According to a report in The Times (subscription needed), Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri kept throwing money at Carlo Ancelotti until he couldn’t say no to becoming Marco Silva’s successor.

The Telegraph have reported that the 60-year-old is set to be unveiled as the Merseyside outfit’s new manager before the end of the week, but The Times suggest that the Everton hierarchy didn’t have an easy task convincing the Italian to come to Goodison Park.

The report suggests that Arsenal was the three-times Champions League winner’s preference in England, but Moshiri kept offering him more and more financial incentive until he was given no choice but to take the hot-seat.

Watch Everton vs Burnley Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

It also says that estimations that the former Chelsea boss could be paid at least £10m per year, plus hefty bonuses, could be right on the money, excuse the pun.

But is this the right decision?

It is certainly a risk for Moshiri, considering he has invested a lot of the money in the squad since arriving at Everton, and they currently lie three points above the Premier League relegation zone.

However, there is no doubt that this is an audacious appointment for the Toffees, and given the experience he has at the very top level and in competing in European football, he looks to be someone who can make a massive impact at Goodison.

How much do you really know about the Farhad Moshiri era? Answer 25 simple questions below…

This appointment is going to cost the big bucks, and Moshiri must hope that the decision pays off.

In other Everton news, a report has detailed the two Toffees players Ancelotti plans to build his team around when he takes charge…

Sunderland may have succumbed to another disappointing result against Blackpool last time out but the return from injury of Lynden Gooch offers them rekindled hope.

On the chalkboard

There is no doubt that Phil Parkinson has struggled at Sunderland with just two wins from 13 games, and though that is partly due to an inability to get the best out of his players, he has also been hindered by injuries to certain individuals.

Charlie Wyke’s goal at the weekend on just his second start under Parkinson shows what the Black Cats’ boss has missed because of his injury, and now he could also be boosted by the return of Gooch.

The winger has timed his comeback well as he can straight into the team to fill the spot vacated by Aiden McGeady, whose Sunderland career appears to be over after Parkinson took the bold step to transfer list him last week despite boasting four goals and two assists in League One this season.

Chris Maguire fulfilled the left-wing spot against the Seasiders but he lacks the pace and dynamism to cause problems on the flank, and that is where Gooch can come in handy if he rediscovers his early season form.

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Attacking threat

The main reason behind Sunderland’s struggles under Parkinson is their weakness going forward. Will Grigg and Marc McNulty’s horrendous form means the team have scored only 14 goals in 13 games under the former Bolton boss.

With no match this weekend he has time to work with the players in training and a chance to add new attacking strategies, and with Gooch back in the set-up he now has a variety of options available.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Roy Keane, Graeme Souness or Adrian Durham?

Gooch’s energy on the wing has been sorely missed in recent weeks, but with him and Duncan Watmore on the opposite flank Sunderland would suddenly be blessed with quick and direct players.

That can help them get up the pitch and will allow them to pressure the opponent’s final third – Gooch has shown his ability to put defenders on the back foot with 1.2 successful dribbles per game this campaign.

The minutes he got against Blackpool were useful but he now has a period of rest until Boxing Day, and he should be raring to prove himself under his new manager in order to win his spot back.

He also has four goals this term, which makes him one of Sunderland’s highest scorers despite missing eight weeks out on the sidelines, and that demonstrates both his importance to the team and the possible impact he could make on his return.

Meanwhile, many Sunderland fans finally have a reason to be excited as a popular figure has joined the board.

The second David Moyes era is up and running with a bang at West Ham United.

The Scotsman took charge of the club for the first time on New Year’s Day following a period in which he was out of football management for nearly eighteen months.

His appointment was far from a popular one but the result on Wednesday is likely to have strengthened his standing among the London Stadium faithful.

A 4-0 victory was just reward for an exciting performance from the clinical hosts, and naturally a handful of individuals were showered with praise in the aftermath of proceedings.

One of those players was creative midfielder Pablo Fornals, who has established himself as a regular in the starting XI in recent weeks.

Fans on Twitter were eager to pay tribute to his performance and didn’t hold back with their glowing praise.

It’s not been a seamless transition into English football for Fornals since completing a £24m transfer in the summer but there is evidence to suggest he has turned a corner of late.

The Spaniard didn’t score or assist in his first 12 games for the club but after a period of acclimatisation he has scored one and assisted three in his last seven fixtures.

And this fan suggested that he has begun to find some form following a difficult opening to his career in east London.

Social media is a hub for hyperbole and one comment on the 23-year-old rather epitomised that trait.

