Tom Davies’ Everton career has regressed this season, but can the young Englishman find his form under Marco Silva?
When Tom Davies broke into the Everton side, there were real hopes the Toffees had just found their next great local talent.
The 19 year-old scored a fabulous goal in last year’s famous 4-0 win over Manchester City, but has struggled for form this year.
Of course, the entire Toffees’ team has struggled, as the torrid run of form under Ronald Koeman cost the Dutchman his job, and the arrival of Sam Allardyce certainly didn’t help exciting young talents like Davies.
The young midfielder scored just twice in 33 Premier League appearances this season though, and was really poor at times alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney and Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
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Everton have been strongly linked with Abdoulaye Doucoure due to the Watford midfielder’s connection with incoming manager Marco Silva, and the arrival of the towering Frenchman could set Davies even further back.
Gueye is unlikely to lose his starting spot, and with the likes of Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson fighting for the more advanced midfield positions, the potential arrival of Doucoure, or the heavily linked William Carvalho, could destroy Davies’ Everton career before it’s really even begun.
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Silva and new director of football Marcel Brands are clearly wanting to make some major moves in midfield, so will Davies be a flop under the Portuguese tactician?
Everton fans, do you think Davies has what it takes to make it at Everton? Can he survive under Silva? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…
Many Everton fans would have been thrilled during the summer when the club spent over £100m on new signings.Unfortunately, a large number of the new arrivals failed to take the Toffees forward; in fact, the club were in a relegation battle under former manager Ronald Koeman.Sam Allardyce is now in charge and he is overseeing his first transfer window since taking the job at the end of November.The Merseyside outfit are in a much healthier position in the Premier League table given that they are ninth in the standings, seven points above the drop.With that in mind, fans might be allowing themselves to get excited about the potential new arrivals this month.The club have already recruited forward Cenk Tosun from Besiktas, and now Allardyce hasÂrevealed to reportersÂthat the club are in negotiations with Arsenal over the signing of winger Theo Walcott.The winger, who has scored more than 100 goals for the Gunners during his 12-year stay, has not started a single league game this season.Once Allardyce revealed the news, Everton fans gave their reactions on Twitter.
Real Madrid needed this international break, as much or even more than those clubs who were desperate for a break in the domestic calendar.
It hasn’t been clear sailing for Carlo Ancelotti – far from it. The team have been saved from La Liga embarrassment on multiple occasions due to the intervention of the younger talents in the squad; the Gareth Bale fiasco has blown up, underlining – perhaps, we’re not too sure yet – the extravagance and stupidity of Florentino Perez; and whatever problems there were under Jose Mourinho, they clearly haven’t been washed away, as the team are caught up in a whirlwind of two tactical ideas.
As is usually the case, money makes the problems go away. In theory. Karim Benzema isn’t firing, though his two strikes for France during this two-week break will be reason for optimism. Alvaro Morata, on the other hand, is the forward in form, he’s the player fans and neutral onlookers want to see. More than anything, he’s earned a place in the starting XI.
But that’s a problem; not on a club-wide level, but personally for Perez. Morata is a young Spaniard who has come through the ranks. There is little else that the supporters want to see. But Benzema is Perez’s signing, one of his golden acquisitions during this second spell as club president. Despite form, how can Perez go from travelling to meet Benzema prior to signing him from Lyon in 2009, to accepting him on the bench in favour of player who cost nothing and arrived on the scene with nowhere near as much fanfare?
Real Madrid’s situation at present is that the La Liga title looks gone. Based on their current form – and results don’t make up the whole story – the title will most likely go to Barcelona. Don’t even bother to suggest an Atletico win around the Real camp. If the landscape of this season doesn’t change too drastically between now and January, it is more than likely that Real will look to Luis Suarez to right the ship.
The thing is they have to get round Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers’ side are currently second in the Premier League and could very well finish in the top four with Suarez in the team for the remainder of the season. Like the case with Arsenal in the summer, the club will more than likely do everything they can to hold onto the Uruguayan.
But that won’t extend beyond the summer – at least it seems incredibly unlikely. Suarez may have apologised and put himself back in the good books, but no one really doubts he’ll eventually move.
Liverpool, however, and despite the likelihood of turning away Real Madrid in January without even listening to an offer, could be in a fantastic situation to exploit the La Liga side’s domestic situation.
In the summer, Perez was desperate to land Neymar ahead of Barcelona, so much so that his offer blew the Catalans’ out of the water by some distance. That didn’t matter, though; Neymar to Barcelona was agreed long before. Gareth Bale turned out to be the next best thing, the card which would save face for Perez in the market. Forget the fee; Perez just needed a marquee name to make up for the loss of Neymar. And of course, the Cristiano Ronaldo contract situation was always a separate issue.
