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Everton have been offered the chance to re-sign Ross Barkley from Chelsea, according to The Mirror’s David Alexander Hughes.

The lowdown

The 28-year-old came through the youth ranks at Goodison Park and went on to rack up 179 appearances for the club before leaving in January 2018, when he a £15m move to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, who were then the reigning Premier League champions.

However, he appears to be well down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel, making just 14 appearances (and one top-flight start) last season.

The latest

According to Hughes for The Mirror, ‘sources’ have revealed that Chelsea are ‘looking to get rid’ of Barkley ahead of the new season.

Deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, the midfielder has been offered to two of his former clubs in Everton and Aston Villa.

Hughes suspects that a return to Goodison Park ‘is the more viable option’ for 28-year-old, particularly with Lampard in need of creativity.

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The verdict

Would Everton fans welcome Barkley back to Merseyside?

As Hughes notes, there is ‘bad blood’ between the player and Toffees supporters after he ran down his contract to its final six months and left for a cut-price fee.

Barkley has since been booed upon returning to his old stomping ground, so that relationship would need to be repaired if he were to re-join Everton.

What about Barkley as a player, though? He has played 231 games in the English top flight, scoring 29 goals and providing 31 assists. Also, he has been capped 33 times by his country, although the last of those came in the autumn of 2019.

Frank Lampard oversaw Barkley during his time at Chelsea manager and spoke in glowing terms about the player’s ‘quality’ and also his ‘first-class’ attitude, saying that the midfielder carried out a ‘very complete’ role for that particular Blues team.

The current Everton manager also played with the Merseysider at international level, likening him to a young Wayne Rooney back in 2014, while the player has been noted for his impressive work rate.

Perhaps Lampard has faith that he can unlock Barkley’s best form and help the 28-year-old make amends for the circumstances of his departure from Goodison Park four-and-a-half years ago.

The obsession with betting and gambling has been one of the most flourishing well-known facts for centuries. It is one of the integral parts of English society to gamble and bet. Since time immemorial, it has been flourishing and there are currently no signs that the passion for betting among ordinary people will subside soon. Even today, people who cannot go to casinos for their daily gaming habits, somehow find the bookies or online casinos to enter and try to play slots or place bets on their favourite football club occasionally.

The first legal step

Football (or soccer) is the most closely associated industry with gambling. It will be hard to determine when and under what conditions the betting in the football niche started. However, it is known that it was in the 1960s when it was first legalized and the relationship between betting and football began. If you want to know more about betting and gambling, you can read more.

How did it all start back in the 90s?

The history of football betting can be traced back to somewhere in 1960 when the English government first passed the gambling Act. After the legalization, the betting shops made their ways to bring out the hidden gambling tactics, making football fans legally bet on football. 

It was that time when a few names like William Hill, Coral, and Ladbrokes appeared in the betting industry. By the time of the 1980s, the betting shops were heavily regulated. Even though betting was legal now, many politicians tried to put the betting industry into the dark until the game was encouraged to be televised, and punters were allowed to bet on live football betting matches.

How has the culture evolved?

The first football betting is assumed to have taken place in 1923 when the bookmakers Littlewoods offered to take bets outside Old Trafford. The real boom took place back in 1960 when the Parliament passed the Gambling Act to regulate gambling in the industry.

After that, the gambling shops started booming although many high-profile politicians tried to put the industry in the dark. This was the major reason that the football industry had to be placed on the dark side in terms of betting back in the 1960s and 1970s. Then in 1986, a new law was passed, relaxing the bookies, which all started appearing by themselves or on their own. Now the matches started televising on national TV to cut down the corruption.

Then in 1992, Sky Sports brought new regulations on TV, allowing TV channels to broadcast several games simultaneously. This is how today football betting became popular among punters worldwide.

Photo by Unsplash

Caoimhin Kelleher has established himself as a reliable back-up to Alisson at Liverpool in recent years and after playing a big part in their Carabao Cup success last season, the club are seemingly desperate to keep hold of him for the significant future.

What’s the word?

In a recent article for The Athletic, James Pearce shared the latest news on Kelleher and his future at Anfield, writing:

“Caoimhin Kelleher is developing into a fantastic goalkeeper. He will undoubtedly be a number one at the top level in the coming years but Liverpool want to hold on to him as long as possible because he’s a brilliant deputy for Alisson. It was a smart move by Klopp giving him the honour of starting the Carabao Cup final and that faith was rewarded.

“Kelleher is still only 23 so hopefully it will be another year at least before he moves on.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Since signing for Liverpool from Ringmahon Rovers as a 16-year-old, Kelleher has gone on to make 17 appearances for the first team, in which he has conceded 20 goals and kept eight clean sheets.

The young shot-stopper caught the eye with his penalty heroics in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout win against Arsenal in 2019 and has since established himself as Jurgen Klopp’s regular cup goalkeeper.

