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Everton slumped to their third consecutive Premier League defeat after going down 2-1 at Molineux to an in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers side.

The Toffees were hoping to bounce back from a disappointing few weeks, but first-half goals from Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez were enough to send Bruno Lage’s charges into seventh place in the top-flight table.

It was an entertaining encounter that the hosts dominated in the opening period, and Kilman’s first Wolves goal via a back-post header was reward for their early control.

And things went from bad to worse for Everton just after the half-hour mark. Versatile defender Ben Godfrey attempted a back pass that inadvertently slipped in Jimenez, who dinked the ball expertly over an on-rushing Jordan Pickford.

It proved to be a fatal blow for the Blues and compounded Godfrey’s miserable night after struggling to deal with the hosts’ attacking movement all evening.

Journalist Josh Bunting tweeted about the incident leading to Wolves’ winning strike, lamenting Benitez’s side and Godfrey in particular for their poor play.

“Everton have been absolutely dreadful, 2-0 Wolves and they’ve deserved it they’ve played Everton off the park. Everton also making it far too easy for Wolves to get shots in at goal. Ben Godfrey is really struggling for form right now another mistake that he has been punished for,” he wrote.

As per SofaScore, the England international was awarded a match rating of just six out of 10, by far the lowest total received by any player on the pitch.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Godfrey lost seven of his 13 duels, was dribbled past by an opposition forward on two occasions and made one very costly error leading directly to a goal, highlighting his underwhelming display.

But the 23-year-old was also disappointing when in possession too. He achieved a passing accuracy of just 75%, lost possession 11 times, and failed to pick out a teammate with his only attempted cross.

The youngster was fielded in an unfamiliar left-back role due to Lucas Digne’s enforced absence, but he’ll be hoping to put in a much-improved showing when taking on Tottenham Hotspur next time out.

And, in other news…“Quite keen…”: ESPN journalist drops exciting Everton update, fans will be buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to target a new forward during the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered a fresh claim to supporters during a recent Q&A.

When asked if an additional striker would be a priority in the upcoming window, he replied:

“Definitely.

“Dane Scarlett will get minutes here and there until then, and that will help the 17-year-old’s development, but it’s one area of the squad where too much pressure is being put on two players to share the load and in [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son. They’re players who are too key to lose to injuries through overuse.

“Then it’s over to that age-old issue of finding a striker of the required quality in the January window who is willing to come and play back-up to Kane.”

Much needed addition

Indeed, another frontman is exactly what Nuno Santo needs heading into the second half of the season, especially considering the fact that he was reportedly keen to deploy a two-man attack upon arrival in north London.

Either way, it’s the one position Spurs lack serious depth in.

An injury to Kane could seriously curtail their campaign, which is the last thing they’ll want after clinching three straight victories in all competitions, in which the England international has found his scoring boots with four goals.

It’s a situation familiar to the club. In January 2020, he picked up a lengthy injury and Spurs soon crashed out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, and also slipped rapidly down the table.

Last season, former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho had a suitable and cost-effective backup in Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius, who has since signed for PSV Eindhoven.

Whilst in previous years, the north Londoners have been stacked in the attacking department. At one point, Spurs had the services of Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Emmanuel Adebayor in the very same squad.

Of course, it’s a more difficult task these days as you have to find someone willing to play second fiddle to Kane but opportunities wouldn’t be limited. Spurs are still in all domestic cup competitions and are among the favourites to secure the UEFA Europa Conference League, so there are plenty of fixtures ahead.

Therefore, this latest development should leave many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium absolutely buzzing and excited ahead of January.

New sporting director Fabio Paratici has already shown his muscle in the transfer market, signing the likes of Emerson, Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero, so he could well deliver once again with the addition of a new forward.

Whether Spurs manage to secure that man remains to be seen but it’s certainly an encouraging prospect.

AND in other news, Forget Dier: £60m-rated Spurs star who lost possession 14x endured a nightmare at Newcastle…

After picking up one point from a possible six from their opening two Premier League games of the new campaign, Crystal Palace head to Vicarage Road this evening to take on Watford in the Carabao Cup.

