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Former Everton manager Rafael Benitez believes ‘some players are scared’ of the club’s fans, The Athletic’s Gregg O’Keeffe has reported.

The lowdown

The Spaniard was sacked at the weekend following Everton’s 2-1 defeat at Norwich City, who are in the Premier League relegation zone.

The former Liverpool boss, who was only appointed at Goodison Park in July, oversaw just 22 games – seven wins (32%), four draws and 11 defeats.

Since they beat Burnley 3-1 in their fourth game of the season, Everton are bottom of the Premier League form table with only nine points from a possible 45 in that time (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

As per The Athletic, O’Keeffe wrote that, in Benitez’s eyes, some members of the team ‘buckle under the expectations of the fanbase’. The journalist added in a tweet accompanying that article that “Benitez felt Moshiri listened too much to agents”.

The Spaniard is said to be surprised by the timing of his dismissal, which came ‘just days’ after he was backed in his decision to sell Lucas Digne to Aston Villa.

The verdict

It was clear that Benitez’s tenure couldn’t go on. During Saturday’s defeat at Carrow Road, an incensed Everton supporter even tried to run across the pitch to confront him in the dugout

However, prior to last weekend, he seemed to have Moshiri’s full support. The Iranian had just last month claimed that Everton’s struggles were ‘largely’ down to injuries and insisted that Benitez would be supported in the transfer market.

Whoever’s to blame for things unravelling, the Toffees find themselves looking for a seventh different manager in less than six years. That suggests that there are some deep-rooted issues to be resolved at Goodison Park.

In other news, many fans flock to reports that a club legend could return to Everton

Newcastle United will be looking to end their run of two straight defeats in the Premier League as they face Tottenham today.

The Magpies lost 1-0 to both Chelsea and Everton away from home in their last two top-flight outings prior to the international break and now face the prospect of a third successive loss.

They were beaten by an Alex Iwobi goal last time out as they struggled at Goodison Park in a game marred by a pitch invader locking himself to a goal post.

How many changes will Howe make to his team from that clash? Here is our predicted XI…

Martin Dubravka; Javier Manquillo, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Matt Targett; Jonjo Shelvey, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Ryan Fraser, Chris Wood, Allan Saint-Maximin (4-3-3)

We are predicting that the head coach will make three alterations to the side, with Shelvey, Manquillo and Saint-Maximin all coming back in.

Starting off in the defence, Emil Krafth may find himself on the bench in favour of his Spanish colleague. The Sweden international has been a lightweight throughout the campaign, losing 53% of his duels and 63% of his aerial battles, and could be exposed against the talent of Heung-Min Son.

Whilst Manquillo has not been sensational in the Premier League, he has won a solid 64% of his overall duels in the top-flight – winning 59% of his aerial battles. This suggests that he is the stronger option, defensively, out of the two and that is why he may start at right-back.

In midfield, Joe Willock could be axed in favour of Shelvey. Matt Ritchie previously dubbed the ex-Liverpool man as “unbelievable” and his form in the Premier League this season for the Magpies has justified his praise. The gem has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.91 throughout the campaign, showing that he has consistently delivered on the pitch.

Willock, who Freddie Ljungberg previously dubbed as “passive”, has averaged an underwhelming score of 6.73. As per SofaScore, the dud was dribbled past twice, failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles and completed 68% of his passes in the 1-0 defeat to Everton, which is why he may now find himself on the bench.

Finally, we are predicting that French forward Saint-Maximin will take up Miguel Almiron’s place. FFC published an article explaining why he should start and he should come in for the Paraguay international.

The ex-MLS star has been nowhere near good enough for the Toon this season. In 22 Premier League appearances, he has failed to produce a single goal or assist whilst averaging a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.60, which is why he should be dropped to the bench in favour of the former Nice man.

AND in other news, Howe must finally unleash “breathtaking” £93k-p/w Newcastle gem, he’s what they need…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has set his sights on a big name heir to club legend Fernandinho as news emerges on Real Madrid star Toni Kroos.

The Lowdown: Fernandinho set to leave Eastlands…

The Brazilian, speaking to media earlier this week, shocked both City supporters and Guardiola by openly confirming he will not be extending his stay at Eastlands for a third time.

