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Everton fans are unlikely to have been left pleased by the comments made recently by their owner, Farhad Moshiri, about his decision to sack previous managers.

What’s the latest?

The Toffees yet again find themselves in a precarious position in the league and, therefore, pressure has been heaped on their manager Frank Lampard ahead of their game on the weekend.

However, Moshiri has come out and provided the 43-year-old with his backing ahead of Saturday’s game at Goodison Park against their fellow strugglers, Southampton.

But since this, the Iranian has also put some shade on the Everton fanbase after suggesting the managerial decisions of late have been made on the back of their comments:

“Some of the decisions we’ve taken have been with the fans, all the managers who were driven out by the fans, not by me,” he told TalkSport.

And speaking to NBC Sports, journalist David Ornstein has suggested these type of comments are unlikely to go down well on Merseyside with the club currently in the mess they are:

(3:40) “You can’t keep hiring and firing managers. It’s been seven [managers] in six and a half years at Everton, and that is just not sustainable.

“He also gave his backing to the board and pointedly he said he did what the fans wanted in making changes at management level. I don’t think the fans will be too happy about that.”

Pointing the finger

On Saturday, Everton fans are expected to demonstrate their frustrations with a sit-in protest following the game as they wish to show their feelings surrounding the board.

So, it is apparent frustration is high among the Everton faithful who are clearly unimpressed by the Toffees going back-to-back years battling relegation.

In these circumstances, what any manager would surely want is for the whole club to unite as one and get behind the team to push them on in their scrap at the bottom end of the table.

And with Everton clearly unhappy with the situation with the club’s board, at the moment, you do have to wonder what Moshiri thought these comments would achieve.

At the end of the day, it is the owner who will have the final say on the running of the club and if he has felt managers in the past deserved more time then that should be on him.

But seemingly shifting some of the blame onto the fans does feel like a risky strategy when this is a fanbase who are not sh about voicing their emotions.

And to do it ahead of such a big game against one of their relegation rivals may not sit well among Everton fans.

West Ham United’s form in the Premier League has plummeted like a rock down a mountain this season, a stark difference to the excellent form of the past two seasons that clinched European qualification on both occasions. 

What’s the word?

With Irons boss David Moyes looking to rectify the woes that have recently plagued his team, SC Freiburg’s dynamic forward Roland Sallai has been distinguished as an avenue to bolster the efforts over the latter course of the campaign. 

This is according to Hungarian journalist Bence Bocsak, who recently took to Twitter to confirm the growing attention on the player, and the prospects of a transfer.

He tweeted:

“Many clubs are interested in Roland Sallai (25) in January. He switched agencies recently and is open to a move.

“Lazio, Wolverhampton, West Ham, Sevilla and Fiorentina are all possible destinations. He has 4 G/As in his last 4 caps. Freiburg want €20m.”

With stiff competition for his services, Moyes would be prudent to act with conviction and swiftly, signing the player for roughly £17.6m after convincing him that his future is best suited with the ambitious east London outfit.

Dybala 2.0

Sallai has scored just one goal this season, although he has only made five starts due to an injury that severely hampered his progress, ruling him out for 13 competitive matches.

His international record, however, is exemplary; scoring nine goals and serving five assists from 38 appearances for Hungary, Sallai has cemented his integral offensive role for his nation, notably starring in the momentous 4-0 demolition of England at Wembley earlier this year.

In that match, as per Sofascore, the 25-year-old played his part to devastating effect, scoring an emphatic brace and proving to be a consistent threat with his 30 touches and 78% pass success rate.

His defensive statistics also caught the eye, with his three tackles, two interceptions and one clearance playing a vital part in rebuffing the advances of England on a chastening night on home soil. 

Such dogged attributes would be a welcome bonus to the Hammers, who could certainly utilise a player boasting offensive and defensive calibre in the fight to return to prominence in the division.

The Daily Mail once stated that reports had left the Hungarian ace likened to A.S.a Roma’s Paulo Dybala, who has been a perennial star within the Serie A ranks for years, winning a wealth of major honours with Juventus before his summer switch this year, and scoring 103 goals and 53 assists in the league from 280 appearances since his debut with Palermo.

There will undoubtedly be reservations over a player that has yet to open his account in the German Bundesliga this term, but there is a layer of natural talent to Sallai’s game that could prove to be a valuable option at Moyes’ disposal.

A player who has not quite found his feet this term, West Ham must not be deterred, as evidenced by Bocsak’s tweet, there is plenty of intrigue from ambitious outfits for his signature; Sallai would bring a versatile approach and a robust presence to the heart of the team, flourishing across a number of roles and always on the search to instigate forward plays.

