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Reports by TuttoMercatoWEB over the weekend claimed that Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey could make a return to the Premier League at Everton this summer, which may see Carlo Ancelotti fix a key flaw of his side.

Juventus are plotting a raft of changes at the Allianz Stadium after a tepid Scudetto title defence under Andrea Pirlo, with the Turin outfit 10-points behind leaders Inter Milan.

Ramsey’s performances are felt to have been decidedly inconsistent this season to raise the potential for a move away, just half-way through the £400,000-per-week, four-year contract that the Welshman’s penned on his arrival in 2019.

Everton are claimed to have made an enquiry to sound out Ramsey’s potential availability ahead of the summer market, but so have Merseyside rivals Liverpool and fellow top-four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool had already been linked with the Arsenal icon who won three FA Cups during his time in north London, with the Reds allegedly viewing Ramsey as the ideal replacement for soon-to-be free agent Georginio Wijnaldum.

West Ham have also emerged as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his time in Turin with Ramsey suffering 11 separate lay-offs with various issues.

Ramsey’s relentless injuries are said to have pushed him closest to the exit door at Juventus, as it is becoming increasingly harder for Pirlo to continue justifying his absences after a low-grade rectus femoris issue ruled him out against Cagliari and in Wales’ World Cup qualifiers.

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With Juventus also hit hard financially by the pandemic, they may now look to cut their ties with the Welshman at the end of the season, having only seen him deliver six goals in 61 games across all competitions since arriving as a free agent.

Ramsey’s long list of injuries may prove worrisome for some of his potential suitors, but Ancelotti should back the £18m-rated maestro to prove his fitness like he did with James Rodriguez and bring him back to the Premier League.

Rodriguez joined Everton on a free transfer from Real Madrid last summer after playing just 14 times in his final season at the Santiago Bernabeu due to various injuries that dogged his career in the Spanish capital.

Yet the Colombian has been a highly influential presence at Goodison Park, with Lucas Digne the only Toffees player to be credited with more assists (6) in the top-flight this term than Rodriguez (4), who also ranks third on the scoring charts with five in 18 games.

But Ancelotti has been unable to correct a key issue in his side through Rodriguez, as Abdoulaye Doucoure is the Blues’ leading scorer from a deep-lying or central midfield position with two goals in 25 games.

Andre Gomes, Allan and Tom Davies are yet to score in the Premier League this season, and so has Fabian Delph who has played just 90 minutes outside of the defence thus far.

Ramsey departed Arsenal in 2019 on the back of scoring four times and providing six assists in 28 Premier League games, to leave England with a career 40 goals and 51 assists to his name.

That talent has not gone away overnight, with Gunners icon Robert Pires fully behind the 30-year-old.

“Every time he plays, he is very consistent, has excellent technique and is often well-positioned to score as happened on Saturday against Sampdoria,” Pirlo told Tutto Juve last month. “He made an excellent choice.

“I maintain that he is making a difference here too, because it is not easy to play in such a quality midfield. I think he can help the team and be decisive like Arsenal.”

It remains to be seen if Everton move for Ramsey and if Juventus are open to selling him, but the former Arsenal star could be the answer to Ancelotti’s problems.

AND in other news, Everton can potentially save £13m by turning to this Max Aarons alternative…

Having edged past the Premier League’s bottom club Sheffield United last week, Leeds United face the other end of the spectrum when they take on champions-elect Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side needed an own goal from Phil Jagielka to see them over the line in a 2-1 victory over the Blades, and know that a City team who come off the back of a superb Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund will pose arguably their stiffest test of the season.

With Liverpool and then Manchester United to come, Bielsa will be keen to ensure his side start off a trio of tough encounters with at least an impressive performance, if not a result.

Here is a look at just how Leeds might line up when they travel to the league leaders.

In goal, Illan Meslier will be hoping to keep his tenth clean sheet of the Premier League season against the division’s most prolific side – Pep Guardiola’s men have racked up an impressive 66 goals in just 31 games, an average of more than two per match.

The back four could see one change, with the 29-year-old Gjanni Alioski dropping out and Stuart Dallas potentially reverting from his recent central midfield position to left-back.

That could open the door for a return to the starting line-up for Mateusz Klich, who has had to battle with the virus in recent weeks after picking it up early on international duty with Poland.

After coming on as a substitute for Patrick Bamford in their last game, Leeds could hand Rodrigo a recall, with the Spaniard taking the place of Tyler Roberts.

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Bielsa will have to make one enforced change to his starting line-up, with winger Jack Harrison ineligible to play against his parent club. That could see Helder Costa replace him in the team, but the Leeds boss could spring something of a surprise by unleashing Poveda against his former club.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Dallas; Phillips; Raphinha, Klich, Rodrigo, Poveda; Bamford.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this liability by signing this Premier League titan…

Tuesday night was another reminder of what might’ve been for West Ham United.