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Fernandinho, a long-serving and crucial member of the Sky Blues’ squad over this past decade, put pen to paper on one-year contract extensions in both the 2019/2020 season and 2020/2021 campaign.

However, this time round, the 36-year-old will leave Manchester as he plans a return to Brazil for regular playing time – coming after discussions with his family.

The last of the old guard, this comes as some sad news for Citizens, with sporting director Txiki Begiristain and Guardiola allegedly drawing up a list of possible replacements.

The Latest: Kroos on the agenda?

As per Spanish sources, one of the big names who could now replace Fernandinho is Real midfield superstar Kroos.

The Germany legend is entering the final year of his deal at the Bernabeu with the report suggesting he is open to leaving this summer.

Guardiola, as a result, is allegedly ‘willing to convince him to play in England’ as City add him to their transfer target list.

The Verdict: Ideal heir?

No player can truly replace Fernandinho with the South American fan favourite proving to be a key player behind-the-scenes as well as on the field since signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013.

Kroos certainly emerges as a shock contender given his age (32) and it is arguable that CFG would prefer to target younger additions with longer shelf lives – like West Ham star Declan Rice or AS Monaco starlet Aurelien Tchouameni for example.

That being said, both men would require major transfer fees, which may be a conundrum for Sky Blues chiefs given City’s top priority chase for Borussia Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland.

Kroos would arguably be the cheaper option given his contract situation at Real and there is no denying he would add real class – with former Galacticos boss Zinedine Zidane branding the midfielder ‘spectacular’.

As this news emerges, it will be very interesting to see if Guardiola does personally convince the £307,000-per-week star to move to Eastlands.

In other news: Man City have made an offer for ‘unplayable’ star once valued at £125m, find out more here.

Liverpool are set to complete the signing of highly-rated Celtic midfielder Ben Doak, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

According to their sources, now that the Reds have agreed the signing of Fulham’s Fabio Carvalho, they are close to agreeing on a deal for the Celtic teenager who has already been pictured holding a Liverpool shirt.

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The 16-year old is set to sign an initial three-year deal with Liverpool paying around £600k in compensation to the Scottish club. It’s understood that to begin with he will play for the club’s development side.

More exciting than Carvalho

Fabio Carvalho has lit up the Championship this season, with 14 goal contributions in 29 appearances, so we know an awful lot about how good he is.

However, the fact we know less about Doak, and that Liverpool are signing the youngster for such a fee for his age, makes this one more exciting and intriguing.

He has already made two senior appearances for the Hoops, one of which was as a late substitute in an Old Firm game which shows just how highly thought of he is in Scotland.

Where he has excelled is at youth level for his country. Doak has made six appearances for Scotland U17’s scoring four times, which included a hat-trick in a 6-1 rout against Georgia last month.

He’s been described in glowing terms as a “generational” talent by Bhoys Analytics and will be looking to the likes of his fellow countryman Andy Robertson when judging how successful a move to Anfield can be.

Doak rejected a professional contract from Celtic to move south of the border and sign for Jurgen Klopp’s side. Whilst this may seem like a bold decision, it’s not every day that you get offered the chance to sign for one of the best teams in Europe.

He is a wide player with the ability to play on the wing and in the full-back position, adding a further string to his bow, with Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou describing him as a “fantastic kid” who is “composed” for his age.

It was reported by The Athletic that Leeds were also interested in signing the teenager but Liverpool managed to seal the deal first.

Overall it’s an extremely exciting signing, he may not feature in the first team straight away but with a lot of clubs interested, he must be special. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on how he progresses through a Liverpool set-up that is known for developing great players.

IN other news: Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool gem who won just 16.6% duels let his side down

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Swansea City are currently in talks with Lille over Leroy Fer, as covered by Sky Sports and BBC Sport.

Fer, 29, has been impressive for Swansea this season, having stayed with the club following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

The midfielder’s contract will expire at the end of this season, however, and the above sources have claimed that Lille could sign him before the end of the week.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

There is absolutely no question that his exit at this stage would be a blow.

And the Swansea fans have been on social media urging their club to keep hold of the Netherlands international.

