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Everton are reportedly closing in on the signing of Rennes striker Serhou Guirassy, with a move to Goodison Park potentially being struck in the coming days.

The Lowdown: Guirassy linked with Everton move

The Blues were beaten 2-1 away to Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime, with Frank Lampard’s side losing their two opening Premier League fixtures of the season.

A lack of attacking quality was noticeable at Villa Park and a new striker is a must this summer, in order for Everton to pull clear of a relegation battle.

One player who has been linked with a move to the Blues is Guirassy, who has scored 19 goals for Rennes in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons.

The Latest: Transfer reportedly close

According to L’Equipe [via Sport Witness], Guirassy is now ‘close to Everton’ and ‘could leave in the coming days’, with a deal expected to be struck soon.

The 26-year-old’s current deal expires in 2025, so a big bid would likely be required to prise him away.

The Verdict: Much-needed attacking quality

The defeat to Villa exemplified Everton’s struggles in front of goal, with Anthony Gordon leading the line but not necessarily a natural striker.

Guirassy is someone who would come in and provide much-needed firepower, with his aforementioned goalscoring record highlighting his class, as well as winning three caps for Guinea.

The six-foot-two colossus is someone who can give Lampard both quality and depth and his ability to play both centrally out wide is an added bonus.

West Ham United’s preparations for the new season have taken a hit following the recent injury to summer signing, Nayef Aguerd.

What’s the word?

As per respected journalist Roshane Thomas, it is not yet known when the Moroccan international will be fit to return to action, having recently undergone successful ankle surgery after limping off in the 3-1, pre-season defeat to Scottish Premiership giants, Rangers last week.

Writing on Twitter about that setback, the West Ham correspondent stated:

“No timeframe on how long Nayef Aguerd will be sidelined. Huge blow for #WHUFC and losing their summer signing to injury could force Moyes to alter his formation ahead of season opener against Manchester City.”

In his attached piece for The Athletic, Thomas reveals that that ankle issue for the 26-year-old could well see manager David Moyes deploy an alternative system for the season opener against Manchester City next weekend, having initially viewed the former Stade Rennais man and Frenchman Kurt Zouma as his ‘preferred defensive pairing’ for the new campaign.

Moyes will be gutted

After the initial joy of managing to get the one-time Dijon man through the door last month – with the defender joining on a £30m deal – Moyes will now be tearing his hair out at the prospect of having to be without the 6 foot 2 gem heading into the upcoming season.

Seeing a summer arrival pick up an injury before even playing a competitive fixture is a real unwanted headache for any manager, with the former Manchester United boss now set to have to rethink his approach ahead of that clash with the champions on 7 August, should Aguerd not recover in time.

The 59-year-old does have the ever-reliable Craig Dawson to call upon – as well as both Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop – as possible replacements in the heart of the defence, although that trio perhaps lack the quality of the new incoming.

In Ligue 1 last term, Aguerd enjoyed a hugely impressive campaign as Rennes secured a commendable fourth-place finish, notably averaging four clearances, 0.9 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game from his 31 league starts, recording a solid ten clean sheets and winning 65% of his aerial duels.

A formidable, imposing presence, the £10.8m-rated man is also a smooth operator with the ball at his feet, ranking in the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 16% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s big five leagues.

That quality had caught the attention of those at the London Stadium, although it would appear that supporters will have to wait a little while longer to see the 19-cap colossus truly make his mark in English football.

As for Moyes, well it’s back to the drawing board with just over a week to go until the 2022/23 campaign gets underway – far from an ideal scenario.

AND in other news, Moyes can now form “unreal” duo as WHU given green light for “limitless” £13m signing

Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer target Joao Palhinha’s move to Fulham is said to have stalled.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from reliable journalist Bruno Andrade who claims that Palhinha’s move to Premier League rivals Fulham has been delayed because of close club contact Jorge Mendes.

Taking to his personal Twitter account, Andrade issued an update on the situation: “Business of €20m is stopped because Jorge Mendes received from Sporting last season the power of attorney to exclusively discuss the future of the midfielder in the English market, believing in an agreement with Wolverhampton.

“Who arranged the (forwarded) transfer of Palhinha to Fulham, however, was another agent: Hernan Reguera. The problem is that Jorge Mendes now charges €2m for being out of the current negotiation, as he had priority in intermediation.

“At first, Sporting is then responsible for paying the €2m to Jorge Mendes to unlock the sale of Palhinha to Fulham.