Glasgow Rangers have been handed a potential boost in their bid to bring Nicolas Raskin to Ibrox ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, following Ronny Deila’s reported banishment of the central midfielder from Standard Liege first-team training, the 21-year-old could now be back on the Light Blues’ radar ahead of the winter market.

Regarding Gers’ interest in the £5m talent, Jones said:

“It’s interesting how he has been pushed to one side at the moment. That certainly seems to have put him back in the shop window for Rangers.”

Kroos 2.0

Considering just how exciting a prospect Raskin undoubtedly is, the argument that Ross Wilson simply must do everything in his power to seal a deal for the midfielder in January is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 16 Jupiler Pro League appearances in the current campaign, the £6.2m-rated talent has been in sensational form in the final third, having already provided four assists and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.1 key passes, playing 2.8 long balls and completing 39.7 total passes – at a success rate of 84% – per game.

The 21-year-old has also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 3.3 tackles – the most of any player in the division – 0.4 interceptions, 0.2 clearances and winning 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per match.

These returns have seen the Belgium U21 international – who Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig compared to Toni Kroos – average an eye-catching Sofascore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Standard’s sixth-best performer in the Belgian top-flight so far this season.

Furthermore, speaking about Raskin ahead of Rangers’ Europa League group stage meeting with Standard Liege back in 2019, Het Belang van Limburg journalist Bob Faesen singled the youngster out for praise in an interview with The Herald, stating:

“He is still only 19, but he has really shone. He is a box-to-box midfielder. He can play in every position in the middle of the park. He is technically gifted, but he is also a bit of a pitbull. He can run a lot, is powerful and has a good shot. He has been one of the big surprises in Belgium football this season and will be a key player for Liege who Rangers will need to be wary of.”

As such, with Raskin looking to be a player who is incredibly creative in possession of the ball, as well as one who is more than capable of doing the dirty work for his side, it is not difficult to understand why comparisons have been drawn between the 21-year-old and the Real Madrid and Germany legend Kroos, nor is it hard to see why Rangers would be interested in the starlet.

Indeed, should “the future of Belgian football” – in the words of Kulig – be available for as little as £5m this winter, it is clear for all to see that Wilson must do all he can to land the playmaker, as Raskin could well become Rangers’ very own Kroos-esque talent in the heart of Michael Beale’s midfield – something that is sure to be an extremely exciting prospect for all involved with the club.

Crystal Palace have reportedly enquired about signing Juventus defender Koni De Winter ahead of the January transfer window and the 20-year-old could prove to be the next Marc Guehi at Selhurst Park.

According to Tutto Juve, Palace, Southampton, West Ham United, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach have all asked for information about the young defender, who is currently on loan with Empoli in Serie A.

Although he has just eight appearances for Gli Azzurri under his belt, he is clearly an attractive prospect for a number of foreign clubs ahead of the January transfer window.

De Winter has made just two appearances for Juventus in his time with the club but is rated highly by a number of current and former players at the Allianz Stadium.

Leonardo Bonucci was full of praise for the young centre-back after he made his debut for the Old Lady in a Champions League win against Malmo. He said:

“Koni had a good game, he played with personality; we had already seen him in London against Chelsea. He has no fear and this will be an advantage for his career.

“He must remain humble now, he has enormous room for improvement, he has a whole career ahead of him.”

Juventus legend Pavel Nedved also dubbed the defender “really strong,” which may well remind Palace fans of a top young centre-back of their own in Guehi.

The former Chelsea man has been a revelation since joining the Eagles in 2021, earning a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad after a series of strong performances in Patrick Vieira’s side.

During a loan spell with Swansea City in the Championship, Guehi was lauded by England U21 teammates, who dubbed him an “absolute tank” and a “brick wall,” so it is clear that he and Winter possess similar physical attributes.

The Belgian U’21 international, like Guehi, is making a name for himself on loan from a team regularly in the Champions League, and he may want to follow a similar path to the Palace star by earning more regular first-team football with a permanent move away.

While he might struggle to oust either Guehi or Joachim Andersen from Vieira’s starting side at first, he looks to have plenty of potential and there seems no reason why he can’t emulate Palace’s young English centre-back should he make the move to Selhurst Park in January.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United centre-forward Alexander Isak and his road to recovery from a hamstring injury…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that the striker is due to return to training during the World Cup break and that he should be in contention to play when the Premier League returns in December.

He told reporters, via the Shields Gazette:

“I think he had a scan the other day on his injury, and it looks good. It looks like it’s healed.

“Now the process starts of building him up, making sure that he’s robust enough to come through training. I’m not sure he’ll join in with us initially, but we hope, by the time the games start, he’s available for selection.”

Huge boost

This big injury lift is set to be a huge boost to Howe’s squad in the second half of the campaign as Isak has the potential to be an important player for the club.

Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth splashed the cash to sign the attacker in the summer as Newcastle spent a club-record £63m to snap him up from Real Sociedad, which suggests that the Magpies chief believes he will be a crucial player in the years to come.

Howe hailed the signing at the time of the move going through, saying: “I’m very excited that Alexander has chosen to join us. He is an outstanding talent who is capable of making a big contribution to the team.

“He is technically very good, with a mix of attributes that will complement us, but he is also at a great age to grow with this club.”

This shows that the Toon head coach thinks very highly of the striker and Isak hit the ground running to live up to the hype as he scored twice in his first three Premier League appearances.

The Swedish international found the back of the net against Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth, either side of blanking against Crystal Palace.

He joined the Magpies after scoring 23 goals in his last two full La Liga seasons for Real Sociedad combined, which shows that he has the ability to be a regular goalscorer at the top level.

Isak, 23, is a young talent with the scope to improve and Howe will surely be keen to work with him on the training pitch in the coming months and years to help him fulfil his potential.

The marksman has already shown a glimpse of the quality he can provide in the Premier League and that is why his immediate return after the World Cup is a huge boost for the club.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now ‘likely’ to sack Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the break for the World Cup in Qatar.

The Lowdown: Another bad result…

The Ibrox outfit slumped to another bad result at the weekend, losing 2-1 at St Johnstone in the Premiership.

That latest setback now leaves the Light Blues seven points adrift of bitter rivals Celtic at the top of the table.

It means that Rangers have won just one of their last five games in all competitions, and with the break for the World Cup coming up, it presents a chance for the board to consider whether Van Bronckhorst is the right man to take the club forward.

The Latest: Van Bronckhorst ‘likely’ to go

As per Football Insider on Monday, according to one well-placed source, it is now ‘increasingly likely’ that Van Bronckhorst will be dismissed during the upcoming World Cup break.

Rangers chiefs have held ‘crunch talks’ today to discuss the future of the manager, as they have ‘fears’ that the players are not responding to his methods.

Plans are being ‘put in place’ for a new manager to take charge of the team for their Premiership return at home to Hibernian on December 15, which would suggest that Van Bronckhorst is very much on the brink.

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The Verdict: Sack him

Unfortunately for Van Bronckhorst, after getting the Light Blues to the Europa League final last season, it has just not worked out so far this term.

Not only are they lagging behind in the league, but they have crashed out of Europe altogether too; and as suggested, the players do not seem to be playing for their manager.

That was evident against St Johnstone, where John Lundstram appeared to have pulled out and given up on a challenge in the lead-up to one of the Saints’ goal, prompting heavy criticism of the midfielder.

Nonetheless, the World Cup presents the perfect chance for the Ibrox hierarchy to bring in a new coach and get the players used to their methods before the league season resumes.

Newcastle United were notoriously shrewd under the Mike Ashley regime, only spending money when pressure from the fan base grew too large or if there was a bargain to be had.

Returning from the Championship at the first time of asking in 2017, then-manager Rafael Benitez and the club had changed their focus and were attempting to sign a new youth-focused brand of players.

Jacob Murphy, who was just 22 years old and had excelled for Norwich City, emerged as their primary target. The Magpies managed to acquire him for £12m after coming off the back of scoring eight goals and setting up eight more as the Canaries finished eighth in the second tier in 2016/17.

However, since moving to Tyneside, he has struggled to truly kickstart his career and recapture this initial form which earned him that move to St James’ Park.

The 27-year-old has featured 116 times for the Magpies across all competitions, but his goal contributions in that time fail to surpass his total from that 2016/17 campaign alone. He has scored just six times for the Toon, setting up a further nine goals.

It is therefore no surprise to see his value depreciate over time, with CIES Football Observatory outlining a 64% decrease from the initial fee that Newcastle forked out, as he is reportedly worth just €5m (£4.3m) now.

Murphy has shown some sparks of the player that he could have become, and after a good run of form during 2018 he was noted as “unlucky to drop to the bench” by Chris Waugh. However, consistency has been the player’s main issue for Benitez and subsequent Newcastle managers.

Since making the move to St James’ Park, the 27-year-old is yet to score more than two goals in the Premier League in a single campaign.

Despite this, a couple of loan moves back to the Championship saw him once again thrive, scoring nine and setting up six for Sheffield Wednesday during the 2019/20 season.

It is clear that the Premier League seems a step too far for the winger, but he can be regarded as a fine player for the second tier.

To see Ashley spend such precious funds on a player who has been so wholly disappointing would have been frustrating for Newcastle fans at the time, but given the vast wealth of their current ownership, financial blunders are becoming less and less of a worry.

West Bromwich Albion will be desperate to return to the Premier League, and the appointment of Steve Bruce shows a safe if unspectacular plan to get there.