This time around, Real could be in a similarly desperate situation, and vitally they have players, very good players, who they’re looking to move on. Liverpool’s rebuilding project isn’t over. They need a new striker to replace Suarez, and they need further midfield depth – notably of quality.
Sami Khedira is almost definitely on his way out of the Bernabeu, but while Liverpool will not get a striker from Real Madrid, it’s possible they’ll receive a sizeable fee for Suarez, likely more than the £40 million which was suggested during the summer.
Perez’s approach to the transfer market leaves many clubs around Europe at a great advantage. Whether it’s buying players such as Wesley Sneijder for a knockdown fee, or inflating the value of a player as Tottenham were able to do with Bale, clubs know that Perez is largely concerned about the prestige associated with incomings rather than the financial situation he puts his club into.
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Liverpool may not be interested at all in selling Suarez in January, and that’s more than understandable. If they’re in a similar position come the end of the Christmas period, why risk a slip in form through the sale of their best player? But it’s something to think about. Suarez is leaving one way or another, and the funds Real Madrid may be willing to shell out would be a great deal of help in the further strengthening of the squad.
Should Liverpool look to exploit Real Madrid’s need for a striker in January?
Reading manager Brian McDermott says he is not concerned over his side’s poor start to the Premier League campaign because he feels his players have more to offer.
The Royals, promoted to the top-flight at the end of last term, sit rock-bottom of the fledgling table having taken just one point from their opening four games. Defeats by Chelsea, Tottenham and West Brom mean Reading’s season is yet to ignite but McDermott is refusing to get downhearted over the slow start. He told Sky Sports:
“If after our last two games every single one of our players had played to the maximum level and we’d got beaten the way we got beaten, I’d be concerned. I can’t honestly turn round and say to you that at Spurs too many played to the max level, and I can’t against West Brom either. From the players’ point of view they’ll know there’s so much more to come and I know there’s so much more to come.”
McDermott is reluctant to dwell on the opening four results and prefers instead to look at how he can prepare his side for their upcoming games, with a Capital One Cup trip to QPR next on the agenda on Wednesday night.
“I had the self-same thing last season and the season before. You have to get the right formula, you’ve got to get the players to gel.”
Despite being yet to register a win with his side in the league this season, McDermott says he is enjoying the experience of top-flight football. He added:
“I’m loving the challenge of the league. It’s a fantastic league. I’m enjoying every single moment. I’m not enjoying the results at the moment, but they’ll change.”
Former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery is reportedly one of the frontrunners for the vacant West Ham United manager’s job, after it was announced on Wednesday that David Moyes’ expiring contract wasn’t going to be extended.
The Spaniard is out of a job having been sacked by PSG following a disappointing campaign in which they were knocked out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage by Real Madrid, and he may well be looking for a quick route back into football.
Whether that will be at the London Stadium remains to be seen, but Irons joint-owner David Sullivan said in a statement on Thursday that the east London outfit are close to appointing a manager “who has a proven record of success at the highest level of the game”, and he certainly fits into that category given that he has won the Europa League on three occasions, as well as the Ligue 1 title this term.
If the 46-year-old does get the gig, he may well be keen to bring players he has worked with previously with him to the capital, and that could include stars from the French club and Sevilla.
Here are three players West Ham could sign with Emery connections, if he is appointed…
With Joe Hart returning to Manchester City following an unsuccessful spell and some doubts still remaining over whether Adrian should be the number one on a regular basis despite an impressive end to the season, a new goalkeeper could be one of West Ham’s priorities in the transfer market this summer.
If it is Emery that takes the vacant job, he may well be tempted to try and bring Sevilla number one Sergio Rico to the London Stadium.
The Spaniard knows the 24-year-old well following his time with the La Liga outfit, and his 6ft 5in tall frame and record of 58 clean sheets in 169 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla means he would be a great addition between the sticks.
With Jose Fonte leaving for China in February, James Collins set to leave when his contract expires next month and Winston Reid continuing to be hampered by injury issues, West Ham have been left short at centre-back in the last few months.
Aaron Cresswell is just one of the players that deputised in the three-man defence under David Moyes, and should Emery be the Scot’s successor at the London Stadium he will perhaps want to bring in one – and perhaps even two – new central defenders.
Carrico was a regular for Sevilla when Emery was at the helm, but injuries and falling out of favour in general since the Spaniard left the La Liga club could mean that the 30-year-old is ready for a new challenge this summer, and it could be with the Irons.
