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Everton have a track record when it comes to signing players from fellow English clubs, as has been the case once again during the current summer transfer window.

One player that the Toffees picked up from one of their Premier League rivals in the recent past is Andros Townsend.

Signed on a free transfer from Crystal Palace last summer, the Englishman has made 27 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in the process.

Despite his rather impressive rate of goal contributions since arriving at Goodison Park, the 31-year-old has now entered the final year of his contract at the club.

With that in mind, the remaining time left before the summer transfer window closes could give the Toffees and Frank Lampard the chance to bring in a potential heir for Townsend.

Last week, Everton were mentioned with a move for former Real Sociedad and Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj.

In 231 combined senior appearances for those two clubs, the winger – who was picking up a wage of just over £64k-per-week at the La Liga outfit – has scored 28 goals and provided 27 assists in the process.

To compare his previous domestic campaign with Townsend’s, both players scored three goals from 17 league starts, while also delivering an almost identical number of crosses between them (56 vs 58).

Previously touted by David Cotterill to become an “unbelievable” player, Januzaj is currently a free agent after leaving Real Sociedad at the end of last season. This means that it could not only be a cheap signing for Everton to secure, it would also mirror a similar sort of deal to the one for Townsend.

Not only could the former United winger be a suitable long-term heir for the current Everton attacker at 27, he could also be a big help for the team in the short-term, as the Toffees could well end up seeing Chelsea target Anthony Gordon follow in the footsteps of Richarlison and depart Goodison Park this summer.

With all that in mind, securing a deal for the Belgian and giving him the chance to make a return to England and prove himself in the Premier League again could be a smart investment for the Merseyside club to make and give Lampard another attacking talent at his disposal.

An update has emerged regarding Sunderland’s attempts to bring in Vito Mannone on deadline day of the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Ross Gregory claimed that he had heard a “little whisper” that the Black Cats may make a swoop to sign the Italian free agent.

TalkSport’s Phil Spencer followed that up by revealing that he has been told that the goalkeeper is on Wearside at the Academy of Light to secure a move to the club, and that he may not be the last player to arrive.

He tweeted: “It’s been suggested to me that Vito Mannone is at the Sunderland training ground with a view to completing a return to the club. The Black Cats also looking for a central defender before tonight’s 11pm deadline.”

Mowbray should be delighted

Black Cats manager Tony Mowbray should be delighted with this news, as the former Arsenal ‘keeper could provide valuable experience and quality to the group for the rest of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 34-year-old has been around the block, with 251 career matches at senior club level, and he could be a mentor to Anthony Patterson whilst also pushing him for a place in the team.

Sunderland-supporting journalist Josh Bunting put his backing behind the potential signing, tweeting: “I’d be happy with Vito Mannone back, I feel he’d work well under Mowbray but also offer advice to Anthony Patterson and just guide him. For leadership and experience in the group he’s a good reliable option to be called upon. Good for the dressing room. Makes sense #SAFC.”

The Italian has played 80 Championship games, most recently with Reading in the 2018/19 season, and has experience playing in the Premier League, MLS, and Ligue 1.

He only played two matches in all competitions for Monaco last term but was pressed into making nine appearances in the French top flight in 2020/21, keeping two clean sheets in that time.

Of course, he is also familiar with Sunderland after playing 80 games for the Black Cats earlier in his career, keeping 22 shut-outs in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Patterson has only played 34 times for Sunderland at first-team level and is an inexperienced member of the squad at the age of 22.

Mannone could come in and impart his knowledge on the youngster to help him progress and fulfil his potential, whilst also providing competition for the shirt and preventing the current number one from becoming complacent.

Therefore, Mowbray should be delighted with this smart piece of prospective business and will be hoping that his goalkeepers push each other on this season.

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has shared ‘good news’ on the injury sustained by Rodrigo last month. 

The lowdown

The Spaniard was forced off 32 minutes into last week’s clash against Everton at Elland Road as he dislocated his shoulder, interrupting a scintillating start to the 2022/23 season for the player.

Prior to the clash against the Toffees, he had scored four goals and provided one assist in the Whites’ first four Premier League matches of the campaign.

Leeds’ injury list also includes right-back Rasmus Kristensen (knock), Junior Firpo (knee) and Stuart Dallas (leg).

The latest

Hay says that the exact timeline for Rodrigo’s return isn’t clear but emphasises the big positive that the player doesn’t require surgery, as that would have significantly delayed the 31-year-old’s comeback.

