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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie expressed his delight over the youth development going on at his old club and the emergence of the Ramsey brothers.

Jacob Ramsey, 19, made his full Premier League debut for Villa last December in a 1-0 win over Wolves, while Aaron Ramsey, 18, has been making waves in Premier League 2 this season.

The attacking midfielder has scored eight goals from 15 appearances in the competition and will be hoping to make that step up to the senior squad like his brother soon.

Such youth development is pleasing Hendrie, who is keen to see the likes of Jacob and Aaron get given opportunities. In an exclusive interview, the ex-Villa player told FFC:

“I spoke to a few people about the youngsters coming through and, obviously, those two [Jacob and Aaron] stand out. Ramsey’s a very good player – Jacob, recently, we’ve seen that. Obviously players are starting to come into the fold. It’s great that, you know, the youngsters are starting to get a bit of a chance.”

Re-emphasising his point, Hendrie later went on to say:

“It’s great he’s [Dean Smith] started to bring a few of the youngsters in, obviously, the cup games, we’ve started to see a few of the young lads that could possibly become a feature, which has been great for the club.”

Jacob will be hoping to see some first-team action when Villa take on Fulham after this last batch of international fixtures. Smith’s side are looking to bounce back against the west London club following their 2-0 loss against Tottenham last time out.

Farhad Moshiri must make a huge call over Carlo Ancelotti and decide whether he is willing to back the Italian in the transfer market after Barry Fry claimed that Everton are too inconsistent in their challenge for a regular top-four finish.

What’s the word?

While speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, Fry claimed that Everton have set their sights on a consistent challenge for Champions League action. However, Peterborough United’s Director of Football suggested that the Toffees are currently too inconsistent to achieve their goals, despite praising the progress seen since Ancelotti’s arrival.

The Italian has stood at the Goodison Park helm for 48 Premier League games ahead of Monday night’s clash with Crystal Palace, but has won less than 50% of those fixtures and boasts an even goal difference at 64 scored and 64 conceded.

Fry believes that progress is being made on Merseyside, with a 50% win rate this season, but claimed that more needs to be done to disrupt the established order long-term.

“They definitely want to get in the top-four, they want to play in the best competitions in the world, there’s no doubt about that,” he told FFC.

“So does the manager, so when the manager went there a lot of people went ‘why has he gone there, they don’t really have any ambition’, but I think they’ve shown they have with the progress of the new ground and he’s made them a better team.

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“They’re a bit inconsistent, I think everybody in the country bar Manchester City is inconsistent, but they’re going to be a powerful club again, I’m sure of that.”

Moshiri faces huge Ancelotti call

Fry’s comments will surely leave Everton’s owner Moshiri facing a huge call over whether he is willing to back Ancelotti to the hilt this summer, or whether enough funds have already been invested in the playing squad to make the Toffees consistent top-four challengers.

Reports by talkSPORT have suggested that Moshiri is willing to back Ancelotti as the Blues feel they have the right man in charge to maintain a regular challenge at the top of the table, amid the former Napoli head coach’s efforts to be reunited with Kalidou Koulibaly.

However, Football Insider have claimed that Yerry Mina could be on the chopping block at the end of the season, as the Merseysiders strive to raise funds to land a high-ticket centre-back of Koulibaly’s stature.

A deal to sign the Senegal ace is expected to be worth €50m (£42.5m) and could see Everton go toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, per La Repubblica via Football-Italia, more than double what Everton are expected to make through the sale of Mina.

With doubts over the futures of Moise Kean, Cenk Tosun and Joshua King on Merseyside, Ancelotti will also need to invest in a striker to support Dominic Calvert-Lewin, adding extra millions of pounds to Everton’s likely summer outlay.

With £21m spent on Allan, £20m on Abdoulaye Doucoure and £20m on Ben Godfrey last year, plus the vast millions fluttered under Marco Silva, only time will tell how willing Moshiri will be to reach for the chequebook again this summer.

AND in other news, Everton face a £17m price tag to land a 26-y/o leader once considered to be “one of the strongest”…

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans hit out at left-back Patrick van Aanholt on social media for his performance against Chelsea on Saturday evening.

The Eagles fell to a 4-1 defeat at home to Thomas Tuchel’s side, with Roy Hodgson’s men three goals down at the interval.

Van Aanholt made his 19th Premier League start of the season, but his performance didn’t sit well with some supporters online.

