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Everton are reportedly now ‘trying’ to sign Maxwel Cornet alongside Dwight McNeil.

The Lowdown: McNeil imminent

The signing of McNeil is imminent, pending an official announcement from the Goodison Park outfit.

He will follow his former Burnley teammate James Tarkowski, as well as former Wolves left-back Ruben Vinagre, through the doors on Merseyside to become their third signing of the summer.

The Latest: Cornet too?

Taking to Twitter, journalist Fraser Fletcher has revealed that Frank Lampard’s team are also ‘trying’ to sign Cornet on top of McNeil:

“Everton still trying to get Maxwel Cornet. They are up against it with Nottingham Forest, Fulham and one unnamed club for Cornet but McNeil is not “instead of” Cornet. McNeil has verbal agreement with Everton and will complete soon.”

The Verdict: Smart business

It seems wild that the Toffees could sign as many as three players from Burnley, should they snap up Cornet as well as both McNeil and Tarkowski.

However, following the Clarets’ relegation from the Premier League last season, it represents smart business as their players are of course available for cut prices.

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Hailed as ‘electric’ by Burnley journalist Andy Jones last term, Cornet more than showed his credentials with nine goals and one assist in the top flight for a relegated side (Transfermarkt), and would be hoping for similar if not better returns should he make the move to the Blues.

Sharing similar stylistic qualities to EFC target Armando Broja (Fbref), the Ivory Coast international would offer a cheaper alternative to the Chelsea striker, who is thought to cost as much as £50m.

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate will miss the Premier League opener and beyond through injury, journalist James Pearce has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Reds open Premier League account

The Reds make the trip to Craven Cottage on Saturday lunchtime, as they look to make a flying start to what is hopefully another legendary campaign in 2022/23.

There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp’s side are strong favourites to prevail over the newly-promoted Cottagers but they have injury problems going into the game.

One of those is Konate, who limped out of last weekend’s pre-season friendly clash with Strasbourg with a knee issue, making him a big doubt for Saturday’s match.

The Latest: Konate out injured

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic‘s Pearce confirmed that Konate would miss out against Fulham, with the defender adding ‘another injury setback’ to a list that already includes Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Expanding in his article, the reporter says Konate will miss at least the opening few weeks of the new season.

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The Verdict: Another big blow

There is no doubt that this is a blow for Liverpool, considering Konate enjoyed such an excellent first season at Anfield, arguably becoming Van Dijk’s first-choice partner by the end of the campaign, evidenced by him starting the Champions League final.

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Granted, the Reds still have Joel Matip and Joe Gomez to call upon – the former will start at Fulham – but having the Frenchman out injured, as well as the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher, Kostas Tsimikas and the aforementioned trio, is far from ideal.

The hope is that Liverpool should still have enough to be too strong for Marco Silva’s side, but the sooner they get Konate back as an option, the better.

Tottenham Hotspur lead the Premier League after matchday one.

It may be very early days but the north Londoners are certainly enjoying a renaissance under the ruthless stewardship of Antonio Conte, who last clinched the Premier League title with Chelsea back in 2017.

That’s who Spurs will be facing at the weekend and arguably, for the first time in a long time, they are the favourites to come out on top.

After two seasons outside of the top four, the Lilywhites finally earned their place back in the Champions League, thanks to the Italian head coach turning things around following his arrival back in November last year.

They pipped arch-rivals Arsenal to a fourth-place finish.

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A lot of that success has come down to their attack, with Harry Kane back among the goals and winter signing Dejan Kulusevski proving to be a game-changer in attack, providing more assists than anyone else in the English top-flight since February.

“Kulusevski, I think, watch him. I think he’s De Bruyne-esque if you like, and he’s 22 years old,” claimed Graeme Souness to talkSPORT (via the Evening Standard).

But it’s another one of Spurs’ stars who scored in the 4-1 mauling of Southampton on the opening day that has been something of an unsung hero under Conte.

Eric Dier.

At one point, the Englishman’s future at the club looked in grave danger. That was largely down to him not finding a comfortable position in a regular role, having often been deployed as a defensive midfielder in his early days by Mauricio Pochettino.

