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Whilst eyebrows will have undoubtedly been raised for the magnitude of the investment since the arrival of Todd Boehly at Chelsea, there’s little doubt about the impact of the additions in recent weeks.

The American may have spent upwards of £1bn on new talent since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge, but numerous players have thrived since their respective moves to aid the Blues’ Premier League ambitions.

Nicolas Jackson was a player who was often in the firing line for criticism last season for his wastefulness in front of goal, missing various big chances in key moments.

However, in the 2024/25 campaign, the Senegalese has been a revelation, scoring six times in his first 11 appearances, also notching three assists in the process.

Despite Jackson’s turn in form within the final third, he’s still been unable to get the better of one teammate who has started the new season as he finished the last.

Cole Palmer’s time at Chelsea

Winger Cole Palmer has enjoyed another unbelievable few weeks at Chelsea, going from strength to strength in the new season, picking up exactly where he left off last campaign.

The 22-year-old has already registered a total of 12 combined goals and assists in as many games, producing some phenomenal moments of magic including his long-range free-kick against Brighton at the Bridge.

As a result of his recent displays under Enzo Maresca, he was named in the top 30 of the Ballon d’Or, finishing ahead of the likes of Declan Rice and Mats Hummels.

However, he could be missing for the next couple of weeks after suffering a knee injury in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United, leaving Maresca sweating over his potential fitness.

The boss and the supporters will be hoping that he will be fit enough to face London rivals Arsenal at the home on Sunday afternoon, looking to build on his sensational start to the new season.

He will undoubtedly play a huge part in any potential success that the Blues endure this season, with sides now starting to pay closer attention to the former Manchester City star to prevent him from running them ragged.

However, despite his recent form, he could’ve been aided in his attempts had the club kept hold of one star who came through the Cobham academy setup.

A player who Chelsea sold too soon

Right-back Ola Aina came through the club’s academy setup, making six senior appearances for the Chelsea first-team during the 2016/17 season.

However, the Nigeria international would be sent on various different loan spells to the likes of Hull City and Torino, before permanently joining the Serie A side in 2019.

Fast-forward to the current day and the 28-year-old is currently plying his trade for Nottingham Forest after joining the Reds on a free transfer during the summer of 2023.

Aina has cemented himself as a first-team regular under current boss Nuno Espírito Santo this season, starting all ten Premier League matches in the process.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

The “sensational” full-back, as described by journalist Louis Wheeldon, scored just his second goal for the club last weekend in the 3-0 victory over West Ham United, helping Forest climb to third in the Premier League.

However, he’s also produced some magnificent stats across the board, many of which would’ve allowed current Blues star Palmer to reach the next level during his time in West London.

Aina has won 14 tackles and 46 duels in his opening ten games during the ongoing Premier League campaign, providing that defensive solidity, and allowing Palmer to stay in advanced areas and focus on that aspect of his game.

Games played

10

Goals scored

1

Pass accuracy

81%

Tackles won

14

Duels won

46

Big chances created

5

Successful dribbles

10

He’s also completed ten dribbles and created five chances in the final third, potentially providing the English international with the added ammunition to further improve on his impressive tallies.

Whilst Reece James and Malo Gusto remain two important defensive options for Maresca, there’s no denying Aina’s quality, potentially offering a more experienced option.

At the time it may have seen the right call to part ways with the Nigerian, but it’s a decision that looks to have been a mistake given his recent form in England’s top flight.

Boehly must permanently axe Chelsea flop who earns even more than Palmer

Chelsea need to sell a player who’s earning even more than Cole Palmer.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 5, 2024

An “underrated” £90,000-per-week West Ham United player is growing frustrated and wants out of the London Stadium, according to a report this week, with manager Julen Lopetegui at risk of losing him soon.

West Ham players who could leave in 2025

A quartet of senior squad members in Michail Antonio, Danny Ings, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski are all out of contract next summer as things stand, so Tim Steidten will have to agree extension deals or let them depart for free.

