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Marcel Brands should seal a summer swoop for Everton to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic and hand Carlo Ancelotti a second Dominic Calvert-Lewin type player.

What’s the word?

According to Tutto Juve, Serie A powerhouse Juventus are exploring a deal to sign Stuttgart striker Kalajdzic at the end of the season, but face vivid European competition.

The 23-year-old forward is thought to be on the radars of Everton, Newcastle United and RB Leipzig, after his Bundesliga side slapped an ‘affordable’ €20m (£17m) asking price on him.

Kalajdzic is noted by the Italian publication to be seen as the next Erling Haaland after scoring 13 goals in 24 German top-flight games this season, and he could well make a similar leap as the Borussia Dortmund sensation he is compared to.

Haaland trails only Bayern Munich’s 32-goal monster Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race with 19 in 20 games, while Kalajdzic ranks sixth having contributed 28% of Stuttgart’s 47 efforts to date.

Reports by the Daily Mail also presented West Ham United as a potential destination for the £7,500-per-week attacker earlier this month, as David Moyes draws up a shortlist of options to target at the London Stadium.

Those claims also mentioned RB Leipzig’s interest but added that of Serie A side AS Roma, which have been supported by German publication Kicker, who note that Stuttgart’s Sporting Director Sven Mislintat has confirmed that player sales are likely this summer.

But the Mercedes-Benz Arena natives’ asking price has been questioned with the Daily Mail citing a valuation of around £15m, while Kicker claim a fee of between €20-25m (£17-21.5m) will be needed to strike a deal.

Should Everton sign Kalajdzic?

Everton appear to be drawing up their own shortlist of attacking weapons that Ancelotti and Brands can target at the end of the season, as the Goodison Park natives have recently been linked with FC Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite too.

The Toffees may be putting precautions in place with speculation surrounding the long-term futures of Joshua King and Moise Kean on Merseyside, while Cenk Tosun will only have a year remaining on his £60,000-per-week contract come June.

Tosun is unlikely to be offered new terms given his struggles in the Premier League with 11 goals in 58 games since a £27m move from Besiktas in 2018, while King is yet to find the back of the net since his Deadline Day arrival last month.

Brands instead moving to sign Kalajdzic could see the Everton chief land Ancelotti a second Calvert-Lewin type, one who is able to match the Toffees’ top-scorer on the pitch, rather than force the Blues to play to a different tune.

Ancelotti often relies on Calvert-Lewin to offer a focal point in attack that Everton can target and play off, with the 24-year-old contesting 8.8 aerial duels a game in the Premier League – close to double the next-most of Lucas Digne (4.7) and Yerry Mina (4.6), per WhoScored.

Kalajdzic, who has been dubbed an “Ibrahimovic-machine” in comparison to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his 6 ft 5 stature, can match that presence, having contested 5.2 aerial duels per game in the Bundesliga this term, along with taking 2.1 shots to Calvert-Lewin’s 2.5.

While the fee needed may still be unknown at this point, Brands should surely be working on a deal for Kalajdzic to join Everton.

AND in other news, Everton have their eyes on a £105k-p/w striker with three goals in 34 games for his current side…

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Juventus forward Paulo Dybala recently, and if he were to join the Reds, it would surely spell the end for Divock Origi.

The Argentine’s contract with the Serie A side is set to expire in 2022, with it suggested that the Old Lady could look to cash in on him next summer, to avoid potentially losing him for free at the end of next season.

Dybala has often been a regular at Juventus since joining from Palermo in the summer of 2015, making 244 appearances, contributing 98 goals and 40 assists in that time.

However, the 27-year-old has found himself on the fringes of Andrea Pirlo’s squad this season, making just eight starts and three substitute appearances in Serie A, in which he has contributed two goals and two assists, averaging a solid 7.04 rating.

This suggests that he still has a lot of quality and that he has impressed on his rare appearances, so he would surely be looking to establish himself as a regular member of Liverpool’s attack if he were to make the move to Anfield this summer.

Therefore, with Origi having struggled throughout the season so far, it is difficult to see where the Belgian international would get any game time should a player of Dybala’s quality arrive.

