which went back to Benfica as part of their sell-on clause.
Celtic did win the league again in the 2023/24 campaign but they failed to find their new Jota as none of their wingers managed more than seven goals or nine assists.
However, Brendan Rodgers may well have found the club’s new Jota-esque talisman in Nicolas Kuhn, who spent the second half of last term settling into life at Parkhead.
How much Celtic paid for Nicolas Kuhn
In January of this year, the Northern Irish head coach decided that he needed more quality in the attacking areas and swooped to sign the German winger and Adam Idah, initially on loan from Norwich City before his deal was made permanent this summer.
Sky Sports reported that the Hoops spent a fee of around £3m to sign the former Bayern Munich trainee from Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna on a permanent basis.
Appearances
16
Goals
2
Big chances created
11
Key passes per game
1.8
Assists
5
As you can see in the table above, Kuhn had showcased his creativity quality in the Bundesliga during the first half of the season, albeit his goalscoring record was not particularly impressive.
The 24-year-old attacker produced two goals and two assists in 14 appearances during a solid, albeit not spectacular, start to his Celtic career in the Premiership last term. Although, towards the end of the season, teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers hailed him as a “really good” player and lauded his performances in training.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
This season, the German wizard has taken his displays in training and enjoyed a sensational start to the campaign, emerging as the club’s new Jota.
Nicolas Kuhn's sublime form this season
The left-footed star, who was hailed for his “magical” play by Rodgers in pre-season, has hit the ground running this term and showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants.
He has already racked up six goals and eight assists in 11 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, which shows that he has consistently contributed in the final third.
The German talent has got supporters off their seats with his terrific play in possession. He has completed 2.0 dribbles per game, with a success rate of 61%, and this shows that he had the beating of defenders far more often than not.
Kuhn, who scored the winning goal against Ross County with a composed left-footed finish into the bottom corner on Sunday, has been a star in the Premiership for Rodgers.
Appearances
7
Goals
3
Big chances created
4
Key passes per game
2.0
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old magician has been directly involved in seven goals in seven matches and has created two chances per game on average so far this term.
These statistics mean that Kuhn is currently on course to reach double figures for both goals and assists this season if he continues at his current rate, which would see him match Jota’s achievements in his two seasons in the division.
None of Celtic’s wingers managed that feat in the 2023/24 campaign but – in Kuhn – Rodgers appears to have finally found a talismanic forward who can replicate the Portuguese dynamo’s impact at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.
Rodgers must cash in on Celtic midfielder who's played less than Palma
The Hoops do not appear to have struck gold with this particular signing.
Setting their sights on the future, Leeds United are reportedly battling against Premier League clubs to sign a future star for Daniel Farke and his Championship side in 2025.
Leeds transfer news
The Whites had a mixed summer transfer window, with Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara, Georginio Rutter and Archie Gray all completing moves away – three of which came courtesy of the Premier League. In place of those stars, those in West Yorkshire welcomed the likes of Largie Ramazani, Ao Tanaka and Jayden Bogle, who scored in a 3-0 victory over Coventry City this weekend.
Bogle’s goal helped Leeds on their way to a convincing victory in pursuit of Championship promotion. As things stand, Farke’s side sit just two points adrift of leaders West Bromwich Albion and are gunning for the automatic promotion spots.
Of course, if those at Elland Road do secure a Premier League return at the second time of asking, the door to more reinforcements – and those of a higher quality – should swing open, which could yet include a future star.
Electric 8/10 Leeds star has finally stepped out of Summerville's shadow
The Whites whiz produced a fantastic performance against Coventry on Saturday.
ByDan Emery Sep 29, 2024
According to Alan Nixon on Patreon, Leeds are now battling Premier League clubs to sign Kofi Shaw from Bristol Rovers, with the 17-year-old midfielder a player in demand ahead of 2025.
Shaw is already making his mark on senior football, making four appearances in all competitions so far this season and notching a goal in the EFL Trophy against Tottenham Hotspur’s U21s. One for the future, Shaw could be a wise investment, especially if his recent rise is anything to go by.
The teenager looks set to have the biggest decision of his career so far to make when next summer arrives, with several big clubs reportedly chasing his signature, including Champions League newcomers Aston Villa.
"Fantastic" Shaw is one for the future
Given the opportunities that he’s received in League One, it’s no surprise that Shaw has caught the attention of Leeds and others, with the Whites looking to land their next Archie Gray. Since Leeds lost the likes of Summerville in the summer, they’ve needed a long-term replacement for their star man, which may well come in the form of the Rovers winger.