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With Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble often struggling for form this season, one of West Ham’s transfer priorities this summer will surely to bring in a new defensive/central midfielder – something they failed to do last year or in January despite that being what Slaven Bilic and David Moyes wanted respectively in the separate windows.
Nzonzi has become one of Sevilla’s most important players in recent seasons after Emery brought him to the La Liga outfit in 2015, and while the 29-year-old is effective defensively because of his height and power, he is also useful from an attacking point of view because of the quality of his passing and his ability to create.
Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez impressed in his side’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to sign the Algeria international.
The Gunners’ 3-3 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night left them in sixth position in the Premier League table and 21 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.
Arsene Wenger may well be looking to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window, and he may well look at Mahrez given the 26-year-old has scored five goals and provided a further six assists – including one for Jamie Vardy against the Red Devils – in 19 top flight matches this term.
Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the wide-man’s display via social media, and while one said the club should “sign him up immediately” and “Mahrez in January all day long over Iwobi and Walcott”.
In his final season at Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored eleven goals, and won the Premier League title. Beforehand he had fought his way back from a three-year long injury nightmare, that only let go temporarily while he put on his last few shows for the Stretford End.
His contributions in that final season was a nice microcosm of his career. Most of his goals came as a substitute, and no one will ever forget his 3-0 comeback goal at Charlton in 2006, when the Norwegian took a bow in front of the away section during his celebration.
Now, Solskjaer has gone into coaching. After taking baby-steps as head of the United youth teams, he is enjoying success back home in Norway as manager of Molde – the team Sir Alex Ferguson bought him from. Despite finishing this season in a relatively disappointing sixth place, Solskjaer has guided Molde to their two first ever titles in the Norwegian Tippeligaen. This has added to his already respectable reputation around the continent, and several clubs are reportedly monitoring his situation.
The English football managerial merry-go-round is moving again – right on schedule. As certain as winter will follow autumn, as sure as the slightest hint of snow will shut England down, and as predictable as Gary Lineker describing Match of the Day as “cracking”, November is when managers start getting the sack. Middlesbrough drew first blood when Tony Mowbray was forced out the door at Riverside Stadium, and Crystal Palace soon after became manager-less when Ian Holloway stepped down. Simultaneously, Martin Jol must have had a scare after dropping into the relegation zone this weekend, but the Cottagers chose to put ex-United head coach Rene Muelensteen in charge of training sessions rather than eliminating the manager. It makes me wonder, will Solskjaer ever become a Premier League manager? And if he will, should he ever be in line to take over at Manchester United?
There is no secret that Solskjaer has had suitors in the Premier League already. Aston Villa gave him a call after Alex McLeish left Villa Park in the summer of 2012. The official reason why Solskjaer turned Villa down was because of family reasons. What reportedly happened however, was that the owner of Molde, Kjell Inge Rokke (notoriously recognised for moving Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes in 2004) went bonkers when Solskjaer considered leaving his club, and, looking from the outside, guilt tripped Solskajer into staying at least another year. It is not a given that he would ever get the job over Paul Lambert, but there are suggestions Solskjaer will get the chance to manage in England soon.
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In fact, Ladbrokes had him as their odds-on favourite to take the helm at Middlesbrough before Aitor Karanka was given the job, and Fulham, the only club in the league with Norwegians in the squad (John Arne Riise and Brede Hangeland) considered the six-time Premier League champion. But would he be a good appointment?
There are still strides for Solskjaer to make before he is ready to become successful in the English top flight – something he has publicly expressed his desire to do several times. Although two consecutive titles in your first two years as manager is impressive, Tippeligaen is a different kind of animal to the Premier League. When Solskjaer arrived in 2011, Rosenborg had retained the title they won 13 consecutive seasons from 1992 to 2004, and Molde finished 11th. These two teams, however, are the only signs of consistency in Norway. Runners-up in Solskjaer’s first title-winning season, Tromso, were relegated on Saturday. In the same fashion, champions in 2008, Stabaek, struggled to hang on for three more seasons before they went down by a clear margin last year. If there is anything to learn about Solskjaer’s managerial ability from Tippeligaen, it is whether he can create a solid team, able to fight at the top consistently.
This season was affected by the loss of Magnus Wolf Eikrem, attacking focal point Davy Claude Angan, and Vegard Forren’s unsuccessful spell at Southampton, before he came back when the transfer window opened. Molde did make some useful signings in an attempt to acquire replacements, but still, Solskjaer only managed to finish sixth. The entire Tippeliga is a selling league, so consistent success is difficult, yet you would expect the Baby-faced Assassin to do better. The biggest of his career so far will be to see if he can win the title back again next season.