“There is currently no agreement between Palhinha and Wolves. Sporting believed back there that a negotiation could arise, so it handed over the power of attorney/authorization to Jorge Mendes.”

Lage surely buzzing

It seems as though super-agent Mendes has once again flexed his muscle in the transfer market, holding up the transfer of Palhinha to league rivals Fulham and consequently creating a potential opening for Wolves to swoop in and hijack the deal.

Mendes looks as though he holds the cards at this moment in time, so a last-minute switch to Wolves is most certainly not impossible.

The 26-year-old would be a welcome addition to Lage’s engine room, chipping in with an average of 3.04 tackles per game, and an elite average of 32.42 pressures per 90 surpassing that of Ruben Neves’ average of 2.45 tackles and 18.95 pressures per 90.

Considering he could depart this summer, those metrics would be incredibly useful in the midfield at Molineux.

Mendes has carved open a last-ditch chance for Wolves to seal a deal for the Sporting CP midfielder and they must act pronto. Should they get a move over the line, it would no doubt leave the manager a very happy man.

AND in other news: Lage given green light for £15m Wolves target who “will explode”, he’s Ruben Dias 2.0 

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook doesn’t expect Liverpool to make further additions to the attacking department this summer, providing Mohamed Salah stays put. 

The lowdown: Salah saga

On the verge of entering the final 12 months of a deal at Anfield (Transfermarkt), the long-term future of Salah remains in doubt, particularly after the Reds sold Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich with the Senegalese star in a similar position.

Despite reports suggesting that Liverpool won’t cash in on the 30-year-old during this transfer window, with claims that Salah wants to more than double a £225,000-per-week deal in Merseyside and owners FSG reluctant to break their wage structure for one player, a departure as a free agent in 2023 currently seems inevitable.

Jurgen Klopp has already added Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez to the ranks as part of the succession plan, and one informed source has now claimed that the incomings in the frontline are over for the time being…

The latest: ‘Murmurings…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Crook has suggested that Liverpool will refrain from making further signings unless Salah decides to move on before the September 1 deadline.

He said: “I don’t think they’re overly in the market for another attacker because they’re fairly well stocked in that department assuming that Salah stays.

“There are still one or two murmurings that he won’t, but I expect him to be there at least until the end of the season.”

The verdict: Well stocked…

Klopp was certainly afforded an embarrassment of attacking riches last term as the Reds competed in every possible fixture during the 2021/22 campaign, falling narrowly short of a never before seen quadruple.

Ultimately, despite the glistening firepower at his disposal, the German boss had to settle for a domestic cup double of the FA and Carabao Cups, trophies that were won in no small part down to the exploits of the now-departed duo Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi.

As things currently stand, the Anfield attacking ranks are made up of Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Diaz, Nunez and Salah, although new arrival Fabio Carvalho and youngsters such as Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Kaide Gordon could well be called upon more frequently next term.

Albeit the likes of Nunez and Carvalho are relatively unknown in the Premier League, those aforementioned options are more than enough for Klopp to plot another challenge for silverware as FSG and Julian Ward continue in their behind-the-scenes attempts to tie Salah – who was hailed as ‘unstoppable’ by ex-Kop icon Dean Saunders last season – down to an extension on Merseyside without breaking the bank.

Rangers’ reported hopes of signing Antonio Colak this summer have been handed a boost, with PAOK seemingly willing to sell the striker amid interest from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

What’s the word?

According to the Scottish Sun (7:58 am June 22), Rangers are keen to add to their attacking options this summer and the 28-year-old forward is wanted by van Bronckhorst.

The report claims that Rangers have already seen a bid for the frontman rejected, although it claims that the Greek Super League side are willing to offload him, which suggests that a deal could well be on the cards.

Supporters will be buzzing

If Colak does sign for Rangers and proves to be a success, then supporters may well forgive him for ending their Champions League hopes last season.

While on loan at Malmo, the Croatian forward hit a quickfire double at Ibrox to consign the Gers to the Europa League, and while Rangers would subsequently reach the final before defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, those at the club would surely have preferred the financial benefits and experience of a spot in the Champions League group stages.

With Alfredo Morelos’ future at Rangers still in doubt, signing a striker should be a priority for van Bronckhorst this summer and Colak’s record in recent seasons suggests that he could be a quality acquisition at Ibrox.