An excited supporter suggested Fornals was showing shades of Andres Iniesta against the Cherries in a relatively tongue-in-cheek assessment of the Spanish playmaker.

“Wand of a left foot”… West Ham fans were absolutely ecstatic with one man’s display against Bournemouth…

According to the Transfer Window Podcast (28:55), Tottenham Hotspur could be ready to accelerate their interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer following Harry Kane’s injury setback.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the England captain suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat against Southampton on New Year’s Day, which has now been confirmed by the club to be a tear.

While they haven’t put any timescale on how long he will be out for The Guardian believe he won’t return until March, which if true leaves Spurs in a bit of trouble.

Of course, they only have 17-year-old Troy Parrott as an out-and-out centre-forward right now, although the likes of Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura would be able to play there if needed.

The Transfer Window Podcast claims that Alcacer wants to leave Dortmund following the arrival of Erling Haaland from Red Ball Salzburg, as backed up by Sky Sports, and then he could be purchased for a fee of between €25-30m (£21.3-£25.6m), or potentially even for a fee of between €750,000-€1m (£640,000-£850,000), before then covering his wages.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

Would he be a good signing?

It’s clear that Tottenham and Jose Mourinho need someone who will guarantee them goals over the course of the next couple of months in Kane’s absence, and the signs are that the Spaniard could fit the bill.

The 26-year-old currently has 26 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund, while he got 15 in 50 for Barcelona previously despite the majority of his outings coming from the substitutes’ bench.

Previously he got 43 in 124 for Valencia, so he clearly does know where the goal is if the service is there for him and he is confident.

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Of course the main benefit for Spurs and Daniel Levy is that they could potentially sign the man who has 12 goals in 19 caps for his country on a loan deal, which if done right they wouldn’t have to sign the player permanently if he fails to impress, or if he isn’t happy to play second fiddle to Kane when he returns.

The good thing about Alcacer too is that while he prefers to play as a centre-forward as per the Transfer Window Podcast, he has also – albeit rarely – played out wide previously during his career so could perhaps fill those spots too if needed towards the end of the campaign.

This one makes sense, and it will be interesting to see if the north London outfit try and get a deal over the line.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans have reacted with horror following one transfer revelation involving Daniel Levy…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are about to make their first move in the January transfer window.

Although it is an outgoing rather than an incoming as Patrick Cutrone is set to return to his native land Italy after a tumultuous five months or so in the west Midlands.

The 22-year-old has averaged just 35 minutes per game since joining from AC Milan in the summer having been restricted to just nine starts in 24 matches, via Transfermarkt.

According to the Guardian, Serie A side Fiorentina will sign him for €18m (£15.3m) with a loan fee of €2m coming upfront while the remaining €16m will be paid in the summer of 2021.

This comes before images of the forward then emerged on the club’s official Twitter account of the Italian arriving in Florence.

Therefore, his departure would seemingly leave manager Nuno Santo light of options in the striking department. In fact, Raul Jimenez would be the only senior option at the club with Benny Ashley-Seal likely to also go out on loan this month.

Is the decision to let him go a wise move to make given Wolves’ prospects domestically and on the European stage?

Here’s what the writers at Football FanCast have to say…

Matt Dawson

“It is truly baffling to see Wolves cash in on Cutrone so soon after he arrived. The acquisition in the summer felt like somewhat of a landmark moment for the Midlands outfit. Fresh from qualifying for the Europa League, they brought in a renowned player from one Europe’s former heavyweights. It may only have taken a fee of £16m to prise him away from Milan but to sell him so soon after barely giving him a chance is an ill-judged move.

“Cutrone has a proven reputation in one of the major leagues in Europe, scoring 13 times in Serie A at the tender age of 22 and with the potential he has, it is truly strange to see him depart on a permanent basis. Wolves should have given him a consistent run in the side before getting him off the payroll.”

Viji Jeevathayalan

“People make mistakes all the time, but the real key is learning to accept them, learn about it and then move on. And in Wolves’ case, there needs to be a recognition that the signing of Patrick Cutrone in the summer has turned out to be a major howler for them. Whilst £16m may not seem like a lot in the modern market, it’s still a vital sum of money that could have been spent elsewhere in the squad. In cutting their losses on the Italian marksman, Wolves have been undeniably ruthless in their decision. But it’s something that Nuno Espirito Santo has had to do.

“There’s simply no point in keeping a player who just doesn’t seem to be featuring in Wolves’ first-team plans at all, with the striker playing just 13 minutes of football in his side’s last 12 Premier League games. Nuno has been ruthless and has made the correct decision.”