Responding to readers on The Athletic’s matchday forum from the weekend clash against Brentford, the journalist revealed: “Prognosis is 3-4 weeks. Marsch did say it could be slightly shorter or longer either way but good news is that he doesn’t need surgery. That would have been a much more substantial absence.”

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The verdict

Rodrigo’s injury was particularly ill-timed as he was in perhaps the best form of his Leeds career.

He had never previously scored in three consecutive Premier League games prior to last month and is already within two goals of his entire 2021/22 tally (via Transfermarkt).

Jesse Marsch went further still, saying that the Spaniard had been in the ‘form of his life’ and hailing him as a ‘massive’ figure for the team who has been ‘all-in’ with his commitment to the cause.

It’s not just the goals which will be missed until Rodrigo’s return. He also contributes off the ball, ranking in the 92nd percentile among forwards in the big five leagues for both interceptions and clearances.

Also, having donned the armband in three of the team’s five matches so far this term, he brings leadership qualities to one of the top-flight’s youngest squads.

Nottingham Forest are not having the most ideal start to their Premier League campaign after being promoted to the top flight by winning the Championship play-offs, with the side currently omitted to the relegation zone as they sit 19th in the league table.

Steve Cooper will be scratching his head after improving the squad by signing 22 new players this summer as his team are still struggling to pick up points with four defeats on the bounce in their last four outings.

Despite making more signings than any other Premier League club this summer, it might be a surprise that Forest did miss out on some of their top targets over the transfer window, with Maxwel Cornet making the move to West Ham United instead of The City Ground.

The former Burnley star was constantly linked with the newly-promoted side over the summer before completing a deal to join the east London club but it turns out that Evangelos Marinakis may have dodged a bullet by not triggering the relegated player’s £17.5m release clause when he had the chance.

The Hammers currently join Forest in the Premier League relegation zone only above Cooper’s team on goal difference after a devastating start to the season for the Europa League semi-finalists of last season, and Cornet has been struggling to make his mark in his new team.

The 25-year-old has been nothing short of anonymous during his first four outings in the league for his current club with just 8.8 touches and four passes completed per game with no goal contributions or big chances created either, albeit only playing 54 minutes in the top-flight so far.

It is clear that David Moyes is struggling to find the best way to deploy the player with the manager speaking out on Cornet’s slow start, saying:

“I think it is probably his lateness back into pre-season and it is getting him back into condition really.

“But I think we are still finding out as well, looking at how we can best use him.”

The last thing Cooper would’ve needed alongside the challenge of getting his new signings to establish connections on the pitch is a player who is lacking sharpness and struggling to find their identity in the team, and signing Cornet could’ve held back the Forest attacking threat even further had they secured his signature.

With that being said, Forest are in desperate need of a dominating presence and some confidence in the side, so not signing Cornet was clearly the right decision as the problems could’ve only extended further for Cooper if he had been reliant on the Ivorian attacker’s contributions in the team.

Arsenal are a side who boast a fantastic record of developing their most exciting youth prospects into first-team regulars, with the likes of Serge Gnabry, Hector Bellerin, Alex Iwobi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Charlie Patino – to name but a few – all having graduated from the academy in recent years.

However, there is one prominent youth graduate of Arsenal’s who – prior to this season – has yet to live up to the early hype surrounding his potential in the professional game, in the shape of 21-year-old centre-forward Folarin Balogun.

Indeed, after scoring 38 goals and registering eight assists over 41 appearances for Arsenal’s U18s, as well as bagging 37 goals and providing 10 assists over 62 fixtures for the U21s, Balogun was tipped to become the next big thing out of London Colney – with Martin Keown going as far as to compare the youngster to both Ian Wright and Andy Cole back in December 2020.

Speaking to BT Sport after the striker bagged his first senior goal in a 3-0 Europa League victory over Molde FK, the former Arsenal centre-back said:

“I’m looking at him thinking, ‘remember the name’ tonight, really, because of the way he linked up, some great turns. You try and compare – is it Andy Cole or is it Ian Wright? There’s that sort of movement about him.

“I know they’re big name players and if he can live up to that he’s going to have some career. But I just like the way he’s always looking on the shoulder, his movement, creating space. I was really impressed.

“The way he scores the goal, the way he comes onto it, he’s pointing, give me it. He steps onto it, this is me, this is my moment, I belong here. I like that. He’s had to wait for his opportunity, he’s 19 years of age and already showing good signs.”