The former Lille man, who earns £60k per week at Liverpool, has failed to score or assist in any of his 12 Premier League and Champions League appearances this season, whilst his 6.19 average rating in the top-flight is one of the lowest in the squad.

It was suggested that Origi could depart during the winter transfer window but he ended up staying put, although it seems likely that his first-team chances will only decrease further now that Diogo Jota has recovered from his injury.

Dybala was described as a player of “extraordinary quality” by Juventus and Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero in 2020, so whilst Origi has some memorable moments in a Liverpool shirt, there seems no doubt that Dybala is a much better overall player than the Belgian, so it would not be a surprise to see him depart should the Argentinian join Jurgen Klopp’s side in the summer.

And, in other news… Edwards should seal Liverpool swoop for 6 ft 3 beast who silenced Messi at 19

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers target Jack Simpson has agreed a Bosman move to Steven Gerrard’s side, which could spell bad news for George Edmundson in regards to his future prospects.

What’s the word?

The Rangers centre-back has struggled for game time this season having fallen out of favour with Gerrard after he served a lengthy suspension for breaching coronavirus restrictions.

Gerrard is currently blessed with great defensive options again, with Leon Balogun and Filip Helander jostling for the position alongside Connor Goldson, so it’s no surprise that Edmundson finds himself at the bottom of the pecking order, as he has made just one substitute appearance in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, averaging a miserable 5.52 rating overall.

Following the news that Rangers have agreed a pre-contract deal with Simpson, it is within the realm of possibility that the 23-year-old could find himself heading for the Ibrox exit, considering the Gers also have Nikola Katic on their books, with Gerrard recently confirming that the Croatian is progressing nicely in his recovery from injury.

When one door opens, another closes

Rangers signed Edmundson from Oldham Athletic on a four-year deal for a fee in the region of £700,000 in 2019.

Since then, he has made 16 appearances for the 54-time Scottish champions, scoring twice and supplying an assist in all competitions.

Gerrard had insisted that Edmundson could still find a way back into the first team in the future, saying:

“I think the important thing here was to get the players out of the isolation period, first and foremost. Then it was about sitting down with the players face-to-face to gauge a reaction to how they feel and where they were at.

“I spoke to them both individually and they were both very sad over the incident, they were remorseful, apologetic and full of regret. They first and foremost wanted to apologise to the supporters and their team-mates for their actions.
“In my position, it was time to support these two players once I saw that reaction. It was the reaction I wanted to see.
“Now it’s about me giving them the support and managing them to come back to top players because they are good players, we need them here to help and support us moving forward.”

However, reports in recent weeks have revealed Rangers will consider a January loan exit for Edmundson as he hasn’t played despite returning from suspension.

Having excelled for Bournemouth, the Scottish giants have taken a gamble on Simpson and it’s fair to say that they could be duly rewarded. He is currently averaging more tackles and clearances per game than Edmundson, which suggests that he could be a significant upgrade on the Rangers outcast. He’s currently valued at £1m but Rangers are getting him for free.

If Edmundson can’t re-establish himself in the first team at all between now and the end of this season, then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him leave for pastures new in the near future.

AND in other news, Filip Helander proved a point to Steven Gerrard with his performance against Ross County…

