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Everton sporting director Kevin Thelwell is reportedly lining up a move for QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Thinking of the future?

The Goodison Park outfit have as many as four senior goalkeepers in their squad at the moment, but three of them are aged 35 and over.

England international Jordan Pickford is the established number one, but Asmir Begovic, Andy Lonergan and Eldin Jakupovic are all towards the end of their careers, and so the former will need some competition in the longer term.

The Latest: Dieng interest

As per Football Insider, the Merseyside club are ‘lining up’ a move for Dieng ahead of January, but will face competition from fellow Premier League rivals AFC Bournemouth, AS Monaco and LOSC Lille for his signature.

They have been making ‘regular checks’ on the 27-year-old, who is set to go to the FIFA World Cup with Senegal.

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The Verdict: Smart move

Signing a goalkeeper of Dieng’s profile would certainly be a smart move by Frank Lampard’s team.

Hailed as ‘outstanding’ by former QPR manager Mark Warburton, Dieng has really stepped up this season, keeping play-off places.

The six-foot-four colossus even scored in injury time to equalise in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland earlier this campaign, earning a point that could make all the difference come the end of the term.

Nonetheless, if Dieng is available in January, the Toffees should look to sign him before he raises his profile further, and other clubs come in for him.

Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze could be the subject of interest from a number of clubs in the near future, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Eze continues to shine

The 24-year-old has matured into a key player for the Eagles, playing his part in a vibrant team under Patrick Vieira and dovetailing well with those around him.

Eze has registered two goals and two assists in the Premier League so far this season and has also been described as a ‘star man’ by Jamie Redknapp in the past.

The Englishman’s current deal expires in the summer of 2025 but Palace could find it hard to keep hold of him until then.

The Latest: Eze likely to attract interest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke admitted that he could see interest in Eze arriving from other clubs.

The reporter said:

“I’m sure there will be concerns that other clubs will be looking at Eze. He’s been in top form for Crystal Palace. He’s now fully recovered after that serious injury he had last season. He’s shown that he is back to his best and he’s a quality player.

“In the Championship, during his time at QPR, he was among the top players in the division, and he’s made that step up to the Premier League with ease.”

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The Verdict: Only natural

In truth, Palace fans would have known deep down that the day would come when transfer interest in Eze intensifies, given the level of talent and long-term potential he possesses.

The hope is that he emulates team-mate Wilfried Zaha and stays loyal to the Eagles in the face of widespread speculation, seeing what Vieira is building at Selhurst Park and wanting to spearhead their future success.

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Should a huge offer for Eze arrive from an elite club, it would admittedly be hard to begrudge him a move, but Palace are in a strong position with his contract and should only allow him to leave for massive money.

He is their second-highest ranked player on WhoScored, which in itself highlights his importance to Vieira’s side.

Behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding newly-appointed West Bromwich Albion manager, Carlos Corberan, and the methods that he is looking to implement at the club immediately.

The Lowdown

West Brom take on Sheffield United in the Championship this afternoon for what will be Corberan’s first game in charge of the Midlands club since being appointed earlier this week.

Before this game takes place, Baggies supporters have been given some behind-the-scenes insight over how the new manager is looking to shape his team.

The Latest

On Friday, journalist Lewis Cox shared a post on his official Twitter account which included an article he wrote for the Express & Star regarding Corberan and his managerial methods.

The insight, which Cox described as “interesting” in his Twitter post, surrounds what the manager has been looking to instil in his players on the training field ahead of today’s showdown against the Blades.

Specifically, the intensity and psychological aspects are areas that the former Huddersfield Town boss has been focusing on in the early days of his new job, urging his players to make an immediate step up in the former and to believe in themselves.

The Verdict

Bearing in mind how the Hawthorns outfit have won just two of their 16 league games so far this season, this suggests that a change in the mindset of the players is certainly needed.

In terms of the intensity, only four clubs have racked up a lower combined total of tackles and interceptions than West Brom (379), which highlights how much more proactive the players need to be when out of possession.

Then from an attacking point of view, with the joint-third lowest rate of goals per shot on target (0.25), Corberan will need to find a way to get his players to be more clinical in front of goal.

Looking ahead to today’s game, if the Baggies can pick up a win against the Yorkshire club, this would be the perfect way for Corberan to get his tenure in charge of West Brom up and running.

Journalist James Pearce has revealed that Jurgen Klopp was left ‘furious’ with Joe Gomez during Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest.