The Eagles were held to a goalless draw by newly-promoted Brentford last time out, a performance which offered a marked improvement on their opening-day defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

However, Patrick Vieira’s men have failed to score in their 180 minutes of top-flight action so far this season, something that will be a great concern for the new manager.

Vieira has openly admitted he’s looking to bolster his options in the final third of the pitch following the departures of Andros Townsend and Michy Batshuayi this summer, leading to several stars being linked with a move to the capital club.

But part of the solution could already be within south London. French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta arrived at Palace last January from Bundesliga outfit Mainz with a sizeable reputation following his impressive exploits at the MEWA Arena.

He bagged 27 goals and provided five assists in 71 appearances for Die Nullfünfer, earning several plaudits in the process.

“For a player with such impressive athletic potential, Jean-Philippe has a rare ability to get in behind opposition defences and beat players one-on-one,” summarised France U21 coach Sylvain Ripoll (as relayed by Bundesliga.com), who called Mateta up for the first time in October 2018. “And there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

The 24-year-old struggled to break into the starting XI under former Eagles boss Roy Hodgson, though, scoring just one goal in his seven outings during the final months of the experienced tactician’s reign.

Mateta would have been hoping for a fresh start under Vieira then, and his compatriot selected him in his first competitive starting lineup at Stamford Bridge just over a week ago.

Nevertheless, Mateta lasted just 57 minutes before being substituted and failed to come off the bench against Brentford, despite Palace struggling to create chances as they went in search of a winning goal.

Therefore, Vieira must unleash the £11.7m-rated gem in this evening’s cup encounter. Away from the spotlight of the Premier League, the pacey frontman could thrive and showcase his potential to be the striker Palace have craved over the last few years.

Adding a proven goalscorer to the club’s ranks is a priority for Vieira, but if he entrusts Mateta tonight, then he may discover one already at his disposal and if the striker can grab a goal, it will do his confidence the world of good.

And, in other news…David Ornstein drops exciting Palace transfer update that’ll leave fans delighted

Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool are in the hunt for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

What’s the talk?

Zakaria has been linked with a move to Anfield in January with the Bundesliga outfit considering selling him for cash before losing him for free in the summer when his contract expires.

Romano has taken to social media and claimed that Liverpool are involved in the race for the Swiss international, having asked for information from his new agent Hasan Cetinkaya.

In full, he said: “Denis Zakaria has received many approaches in the last weeks, out of contract in 2022. He recently changed his agent – Bayern have joined the race, also Liverpool asked for information since he’s with Hasan Cetinkaya.”

Great signing

Zakaria has been in good form for Gladbach so far this season, making 12 appearances in the Bundesliga and scoring twice, while registering an assist too. According to WhoScored, he is the second-highest-rated player at the club so far this season for players with three or more appearances, with an average rating of 6.99.

The 25-year-old’s high energy style would fit right in at Anfield, with a great passing range and good ability to dribble forward part of his wide skillset too. He has averaged 1.6 successful dribbles so far this season from central midfield, while he boasts a successful pass completion rate of 89.2%. That tally would place him second in the Liverpool squad, only behind Virgil van Dijk for players to start more than four times this term.

With Jordan Henderson and Thiago entering their 30’s and Naby Keita’s consistent fitness issues, central midfield is a position that Klopp could look to strengthen in the upcoming transfer window and the Swiss dynamo seems to fit the bill.

Zakaria being available on a free transfer at the end of the season is certainly attractive to top clubs too, but in order to get an advantage in the race they could look to make a cut-price offer in January for the £24.3m-rated star.

Thus, Reds fans will surely be buzzing by the proposition of his arrival, with some claiming he would be excellent for rotating with Fabinho in the holding role while others also think he could cover for Henderson and Thiago in the more advanced roles.

After all, if signing a player compared to Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini won’t get you excited, nothing will.

AND in other news, Divock Origi’s masterclass against AC Milan.

Derby County have reportedly registered their interest in signing Manchester United midfielder James Garner, according to The Athletic (Wednesday 11th August 2021).

What’s the story?