Indeed, Swansea are only six points off the playoff positions in the Championship.

If the Welsh outfit are to challenge for the top six this term then surely they need to keep hold of their captain beyond the end of the January window.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Swansea fans can be seen below:

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now fighting a number of clubs from the Premier League to sign teenage forward Bailey Rice.

The Lowdown: Motherwell sensation

Rice currently plays his trade at Motherwell, and is thought of as a highly-regarded talent.

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The 15-year-old has been called up the Scotland U17 squad, and has played the full 90 minutes in recent European Championship qualifying matches, while he has also captained his country at age-group level.

The Latest: Rangers lurking

As per Football Insider’s recruitment source, the Ibrox faithful are now fighting both Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion to sign Rice, and a recruitment source has revealed that the latter especially are ‘keeping close tabs’ on the attacker.

However, he cannot pen a professional deal with an English club until he is 17, while he only has to wait until he is 16 for Scottish teams, perhaps giving the Teddy Bears an advantage.

The Verdict: Exciting

Rice is certainly one to watch out for in the future, and the fact that the Light Blues could fend off Premier League competition for his services is exciting.

They already have some promising youngsters in the academy, like Juan Alegria and Tony Weston, and so adding Rice to the mix will surely catch the eye of Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Nonetheless, the Gers will need to act fast if they are to tie him down, and could perhaps even look to sell him to one of those English clubs for a tidy profit down the line.

In other news, find out what potential ‘catastrophe’ for RFC has now emerged here!

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Kalvin Phillips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Leeds United defensive midfielder, with the 26-year-old believed to be on Fabio Paratici’s list of targets ahead of the upcoming transfer market.

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However, the report goes on to state that it is questionable whether Daniel Levy would be willing to offer the England international a similar salary to the one Manchester United will likely put forward to the Whites academy graduate.

Conte’s dream signing

Considering just how impressive Phillips has been for Leeds in recent years, in addition to the midfielder possessing a skill set that would appear to suit Conte’s brand of football seamlessly, it is easy to see why the 52-year-old would be keen on a deal for the deep-lying playmaker this summer.

While injury has seen the 26-year-old make just 14 Premier League appearances this season, Phillips proved last season that he is undoubtedly one of the best holding midfielders currently playing the game.

Indeed, over his 29 top-flight fixtures last term, the £45m-rated talent was the Whites’ standout performer, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per fixture.

The £38k-per-week Englishman also highly impressed in a creative capacity, bagging one goal, providing two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls, 41 passes and 0.7 dribbles per outing.

These returns saw the player who Nigel de Jong dubbed a “baller” and Adam Crafton labelled “stunning” average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the league but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the division as a whole.

Indeed, with Phillips being a tough-tackling, tireless and incredibly creative defensive midfielder, it is clear to see just how well the England sensation would fit into Conte’s tactical setup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Paratici to do all he can to convince Levy to stump up the 26-year-old’s £60m asking price, as Phillips would certainly be Conte’s dream signing for Spurs this summer.

AND in other news: “100%” – Fabrizio Romano drops Spurs transfer claim that will leave supporters buzzing

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham fans have erupted over the news that the Irons are set to make a late move for the permanent signing of Armando Broja.

The 20-year-old has quickly established himself as one of Southampton’s most important players since arriving on a season-long loan from Chelsea last summer.

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The striker has made 18 Premier League appearances for the Saints, 10 of which have come as part of the starting XI. During this time, the Albanian has scored five goals, combining with a further two strikes in two Carabao Cup games to make him Southampton’s top scorer this season.

Fans erupt at the Broja transfer links

According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham are lining up talks with Chelsea over the possible transfer of Broja as they look to beat Southampton to a late permanent signing.

Club fan page West Ham News & Views shared the news on their Twitter channel, relaying that the Hammers are ‘set to test the waters with a bid’ for the 20-year-old. Many Irons fans flocked to the comments, erupting over the possibility of the £8.1m-rated sensation coming to the London Stadium.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

“Wow, if we somehow pulled this off”

Credit: @_connorpoole_

“This is the one for me.”

Credit: @DNXN90

“Please lads, if you’re going to make only one signing, make it this. Please.”

