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Marcel Brands should avoid launching a summer swoop for Everton to sign Yeferson Soteldo, despite the Venezuelan stating that he’s open to leaving Santos.

What’s the word?

While speaking with FIFA’s official website, Soteldo admitted he dreams of one day playing in the Premier League and that he feels ready to take that step.

Soteldo joined Santos from Chilean side Huachipato in January 2019 and has scored 17 goals while providing 15 assists in 81 appearances across all competitions to date. His performances earned him a new contract at the start of the year, one that runs until December 2023.

Penning a new deal at the Urbano Caldeira Stadium may further drive up President Jose Carlos Peres’ asking price, having valued the diminutive 5 ft 3 star at €35m (£30m) last year following approaches from Inter Milan, Everton and a host of clubs from Spain.

Soteldo has also become a regular in his national side as they strive to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with 19 outings to his name while still captaining the Venezuela U23s side.

The 23-year-old intends to do all he can to help his country make it to Qatar next year, which would mark the nation’s first-ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals.

“It’s a clear goal and something that’s on my wish list, so I’ll give everything possible to make it happen,” he said. “But I’ve learned not to get obsessed about things, otherwise I’d go crazy and wouldn’t be able to make a career from football.”

A career Soteldo hopes will one day include a spell in England, adding: “Today, I can say that I’m ready to take it to the next level, although I feel good here at Santos. We’ll see after the Copa America. I’ve always liked the English league.”

Should Everton sign Soteldo?

While Santos President Peres claimed Everton were interested in a move for Soteldo, who he lauds for his “sensational skills”, Brands should avoid seeing the winger’s recent declaration as justification to launch a move to sign the dual-footed maestro this summer.

Soteldo may have admirers across the globe but the 23-year-old is yet to offer any real consistency in his output, having been involved in 15 goals (nine scored, six assisted) in his maiden Serie A season before contributing to nine (four scored, five assisted) in 2020.

At 23, Soteldo is also older than what most of Santos’ top prospects traditionally have been when they have sealed moves to Europe, with Neymar joining FC Barcelona at 21 and Rodrygo sealing a €45m (£40m) move to Real Madrid in 2019 at 18 years of age.

Los Blancos were not afraid to get the chequebook out for Rodrygo – a player President Florentino Perez described as “one of the great prodigies” – after he struck nine goals and five assists in 41 Brazilian Serie A games to quickly establish himself as “one of the big emerging stars of Brazilian football”.

And while Rodrygo is now a regular first-team player at the Santiago Bernabeu, there are just as many misses when it comes to expensive South American imports with Gabriel Barbosa starting just one of his 10 appearances for Inter Milan before joining Flamengo.

The Nerazzurri had paid Santos €25m (£21.5m) after Barcelona passed on their first refusal to sign for the forward in 2016, but would only spend one of his three-and-a-half-years as an Inter player actually at the San Siro.

Soteldo’s first two years with Santos are pointing more to him being a second Barbosa than a Rodrygo, which would place the Venezuelan on course to be Everton’s new Yannick Bolasie if ever signed.

The Toffees paid £25m to bring Bolasie to Goodison Park in 2016 after establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s best on the ball at Crystal Palace.

But the DR Congo international would only offer two goals and four assists in 32 games in royal blue and is now set to leave as a free agent once his £75,000-per-week contract expires in the summer.

Signing Soteldo would, in our opinion, result in a similar outcome.

AND in other news, Everton face a £33.5m asking price to sign a sought-after 24-year-old talent…

Scott Brown’s Celtic tale is a weird one. He has captained the club to unparalleled success but much like his team, has been disastrous in 2020/21.

The skipper’s performances have been drab, lacking energy and full of mistakes. He was sent off after just five minutes on the field against Livingston just last month – a moment of madness that defined his season.

He has been poor and nothing says as much than Neil Lennon’s decision to axe him from the side in recent months. Since the club’s victory over Lille in the Europa League before Christmas, the manager has preferred Ismaila Soro.

Though, with the Ivorian missing on Tuesday night against Kilmarnock, it was the ideal time for Brown to respond to the critics. He’s had his fair share this season – no less so than on FFC – but he answered them emphatically during Celtic’s 4-0 win.

The 35-year-old was a rock and demonstrated the qualities that have made him such an imposing figure at Parkhead down the years.