Whilst the Irons were enjoying a much-needed week off from action, their local rivals, Chelsea, were competing in a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

These are the sorts of matches that many are dreaming about at the London Stadium with David Moyes’ side pushing for a lucrative spot inside the Premier League’s top four.

The Blues defeated the Hammers over the weekend and then held the La Liga giants to a draw, meaning there is still everything left to play for in the return leg next week.

One player starred across both encounters and what makes it worse is the fact that he could’ve become a West Ham player back in 2015 under Slaven Bilic.

This is, of course, N’Golo Kante, who looks back to his best in the heart of Chelsea’s engine room.

Back in the summer of 2015, Bilic enquired to Caen about signing the diminutive Frenchman for just £5m but no move came to fruition and he subsequently joined top-flight rivals Leicester City for just €8m (£7m).

Now look at him.

The £49.5m-rated midfielder pulled the strings on Saturday, making 88% of his 48 passing attempts and managing a game-high four tackles. In fact, none of Moyes’ starting XI could match his 7.2 SofaScore rating either.

Kante then backed up this performance with another fine showing at the Bernabeu, where he recorded a whopping six dribbles against a midfield that contained Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric.

This was more than the entire La Liga outfit combined, which is startling.

As a result, he was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award and earned the most glowing of endorsements from his ex-teammate Cesc Fabregas, who tweeted: “N’Golo has always been a big game player. Never doubt him. He plays for 2.”

Despite entering his thirties, you can see that the 45-time international is a cut above many in the Premier League and one can only wonder what a current Hammers midfield of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Kante would look like.

All in all, the East Londoners must continue to be haunted by Bilic’s failure to land the World Cup winner. What a catastrophic call that was.

AND in other news, West Ham star a major injury doubt for rest of the season, Moyes will be worried…

Juan Foyth arrived at Tottenham Hotspur with a lot of potential.

After an impressive debut season at senior level for Estudiantes, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino swooped for the then 19-year-old for just £8m in the summer of 2017.

He was certainly earmarked as one for the future upon arrival, Pochettino told the official website:

“Juan is so young, he’s 19, but he’s started to show his potential. There were a lot of teams interested in him but he wanted to sign for us and that’s fantastic because he’s a big talent with big potential.

“He’s a player for the future who will need to adapt his game now to the Premier League and Tottenham. He’s young and needs to improve and learn. He will be great for us.”

Now, nearly four years later, there is a decision to make on the Argentinian defender – is he good enough to be part of Spurs’ future? You’d have to suggest that he’s not.

Despite Spurs losing veteran defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer, Foyth was still considered surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho as he shipped him out on loan to Villarreal.

Reports have since emerged suggesting that the La Liga outfit would be keen to keep hold of his services permanently, but may not be able to afford the €15m (£13m) option in the current deal.

Considering Transfermarkt value the 23-year-old centre-back around £9m, the north Londoners – and chairman Daniel Levy, in particular – should take what they can for him.

Spurs’ defensive issues have been well-documented this season. Mourinho cannot decide which is his best partnership between Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld, and all three have been at fault for numerous individual errors at times throughout the current campaign.

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And on Sunday, Joe Rodon delivered a major statement to stake a claim at keeping his place in the starting XI. We’ve since gone onto explain the merits of his ability, and how he could be the solution Mourinho desperately needs in this article.

You’ve also got speculation suggesting that the Spurs boss is keen to sign a new centre-back in the transfer window – one that could create a similar impact to that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool or Ruben Dias at Man City, according to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.

So any way back for Foyth in N17 seems rather unlikely.

Injuries have largely hampered his stint in Spain, having been restricted to only ten league starts and 1,466 minutes in all competitions, via WhoScored.

When you dig deeper, you’ll find that Foyth appears to be undergoing an identity crisis. Villarreal boss Unai Emery has utilised him at centre-back, right-back, defensive and central midfield in his last seven starts alone.

That’s doing Mourinho no favours in his ability to see whether or not he could come straight back into Spurs’ first-team set-up. At this point, he’s probably better off leaving.

If Foyth had anything special about him, then we’d have seen him more than just 32 times in three-and-a-half years. Levy must move him on in the summer, for the good of both the player and the club.

He’d be merely stealing a living sitting on Spurs’ bench or playing for the U23 squad. Just look at Danny Rose.

AND in other news, Valued at £90m in 2019, now worth £26m: Spurs “animal” continues to crash under Jose…

When Jose Fonte departed West Ham for China in February 2018, few football fans would perhaps have predicted that he would be playing some of the best football of his career three years later, chasing a league title with Lille in Ligue 1.

