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Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti seems to be very much in the market for a new defensive midfield addition and a new name has emerged this week.

What’s the word?

According to Transfer Checker, the Toffees are one of several top-flight teams to have enquired about Abdoulaye Doucoure with Watford relegated to the Championship.

Other teams in contact include Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester City and West Ham.

It is claimed that this is merely interest as no bids have yet arrived for the 27-year-old. It also remains to be seen how much he’d command with Transfermarkt valuing him at £18m.

Allan alternative

One name that Ancelotti has regularly been mooted with is his old Napoli enforcer Allan and latest reports suggest that Marcel Brands has actually raised their initial offer to €38m (£35m).

Whilst he’d be a fantastic addition at Goodison Park, the club can’t afford to hinge their hopes on clinching him, so having an alternative in the form of Doucoure makes a ton of sense.

The uncapped Frenchman comes with bags of Premier League experience after joining the Hornets four years ago for just £8m.

Doucoure is a fantastic box-to-box midfielder who has been one of the shining lights in north London – per WhoScored, he averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.6 shots, 1.1 dribbles and 1 key pass per game. This is in a side that was relegated after all.

Former Toffees boss Marco Silva was a huge admirer of the Watford star during his time in Merseyside, once lauding him as a “high quality player” before the two teams went head-to-head.

While BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves has previously likened him to Paul Pogba, claiming:

“He’s one of those players who can give a team so much, he used to play a lot deeper but now he’s in the box a lot more. He’s got goals, he’s got assists he’s so athletic. He’s got that frame of Paul Pogba, he’s got a good touch and he can finish.”

Owen Hargreaves on Doucoure.

The praise doesn’t just stop there with Jamie Redknapp believing the 27-year-old is one of the most “underrated” players in the Premier League, so if Everton are unable to clinch Allan, then they could have themselves a steal with Doucoure instead.

AND in other news, Everton could land a major upgrade to Ancelotti’s frontline

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

Back in 1998, Glasgow Rangers signed Giovanni van Bronckhorst for £6.75 million, per Transfermarkt. At the time, that would have looked like a lot of money to spend on a left-back, however the spell he had at Ibrox, plus his career as a footballer after he left the Scottish side highlight how much of a bargain he was.

The Dutch defender made 118 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish outfit, per Soccerbase, and scored 22 goals. He clearly left a great impression as he still receives praise from the Gers fan base for his time at the club. It is understandable to see why they still love him as the Gers won the Scottish league twice in a row whilst he was in Glasgow.

His performances clearly did not go unnoticed during his time in Scotland, as Premier League side Arsenal were interested in the full-back and they managed to sign him for £12.15 million. It shows that the Gers signing him was a good bit of business as they made a lot of profit on him – £5.4m to be exact.

His success from here emphasised how good a player the Gers had scouted as he went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup in England. Despite this success Arsenal were not able to make any money on the left-back and he left on a free transfer to Spanish giants FC Barcelona, where he continued to win trophies, such as La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the UEFA Champions League.

Clearly Glasgow Rangers identified a great player and his career in Scotland and abroad makes £6.75 million seem cheap, especially when they also managed to sell him for nearly twice as much as they bought him for.

They managed to get the best out of him as he helped them win the league and they made money, so van Bronckhorst was a great profit player for the Gers.

Glasgow Rangers fans, did you enjoy watching Giovanni van Bronckhorst? Let us know down below!

Everton didn’t finish last season in quite the way many fans would have hoped or expected.

After the sacking of Marco Silva, the club appointed veteran Italian Carlo Ancelotti, and in doing so had real hopes of still mustering something from their season.

Ancelotti had a strong start to life at Goodison – with real hopes of pushing for a European football spot, but form dropped off and the break during the season due to COVID-19 meant that upon the leagues return, the Toffees failed to regain any form, and finished in 12th place.

This summer spells big ambitions for the Toffees, and the fans will be expecting money to be spent – which Ancelotti will likely be hoping to do as well ahead of his first full season at the club. Everton have been linked with an abundance of players over recent weeks – but which ones would be realistic signings for them to make?

