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It was an unusually quiet transfer window for Everton over the summer, and new manager Rafa Benitez may be regretting missing out on some top targets.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Toffees were eager to secure the services of AC Milan forward Rafael Leao during the summer transfer window in order to provide cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

However, despite them reportedly showing an interest in the highly-rated 22-year-old, it’s claimed that a deal was never close to completion, and Everton have now missed their opportunity to sign the Portugal international.

The report claims that Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are still linked with the youngster, while his agent Jorge Mendes is attempting to offer his client to fellow Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Benitez badly needed him

Leao has cultivated a reputation as one of European football’s most intriguing young strikers in recent years after impressing for Sporting Lisbon, Lille and Milan during his short career.

Although he initially struggled to settle at San Siro, bagging seven goals and providing six assists in 40 appearances throughout his maiden campaign on Italian shores, the attacking talent eventually found his best form, catching the eye of former striker Rolando Bianchi.

“Leao is very young and is having a great season. Sometimes young people give the impression of mirroring themselves a bit, but his performance are that of a great player,” he said (via MilanNews).

“I had seen him at the U20 World Cup with Portugal, and he made spectacular plays. He has great speed, he has a touch of the ball. Milan have made a great purchase, and if they continue like this, they have great prospects.”

And Leao appears to have taken his game to another level this time around. In just 13 outings in all competitions, he’s scored five goals and laid on two assists, helping Milan climb to the top of the Serie A table in the process.

The £45m-rated gem’s eye-catching displays may be good news for the Rossoneri, but they’re likely to leave Benitez feeling absolutely gutted.

Calvert-Lewin’s current injury woes have left 32-year-old Salomon Rondon leading the line at Goodison Park, and he looks a shadow of the player that caused so much damage to top-flight defences during his time at Newcastle United.

He’s yet to find the back of the net in seven outings for Everton after arriving in the summer, contributing to their recent back-to-back defeats, in which they struggled in the final third.

Therefore, Benitez is surely ruing the missed opportunity to snap up Leao, and he’ll be hoping director of football Marcel Brands can make amends in the upcoming January window.

And, in other news…Club source reveals concerning update on key Everton man, fans may be worried 

A number of Wolves supporters are excited after Bruno Lage’s side were linked with a move for Sporting CP defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha.

Wolves are back in Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, making the trip to Leeds United for what could be an intriguing clash.

Lage’s men have won their last three league matches, including last weekend’s unforgettable 3-2 victory away to Aston Villa, meaning they now sit 10th in the table.

While Wolves are in good form at the moment, they are always on the lookout for potential new signings and a fresh update has emerged regarding Palhinha.

According to Calciomercato [via Talking Wolves], they are keen on acquiring his signature, with the 26-year-old winning nine caps for Portugal to date.

His a destructive presence in the middle of the park, winning an enormous 3.8 tackles per game this season in Liga NOS.

Wolves fans react to Palhinha latest

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the news, with many reacting positively, as one supporter called him a ‘perfect’ transfer target.

“If there is a god”

Credit: @tod1877

“Him or Renato Sanches in in the January window would arguably be the best winter window Wolves have had since promotion”

Credit: @krittterrr

“The perfect midfielder for us after Renato Sanches”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“PORFAVOOOOOR”

Credit: @raulismo9

“Do it please”

Credit: @Finsabu

“Get it done before we miss out”

Credit: @Dan__Vincent

In other news, a journalist has hinted at one Wolves player leaving the club. Find out who it is here.

Alan Hutton has given his reaction as Glasgow Rangers managed to keep hold of their best players in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Players linked with moves

A number of players were linked with moves away from the Light Blues during the window.

The Daily Mail had reported that Everton had made a late £8m bid to try and sign Nathan Patterson, while Marcelo Bielsa wanted to sign Ryan Kent for Leeds United and Alfredo Morelos apparently agreed personal terms with Porto at one point.

The Latest: Hutton on transfers

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton, who is now a pundit after playing as a right-back for the Gers, has been left applauding Steven Gerrard’s team for managing to keep their best players at Ibrox after the window shut:

“I am surprised.

“I think Steven Gerrard will sleep a lot easier tonight knowing he’s kept hold of all his big-name players.

“If you sell two or three of those players to balance the books for the Champions League situation, you’re making it more difficult to retain the title. You’re getting rid of your big stars.

