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Carlo Ancelotti must stop Marcel Brands from wasting millions of pounds with a summer swoop for Everton to sign AS Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Mancini is earning widespread admirers with his performance at the Stadio Olimpico, to see that Everton are not the only side keen.

Ancelotti’s Toffees are said to be big admirers of the Giallorossi enforcer, but face having to contend with Chelsea for his signature as they eye a potential heir for Thiago Silva.

Ligue 1 and Bundesliga giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on the scene, as well, with the Parc des Princes natives long-term admirers and approached Roma for further information on his availability during the recent winter market.

Scouts from Italian powerhouse duo Inter Milan and Juventus are also keeping an eye on developments, with the latter aware of the need to reinforce the guard currently occupied by 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, who turns 34 in May.

But the number of admirers Mancini has gained has also seen Roma up their valuation of the £33,000-per-week talent they paid a combined €24m (£20.5m) for, between a loan spell and his purchase, with the defender now worth at least €10-€15m (£8.5-£13m) more.

An asking price of between €34m (£29m) and €39m (£33.5m) is not expected to scare off the Premier League sides said to be interested, while Mancini intends to evaluate his options in the summer.

Mancini’s former side, Atalanta BC, would also be owed 10% of any fee Roma receive for the 24-year-old, who has started all 23 of his Serie A appearances this season after missing two games with a muscular injury and one through an accumulation of yellow cards.

Should Everton sign Mancini?

Qualification for next season’s edition of the Champions League is expected to be crucial for any side wishing to land Mancini’s services in the off-season, as the four-cap Italy international is anticipated to put the sporting project above a potential pay rise.

Everton are in the mix for a top-four finish to the Premier League season, with a four-point gap but a game in hand all that separates them from Chelsea in the last of the qualifying spots.

Yet Ancelotti must block Brands from using a UEFA campaign as a reason to spend a vast sum to sign Mancini, as it would be questionable of the 6 ft 3 enforcer establishing himself as an upgrade on those already at Goodison Park.

Ancelotti already considers Ben Godfrey to be the best of his current centre-halves, despite Mason Holgate offering a unit-high 2.5 successful tackles from 3.2 duels per game when fielded in the heart of the Everton backline for Premier League fixtures, per WhoScored.

Mancini offers Roma 1.7 successful tackles from 2.2 attempts per game in the Serie A this season, along with winning possession back for Paulo Fonseca’s side with 2.1 clearances.

Holgate currently offers the fewest clearances by one of the Toffees’ centre-halves with 3.5 a game, while Mancini would rank last on Merseyside for aerial duels won with 1.8 from three – Holgate offers the least with two from 2.7 at present.

If Brands is to spend a significant sum – more than Everton paid for Allan (£21m), Abdoulaye Doucoure (£20m) or Godfrey (£20m) last summer – on a new centre-back, he will surely have to be a distinct upgrade.

AND in other news, Everton will listen to offers for a £16m-rated ace who has failed to live up to his price tag…

Leeds United have a lot of exciting prospects, one being Olly Casey, and Phil Hay has reported that the player could head out on a temporary move to build up some first-team experience.

Hay’s update on Casey

The journalist was asked if there was any transfer news around the club and he revealed that incomings are not expected this month, but Casey is “likely to leave on loan”.

This is a good idea for all parties

Former Whites star Noel Whelan spoke highly of the player when he told Football Insider: “He’s a young player with a lot of potential, and when you have that at a football club, it’s important because it’s an investment for the future.”

The 20 year-old centre-back is one that manager Marcelo Bielsa clearly wants to keep an eye on as he has given the player three appearances for the senior side (Transfermarkt).

Casey is reportedly attracting interest from many sides in the English Football League and if he could get consistent game time at such a level it would be great for his growth.

Not only would it be good for the defender, but also for Bielsa as he can see how he gets on at such a level and if he has the potential to succeed in the Premier League in the future.

