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As Football FanCast exclusively revealed earlier this month, Everton are in the hunt to find themselves a new winger this summer.

A number of names have been linked already, including Gareth Bale and rather typically for the Toffees, Wilfried Zaha.

What’s the word?

A fresh face has now emerged on Carlo Ancelotti’s radar with the Toffees in the race to sign Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes.

That’s according to Football Insider who suggest Everton are competing with Wolves in order to bring him to the Premier League.

The Old Gold are confident of landing him ahead of the Goodison Park outfit, however, with a part-exchange deal being discussed that would see Patrick Cutrone go in the opposite direction.

Guedes cost Valencia £34.5m back in 2018 so they may have to face losing any profit on the Portuguese this summer.

Deulofeu 2.0

By luring Guedes to Goodison Park in the coming months, Marcel Brands could unearth Everton’s brand new Gerard Deulofeu.

That’s because the duo play in a pretty similar way.

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The Valencia winger has had an impressive campaign at the Mestalla, scoring seven goals and also registering seven assists.

A tricky attacker, the Portugal international is capable of dribbling past a man with ease, just as Deulofeu proved he could do in the Premier League.

During the course of this season, Guedes managed 2.1 dribbles per game in La Liga. Deulofeu, on the other hand, managed 2.2 in his last full season with Watford.

They are also capable of providing and scoring goals at a similar rate. Over the last two campaigns, Everton’s former Spaniard has scored a goal every 7.1 games. That’s compared to every 6.5 outings for Guedes.

What perfectly epitomises the pair of them is their enigmatic nature. At their best, they are capable of frightening the life out of defenders. However, in the very next game, they could be full of inconsistency.

Talking about the Everton target a few years ago, former Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo commented: “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well.”

The unpredictable nature is what could swerve Everton from making a move. That said, it would bolster their forward line considerably.

Named in Portugal’s squad for the European Championships, the 24-year-old ended the season in fine fettle; providing four assists and four goals in his final 13 outings.

This might just be worth the gamble from the Everton hierarchy.

AND in other news, Everton eye move for “exceptional” 17-goal monster, he’d be a huge upgrade on Iwobi…

According to The Telegraph, Daniel Levy remains interested in hiring Hansi Flick as the new Tottenham manager.

The Lowdown: Flick to leave Bayern

Despite having an 81% win percentage at Bayern (Transfermarkt), Flick will leave the club at the end of the season (dw.com) due to his tense relationship with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic (france24.com).

He has been heavily linked with the vacant Germany job (si.com) but, as of yet, there has been no confirmation as to whether or not he will take over the role from Joachim Low.

The Latest: Levy eyes Flick

As such, Levy is said to be interested in convincing Flick to make the switch to north London, according to The Telegraph.

Reports have previously suggested that the 56-year-old would be interested in the position.

The Verdict: Few better

Flick has only been manager of the Bavarians for around 18 months, but he has achieved fantastic success during that period. Bayern have won seven trophies under his tutelage, including two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy, while they have been on the losing side on just eight occasions in his 85 matches in charge.

He currently earns €312,300 (£269,000) per week at Bayern, which is a hefty sum. However, given his track record, he would surely be welcome at Tottenham even on a wage close to that. It now remains to be seen whether Levy is able to get his man.

In other news, this man’s Tottenham departure is reportedly “almost done”.

According to L’Equipe (via Pink Un), Southampton are interested in Metz defender Boubakar Kouyate.

Saints eye Kouyate

It appears that the Saints are already planning ahead and they are said to be interested in the Mai centre-half prior to the summer transfer window.

They are not the only team eyeing him, though, with Norwich City, as well as Champions League-chasing Serie A duo AS Roma and Atalanta also said to be in pursuit. He is rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

Bargain

So far this season, Kouyate has made 22 appearances in Ligue 1 for Metz. They have been one of the best teams in France from a defensive point of view, with only four sides shipping fewer goals than them (Sky Sports). The 24-year-old also has six caps for his country as his stock has risen.

Ralph Hasenhuttl recently said the Saints will be looking to sign players for £10m or less as they cannot afford to go higher – as such, Kouyate could come as a bargain.

It has been a difficult campaign for Southampton – they have conceded 58 goals in the Premier League, nine of which came in one game against Manchester United, meaning they have the second-worst defence in the top flight. The signing of Kouyate could provide the Saints’ backline with a welcome boost.

In other news, many Southampton fans slam these Hasenhuttl comments.

Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Tammy Abraham could become one of Aston Villa’s key players should he join them this summer.

