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Everton could sign their ideal heir to James Rodriguez over the coming months after being linked with a move for Real Madrid midfielder Isco.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old has entered the final year of his current contract with the La Liga giants, meaning a January exit is on the cards.

And according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), Goodison Park is a potential destination for Isco as he searches for regular game time away from the Bernabeu.

Deportivo’s report states that there are several sides contemplating making a move for the Spaniard’s services over the winter window, although Everton are leading the race for his signature.

“One that is more likely to do so is the Everton of Rafa Benitez. The Liverpool team, which also just let James Rodríguez go to Qatar, could be reinforced this winter with the figure of the Malaga player as long as the player is satisfied with leaving Real Madrid,” the report reads.

“Especially since his contract ends in 2022 and the option to sell him this coming January is the only one of the scenarios in which Real Madrid would receive some money for the transaction.”

Heir to James Rodriguez

Everton manager Rafa Benitez knows Isco’s qualities well, having worked with the creative talent at Madrid when he was manager of the capital club between 2015 and 2016.

And it’s no wonder the 61-year-old tactician is reportedly keen to bring his compatriot to Merseyside in January. Isco has played a pivotal part in Los Blancos’ success over the last few years, scoring 51 goals and providing 56 assists in 366 appearances for the club.

His impressive exploits helped Real Madrid claim four Champions League crowns, two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey during his time at the club, earning praise from several impressed onlookers, including former international teammate Andres Iniesta.

“He is a fantastic player, with an incredible talent,” Iniesta told reporters back in 2017. “For many years, he has been doing things very well, and he is playing for one of the best teams in the world.

“He is an important player not just in the national team but in his club. He is young and has many years to grow and improve.”

However, Isco has struggled to live up to his early promise in recent years. After starting just 25 league fixtures since the start of 2019/20, the £16.2m-rated gem appears to be surplus to requirements in Madrid, and Everton could offer him an ideal escape route from his ordeal at present.

Famed for his incredible dribbling ability, eye for a pass and outstanding technical ability, Isco could prove to be the perfect replacement for the recently departed Rodriguez, bringing a sense of imagination back into Benitez’s pragmatic setup.

And, in other news…Benitez plots swoop for “scary” £27m-rated magician, Everton fans will be buzzing 

Everton fans want to sign Sean Longstaff after they were linked with a move to capture the Newcastle United midfielder in January.

The Toffees have started the Premier League season well. As it stands, the Merseyside outfit are fifth in the Premier League with 14 points, just two behind leaders Chelsea (Sky Sports). Rafael Benitez has had a positive impact on the club since replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to Real Madrid in the summer.

The arrivals of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend have helped Everton rise up the table, and now it seems Benitez could dip into the market once more. According to The Independent, the Toffees are looking to sign Longstaff from Newcastle, where the midfielder previously played under Benitez.

The news has been doing the rounds of Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the £13.5m-rated ace (Transfermarkt).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Longstaff links below

“That’s it mate. It’s no good having players like Gomes or Davies as backups to the current two as they are both completely different players. Signing players who are similar mould e.g Longstaff makes a lot of sense.”

Credit: @TacticallyEv

“Just the fact he would be on half of them others mentioned in wages makes it worthy. Oh and he can run a bit, that’s two plusses.”

Credit: @spuddy1878

“Yeah works with me As you said if you get rid of Delph and get Longstaff in for next to nothing who will be on less money, it’s a squad upgrade.”

Credit: @Danny_EFC6

“Sean Longstaff’s contract is set to expire in the summer. Everton should get in his ear about offering a contract in January. Get him on a free or take him off Newcastle for less than £5mil. Would be decent cheap depth for Rafa”

Credit: @bobbyhillplays

“you can see why Rafa wants Longstaff”

Credit: @___MC88

“Looked into Allan & Longstaff stats compared this season. Certain area pressures & some passing stats Allan slightly on top. Overall Longstaff is outperforming Allan. Understand why Everton want 23yr old on free transfer who performing at level of first team midfielder”

Credit: @TLong_91

In other news, Everton are leading the race to sign this Champions League winner.

According to reporter Marcelo Bechler, Tottenham are preparing a late offer for Barcelona’s Emerson Royal.