Related Saudi side make £83 million out-of-window offer to sign West Ham star

The Middle East has emerged as a potential destination for him.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Oct 26, 2024

Antonio and Ings are part of an aging strike force, with Lopetegui pushing the West Ham hierarchy to sign a striker in January amid concerns over a lack of options. Long-serving shot-stopper Fabianski is now 39-years-old and in the twilight phase of his career, and the same can be said for Cresswell, who’s been at the club for over a decade.

Vladimir Coufal will go down as a fan favourite and key player during the 2020/2021 season under David Moyes, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival in the summer has negated the need for him to remain at Rush Green for much longer.

West Ham Results: 2024/25

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#10

19/10/2024

Tottenham (A)

Premier League

4-1 loss

#9

05/10/2024

Ipswich (H)

Premier League

4-1 win

#8

28/09/2024

Brentford (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#7

25/09/2024

Liverpool (A)

Carabao Cup

5-1 loss

#6

21/09/2024

Chelsea (H)

Premier League

3-0 loss

#5

14/09/2024

Fulham (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#4

31/08/2024

Man City (H)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#3

28/08/2024

Bournemouth (H)

Carabao Cup

1-0 win

#2

24/08/2024

Crystal Palace (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#1

17/08/2024

Aston Villa (H)

Premier League

2-1 loss

Bizarrely, summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has already been tipped to leave West Ham, with an achilles tendon injury blighting his career at the club so far. The 31-year-old’s overall fitness record has been looked into, and it doesn’t make for pretty reading, which has prompted some to question why they struck a deal with Borussia Dortmund in the first place.

“He had a few issues during his time in Germany with his fitness,” said former recruitment chief Mick Brown to Football Insider.

“That, I’ve heard, played a part in the reason Dortmund were keen to let him go. So if that was an issue, and it was known in Germany, you’ve got to ask serious questions about why it was overlooked by West Ham.

“Paying almost £30million for a 31-year-old is always risky, but spending that money on a player with fitness issues at that age is a huge problem.”

A much bigger blow than losing Fullkrug would be having to part company with forward Mohammed Kudus, who is reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Kudus growing frustrated at West Ham and taking action to leave

According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool are firmly among the growing list of suitors for him. They add that Kudus is growing increasingly frustrated at West Ham, and has told his agents to explore a possible move to Merseyside. The Ghana international, called “underrated” by some, has stood out as one of Lopetegui’s key attacking players so far this season.

If West Ham’s disappointing start to the season continues, there is every reason reports of this nature could begin to hold weight behind them. The 24-year-old, on a reported £90,000-per-week, was rumoured to have an £85 million release clause in the summer – but it has now expired.

Barcelona have tied defender Ronald Araujo to a new contract that keeps him tied to the club until 2031.

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Araujo extends dealHad been linked with JuventusDefender has become vitalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona have confirmed that Araujo has put pen to paper on a new contract until 2031. Juventus had tabled a bid for the Uruguay centre-back in January and had hoped to convince him to leave the Catalan club but he will instead be staying for at least six more years.

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Araujo has been limited to just one La Liga appearances this season as a result of a hamstring injury. He has played 154 times for Barca in total and is a key cog in their defensive machine.

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Barcelona signed Araujo back in 2017 from Uruguayan club Boston River and he has since gone on to win both La Liga and the Copa del Rey in Catalonia. He has also won 20 caps for his country.

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Barcelona play Valencia on Sunday. They will then take on Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Leeds United go into this weekend’s set of Championship fixtures raring to go again, as Elland Road sets the stage for a showdown between Daniel Farke’s Whites and Mark Robins’ up-and-down Coventry City side.

The Sky Blues have won only once this season, and so the West Yorkshire outfit will go into the game wanting to prove to fans that they mean business, against a team that did manage to draw with Leeds last season away from home.

Largie Ramazani will hope he’s given the nod to start against Coventry this coming Saturday, after impressing with his first goal in Leeds colours in the 2-0 win over Cardiff City last time out, with other attackers such as Mateo Joseph also lively in spurts.