The Rams had problems heading into the 2021/22 Championship campaign, with Wayne Rooney struggling for senior depth in his first-team squad.

Derby named a youthful substitutes bench during pre-season and their season opener against Huddersfield Town, but they have added some much-needed depth to their team in recent weeks.

However, they’re seemingly keen to continue to strengthen, with The Athletic claiming that Rooney is keen on raiding his former club for a potential agreement with James Garner.

Garner spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Nottingham Forest, and his short-term future at Old Trafford remains ‘up in the air’ heading into the new Premier League campaign.

‘Next Michael Carrick’

Garner spent the first half of last season on loan with Watford but found regular minutes hard to come by with Xisco Munoz’s side, who already have a considerable number of options in their midfield, which limited Garner’s game time.

That saw him briefly return to Old Trafford with Manchester United, before going on to sign for Nottingham Forest, who gave him first-team games at the City Ground.

Garner repaid that faith shown in him by Chris Hughton, by turning out with a number of strong performances for the Reds, as they finished 17th in the Championship table.

The midfielder had an average Whoscored rating of 6.98 for Nottingham Forest last term, which put him top of the list of their best performers from last year’s campaign.

Garner averaged two tackles per game, as well as an average of 1.7 interceptions per game, which shows that he can offer the ideal protection to a Derby County defence that is yet to keep a clean sheet in all competitions this term.

Forest are believed to be keen on re-signing Garner on a temporary basis this summer, although they’ve been joined by Derby County in the race to land the 20-year-old’s signature.

Garner was once labelled as ‘the next Michael Carrick’ by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after the midfielder came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace during the 2018/19 season.

“I believe he’s got the chance to have a great future, he knows we believe in him, we’ve got great faith in him as the next Michael Carrick.”

Derby County could be in the market for another midfielder in the near future, with Graeme Shinnie being linked with a move to League One side Ipswich Town before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.

So, it makes perfect sense for the Rams to use Rooney’s contacts at Manchester United for a potential deal to sign Garner, as he’s shown that he can perform to a more than good enough standard in the second-tier of English football.

He’ll be keen to further his development with a loan move elsewhere, and if Derby can offer him regular game time, then you would imagine they’ll have a good chance of landing his signature.

However, competition to strike a deal to sign Garner is fierce and the Rams will have to do all they can to convince him to sign for the club this summer.

Wayne Rooney’s side are set to take on newly-promoted Peterborough United in their second match of the 2021/22 Championship season, in what could potentially be a tricky test against Posh at London Road.

AND in other news, this star could be set for a Derby County exit…

Back in 2018, Celtic arguably spent the best £9m that’s departed their pockets for many a year.

Odsonne Edouard joined the Hoops and instantly became a fan favourite, leading the club to domestic glory on a regular basis courtesy of his goals.

The Frenchman won the league on three consecutive occasions and has now taken his tally in green and white to an impressive 83 strikes.

He has been the Premiership’s top scorer three years on the trot and even when Celtic faltered this term, Edouard scored 22 goals.

Unfortunately, there is a huge threat that he heads for the exit door this summer. A £15m move to Leicester initially looked to be on the cards but the Foxes have instead made a move for RB Salzburg forward Patson Daka.

He still attracts the eyes of West Ham while Arsenal have also been interested in recent months.

Seeing him exit would be a disastrous start to Ange Postecoglou’s reign at Paradise. He is the club’s most important player and a replacement will be needed.

Celtic have been linked with players from Japan but they should also look towards France and Josh Maja.

The former Sunderland striker currently plays for Bordeaux and enjoyed a profitable loan spell with Fulham last term, scoring three times in the back half of the season. However, he’s returned to France where his side are looking to sell him according to the print edition of the Mirror (27/06/21).

Celtic were interested in the 22-year-old back in 2019 when Brendan Rodgers was still in charge but they ultimately didn’t make a move.

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Though, with the forward now proving himself in the Premier League, it feels as good a time as any to finally bring Maja to Glasgow.

In short, he’d be an ideal replacement for Edouard. He can hold the ball up, run in behind and most importantly, score goals.