“As we sat here today and he’s kept them all, it’s absolutely brilliant. All Rangers fans will be breathing a sigh of relief after that.

“It’s good to see they’re heading in the right direction of the people. The people they have brought in have done well, along with the people that are already there which is excellent.

“The one main thing I’m happy about is Nathan Patterson staying.

“When that was really ramping up and the bids were coming in, I thought it might be enough for Rangers to sell.

“I’m glad to see him stay and hopefully he can kick on now.”

The Verdict: Great news

It is certainly great news that the Gers were able to keep hold of the likes of Patterson and Kent among a number of their best players.

When clubs from the Premier League come calling especially, it can be difficult for Scottish Premiership sides to turn down their advances, as Celtic have found out recently by selling Odsonne Edouard to Crystal Palace.

However, Gerrard will now have the best possible chance to win the title once more with the current squad, and also have a good crack at the UEFA Europa League, potentially increasing the values of the aforementioned players if they do eventually move on.

In other news, find out whose wages were a problem in him not leaving Rangers here!

Many Everton fans have been reacting to some news which has emerged on Lucas Digne.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Patrick Boyland has revealed that the left-back was dropped from the squad in the 2-1 home win against Arsenal on Monday night because of a ‘disagreement’ with Rafael Benitez about his role in the manager’s system.

He feels as if a more defensive approach affects his ability to influence the match, and that seems to show by his increase in defensive stats, with more tackles, interceptions and blocks averaged in the Premier League so far this season compared to 2020/21 (WhoScored).

However, he has no assists to his name this term, compared to seven in the last campaign (WhoScored), so being more defensive has certainly limited his attacking potential.

While some Everton fans feel as if Digne should be allowed more freedom to move forward, others believe he should respect Benitez’s decisions as his manager and superior.

Everton fans on Digne news

These supporters gave their reaction to the news as it was shared on Twitter, with one Toffees fan going as far as to call Digne a ‘tyrant’:

“No win in 8 [sic] and one of our captains, you would think he should be able to challenge the manager. Seems quite the tyrant, let’s hope @rafabenitezweb sees some sense.”

Credit: @g4j4s4

“Be shocking if this goes any further than a disagreement, he’s the best LB we’ve had since Baines, obviously massively out of form”

Credit: @daleando86

“@rafabenitezweb ridding the club of any quality. Almost as if he’s still being paid by Liverpool, either that or he’s the worst manager we have ever had, that includes Mike Walker”Credit: @keepitreal_82″Digne has quickly become one of those fullbacks who likes going forward but is dodgy at defending. If he’s kicking off about it, cash in on him in January.”Credit: @generalmont”Digne’s performances over the past two seasons clearly highlight it is his attitude or lack of effort that is to blame here. He’s been poor long before Benitez arrived so blaming Rafa holds absolutely no merit.”Credit: @SteWoodside48″He’s the manager, do what he asks. Simple.”Credit: @davidgilli10In other news, find out what off-field news has had these Evertonians talking

Fulham have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Leo Ostigard to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claimed that Stoke City have beaten off the competition to secure a loan deal for the Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back, with the 21-year-old having undergone a medical with the Potters ahead of his temporary switch to the bet365 Stadium.

Indeed, a host of Championship clubs were reported to have been keen on a move for the coveted defender, with Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, along with Fulham and Stoke, also credited with an interest in the Norway under-21 international.

However, it now appears as if Tony Khan will have to turn his attention elsewhere regarding additions to the Fulham defence in the summer transfer window, with Ostigard set to complete a move to Stoke in the very near future.

Khan will be fuming

With Fulham having lost the services of loanee Joachim Andersen at the end of last season, and the Cottagers’ director or football having so far failed to replace the 25-year-old centre-back with a new signing in the position this summer, Khan is sure to be fuming over missing out on a deal for Ostigard.

The 21-year-old impressed over his 39 Championship appearances while on loan at Coventry City last season, with the £2.7m-rated man helping his side to keep 11 clean sheets, averaging one interception, 0.7 tackles and 4.1 clearances and winning 6.6 duels per game.

He also chipped in for his team in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of one shot and making 0.2 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the man who Mark Robins dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking him as Coventry’s joint seventh-best performer in the Championship last term.

As such, it would very much seem as if Ostigard would have made a fantastic addition to Marco Silva’s options in defence ahead of a hectic Championship campaign. However, with Stoke appearing to have all but secured the signing of the centre-back, Khan must now turn his search elsewhere over what remains of the summer transfer window.