Celtic were eyeing a move for Giannelli Imbula throughout January but this showed why they didn’t invest. Brown was imperious, not only doing his defensive duties to near perfection but also popping up emphatically in the final third.

The captain opened the scoring after 29 minutes, getting his head to a David Turnbull corner from the right. Brown showed great desire to get on the end of the delivery and his header was excellent after making a clever run.

If that wasn’t enough, the veteran secured the assist for Albian Ajeti’s late strike. Brown played a delightful ball over the top into the forward’s feet before he turned and then buried the opportunity.

This was as complete a performance as they come from the experienced head. He laid a solid platform for Celtic and in total, won a mighty 11 duels throughout the contest, showcasing his oft-seen desire and intensity in the engine room. Brown also produced five interceptions, a tally that happened to be more than any Hoops player on the night.

He also managed three tackles – the second-highest of any Celtic player. For such a robust individual, Brown only gave away one foul, but was brought down five times himself by Killie players.

The midfield brute has always had a habit of frustrating the opposition and that has never been clearer this season than on Tuesday. He was brought down continuously in what was a wonderful performance both defensively and offensively.

Chris Doyle of Glasgow Live typified his display at full-time: “Eyebrows were raised as Ismaila Soro was dropped, but the captain put in a vintage performance, probably the best of his season. Capped it off with a brilliant header.”

This type of showing will have Lennon pondering his midfield options again. If Brown can finish the season with this type of consistency the Bhoys will have quite the pairing if Soro plays too.

Odsonne Edouard may have scored twice on Tuesday but without Brown, he would not have had the platform to do so. He was calm, composed, and ultimately, Lennon’s true hero.

AND in other news, Duffy handed huge lifeline as Celtic miss out on signing £5.5k-p/w “Rolls Royce” titan…

Everton defender Lucas Digne emerged as Carlo Ancelotti’s hero of Thursday evening’s 1-0 win away to West Bromwich Albion after delivering an outstanding box-to-box display.

The full-back was awarded his 18th start of the Premier League campaign at The Hawthorns as the Toffees sought to put the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea, who faced one another at Anfield later in the night, in the race for Champions League qualification.

A goal from Richarlison midway through the second half was enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to secure their ninth away win of the top-flight season, with the Brazilian heading home his fourth goal in as many games from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s delivery.

No side has won away from home more often in the Premier League this term than Everton, who have played one game fewer on the road than Leicester City, who boast the most points on their travels with 31 from 14 fixtures to the Blues’ 29 from 13 matches.

Ancelotti can credit Digne with a key role in Everton’s win over Sam Allardyce’s relegation-threatened Baggies, with the £29.7m-rated full-back often intent on setting the pace for the Toffees to try and match.

Digne heavily dictated the flow of the game on the Blues’ left-hand channel, despite teammates frequently struggling to pick out the defender during either half.

Centre-back Michael Keane also deserved a wealth of praise for his performance at The Hawthorns, having kept a handle on West Brom forward Mbaye Diagne for a majority of the game, winning five of his six duels overall.

The England defender produced an exceptional performance as the lynchpin of Everton’s three-man centre-half line, soaking up the pressure to protect Jordan Pickford’s goal and coming on strongest in the closing stages.

Diagne did manage to find the back of the Toffees’ net in stoppage time after controlling a pass and firing home, but was correctly adjudged offside with a narrow margin of his boot beyond the last man when the initial delivery was made.

Keane also had strong support from Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey on either side in Everton’s three-man backline, with their pair offering their fair share defensively as the Goodison Park natives sought to protect their one-goal lead – the former won six tackles while the latter recorded four blocks and five clearances, per SofaScore.

Digne was the real hero for Ancelotti, though, as he took control of the left-hand channel to provide a threat at both ends of the field.

The 34-cap France international offered a joint game-high two key passes with Blues striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and West Brom midfielder Conor Gallagher, while attempting 57 total passes – only Andre Gomes (70) and Keane (61) played more for the visiting side, per WhoScored.

Digne also offered the second-most successful tackles by any player who featured, with three from four attempts to Holgate’s six from six. The full-back also made four clearances, a vast improvement on his average of one per game in the Premier League this season.

The ex-Barcelona defender additionally eclipsed his average 44.5 total passes and matched his average of 2.4 successful tackles and 1.4 key passes per game, per WhoScored.