Ramazani & Joseph's importance to Leeds

Ramazani might well retain his space, dependent on Manor Solomon’s fitness, after announcing himself to the Leeds faithful in Wales.

His breakaway strike in the first half versus the now managerless Bluebirds broke the deadlock and allowed the away side to feel less nervy in the game, as the ex-Almeria man powered home an effort confidently after finding himself one-on-one with opposition goalkeeper Jak Alnwick.

He will hope this is just the start for him donning a Whites strip, with Farke and Co hopeful he can be another tricky winger for the promotion chasers akin to the likes of Crysencio Summerville.

There will also be plenty more expected of the aforementioned Joseph this season, who found himself in and out of the 2-0 win for the most part but still managed to assist Ramazani’s crucial opener.

Games played

6

Goals scored

1

Assists

3

Shots per game

2.7

Big chances missed

2

Big chances created

4

Only managing 32 touches of the ball in total away from that important contribution, it is to be expected that Joseph – who is only still 20 years of age – isn’t the finished article just yet, but the table above suggests that he won’t be dropped for the test of Coventry on Saturday, owing to his promising numbers across the full campaign so far.

Amazingly, despite both players playing their part in Leeds’ last win on the road, their wages are still lower than one player who should be given the boot from Elland Road.

Why Leeds need to get rid of Darlow

Leeds fans must have thought the purchase of Karl Darlow last year was going to see Ilian Meslier be pushed all the way for a starting spot between the sticks, with the former Newcastle man having amassed 154 Championship games across his career, on top of featuring in 52 Premier League clashes.

Yet, the £400k move organised by Farke and the 49ers just hasn’t worked out whatsoever with the forgotten-about shot-stopper simply a bench warmer for the manager now, with his only display this season against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup also very poor.

The nervy ‘keeper on the night would leak three goals as Leeds were comprehensively beaten by Michael Carrick’s men, with his hefty £30k-per-week wage now rightly under the microscope.

Alongside his £400k fee, Leeds have wasted £2m already on Darlow when taking into account his wage costs for all of last season too – as the fringes ‘keeper has also only made five appearances in total for the Whites, keeping zero clean sheets in the process.

In contrast, both Ramazani and Joseph take home a lesser £17.5k-per-week and £15k-per-week respectively, despite linking up in Wales to help their side go back to Elland Road with three points in hand.

It’s not just Darlow’s wage that will make for grim reading, with Patrick Bamford also raking in an outrageous £70k-per-week salary, even as Joseph gets more first team minutes now over the ageing attacker.

Leeds could look to move on the ex-Magpies man soon, therefore, with Meslier very much secure in his first-team spot away from Darlow’s woes.

£12m wasted: Farke must sell Leeds man who earns more than Gnonto

The Whites loanee must be ditched from the squad in one of the next two transfer windows.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 25, 2024

Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy reportedly learns swear words in the native languages of his rivals to get into their heads during tight clashes.

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Vardy learns cuss words in different languagesUses native languages to get in defenders' headsLeicester legend set to star in new documentaryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Vardy has been one of the greatest strikers to grace the modern Premier League era and possibly the biggest wind-up merchant the English top division has ever seen over the last decade. After spending a year in the Championship, Vardy announced his return to the Premier League this season by mocking Tottenham Hotspur fans by pointing out their lack of trophies by pointing at his Premier League badge, to highlight the Foxes' win in the 2015/16 season.

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The Telegraph has now revealed that Vardy teaches himself cuss words in the opposition defenders' native language to try and usurp their furies and get them off their game without alerting the referees towards the use of abusive language.

DID YOU KNOW?

Vardy is one of the most loved players in the Premier League and a brand-new documentary about Vardy's remarkable transformation from a non-league football player to a Premier League champion will be accessible on Netflix in 2025 as per The Telegraph. The documentary will also highlight his relationship with his wife Rebekah Vardy.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR VARDY?

Leicester City have not been in the best form and the Foxes are currently 17th in the Premier League and Vardy will likely be a starter when they take on Wolves on Sunday, December 22.