In other news: Development emerges on “superb” £70k-p/w machine which will leave Fulham fans gutted

Derby County have recently completed a deal to sign former Manchester United and QPR midfielder Ravel Morrison on a one-year deal.

What’s the story?

Morrison had been training with the Rams during pre-season and had featured in their friendly clash with his former side Manchester United.

The 28-year-old had most recently been on the books with ADO Den Haag, although his spell with the Dutch side reached an early conclusion towards the end of the 2020/21 season.

Derby were struggling with numbers heading into the new Championship campaign, but have now been allowed to sign players this summer in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Morrison is the latest signing to arrive at Pride Park, and Wayne Rooney will be hoping that the midfielder can make a positive impact with the Rams this term as they look to avoid relegation into the third-tier of English football.

‘A great player and person’

Morrison hasn’t exactly settled at any club in recent seasons, with the midfielder finding regular minutes hard to come by.

But that could be about to change with Derby County, with the Rams certainly needing additional strength in depth in their senior squad, with a number of their Under-23s having to be included in the matchday squad during pre-season and for their season opener against Huddersfield Town.

We’ve seen glimpses of Morrison’s exciting potential though, with the 28-year-old netting a memorable solo goal against Tottenham Hotspur whilst with West Ham United earlier in his career.

Rooney has evidently been pleased with Morrison’s impact during training and pre-season, and he and the club’s supporters will now be keen to see him make an instant impact with the Rams.

Speaking in a recent post-match press conference (quotes sourced from The Athletic’s Ryan Conway), Rooney expressed his delight at signing Morrison, and admitted that he’s ‘lifted’ the club, before labelling him as a ‘great player and person’.

“I’m delighted to get Ravel in. He can add to our creativity. I could speak about question marks people have against him off the pitch – he’s had a past. We’ve all got a past. But since he’s been at our club, he’s lifted us. He’s a great player and person.”

It could turn out to be a shrewd addition for Derby if Morrison can get back to his best, and he could turn out to be the difference between them staying in the Championship for another season or dropping into League One.

More importantly for the Rams, he’s another senior signing this summer, and that was certainly needed within Rooney’s squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Morrison could be in line to make his Derby debut on Tuesday when Rooney’s side host Peterborough United at Pride Park in what could potentially be a tricky test in the EFL Cup.

The Netherlands are proving to be a solid side at the Euros this summer and one of their standout player by far has been Denzel Dumfries with two goals, one assist and two clean sheets to his name in his opening two appearances.

That will only increase the price PSV Eindhoven will be wanting for the reported Everton target, according to former Toffees defender Michael Ball.

Everton are in desperate need of a new right-back with club captain Seamus Coleman able to do a job for the Toffees, but he is not the type of attacking defender that will give them a new way of getting forward.

Coleman is more of a traditional full-back that likes to put his foot in first and then think about getting forward, which could not be more different than Dumfries who might as well be playing as a right-winger during this summer’s tournament, and Everton will have to pay big money to bring him to the Premier League.

There is always a handful of players that make a name for themselves off the back of international tournaments and Dumfries has certainly done that after just two games, which is good for PSV but not for clubs like Everton who are interested in the defender, and have been for a while, that’s according to Ball who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“He was probably up there to be moving to a top club maybe 18 months ago as he was talking to Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but he probably hasn’t hit the heights expected of him in recent times.

“This is a massive step for him to show the world what he’s all about and PSV are happy for him to play at the Euros and gamble on him doing well because they will get top money.”

Dumfries also has a contract with PSV until 2023 so they are certainly not in a place where they must sell the 25-year old this summer but it could be difficult to fight off potential interest if he keeps up this amazing run of form.

Coleman is 32-year old now and with the Premier League getting faster and more attack-minded every season, and ageing full-back could easily be a target of weakness for any team that Everton come up against.

West Bromwich Albion are expecting to receive a substantial settlement in the tribunal regarding Nathan Ferguson’s departure from The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Joseph Masi’s report for the Express & Star, with the journalist revealing that, despite it having been more than a year since the right-back’s move from West Brom to Crystal Palace on a free transfer, the tribunal to determine the fee the Premier League side owe Albion is yet to take place – something which is largely down to the pandemic.