He even won all five of his aerial duels and five of six ground contests to better his average 3.4 (50%) on the ground and 2.8 (71%) in the air, despite turning over possession 29 times – the most by any Everton player who started at The Hawthorns, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti will have been delighted with Digne’s performance having awarded the captain’s armband to the 27-year-old, who more than lived up to the challenge of leading the Toffees to victory.

AND in other news, Everton eye a £22.5m-rated speedster who is “hungry for success”…

Sheffield Wednesday are once again on the hunt for a new manager after Tony Pulis’ shock sacking earlier this week and a number of interesting names have been linked with the newly-vacant Owls role…

What’s the word?

One of which is former Bayern Munich midfielder Thorsten Fink, who won a Champions League title during his time at the Bundesliga giants.

The 53-year-old is currently out-of-work after leaving Japanese Super Cup winners Vissel Kobe in September, citing a desire to return to Europe.

According to the Sheffield Star, Fink is thought to be on chairman Dejphon Chansiri’s radar, whilst they also claim that the German would welcome a chance to manage in England.

Another Carvalhal?

Speaking to reporters this morning, the Thai businessman revealed that he wouldn’t shirk away from a foreign appointment, and it’s easy to see why as the only manager to bring success to Hillsborough under his tenure has been Carlos Carvalhal.

Yes, there was the abomination under Jos Luhukay, but the Portuguese boss is a good blueprint to replicate this time after failures from Steve Bruce, Garry Monk and Tony Pulis.

Prior to his appointment in south Yorkshire, Carvalhal had never managed in England but had taken control of Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas, who are both top-flight teams.

Fink has won titles at Basel, also nearly guiding them to an impressive win over Man Utd in the UCL but for Ashley Young’s 90th-minute equaliser back in 2011.

He’s also fresh off a stint managing the likes of Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski, leading Vissel Kobe to their first-ever trophies.

Former Bayern star Bastian Schweinsteiger once claimed Fink could one day return to manage the Bundesliga champions, he added:

“[Even as a player] he taught us a lot about discipline, positioning and tactics. It was clear to all of us that he would one day become a coach.

“I am convinced that Thorsten would make a very good coach of Bayern. He has the necessary mentality and self-confidence. At Basel, he has proven he can handle the pressure of managing a title favourite.”

It may well be a rather left-field appointment, but desperate measures are needed with the Owls staring down the barrel at relegation to League One.

No manager has even gotten close to the fourth-place finish under Carvalhal, in fact, their best final position since was 12th under Bruce.

It’s certainly a roll of the dice, but Chansiri has had success doing it this way before.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday must avoid hiring “desperate” unemployed man as their next manager…

Tottenham Hotspur are running out of time to make any major additions as less than ten days remain in the January transfer window.

It’s only been a mere three months since chairman Daniel Levy pulled off a phenomenal summer of business, signing the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Matt Doherty on bargain deals, as well as securing the sensational return of Gareth Bale to north London alongside impressive left-back Sergio Reguilon.

But will any business be done before February 1st? Only time will tell.

Spurs have been linked to a vast array of names, but what is known is that manager Jose Mourinho is longing for a new pacey central defender and a box-to-box maestro, according to The Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, before the month is out.

So, here’s how the Special One’s XI could look in time for their derby clash against Chelsea in two weeks time…

As the north Londoners find themselves still remaining in all competitions this term, we predict that Levy may well open the chequebook in the desperate attempted to pull them into lifting their first trophy since 2008.

With that in mind, Mourinho could get those two additions he’s desperate for.

In goal, club captain Hugo Lloris is likely to continue as the no.1 despite reported interest from former manager Mauricio Pochettino, as per The Sun.

A back four could see Toby Alderweireld partnering a new centre-back in another Madrid man, Eder Militao. The 23-year-old Brazilian is heavily out-of-favour under Zinedine Zidane, and according to Mundo Deportivo, he’s a player that interests Mourinho.

Indeed, he could fulfil the ‘pacey central defender’ requirement as he’s also been deployed as a right-back in the past too. An average of 0.7 dribbles per game over the course of his career is testament to that too as it shows he’s not afraid to bring the ball out from the back.

Sport (via Sport Witness) believe he’d be a loan arrival rather than a permanent one.

Both Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier are likely to continue as the first-choice full-back pairing in the league.

In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele remain as part of the starting XI, but the addition of that box-to-box star is going to cause trouble for several players.