The teenager has earned plenty of deserved praise during his recent rise at his boyhood club, with Bristol Rovers podcaster Joshua Hemmings dubbing Shaw “fantastic” after his first league start for the club.
Before anything, of course, Leeds will have their focus firmly fixated on promotion back to the Premier League. Should they achieve that goal, however, names such as Shaw could begin to enter the transfer radar in West Yorkshire just in time for the summer transfer window.
Manchester United are believed to be continuing their bid to sign Atalanta starlet, Rasmus Hojlund, with the Red Devils stepping up their search for a new number nine.
What is the latest on Hojlund to Man United?
According to Sky Sports journalist, Dharmesh Sheth, the Old Trafford outfit are currently in negotiations with regard to the signing of the 20-year-old, with Erik ten Hag and co also hoping to seal a deal for Inter Milan goalkeeper, Andre Onana.
Writing on Twitter regarding those two possible arrivals from Italy, the transfer insider revealed: "Manchester United bid worth €45m now in for Inter Milan keeper Andre Onana as per @lauriewhitwell.
"Gap in valuation exists – but feeling is it can be closed. United still looking at alternatives. Talks continue with Atalanta over striker Rasmus Hojlund."
As per 90min, the Serie A side could well demand as much as €80m (£69m) if they are to part ways with the Danish marksman, albeit with United currently unwilling to go beyond €60m (£51m).
How many goals has Rasmus Hojlund scored?
For all the talk regarding the youngster's "incredible maturity" and the fact that he is believed to be "similar to [Erling] Haaland" – according to his former boss Christian Ilzer – the one-time Sturm Graz man is still an incredibly raw and relatively unproven talent, having scored just nine league goals for Atalanta last term.
For the Bergamo-based side to be demanding such a hefty fee despite that relatively uninspiring goal tally is rather ludicrous, with there seemingly similarities to be made between United's previous, costly capture of Amad Diallo from the Serie A side.
Amad Diallo for Sunderland
The promising Ivorian was just 18 when he was signed on a £37m deal by United back in January 2021, with that sizeable price tag coming despite the fact that the teenager had made only five first-team appearances for his former employers.
While there are hopes that the winger can finally make his mark at Old Trafford next season – after scoring 14 goals on loan at Sunderland last time out – Amad has thus far been on the periphery at his parent club, having been restricted to just nine first-team appearances for the Red Devils since arriving in England two-and-a-half years ago.
At present, it does look as if United may have overpaid for a player who has had little impact at the Theatre of Dreams thus far, with it yet to be seen if the diminutive wide man will come good over the coming years.
With Ten Hag in desperate need of a striker who can come in and make an immediate impact – with Anthony Martial currently the only senior centre-forward at the club – the Dutchman can ill-afford a repeat of the Amad tale, hence the potential reservations over bringing in Hojlund to be the club's number nine solution.
Of course, the latter man has shown flashes of brilliance in his short career to date – having scored 12 goals in just 21 games during his time in Austria – although his acquisition would still represent a real gamble and a costly one at that.
With the Red Devils having gone a decade without a league title triumph, the need for immediate success is now growing.
Can Hojlund be the man to deliver that much-craved league crown? On the evidence of his promising, yet far from prolific form in Italy, that appears unlikely…
After a sensational campaign under the stewardship of Eddie Howe, the Magpies have found themselves in the unlikely position of playing Champions League football in the upcoming season.
Therefore, the club is now in a frantic phase of getting the squad capable of competing in domestic and European competitions.
They are targeting a new left-back, and Antonee Robinson has been tipped for a move to St James Park.
What’s the latest on Antonee Robinson to Newcastle?
According to the Evening Standard, Fulham are prepared to sell the defender for around £35m this summer.
This outlet revealed that the £25k-per-week ace is refusing to sign a new contract, and with his current deal expiring in 2024, the Cottagers could be set to cash in to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
As well as Newcastle, Marseille, Manchester City, and AC Milan are also interested in the American.
Would Antonee Robinson be a good signing for Fulham?
The pacey full-back spent the majority of his youth career within the youth ranks at Everton, but he was unable to break through into the first team and was eventually sold to Wigan Athletic.
He then found himself at the west London outfit in 2020 and has emerged as one of the club’s most consistent and admirable performers.
During the 2021/22 season, in which Marco Silva’s side cantered to the Championship title, the 33-cap international made 36 appearances, averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions.
He has continued this impressive consistency in the top flight with figures of 1.8 and 1.5 for the same metrics respectively across 35 outings, as well as managing a 77% pass accuracy and being responsible for nine clean sheets, as per Sofascore.