The Lowdown: Not much time left

We are now into the final 48 hours of the summer transfer window, and Spurs may still have some business left in them before the end of Deadline Day.

They have so far brought in four fresh faces (Transfermarkt), and it seems that they may be looking to bring in another new player.

The Latest: Spurs eye Emerson Royal

It seems that Tottenham are looking to capture right-back Emerson from Barcelona.

They are already said to have made an offer of €20m (£17.2m) plus Serge Aurier for the Brazilian (ESPN), but that was rejected. Spurs are preparing a new offer, but the Blaugrana are looking for €30m (£25.7m, TNT Sports).

The Verdict: Late dash

Spurs have made a positive start to the season, with their three 1-0 Premier League wins putting them top of the table (Sky Sports), while they are also through to the group stages of the inaugural Europa Conference League. However, this will be a long season, and Nuno Espirito Santo needs a strong squad to cope with all its demands.

Royal has only made three appearances for Barcelona since signing for them in July, but the Spanish club’s financial problems (Bloomberg) means that any player could be for sale at the right place.  In 79 matches for Real Betis, he scored five goals and provided ten assists, showing his ability to make an impact in the final third.

The 22-year-old could be a real threat for Spurs if they were to capture his services.

In other news, Spurs are also chasing a move for this Premier League midfielder

Liverpool have had a solid start to their Premier League season with 28 points on the board from their opening 13 games, firmly placing them in the title race alongside Chelsea and Manchester City.

One figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side that has played a big part in their season so far is Fabinho, who has a total of 14 appearances under his belt, with nine coming in the Premier League and five in the Champions League.

Playing all of those appearances in the defensive-midfield role, it’s no surprise that he has managed to rack up an average of 1.4 interceptions per game, 1.3 tackles per game and 1.1 clearances per game, proving himself once again as a vital figure for the Reds after his heroics last season of playing as a makeshift centre-back at times.

Even though Fabinho is still only 28 years of age and has until 2026 before his current deal expires at the Merseyside club, Liverpool could already have a player in the youth ranks that could potentially go on to have a similar impact at Anfield as their imposing Brazilian.

After scouting him from late 2019, Liverpool signed young defender Stefan Bajcetic from Spanish club Celta Vigo back in  December last year for a reported fee of €250,000 (£224,000) according to The Athletic.

Since then, the 17-year-old has made 12 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side, scoring one goal and providing one assist, as well as three appearances for their U23 side.

Bajcetic has also made three appearances in the UEFA Youth League this season.

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During his time with the Reds, Bajcetic has predominantly played as a centre-back but has tried his hand in the defensive-midfield role and at right-back, three positions that Fabinho has played in at some stage of his career.

Speaking after Liverpool U19s recent 4-0 win over Porto in the UEFA Youth League, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson said: “[Bajcetic] is doing really well. He is playing a little bit different in midfield at the minute but he is good enough to play there. He is good enough to play the game in and out of possession in that position as well as at centre-back.”

With Klopp previously praising Fabinho’s centre-back performance away at Chelsea last season saying that he helped the team a lot “with the ball and in defending as well,” this shows how similar the pair are in terms of their capabilities of playing in different defensive positions.

Also, with Bajcetic recently signing his first professional contract with Liverpool, this shows that they see enough in him that he could potentially grow and develop his game even further at the club, which could allow Klopp to unearth yet another young talent in his senior squad in the future and potentially save the club millions in doing so.

In other news: Klopp could save Liverpool millions by unleashing rarely-seen £7.2m-rated “monster” – opinion

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast that he’d be surprised to see Wilfried Zaha leave Crystal Palace this summer.

Palace’s talisman, who scored a career-best 11 Premier League goals last term and is already off the mark in pre-season, was the subject of interest from Tottenham and Everton earlier this summer.

Zaha has been linked away from the club in each of the previous two years, and in an interview with The Times, the 28-year-old once more expressed his desire to leave the Selhurst Park outfit this window.

With just two years remaining on his contract, Zaha could be available to sign at a cut-price, but has already knuckled down since the arrival of Patrick Vieira and looks likely to get a move.

The Eagles boss has been a busy man in the transfer window, making three impressive signings, including Joachim Andersen from Lyon.