The 30-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of June, lost possession 18 times (third-most of any Palace player), failed to produce an accurate cross and lost five of his 10 duels. [SofaScore]

He has been offered a three-year deal by Turkish giants Galatasaray, who seem keen on securing his services on a free transfer ahead of the 2021/22 season – and it seems as if some fans would be happy for him to move on over the coming months based on his performance on Saturday.

Palace fans react

Here is what these Palace supporters had to say about the Dutch defender’s display, with one irate fan describing it as ‘dreadful’.

“Van Aanholt mate please get out of my club”

Credit: @BMCPFC

“Add Van Aanholt to that too. Dreadful beyond compare yet again today.”

Credit: @Decbo_CPFC

“Van Aanholt has given them the absolute freedom of the city down this side all afternoon. He doesn’t care, should be nowhere near the team. He’s an embarrassment”

Credit: @_YTCP_

“Hahahahaha Van Aanholt is so finished”

Credit: @ReeceJMT

“Van Aanholt better start learning Turkish”

Credit: @bazbrown123

“Van Aanholt hasn’t proved once this season as to why we should give him a contract extension. Time to go.”

Credit: @gplr16

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to Eddie Howe Celtic twist, find out more here.  

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Everton will be without Yerry Mina “for a few weeks” after he sustained an adductor injury at Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Colombian was forced off the field an hour into the Toffees’ goalless draw at the Amex Stadium on Monday night, to add to Ancelotti’s mounting injury woes.

Everton were already without a number of first-team regulars including top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, forcing Ancelotti to name Isaac Price and Reece Welch in a first-team squad for the first time.

Calvert-Lewin was unavailable due to an abductor problem he had developed in training, but Ancelotti is confident he plus midfielders Allan and Andre Gomes will be fit to feature when Everton host Tottenham Hotspur on Friday.

Mina is facing a number of weeks on the sidelines, though, just after returning to a Premier League squad from a calf issue for the previous 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

“Yerry Mina had a muscle problem on his adductor, and I don’t think he will be available for a few weeks,” Ancelotti said. “The others, I hope to recover. For sure, [Jordan] Pickford will be available, I hope Allan and Gomes will be available, Calvert-Lewin and Joshua King.”

Mina missed four games as a result of his calf issue before returning to action in last month’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City.

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Monday’s draw with Brighton marked the defender’s 25th appearance of the season across all competitions, but Mina now faces an anxious wait to see when he will feature again amid doubt in his long-term future at Goodison Park.

Mina would have surely been keen to use the final games of the campaign to elevate his standing in Ancelotti’s pecking order, with the Italian tactician said to have concerns over the Valencia target being too erratic and error-prone.

Mina joining a growing list of injury-stricken players will be particularly worrisome for Ancelotti in the now, after Monday’s draw with Brighton dealt a huge blow to Everton’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Toffees’ performance was a far cry from their best as they lacked a clutch of key men, leaving Ancelotti no doubt desperate for a swift change with players returning to fitness ahead of hosting Tottenham in what is now a must-win match.

Everton trail fourth-placed West Ham United by seven points and only have the one game in hand over David Moyes’ side, which – with a win – can only see the Merseyside outfit move above Spurs and into seventh.

Ancelotti is relying firmly on results elsewhere going in Everton’s favour after a run of two defeats and two draws, seeing the early promise of the season fade to unfulfilled potential.

AND in other news, Everton have been tipped to sign a £25m star once dubbed “a freak of a talent”…

Jose Mourinho has dropped a triple injury blow for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their game away at Everton in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Carlo Ancelotti’s men, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has confirmed that Ben Davies, Matt Doherty and Dane Scarlett will all be missing from his squad for the trip to Goodison Park.

Triple Tottenham injury blow

With the defence of the Lilywhites looking very shaky at the moment to say the least, having conceded five goals in their last two games in the top flight to Newcastle United and Man United respectively, a change in the defence may have been a wise idea, as both Davies and Doherty could have come back into the full-back areas.

In terms of the attacking end of the pitch, Scarlett is a promising young talent who needs to be playing as much football in the first team as possible, with a mere three senior appearances made in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, THFC will have to try and find a way to win without these players in what could be a pivotal game in the race to qualify for European competition for the next season.

In other news, find out what worrying behind-the-scenes claim on Harry Kane has emerged here!

According to The 4th Official, Alfredo Morelos wants to stay at Glasgow Rangers next season.