Despite bursting onto the senior scene – scoring a further goal and providing an assist in a limited for Balogun over the remainder of Arsenal’s 2020/21 campaign, as well as the first half of last season – before the England U21 international was sent on loan to Middlesbrough in January.

At Boro, the £7m-rated talent showed flashes of brilliance over 18 Championship appearances – only nine of which came as starts – scoring three goals, registering three assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots – 0.8 of which hit the target – making 0.5 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

However, this form was clearly not enough to convince Arteta that the 21-year-old was ready for a regular spot in his senior squad this season, with the Spaniard once again sending the youngster out on loan – this time to French side Stade de Reims.

And, while the season is still young, it has been in France where the £43k-per-week sensation has started to finally show his true potential, having already scored five goals, provided one assist and created three big chances over his eight Ligue 1 appearances, with these returns seeing the striker average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.06.

As such, should the player who Gunnerblog dubbed a “goalscoring sensation” be able to continue this level of form over the remainder of the campaign, the youngster could well leave Arteta no choice but to consider him a first-teamer at The Emirates next season – and, who knows, perhaps Balogun could even go on to fulfil Keown’s Ian Wright prophecy further down the line.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has provided a ‘really positive’ injury update on Wilfred Ndidi ahead of Monday night’s clash against Nottingham Forest.

The Lowdown: Tweaked hamstring

Labelled an ‘incredible player’ by his manager during his time at the King Power Stadium, the 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury prior to the international break.

He was forced off during the 6-2 defeat to Tottenham last month and was unable to feature for Nigeria as a result. The midfielder was sent home from international duty, but it looks as if he could recover in time to play some part in the East Midlands derby tomorrow night.

The Latest: Rodgers’ comments on Ndidi

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, as relayed by the club’s official website on Friday, Rodgers said that Ndidi was ‘looking really positive’ and was hopeful that ‘he will be fine’ for the Forest clash.

The Leicester boss also said that Dennis Praet has ‘looked good in training’ after struggling for a few days.

The Verdict: Good news at last

Rodgers seems to be on thin ice at Leicester, with Monday seemingly a must-win after six successive league defeats.

Therefore, having Ndidi fit and available can only be viewed as good news as Leicester look for a first victory of the 2022/23 campaign.

Ndidi may not have had the best starts to the season, but he has been a vital member of the squad in recent years and ranks highly when it comes to interceptions made this term (as per WhoScored), so having him in the squad would be good news.

Given the Foxes’ current predicament, any bit of good news ought to be welcomed warmly.

Aston Villa made a monumental signing in the summer of 2012, as they tempted Christian Benteke to join them for a fee of just £7m.

Although he went on to be a raging success for the Villains, scoring 49 times in just 101 appearances, there was another hulking Belgian who could have joined in his place.

According to Birmingham Live, Paul Lambert had a host of high-profile names who might have joined instead that summer.

Headlining that list was Romelu Lukaku, as the former Villa manager said:

“Prior to signing Benteke, I spoke to (Romelu) Lukaku, and we also looked at signing (Kevin) de Bruyne on loan – when they were both kids at Chelsea.”

Everton would instead sign the Chelsea man just a few years later, with his goal-scoring exploits catapulting him to being the Toffees’ all-time top scorer in the Premier League. 

In total, he scored 87 times in 166 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, as well as contributing 29 assists.

Their pursuit of the 29-year-old started with this loan move, ending with a permanent switch in 2014. Had Villa struck first instead, it could have been them who were blessed with this lethal forward who possessed far more speed than Benteke did as well as all the physical attributes.

It is these attributes that led to Italian football expert David Amoyal labelling him a “beast” as well as commending his goal-scoring prowess after moving to Inter Milan. He has enjoyed a fine career, and despite certain lulls and questions asked about his technical ability, he still has 275 total career goals.

One of these supposed lulls occurred during his stint at Manchester United, but ex-striker Andy Cole insisted he had been “phenomenal” following his debut season, where he had scored 27 in all competitions.

Although Benteke was a success, his transfer to Liverpool was abrupt and showed his liability to move to a bigger club at the first opportunity. Lukaku conversely stuck around at Everton far longer than was expected.

Had Lambert opted for him, they could’ve had guaranteed goals and a huge physical presence up front for a longer time, creating a more sustainable future for the club.

Instead, the season following his departure they were relegated.

Transfer insider Dean Jones believes that Newcastle United attacker Miguel Almiron has been ‘disrespected’ during his time in English football.