Aaron Finch praised the coach for tackling the issues “head on”

Andrew McGlashan01-Jul-2021Justin Langer addressed the “confronting” team reviews that led to talk of unrest in the Australia dressing room before the limited-overs squad departed for West Indies with a greater use of an expanded team of assistant coaches one of the key recommendations.Reports emerged in newspapers after the Test series defeat against India that there were tensions behind closed doors, which was followed up by end-of-season reviews conducted with leadership consultant Tim Ford who had been involved with the return of David Warner and Steven Smith after their bans in 2019. But given the challenges created by Covid-19 last weekend’s camp on the Gold Coast was the first time Langer had the chance to address a full squad.Related

Defeats, bubbles and absent players: how Australia threatened to unravel

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Finch refocuses on T20 World Cup build-up despite tour disruptions

Australia's T20 shake-up – who has the most to gain?

Those heading to the West Indies were joined by others from outside the white-ball group, including Test captain Tim Paine, while New South Wales-based players were involved remotely due to the lockdown in Sydney.”Over the couple of days on the Gold Coast we had a great camp…the ability for JL to address a few issues that came up in the review with Tim Ford, that was brilliant from him to tackle them head on, suppose put his side of the story, that shows the quality of the man he is and things he’s working on,” limited-overs captain Aaron Finch said from St Lucia.”We are all behind him 100%, the way he’s coached Australia in the last couple of years has been fantastic, think we’ve had some really good success. No doubt it was quite confronting for him at the time but he took it head on and it was great. Very positive from our point of view.”The intense nature of how Langer goes about his work was understood to be one of key issues raised in the reviews although there was an understanding of the trying circumstances created by bubble life.Graeme Hick departed as batting coach amid the cost-cutting created by the pandemic last year, but Michael Di Venuto and Jeff Vaughan were announced as new assistant coaches on Thursday joining Andrew McDonald, who took charge of the T20 tour of New Zealand earlier this year when Langer had been due to head to South Africa, as Langer’s support.Justin Langer has not gathered a full squad since early in the year•Getty ImagesDi Venuto, who was previously the team’s batting coach, is currently with the squad in West Indies and will join full-time for the home season alongside Vaughan after he stepped down as Tasmania coach.”Think there was a combination of a few things,” Finch said on changes to approach. “On the back of a lot of bubbles as well think he could have used his assistants a little better and delegated in that regard but there was nothing groundbreaking. It was stuff every player and every coach would reflect on themselves. The way he confronted that and the way it was received by the players was outstanding.”Finch and Langer do not have a full-strength squad available to them for the series against West Indies and Bangladesh (the latter yet to have the biosecure plans confirmed) following the withdrawal players due to bubble fatigue.While Finch has admitted that it isn’t an ideal situation leading into the T20 World Cup in four months he knows Australia are not alone with such a challenge and it is likely to remain that way for some time.”We are going to have to manage players a little differently over the coming 12-24 months, however long the way cricket is,” he said. “So while it’s not the perfect preparation we are not alone in that and it will give an opportunity to continue to develop our depth and find some more solutions.”A further challenge for Australia is that there is the mandatory two weeks quarantine whenever they return to the country. To highlight the logistical jigsaw puzzle, there are only 13 days between the T20 World Cup final on November 14 and the scheduled opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Hobart on November 27.It may require Cricket Australia to gain further exemptions from the government for players from both sides to take part inside their mandatory quarantine period. However, Finch made it very clear that no first-choice T20 players would be left out of Australia’s squad.”The T20 World Cup is an international event, the one piece of [limited-overs] silverware that was eluded us. They’ll be no management for Test cricket, I can tell you that much.”The story was updated with news of the coaching appointments