Morelos wants Gers stay

Morelos had previously appeared to be looking for a move away from Ibrox this summer – he told Radio Caracol that he has the dream of playing in the Premier League.

Now, this latest report has revealed the Colombia international actually wants to stay at the club for the next campaign as the Gers embark on their Champions League journey. The 4th Official said (via Twitter):

“I have been told reliably by a couple of sources that Alfredo Morelos wants to stay on at Rangers for next season.”

Change of heart

Morelos has never tried to hide his desire to play at a higher level, previously stating that he wishes to play in a more prestigious league. Given his performances with the Gers – he has 93 goals in 178 games (Transfermarkt) – he has regularly put himself in the shop window, and there are likely to be a number of suitors for his services if he were to depart.

However, next season could well be a special one for the 55-time Scottish champions. Their Premiership title means they will now play in the Champions League third qualifying round, and they would therefore be just two rounds away from the group stages. Participation in Europe’s premier club competition would be a big carrot for the Gers to dangle in front of the 24-year-old.

In other news, David Provan has slammed this Rangers star.

Is this the season that Everton finally qualify for the Champions League again?

With a game in hand, a win there could take the Toffees to within three points of an illustrious fourth-placed finish.

What’s the word?

Carlo Ancelotti has worked wonders on Merseyside and it says a lot that he’s now got them on a level playing field with their local rivals.

Of course, that’s somewhat down to the Reds’ wretched campaign but the Toffees have been impressive themselves.

Should they qualify for Europe, it will be interesting to see who they look to secure in the transfer window.

Whoever they pursue, it’s unlikely to be a centre-back. That’s according to Marcus Bent who was speaking to This is Futbol over the weekend.

When asked whether they’d sign a central defender, he commented: “I don’t think so. I spoke to someone at the club during the week, and they’re not talking about getting a centre-half.

“They said they’ve got depth in the squad and they’re not going to be buying anyone in the transfer window.”

Koulibaly is a must

It doesn’t matter how much depth you have at centre-back, if a player like Kalidou Koulibaly is on the table, he simply has to be signed.

The Senegalese defender has long been one of the most imperious in Europe, so much so that even city rivals Liverpool have targeted him.

His stock has fallen somewhat over the last year but he’s still incredibly highly rated, valued at around £50m.

News broke last month that Ancelotti’s mission was to bring an elite defender to Goodison Park and in Koulibaly, a player that was linked earlier in April, they’d certainly find that.

In fact, they could secure their very own answer to Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman has missed a large portion of this season with injury but he has become imperative for Liverpool, turning into one of the best players in world football and guiding them to a historic Champions League and Premier League win in recent years.

In terms of impact on the field, Koulibaly could have a similar influence on Everton.

Speaking about the defender last year, goalkeeper Pepe Reina said: “The defender who gave me more security? In a moment, Koulibaly was something extraordinary. In the national team [it was] Sergio Ramos.”

To be compared to Ramos says it all. Though, if we evaluate the statistics, you’ll see just how much of a phenomenal defender he really is.

In terms of tackling, the 29-year-old Everton target is streets ahead of Van Dijk, winning two per game last season and 1.3 this term.

In comparison, the giant Dutch defender has only won 0.6 tackles per match in the last two campaigns.

In terms of interceptions, it’s a pretty level playing field with Koulibaly registering 1.2 per outing last season and Van Dijk 1.1. As well as catching the eye with their reading of the play, they are both supreme when it comes to bringing the ball forward and passing out from the back.

In fact, the Napoli defender is actually better in this regard, finding a teammate with 87.6% of his passes throughout his career. The Liverpool centre-back, meanwhile, has completed 86.6%.

At £50m, Koulibaly would certainly be costly, but it could take Everton to a brand new level.

Just imagine what he and Carlo Ancelotti could achieve together in Merseyside.

AND in other news, “That’s why they’re going to offload him” – Exclusive: Ex-Everton star drops Silva signing claim…

Crystal Palace are reportedly ‘on the trail’ of Marko Arnautovic with a view of wanting to sign him, according to Il Resto del Carlino (via Sport Witness).

As per the news outlet, the South London club as well as West Ham United and Bologna are suitors for the Shanghai Port FC striker, who is looking to leave the Chinese Super League.

Crystal Palace should sign Arnautovic

Roy Hodgson’s men should certainly be looking to sign Arnautovic in the summer transfer window if possible.

Of course, his £280,000-per-week wages would be an issue, but if the Eagles are able to negotiate a much more reasonable salary for the Austria international, then it would just be a matter of a transfer fee to deal with.