Last season saw the forward make 40 appearances for Malmo in all competitions, in which he contributed an impressive 19 goals and three assists, including five goals in Champions League qualifying, so he could be the ideal man to fire the Gers to Europe’s elite competition next season.

He also chipped in with three goals and two assists for PAOK when returning, but it seems clear that the Greek side aren’t that keen on keeping him, and Colak could find his feet with a permanent move away.

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Reports have suggested that Colak would be available for as little as £3m this summer, and with Cedric Itten having already departed for around half that, the Croatian shouldn’t be out of Rangers’ budget, so sporting director Ross Wilson should definitely consider bringing him in.

AND in other news: Agent delivers big transfer update that’ll leave Rangers supporters gutted

Aston Villa have been heavily linked with a move for Aaron Hickey, and after a new update emerged on the player’s future, the Midlands club may need to ramp up their interest if they intend to sign the defender this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to the Daily Mail, Brentford have now approached Bologna with a view to signing the Scottish left-back.

The report claimed that Newcastle United, Arsenal and Aston Villa are also interested in the player but will now need to act upon their interest to beat the west Londoners to the signing of Hickey during the transfer window.

Gerrard’s Andy Robertson

With Matt Targett moving to Newcastle on a permanent deal this week, there is an opportunity for Steven Gerrard to sign Hickey and unearth his very own Andy Robertson at Villa Park next season.

The youngster, who has been compared to the £58.5m-rated Liverpool and Scotland left-back by sections of the media, has been attracting attention from Premier League clubs for his impressive performances in Serie A with Bologna.

As per SofaScore, the 20-year-old scored five goals, contributed one assist and created two big chances this season, making 1.3 tackles and one clearance per game. He also won the majority of his ground and aerial duels combined (57%) and successfully completed the majority of his dribbles (61%).

The youngster was called a “special talent” by his former Hearts coach Daniel Stendel, who said (via Daily Record): “Aaron was by far the most interesting player in my squad and the one who had the greatest potential.

“He reads the game very well and was lightning fast at reacting to things on the pitch. All of that makes him a special talent.”

According to Birmingham Mail, the Villains are now prioritising the signing of a left-back, so it would be a great piece of business for Gerrard if he can seal a deal for Hickey this summer, as the youngster could make a great impact and add depth to Villa’s defence ahead of next season.

However, now that Brentford have made an official approach for the 20-year-old, Villa will need to act fast if they want to complete the signing of the Scottish youngster. Otherwise, they risk missing out on the player and would need to look elsewhere to fill a position that they need to cover.

AND in other news – “Official proposal…”: Romano drops big Villa transfer update, supporters will love it

Leeds United takeover plans will be put on hold if the Whites suffer relegation this weekend, The Daily Mail report.

The Lowdown: 49ers option

49ers Enterprises currently hold a 44% stake at Elland Road, which is still majority-owned by Andrea Radrizzani.

The Italian purchased Leeds for £45m back in 2017 and agreed on a deal with 49ers Enterprises back in December over a possible full takeover.

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A full takeover by 49ers Enterprises could be worth £475m in total, however, with Jesse Marsch’s side on the verge of relegation, it looks as if any deal could be put on hold.

The Latest: Takeover claim

In a story late on Wednesday evening, The Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan looked at what possible relegation could mean for Leeds.

The reliable reporter said that the Whites would be in a ‘decent position financially’, with the majority of players having a 50 per cent pay cut.

Keegan added however that long term projects, such as selling the club, would need to be put on hold.

The Verdict: Imminent return needed

The Whites know that a defeat to Brentford on Sunday will send them back down to the Championship and will seemingly have a major knock-on effect off the pitch, with players like Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha expected to leave thanks to relegation clauses.

49ers Enterprises have the option to take full control from Radrizzani until January 2024. Therefore, you’d expect that Leeds, should they go down, will need to bounce straight back up ahead of the 2023/23 campaign for a full takeover to have any chance of still going through.

In other news: Orta now finally set to accept defeat as Leeds plot exit for Bielsa ‘mistake’ – opinion. 

Alan Hutton has revealed what Connor Goldson has now told him amid uncertainty over his future at Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Goldson out of contract

The 29-year-old is among a few first-team players at Ibrox who are out of contract soon, with no signs of a renewal at the moment.

As cited by the The Glasgow Times, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has admitted that there is a ‘small’ chance’ that the defender will sign an extension after prolonged talks with the club.

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The Latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Light Blues right-back Hutton has revealed that, having spoken to Goldson, the centre-back ‘wants’ to stay at the club despite not being able to agree on a new deal.