The best example of his complete and utter transformation is seen by Tottenham’s defensive numbers.

During the 2020/21 campaign, Dier made 28 league appearances, in which he was part of the winning side 12 times but only kept eight clean sheets. Meanwhile, last season, the 6 foot 2 colossus was part of 16 clean sheets across 35 appearances, winning 21 matches.

13 of those were under Conte.

“He’s working very hard and in this moment he’s one of the best defenders in the league,” Conte claimed back in March. “He has also big space to improve his performance and his quality and to become a stronger and stronger player.”

Dier cost Spurs just £4m from Spoting Lisbon back in 2014 and now, over eight years on, he’s valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, which is an increase of 530%, meaning Spurs, and chairman Daniel Levy, have certainly struck gold with his transfer.

The £92k-per-week titan’s consistent form has been nothing short of exceptional and he is finally living up to Harry Kane’s tag of being “the beast,” as claimed back in 2016.

AND in other news, Spurs “exploring” swoop for £50m “frightening talent”, could be Conte’s next Fabregas…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Seko Fofana to the London Stadium this summer.

That’s according to ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast that, despite RC Lens not being overly keen on the idea of parting with the €35m (£29.5m) central midfielder in the coming weeks, the Ivory Coast international is nonetheless a player on David Moyes’ list of targets prior to the closure of the current market next month.

Regarding the club’s interest in the 27-year-old, the Hammers insider said: “There’s also potentially a guy from Lens, although they’re not keen to sell him – they’ve already expressed that. But it’s Seko Fofana, who has emerged as a potential target. Although, that one, I think, is lower down on the list.”

The next Yaya Toure

While Fofana has undoubtedly been something of a late bloomer following his departure from Manchester City back in the summer of 2016, the 27-year-old is finally beginning to prove just how talented a midfielder he truly is – as well as one who deserves a second crack at Premier League football.

Indeed, after enjoying an impressive campaign with Lens in his debut season at the club in the 2020/21 campaign – scoring two goals, registering three assists and creating five big chances over his 30 Ligue 1 appearances – the £22.5m-rated talent took his game to a whole new level last time out.

Over his 38 league fixtures, the £25k-per-week Ivorian demonstrated just how much of an attacking threat he can be from the middle of the park, scoring eight goals, providing one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 2.1 dribbles per game.

From these returns, it is easy to see why Fofana credited Yaya Toure as being one of the most influential players for him during his formative years in Manchester, as his compatriot was also an incredibly dangerous option in the heart of midfield – something that is evidenced by his 20 goals and eight assists over 35 fixtures in his remarkable 2013/14 Premier League campaign with City.

As such, should David Moyes be able to convince Lens to part with their “relentless” talent this summer, the Scot could well have unearthed the next Toure at the London Stadium, something that is sure to be an incredibly exciting prospect for supporters of the east London club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow in their bid to land a new centre-forward amid reports that Italy international Andrea Belotti has rejected a move to Molineux.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, the 28-year-old has declined the opportunity to join the Old Gold this summer, with the striker seemingly holding out for a move to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma instead.

The Premier League outfit are said to have made an ‘attempt’ to land the free agent – who ended his seven-year association with Torino earlier this summer – but the player appears to have his heart set on a move to the Stadio Olimpico, with the report also suggesting that he has turned down other rival offers.

The 5 foot 11 marksman had also previously been linked with a move to West Ham United earlier in the summer.

Blow for Lage and Wolves

That news will no doubt have been a real blow to Bruno Lage, with the Wolves manager seemingly intent on strengthening his attacking ranks before the September 1st deadline, with signing a new marksman now a “case of urgency”, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

While the Old Gold have already added Goncalo Guedes to the squad this summer – along with securing the permanent capture of former loanee Hwang Hee-chan – neither is a genuine centre-forward option, hence the need to press on for a further striking recruit.

While Mexico international Raul Jimenez is now available once again following his return from injury at the weekend, the 31-year-old has endured a tough spell in front of goal of late, scoring just six league goals last season.