Arnautovic has a vast amount of experience playing in the Premier League before with Stoke City and the Hammers, with whom he managed a total of no fewer than 80 goal contributions during his time in the top flight over six consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

With growing uncertainties over the futures of many players in the squad due to them all having a matter of a few months left on their current contracts at Selhurst Park, CPFC really need to start planning ahead, and they should look no further than making Arnautovic one of their first summer signings.

In other news, find out what managerial update has got Eagles talking here!

Newcastle United have received a big transfer boost as a journalist has dropped a definitive four-word update on the future of Jacob Murphy.

The Lowdown: Murphy has not signed contract yet

Murphy is still stalling on a new contract at the St. James’ Park faithful, although reports broke out in April that the Tyneside club are planning to hold talks with him, amid interest from Rangers, Southampton and Watford for his signature.

That said, while a new deal has not been signed, other clubs will feel that they can lure him away from the North East in the summer transfer window given that his current deal expires next season.

The Latest: Norwich journalist rules out Murphy move

While Norwich City have not been explicitly linked with a move for their former man recently, their sporting director, Stuart Webber, did say it ‘pains’ him how under-utilised Murphy has been on Tyneside, per Chronicle Live.

Now, Canaries journalist Paddy Davitt, in replying to a fan in a Q&A session with the Eastern Daily Press, seems to have ruled out any potential return to Carrow Road by claiming that ‘that ship has sailed’.

Nonetheless, this will come as a welcome boost to Steve Bruce and the Magpies, considering the plans to talk to Murphy over a new contract.

The Verdict: Newcastle must keep Murphy

The Toon must try and keep hold of Murphy at all costs, even if that means giving him a much bigger wage.

The 26-year-old has played the full 90 minutes in each of the last four games in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term, and so is clearly an important part of the team at this minute in time.

His added versatility to be able to play both as a wing-back and a winger is also very handy to have in the squad as it allows Bruce or any other manager on Tyneside to switch between a back three, four and five, and so letting him go would not seem like a wise idea in that regard.

In other news, find out who has been lined up as a potential Bruce successor here!

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly one of the teams keen on signing Yves Bissouma this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Star, who claim the North London outfit have made inquiries but it appears their arch-rivals, Arsenal, are the front-runners to secure the Brighton and Hove Albion star.

The 24-year-old still has two years on his current contract at the Seagulls and is valued at around £30m.

Fellow Premier League sides Everton and West Ham United are also mooted with interest.

Imagine him & Hojbjerg

Spurs are currently managerless but any new appointment is set to have multiple midfield options at his disposal, ranging from summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele.

But it is the Denmark international that has been a constant presence in the starting XI, playing every minute (3,060) of every league game this term – the only outfield player to do so.

Interestingly, Bissouma has exceeded the returns of Hojbjerg, who could be considered one of Spurs’ players of the season come the end of the campaign.

As per WhoScored, the Brighton midfielder has managed more tackles (2.8 vs 2.6), more interceptions (1.7 vs 1.3), and has committed fewer fouls (1.5 vs 1.8) per game in the Premier League than the £15m summer arrival.

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And unlike Hojbjerg, he offers far more going forward, which means he could be the perfect foil rather than a direct replacement or alternative in that role.

His 1.2 shots per outing is a better return than every single Spurs player barring the obvious two in Heung-min Son (two) and Harry Kane (1.4), whilst he’s not quite at Ndombele’s dribbling ability, managing only 1.5 successful attempts per game, he is a hard man to dispossess, having averaged only 0.8 dispossessions compared to the Frenchman’s 1.1 times per game.

Dale Stephens, a former teammate of Bissouma’s on the south coast, gave a glowing review about this aspect of his game to reporters in 2019.

“He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players,” revealed the Burnley midfielder. “His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”

The Mali international has also been dubbed a “wonderful talent” by ex-Seagulls boss Chris Hughton and described as “very skilful” by his old Lille colleague Lebo Mothiba.

It remains to be seen if Daniel Levy can afford to stump up around £30m for anyone this summer but if he can, then it should absolutely be on a player of Bissouma’s calibre.

Just imagine him and Hojbjerg in the heart of the engine room.

That would surely be enough to tempt anyone into the managerial vacancy – maybe even a certain Graham Potter? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Spurs set for huge boost as Hotspur Way news emerges, Levy and Mason will be buzzing…