The England striker has slipped down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea and has been strongly linked away from Stamford Bridge in recent weeks.

Abraham is still the Blues’ top goalscorer having netted 12 times in all competitions but has scored just once under Tuchel and hasn’t started a Premier League game since February, with Timo Werner often preferred.

He’s been an unused substitute in each of Chelsea’s previous four Champions League matches, which has led to increased speculation surrounding his future.

Villa are one of several clubs interested in signing Abraham, who scored 26 times during their promotion-winning campaign two years ago.

And Bent told The Transfer Tavern that a return to the East Midlands would suit the 23-year-old frontman, although he also hinted at a possible move to West Ham:

“He spent a little bit of time at Villa and done quite well. But the price-tag they have put on his head is unbelievable for someone who isn’t playing.

“But again, those price-tags are getting thrown about everywhere. Of course, he wants to stay at Chelsea, but I think the best club for me would be Villa or West Ham.

“Villa, great stadium, great city and I think if he was to go there, he would be one of the key players for their stability and scoring goals. And that’s what players thrive on, and we know he can score a goal, he plays for his country, so Villa or West Ham for me.”

Danny Mills believes that Glasgow Rangers could sell either James Tavernier or Nathan Patterson this summer.

Gers could sell Tavernier

The Gers have two fantastic right-back talents in Tavernier and Patterson – unfortunately, Steven Gerrard is unable to fit both of them into the same line-up.

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills believes that one of them could leave the club this summer. He explained:

“It’s a difficult one.

“Gareth Southgate did it when he put Kieran Tripper at wing-back and Kyle Walker in at centre-half that worked. It can be done, without question. 

“Can you afford to sell one and bring in another of quality that doesn’t affect your team’s dynamic and everything else?

“It’s always a balancing act. Who do you play where?

“It’s difficult because two of your better players play in the same position.

“It’s not like England where you’ve got so many right-backs where you’re pretty much covered in every other position. In those sorts of teams, you want to get your best players into the team.

“You have to be careful to not over complicate it. Sometimes you have to go ‘Right, we’ve got two really good players in that position. We might have to sell one to bring other players in.’

“That’s where your man-management and recruitment comes into play. We always talk about how important recruitment and forward-planning is.”

Difficult decision

If Mills is right, Gerrard and Ross Wilson will have a very difficult decision to make. Tavernier has arguably been the Gers’ best player this season – no player has more goals or assists for Rangers in 2020/21 despite him being a right-back (Transfermarkt). Patterson, meanwhile, has managed two goals himself and has impressed in the captain’s recent absence.

In the long run, Patterson is likely to be the first choice at right-back for years. As good as the £7.2m-valued Tavernier (Transfermarkt) has been, he is now 29 – at some point, he will no longer have any resale value for the 55-time Scottish champions. If one of the two has to leave, it should be Tavernier – but given that they will soon embark on a Champions League run, they would be better off keeping both of them for at least another season.

In other news, Rangers are in advanced talks to sign this striker.

Reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Koen Casteels is open to a move to the club…

What’s the word?

According to Sport Bild’s head of football Christian Falk, the Wolfsburg shot-stopper is enticed by the idea of swapping the Bundesliga for north London as he targets a spot in Belgium’s 2022 World Cup squad.

Spurs were first linked to the 28-year-old goalkeeper last month as the Daily Mail claimed the club were looking for cheaper alternatives to £30m-rated England international Nick Pope as they ramped up their search for a potential successor to Hugo Lloris.

It remains to be seen how much Casteels would cost Daniel Levy this summer, though CIES Football Observatory current value the 6 foot 6 giant at around €20m (£18m).

Sign him up

Lloris’ future in north London is by no means certain. He’ll enter the final year of his contract next season and has former boss Mauricio Pochettino keeping tabs on his situation over at Paris Saint-Germain.

Levy could well be inclined to cash in on the 34-year-old veteran before it’s too late. The French no.1 has also struggled for form this campaign, leading to pundits questioning his ability.

Speaking to talkSPORT following a 5-4 defeat to Everton in the FA Cup, Jason Cundy urged the club to move their captain on. “Lloris has got to move on,” he said. “He is a weak link. The Calvert-Lewin goal was embarrassing and I don’t think he fills that Tottenham defence with any confidence.”

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Given the lack of funds available this summer, Casteels could certainly be a viable and bargain option to replace him, especially as he carries similar leadership qualities and is also their club captain.

After signing a contract extension in 2019, Wolfsburg director of sport Jorg Schmadtke heaped praise on the Belgian, he said: “Koen has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world at VfL, and his quality and character are a huge support and a role model for the whole team.”