After seven years with Southampton, the centre-back would join West Ham in 2017 for a brief period before his move to Dalian Yifang in China, where he would spend just a few months, completing a free transfer to Lille in the summer of 2018.

Since then, the former Portuguese international has made 103 appearances for Les Dogues, contributing seven goals and three assists in that time.

His performances this season have earned him an impressive 7.08 rating across his 25 appearances in Ligue 1, helping Lille establish themselves at the top of the table.

Considering Southampton’s woeful performances of late, which has seen them pick up just one point out of a possible 24, with no clean sheets in that time, you could definitely argue that they are missing a leader at the back such as Fonte, who is still impressing despite being 37-years-old.

The Saints may definitely regret forcing the defender out of the club in 2017, with the defender suggesting that he had no option but to leave when the club released a transfer request which he did not ask for.

The six foot three centre-back has emphasised this season that he still has the quality to play at the top level, and whilst Southampton are blessed with four solid centre-back options in Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard, Jack Stephens and Mohammed Salisu, having someone with the experience of Fonte this season could have helped them through their recent terrible form.

Therefore, it could definitely be argued that Southampton made a mistake in forcing Fonte out of the club after he made 286 appearances for them during his spell with the club, as he could have been a very useful player to have this season if they had kept faith in his ability.

AND, in other news, Outshone by Tella: 26 y/o Saints ace let Hasenhuttl down with another poor display…

Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that Portsmouth would be “crazy” to get rid of Kenny Jackett, but isn’t surprised by the pressure from the Fratton Park faithful.

Pompey topped the League One standings at Christmas following victory at Hull, but their league form has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in recent weeks, which has led to a number of supporters calling for Jackett to be sacked.

Having suffered another damaging defeat to Phillip’s former side Sunderland on Wednesday, the South Coast outfit have slipped 10 points behind the automatic promotion places, and are just about clinging onto their top-six place with the likes of Ipswich and Charlton breathing down their neck.

But Portsmouth will be given a welcome break from League One action on Saturday when they take on Salford City in their rearranged 2020 Papa John’s Trophy final.

Phillips told Football FanCast:

“I’ve been around football a long time. Am I surprised? No, not really. Football supporters are what they are. And a club the size of Portsmouth, a bit like Sunderland, having been in that league now for a while, they feel that they shouldn’t be there.

“Getting into the position they have done a few weeks ago to have tailed off in the last three four weeks, they will be disappointed. 

“So I’m not surprised. But I am little bit because he’s an experienced guy, they’re in the playoffs, they still have a great opportunity to get a good result this weekend to really kick on and find some form again.” 

But does the ex-Sunderland frontman believe that Jackett should be given time despite Pompey’s recent struggles.

He added:

“Definitely. Kenny’s an experienced guy. Who are they going to bring in that’s got as much experience as Kenny? He’ll turn it around, I’m sure he’ll keep them in the play-offs. I think it’d be crazy to get rid of him. Just go with it, and hopefully they’ll turn it around.”

Kevin Phillips will be a studio guest for Quest’s highlights of the Papa John’s Trophy Final on Sunday. Stream on discovery+

Fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding City’s pursuit of Borussia Dortmund centre-forward, Erling Haaland.

According to James Ducker’s article for The Telegraph, Manchester City view Haaland as Sergio Aguero’s long-term successor at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s side thought to be eager to get a deal done for the 20-year-old despite likely competition from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, following confirmation of Aguero departure this summer.

Ducker also goes on to claim that, in spite of the fact a move for the £99 million-rated Norway international almost certainly meaning that City would have to smash their £65 million incoming transfer record, the club’s desire to sign the Dortmund forward remains strong.

And, after City Xtra relayed the report on Twitter, fans of Manchester City flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing ecstatic at the prospect of their club pursuing a deal for the centre-forward this summer.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Erling Haaland?

“That’s what I like to hear!”

@JMC_OfficiaI

“This is what we like to hear. Eases the pain of today’s news.”

@Priceless_Silva

“This is getting spicy.”

@DiasMcfc

“If we just sign him I would be very happy.”

@mancitymj14

“He’s the only reasonable replacement.”

@MattHarl42

“Firstly, Aguero is irreplaceable. But apart from that, this is needed.”

@lnGoodKompany

“Just pay whatever it needs to get him. If we don’t get Haaland after letting Aguero go someone needs to leave.”

@NickFilipovich

“WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR.”

@WaporteMC

In other news: These Man City fans were ecstatic as this transfer news emerged – find out more here!

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping Kalvin Phillips’ injury is nothing too serious amid a post-game update from The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

What’s the story?

The Whites ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday night, with goals from Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford proving to be more than enough to brush aside Roy Hodgson’s men.