Hutton, who now does punditry work with Rangers TV, said of the 29-year-old: “He is one of the main men in the squad. It’s quite as simple as that. He’s the vice-captain, a guy who plays week in, week out, he’s always fit and a leader on the pitch.

“It’s one of those ones where he probably wants to stay at the club. After speaking to him a few times myself, I know that he loves being there and he wants to be there in the future.

“But you have to reward these players for what they’ve given the club over the last X amount of seasons. I think that’s the sticking point at this moment in time.”

The Verdict: Get it done

With time running out, both parties just need to get a new contract sorted as soon as possible.

Goldson has been a mainstay in the Rangers team which won the Scottish Cup and reached the final of the Europa League, scoring four goals and supplying four assists from the back (Transfermarkt), and he is in his prime at 29 years of age.

He currently holds a market value of £7.2m, so losing someone of his quality on a free transfer would be a financial blow to the Gers, while also losing a key player from Van Bronckhorst’s side.

In other news, find out who has now emerged as a transfer target for Rangers

The Sun journalist Tom Barclay has admitted that he would ‘be surprised’ but ‘not shocked’ to see Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu depart the St. Mary’s Stadium this summer.

The Lowdown: Romeu wants to stay

The Spaniard first joined the Saints from Chelsea in a £5m move back in 2015, since establishing himself as a regular in the starting XI, going on to make 251 club appearances and creating 14 goal contributions during that time, via Transfermarkt.

The 30-year-old recently admitted that he would love to remain a Southampton player beyond the end of the season, but with only one year remaining on his current contract, it still remains to be seen whether or not the hierarchy will offer the tenacious midfield maestro a new deal.

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The Latest: Barclay can’t rule it out

When asked about Romeu’s future at the club, Barclay told GiveMeSport:

“The age he’s at, with a year left (on his contract), they don’t like losing players on free transfers. So, I’d be surprised if he left but not shocked.

“And I hope he stays because I think he’s become a pivotal player, who Ralph loves, and I think he said he’s the most professional player he’s ever coached.”

Romeu is not the only midfielder linked with an exit, as James Ward-Prowse is expected to draw major interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Verdict: Must keep

If the £59k-per-week star was to leave the top-flight outfit, this would come as a huge loss to Ralph Hasenhuttl because he’s such a valuable player in this Saints side, having made 33 Premier League starts this campaign, forming a great partnership alongside James Ward-Prowse.

Romeu has been an absolute rock in the middle of the park this term, averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes across all competitions, as per WhoScored, displaying the effects he can have at both ends of the pitch.

Once dubbed as being “one of the best” by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, there’s no doubt that the Austrian boss will do everything he can to retain his engine room operator in a bid to secure a top ten finish next term.

In other news… Southampton have reportedly joined the race to sign one of their transfer targets.

The left-arm spinner opens up about what makes him tick and how he’s prepared for this India tour

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Visakhapatnam01-Oct-20193:15

Maharaj as good as any spinner in the world – du Plessis

Watch cricket on ESPN+

India v South Africa is available in the US on Hotstar and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the three Tests.

Your first Test wicket – did you think Aleem Dar would give it out, with Steven Smith so far down the track?
So, funny story. We were bowling in the nets the day before [the Test match], and I’m not sure who I was bowling to. Aleem came there, to get into his routine of seeing how the bowlers are, and the guy came down the wicket and exactly the same thing happened, and he was like, you know what, I’d give that out, it looked adjacent to me.I’m sure he must have been thinking about that when you appealed for the Smith wicket.
I’m not sure if he thought about that. I did, definitely. I didn’t expect him to give it out, but luckily he did.Do you know that, since your debut, 11 spinners have taken 50 or more Test wickets, and you have the second-best strike rate among them, behind Rangana Herath?
Yeah? To be honest, I didn’t know about that at all. I’m not very much a stats person. I’m trying to do the best I can, wherever I go in the world, whether it’s international, domestic, club cricket or just some local Sunday league that you go play. I’m very fortunate and blessed to be able to do something I love and see other parts of the world, so if I can do well, I’ll get many more opportunities to do that.Keshav Maharaj registered the best figures for an SA bowler outside home•AFPThe reason I brought up the strike rate was this tendency, maybe, to look at this South African attack and see all these fast bowlers and think they’re the strike bowlers, and see you as doing the holding role, but your strike rate says you’re an attacking bowler too.
Yeah, but let’s not forget, fact is that we have a wealth of fast bowlers and I’m fortunate enough to have such a world-class attack around me, and it allows me to settle in and things like that.