In other news, find out whose return from injury has been deemed ‘massive’ here!

Crystal Palace will be hoping to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to face Brighton on Monday night.

In the absence of Wilfried Zaha, Palace have endured a rather startling, if not unsurprising, slump in form and have dropped points in three out of their last five games.

The Eagles were beaten badly by Burnley at Selhurst Park last Saturday and have plenty of work to do in the final third heading into the business end of the season.

Ahead of the A23 derby, Football FanCast predicts how Hodgson’s side could line up for the encounter at the Amex Stadium, with the Eagles boss making four changes from the defeat to Burnley.

Palace’s No.1 goalkeeper, Vicente Guaita is expected to keep the gloves in goal against Brighton, and will be hoping the Palace defence are able to keep Neal Maupay and co. quiet.

As far as the back four are concerned, this is where Hodgson will most likely tinker with his starting line-up, with Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward potentially coming into the XI, while Gary Cahill could replace Cheikhou Kouyate.

This means Kouyate will shift back to the midfield instead of Luka Milivojevic alongside Jairo Riedewald, but Eberechi Eze and Andros Townsend should retain their places in the wide areas.

Zaha scored the Eagles’ only goal against Brighton in the 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park last time out. Unfortunately for Hodgson, his return date is currently unknown, which means he faces the unenviable task of trying to find a suitable replacement within his own ranks in the meantime.

January arrival Jean-Philippe Mateta will most likely be involved, therefore, whilst Christian Benteke should be given the nod ahead of Michy Batshuayi in the final third.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace suffer significant injury setback with Roy Hodgson unsure when Wilfried Zaha will return…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield United striker Dean Windass has dropped a bombshell over the future of Chris Wilder at Bramall Lane.

This afternoon, the Blades looked on course to achieve their first win of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion despite going down to ten men before Danny Welbeck came off the bench to score a late equaliser.

It means the Yorkshiremen remain rock-bottom having picked up two points from their opening 14 matches – the worst start of any top-flight English team in history.

Windass has urged the hierarchy at United to stick with him through the troubles, even though he claims that they will get relegated this season.

The ex-EFL talisman has backed the 53-year-old to bring them straight back up.

He told FFC:

“Sheffield United are finding it tough at the minute. Chris is finding it tough.

“What’s the point of sacking Chrissy Wilder? He’s done an unbelievable job, he’s a local lad, you know he’s played for the football club. There’s no point. There is no point sacking him. Who is going to come in and change it?

“I hope they keep hold of him. Yes, I think they’ll get relegated, and then hopefully next year he can bring them back up again but there’s no point sacking him now.”

Wilder has been in charge of the Blades since May 2016 having started his playing career as a right-back at the club in the late eighties.

In 209 matches, he’s guided United to 99 wins (47.3%) and has averaged an impressive 1.63 points per game, as per Transfermarkt.

It remains to be seen whether the long-serving manager is on the hot seat at all, although last month, he did admit he was feeling the pressure.

After all, even that Derby County side started their season better than this.

AND in other news, Chris Wilder admits ex-West Ham target could leave Sheffield United…

David Sullivan may fail to find David Moyes’ replacement for Sebastien Haller if West Ham United target Stade de Reims forward Boulaye Dia in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Dia is an option for the Hammers in the mid-season market with the 24-year-old valued at around £10m by his Ligue 1 side after scoring 12 goals in 17 league games.

The Irons are in the market for offensive reinforcements after selling Haller to AFC Ajax for £20m, having decided to cash-in now on their £45m record-signing for fears of failing to receive offers in the same price range in the future.

Reports in France have also claimed that an opening bid of €10m (£9m) is expected, as the forward has a gentleman’s agreement that will allow him to leave the Stade Auguste-Delaune, but Reims want any interested party to present an offer worth €15m (£13.5m).

