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Everton did little to improve their first-team ranks in the summer transfer window as Rafa Benitez was given a shoestring budget with which to work.

Five new faces arrived but only one of them cost the Toffees a direct transfer fee.

What’s the word?

With that in mind, the Merseyside outfit should probably take on any help they can get in terms of recruitment.

Despite not spending a lot in the last few months, they have actually enjoyed a good start to the new campaign, with summer signings Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray scoring three goals each.

Other areas certainly still need improving, however.

One player who has been linked with a move to Goodison Park is Serge Aurier. The Ivorian is a free agent after leaving Tottenham by mutual consent but fresh reports from the Liverpool Echo have quashed rumours of a move.

They claimed that the 28-year-old has been discussed but the Toffees are not actively pursuing a deal at the moment.

Go get him

With Everton lacking the financial firepower to take on the Premier League’s elite, signing players like Aurier would be shrewd business.

The right-back has been described as “uncoachable” by sources close to Spurs staff but the Toffees lack any form of depth at full-back.

They only have one senior left-back in Lucas Digne, while Seamus Coleman is their only true option on the opposite side.

That being said, the Irishman’s contract expires in two years’ time, and at the age of 32, he is getting no younger.

He has also been injured this term and is set to miss the next two to three weeks of action. Ben Godfrey has deputised unsuccessfully, but if he doesn’t play, they’d have to rely on Jonjoe Kenny.

The English defender was once tipped for a vibrant future after being nominated for the Rookie of the Year award following his spell on loan at Schalke 04.

Sadly, his career has waned since that moment. He spent the second half of 2020/21 on loan at Celtic, where he was simply disastrous.

Kenny offered plenty going forward but made a plethora of mistakes across multiple Old Firm derbies. His performances were so bad that the £5.2m-rated dud was described as a “horror show” by the cast of ACSOM.

The 24-year-old is yet to respond to his critics since returning to Finch Farm, but Benitez could finally axe him by bringing Aurier to the club.

The former Spurs man is hardly a pillar of reliability himself but he does at least have plenty of Premier League, continental and international experience under his belt.

AND in other news, Kenwright masterclass: £100k-p/w gem sees his value fall by £23m after leaving Everton…

Arsenal have seemingly missed out on one of their mooted transfer targets to their most fierce of rivals…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, the Gunners were keen on signing Barcelona right-back Emerson Royal but the player himself prefers a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

“Arsenal wanted to sign Emerson Royal from Barcelona. Player wants to join Spurs,” he tweeted.

It’s thought that their north London rivals have reached an agreement to sign the Brazilian international for €30m (£25.7m), per Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, though details on personal terms are still to be ironed out.

The La Liga outfit will reportedly target Hector Bellerin after sanctioning the exit of Emerson to Spurs.

Another Edu mistake

This is where Edu Gaspar’s next mistake seemingly lies.

The Gunners’ chief could show exactly what he’s about by offering the player an offer he cannot refuse, or try to use Bellerin as a makeweight in any deal, especially if Barcelona are indeed keen to bring him back to the club.

Instead, it appears as if Arsenal are set to miss out on a key target, one that Mikel Arteta would’ve certainly liked, given that’s the one position he’s believed to want an addition in before tonight’s deadline.

But to make matters worse, he could well be lining up in a Spurs shirt instead. The Lilywhites are top of the Premier League, with Arteta’s squad sat rock bottom. It’s been a stark contrast so far this season and this transfer will only compound their woes more.

It would be merely the latest ghastly blunder from the former midfield-turned-sporting director.

At the weekend, the Gunners registered their third straight league defeat, losing 5-0 to defending champions Manchester City – a game that saw Granit Xhaka sent off. Not a good look for someone that was close to leaving the club all summer before Edu handed him a new deal as a last resort.

Similarly, it may be early days to judge, but the Brazilian has splashed out £24m on a backup goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale. Given their defensive issues, these finances could’ve been spent elsewhere.

In addition to that, too, Edu has taken his time to offload much of the deadwood, with the likes of Sead Kolasinac still on the books. Had players like that been moved on sooner, then perhaps Arteta would’ve had more money to spend on his playing squad, which is in dire need of even further additions.

He has spent around £300m, with the club only gaining £80m in return. A woeful job.