The one-cap international has enjoyed a pretty respectable season too, having kept 17 clean sheets in 32 appearances in all competitions, including impressive feats against Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach.

He’s let in only 27 goals too, which is better than Lloris’ season even despite Spurs ranking fourth in the Premier League for best defence. The long-serving goalkeeper has leaked a whopping 48 goals in all competitions, keeping just 12 clean sheets.

Casteels is sat behind some top Belgian keepers at the minute, but a move to the Premier League could certainly aid his credentials in what would be a crucial year ahead of the World Cup.

It could prove to be a mutually beneficial signing, so Levy must look to get this done this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs can’t risk another Noni Madueke situation with 20 y/o speed demon…

Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with Ianis Hagi’s display for Romania against North Macedonia during the international break.

The headlines have been dominated by Steven Davis this past week. He picked up his 125th cap for Northern Ireland against Italy, meaning he equalled Peter Shilton’s British appearance record in the process (The Scotsman). However, he is not the only Gers player to impress while representing their country.

Hagi didn’t start the match against North Macedonia, with him being brought on with 14 minutes remaining. That was enough time for him to have a big impact on the game, with the £5.4m-valued 22-year-old (Transfermarkt) scoring the winner as Romania picked up an important 3-2 victory as they look to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

The Gers’ official Twitter account congratulated Hagi for what was his first ever international goal (Transfermarkt), and the tweet attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Great goal”

Credit: @RangersAssemble

“Chuffed for Hagi as I sometimes think he doubts himself, so this can only help his confidence going forward. We are lucky to have him”

Credit: @ArgyllWarrior

“Love to see great wee player”

Credit: @Mikey1872786

“Brilliant for hagi and his confidence, he’s just getting better an better”

Credit: @alfie_west_55

“Excellent. Well done Ianis”

Credit: @Trinityfishbar

“The best hagi”

Credit: @RFCMatt7

In other news, Rangers fans are far from happy with an update on this 34-year-old.

Tottenham Hotspur could land themselves a major midfield upgrade this summer.

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, Spurs have concrete interest in signing RB Leipzig skipper Marcel Sabitzer ahead of next season.

It is thought that Daniel Levy and co will make their move for the 27-year-old talisman this summer as he enters the final 12 months of his current contract at the Red Bull Arena.

Sport Bild have fueled the fire in recent weeks too, claiming that there is a “75% chance” Sabitzer ends up in north London despite interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool. RB Leipzig are said to want €42m (£36m) for his signature.

Jose Mourinho isn’t short on midfield options, however, so any arrival in the role would surely spell the end for someone already at the club. As explained by Football FanCast earlier this week, Moussa Sissoko has started to regress at an alarming rate, which is hardly a surprise given that he’s now on the wrong side of 30.

Sabitzer would be a massive increase in quality, by comparison.

Indeed, Sissoko isn’t really offering much at either end of the pitch – as per WhoScored, the 31-year-old Frenchman is averaging one tackle and one interception per game defensively, whilst in attack he’s only managing 0.8 dribbles and 0.2 key passes per game, and has failed to contribute towards a goal. All of these numbers are a decrease on his 2019/20 figures.

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The RB Leipzig sensation is a far better box-to-box option in the middle. Aside from bagging 23 goals and providing 19 assists over the past 18 months, Sabitzer is doing an industrious job in winning the ball back, averaging 1.1 tackles and. 1.4 interceptions per match, via WhoScored.

Clearly, the £36m-rated gem knows what to do in the final third, as evident by his impressive returns and the fact that he’s been dubbed a “goal threat” by his manager Julian Nagelsmann. It’s easy to see why he’s having such an impact, having averaged two shots and one key pass per Bundesliga match this term.

Spurs know just how dangerous he can be, as he absolutely tormented Eric Dier and the rest of the squad last season, knocking the north Londoners out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage.

Winning 3-0 in the second leg, Sabitzer bagged a brace and also ran the show with 67 touches (the third-most for the German outfit), three interceptions and one tackle. His subsequent 7.7 rating, as per SofaScore, far exceeded that of Dier (6.6) as the England international endured a torrid night.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick gave the Spurs man a 5/10 on the night, writing: ‘No match for Leipzig’s speedy front three and nearly guilty of an awful mistake when he fired a clearance straight into Schick, forcing Lloris into a save.’