The team as a whole only netted 38 times in the top-flight during the 2021/22 campaign – the fourth-worst record in the division – while they have only scored once in the opening three games of the new season.

That goal-shy trend looks set to continue unless a new centre-forward addition is made before the window is out, with it set to be a real source of frustration that Belotti has seemingly opted against making the move to England.

The one-time Palermo man has been a prolific presence in Italian football in recent years, notably racking up 113 goals in 251 games during his time in Turin, having also recorded a respectable haul of 12 goals in 44 games for his country.

Although he netted just eight league goals last season – his lowest Serie A tally since the 2014/15 campaign – that figure was still higher than any member of the Wolves squad last term, with Jimenez and Daniel Podence topping the charts with a mere six goals apiece in all competitions.

The £18m-rated ace has proven to be a hugely reliable goalscorer throughout his career thus far, notably enjoying a “monster season” – in the words of Yomi Kazeem – during the 2016/17 campaign, in which he bagged 26 goals and provided five assists in 35 league games.

A potential bargain addition who is almost a sure-fire guarantee of goals, Belotti could well have been the man to solve Lage’s attacking woes.

Tottenham Hotspur have received no offers for Sergio Reguilon…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, who delivered an update on outgoings from Spurs to supporters on Twitter.

“Napoli have agreed deal in principle with Tottenham for loan signing of Tanguy Ndombele – loan fee €1m with an option price of €30m. Medical this week. Clubs from Spain & Italy have shown interest in Harry Winks. No offers for Sergio Reguilon,” he said.

And now in the Lilywhites’ pursuit of Atalanta star Ruslan Malinovskyi, the Serie A outfit have been offered the Spain full-back in return, as per Calciomercato.

Spurs’ next Ndombele

Reguilon cost Spurs around £32m after he arrived alongside returning legend Gareth Bale from Real Madrid back in 2020, signing a five-year deal worth £53k-per-week.

It’s become apparent. though, just like Ndombele, the 25-year-old has no future under manager Antonio Conte after the Italian left him out of their pre-season schedule in a bid to resolve his future, per The Athletic.

That is yet to materialise with less than two weeks remaining in the transfer window and that has to be a worrying sign for chairman Daniel Levy as he’s endured his fair share of problems with the club’s big-money signings.

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Ndombele, whilst he appears to finally be on his way out, has struggled to find suitors for much of the off-season and even in past windows, one of which saw him demand a transfer.

And just like the one-time club-record signing, Reguilon’s route back into the Spurs first-team appears unlikely, given the fact that Conte has signed his tried and trusted favourite, Ivan Perisic.

Ryan Sessegnon has also been starting matches in the Premier League ahead of the Croatian, so it’s those two that Conte will be running with throughout 2022/23.

After Conte’s arrival in November, the Spaniard struggled for form last term, registering only two goals and one assist in the top-flight. Some of his displays led to criticism.

Lilywhites insider Jon Wenham dubbed him “so average” and “just not that good” for his performance in the 3-1 win against West Ham United, whilst football.london reporter Alasdair Gold claimed that he won’t “ever trust that he’s going to put the ball in the net” in the defeat to Southampton.

That’s a key attribute for a wing-back playing under Conte and perhaps why the Italian doesn’t trust him whatsoever either.

But with a lack of interested parties, the north Londoners may well have to keep Reguilon on their books for longer than they’d want to, leading to a potential Ndombele 2.0 for Levy and co.

AND in other news, Paratici could repeat his Romero masterstroke in Spurs swoop for £25m-rated “cannon”…

Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange is eyeing a move for Fenerbahce centre back Attila Szalai as Steven Gerrard attempts to bring in some defensive reinforcements.

What’s the word?

Villa have offered £14m for the 24-year-old according to Birmingham Live as Gerrard aims to bring in a suitable replacement for the injured Diego Carlos before the transfer window closes.

The Hungarian defender has been linked with Villa since last year, and it looks like a concrete offer has been made in order to bring him to the Premier League.