However, Masi continued to state that Valerien Ismael’s side are expecting the fee they are eventually awarded by the tribunal to be a sizeable one, as Palace had agreed an initial £11 million transfer fee for the defender in the January transfer window prior to his summer move.

Ismael will be delighted

Considering the fact that Ferguson’s move to Palace occurred a year before Ismael was appointed West Brom manager, the fact that the Frenchman looks set to receive a considerable fee for a player he did not work with is sure to delight the 45-year-old.

Indeed, should the tribunal have taken place at any point over the previous 12 months, Sam Allardyce would more than likely have spent the fee received for Ferguson in the January transfer window, on a player who – it can be assumed – would not have fit the criteria Ismael likes his signings to meet.

As such, while Masi revealed that The Professional Football Compensation Committee are yet to appoint a panel so that the tribunal can begin, and while no date has been reported as to when the proceedings could be set to start, it would seem likely that Ismael is in line to receive a windfall of cash at some point this season, which the Frenchman could then put towards either January or summer additions to his first-team squad.

In other news: Fresh report reveals twist on “fantastic” West Brom beast, Ismael will be devastated

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost to their chances of keeping Sam Johnstone at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Claret & Hugh, who claimed that West Ham United’s reported interest in a move for the Baggies goalkeeper is wide of the mark, as David Moyes thought to be prioritising the signing of a centre-forward, a centre-back and making Jesse Lingard’s deal a permanent move this summer.

Meanwhile, the Watford Observer also reported that Watford are not interested in a move for the 28-year-old in the upcoming transfer window, despite numerous links with the player for who West Brom are believed to be demanding a fee of £20m to sell.

Fans will be delighted

Considering just how impressive Johnstone has been for West Brom since joining in a £6.62m move from Manchester United back in 2018, reports that the two clubs most heavily linked with a move for the goalkeeper no longer appear likely to make a move for him this summer is sure to delight Baggies fans.

Last season in particular, Johnstone was in remarkable form over his 37 Premier League appearances, helping his side to keep six clean sheets as well as averaging 4.5 saves and 0.4 successful runouts per game.

These returns saw the £28,000-per-week shot-stopper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Baggies’ second-best performer in the top flight last term, behind only Matheus Pereira.

As such, if West Brom are able to hang on to the ‘keeper who Sam Allardyce dubbed “magnificent” ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign, Albion’s chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League would appear to be significantly increased, which should please everyone involved at The Hawthorns.

In other news: Major West Brom managerial update emerges which will have fans buzzing

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has admitted Tottenham Hotspur may have the advantage in the race for the Premier League top four. 

The lowdown: Forgettable weekend

Having seemingly moved into the box seat to clinch the all-important final UEFA Champions League place, Spurs succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion over the weekend.

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That slip by Antonio Conte’s men left the door ajar for north London rivals before they themselves were beaten by Southampton to leave Tottenham three points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United and sixth-place Arsenal.

Despite the precarious situation, one ex-Gunner has suggested that Conte’s side still hold the edge…

The latest: NLD showdown?

Speaking to FI, Sky Sports pundit Campbell tipped Tottenham’s counter-attacking flair combined with solidity at the back as ‘key’ to firing Spurs over the line and past rivals Arsenal in the top four race.

“That could be the difference, of course, it could be. Let’s be honest, we all know what Tottenham’s strength is. Their strength is their attack. The key for them is trying to keep it tight at the back and hitting teams on the counter. They are so good at that from what I’ve seen.

“The front three are all very good players who have clever movement. They will score goals. Kulusevski has been a revelation. He has helped them move on.

“It is not a surprise that they are doing well. This is where it matters most. Arsenal do not have as much firepower or have the experience of Spurs. Arteta is putting his faith in the youth.

“It will be tough for Arsenal to dislodge them. It may come down to the north London derby.”

The verdict: Attack attack attack

Despite Conte being a renowned master of the defensive arts, even the 52-year-old coach has struggled to transform the current Spurs side into an impenetrable unit in his favoured 3-5-2 formation.

Since taking up the Tottenham hot seat, the Lilywhites have conceded 32 and scored 59 times in 36 matches under the Italian – underpinning Campbell’s suggestion.

Furthermore, in Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, Spurs boast a 20 and 17 goal threat whilst Arsenal have both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe tied on 10 strikes apiece across all competitions at the top of their scoring charts.

In other news: Tottenham eyeing summer move for La Liga defender! Find out more here.