I’m blessed to be able to do something I love and see other parts of the world, so if I can do well, I’ll get many more opportunities to do that

Do you feel that batsmen feel under pressure to come after you, because there’s not really much they can do at the other end, sometimes?
Yeah, sometimes it works out that way. Conditions dictate how the batsmen also identify avenues to score, like you said, and I suppose when you have a world-class bowling attack, seam attack, you’re going to have to target someone, and that’s an opportunity for me to get wickets.When do you know that you’re bowling well? What are the signs you look for?
It’s just the feel for me, I think. If I’m not bowling a cut ball or anything, then I know I’m in my rhythm and things are going okay, but as a spinner, I know it’s just a feel thing. You’ll have days when you’re bowling well and it just doesn’t go your way in terms of outcomes, but I judge myself basically on the fact that I must not bowl a cut ball during my spell. If I do that, I know how well [I’ve bowled], regardless of what it says in terms of figures.No one matches up to South Africa’s quicks at home, but overseas their best bowler is left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (third from right)•AFP/Getty ImagesIn your lifetime, South Africa hasn’t really had a spin-bowling culture. There have only been three other spinners since readmission who’ve got 100 Test wickets, and you’re on 94 now. How significant is that milestone?
Yeah, obviously it’s a big accolade. I mean, looking back three years ago, I wouldn’t be able to say that I thought about being in the position that I am today, in terms of how far I’ve come along. But yeah, coming from a country of fast bowlers, it is difficult, but I think when you persevere with something you love, you will go places. It’s not always the easiest road. You may only get it once, you may get it a hundred times, but you know, you’ve still got that chance to do something. I’d like to think that, if I can have a successful career in international cricket, it does pave the way for the younger spinners in terms of opportunity coming through.You’ve played two Tests in the subcontinent so far, in Sri Lanka. You went wicketless on the first day of that tour, but you came back after that, and picked up that nine-for in the second Test. What were the things you learned about bowling in the subcontinent, on that tour?
I fell sick, so I couldn’t play the warm-up game, so obviously I had to feel my way into subcontinent conditions, that’s why the first innings was… it felt weird for me, but, you know, people say [on the subcontinent, it’s about your] pace and things like that, but I also think it’s about your consistency, your lines and lengths. The best in the world, your Ashwins, your Jadejas, your Lyons – they’re all just consistent bowlers. Yes, they have subtle variations, some of them have more, but I think it’s just the consistency and ability to just sort of test the batsmen’s patience and things like that. They’re also very clever as to how they want to bowl, but if you’re consistent, you can bowl any way you want and know you’re going to get someone out.

At least 40 percent of my wickets, probably, are dictated by the way Faf’s read the game, on the field

Before coming to India in 2016-17, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe did quite a bit of work on how they spun the ball on Indian pitches. Where they’d bowl with more overspin back home, here they were trying to mix it up with sidespin. Is that something you’ve worked on too?
Yeah, everyone who comes here says that you need to work on your sidespin and stuff, it’s a very, sort of unnatural thing for me to do because I’m more overspin, but I’ve been trying to play around with the SG ball to find where you can get some assistance off the wicket when it is not turning, you know, that sort of thing.Keshav Maharaj gets a hug from his captain Faf du Plessis after a wicket•Getty ImagesWhat’s it like, as a spin bowler, to have Faf du Plessis as your captain?
I think he’s very encouraging. He’s a captain who lets you dictate what you want, and then he comes in, rather than telling you what to do, and then you give your opinion. Also the way he reads the game, his ability to read the game, is phenomenal. At least 40 percent of my wickets, probably, are dictated by the way he’s read the game, on the field.Could you give some examples of that?
One that stands out is in England, we were playing the second Test in Nottingham. Moeen was batting, and he kept sort of trying to sweep me and sweep me, and then we kept moving, moving (the fielders), and Faf said, you know what? Have the guy at catching square leg, let him try and fine sweep, and literally we had the guy, not even the next ball, tried to fine sweep and it went straight to short square leg.Another one was at Colombo [the nine-for Test]. Dilruwan Perera was batting, and it wasn’t probably my best delivery, but Faf says, you know what, if he does sweep, it’s not going to go the whole way, and he sweeps up, so we put the man halfway [back], and Ngidi caught it at backward square leg.