So if Edu is to miss out on Emerson, the pressure on his job could mount further. The Express believe the Arsenal hierarchy are already lining up his replacement. Time could be running out and this latest development does him no favours whatsoever.

AND in other news, John Cross reveals big transfer U-turn that’ll leave Arsenal fans fuming…

A number of West Brom supporters have shared their anger on Twitter after Dara O’Shea’s serious injury was confirmed by the Baggies.

The 22-year-old has played in every minute of the Baggies’ opening five games and has even scored twice to help Valerien Ismael’s side into the top two places, behind Fulham, on 13 points.

O’Shea started the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying fixture defeat to Portugal, but limped off after only 36 minutes and has withdrawn from Stephen Kenny’s squad before the draws with Azerbaijan and Serbia.

It was announced on the club’s official Twitter account that O’Shea would miss four to six months after suffering a fractured ankle and requires surgery to rectify the injury before undergoing rehabilitation.

The club reacted almost immediately to the news and quickly brought in Kean Bryan on a free transfer following his release from Sheffield United in the summer.

West Brom fans fuming with injury update

These West Brom fans took to Twitter to give their thoughts after the news of the extent of the injury, with one fan worried such a damaging injury to the ankle will be ‘career changing’.

“The fact this man walked off the pitch despite the injury. Made of steel”

Credit: @waltererose

“Gutted for you and us Dara, you have been brilliant so far this season so will be massively missed over the next few months. Wishing you a speedy recovery”

Credit: @gemmadowneswba

“This will be a big miss been brilliant so far and has improved game by game, he’ll be back even stronger”

Credit: @jamster0504

“Man. Career changing injury too. All the best in recovery”

Credit: @LukeyP_wba

“So sad, didn’t deserve anything of this. Had an amazing start to the season as well. Get well soon” 

Credit: @ftbl_mouraa

“4-6 months. Big miss for us”

Credit: @ftbl_joey

In other news, West Brom have reacted positively to latest addition. Find out more here.

Lee Ryder has shared what sources from Newcastle United have now said about their reported move for Aaron Ramsey in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Ramsey eyed

As per Goal, the St. James’ Park faithful have asked about the possibility of signing Ramsey, who is of no shortage of interest.

The Tyneside club remain the only team in the Premier League not to have signed a single player so far (Sky Sports), and so with the new 2021/22 season fast approaching, they certainly need to be moving quicker in the market.

The Latest: Ramsey update

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has shared that sources at the Magpies have played down recent reports linking them with a move for Ramsey.

There has apparently not been an enquiry from Steve Bruce’s team over the Juventus ace, although he is being offered to clubs in the top flight by his representatives, with both Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves being credited with interest.

The Verdict: Avoid

While Ramsey has been a great player and a classy servant to Premier League football down the years, with his Wales teammate Joe Allen even going as far as to claim that he was ‘world-class’ during their Euro 2020 campaign, at 30 years of age he is unlikely to get any better.

Signing a whopping £400,000-a-week deal to join the Old Lady when he left Arsenal back in 2019, his wages would also be very problematic for the Magpies, and so they should be looking to pursue other targets who are younger, less injury prone and require less investment.

In other news, find out what deal has now reportedly been agreed by NUFC here!

According to SporX, Glasgow Rangers have rejected two €7m (£6m) offers for Romania international Ianis Hagi.

The Lowdown: Mixed time for Hagi

Hagi’s time at Rangers has so far been mixed. With 13 goals and 18 assists in 61 appearances (Transfermarkt), he has contributed to the Gers’ success in recent times.

However, he has come in for criticism from supporters, and he was probably not too happy when Rangers refused to let him represent his country at the Olympics this summer (The Sunday Post).

The Latest: Bids rejected for Hagi

Now, according to this latest report, the Gers have rejected €7m (£6m) bids from both Sevilla and Lazio for the 22-year-old.

The Gers are believed to be looking for a fee of €11m (£9.4m) if they are to allow the former Genk man to depart.

The Verdict: Plenty to offer

Hagi still has plenty to offer the Gers – no wonder the Ibrox outfit are eager to keep him at the club. In just three games so far this campaign, he already has two goals and one assist – it may just be that he is finally adapting to Scottish football and could well be embarking on his finest run of form yet.