Mehmet Zeki Çelik

The Turkish right-back has been in fine form for French outfit Lille of recent – and has been linked with a move to the Toffees over recent weeks. Having played 23 league games for Lille this season, Çelik has averaged 2.3 tackles per game, as well as 1.4 clearances.

The player also bodes well in attack too, with 2 goals and four assists in that time too.

With the on-loan Djibril Sidibe now back at parent club AS Monaco, the Toffees will need to find a replacement, with the aging Seámus Coleman the clubs only senior right-back of choice – and going by his stats, Çelik would be a great option and fit for Everton, with Lille valuing him at around £18 million.

Sergio Reguilón

The 23-year-old has been on loan to Sevilla this season, from parent club Real Madrid. The Toffees have recently been in contact with Madrid, and have even reportedly tabled an offer of £18 million for the young Spaniard’s services. Reguilón played 31 league games for Sevilla last season – averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.6 clearances per games, as well as a 7.10/10 WhoScored match rating.

The club’s current options at left-back sit solely with Lucas Digne after club legend Leighton Baines retired from football at the end of the 2019/20 season – and the signing of a player with Reguilón’s ability would be welcome competition for Digne.

Abdoulaye Doucoure

The Frenchman’s name is one that Everton fans wouldn’t have forgotten, having been relegated with Watford at the end of last season – leaving many Premier League clubs circling like sharks around the Hertfordshire club for the players signature.

Last season wasn’t one of Doucouré’s best in a Watford shirt, but his overall numbers make for easy understanding as to why the Toffee’s would want to sign him.

The Frenchman averaged 1.7 tackles per game from midfield this season, as well as winning 1.5 aerial duels per game, with a 78.4% pass success rate. Doucouré would work out as a great replacement for the departed Morgan Schneiderlin, who left for OGC Nice just last month, with the Watford players market value at £18 million.

Allan

Another fantastic midfield option comes with Brazilian midfielder Allan. The 29-year-old has been at Italian club Napoli since 2015, and was previously managed by current Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti during his time at the club.

The club had previously stated their interest during the January transfer window but were put off by the reported £36 million price tag at the time.

Recent changes, however, have meant that it has now been reported that the club could secure the midfielder for as little as £22.5 million – and Ancelotti is keen to make it happen to bolster his squad ahead of next season. Allan has averaged 2.2 tackles per game in the league this season and would bring a needed grit and aggression that would benefit Everton’s midfield.

Joshua King

After Bournemouth’s relegation from the Premier League last season, Norwegian striker Joshua King is expected to leave the club this summer.

Last season didn’t prove great for the striker, with just 6 goals in 26 league appearances – but had a strong finish to the season with 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 8 games (via WhoScored).

It has been reported that the club is looking to sign King for just £15 million to add some further strike force to his side, and he could even become a replacement for Richarlison, who has caused a stir after his recent comments about his Everton future.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have had a big-money big for Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare turned down.

What’s the word?

Reports back in the January transfer window suggested that the Magpies were interested in the France international, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Now, Romano has claimed that Steve Bruce’s side remain keen on Soumare, and lodged a €35m (£32.2m) bid including add-ons to Lille – an offer that was rejected by the Ligue 1 outfit.

It remains to be seen whether Newcastle go back in with a new and improved bid for the 21-year-old in the closing weeks of this transfer window.

The next Paul Pogba

For all the ‘drama’ that may come with Manchester United star Paul Pogba, there’s no questioning that he is still a player with incredible talent.

A World Cup winner with France, the central midfielder has produced some impressive returns for the Red Devils, scoring 32 goals and providing 33 assists in 164 games.

In the 6 foot 2 Soumare, Newcastle could get their own Pogba, with Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill even claiming that a source had told him that the Lille starlet is like the United midfielder, but “without the baggage”.