£22.5m-rated Harry Winks, linked with a loan move to Villarreal by Sky Sports, could indeed be shipped out temporarily as a result.

Whilst forgotten man Dele Alli is likely to be shipped to PSG. That decision currently lies firmly in the hands of the stalling Levy, according to Fabrizio Romano “everyone is waiting” for the Spurs chairman to sanction any exit.

There’s also no place for £55m attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso as he’s been out injured for over a month.

Instead, we could see Spurs seal a move for Marcel Sabitzer – German transfer expert Max Bielefeld told Sky Deutschland that the north Londoners were keen on the Leipzig captain, and The Athletic believe he could command around £30m, which would be in their budget.

A front three of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Steven Bergwijn is likely to be the go-to for Mourinho despite having Bale fit and available.

AND in other news, £45m “warrior” could take Spurs onto the next level…

Many Liverpool fans are reacting to the latest update on Georginio Wijnaldum and his contract, following a tweet from Fabrizio Romano.

The Dutch midfielder was involved in the 4-0 thrashing of Wolves on Sunday night, and also scored a sensational goal in the match.

As reported by the Italian journalist, the Netherlands superstar spoke after the win about his contract negotiations, and he said: “I already said it in my previous interviews, I don’t speak about my contract situation, I speak about the games. The club should speak about my contract.”

These comments have seen a lot of Liverpool fans begging for the Reds to give him a new deal. He is clearly highly-rated by the manager, who recently spoke about him and said: “Gini is one of the best people I have ever met and he is one of the best players I’ve ever trained and he is an outstanding person so there is no issue, no issue at all.”

Hopefully an extension for the 30 year-old can be sorted sooner rather than later. With his contract expiring in the summer, he is allowed to open discussions with other sides from the January transfer window. He has been a key part of Liverpool’s recent Champions and Premier League title wins, so it is easy to see why many want him to stay.

Wijnaldum’s durability and fitness levels have also been crucial for Klopp during the Reds’ ongoing injury crisis, so it is no surprise to see fans flocking to Romano’s tweet to beg for a new deal.

Liverpool fans react to Wijnaldum contract update:

In other news, Liverpool fans react to a big injury update, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has discussed the future of Ralph Hasenhuttl with Southampton.

The Austrian manager is likely to attract interest from other clubs having enjoyed a superb run of form with the Saints, that currently sees them sit third in the Premier League ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Manchester City.

Southampton had a poor start to the 2019/20 season and it seemed as if the former RB Leipzig manager could lose his job with the South Coast club after the infamous 9-0 defeat against Leicester City, but the board kept faith in him and they have been on a superb run of form in 2020 thus far.

Hasenhuttl was touted as a potential replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United recently but Palmer seems confident that his future lies with Southampton.

Here’s what Palmer had to say about the Austrian manager when asked by Football FanCast whether he thought he would stay with Southampton…

“Absolutely. They’re third in the Premier League, there’s nowhere for him to go right now. They’re playing really good football, they’re doing well. It’s a fantastic football club, I had a lovely time down there, the supporters are fantastic. I don’t see any reason for him to want to go, I really don’t. The club are doing very well, if they were to get a top-five/top-six finish, that would be some achievement for Southampton wouldn’t it?”

Palmer credits Hasenhuttl for the way Southampton are playing at the moment and suggests that even if there was interest from another club in the Austrian manager, he should be keen to stay with the South Coast club, because of how well they are doing in the Premier League at the moment.

If the Saints can win Saturday’s game against Manchester City, they will solidify their place in the top-four spots in the Premier League, so perhaps a spell in the Champions League is not too far away for the Saints, in which case Hasenhuttl would surely want to stay so he could continue his project with the club.

And, in other news… Southampton will surely rue not completing £15m deal for “terrific” winger dominating the PL

A number of Everton supporters have been urging Carlo Ancelotti to drop defender Yerry Mina for Mason Holgate when he returns to fitness, after their first defeat of the campaign at Southampton.

Mina has started all six of Everton’s opening Premier League matches and the defender has helped the Toffees get off to a strong start to the campaign. The Colombian has averaged 1.8 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per match so far in the Premier League this term (Sofascore).

However, after recording a clean sheet on the opening day against Tottenham Hotspur, Everton have now shipped nine goals in their last five league matches. Mina has made one error leading to a goal and only averaged 0.5 tackles per game (Sofascore), which has now seen some question his place in the side.