Kate Cross scores 43 and takes three-for in pivotal all-round display

ECB Reporters' Network31-May-2021North West Thunder recovered from their heart-breaking one-wicket defeat on the opening day of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy to beat Sunrisers by 36 runs at Chester Boughton Hall and record their first win of the season.Georgie Boyce hit a superb 91 in Thunder’s total of 247, in which Sonali Patel took a hat-trick to finish with figures of 4 for 40. Sunriser’s spirited reply was based around an excellent half-century from Fran Wilson but three wickets apiece for England stars Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone ensured the target was too much for Amara Carr’s side.Boyce and Emma Lamb got the hosts off to a steady start and the pair had reached 44 when Patel made the breakthrough thanks to a smart catch from Alice Macleod at mid-off.A pattern was quickly set as Boyce was joined by a revolving supporting cast with Pippa Cleary, Natalie Brown and Ecclestone all departing to Maddy Villiers’ offbreaks without hurting the Sunrisers too much. It was not until the arrival of Cross that Boyce found a partner of any real note as the 29-year-old sparked an acceleration of the run rate with some powerful hitting.When Boyce finally departed nine short of a well-deserved century, trapped in front Grace Scrivens, Thunder had passed the 200 mark with Cross continuing to bludgeon her side to a competitive total.It was just as well as when Cross skied one to Wilson for a vital 43 she became the first instalment of a Patel hat-trick, with Laura Marshall stumped next ball for 13 before Alex Hartley departed first delivery caught by Scrivens.The clatter of wickets ensured Thunder closed on 247 for 9, which felt a little short of what they would have liked and Sunrisers began their chase in confident fashion.Macleod and Cordelia Griffith had reached 37 unbeaten in the eighth over before Cross claimed two wickets in two balls to dismiss the latter for 22 and have skipper Carr caught behind first ball.Wilson began to rebuild the innings and Sunrisers looked to have got themselves back in contention as together with Macleod the pair built a third wicket partnership of 72. But Ecclestone then struck, trapping the opener in front for 38.Wilson’s lone resistance proved fruitless as the visitors lost their next three wickets for just nine runs with Hartley accounting for Naomi Dattani and Villiers before Lamb claimed the crucial wicket of Wilson bowled around her legs for 50 with Sunrisers 127 for 6.Some late resistance from the tail saw Sunrisers pass 200, but Ecclestone and Cross came back to wrap things up before Hannah Jones trapped Gayatri Gole in front for 15 and claim the victory.

Leeds United have opened talks to sign a potential replacement for attacker Georginio Rutter as the Frenchman's exit continues to draw closer, according to one report.

Rutter on verge of Leeds exit

Having already lost Crysencio Summerville this summer, Leeds are on the verge of losing French forward Rutter to another Premier League club in the shape of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Speaking last week, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke admitted that a deal was close after Brighton triggered his £40m release clause and that Rutter had already confirmed his decision to leave the Championship side in the coming days.

"I expect he will leave. It's not in our hands anymore. [It has been] difficult. Fair play to Georgi for not ruling himself out. He asked to sleep on it overnight and wanted to help us.

"We tried to convince him, but we must stick to what was signed in the past", Farke added.

Though Rutter's departure will take Leeds well over £100m in money made from sales this summer, those exits have been keenly felt on the pitch.

After two games of a Championship season in which Leeds were favourites to secure promotion, they sit in sixteenth place without a win, having followed their 3-3 opening day draw with Portsmouth up with a 0-0 affair against West Bromwich Albion.

Between those ties, they were dumped out of the EFL Cup in the first round after being thrashed 3-0 by Middlesbrough at Elland Road as their season threatens to die out before it has even truly started.

Leeds United's next five fixtures

Matchday

Opponent

3

Sheffield Wednesday (Away)

4

Hull City (Home)

5

Burnley (Home)

6

Cardiff City (Away)

7

Coventry City (Home)

Additions are needed, and fast, with Farke revealing that he wants four new faces before the transfer window slams shut in two weeks' time. Now, he may have identified one of those.

Leeds open talks to sign £8m striker

That comes as journalist Marc Mechenoua claims that Leeds are in talks with Swedish side Hammarby IF over a deal to sign striker Jusef Erabi this summer.

The 21-year-old striker has scored seven times so far this season in the Swedish top flight, and his form has attracted the attention of clubs in England's second tier.

And Farke's side are one of those keen to bring him to England, with talks "ongoing" over a move to add him to the depleted attacking ranks at Elland Road before the transfer deadline.