Sabitzer would also bring leadership qualities to N17. “He has clearly changed for the better and has become a leader. The way he has developed his personality is remarkable. I’ve only rarely experienced something similar,” explained his former coach Ralf Rangnick to Kicker (via Bulinews).

Levy must wave goodbye to Sissoko and clinch Sabitzer this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs could kill two birds with one stone by signing £22.5m-rated “absolute monster”…

A number of Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that Ryan Jack has been forced to withdraw from the Scotland squad for the international break.

Jack has not played a single minute since 21 February (Transfermarkt), so it was a surprise to see Steve Clarke call up the 29-year-old in the first place. However, it became clear quite quickly that he would be in no position to represent his country, so the former Aberdeen man has now left the Tartan Army squad to return to Glasgow (Daily Record).

Jack, who has played 10 times for Scotland, has been an important part of the Gers’ campaign, making 24 appearances in all competitions for them. However, he has suffered with calf and knee issues throughout the campaign, so hopefully, this international break will now allow him more time to recover so that he can play a part between now and the end of the season.

The news attracted plenty of attention from Gers fans, some of whom took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“You have ruined my evening Scotland”

Credit: @willreilly72

“Huge blow. Should be first name on team sheet. People really underestimate how vital he is defensively to Scotland.”

Credit: @David_Davy_Dave

“Brilliant. Concentrate on the teddy bears games”

Credit: @rino1872

“Good news . He’s come back twice from international duty injured and his lack of games is concerning. Shame though it is about missing the Euros he would be better suited getting properly fit as his priority is to Rangers not Scotland.”

Credit: @IBoyd1966

“Good.”

Credit: @billyni99933742

“The lad hasn’t played for his club for weeks so why on earth he was called up in the first place was pathetic. After the @Scottish Fa lack of support for @GlenKamara4 I hope no @RangersFC players play for Scotland again.”

Credit: @Blabber08756401

In other news, this Rangers man has been tipped to be the club’s Player of the Year.

As Benjamin Siegrist got down to make countless saves during Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Dundee United on Sunday, it was a case of what if. The Hoops were made to rue a succession of chances that meant the title was on its way out of Parkhead.

It is now heading to the blue side of Glasgow where their fiercest rivals can bask in the glory of usurping Celtic.

Siegrist was an absolute wall as Dundee United survived several waves of Celtic attacks last weekend. Though there won’t just be regret at failing to win, they will be ruing their failure to sign him.

In late December, it was revealed by the player’s agent, Dr Thommas Kraft, that the stopper was fielding interest from several clubs, one of which happened to be the Bhoys.

He commented: “Benjamin has had an extraordinary season and the last match against Hibernian he produced a high-level performance.

“There is interest in him from clubs in the Bundesliga and the Dutch Eredivisie. Celtic have also scouted him several times, that is true. But today, at this moment, we have no official offer from Celtic.”

Siegrist ultimately stayed at Tannadice, a decision that has come back to haunt Nick Hammond and the Celtic hierarchy.

A matter of months ago the Hoops decided to splash out £4.5m on Vasilis Barkas. The goalkeeper has been error-stricken with his performances, however, not least against AC Milan when he somehow let a free-kick fly past him on his side of the net.

Mistakes like those have littered his Celtic career so far and it’s no surprise that they were considering another ‘keeper in January. On Sunday’s evidence, they should have signed Siegrist.

Using his colossal presence of 6 foot 4, the Swiss goalkeeper was a man-mountain between the sticks, making a ridiculously high tally of 12 saves, eight of which came from efforts on goal inside the penalty area.

It didn’t matter what Celtic threw at the 29-year-old, he was always there to rescue his team.

We shouldn’t be overly surprised by his marvellous performances this term, though. Dundee United manager Micky Mellon remarked in October that he was one of the best in Scotland, suggesting he “trains like a monster.”

Monstrous is a word that defines Siegrist well; perhaps Celtic ought to have another look at him in the summer?

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Scott Bain has been at fault for goals this term, especially in the Europa League against Sparta Prague. He made errors for two goals in Prague but on top of that, Conor Hazard hasn’t been perfect either.

Although he saved a succession of spot-kicks in the penalty shootout win over Hearts in the Scottish Cup final, he was at fault in normal time.

It must be said that Siegrist isn’t the finished article either. He made a disastrous howler against Rangers only a few weeks ago. However, his shot-stopping and commanding nature are both undoubtedly attributed that are better than anyone else at Celtic.

Considering how wretched their goalkeeping position has been this term, Siegrist must be at the top of Hammond’s shopping list.

AND in other news, Worse than Brown: Celtic liability who lost possession 20x is now a huge problem…