Look at Celtic’s season and you will notice a whole host of issues. The first, of course, is their performances on the field.
To put things simply, the Hoops have been diabolical. They are 23 points behind Rangers and any chance of securing a tenth title in a row have surely disappeared.
A big reason behind that has not only been Neil Lennon’s management but also his defence. Celtic have conceded 13 more goals than Steven Gerrard’s men, while they also let in a massive haul of 19 strikes during their Europa League campaign.
There is another issue deeper beneath the surface though. Even with the Bhoys in such a rut, their young players are finding it difficult to earn first-team opportunities.
Had 13 players not had to self isolate at the beginning of the year then Cameron Harper and Karamoko Dembele would still be awaiting their first opportunities of the campaign. Attacking midfielder Ewan Henderson would not have been given a chance either.
Lennon seemingly doesn’t like utilising the young players and because of their lack of game time, some of them are now on the verge of leaving. Dembele’s contract expires at the end of the season and with Harper facing the same eventuality, he is set to sign for the New York Red Bulls.
For the striker to conclude that he’d be better off developing his career in the United States should be an insult to Hoops supporters. Though, who can blame him for wanting to return home? He has made just one senior outing in the famous green and white.
Clearly, he is not going to breakthrough any time soon.
If Lennon does indeed get the sack, then one manager could help solve that problem. That happens to be Frank Lampard. Pat Nevin talked up his credentials for the job last week and it was his work with young players at Chelsea that earned him the most praise.
Speaking about Lampard during his first season in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers said: “I have been really impressed watching the team. Okay, they have lost their first couple of games but the tempo of their game is good. They are obviously going to play at a higher intensity and tempo in their game.”
“Frank understands the policy at the club, how it works and will be looking to bring in some of the young players which he has done. He has given them an opportunity. You have to admire that.”
Lampard had to endure a transfer ban in his first campaign with the Blues and as a result, he brought through the likes of Tammy Abraham, Billy Gilmour, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
At one stage last season, Lampard fielded an XI of players with an average age of just 24.3 – a statistic that ended up being the fourth most inexperienced side of the whole Premier League campaign.
On top of that, the 42-year-old utilised only four players over the age of 30; Olivier Giroud, Pedro, Willian and goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Clearly, the way Lampard sets his stall out would be beneficial for Celtic’s youth players. The Bhoys may have fielded a squad with the average age of 24.2 at one point this term but that was made up predominantly of young players they’d signed – rather than academy players.
With individuals like Harper and Dembele looking likely to leave, Celtic really need to start putting more onus on those below first-team level.
Hiring a manager like Lampard would undoubtedly improve that problem.

AND in other news, Desmond could revolutionise Celtic by replacing Lennon with 62 y/o “architect”…

Anthony Gordon betrayed Carlo Ancelotti with a horror show performance as Everton beat Championship strugglers Rotherham United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Goals from Cenk Tosun and Abdoulaye Doucoure ensured the Toffees’ name enters the hat for the next round, despite the Blues often being at sixes and sevens with no clear cohesion between the heavily changed line-up.

Gordon started well with a promising presence on the left-wing to play Tosun through with a perfectly weighted pass for the Turkey international’s first goal of the season, turning Rotherham’s Michael Ihiekwe inside out on the half-way line to create space for himself.

The talented Toffees product had almost struck his first goal in senior football not long before feeding Tosun after an excellent driven run through the centre, and later baffled the visiting backline with a cleverly disguised pass down the line.

Unfortunately, though, Gordon’s day took on a downward spiral thereafter, with the Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride noting on Twitter how the 19-year-old displayed poor body language after the break.

Ancelotti did not wait long before hauling Gordon off as the first of his second-half changes to introduce Bernard, and cap off what turned out to be a miserable afternoon for the £4.5m-rated youngster despite the early promise.

Gordon departed the field in the 61st-minute having lost four of his seven ground duels and possession six times, while failing to attempt a single cross or long ball despite recording 22 touches, per SofaScore.

The Liverpool-born talent often registered his touches on the cusp of the half-way line and almost shared as much time spent in the Rotherham penalty area as he did on the edge of Robin Olsen’s box.

Yet despite that, he attempted two shots on goal with one blocked and sending the other off-target, while emerging successful with just one of his two dribbles and playing one key pass from a mere nine successful attempts.

No Everton player attempted fewer passes in total than Gordon (11) during the opening hour of the match, with Olsen even registering 22 efforts in goal for the third-lowest tally ahead of Tosun (12), per WhoScored.

It was a display that will see Ancelotti look fondly on other players should he need replacements for Richarlison anytime soon in the Premier League, even with Andre Gomes often proving an easy target for Rotherham to circumnavigate in the engine room in a disappointing display from the Portuguese.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”…

When it comes to playing the top six in the Premier League, there are few better than Wolves.

Time and time again, they upset the apple cart, rocking the division’s best teams with some scintillating counter-attacking football.

Against Arsenal a few weeks ago they made the most of the Gunners’ torrid defence to win 2-1, but they were then battered 4-0 without Raul Jimenez against Liverpool.

However, they bounced back from a loss against Aston Villa to see off the challenge of high-flyers Chelsea.

Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence, as they did at the Emirates, put the Blues to the sword with a clinical attacking display that eventually saw the Midlanders prevail 2-1.

However, for all their wonderful attacking play, it was a defender that stole the show against one of the most powerful strikers in the league – Olivier Giroud.

Wolves went back to their tried and tested three-man defence on Tuesday and Romain Saiss was the stand-out player for Nuno Santo’s men.

The Moroccan was an absolute rock at the back, completing all of his tasks to near perfection.

Saiss impressively won 100% of his duels throughout the contest, winning four aerial duels and two tackles. Furthermore, he also didn’t concede a single foul which is particularly eye-catching when you consider he was up against the likes of Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner.

The centre-back also played out well, completing 86% of his passes and proving accurate with four of his seven long balls forward.

If that isn’t enough, Saiss also made five clearances in a battling display which ensured Chelsea could never really get going.

He wasn’t even in the side when Wolves conceded four to Liverpool, so he is now proving his worth to Nuno and demonstrating that he’s a key component of this side.

To outshine both Conor Coady and Willy Boly from a defensive point of view isn’t easy, but that’s exactly what he did at Molineux this week. Let’s hope we see more of it.

In other news, Wolves can land their dream Adama replacement with 8-goal behemoth…

Very rarely do we end up questioning Celtic.

Over the last ten years, they have been dominant, winning nine SPFL titles in a row.

However, this season looks as though it could pan out differently. That’s because Rangers are currently 11 points clear at the top of the table. There are a host of problems within the Parkhead ranks, but how can they solve them?

On the chalkboard

It’s not often we ask where the goals have gone in this Celtic team but beyond Odsonne Edouard this season, there appears to be a concerning lack.

Of course, Mohamed Elyounoussi has found form and scored a hat-trick recently, but the performances of Albian Ajeti are becoming a colossal concern.

The £4.5m summer signing scored five goals in his opening six games for the Hoops, but his displays have dropped off at an alarming rate.

He has now failed to score in his last eight outings and against Hibernian last weekend he was isolated and afforded few goal-scoring chances.

With Neil Lennon’s job under pressure, he needs to find a remedy soon.

Klimala at the ready

It’s taken a long time for the Polish striker to be ready but there is now no better excuse than to give him regular match action for the first time in Glasgow.

Patryk Klimala looked sloppy and wasn’t really up to scratch with the British game when he joined in January but he’s shown some strong signs in 2020/21, so much so that he simply has to be considered over the out of form Ajeti.

Why? Because he’s bulked up in terms of his stature and has three goals from just two starts all season. Remarkably, Klimala has played only 13 minutes in the Europa League this season, but that’s the competition where Lennon has to utilise him first.

The Pole must use Thursday as an audition to put himself right at the forefront of the manager’s plans, because in his minimal game time this season, he has been impressive.

Speaking about Klimala at the beginning of the season, Lennon said: “Patryk worked hard again. There are aspects of his game he needs to improve on.”

He continued: “It can be difficult coming to a new environment but he’s made his point and he’s headstrong. He wants to be part of it and wants to bulldoze in and make a contribution, so we are happy with that.”

So, what better occasion to throw him into the starting XI than in Europe?

It surely can’t get any worse than Ajeti showed last Saturday. Celtic need change in attack.

In other news, Celtic may be about to FINALLY replace Scott Sinclair…

Carlo Ancelotti must afford Anthony Gordon his time to shine at Goodison Park amid reports Everton will not sanction a mid-season loan for the “quality” midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Gordon has attracted keen admirers from both at home and abroad but will be denied a potential temporary switch away from Merseyside in the January window.

Everton chiefs held firm in rejecting loan approaches for the 19-year-old talent throughout the summer and are expected to similarly rebuff any inquires at the turn of the year, despite chances to feature being few and far between under Ancelotti thus far this term.

The Italian has afforded Gordon just 32 minutes of Premier League football and been omitted from five of his 18-man squads, while also left out of the matchday plans for October’s 4-1 Carabao Cup rout of West Ham United after recording three assists in the prior two rounds.

Gordon is said to be relaxed over his situation at present and confident that he will regain a spot in Ancelotti’s thinking, providing he maintains high standards in training with the ex-Real Madrid boss placing a great deal of importance on the sessions at Finch Farm.