It’s no surprise that Lille president Gerard Lopez has waxed lyrical about the French side’s prodigy, declaring: “He’s one of the very best at his job.He’s technical, with incredible physical power and wins a great deal of possession. He’s a modern No.6 or 8. We’ll see him in the France team very soon. He’s a clear vision of where he wants to go and he’s working very hard to get there.”

Just like Pogba, Soumare is at his best when he’s driving forward from the heart of the midfield, and was particularly impressive in Lille’s Champions League run last season. He averaged three dribbles per game in the group stages, which actually put him in the top ten amongst all players in the competition.

It may take big-money to bring him in, but Newcastle could land an absolute gem.

Liverpool registered another Premier League win after a 3-1 victory over Arsenal under the Anfield lights on Monday.

Despite the Gunners taking the lead, the Reds remained composed and were able to fire three goals to cement the win on home soil.

Their win takes them into second in the Premier League table, winning all three of their fixtures so far and sitting behind Leicester only on goal difference.

Whilst the likes of Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson shone with their goals, along with one for Diogo Jota on his league debut for the Reds, another man quietly went about pulling the strings for his side.

Fabinho had a solid game in midfield and did well to keep Arsenal at bay whilst also contributing to Liverpool’s attack. According to Sofascore, the Brazilian was successful in 96% of his passes and five out of his six attempted duels.

He also made one key pass and completed 100% of his tackles. This strong display comes off the back of his performance playing as a centre-back against Chelsea. This was another match in which Fabinho looked especially sharp, which only adds another notch to what he can bring to Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Fans must feel assured to know that the £50.4m-valued international can be deployed across a number of positions and not look out of sorts. Liverpool do not have an abundance of defensive cover with Joel Matip currently injured, but having Fabinho ready to be deployed in the additional absence of Joe Gomez against Chelsea is a huge positive for the Reds and one that could be crucial in their bid to win back-to-back Premier League titles.

How do you think Fabinho performed against Arsenal? Have your say in the comments below!

Hull City have jumped ahead of Portsmouth in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Ben Woodburn, according to Liverpool Echo.

Utilising the transfer market, Pompey manager Jackett has already signed Callum Johnson, Cameron Pring, Sean Raggett, Michael Jacobs and Rasmus Nicolaisen.

With the transfer window open until October 15, a number of new faces could potentially arrive at Fratton Park, but interest in Woodburn continues to linger in the background.

The 20-year-old’s future on Merseyside remains in the balance after head coach Jurgen Klopp opted to make him available for loan this season, following on from last term’s stint with Oxford United.

Featuring 16 times for Portsmouth’s League One play-off opponents, Woodburn suffered a fractured foot during the 2019/20 campaign but he managed one goal and five assists. (Transfermarkt).

With Pompey and Ipswich Town having previously hinted at their interest, it has now been reported that Hull are in advanced talks over a loan deal for Woodburn.

Woodburn has already won 10 caps for the Welsh national team, scoring twice for his country, and he should be a good addition for any side in League One.

Jackett is under heavy pressure to ensure promotion this term and his business may be scrutinised if results do not materialise, so a signing like Woodburn could be a fantastic one to pull off and a regrettable one to miss out upon if Hull beat them to the chase.

Do you think Portsmouth should make a final offer for Woodburn? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

Liverpool are blessed with two of the best attacking full-backs in world football at the moment. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold make up an electric twosome who add extra pressure to any opposition already struggling with Jurgen Klopp’s blistering attack.

However, given Liverpool’s most recent performance as a team and Robertson’s personal numbers on international duty, does the German need to come up with a new game-plan?

Robertson vs Israel

Despite being awarded SofaScore’s Man of the Match rating, the Scotland captain put in a somewhat confusing performance.

His eye for breaking down attacks was sharp, evident in his two tackles and 6/8 ground duels won. He also tried to edge his side over the line by contributing three key passes and creating a goalscoring opportunity. But for all his efforts, the Scots still slumped to a 0-0 draw. Without their win in the penalty shootout, the result would have been a very disappointing one for all the work put in.