The Lowdown: Reds lose at Forest

The Reds were abject on Saturday afternoon, falling to defeat against the Premier League’s bottom-placed team after a horribly lethargic showing.

After the wins over Rangers, Manchester City and West Ham, it was a hugely disappointing performance by Klopp’s men, who never got going at any point.

Gomez was arguably Liverpool’s worst player on the day, conceding a needless free-kick in the lead-up to Taiwo Awoniyi’s goal and making numerous mistakes on and off the ball.

The Latest: Pearce reveals Klopp anger

One moment saw him back away from a tackle when the ball was there to be won, and taking to Twitter, Pearce revealed that it left Klopp ‘furious’:

“Klopp furious with Gomez there for not being more aggressive. Backed off.”

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The Verdict: Gomez too inconsistent

Gomez was superb in the Reds’ 1-0 win over City last weekend but he has been poor in both games since, conceding a penalty against West Ham then producing a hapless showing on Saturday.

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The 25-year-old is showing that he is simply too inconsistent to be considered above Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order when everyone is fit, and there could even be doubts over his long-term future.

Gomez has suffered so many injury problems and isn’t the player he was during the title-winning season – Klopp once described him as ‘sensational’ – and it is difficult to ever see him being a genuinely reliable first-choice player again for Liverpool week in, week out.

The Athletic journalist Dan Sheldon has shared a fresh report concerning the status of Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The Lowdown: Hasenhuttl at Southampton

Having joined the Saints in December 2018 after a successful period in charge at RB Leipzig, the 55-year-old has gone on to lead the south coast club in 167 games, having averaged 1.28 points per match.

Having peaked in the 2019/20 season with an 11th-place finish in the Premier League, Hasenhuttl has never been able to reach the heights of Mauricio Pochettino, Ronald Koeman and Claude Puel, who all finished in the top eight as manager of the club.

The Latest: Sheldon’s latest on Hasenhuttl

With just two wins from their opening eight league games this time around, speculation has arisen as to Hasenhuttl’s future at St Mary’s, and Sheldon has now provided an update on the Austrian’s status at Southampton..

Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for The Athletic, the reliable journalist claimed: “Ralph Hasenhuttl maintains the board’s support but there is no doubt he is under increasing pressure.

“Some say time is needed to work with a young squad. Others point to the fact he’s been at #SaintsFC since Dec 2018 & it has become stale.”

The Verdict: Results need to improve

As per The Athletic, with many Saints insiders believing that the Austrian is now on borrowed time, it can only be so long until Hasenhuttl is relieved of his duties as manager.

With reports of the players having voiced their concerns with the board at the start of the season, it appears that there is no going back on the relationship at St Mary’s.

Therefore, unless there are significant improvements to their results, with the Saints having gained just 12 points from their previous 20 Premier League matches, Hasenhuttl’s departure in the near future seems rather likely.

Tottenham Hotspur have produced a number of exciting talents over the years, with the likes of Jamie Redknapp, Nick Barmby, Sol Campbell, Ledley King and Harry Kane having all graduated from the Hotspur Way setup before enjoying fine careers in the professional game.

However, while Kane – who has gone on to score 255 goals in 396 appearances for the club – is arguably one of Spurs’ best-ever youth products, there was another player in the 29-year-old’s age group who many of the Tottenham Hotspur faithful had even higher hopes for – Alex Pritchard.

Indeed, after highly impressing in the various youth age groups at Hotspur Way, the attacking midfielder was loaned out to Swindon Town for the 2013/14 campaign in order to provide him with valuable first-team minutes to continue his development in the professional game.

And, after scoring six goals and providing ten assists over seven outings in the EFL Trophy and League Cup, it very much appeared that Pritchard was indeed an exhilarating prospect.

This notion continued after a further spell away from north London the following season, with the forward bagging 12 goals and providing seven assists over Brentford in 2014/15 – helping the Bees reach the play-off semi-finals that year.

However, following a less successful loan at West Bromwich Albion in 2015/16 – playing just two senior appearances for Tottenham, Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino decided that, when Norwich City made an £8m offer for the midfielder in 2016, the time was right for Spurs to cash in.

Following this deal, the former England U21 international shared his delight at securing a move away from north London, stating in an interview with The Mirror: “It was a bit disappointing to finally leave Spurs. But in the end, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. They just never gave me a chance.”