Maja has 39 strikes in his senior career to date but hasn’t quite found his feet in French football. Before his move across the channel, he scored 14 in 24 for Sunderland throughout 2018/19.

When he first broke onto the scene, Rangers striker Jermain Defoe was in awe of his talents.

Speaking to Sunderland club media, the veteran commented: “Josh is a quick thinker and if you’re that fast upstairs you don’t need anything else.”

Defoe continued: “When he trained with the first team he showed such great awareness – he knew when to pass it, had a great touch – and although he’s not got electric pace, he’s two steps ahead of everyone which means he’s got an immediate advantage.”

The forward concluded: “The gift Josh has is rare and if he builds on it, the sky’s the limit.”

Maja clearly has an excellent football brain and within those split decisions it takes to make a smart call, it separates him from other players Celtic may have in mind.

Targeted by Rodgers, Postecoglou must now consider him as well.

AND in other news, Ange can fix big Celtic issue by signing £4m gem who’s been “outstanding” at Euro 2020…

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has confirmed a major injury blow before tonight’s Premier League game against Leeds United at St James’ Park.

What’s the story?

The Magpies find themselves inside the relegation zone heading into tonight’s game against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, and Steve Bruce will be desperately hoping for a bit of respite.

However, they will have to do so once again without their main man up front, with the Newcastle boss confirming that while Callum Wilson has made good progress on his injury, he’s not quite ready to make an appearance just yet.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Bruce said of the 29-year-old: “We’re not going to put a time on it. He’s making good progress. Unfortunately, he’s not made it.”

Fans will be gutted

The former Bournemouth striker has been a rare shining light for Newcastle over the past year or so and marked his debut campaign for the Magpies last season with 12 goals in just 26 Premier League games despite struggling for consistent action through injury.

This season has also seen him start off well, netting twice in the opening three fixtures, and it’s no surprise that he’s the man on whom Newcastle rely to lead the line and score their goals. In fact, Joe Willock was the only other player in their squad to score more than four times in last season’s Premier League.

The £19.8m-rated Wilson has earned rave reviews in his time playing in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe, his former manager at Bournemouth, particularly fulsome in his praise of the centre-forward.

The ex-Cherries boss said: “He is an outstanding player with unique attributes for us. He has that ability to run in behind and he’s got the work ethic off the ball and, of course, he knows where the goal is.”

The fact that Wilson will once again be missing from action tonight is a body blow and big setback to Newcastle, and Magpies fans will surely be gutted at seeing him missing a game from which they desperately need a win to get their season going.

Meanwhile, Bruce must drop this player tonight…

Not too many issues have emerged since Rafa Benitez took charge of Everton but if we really want to criticise an aspect of their play, you don’t need to look too much further than their defence.

They have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far and even conceded to Championship opposition in dismal fashion during a Carabao Cup game.

On the chalkboard

With plenty of defensive injuries, you can hardly blame a few indifferent performances at the back.

Yet, a pairing of Mason Holgate and Michael Keane was never going to go down too well.

The former made a horrendous mistake against Aston Villa towards the back end of last season when he was caught in possession after turning back towards his own goal which allowed Ollie Watkins to find the net.

A similar error occurred with Keane this term as well. Too slow to turn just beyond the halfway line, Patrick Bamford stole in and then supplied Mateusz Klich’s strike in the clash with Leeds.

They didn’t concede against Brighton but with an encounter against Burnley to come on Monday evening, they need some stronger players physically.

This is where Yerry Mina comes in. The Colombian missed the game with the Seagulls a fortnight ago and hasn’t been a pillar of solidity himself this term.

He endured a pitiful clash with Bamford in that draw with Leeds where he was ultimately described as an “embarrassment” by Jeff Stelling and “pathetic” by Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

Yet, his profile will be extremely important against a team that play in the way Burnley do. Standing at 6 foot 5, the centre-back is a colossal presence and can consequently use that to his advantage.

Last term, the £135k-per-week earner won 2.8 aerial duels per game which was the second-highest value of any central defender at Goodison Park.

So far this season, no other team has played more balls above shoulder height in the Premier League per 90 minutes than Burnley. Despite playing one fewer game than everybody else barring their Monday opponents, the Clarets have registered 118 high balls per 90.