Dia has started 16 of his Ligue 1 appearances this season and is the division’s joint-top goalscorer with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, having offered a league-high contribution of 44% of his side’s total goals to date.

Maiga 2.0

West Ham must reconsider the hazards of signing Dia before Sullivan lodges a formal offer, as the Irons co-owner and Chairman risks failing to find Moyes his Haller replacement in the £3,000-per-week Senegal international.

Dia has only just begun to establish himself as a lethal frontman in Ligue 1 this season through his 12 goals in 17 games, having enjoyed a previous career-best haul of seven in 24 appearances last term on the back of a mere three-goal return in 2018/19.

He is not blessed with a record featuring chances galore, either, with Dia offering just 1.6 shots a game – though scoring 0.7 times a game – having only marginally improved his output from last season’s record of 1.4 efforts a game, per SofaScore.

West Ham saw just as much from Haller during what proved to be his final months at the London Stadium, with the Ivory Coast international striking 1.4 shots per game in the Premier League though only converting 0.2 of his attempts for three goals in 16 appearances.

Players moving to the Premier League from Ligue 1 and struggling has been a frequent trend of most windows and an issue that has not only affected West Ham, as well, as for every Eden Hazard to Chelsea, Fabinho at Liverpool or Dimitri Payet to the Hammers there have been the likes of Florian Thauvin at Newcastle, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou to Tottenham and Tiemoue Bakayoko at Stamford Bridge.

West Ham also have a clear comparison in Modibo Maiga as they weigh up the benefits of signing Dia, having seen the Mali international completely flop in east London following his arrival in 2012 for around £5m.

Like Dia, Maiga had begun to establish a record in France before joining the Irons with a nine-goal season after a 15-goal haul in 2010/11, yet arrived at Upton Park to offer two goals in his maiden Premier League campaign before two further single goal seasons.

He was ultimately sold after three terms and a loan spell with Queens Park Rangers, having found the back of net just once in every 8.5 top-flight games in claret and blue, and must act as a stark warning to Sullivan and Moyes as they weigh up what would surely have to be considered as a risky swoop for Dia.

AND in other news: Exclusive: West Ham’s Declan Rice tipped to join Chelsea on one condition…

Everton were dealt a crushing blow this week as their industrious vice-captain, Lucas Digne, was ruled out for at least two months after picking up an injury during training.Sky Sports soon reported that the 27-year-old would undergo surgery having suffered ankle ligament damage. A cruel sucker-punch ahead of a tough run of fixtures, which begins with hosting Leeds United at Goodison Park this evening.The Frenchman has become a crucial part of Carlo Ancelotti’s line-up and has only missed five matches since his arrival from Barcelona in 2018, one game being earlier this season through suspension.However, despite all the doom and gloom, the Toffees could well be fine in his absence thanks to some magic from director of football Marcel Brands this summer.Not only did he deliver a whole new midfield in the shape of James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan, but too a promising young left-back who has the potential to be Digne’s long-term heir.Everton snagged Niels Nkounkou from Marseille’s grasp on a free-transfer as the 20-year-old rejected a professional deal with the Ligue 1 giants in favour of playing for Ancelotti.

We have already got a few glimpses of the young left-back this term. He has started all three games in the Carabao Cup, helping contribute to three resounding victories, whilst he also covered for Digne during the defeat at Newcastle.

A Premier League debut at St James’ Park isn’t the easiest of starts.

Arguably, his best game in a Toffees shirt came against Salford City where he recorded a 7.4 rating by SofaScore after two tackles, two interceptions, three key passes and four successful dribbles.

After announcing his transfer, Brands claimed: “Niels is a young, talented player with good technical and physical skills. We have been following him for months.”

Whilst Jeremy Smith of the French Football Weekly podcast has likened him to one Man City star, he said: “He is a little like a Benjamin Mendy in that he is strong, has a great engine and can patrol the whole flank all match and has a decent shot and cross on him too. He’s also a little raw though, and needs to work a lot on his positioning and particularly his concentration.”