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Billy Meyers

“I don’t think Wolves are making a good decision by selling Cutrone. He’s one of two senior strikers at Nuno’s disposal behind Raul Jimenez, and as should be the case with a Premier League outfit, the Midlands-based side really should have waited until they signed another forward before even thinking about moving the Italian on. Even then, to have just two strikers within a Premier League squad is leaving yourself pretty thin, while additionally, Cutrone has proven that he knows how to finish with three goals this term despite the limited game time.

“It can take time for foreign players to adapt to English football, and having only signed him six months ago, Nuno should be holding onto the 22-year-old. He could have attempted to coach him in the way that he has with Adama Traore, who has come on leaps and bounds this season. Wolves look seriously short on options now.”

Lewis Blain

“Nuno’s treatment of Cutrone has been nothing short of bizarre this season. Wolves are a club competing on all fronts so their squad depth is really going to be tested, yet the Italian just hasn’t been able to buy a game, so no wonder he’s unhappy and probably wants to head back to his homeland. Despite averaging just 35 minutes per match this term, he has still bagged three goals which is just as many as the beloved Diogo Jota has in the Premier League. Nuno may live to regret this later down the line, especially if Raul Jimenez picks up an injury as his thin squad really will be tested. The one saving grace is the potential of a buyback clause within the deal.”

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

And in other news, you can read what the fans have been saying about the situation here…

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Alan Nixon reported that Connor Wickham is emerging as the ‘striker target’ at the top of Sheffield Wednesday’s list and is ‘most likely’ to join the Owls on loan, with the Eagles prepared to ‘play ball’.

The Englishman has endured a turbulent time with injuries over the last three years, never really recovering properly from anterior cruciate ligament damage suffered in the first-half of a chaotic 5-4 defeat to Swansea back in November 2016.

Wickham managed to make just six Premier League appearances last season – all from the bench – while he has only managed four substitute outings in the top-flight this term, scoring one goal.

The 26-year-old spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in the past while owned by Sunderland, and managed to score eight goals in 11 Championship appearances as a 20-year-old.

However, allowing Wickham to depart Selhurst Park right now would leave Roy Hodgson with just two senior strikers in Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke, although a loan deal for Cenk Tosun is reportedly ‘close’.

Let’s see how the Palace fans on Twitter reacted to Nixon’s news on the former Ipswich forward…

These two fans echoed our aforementioned point that a departure for Wickham would leave Hodgson short in attack, with Ben saying that Palace “must sign” two strikers if the Englishman goes.

Another supporter named Peter said that he “can’t see it” as it would “leave us far too short”.

Furthermore, one supporter with the username ‘Selhurst Exile’ sarcastically said that the south Londoners have a surplus of strikers before using the ‘eye-roll’ emoji to reinforce their apparent point that it would be foolish to let him leave right now.

Another argued against that point by saying that it would be the right move for everybody if Benteke is back from injury soon and Tosun arrives – they also stated that Wickham “needs to drop a level & get game time”.

This fan named ‘Jonsta’ said that he’d prefer to keep Wickham, as the striker has a better record than Benteke this season with a goal and an assist to his name, whereas the Belgian hasn’t been involved in a single goal.

Lastly, this supporter also argued in favour of keeping Wickham at the club, saying “give the lad a chance”.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have been discussing the Eagles’ transfer interest in a player also being targeted by Champions League side Atletico Madrid…

Wolves have been urged to sign Danny Ings this month by 2009 promotion winner Michael Kightly as he believes the Southampton striker would be a great fit for the club.

What’s he said?

The former winger played more times for Wolves than any other club in his injury-blighted career, where he scored 24 times and provided 36 assists in 127 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

He was part of Mick McCarthy’s title-winning side over ten years ago after the west Midlanders secured a return to the top-flight.

Speaking on Andy Hodgson’s kicking off, Kightly talked up the prospect of Ings lining up in the old gold shirt, he said:

“I’ve played with Danny Ings and I think he’s a really good player in great form. 

“If Wolves could get in a player of his ability that would be great and I think he’d do really well at Wolves.

“Problem is though, can you see Southampton selling him and what kind of money is he gonna go for?

“They need someone alongside Jimenez or someone to come in and play a few games when he’s tired cause I think if he gets injured then that’ll be a real big problem for Wolves.

“He’s the only one in that team that they can’t replace with the players that they’ve got at the minute.”

Cutrone’s replacement?

Wolves are in desperate need of making additions to bolster their squad this month, but time is of the essence as only two weeks are remaining before the winter transfer window slams shut until the summer.