And whilst Palace are highly unlikely to be challenging for a European place next season, Bridge reckons that the arrival of a new ambitious manager with fresh faces could meet Zaha’s demands.

He told FFC:

“I’d be very surprised to see Zaha leave, he would probably like a new challenge, but at the same time, he’s kind of got one.

“He’s got Patrick Vieira coming in, Joachim Andersen has just joined from Lyon, Olise, they want to sign more players.”

Leeds United have suffered an injury blow as the new Premier League season approaches, with Joe Gelhardt hobbling off in the friendly win over Guiseley.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt impresses for U23s

A first-team debut may have evaded Gelhardt at Elland Road last season, but he caught the eye for the Under-23s, following his move from Wigan Athletic.

The 19-year-old scored 11 goals in just 17 appearances, also chipping in with three assists for good measure.

It may be that now is the time for Gelhardt to make the step up and become part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans, but he has suffered a setback, in that respect.

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The Latest: Youngster suffers injury blow

As reported by The Yorkshire Evening Post, the Englishman ‘took a knock’ in the second half in the 3-2 win over Guiseley on Tuesday night, and was promptly replaced.

The severity of the problem hasn’t yet been confirmed, but the hope is that it won’t hamper Gelhardt’s preparations for next season too much.

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The Verdict: One to watch

It will be difficult for any young players to force their way into Bielsa’s plans in 2021/22, given the strength of the performances last term, but Gelhardt is definitely one to watch.

Admittedly, he remains completely unproven at senior level, but his performance for the U23s were undoubtedly impressive and he also scored five goals in as many games for Wigan’s Under-18s.

The youngster could potentially mature into a good backup option for Patrick Bamford over time, with former manager Paul Cook once hailing him as a ‘unique talent’, but that path to first-team action looks to be delayed for now.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on making a hugely exciting summer signing. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United have been handed yet another devastating transfer blow this week…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, mooted Irons transfer target Patson Daka has rejected a move to the London Stadium as interest in his signature hots up across Europe.

It’s thought that West Ham have been among the many sides to register their interest in the prolific RB Salzburg striker but his representatives have let the East London outfit know that he seeks a move to a higher-level club this summer and as such, he has no interest in joining them.

Since then, it has been revealed that the 22-year-old is said to be ‘very keen’ on joining Premier League rivals Liverpool, who qualified for the Champions League, one year after winning the league.

Yet another blow

This is another cruel and bitter blow to David Moyes, not at least because he’ll be desperate for a new forward.

The 58-year-old cannot afford to go into the new campaign with just one senior option to lead his line – an injury-prone Michail Antonio, who has been converted into a centre-forward.

With a likely 50-plus game season on the horizon, he needs numbers across the pitch but up top is perhaps the most glaring of problems to fill right now.

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Daka would’ve been an intriguing and worthwhile option, considering he’s just scored 34 goals from 42 appearances in all competitions this season, whilst also providing 12 assists as he looks to follow in Erling Haaland’s footsteps, via Transfermarkt.

He would’ve been a far cheaper option than reported no.1 target Tammy Abraham, who Chelsea are commanding a whopping £40m for. Football Insider claim the 22-cap Zambia international is available for just £17m.

The Salzburg sensation, who has been compared to Premier League legend Thierry Henry, is also someone that the fans have been desperate for – back in May, one supporter claimed it would be the “perfect signing” whilst another called him the “dream,” as per the Transfer Tavern, where more reaction can be found.

They will now be immensely gutted to not stand a chance at signing the 22-year-old goal machine, even more so after suffering a major blow to their chances of bringing Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium.

The Sun believe the 28-year-old maestro, who enjoyed a successful half-season spell under Moyes –  scoring nine and assisting five, has told parent club Manchester United that he’d like to stay.

This news is just another devastating setback to the Irons and their transfer plans.

AND in other news, Forget Tammy: Hammers must secure £22.5m-rated “huge talent” amid ExWHUemployee claim…

A number of Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been hailing goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, following his penalty save for Northern Ireland.

The Owls have made a positive start to their League One campaign, even though losing away to Morecambe last weekend was disappointing.

There has been much to admire about Darren Moore’s side and Peacock-Farrell has undoubtedly been one of the brightest additions to the squad.

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He arrived on loan from Burnley during the summer transfer window and immediately impressed, making one spectacular penalty save in the win at Rotherham United.