He may not be Digne, but he is certainly a decent back-up to have. You could only imagine the chaos at Finch Farm right now if they didn’t sign Nknounkou this summer.

AND in other news,ÂAncelotti must offload Everton outcast this January, already cost over £40m…

From the moment Manchester United suffered defeat away to Istanbul Basaksehir, they knew they had an absolute mountain to climb in their Champions League group.

The draw had pitted them alongside both PSG and RB Leipzig, so realistically, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s desperately needed a minimum of two wins from two from the side from Turkey.

That damaging defeat left them requiring a win against Leipzig in their final group game, and after falling 3-0 behind on Tuesday night, there was absolutely no coming back from that, even despite mounting a late rally.

And whilst Solskjaer will understandably take a lot of the criticism for his side’s performance, Harry Maguire delivered the kind of shocking display that will once again leave many wondering just how Leicester managed to prise out £80m for him.

The England international looked all at sea trying to deal with Leipzig’s fluid attacks, and it was no surprise that he was found wanting for the Bundesliga side’s decisive third, when he completely misjudged a cross and allowed Justin Kluivert to pounce.

Maguire’s lack of awareness of runners behind him has become a theme of his defending at United, and when the stats sheet on Tuesday see him having made no tackles or interceptions whatsoever, that’s no surprise at all.

It even led United legend Paul Scholes to slam him as being “wooden” and “stiff” whilst on punditry duty for the game, and for the United captain to produce such a display in a game they desperately needed their leaders to stand up and be counted, was disappointing to say the least.

Solskjaer might take the flak for being the man in charge, but Maguire’s performance shouldn’t go unpunished either.

Steven Gerrard has admitted that Borna Barisic is a doubt for Glasgow Rangers’ clash against Livingston this weekend following his injury against Standard Liege.

Barisic a doubt

Barisic was named in the starting line-up for the opening Europa League group game against the Belgian outfit but was forced off shortly before the half-time whistle.

Gerrard has subsequently commented on the Croatia international’s situation and he has admitted that he could miss this weekend’s game. He said:

“We have a few kicks, some bumps but we are not too concerned.

“The only one is Barisic who is a doubt, for now, it doesn’t look to be a big problem but we will do a scan to double-check.

“I thought he (Bassey) was outstanding, coming into a game of that level with so little experience. We are all proud of him and with time we believe we can develop him even further.

“He is in a good place and he is ready, every time he has been called upon he has produced.”

Bassey a solid replacement

Whilst losing Barisic is no doubt a blow – with six assists already this campaign, he has proven himself to be an important member of the squad – Gerrard has an adequate replacement in Calvin Bassey. The 20-year-old arrived from Leicester City during the summer transfer window and his performance came in for high praise from many of the Ibrox faithful.

The ‘Gers paid just £300,000 in compensation to the Foxes and that is already looking like a shrewd piece of business. He will unlikely be a regular starter at the moment when £3.6m-valued Barisic is available, but this is a squad game and Bassey will get his opportunities. If he continues to play like this, he will not let anyone down.

In other news, some fans think this star does not get Rangers after his poor performance against Standard Liege. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Let’s face it, Glasgow Rangers winger Brandon Barker has failed to make the most of his second chance under Steven Gerrard. The former England U20 international, who was widely tipped to leave the Ibrox outfit, was given a big opportunity alongside Alfredo Morelos on the right wing, with Ianis Hagi named on the bench in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Although Rangers romped to a 2-0 win over their arch-rivals Celtic, it’s fair to say that he didn’t really do much, if anything at all, to justify his place in the starting line-up.

The Independent gave him an average grade of 6/10, claiming “he ran hard, but ultimately didn’t provide too much of an impact before being replaced”, whilst The Daily Record gave him the same score, saying he was “handed a big opportunity on the sides of Morelos and was urged by his manager to start offering a bit more with just a quarter of the contest having elapsed.”