They have also won more aerial duels per 90 (26.7) than every other team in the Premier League. For context, Everton have only been victorious in 15.7 over the same metric.

With that in mind, Mina simply has to start on Monday night. Using the height he possesses, he could be the difference in preventing Burnley’s long-ball game.

AND in other news, Forget Keane: Everton must unleash “powerful” £68k-p/w beast, he’s Rafa’s game-changer…

Leeds United are set to be part of an ‘auction’ for Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul this summer, following an update on his future.

The Lowdown: Constant De Paul links

The Whites have been linked with a host of signings this summer, but De Paul has arguably been tipped to move to Elland Road more than anyone.

The 27-year-old is someone who Marcelo Bielsa is reportedly trying to snap up, having enjoyed an excellent Serie A campaign for Udinese, chipping in with nine goals and assists apiece from midfield.

The Latest: Fresh update on midfielder

A new update has been provided on the situation by Mundo Deportivo journalist Pablo Planas [via Sport Witness], who states that Leeds remain one of many teams keen on acquiring De Paul’s signature.

The likes of Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Milan, Juventus and Arsenal are also mentioned as potential suitors, ahead of what could be a bidding war for the Argentine.

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The Verdict: Game-changing signing

Leeds face extremely stiff competition for De Paul and the fact that Champions League clubs want him could make them outsiders to get their man.

If Bielsa did manage to entice the Udinese man to Elland Road, however, it could be a massive signing, considering the all-around quality he possesses, being lauded for his ‘enormous output’ by football expert Dan Altman in the past.

Not only does De Paul’s ability in the final third speak for itself, as mentioned, but he also averaged 1.2 tackles per game in the league last season, showing he is willing to shine in the grittier aspects of his game, too.

In other news, a pundit has failed to rule out the idea of one Leeds key man leaving this summer. Find out who it is here. 

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Lautaro Martinez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Jacque Talbot, with the Football Transfers journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Inter Milan centre-forward, before going on to claim that the Spurs sporting director even attempted to sign the 24-year-old in the January window.

In a further tweet, Talbot confirmed that both Tottenham and Atletico Madrid are once again interested in the signing of the Argentina international at the end of the current campaign, with recent reports from Italy suggesting that the Serie A side would be willing to accept an offer of between €60m-€70m (£50m-£58m) for Martinez this summer.

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In his post, the transfer insider said: “In what’s becoming a running trend, our story from two weeks ago confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. Tottenham and Atletico Madrid have interest in Lautaro Martinez of Inter.”

Talbot continued: “We’re told Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici is a fan of the 24-year-old and even tried to do a deal for him in January. While Atletico readying themselves for Luis Suarez’s departure when his contract is up in two months and see the 24-year-old as the ideal replacement.”

A steal at £58m

Following his £22.5m move to Inter back in the summer of 2018, Martinez quickly has gone on to establish himself as one of the most dangerous centre-forwards in world football – bagging 69 goals and registering 23 assists over his 175 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

A large portion of these goal involvements came under the stewardship of Antonio Conte, with the Argentine hitman finding the back of the net 40 times and providing 19 assists in 97 outings over the course of the 52-year-old manager’s two-year spell in charge at the San Siro.

The £177k-per-week striker’s best campaign for Conte undoubtedly came last season, when, over his 38 Serie A fixtures, the 24-year-old scored 17 goals, registered ten assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.9 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns saw the £63m-rated forward average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as the Italian’s third-best player in the league – playing a starring role in Inter’s title-winning campaign.

As such, with Conte clearly knowing how to get the best out of Martinez, it is undeniable that the centre-forward would make an exceptional addition to the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski in the Tottenham Hotspur attack.

And, when considering that Inter were reported to have rejected Tottenham’s €95m (£80m) bid for the striker just eight months ago, should the 37-time capped international indeed be available for just £58m this summer, it is clear to see that Fabio Paratici could secure a steal by landing the 24-year-old.

AND in other news: “His people claim..”: Gold drops behind scenes update, Spurs supporters surely buzzing