Last season he was trusted to start in the final against Chelsea and certainly made his mark, scoring the winning penalty as the Reds won the competition for the first time since 2012.

Kelleher has already established himself as a full international for the Republic of Ireland, making eight caps, and at 23, it seems clear that he has a very bright future ahead of him.

While it is difficult to see him displacing the world-class Alisson any time soon, Klopp is clearly a huge fan of the youngster, dubbing him the best number two goalkeeper in the world, so he will clearly want to keep him at the club.

Kelleher is contracted at Anfield until 2026 so it will take a substantial bid to prise him away, and Liverpool fans will be hoping that he remains as their number two for the foreseeable, perhaps with the plan of him replacing Alisson at some point in the future.

Therefore, they will clearly be delighted to hear that Liverpool value him so highly and are hopeful of keeping him at the club for as long as possible.

And, in other news… FSG can land big Henderson upgrade as Liverpool eye move for “dangerous” £31m warrior…

The summer transfer window has almost two months left to run and Rangers have made one first-team signing to date at Ibrox.

Central defender John Souttar, who agreed his move to Glasgow in January, is the only senior addition made by Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst.

90min recently reported that the Gers have been offered Harry Winks by Premier League side Tottenham this summer.

Spurs are looking to ship the central midfielder on and Wilson could consequently help the gem to revive his career in Scotland.

Ryan Jack 2.0

Rangers must now seal a swoop for the midfielder as he can be Gio van Bronckhorst’s new Ryan Jack at Ibrox next season.

The Scotland international’s last two seasons have been hampered by injuries and bringing in Winks would provide an excellent alternative in the number six role.

Both players are metronomic and dynamic midfielders who can control games with their play in possession. The Englishman, who has been valued at £20m by his club, has plenty of experience at the top level and could be able to slot straight into the team – having played in each of the last six Premier League seasons.

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson previously showered the 26-year-old with praise, saying:

“For me, I think Harry Winks is one of the best of the bunch. He dominates the game, defensively and offensively he offers you both and his ball retention, the stats speak for themselves.

“A fit Harry Winks is an important selection for England.”

Across his career for Tottenham and his country, the England man has a pass completion rate of 89.7% and this backs up what Robinson said about his ability to keep hold of the ball for his team.

In the English top-flight last term, Winks completed 88% of his passes and made 3.04 tackles and interceptions per 90. This shows that he has the tenacity and defensive awareness to win possession, whilst also having the composure to retain it by finding a teammate.

Jack, meanwhile, completed 88% of his passes for Rangers in the Premiership and racked up 2.87 tackles and interceptions per 90.

These statistics suggest that they have similar qualities and that Winks may have a slight edge when it comes to the defensive side of the game.

Both of them have the ability to operate as deep-lying midfield players; recycling possession, winning the ball back, and setting the tempo, which is why the Light Blues must now bring the Spurs man in to be a viable alternative to Jack and push him for his place.

AND in other news, Gvb plotting Rangers swoop for £1.3k-p/w gem who “rarely misses”, imagine him & Kent…

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost by boss Steve Bruce, who has issued a positive update on his squad.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from BirminghamMail who claim that the vast majority of Bruce’s squad are in “ship shape” and are slowly building up fitness levels before their pre-season friendly campaign which begins next Monday.

As per the report, the Albion squad are in the Portimao region of Portugal in pre-season camp, with Bruce and his staff watching the players closely.

And the boss has issued a positive update that will please the WBA faithful. As per BirminghamMail, Bruce said:

“Dike is okay, Mowatt is okay, Bartley not for the first week at least, and Kean Bryan is still a few weeks away from joining in with us,” Bruce explained.

“We set up a training camp in Portugal and took my staff out there with the physios. Dike and Zohore both did a couple of weeks, so did Townsend, so did Mowatt, so they’ve got themselves in good nick.

“The only ones missing are Bartley and Kean.”

Supporters will be buzzing

West Bromwich Albion look to be serious about achieving their ambition of Premier League promotion this season.

You can see this from their movement in the transfer market, as well as the reports surrounding their pre-season preparation.

But from the update issued by Bruce, perhaps the biggest news for supporters, aside from new signings in Jed Wallace and John Swift joining up with the squad, is the status of Dike.

The 22-year-old American is highly rated and has proven himself in all three full seasons of his career, scoring 28 goals in that time frame.

Essentially, it’s a case of where there is game time, there is most certainly goals for Dike, and he has not been afforded the former due to an unfortunate situation with a hamstring problem that ruled him out for the majority of the campaign.

As such, he has not had a chance to prove his worth at The Hawthorns, but the latest developments from Bruce, who was careful with his minutes at the end of the season, paints a positive picture for supporters who will be eager to see him bagging goals on the regular across the upcoming campaign.