Now following a busy and important transfer window, with the likes of Tom Rogic, John Swift and Okay Yokuslu signing on permanent deals, it is clear that despite only spending a sum of £1.21m they are willing to add to their squad.

One addition that was necessary however was Brandon Thomas-Asante, brought in from League Two Salford City to add another striking option following the injury to Daryl Dike.

This last-minute deal however leaves the club wondering whether they would have been better holding onto the likes of Chris Wood, who has established himself as a fine Premier League striker in recent seasons for Burnley and now Newcastle United.

Bruce would certainly enjoy having his huge physical presence for his side, a “powerful” 6 foot 3 titan – as described by Toon boss Eddie Howe – to battle with the forwards already at the club.

Sold for a reported fee in excess of £1.25m back in 2012, the 30-year-old went on to score 78 Championship goals and an impressive 52 Premier League goals.

His goalscoring exploits across his career have seen his value rise as high as £16.2m whilst at the Clarets, and despite moving to Tyneside in a £25m move more recently, his Transfermarkt valuation has now rested at £9m.

This marks a huge increase in value from what they first offloaded him for, and given their lack of potency in front of goal now, they could use a man of his talents.

The Baggies have scored 12 in their opening eight league matches, however, five of them came in one game against Hull City.

Karlan Grant is shouldering the majority of the offensive burden, having scored four times already. That is two more than the nearest scorer of his teammates.

For comparison, another playoff-pushing side in Burnley already have two players on four goals.

In desperate need of added firepower now, West Brom will feel even more aggrieved to have lost Wood for so cheap all those years ago. They could certainly do with his talents now, having witnessed first-hand the capable striker he has grown into.

During his latest press conference, Wolves manager Bruno Lage denied rumours suggesting that the club had made an offer for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos.

The Lowdown: Ramos rumours

According to a report by newspaper Jornal de Notícias (via Sport Witness), the Old Gold are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing the 21-year-old forward.

Wolves reportedly join the likes of  Newcastle, Southampton, Everton and Leeds in the race to secure Ramos’ signature.

The Portugal under-21 international is in strong demand after netting four goals in three Champions League qualifiers this season.

The Latest: Lage’s comments

Contrary to reports, Lage has dismissed the rumours linking Wolves with an offer for the Benfica striker.

Speaking during Friday’s press conference, the 46-year-old claimed (as quoted by The Athletic): “We’re still looking for a striker. In the last few days I have received so many messages about (Ramos).

“People send me videos on Portuguese TV that I call the player and Wolves make the offer, but I didn’t talk with him. I ask my chairman and no offer for him.

“Of course, who doesn’t want to have this kind of player, but we have our own profile and we have more targets for that position.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

While Liverpool summer signing Darwin Nunez was the main goal threat for Benfica last season, having impressively netted 26 times in the league, Ramos was still able to contribute seven goals and two assists.

The 21-year-old averaged 1.9 shots and 0.8 key passes and dribbles per game last term (via WhoScored), illustrating his importance to the Portuguese giants as their second striker.

Last year, football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed Ramos’ 14 goals over a period of nine Benfica B appearances as ‘outrageous’, highlighting the player’s clinical nature in front of goal.

Therefore, if Wolves do end up making a move for the striker, he could be a great addition to Lage’s goal-shy squad.

Everton are one of the clubs interested in signing Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh update by reliable journalist Adrian Kajumba.

The Lowdown: Semenyo stars for Bristol City

The 22-year-old has been one of side’s best players in recent times, proving to be a regular supplier of end product in the final third.

Semenyo chipped in with an impressive tally of 20 goal involvements last season (8 goals, 12 assists), Nigel Pearson also described him as a ‘nightmare to play against’.

It could be that the Ghanaian has outgrown City, with Premier League interest now emerging, including from Everton.

The Latest: Everton linked with move

According to Kajumba, writing for The Daily Mail, the Blues are eyeing up a summer move for Semenyo, with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth also battling to acquire his signature.

The Eagles are ‘prepared to pay £12million’, although City are likely to demand £15million.

The youngster’s current deal expires at the end of next season, which could force his club to sell this summer, rather than risk losing him for free in 2023.

The Verdict: Exciting attacking option

While some may turn their noses up at a move for Semenyo, due to him being a Championship player and never playing in the Premier League, someone like Ivan Toney is proof that players can make the step up to the top flight.

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Semenyo could be an exciting young addition for Everton, adding more vibrancy to the attack and bringing versatility, such is his ability to thrive both out wide and centrally.

The City man is coming into the best years of his career and he could provide Frank Lampard with much-needed squad depth, given Richarlison’s exit, Anthony Gordon’s potential departure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s current injury.