While the Gers may now be out of the Champions League, they are still in with a chance of qualification for the Europa League, and Hagi still has a big role to play.

Clearly, Steven Gerrard, who called him a “top talent” (BBC) when he first arrived at the club in 2020, believes he can play a big role for the club this term and beyond – otherwise, they would have been happy to accept a fee that would have represented a 100% profit on the £3m (The Glasgow Times) they spent on the player.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid with this interview.

Sunderland slammed Will Grigg after his disappointing performance during the Black Cats’ 0-0 draw with Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.

Grigg spent the second half of last season on loan at Milton Keynes Dons, one of his former clubs, and he managed a solid eight goals in 20 matches (Transfermarkt).

However, that is as many goals as he has recorded in 61 matches for the Black Cats since making that infamous £4m move from Wigan Athletic to the Stadium of Light (BBC).

With Charlie Wyke leaving Sunderland to make the move to the Latics (wiganathletic.com), £1.08m-valued Grigg (Transfermarkt) could have to play a big role to play for Lee Johnson’s side this coming campaign.

His performance against Tranmere will have done little to convince the boss that he is ready to lead the line throughout the season.

The supporters were far from happy with what they saw from the Northern Ireland international, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Hopefully Johnson will see that Grigg has no intention of ever trying to perform at Sunderland”

Credit: @RobLow_7

“Grigg and OBrien better be gone”

Credit: @KINGMAGUIRE_

“Can you tell him to leave Grigg down there please? THE biggest waste of a shirt I’ve ever seen”

Credit: @76skelly

“Will Grigg is the worst signing in SAFC history.”

Credit: @MJacko1989

“As much as I’ve been hopeful with his pre-season smiles etc. Will Grigg is not the answer and I fear for safc season if we can’t shift him. Just can’t hit a barn door. There are free players out there more capable if we’re skint and Big Vic in the crowd would be an upgrade.”

Credit: @Fantanafest73

“The team is still short with Grigg in man He might as well me non existent, he’s useless. Offloading him frees up wages”

Credit: @lewygsafc

In other news, Sunderland fans were delighted with this man’s pre-season display.

Speaking on live TV (via Football Daily), Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill has backed an update on Harry Kane live from their training ground following the England captain’s hiatus from Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparations. 

The Lowdown: Kane rebels…

On Monday, news first emerged of Kane not showing up for pre-season training as he eyes a move to Premier League champions Manchester City.

The England superstar is also facing a hefty fine for his actions but that didn’t stop him from not showing up at Hotspur Way again on Tuesday.

As a result, plenty of unrest remains over his future in north London, but Fabrizio Romano believes that Kane is ‘planning to return to training’ later this week with club discussions expected (Twitter).

The Latest: Sky Sports back Kane development…

Speaking on live TV from Hotspur Way (via Football Daily), Sky Sports reporter Cotterill has backed Romano’s update and insists that Kane is planning to return to training.

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“We’re now hearing that he probably won’t turn up for training either on Thursday,” he explained.

“He won’t be here, we understand, on Thursday or Friday, but is planning to return to training with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

“He doesn’t want it to go on and on, we understand he just wants to make a protest, just wants to make his feelings felt, just wants to vent his frustration, about the fact that he says, in good faith, he understood that verbally he was going to be allowed to leave Tottenham this summer if the right offer came in.”

The Verdict: Crunch time ahead for Spurs…

Manchester City have started to make serious moves for their prime targets over the last few days, with Aston Villa star Jack Grealish reliably believed to be on the verge of a stunning £100m move to Eastlands (John Percy).

It is no secret that City are the main contenders for Kane as they hunt for a star striker to replace club legend Sergio Aguero, and with Grealish nearing completion, their attention could turn to Spurs’ most important player.

Reports have even suggested that the 28-year-old could be willing to hand in an official transfer request to grant his wish to leave.

It’s safe to say that these next few weeks could be huge for Nuno Espirito Santo and Fabio Paratici as they both plan for an enormous 2021/22 season in N17.

In other news: ‘Excited’, ‘Huge coup’…Sky Sports pundit in awe of announcement out of Tottenham, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool fans are delighted after the government announced stadiums will be at full capacity for the start of next season.