Fewer touches than Meslier: Farke must drop 4/10 Leeds man after West Brom

Leeds’ poor start to the new campaign continued.

ByMatt Dawson Aug 17, 2024

Leeds are not the only side chasing his signature though, with Norwich also keen on making a move for the youngster after selling Adam Idah to Celtic this summer. Both clubs have been warned that it will cost €10m (£8m) to prise him away from Sweden this summer, though given that both clubs have just made major sales the price tag may not prove too much of a stumbling block.

Would the 21-year-old be able to replace Rutter in the Elland Road side, or should the Whites be looking elsewhere to ensure promotion back to the top flight?

England Women 181 for 2 (Beaumont 71, Knight 67*) beat New Zealand Women 178 (Jensen 53, Halliday 50) by eight wicketsTammy Beaumont and Heather Knight produced a pair of fluent half-centuries at Hagley Oval, as England Women marked their first ODI in 437 days with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over New Zealand.Had it not been for the Covid outbreak, England’s defence of their 2017 World Cup title would have been well underway by now, but instead Knight’s team showed they have learned the lessons of a somewhat rusty loss in their final warm-up in Queenstown last week to reassert their credentials, and inflict on New Zealand a tenth consecutive ODI defeat – the worst losing streak in their history.In a one-sided contest, New Zealand chose to bat first but were rolled aside for 178 in 45.1 overs, with Hayley Jensen’s 53 from 58 balls at the top of the order being matched by an eye-catching 50 from 54 from the debutant Brooke Halliday at No. 7.Besides those contributions, however, there was very little substance to New Zealand’s innings, which was perhaps most notable for the return of Tash Farrant to England’s ODI line-up for her second 50-over appearance, almost seven-and-a-half years after her debut against West Indies in November 2013.Sharing the new ball with Katherine Brunt, Farrant impressed with figures of 2 for 31 in seven overs, with her early dismissal of Amy Satterthwaite for 3 undermining New Zealand’s hopes of a competitive total. Farrant then returned to extract Lea Tahuhu for 8 late in New Zealand’s innings.England’s wickets were shared around among their seven bowlers – a testament to how insubstantial New Zealand’s partnerships proved to be. Sophie Ecclestone was the only bowler to complete her full allocation, as she reached 100 international wickets with her haul of 2 for 31 in ten overs of left-arm spin.New Zealand’s reliance on the likes of Satterthwaite, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr meant that their cheap dismissals, inside the first 27 overs of the innings, left the rest of the order caught in two mindsets as they attempted to chisel a decent score.Katey Martin dug in for 14 from 35 balls before falling victim to Knight, as no player besides the two half-centurions mustered more than Devine’s 16.England’s reply was brisk and to the point. Danni Wyatt fell in the eighth over, but not before 42 runs were on the board, while Beaumont had struck 11 fours in her innings of 71 before succumbing to Tahuhu, who appeared to compound New Zealand’s concerns when she limped off with a hamstring injury late in the game.Knight and Natalie Sciver then swept England to victory with few further alarms. New Zealand’s one saving grace was a competitive debut for their 16-year-old left-arm spinner Fran Jonas, who was not flattered by her maiden figures of 0 for 31 in five overs.”We probably had a bit of a wake-up call against New Zealand XI last week,” Beaumont said. “We needed to tighten up in some areas and certainly the bowlers came out and showed that today. Every single one of them bowled exceptionally well to keep New Zealand to 180, so they really impressed today.”

Everton have been active in the transfer market this summer and now that international duties have been wrapped up, they will focus on building toward a successful start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Sean Dyche earned his laurels last term, engendering a steely mentality and an inner belief that allowed the Toffees to overcome an eight-point deduction in the Premier League and record a comfortable 16th-place finish.

Now, with PSR circumvented, Everton will fight toward a sunlit future, and while Amadou Onana is in the process of being sold to Aston Villa for £50m, his sacrifice means Jarrad Branthwaite is all but confirmed to stay at Goodison Park – barring a jaw-dropping offer for his services.