Credit: @MagicalBowen

“we are back in business.”

Credit: @rozzzerrr

“PLEAAASEEEEE”

Credit: @JxstMika_

“If this is true we win the title”

Credit: @tswhu1

In other news: David Ornstein has reported that West Ham are also lining up a late January move for this 6 foot 4 colossus

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first transfer window in charge of Rangers has been a rather uneventful one at Ibrox.

They have secured the acquisition of James Sands and let Nathan Patterson walk out the door, while the Gers have agreed to bring John Souttar to the club on a pre-contract arrangement too.

However, it looks as though Ross Wilson and co could bring an offensive player into their ranks before the window closes next Monday.

One player regularly linked with a move to Glasgow is Bologna’s winger Andreas Skov Olsen, but according to one source, that now looks unlikely.

As a result, van Bronckhorst must urgently work on a deal to bring Akinkunmi Amoo to Scotland.

It’s thought Rangers are plotting a late move for the Nigerian teenager who is plying his trade in Sweden for Hammarby.

Valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, a move might not be cheap to complete but it’s clear he possesses all the tools to thrive in Scottish football.

In short, he’d not only be the perfect Skov Olsen alternative, but also a player capable of linking up with new loan signing Amad Diallo in devastating fashion on the flanks. After all, Amoo is a box of trickery, capable of beating opponents for fun and also scoring goals on a regular basis.

A review from Hammarby’s director of football, Jesper Jansson, tells you all you need to know about the 19-year-old star: “With Akin, we get an explosive, skilled and offensive player with a nice left foot,” he said.

That sounds incredibly exciting and when you combine those offensive attributes with his numbers, a deal simply has to be completed.

Amoo has scored 13 goals and registered six assists across his 48 appearances for his current club and although it’s difficult to compare the Swedish and Scottish top-flight, he has performed in European football before.

What also makes this deal attractive is his age, with the youngster possessing a wonderful amount of potential, something van Bronckhorst will undoubtedly be hoping he realises at Rangers.

There are only a few days left in the winter window but he must be someone the club pursue strongly.

They may have agreed a deal for a winger already in Diallo but they cannot stop there; the duo has the potential to frighten defences up and down the country.

AND in other news, Forget Hagi: GVB must solve Rangers nightmare with “pure” £4.5m-rated “innate talent”…

A finance expert has now dropped an exciting Everton revelation involving Farhad Moshiri and the Bramley Moore stadium project.

The Lowdown: American interest

As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park faithful have now attracted interest from American bidders willing to pay £350m to buy them.

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Moshiri is looking for outside investment to help fund the Bramley Moore project, after investing more than £500m in the Merseyside club since his arrival.

The Latest: Maguire reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, finance expert Kieran Maguire has now given his reaction to the reported interest, revealing that Moshiri thinks that the Bramley Moore project will ‘turn things around financially’:

“If the £350m means Moshiri writing off his debt then they would be getting it at a discount.

“Moshiri effectively bought them for £175m. Since then, he has added to the club by lending it large sums of money.

“He would end up having to take cut in terms of the total he has invested into Everton. A lot will depend on how he feels on a long-term basis.

“The noises I’ve heard from Everton are that he is committed and believes the Bramley Moore project will turn things around financially.

“That will coincide with things improving on the pitch as well because the more resources you have coming in, the more you can spend on new signings.

“As far as new owners would be concerned, they’d have to fund the stadium. So, it’s £350m plus the £400m to £500m that the stadium is going to cost.“

The Verdict: Exciting

Given the concern for the Toffees in terms of the losses recorded in their financial accounts, the fact that the Bramley Moore project could ‘turn things around financially’ is certainly exciting.

Of course, new investment would help with that, whether that is Moshiri continuing to show his commitment or the American businessmen coming in.

The stadium is going to cost a lot of money in itself, but the Blues would hope that the money generated from its initial construction would surpass that, and so they could find themselves in a better financial position, while the supporters get to enjoy the new stadium.

Nonetheless, the club need a boost after what has happened to them on the pitch this season, and the new stadium should go some way in providing that.

In other news, find out which ‘real leader’ has now emerged as an EFC target here!