In fact, Robertson’s performance going forward was overall quite wasteful. In his 13 attempted crosses, he was only successful with six of them. He similarly attempted 13 long balls and pulled off just four accurate passes. He also lost the ball a whopping 28 times, which would be justified if his side managed to bag some goals, but given the scoreline, it could be something Klopp must review when the left-back returns to Merseyside.

Klopp may need a new strategy

Liverpool seriously struggled defensively against Aston Villa in their most recent Premier League fixture. The Villans fired an unbelievable seven goals past the reigning champions after making easy work of carving open their backline. Robertson lost possession 27 times that game but was without his usual attacking numbers to show for it.

Similarly, Gini Wijnaldum was also caught out, losing possession 11 times and failing to make any attacking contributions, leaving the left-flank looking very open (via Sofascore). With clubs now starting to expose Liverpool’s defence, Robertson and Alexander-Arnold must be more cautious when making their runs to join the attack.

Perhaps the £57.6million-rated defender was trying to make up for Sadio Mane’s absence against Villa, but with only Fabinho to rely on to protect the defence, Liverpool’s back four need a more solid line.

Once Thiago Alcantara returns to action, the Reds will have more chance creations in midfield, justifying Robertson staying back and defending for the majority of the game. Klopp must see Villa as a huge learning curve and potentially rethink his options before another team capitalises.

In other news, Liverpool may have ready-made Wijnaldum replacement in Curtis Jones…

Southampton have made a name for themselves as the feeder club of Liverpool. Whilst the Saints put rising stars into the spotlight, the Merseysiders snap them up and complete the final steps towards greatness. Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane are now two of the most highly praised footballers on the planet, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also eventually ended up at Anfield following a detour to the Emirates.

One man who has failed to follow this narrative is forgotten Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne. The cast-off England international walked from the club this summer as a free agent, empty-handed despite his teammates’ historic success.

He is now all the way back where it started, at Crystal Palace – yet to play a single minute of football under Roy Hodgson.

A Rapid Declyne

After snapping up the exciting young right-back from the Eagles back in 2012, Southampton will have thought they’d bagged a real bargain. The south coast side paid just £2.8million for the then 22-year-old, who would go on to become a Saints centurion and contribute five goals and eight assists across his three years with the club.

When Brendan Rodgers came knocking in 2015, Southampton cashed in on a handsome £13million profit, after selling him to Liverpool for a reported £15.9million. Unfortunately for Clyne, the move wouldn’t be a dream one.

Jurgen Klopp took over at the hilt of Anfield just four months after the Englishman arrived and he had already started planning his changes. The 29-year-old went on to make a total of 103 appearances for Liverpool, but was gradually phased out of the team after the emergence of starlet Trent Alexander-Arnold. Once the youngster dipped his feet in the senior team, there was no going back for Klopp.

Clyne made just ten appearances across both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons before being shipped out on loan to Bournemouth. There, he also struggled for game time, earning only 15 chances to play across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

After being snubbed of his place by the now £99milli0n-valued Alexander-Arnold, the ageing full-back was not only left to leave as a free agent, but he was not given a Premier League winners’ medal for his troubles either. His long-term future at new club Crystal Palace is uncertain too, given he only signed a short-term contract with his former employers at the start of the month.

Southampton certainly cashed in at the right time and avoided dealing with the long-term effects of Clyne’s dip in form and his ongoing injury woes.

In other news, Danny Ings could cause big upset for Everton with impressive record…

Celtic loanee Diego Laxalt has been a key figure since he arrived in Scotland from AC Milan this summer. Due to the plethora of issues forcing a large amount of Neil Lennon’s men to the sidelines, the Uruguay international has stepped up.

Former Hoops icon and Scotland international Frank McAvennie has praised the impact of Laxalt and his “never-say-die attitude”. Speaking to Football Insider, he has admitted his fondness for the 27-year-old and believes he will prove to be a “great signing” for his former side.

Celtic should move for Laxalt

Indeed, Laxalt has been putting in consistent solid performances in defence for the Premiership club. It was recently revealed that to make his loan move permanent, it will cost Celtic £4.5million, which is an attractive quote for a player of such high-calibre.