Imagine him and Mings

Gerrard made quite the statement by signing Sevilla defender Carlos in a £26m deal, and he was expected to be the backbone of a Villa defence which conceded 54 league goals last term.

However, the new season hasn’t started out how the manager would have planned, gaining only one win from three matches, which came against Everton.

Disaster struck during that match as Carlos had to be stretchered off injured, and it was later revealed he would miss the majority of the campaign with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

With Kortney Hause joining Watford on loan, this leaves Gerrard with Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers as his only available centre-backs, making this position a priority before the transfer window shuts on Thursday.

Szalai could be an excellent signing, and his statistics suggest that he could form a solid duo with Mings in the Villa backline.

The Hungarian made 1.2 interceptions and 1.1 tackles and was only dribbled past 0.8 times per game for Fenerbahce last season, whereas Mings made 1.3 interceptions and 0.6 tackles and was dribbled past 0.2 times per match. These numbers would suggest that having the two playing together could go a long way to solving Villa’s defensive woes.

The England defender has perhaps been unfairly criticised in the past, with Graeme Souness stating in recent week that he “wouldn’t be joining the love-in for Tyrone Mings” following Gerrard’s decision to strip the defender of the Villa captaincy.

Adding someone of Szalai’s quality, with the Hungarian having been described as “exemplary” by Emre Belözoğlu, could only benefit the Englishman in the long run.

With less than a week to go until the transfer window closes, Gerrard will need to act fast to bring Szalai to the club, in what could be a move which might revive Villa’s season.

Tottenham Hotspur could still move for Adama Traore as their search for attacking reinforcements rumbles on ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

The north London side have been linked to numerous attacking midfielders and wingers in recent weeks but according to Sky Sports reporter Paul Gilmour, mooted moves for names such as Allan Saint-Maximin at Newcastle United and Dan James at Leeds United seem unlikely.

Although, the Wolverhampton Wanderers star is a viable candidate with just over 48 hours left to complete business.

He told the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ YouTube channel:

“Adama Traore is one that won’t go away either, with his contract running down. There’s always a chance.

“He’s [got] good Premier League experience, so he will be quite appealing as a good squad player for any top six club.”

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Better than Dan James

As outlined at Football FanCast in recent days, James would be something of a backwards move for the Lilywhites as he has struggled to impress ever since his step up to the Premier League.

The Wales international, who has been dubbed a “headless chicken” by LeedsLive contributor Conor McGilligan, is currently on a run of 17 matches without a goal, whilst his overall record for Leeds is pretty underwhelming, managing a goal or assist every 313 minutes.

Whilst Traore’s end product isn’t much better, if not slightly worse, the tricky Wolves man is hugely versatile and a major threat on any given afternoon.

His brute physicality and rapid pace is trouble for many a Premier League defender and that’s something we have witnessed plenty of times, leading to Southampton striker Che Adams once lauding him as a “monster,” whilst BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand previously likened him to a powerlifter.

“He’s a machine. I was watching him pre-game and he could be a powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer – he’s huge. He’s powerful and quick and this season he has been scaring defenders. You see teams now trying to double up against him because of the threat he possesses.”

When compared to his positional peers across Europe, Traore ranks within the top 1% for dribbles completed (5.22) and the top 5% for progressive carries (10.16) per 90, as per FBref.

James is some way off this feat, ranking in the top 96% for dribbles completed (0.67) and the top 80% for progressive carries (4.70) per 90, so the Leeds man doesn’t just lack end product, he lacks plenty of bite and if anything, is a much more lightweight option.

Another factor behind Traore being the better option is the fact that he could cost just £10m, given his £43k-per-week contract expires next summer. James, however, cost the Whites a whopping £30m and they’d surely want to recoup as much of that as possible.

So if Conte does want another winger – with Bryan Gil likely to leave on loan and Lucas Moura currently injured – then sporting director Fabio Paratici ought to favour Traore, who has also been dubbed an “animal” by Barcelona manager Xavi, over the underperforming James.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano relays “agreement” over Spurs exit, it’s great news for Conte…

Leeds United are about to welcome back Junior Firpo from injury, according to LUFCFANZONE. 