Time to shine

It is noted that Gordon did not hesitate to accept an offer to feature in David Unsworth’s Under 23s as they beat Chelsea last Sunday, having struggled to regain a spot in Ancelotti’s plans, but his exceptional display showed the teen star to now be performing at a higher level than the Premier League 2.

If Everton chiefs are thinking along the same lines, Ancelotti must realise that it is time to see Gordon shine in the senior side on a regular basis rather than drip-feeding him minutes on a here-and-there basis that will not allow the Liverpool-born prospect to settle.

Ancelotti has spoken admirably of Gordon’s potential when the academy graduate has featured for the first-team previously, noting in July via the official Everton website: “Anthony is doing well. He is young but showing good personality and character, when he plays from the start or goes on as a substitute.

“I have a lot of confidence in him. He is a player for now and for the future. He just needs to play to increase his confidence. He has quality. He can improve his knowledge, but he is ready to play in the Premier League without a problem.”

Ancelotti again spoke highly of Gordon in September, when the wide midfielder knocked on his door seeking answers to why he had been overlooked on the opening weekend of the season.

“He wanted an explanation and so I explained to him the squad is really competitive and sometimes it can happen that the players are not involved,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“But this doesn’t mean I don’t believe in them. I believe and so he had the opportunity against Salford to show us his quality, he took the opportunity because he played really well.”

Chances have continued to be scarce since those comments and if Everton are to reject loan approaches for Gordon in January, then Ancelotti must afford the £4.5m-rated prospect far more chances than he has currently offered.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is set for a major £18m boost over Everton’s “courageous” dynamo.

Glasgow Rangers fans were far from happy with the commentary of Stephen Craigan during their 3-2 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday.

The three points secured the Gers’ place in the round of 32. Goals from Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Scott Arfield got the job done after Liege twice went ahead. The Ibrox outfit can secure top spot next week with a win over bottom-placed Lech Poznan in Group D.

The match was shown on BT Sport in the UK, and that meant Craigan was in charge of the match commentary. He made a couple of mistakes – mainly being surprised that Jermain Defoe was not included despite him not actually being in the Europa League squad – and that was more than enough for the Gers fans to hammer him, with one supporter even labelling him an ‘idiot’.

They took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts… look away now Stephen.

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

In other news, Rangers fans were enraged by this Ewan Murray tweet.

West Ham United could be on the verge of ending their centre-back pursuit as they enter the race for an experienced Premier League colossus…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the Irons are keen on poaching Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea as he faces uncertainty over his future at the club having been left out by Frank Lampard in recent weeks.

The Telegraph’s reliable Blues correspondent Matt Law claims the 27-year-old is now effectively their fifth-choice centre-back and has been frozen out since the arrival of free-agent Thiago Silva.

Moyes is in the market for a new central defender and he could swoop in for the £36m-rated German on loan.

Ferdinand-like colossus

Ever since the likes of James Tomkins and James Collins departed east London, the centre-back position has been a rather troubling conundrum, even more so with Winston Reid perpetually on the treatment table.

You could argue that the club lack the presence of a Rio Ferdinand-type, someone who can influence from the back in an imposing nature and there were none better than the former fan-favourite.

Rudiger can give the Hammers that and more – ESPN describe the 31-cap international as a “tall, quick and athletic defender who is capable of turning out at centre-back or full-back” who is “comfortable with the ball at his feet and has all the necessary physical attributes to become a top-level centre-back.”

Perhaps the 27-year-old has been unfairly treated across the river as last season he averaged 2.9 aerials won, 2.8 clearances, 1.4 tackles per game, and even managed a passing accuracy of 86.8% from over 70 passes per match too, via WhoScored.

The 6 foot 3 monster has even been likened to Ricardo Carvalho by Garth Crooks, which isn’t a bad one to make given his influence in Chelsea’s title-winning sides.

Although Ferdinand himself isn’t a huge fan of Rudiger having slammed him for “appalling defending” in the past, though Moyes needs a quick solution and bringing him in on loan could provide that.

AND in other news, Hammers could find their new Payet in Serie A wizard…