Although, despite a bright start to life after Tottenham at Carrow Road – scoring eight goals and registering 12 assists over £10m move to Huddersfield Town in January of 2018 marked a devastating turning point in his career.

Indeed, scoring just injury-laden three-and-a-half-year spell at The John Smith’s Stadium, Pritchard would ultimately leave the Championship side on a free transfer at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, before taking a further step down the footballing pyramid to join League One Sunderland that summer.

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And, while the 29-year-old has started to show signs of life at The Stadium of Light – scoring four goals and registering 16 assists over his 58 fixtures in all competitions, helping the Mackems seal promotion in 2021/22 – it is abundantly clear that Pritchard simply did not have what it takes to make it at the very top of the English game.

As such, with the midfielder currently boasting a Transfermarkt value of just £1.8m – a whopping 78% lower than the £8m Levy sold him for back in 2016 – it is clear that the Tottenham chairman very much hit the jackpot when parting with Pritchard, as the once so promising youngster has failed to ever live up to early expectations.

Everton have been without Ben Godfrey since he sustained a shocking leg break during the Premier League opener against Chelsea, and now the player has given a behind-the-scenes update on his recovery at Finch Farm.

What’s the latest?

The Toffees defender has claimed he will be out for a “couple of months” but is “improving” following his concerning injury.

Godfrey revealed, via Everton FC:

“Things are going well in terms of the injury. Every day I’m improving and I’m just looking forward to being back.

“When will I be back? I’m playing it by ear. It’ll be a couple of months but I’m just taking each day at a time and when it’s right, it’ll be right.”

It should please Lampard

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard should be pleased that the recovery seems to be going well for Godfrey following the nasty injury as the Everton centre-back has been one of the most consistent performers in the side when he is fit to play.

The 24-year-old talent ranked in the top 10% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues over the last 12 months for his shot-creating actions and progressive passes received, as well as featuring in the top 20% for key defensive metrics such as pressures, tackles and blocks.

In fact, Godfrey featured in nine of the 17 games that the Toffees picked up points in over last season so his positive influence in the side should not be taken for granted, and his talents didn’t go unnoticed by his former boss Carlo Ancelotti who lavished praise on the defender when managing him last year.

The Real Madrid boss claimed: “He’s powerful, he has a lot of energy, tactically intelligent, really aggressive in the duels and so he can play in different positions and this is really important,”

“It was a surprise for me because I knew him, but not a lot and I found a really fantastic defender because he has all the quality that a defender needs.”

Lampard shouldn’t have too much to worry about though if Conor Coady and James Tarkowski can stay fit over the defender’s absence in the team with the pair already building a great centre-back partnership in the Everton backline.

The newly-signed centre-backs have played a part in the side successfully going unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, holding Liverpool, Leeds United, Brentford and Nottingham Forest to draws.

With that being said, it will be a huge boost for Lampard when Godfrey does eventually return to fitness. It should give the Everton boss enough quality in his defensive options to inspire more positive results at Goodison Park. Just imagine what he could do alongside his fellow countrymen in Tarkowski and Coady.

Everton have reportedly held talks over a potential move for Rennes striker Serhou Guirassy.

The Lowdown: Two forwards wanted

Journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that the Goodison Park outfit want to bring in two new forwards before the transfer window closes.

They are set to sign Neal Maupay from Brighton and Hove Albion, which would leave one more striker to sign.

The Latest: Guirassy talks

Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Merseyside club have also held talks over the potential signing of Guirassy:

“Everton hold talks with Rennes over striker Serhou Guirassy.”

Expanding in his article for 90min, he adds that those talks are ‘progressing’, and that French officials have ‘travelled to England’ in order to try and finalise a deal.

The Verdict: Exciting

It is certainly exciting for Toffees supporters to see them potentially close to signing two brand new strikers.

At six-foot-two, Guirassy could complement the five-foot-eight Maupay nicely, and his 25 goals and four assists for Rennes over the past two seasons show his credentials in front of goal (Transfermarkt).

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In Ligue 1 last term, he ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average aerial duels won and shots taken per game (WhoScored), and would offer a great alternative to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is out injured.

Nonetheless, he could form a formidable new partnership with Maupay, as Frank Lampard’s team still search for their first win in the Premier League this campaign.

There has been an update regarding the future of Rangers striker, Alfredo Morelos, at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

As per El Futbolero, Cruz Azul are believed to be keen on signing the 26-year-old this summer, with the Rangers star facing an uncertain future in Glasgow with just 12 months remaining on his current deal.