The lowdown

The left-back sustained an injury during pre-season, with manager Jesse Marsch predicting that the 26-year-old would be out for eight weeks.

He has missed the Whites’ first six Premier League matches, as well as their Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley, forcing the manager to get creative on the left-hand side of his defence.

Pascal Struijk, who is predominantly a centre-back, has spent 584 out of a possible 630 minutes operating as a makeshift full-back so far this term.

The latest

Before confirmation that Leeds’ clash against Nottingham Forest, originally scheduled for Monday night, had been postponed following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, LUFCFANZONE took to Twitter to share the latest on Firpo.

The Spaniard was due to be back in the matchday squad for that game but will now return against Manchester United or, failing that, Aston Villa.

The independent Leeds platform tweeted: “An update on Junior Firpo, the Spaniard will return to Leeds’ squad on Monday following his absence from injury. It is not yet know if he will start or feature on the bench, however he has recovered and will be in the squad.”

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The verdict

This is a timely boost for Leeds, who have stuttered after a strong start to the season.

When Marsch’s side beat Chelsea 3-0 in August, they were sitting pretty in third place with seven points from a possible nine. Since then, however, they have been beaten 1-0 at Brentford, held at home by Everton and thrashed 5-2 by Brighton, tumbling down to ninth.

Firpo has been described as ‘incredibly fit, quick and strong’ by Kevin Campbell, and Leeds can definitely benefit from his return from injury. He ranks in the 95th percentile among full-backs for pressures per 90 minutes and the 78th for touches in the attacking penalty area (FBref), emphasising his ability to get up and down the pitch.

It was a ‘horrible’ injury for the 26-year-old, in the words of Beren Cross of Leeds Live, but Firpo will now be hoping that he can win back his place in the team. Given the lack of squad depth at left-back, it should be an instant return to the starting line-up for the Spaniard.

Much of Wolves’ summer transfer window was dedicated to finding a new striker for Bruno Lage’s side, with goalscoring still a huge problem for the Old Gold.

After finishing as the lowest scorers (38) of the sides not to be relegated from the Premier League last season, it was clear that Wolves needed another striker to compete with Raul Jimenez.

The Mexican forward finished as both Wolves’ top scorer and assister last season in the top flight, with just six goals and four assists, which emphasises how much Lage’s side struggled in front of goal.

Fabio Silva was loaned to Anderlecht and Sasa Kalajdzic arrived from Stuttgart, only to damage his ACL on his debut against Southampton.

This led to Diego Costa joining on a free transfer following the transfer deadline, with Wolves clearly desperate for attacking reinforcements after scoring just three goals in their opening seven fixtures this season.

However, Lage may not have required either Kalajdzic or Costa had former academy star Austin Samuels made the grade at Molineux.

The 21-year-old striker was at Wolves for 13 years and excelled in the U18s and U21s, scoring an impressive 31 goals in 86 appearances, but he was never given an opportunity in the first team.

Samuels even spoke about his desire to emulate Jimenez in Wolves’ side, which suggests that he could have been an intriguing heir to the former Benfica man had he realised his obvious potential at Molineux.

He said: “Playing as a nine, I try to emulate Jimenez as much as I can. We’re not exactly the same type of player, but I’ve tried to learn from what he does in terms of linking the play.”

Disappointing loan spells with Bradford City and Aberdeen, where he managed just one goal in a combined 21 appearances, would follow and Samuels was eventually released from his Wolves contract last summer.

However, he did earn a lot of praise from former Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass, who said:

“Austin did really well, he was positive, direct, he even turned a couple of clearances into opportunities for us which is a little bit different to what we’ve had before. That pace and that energy up front was exciting for us, he’s a real forward-thinking player.”

He would join Scottish second-tier side Inverness Caledonian Thistle where he has rediscovered his goalscoring touch somewhat, hitting six goals in 29 appearances.

At 21, Samuels could still have a bright future in football, but it is a shame that he didn’t come good at Wolves having done so well in the academy just a few years ago, as he could have eased the glaring issues in the Old Gold’s attack under Lage.