Nuno Santo’s side were defeated in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening, and their bench highlighted just how badly they need strength in depth.

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Patrick Cutrone left the club last week to return to Italy, signing on loan at Fiorentina with the move becoming permanent in 18 months time.

His departure has left a void in attack with Raul Jimenez the only senior option. He’s already played 34 times this campaign, and that’s excluding his Gold Cup campaign with Mexico in the summer and Wolves’ pre-season tour of China.

It’s clear to see that he’s been suffering from burnout in recent weeks given the lack of rest he’s received since the start of the season.

The Southampton frontman would be an interesting prospect in Nuno’s system and considering he’s bagged 16 goals this season, he would need no time to settle in – a possible problem with Cutrone coming to England.

Whether Wolves can clinch Ings as a potential target to help lessen the burden remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, there has to be a new striker in place soon or their season is at serious risk.

And in other news, Wolves’ reasons for letting Patrick Cutrone leave the club have been revealed…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left split over Jose Mourinho’s tactics during the club’s 1-1 FA Cup fourth round draw with Southampton.

A goal from Son Heung-Min gave Spurs a 1-0 lead but Sofiane Boufal netted late on to earn Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men a replay.

Spurs seemed to struggle as the second-half wore on, however, with Saints beginning to dominate proceedings before Boufal’s goal.

Indeed, per WhoScored, Saints had 10 shots to Spurs’ eight and had 59.1% possession, too.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

And a number of supporters have criticised Mourinho’s tactical set-up.

Spurs were attempting to send Eric Dier on prior to Boufal’s goal, suggesting that Mourinho was ready to settle for a narrow victory on the south coast.

But some fans believe that the manager was just lacking one ingredient against Southampton: an out-and-out striker. He was forced to start Lucas Moura up top against Saints.

The two teams will go again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they attempt to qualify for the last-16.

This is, however, an improvement for Spurs after their defeat at St Mary’s in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ target would be an excellent striker addition.

Manchester United have failed with a late bid to sign Joshua King from AFC Bournemouth, per The Daily Telegraph.

What’s the word?

King previously rose through United’s academy ranks but played for the club just twice at senior level and was regularly sent out on loan, playing for the likes of Preston North End, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Blackburn Rovers.

He eventually joined the latter club permanently aged 22, and would go on to join Bournemouth two-and-a-half years later.

With the transfer deadline approaching, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly attempted to bring him back to Old Trafford but a move has failed to get off the ground with just over 24 hours of the window remaining.

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Indeed, the report states that Cherries boss Eddie Howe is keen to retain King’s services as he attempts to guide Bournemouth to safety this season; the Norway international has scored three goals in the top-flight in 16 games.

United had thought they could get a deal for King over the line, a source is quoted as saying, but the Cherries are standing firm.

A desperate move

United are running out of time.

With Marcus Rashford injured, one has to think that they need a forward and their desperation is beginning to show.

They have been linked with a number of strikers, including former West Bromwich Albion forward Salomon Rondon and ex-Watford man Odion Ighalo.

What could’ve been… Can you name the clubs these football legends almost joined?

A bid for King, a player with a mere trio of goals to his name this season, is just the latest sign that they are running out of options and that the clock is against them.

It remains to be seen if a striker is signed.

Meanwhile, one Man United man has been hailed as “absolutely wonderful”. 

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Sadio Mane is unavailable to play against West Ham on Wednesday.

The match against the Hammers is Liverpool’s game in hand – it has been ever since the match was postponed in December due to the Reds’ Club World Cup commitments – and the 52-year-old will have been hoping to have all of his star players fit as his team looks to go 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

Whilst the Senegal international will be missed, Klopp must now decide on who replaces him in the starting line-up. He has several options – both Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have lined up there – but it seems that the Reds supporters want to see Curtis Jones selected.

The 18-year-old has played at central midfield in both of the Reds’ last two FA Cup matches – he scored on both occasions – but he has 12 goals in 14 matches on the left so far this term for the club’s youth teams.

Some supporters believe it will be the perfect opportunity to play him with the club’s first-choice options.

Whilst it is all well and good playing in the cup competitions with other fringe players, the Premier League provides a whole different test. It is a competition in which Jones remains unproven.

One fan, meanwhile, believes it is his superior form that should earn him a place.

Takumi Minamino is yet to score since joining from RB Salzburg, whilst Divock Origi last netted on December 4th. With two goals in his last two starts, perhaps Jones does deserve to be given the nod.

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Either way, Klopp has a big call to make.

Meanwhile, John Aldridge believes this Liverpool duo could be soon tempted away by Real Madrid or Barcelona.