AND in other news: Journalist drops big 8-word West Brom transfer claim that supporters will hate 

The Evening Standard have shared some Tottenham Hotspur news on the club’s – and by extension sporting director Fabio Paratici’s – transfer plans for the centre-forward position this summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs keep chasing deals…

After seeing midfielder Yves Bissouma arrive in north London from Premier League club Brighton, Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is reliably believed to be chasing yet more deals before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

Having also secured Fraser Forster and Ivan Perisic on free transfers, the north Londoners have now set their sights on a right wing-back, a central defender and a new striker to compete with superstar Harry Kane (Evening Standard).

Sharing some news on the latter plan, one outlet and reliable source has some news for Lilywhites supporters.

The Latest: Paratici’s striker plans explained…

According to the Evening Standard, as arch-rivals Arsenal reportedly close in on Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, Spurs and Paratici have their eyes on another forward.

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Indeed, Everton star Richarlison is believed to be in Tottenham’s sights, with the club ‘also interested’ in signing him.

In a possible boost for Conte and Spurs, while the Toffees are demanding more than £50m for the 25-year-old, it is believed that Everton ‘could be forced to lower their valuation’ given their need to sell.

The Verdict: Take advantage?

Once set with a price tag of around £100m, Richarlison’s valuation has already dropped significantly over the last few years, despite the South American continuing to impress at Goodison Park.

If Everton are forced to lower their price even more and gift Spurs a discount, we that believe this move would be a no-brainer for Conte.

As per WhoScored, Richarlison finished 2021/22 as Everton’s top scorer (10 goals) and best-performing player by average match rating, leaving no wonder as to why pundit Noel Whelan called him one of their ‘big name’ players and his manager Frank Lampard labelled him a ‘huge talent’.

Liverpool were involved in one of football’s biggest deals some years ago when they sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in a mega-money deal worth £142m.

After joining from Inter Milan back in 2013 for £8.5m, the Brazilian went on to make 201 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

In those appearances, the playmaker scored 54 goals and delivered 45 assists before making his move to Spain.

Now that Liverpool have successfully moved on from their former hero by winning the Premier League and Champions League after his exit, it seems as though Jurgen Klopp could have the chance to secure what could be the Merseyside club’s next Coutinho.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Reds could look to make a move for Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio.

With 235 appearances for the Spanish club, the 26-year-old has scored 49 goals and delivered 24 assists in the process.

Despite making 42 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti’s side across all competitions this season, the Spaniard only started 23 of them, suggesting that he’s more of a rotation player than anything else.

In those appearances, he still managed to find the back of the net 12 times, highlighting his attacking talent.

Labelled as a “magical” player by Casemiro, Asensio is currently picking up a weekly wage of £117k-per-week and is also as one of the players of a similar vein to Coutinho according to FB Ref.

To highlight the similarities between the two players, they both ended their recent domestic seasons with an average of over two shots per game and at least one key pass per game. With that in mind, it would appear that the attacking midfielders are both capable of creating and scoring goals in pretty equal measure.

In terms of a potential move to Anfield this summer, the prospect of potentially getting more regular minutes whilst playing in the Premier League under a manager like Klopp could be a very tempting one for the Spain international.

Combine that with current Liverpool winger Sadio Mane looking to leave the club this summer, his potential exit could pave the way for a player like Asensio to work his way into the first team.

Should an opportunity to strike a deal with the Spanish club to sign the 26-year-old arise, Liverpool should definitely explore the option to see if he can be an extra goal threat for them at Anfield.

In other news: Klopp could finally axe £125k-p/w Liverpool flop by signing “unbelievable” £60m star

Phil Hay has dropped a big hint on one of Victor Orta’s potential Leeds United transfer targets this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent Q&A on The Athletic, the Leeds United correspondent revealed that there is an internal discussion currently ongoing at Elland Road regarding the signing of a more experienced backup option for first-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier – with Orta believed to be tempted by the idea of a move for a new shot-stopper this summer.

In response to a question asking whether – following a shaky campaign between the sticks – the France U21 international could see his position as the Whites’ number one come under threat upon the signing of a new ‘keeper, Hay replied:

“No, Meslier wasn’t flawless but I think it’s absolutely the right decision to continue pushing him as the No 1.

“There is a discussion going on at Leeds at the moment about what to do with their goalkeeping ranks. They’re tempted to bring in a more experienced No 2, someone to sit behind Meslier and ahead of 21-year-old Kristoffer Klaesson. It’s something to keep an eye on.”

Supporters will love Hay’s update

While it is undeniable that Meslier is a talent who boasts an incredible amount of potential for future development, the fact that Leeds shipped an enormous 79 goals in the Premier League last season – with only bottom of the table Norwich City conceding more – cannot be avoided.