Everton Transfer Dealings So Far
Incomings	Outgoings
Iliman Ndiaye	Ben Godfrey (£10m)
Tim Iroegbunam	Lewis Dobbin (£10m)
	Andy Lonergan (free)
	Andre Gomes (free)
Sourced via Transfermarkt

Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam have already been signed but there is more to come, with Everton lining up an exciting new winger after attempts to sign Hull City's Jaden Philogene were foiled.

Everton transfer news

According to La Gazzetta dellot Sport – via Goodison News – Everton have been busy in their preparation to sign Napoli winger Jesper Lindstrom, even ready to table an offer of £25m for his services.

Such news follows the words of Fabrizio Romano, who revealed last week that the Merseysiders had opened talks with the Serie A side for the transfer of the Dane. Napoli are willing to do business for the right fee – and £25m is a sizeable fee indeed.

Having rejected a proposal from Everton's arch-rivals Liverpool one year ago, this would be a sweet, sweet signing to pump some new life into Dyche's attack.

What Jesper Lindstrom would bring to Everton

Lindstrom might not have the finest final product on the block, but he boasts a range of qualities that would make him an exciting fit for an Everton side that needs some added oomph in the attacking third.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin proved this at the end of the 2022/23 campaign that his shooting boots are taking form once again, bagging four goals and adding an assist across his final seven outings. More, Ndiaye will add offensive impetus and Dwight McNeil is one of the most creative wingers out there, fashioning 17 big chances in the Premier League last term.

Lindstrom, 24, can play across the frontline and could revive his career under Dyche's tutelage after falling by the wayside in Naples, completing 29 appearances since his transfer one year ago but failing to score and failing to assist.

He was on the fringe in a pervasive environment, the 2022/23 Serie A champions suffering a dramatic downturn in form after their staggering success, and such travails are not reflective of an exciting skillset.

Indeed, during the 2022/23 Bundesliga season – with Eintracht Frankfurt – Lindstrom impressed with his progressive ability and dynamic threat, scoring seven goals and supplying four assists across 22 starting features in the division, hailed for his "exceptional" performances by journalist Antonio Mango.

He also impressed with his directness, ranking among the top 18% of positional peers in the German top flight that year for progressive carries and touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, as per FBref, highlighting his ball-carrying ability and driven attempts toward the danger area.

He principally plays in the middle but Lindstrom's pace and vehicular-like qualities have seen him feature across both flanks on many occasions, and considering such progressive strengths, he might even prove to be the perfect alternative to Jaden Philogene.

Philogene was heavily linked with a move to Everton before re-signing for Aston Villa from Hull City in a £13m deal, achieved due to a pre-payment clause embedded when the Villans sold the stylish winger one year ago.

The 22-year-old was spellbinding for the Tigers, positively purring his way through the season as he scored, assisted and entertained to no end. 12 goals and six assists are nothing to be sniffed at, but the real locus of Philogene's quality lies in the underlying metrics, averaging 2.4 tackles, 4.2 ball recoveries, 2.7 dribbles and 7.6 successful duels per game.

Philogene ranked among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship last season for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.

Perhaps Lindstrom doesn't quite boast the same electrifying presence but he has proven himself a reliable ball carrier in the past and would arrive at Goodison Park with a fresh chance to cement himself as one of the outfit's leading members.

Everton have proven their grit, their adaptability, over recent years and while they didn't end up with Philogene's signature, moving swiftly in an attempt to tie up the Napoli man's signature is a testament to the determination to succeed.

The £50k-per-week Lindstrom was unable to strut his stuff as he might have liked with Napoli last season but he is still relatively young and desperate to prove himself, and Everton could offer him the platform to use as a launchpad.

Hard-working and multi-skilled, he would be a wonderful addition and would add a dimension that Dyche's team could benefit from greatly, perhaps even breaking back into the desirable side of the Premier League table.

Imagine him & DCL: Everton targeting "incredible" Onana replacement

They have made contact to sign him

By
Joe Nuttall

Jul 14, 2024