Since then, Barker was subsequently dropped to the bench for the game against Standard Liege in the Europa League group stages, whilst he wasn’t even named in the squad for the 2-0 win over Livingston last weekend, which implies that Gerrard’s patience is rapidly wearing thin.

And with reports over the summer suggesting that Gerrard’s side were keeping tabs on Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy, it may be time for the Light Blues to cut their losses.

Reports in recent times had revealed that Murphy was interested in a loan move to the Ibrox outfit but Newcastle boss Steve Bruce wanted him to stay and fight for his place at St James’ Park.

Whilst a move failed to materialise at the time, Rangers chief Ross Wilson must return for the attacking midfielder, who can play on the left or right flank, in the winter transfer window before it’s too late.

Bye-bye Barker?

Bruce has heaped praise on Murphy for his return to form in recent weeks, but he will face a fight to fend off interest from elsewhere as he has entered the last year of his current contract.

The 25-year-old was given his time to shine against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League at the weekend and he seized the opportunity with open arms after he scored on his first start in the English top flight since 2018.

This season, Murphy is averaging 1.5 dribbles in the Premier League, via WhoScored, whilst Barker is only managing fewer than one dribble per game in the Scottish Premiership, as per WhoScored.

Once hailed as a talented player who has “great ability” by his teammate Rob Elliot, the Englishman arguably played some of the best football of his career whilst on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last term, where he scored nine goals and supplied four assists in the Championship, whilst he averaged 1.7 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game via WhoScored. By comparison, Barker only managed to score one goal in the Scottish top tier last term, via Transfermarkt.

The versatile player was deployed as a full-back in a back five at Molineux, which suggests that he could provide injury cover and competition for club captain James Tavernier as well. We reckon Rangers would be better off binning Barker and bringing Murphy in instead. Get it done, Gers, by any means necessary.

AND in other news, Joe Aribo marks his Glasgow Rangers return with dominant display against Livingston…

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-England international defender Danny Mills has heaped praise on Spurs defender Matt Doherty after the club managed to secure a £16 million deal to sign him from Wolves last week – with the pundit going on to describe his traits as ‘what Mourinho wants’.

Doherty, who started 32 games for the Molineux outfit last season, proving an old reliable under Nuno Espirito Santo, has now completed a switch to north London to become part of Spurs’ Champions League qualification push next season.

His signing also opens the door for Serge Aurier to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and pundit Mills thinks the acquisition is an ‘upgrade’ on the Ivorian.

The new Premier League campaign starts in just under a fortnight, and Mills has been in awe over Spurs’ tackling of the transfer market so far – going on to worship the signing of Doherty to Football Insider.

Jermaine Jenas has also proved to be a fan of the right-back in past seasons, with the ex-Spur once calling him ‘sensational’ to Match of the Day via Sports Joe. 

Mills, branding Doherty as ‘solid’ and ‘reliable’, certainly appears to admire the 6ft 1 stalwart, and he could be a coup if the ex-top flight veteran’s verdict is anything to go by.

“He is an upgrade on Serge Aurier. He has done incredibly well at Wolves over the past few seasons,” explained Mills to FI.

“Lots of people coming out and saying he is an Arsenal fan and so what? It makes no difference.

“I have been very impressed with him at Wolves. He has a good skill set, great ability in the final third and a very, very good work ethic. He is solid, reliable and that is what Mourinho wants from his players.”

Mourinho, having now secured deals for Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Joe Hart this summer, with chairman Daniel Levy spending around £30 million in the process, could see the squad significantly bolstered just in time for his first full debut season in charge.

The Republic of Ireland international comes in as an alternative to polarising defender Aurier, with the Lilywhites right-back now potentially on his way out this summer as AC Milan become continuously linked (Fabrizio Romano via Football Italia).

Spurs fans, is Matt Doherty a bargain coup? Have your say in the comments below…