The Reds had a forgettable 2020/21 campaign for many reasons, with injuries ravaging the squad and their title defence fizzling out in the New Year.

One of the worst aspects of the whole season was having to play in front of empty stadiums, however, leading to lifeless atmospheres.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

While every team suffered from having no fans cheering them on, Anfield’s renowned influence on Liverpool arguably made it particularly tough for them.

On Monday, however, the government confirmed that the lifting of restrictions on July 19th would mean grounds can be full again from August, acting as a huge boost.

It is sure to be an emotional day when the Reds host Burnley in their first home Premier League game of next season, as many thousands of supporters finally return to Anfield.

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Liverpool fans react to key update ahead of next season

These Liverpool fans have been reacting joyously to the news on Twitter.

“What a relief!!!”

Credit: @Bodda_Wale

“Finally… That’s all we need”

Credit: @Red_Princess__

“The sceneeeeeessss! God I can’t wait to see a full Anfield again!”

Credit: @Jessvandoninck

“My love for this club”

Credit: @mjmarkson

“We’re winning the league next season”

Credit: @drior23

“We are winning the treble”

Credit: @sarib_khalil

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly preparing talks with one player over his Reds future. Find out who it is here.

Stoke City have recently announced that Sam Clucas has signed a new contract with the Potters until the summer of 2023 despite transfer interest from West Brom.

What’s the story?

His contract with Stoke was due to expire this summer, which saw the 30-year-old linked with a move away from the bet365 Stadium.

Football Insider had previously claimed that Clucas had emerged as a transfer target for fellow Championship club West Brom during this summer, but his recent decision to sign a new deal with Michael O’Neill’s side has poured cold water on any potential move to The Hawthorns.

The midfielder first signed for Stoke back in 2018 and has made 100 appearances for the Potters in that time.

It’s a real boost for the Potters

Stoke supporters will likely be delighted to see that Clucas has signed a contract extension, as he has been a key member of their side over the last three years.

O’Neill is also bound to be a happy man after the news was confirmed, with the manager previously singing the midfielder’s praises by chiming: “Clucas has been brilliant, no doubt about that.

“Not only the types of goals that he does score but his all-round play, his quality on the ball, his ability to win the second ball, competition to win the ball in the air. Everything.” [via Stoke Sentinel]

He has a considerable amount of experience of playing in the Championship, having lined out for the Potters and Hull City at this level, whilst also appearing in the Premier League with Swansea and Hull (Transfermarkt).

He will be targeting a return to the top flight with the Potters over the coming months, and Potters fans will surely be eager to see him play his part this season.

Clucas had an average WhoScored rating of 6.81 in 2020/21, the ninth-highest rating among O’Neill’s squad.

He has been an important member of the team in recent seasons, not least for his passing ability. No other player in the top ten of WhoScored’s rating list for the Stoke squad had a higher pass success rate than Clucas’ 80.3%, which makes for good reading for the 30-year-old.

Stoke finished 14th in the Championship last season, which would have been frustrating for their fans after they had previously been in with a strong chance of finishing in the play-offs until a springtime slump.

With Clucas’ future being resolved, it could be a huge relief for O’Neill and Stoke supporters heading into the new campaign, where a top-six finish must be the Potters’ aim.

Everton want to see a bit more consistency from Wolves’ Adama Traore if they are to make a move for him, the club’s former striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast.

Traore is a player Everton have looked at before, with ex-boss Roberto Martinez revealing last December that he scouted the winger during his time at Goodison Park.

Kevin Phillips also suggested recently that Traore is someone Nuno Espirito Santo probably would have targeted if he had taken over at the Merseyside club.

From what Bent has heard from inside Everton, though, Traore is not exactly at the top of the Toffees’ transfer shortlist in this moment of time.

“On the basis of what Everton are saying, they’re basically saying they need a bit more consistency,” the retired forward said when asked about the Premier League outfit potentially moving for Traore.

“One week he’s a world-beater, the other week he’s literally not even on the pitch.”

All things considered, it is probably a fair assessment, with Traore only managing to score two league goals last season while sometimes finding himself out of the team.

Everton could still sign a new winger this summer, however. According to Football Insider, strengthening the right flank was a priority for the club’s former manager Carlo Ancelotti.