But Solskjaer does have some core values that the United board and fans value highly. His record of 28 goals as a substitute is a sentiment to his unique mindset. Nothing and no one is bigger than the team, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer simply felt privileged to play for Manchester United. His will to come on as a sub and put on a match winning performance is in many ways what defined Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Such a mindset is likely to be a hit among Red Devils supporters, and Solskjaer has a healthy attitude to football, which is rubbing off on his players already.
Furthermore, Solskjaer wants to develop his own talents, and tries hard to bring youngsters through the ranks at Molde. Wolf Eikrem, now at Herenveen, and Mads Moeller Daehli are examples of former United U18 players who Solskjaer has nurtured through first team experiences. Both are now Norwegian internationals, and Daehli has been compared to Paul Scholes by the manager. So Solskjaer certainly ticks a few boxes already, but I am sure he too agrees that he needs more time to become a top European manager.
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The Manchester United hot-seat is of course occupied for the foreseeable future, and David Moyes will surely be given a proper go before any changes are considered at Old Trafford. But If Solskjaer continues his development in management, there is no obvious reason why he shouldn’t be in line to take over after Moyes. And the fans, who still keep the ‘2OLEgend’ banner at its designated spot in the Stretford End, will love to see their Baby-faced Assassin at the helm.
Will Solskjaer ever be good enough to take over at Old Trafford?
Martin O’Neill is considering punishing his Republic of Ireland international James McClean after his foul-mouthed tweet criticising his international manager.
The two are set for discussions today after McClean’s public criticism of Giovanni Trapattoni’s selection policy.
McClean has spoke over the phone to his club side manager but will discuss the matter further with the Ulsterman today when the Sunderland first team reconvene after the international break.
O’Neill said: “It did happen out there. That’s not absolving ourselves of responsibility, but it was on international duty and he did phone me to apologise.
“We’ll have some discussions with him, but I can’t really say about disciplining him until he gets back here.”
It is not the first time the 23 year old has been in trouble regarding the social network site, the ex Derry City midfielder received death threats after mocking Northern Ireland fans on Twitter.
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Now McClean is set to take a permanent break from tweeting to concentrate on his football, Sunderland’s boss added, “I think he has to learn. He wouldn’t be the first player to be disappointed to be left out of a team.
“This time last year James wasn’t under consideration for anything. It’s been a great rise and now he just has to settle down, which I think he will do.”
According to the Manchester Evening News, Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to beat Manchester United to the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred this summer.
What’s the story?
It is not exactly a secret that Fred is expected to move on from Shakhtar in this summer’s transfer window, and a number of clubs are interested in signing the midfielder.
Manchester City and Liverpool have previously been linked, but it had been thought that United had taken the lead in the race to acquire the Brazilian’s services.
However, according to the Manchester Evening News, free-spending Ligue 1 outfit PSG will provide stiff competition for the 25-year-old’s signature ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
It is understood that Fred has a £53m release clause in his current contract, and Ukrainian giants Shakhtar will reportedly hold out for that figure due to the interest surrounding a player that has been included in the Brazil squad for the 2018 World Cup.
Just how good is he?
The answer is very good, and potentially sensational. The midfielder started his professional career with Internacional before switching to Shakhtar in the summer of 2013.
Fred has made over 150 appearances during his time in Ukraine, and has been in fine form this season – scoring four times and registering seven assists in 37 appearances.
Standing at little over 5ft 6inches, Fred is not exactly the most physically-imposing footballer in the world, but there are simply no doubting his qualities on the ball.
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The midfielder, who is valued at £28.8m by transfermarkt.co.uk, also possesses an incredible ability to get around the pitch, and would be perfect to slot in alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic at United next season.
PSG are also in the hunt for a new central midfielder, however, and it is not a surprise that they have reportedly expressed an interest in the seven-time Brazil international.
Manchester United slipped into third place in the English Premier League on Saturday after a disappointing stalemate at home to Southampton.
The 0-0 result means Chelsea have now leapfrogged Jose Mourinho’s side heading into 2018, with supporters beginning to ask serious questions of the direction the Red Devils are heading in.
Fans were frustrated with the draw, but the general performance irked them even more, believing that their big stars should be offering far more for home supporters against a Southampton side that have struggled at times this season.
Paul Pogba was one of those that received some of the sharpest criticism after a particularly ineffective display, failing to show the ambition or form that makes him a stand out in the final third.
Supporters are now questioning his leadership abilities and are looking for more dynamic performances going forward. Many believe he has the talent but that it’s his attitude and mentality that is letting him down.
They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…