The Lowdown: On form

With three goals in his first eight games in the Premier League this season, including a double in the 4-1 win away at Fulham over the weekend, Almiron is a player on form at St. James’ Park (Transfermarkt).

After his sumptuous volley for his first goal at Craven Cottage, Eddie Howe described him as a player who can do ‘magical things’, and supporters are really now starting to see the best of the Paraguay international.

The Latest: Disrespected?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Almiron has been ‘disrespected’ during his time in England, adding that he perhaps feels like he has a ‘point to prove’:

“I think he feels like he’s got a point to prove. I feel like he’s been a little bit disrespected since he’s been in English football.

“I think that he also probably feels like he hasn’t quite delivered at the level that he’s capable of. I saw him before he came to the club, and I really admired him.”

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The Verdict: Coming into his own

Almiron is a player who is finally coming into his own since joining for a then club-record fee back in 2019.

Before this season, he had managed just nine goals and three assists in his previous four top-flight campaigns (criticism for some of his performances in the past.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old was linked with a move away from the Magpies in the summer transfer window, but now he seems to be finding his feet.

Off the ball, Almiron ranks in the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles made per 90 (FBref), and as Jones suggests, he seems to be wanting to prove a point with his recent form in front of goal.

Celtic could go on to receive ‘record fees’ for the sales of Reo Hatate, Liel Abada or Jota, according to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Trio of transfers

The Scottish Premiership giants first recruited Abada last summer before landing the signature of Hatate in January, with the 24-year-old slotting straight into Ange Postecoglou’s midfield.

Jota originally arrived on a season-long loan from Benfica in 2021/22, but has since secured his long-term future in Glasgow by putting pen to paper on a permanent deal.

The Latest: Celtic could get huge windfall

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph claimed that the Celtic trio have the ability to be sold for huge fees in the years ahead as a result of their impressive performances in the green and white stripes.

“Because the markets that they’re selling to are getting bigger, and Celtic’s market, I know it’s not going at the same kind of level, but Celtic are able to command higher fees, and they will be able to in the future.

“And it wouldn’t surprise me if someone like Hatate, or even Abada, Jota, become the next record-fee received for sales.”

The Verdict: Abada the most likely?

If any of the three players name-checked are to leave the Hoops, you’d imagine that Abada would be the front-runner given the recent speculation surrounding him.

The forward was linked with a move to Crystal Palace over the summer and has recently changed agents, sparking more concern that he might be heading for the exit door.

With four years remaining on his contract though, Celtic hold the upper hand when it comes to selling him, so we could well see Joseph’s prediction come to fruition with a massive fee required to prise the winger away.

Tottenham Hotspur’s reported transfer target Leonardo Bonucci would “definitely improve” Antonio Conte’s defence.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, who stated his belief in a recent interview with Football FanCast that, following reports claiming that Spurs are interested in a move for the Juventus centre-back in the January transfer window, the 35-year-old would be an improvement upon Conte’s current options at the back – despite the defender’s advancing years.

Regarding Tottenham’s potential signing of the Italy international, the journalist said: “Bonucci is a world-class player. Maybe he’s coming to the end of his career but he’s still a classy operator.

“He’s got a whole wealth of experience at club and international level as well and I’m sure, even if it was a short-term signing, he’d be somebody who would definitely improve that Spurs defence.”

“World-class”

While it is undeniable that, at 35, Bonucci is coming towards the end of his career at the very top level of the professional game, it is nevertheless easy to see why O’Rourke believes that the centre-back would be a world-class signing for Conte to bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this winter.

Indeed, despite his advancing years, the £13m-rated Italian was in fantastic defensive form over his 24 Serie A appearances last time out, helping his side keep four clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 3.4 clearances and winning 2.9 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

The centre-back also chipped in for Juve in an attacking capacity, scoring a hugely impressive five goals and registering one assist, in addition to taking an average of 0.7 shots, making 0.5 key passes and playing 6.3 long balls per fixture, returns which are rather remarkable for a centre-back.

These numbers saw the 118-cap international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of Italian football in 2021/22.

Furthermore, with Bonucci having won nine Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia titles, five Supercoppa Italiana titles and one European Championship over the course of his club and international career, it is clear that the £200k-per-week talent is a proven winner – something that Tottenham’s squad is very much lacking at present.

As such, it is easy to see why O’Rourke believes that the Italian titan would represent an improvement upon Conte’s current options at the back, as despite being in the twilight of his career, the 35-year-old is still quite clearly one of the best and most experienced central defenders currently playing the game.