Holgate enjoyed an excellent season last term for the Toffees, with the Englishman averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per match (Sofascore). However, he has been out of action with a foot injury sustained in pre-season. Ancelotti had suggested after the first game of the season that he could be out for around eight to 12 weeks.

Everton fans urge Ancelotti to replace Mina with Holgate 

Some Everton fans took to Twitter after their loss at Southampton to suggest that Mina makes too many errors to stay in the side alongside Michael Keane when Holgate is fit.

In other news, find out what these Everton fans had to say about this current exiled player after his performance out on loan this weekend here and don’t forget to leave a comment below!

David Moyes can solve West Ham’s defensive woes by reviving efforts to sign Fiorentina’s “fearless” enforcer Nikola Milenkovic in January.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, the east London outfit could strive to make another approach to sign Milenkovic in the New Year after falling short in efforts this summer.

Moyes scoured the market for defensive upgrades following the conclusion of the extended 2019/20 campaign, ultimately signing Watford’s Craig Dawson on loan in a deal club figures were reluctant to commit to as they see the 30-year-old as a stop-gap solution.

Milenkovic would likely have been a long-term option to fix a backline that allowed 62 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, with reports by the Daily Mail claiming a £20million offer was tabled in September for the towering 6 ft 5 enforcer previously tracked by Manchester United.

The offer fell short of Fiorentina’s rumoured €35m (£31.6m) valuation, as the Serie A side held firm amid rival interest from Juventus, knowing Milenkovic would warrant a lofty fee through his technical ability and versatility to also play at right-back.

ExWHUemployee does not believe the Hammers’ interest in Milenkovic has ended, noting that his ongoing contract standoff could open the door for a renewed approach.

“A centre-back who we looked at in the summer window was Nikola Milenkovic at Fiorentina,” he said. “He’s refusing to sign a new contract at the moment. And it could be the case that we could go back in for him in January. This is not confirmed at the moment though.”

Characteristics of a beast

West Ham stepping back into the ring in order to fight for Milenkovic’s services in January would certainly offer Moyes the top-draw defensive talent the London Stadium natives sought this summer, providing they can reach a compromise with Fiorentina.

The Serie A side are not yet under intense pressure to sell the 23-year-old as Milenkovic is under contract until 2022, though the 23-cap Serbia international is not currently considering penning new terms at the Artemio Franchi Stadium as he dreams of a move to one of Italy’s elite sides or of a move abroad, per Calciomercato.it.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are each claimed to have come forward with determination and conviction to sign Milenkovic in the summer, too, which has sparked Fiorentina to consider lowering their asking price to avoid the defender walking away for free.

West Ham stepping in before a rival suitor can emerge in January would see the London Stadium natives snap up someone who former FK Partizan manager Ivan Tomic hailed during his time in charge of the Belgrade outfit, and ensured Milenkovic penned his first professional contract in 2015.

“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast,” Tomic said, via quotes by Mozzart Sport. “He reads the game well, plays the ball and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic also once told ESPN of how Milenkovic’s nature has seen him compared with Manchester United great Nemanja Vidic, but is in some regards better than the five-time Premier League winner.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” he said.

It remains to be seen how willing Fiorentina are in lowering Milenkovic’s valuation, and whether or not West Ham return with renewed interest in the towering enforcer who has started all six of his Serie A appearances this term.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been backed to bring the “perfect” £10m bonus to West Ham in January.

A number of Glasgow Rangers fans have been fuming over reports that the first Old Firm derby of the season could be postponed.

Glasgow Times reported that the fixture, currently scheduled for Saturday 17 October, could be cancelled amid rising concerns over the increasing spread of the global pandemic, with UK government officials set to discuss the possibility of fresh lockdown measures in Scotland.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday warned that ‘additional restrictions’ are likely to be imposed in the coming days, with reports of a potential ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown over the upcoming October holidays, at the end of which the Celtic v Rangers clash is scheduled for Parkhead.

According to Glasgow Times, public health officials are concerned that large groups of supporters could gather to watch the game on TV or go to the stadium on the day of the match. As things stand, all Premiership fixtures are being played behind closed doors.

These ‘Gers fans on Twitter were raging over the reports of the derby’s potential cancellation and feel that it should go ahead as scheduled just like other top-flight fixtures:

‘Gers fans, will you be annoyed if the derby is moved from its scheduled date of 17 October? Comment below with your views!