It appears as though Peacock-Farrell is equally influential at international level, however, with the 24-year-old also keeping out a spot-kick in Northern Ireland’s 4-1 win away to Lithuania on Thursday night.

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Sheff Wed fans laud Peacock Farrell

Wednesday’s official Twitter account alerted Owls supporters to the save and these fans responded in delighted fashion, heaping praise on their new hero.

“My keeper”

Credit: @DaleWhite92

“Get the cheque book out now”

Credit: @JackDagnallV

“He’s the goat man”

Credit: @SantanBef

“What a boy”

Credit: @helloitsabbey_

“Unreal”

Credit: @TheSherlocks

“Boys can we sign him please, I’m begging”

Credit: @Haleb_4_ever

In other news, some Sheff Wed fans were critical of one Owls player’s performance last weekend. Find out who it is here.

Many teams suffer from what is commonly known as second-season syndrome. It’s where a club survives in their first season being in the Premier League before falling like a stone into the relegation zone, which is exactly what happened to Sheffield United this season. However, former Leeds United midfielder, David Norris, doesn’t see Leeds United succumbing to the same fate.

It appears to be a current theme in Yorkshire lately as Huddersfield Town did the exact same thing as the Blades, avoiding the drop after being written off before the season began but ultimately, they imploded during their second season and stunk out the Premier League finishing bottom of the pile in 2018.

Leeds, however, appear to be different as they managed to finish in the top half of the Premier League, despite having their 12th man behind them all season, something both Sheffield United and Huddersfield relied on heavily.

Instead of thinking about avoiding the drop in their tricky second season, Norris believes that Leeds will be looking to improve on this season and push closer to the European spots. He spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

‘I don’t think so, no. I think when Sheffield United came up, they didn’t really change too much. They still had a Championship squad that was just overachieving and they didn’t make many big signings. Whereas Leeds, they spent big coming into the league and didn’t mess about.

“I just think because of the way they play, they’re not looking to just stay in the league. They’ve come in and had a right go and I don’t expect them to drop off too much. Teams will have a little bit more of an idea about the way they play and may know how to stop them but, I can’t see them struggling.”

Leeds fans will have been excited to hear the news that Marcelo Bielsa had reportedly signed a new deal to keep him at the club for next season and that could turn out to be the club’s most important signing of the summer.

After enjoying their first season back in the Premier League, many Leeds fans will be set to hopefully enjoy watching one of their own at the European Championships this summer, if Kalvin Phillips makes Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad.

Tottenham Hotspur will face a Brentford side in the Premier League this evening that doesn’t include Ethan Pinnock, with the centre-back ruled out with a hamstring injury.

What’s the latest?

As quoted by West London Sport, Bees manager Thomas Frank said to the media: “Ethan will, hopefully, be only a couple of weeks, so that means Manchester United is borderline, but let’s see.”

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The 28-year-old limped off in the first half of the west London outfit’s 2-1 win at Watford last Saturday whilst fellow defender Zanka will also be sidelined with Spurs set to face a side with limited resources at the back.

Conte will be buzzing

After last weekend’s slip up against Brighton, Tottenham can no longer afford to make mistakes if they are to secure Champions League football for next season with just six matches left this term.

Spurs have dropped out of the top four temporarily after Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, although the Lilywhites will return to fourth place with victory at the Brentford Community Stadium.

However, their place is hanging by a thread with goal difference the only factor separating the two sides if Conte’s side are victorious at Brentford.

Therefore, the prospect of playing a side struggling for options at the back is certainly a huge boost for the north London outfit.

The Bees are in inspired form though, winning five of their last six which has ultimately extinguished any nerves regarding an instant return to the Championship.

Moreover, Pinnock has settled into the top flight expertly, playing in 32 of the Bees’ 33 league matches, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.

After Brentford, Spurs face three tricky tasks with Leicester at home as well as a trip to Liverpool whilst a home North London Derby that could ultimately decide who between them and Arsenal take fourth place.

As a result, victory this evening is crucial which means that Brentford’s injury woes will certainly leave Conte buzzing.

And in other news: Conte unleashes “amazing” £58k-p/w gem, “pathetic” £43m flop axed: Spurs predicted XI