His performance against Lille in the Europa League was a seriously impressive one. According to Sofascore, the full-back put in an astonishing 13 tackles and won 18 of 24 attempted duels, showing just how hard he works in defence. Laxalt contributed heavily to the 2-2 result, despite an overall disappointing performance from the team to let a 2-0 lead go.

Greg Taylor is Celtic’s only other recognised senior left-back and Laxalt’s presence puts pressure on him. The Scot hasn’t started for the Hoops since St Johnstone in the league last month, limited to mere cameo appearances since then.

Lennon looks to favour the loanee, who would more than likely become a regular starter in Scotland should he sign permanently. Odsonne Edouard could be looking at a potential exit and he will bring in a pretty penny. It will more than cover the small cost AC Milan want for Laxalt and it will set Celtic up to be more defensively sound moving forwards, Nick Hammond needs to look at securing his long term signature as soon as possible.

In other news, Worrying Edouard comments could spell trouble but Griffiths can save the day for Celtic…

Marcel Brands can solve a “concerning” Everton issue with a decisive January call on the immediate future of rarely-seen midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Sunderland and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has claimed that Everton must seek to secure a mid-season loan move for Gbamin in order for the Ivory Coast international to get his career back in gear.

Gbamin has been plagued with injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019 for £25million, with the former 1.FSV Mainz 05 ace boasting a mere 135 minutes of action to his name after only two appearances across all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti is yet to have the £54,441-per-week Marco Silva signing available since succeeding the Portuguese coach with Gbamin having developed a quadriceps injury in training just days after his full Everton debut in August last year and he was forced to have surgery this May after suffering a serious Achilles injury.

Sources close to the player told The Athletic that Silva’s mismanagement of Gbamin’s introduction was the reason behind his injuries, after he ushered the 25-year-old onto the pitch at Crystal Palace following just five training sessions, having given the midfield enforcer additional time off on the back of that year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Gbamin is finally set to make his return to training at Finch Farm following the November international break, but Bent feels a loan move has to be in the 12-cap star’s immediate future with Everton chiefs said to be plotting such a transfer, per Football Insider.

“They need to somehow get him up to speed,” Bent said. “He was brought in to replace Idrissa Gueye and it just hasn’t worked for him because of injuries. Maybe sending him out on loan, getting him up to the level that they need might be the way forward.

“The problem with Everton this season is that their starting XI, when they’re all fit, is very, very good. The fact is when they haven’t all been there, they’ve really struggled and that’s why, when they started getting injuries, they couldn’t maintain their fantastic start.

“It’s something Carlo Ancelotti needs to address because at the minute, it’s a little bit concerning the way they’re losing games.”

Brands can solve “concerning” situation

With Everton chiefs alleged to be considering loaning Gbamin out in January so that the Ivorian can get back to playing regular football for the first time in 18-months, their Director of Football Brands has the ideal chance to solve Ancelotti’s “concerning” situation by finding a side willing to give the 25-year-old the chance to play week in, week out.

Only once Gbamin has a good run of minutes under his belt will he ever have the chance to push his way into Ancelotti’s plans, and offer the support in numbers that Bent is adamant the Italian is currently without.

It will be unlikely that, barring an injury for Allan, that Gbamin is able to establish himself at Goodison Park before the winter market opens, with Everton only hopeful that the former Bundesliga sensation will be in a position to play before the year is over.

Allan has been a thriving success since joining Everton in a £21m deal from SSC Napoli this summer, ranking first for ground duels won (51), successful tackles (32), second for blocked shots (4), third for successful dribbles (9) and is the fourth-most fouled player (10) among all at Goodison Park, per SofaScore.

Gbamin, meanwhile, impressed Everton with his efforts for Mainz in the 2018/19 season, when he averaged 57.9 touches, 34.6 accurate passes, 0.7 key balls, 0.9 shots, 1.6 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.1 successful dribbles and 5.3 duels won (3.6 ground, 1.7 aerial) per German top-flight game.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is urging Everton to sign a “magnificent player” this winter.