And, while the 22-year-old is not solely to blame for the Whites’ extremely worrying defensive record in 2021/22, it would be a difficult argument to make that the signing of an experienced second choice goalkeeper would not be a sensible addition for Orta to make this summer.

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Indeed, this would provide the £18m-rated Frenchman with much greater competition for his starting spot in Jesse Marsch’s side – something that typically increases performance levels – while the former FC Lorient starlet would also be likely benefit from the input and advice of a player who is longer in the tooth.

Furthermore, should the £41k-per-week shot-stopper find himself going through a rough patch of form – as he did in December, March and May this season – being taken out of the firing line for a couple of matches would almost certainly help the youngster get back on his feet more quickly.

As such, the signing of a new number two would very much appear to be an intelligent deal for Orta to pursue this summer, with Hay’s update sure to be news that the Elland Road faithful will love.

AND in other news: Victor Orta now given green light for “outstanding” Leeds signing, he’s John Terry 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur have ‘very recently’ held talks over signing ‘one of the top strikers in England’ for manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new attackers…

Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici, after meeting with Conte in Italy for a recruitment meeting, has since been busy with the Lilywhites having sealed both Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on Bosman deals.

Having finished in a Premier League top four place, gifting qualification for next year’s Champions League, it appears the club have been putting their £150 million equity increase to efficient use so far.

The north Londoners reportedly want a new forward with links having emerged to Man City star Gabriel Jesus among others.

Now, speaking to CaughtOffside, super-agent Roberto De Fanti has some transfer news on Spurs’ pursuit of new forwards.

The Latest: De Fanti shares news…

Indeed, the player representative has claimed that Paratici and co have held talks over signing a £200,000-per-week top flight star, right across town from the aforementioned Jesus.

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According to De Fanti, Tottenham ‘very recently’ entered discussions to sign Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.

He explained:

“It seems there have been some discussions very recently between the player’s camp and Tottenham Hotspur. The London club feel negotiating a deal for Rashford is virtually impossible though – so that transfer no longer seems an option.”

The Verdict: Blow for Conte?

De Fanti claims that a deal for the Red Devils big name would cost Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy ‘between £70 million and £80m’.

Taking this into account, perhaps a move does seem unlikely as things stand, but there is little doubting Rashford’s ability if something were to change and a Spurs agreement became more possible.

Despite enduring a bit of an off-campaign over 2021/2022, the England international has proven over many years just how good a player he is.

During the 2020/2021 season, Rashford racked up 20 goals and assists combined whilst completing more successful take-ons per 90 than any Red Devils player (WhoScored).

He finished that campaign as United’s third-best performing player by average match rating and played the fourth-highest amount of league minutes behind Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Bruno Fernandes (WhoScored).

Former interim boss Ralf Rangnick, speaking earlier this year, also raved over Rashford as ‘one of the top strikers in England’ who has ‘everything you need’ for a modern forward (Telegraph India).

You could argue that form is temporary and class is permanent with the 24-year-old, leaving little wonder United have placed such a high price on his head.

In other news: ‘Stronger and stronger’…Sky journalist shares promising Spurs news on £34m Bastoni alternative! Find out more here.

Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to what can only be described as one of their finest seasons in living memory, winning two trophies, and coming extremely close to winning the Champions League and Premier League too.

Hopes will be high ahead of next season, one in which the German manager will hope to end the Manchester City juggernaut and win a second league title, along with another tilt at continental glory.

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In order to achieve this, his business in the transfer market will have to be extremely diligent, as it has been for the previous few years.

There might be a new signing soon, with Football Scotland stating that Liverpool are in pole position to sign Aberdeen’s teenage sensation Calvin Ramsay.

The Scottish club are set to make a decision this week regarding his future and a price tag of £4m has reportedly been set, which is nothing more than loose change in Klopp’s pocket.

Serie A side Bologna are keen on the defender, however, a move to Liverpool would be preferred.

Ramsay was one of the bright lights in Scottish football last season, having a breakthrough campaign and making 24 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, scoring once and providing four assists.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that he was once dubbed an “unbelievable” player by sports journalist Ryan Taylor.

Although a right-back, his strengths lie in getting forward as much as possible and these are backed up by the fact that he delivered 154 crosses during last season whilst also having 0.71 shots on target per match.

If Klopp is looking for a right-back in a similar mould to Trent Alexander-Arnold, then Ramsay fits the bill. Although it would be uncertain to know just how much game time the young Scot would gain if he moved down south, his talent appears to have struck a chord with Klopp.

It could be an excellent opportunity for Ramsay, with the future of right-back Neco Williams and Joe Gomez, who has also operated in that role for Liverpool this season, uncertain, there might just be a glimmer of hope that he could be a success.

AND in other news, Forget Tchouameni: LFC eye a move for “outstanding” £60m ace, he’s “one of the best”