Previous reports earlier this summer had suggested that Rangers could be willing to listen to offers for the 11-cap menace, if his contract situation is not resolved.

The former HJK Helsinki man – who joined the Old Firm outfit for just £1m back in 2017 – made his return from injury in the win over Kilmarnock on Saturday, having been absent since the end of March with a thigh issue.

Late summer disaster

‘The Buffalo’ marked his long-awaited comeback with a goal off the bench to help steer Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to victory, although amid this latest interest the hope will be that it won’t also have been a farewell outing for the prolific Colombian brute.

With a second-leg, Champions League qualifying clash against Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise to come on Tuesday evening, the likelihood is that Morelos hasn’t yet played his final game for the Gers, although doubts will continue to creep in the longer his contract remains unsolved.

This latest interest should hopefully spur sporting director Ross Wilson into action to get a new deal on the table, with it set to prove a late summer disaster if the 5 foot 10 marksman is to be snapped up by a potential suitor with just a matter of weeks remaining in the window.

That would leave the Scottish Premiership side with little time to secure an adequate replacement, while the fact he has just under a year left remaining on his existing deal would likely lead to a cut-price sale were he to depart.

Having already seen Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo head to Ajax and Southampton, respectively, it would seemingly be an even greater blow to see the £33k-per-week star join them on the list of outgoings, such has been the striker’s impact at the club over the past five seasons.

In that time, the £11.7m-rated powerhouse has netted 114 goals and provided 51 assists in 225 games in all competitions for the club, with the “unplayable” asset – as dubbed by former boss Steven Gerrard – having emerged as something of a talisman in recent times.

Losing such an influential figure – particularly at this stage in the window – would be a significant and unwanted headache for Van Bronckhorst and co.

The old cliche in football is to ‘never go back’, although if recent reports are to be believed then it doesn’t appear that Everton are heeding that warning.

In a summer that has seen Manchester United become the centre of mockery for their Holland-centric transfer approach, the Toffees now appear to have narrowed their targets down to those who play for Chelsea and those who’ve previously been at the club.

Or, in the case of Ross Barkley, someone who fits both criteria.

The latest indication is that the Merseysiders are in ‘advanced talks’ to bring the 28-year-old back to the club this summer, allowing manager Frank Lampard to utilise his Stamford Bridge connections to sign his former England colleague – amid reports that Idrissa Gueye is also nearing a return.

Barkley is seemingly in need of pastures new after what’s been a torrid stint in west London in recent years, having joined the club on a £15m deal back in January 2018 after rising through the youth ranks with the Toffees.

Once likened to the great Paul Gascoigne, it is been a sharp decline for the 33-cap gem in recent years, with both injuries and a wealth of competition restricting him to a bit-part role in Thomas Tuchel’s side, having made just one Premier League start last term.

A return to his former club may appear just what is needed for the Liverpool lad to rejuvenate his career, although the £10.8m-rated man may not be greeted too fondly by the Everton fanbase, having irked some with the manner of his departure just over four years ago, after initially pulling out of a £35m deal to join his current side only to move on for a fraction of that cost just a few months later.

Equally, the £100k-per-week dud has done little of note of late to truly warrant a move in terms of his form, with his total record now standing at a measly 12 goals and 11 assists in 99 games in all competitions for his current side.

In truth, it seems that the Toffees have been down this road before signing a once admired, local hero who is now a fading force, with lessons seemingly having not been learned by Wayne Rooney’s brief homecoming back in 2017.

Cast aside by Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, the former England skipper returned to Goodison in the twilight of his career in the hope of going out on a high, making the move 13 years on from his initial departure from the club.

Having left as a raw, fearless teenager in 2004, Rooney returned as a different player altogether, undoubtedly wiser and more measured, yet without that relentless nature that had become his trademark in his pomp.

While the current DC United boss would net an impressive ten goals in 31 league appearances during the 2017/18 season, that was to be his only campaign back in the famous blue jersey, as he swiftly moved on by the club.

Undoubtedly one of the finest British talents the game has seen – ranking as the all-time top scorer both at United (253) and for his country (53) – even such a legendary figure like Rooney couldn’t totally make it work upon his return to Everton.

Who would truly back Barkley – a player once dubbed a “liability” by journalist Gregg Evans during his spell on loan at Aston Villa – to buck that trend?

AND in other news: “Still keen..”: Journo drops big Everton transfer update that’ll worry supporters