The 6 foot ace has often displayed his defensive solidity, but he has shown he is a formidable force going forward as he ranks within the top 20% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for successful take-ons and progressive carries per 90.
Described as “electric” by Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic, Robinson looks ready to make the next step in his career and could be a cheaper, more attainable alternative to Theo Hernandez.
Theo Hernandez
Gianluca Di Marzio tweeted that Newcastle are “monitoring” the Milan star, but it has been suggested that the Frenchman could cost more than €80m (£69m).
Nevertheless, Robinson is still a fabulously capable option with Premier League experience, defensive tenacity and offensive verve who could seamlessly slot into Newcastle’s plans.
An update has emerged on Chelsea and their plans to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window…
What’s the latest on Victor Osimhen to Chelsea?
According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Blues are one of a number of clubs pursuing a deal for Victor Osimhen from Napoli ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The report claims that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have a meeting with the player’s representatives planned as they eye up a swoop for the Nigerian, whose priority is to move to the Premier League, in the coming weeks.
There is no mention of how much the Italian side are prepared to demand for their star number nine but Le Parisien recently reported that it would take a staggering €180m (£155m) to secure his services this summer.
How would Victor Osimhen fit in at Chelsea?
Pochettino typically lines up with a 4-3-3 system and as such, Osimhen could play through the middle as his starting centre-forward, with new signing Nicolas Jackson lining up on the right.
Chelsea are reportedly set to sign the £30m Villarreal attacker this month and the club’s head coach could utilise him off the right flank, despite him predominantly playing as a centre-forward in Spain.
Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson has experience of playing on the right wing and he could form an exciting partnership with Osimhen in the final third, as both players have showcased their ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
The Blues only scored 38 goals in 38 Premier League matches and bringing in two forwards with the potential to explode in the final third would be a huge boost to Pochettino ahead of next season.
Osimhen, who was described as a "goal-scoring machine" by journalist Josh Bunting, enjoyed a fantastic 22/23 campaign as the Nigerian number nine plundered an exceptional 26 goals in 30 Serie A outings for Napoli, which is 19 more than any Chelsea player managed in the top-flight last term.
These statistics suggest that the 24-year-old, who has scored 59 goals in 101 matches in all competitions for the Italian ourfit, would be a phenomenal addition to the squad and one that could finally solve their woes in front of goal.
Jackson, meanwhile, struck 12 times in 16 LaLiga starts for Villarreal and created seven 'big chances' for his teammates, suggesting that the 22-year-old ace could offer a huge goal-scoring threat whilst also being able to provide Osimhen, and others, with opportunities to score.
Indeed, the thought of both effervescent forwards in the same front line must be a mouthwatering thought for everyone associated with Chelsea.
Aston Villa have submitted an enquiry to bring Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams back to the Premier League, according to reports.
Is Tyler Adams leaving Leeds?
The United States international only arrived at Elland Road from RB Leipzig last summer and firmly established himself as the Whites’ overall best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.73, but having missed the last 12 top-flight games with a hamstring injury, couldn’t contribute towards trying to maintain their status.
TEAMtalk have since reported that the 24-year-old has told Yorkshire chiefs that he wants to return to the highest division with Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool all credited with an interest, but it would appear that several other clubs have now entered the race to secure his services, Unai Emery and Monchi being one of the parties in the Midlands.
Are Aston Villa signing Adams?
According to the Daily Mail, Aston Villa have "enquired" about Adams ahead of the new campaign, with Brighton and Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest and Everton also having "joined" the admirers who are considering submitting a £25m offer.
Leeds will no doubt be aware that they will have to cash in on a number of their prized assets during the upcoming window, and should the midfielder seal an exit, he clearly won't be short of potential suitors with the teams queuing up to land him.
Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams.
Being a defensive midfielder, Aston Villa will be aware that Adams isn’t strong offensively having recorded zero goals or assists since joining Leeds, but he’s an absolute rock when it comes to the natural aspect of his game. He was dubbed a “machine” by journalist Wes Rucker and he could be a fantastic acquisition for Emery.
The USA skipper ranked in the 99th percentile for tackles by midfielders having made 89 last season, which was more than any other member of his squad, via FBRef. He also site in the 97th percentile for blocks, so is great at sitting in front of the defence and protecting his defence and goalkeeper.
The Leeds talisman would also provide the Spanish manager with wonderful versatility having operated in seven various positions around the pitch since the start of his career, including in the midfield and even all across the backline, which is yet another attractive attribute to any boss.
Finally, Adams captained the USA at the 2022 World Cup so will possess plenty of leadership qualities and could bring some much-needed organisational skills to the squad, so for a player that is this well-rounded, a deal would be hard to turn down should the chance present itself.