But, the one major downer for Bielsa was seeing talisman Phillips having to limp off the field in the dying embers of the game, with the midfielder having already gone to ground a bit earlier with what seemed to be a calf problem.

Posting on Twitter after the game, Hay dropped a six-word update on the £30k-a-week star’s condition. One thing that is for certain however, is that Bielsa will not be happy whatsoever.

Mistake from Orta

All throughout the January transfer window, reports had linked Leeds with a move for Fiorentina’s midfield machine, Erick Pulgar. It seemed like a potentially shrewd move for the Whites, especially considering that they don’t have natural cover for Phillips in their ranks.

He would have helped fix a big problem for Bielsa in the middle of the park, and ensured that they had a contingency plan if worst came to worst, and Phillips went down with an injury.

It’s exactly why late reports suggesting that instead of making a January swoop for the Chile international, Leeds were content to just wait in the summer before potentially renewing their interest seemed particularly strange. Victor Orta didn’t bring anyone else in, and the Whites were stuck with what they went into the transfer window with.

The Elland Road side would have been desperately hoping for a bit of good fortune with Phillips until the end of the season. But surprise, surprise, their plans have been wrecked almost immediately.

Speaking earlier this year, former Premier League striker Darren Bent made it clear just how important of a role Phillips plays in this side, and the kind of impact it would have if he was out injured. He said: “It is a unique role, and you think who else can they get in that position who can do the job effectively. The answer to that is no one. He’s that good of a player that it’s hard to replace him. You don’t just get players like that, it’s not that easy.”

It’s exactly why Bielsa would have been hoping Leeds brought in some reinforcements in the January. The fact that Phillips has now gone down, just a week after the transfer window has closed, and could be set for a spell on the side-lines reeks of poor management from the club’s higher ups.

The Leeds boss will be fuming with how things have panned out, regardless of whether Phillips is ruled out for a short or long period of time.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star was Bielsa’s true hero vs Crystal Palace…

A Rangers fan has posted an image on Twitter which displayed Motherwell’s shape off the ball from the Gers’ 3-1 win over the Well on Saturday, disputing Motherwell boss Steve Robinson’s claim that his side set up in a 3-5-2 formation for this fixture. 

It’s been claimed by some that Motherwell utilised more of a 5-5-0 shape in last weekend’s Premiership clash with Rangers. Even Gers manager Steven Gerrard has suggested as much, with the Liverpool legend declaring that his Rangers side was “up against a five and a five” versus Motherwell, which he described as a “new experience.” 

Some Gers fans have been critical of Robinson for how he set his side up for this game, though the 46-year-old has fired back at his critics, explaining that it’s not his job to please Rangers fans and arguing that his Motherwell side played in a 3-5-2, rather than a 5-5-0. 

So, how have these Rangers fans reacted to this image from Saturday’s game? 

A lot of Rangers fans have been responding to this fan’s tweet sharing an image from their side’s 3-1 win over Motherwell, which does appear to show the Well playing with two banks of five at that very moment, to share that they still believe Robinson’s side set up in an ultra-defensive 5-5-0 shape. Some of those Gers supporters were full of criticism for the Motherwell coach.

“Mental your formation is only your formation when you’re defending, clear as day. 5-5-0”

Credit: @jonihunter1982

“It was a disgrace when Levein done it with Scotland and got what he deserved, and it’s the same again for Motherwell”

Credit: @boaby1kenobi

“At various points in the match it was 10-0-0 but mostly 5-5-0 which was blindingly obvious.”

Credit: @heavypour_

“Connor goldson was literally 35 yards from their goal for 80% of the game

I don’t care if they played 10-0-0 it’s the fact that their defence never left that 12 yard box even when the ball was at McGregor’s feet”

Credit: @CallamR96

“Are you mad? It’s actually a 6-4-0”

Credit: @Cam283Robert

“Have you ever seen a back 5 so compact before?”

Credit: @Faz_50

In other news, it’s been claimed that Steven Gerrard may leave Rangers if his side wins the Premiership this season.

Leeds are incredibly unlikely to do any transfer business in January.

We hate to admit it, but this isn’t a period of the year that either Marcelo Bielsa or Victor Orta like. You only need to look at the deal for Jean-Kevin Augustin last year to understand that.

What’s the word?

Of course, that won’t stop the Whites from being linked with new faces. After all, if an exceptional circumstance reveals itself then Orta could be tempted to act.

The likes of Diego Costa and Julian Draxler have been touted with switches but the latest name on the block is someone rather unknown in comparison.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Leeds and AC Milan are both interested in signing Toulouse midfielder Kouadio Kone.

If the 19-year-old departs then he could become the most expensive player in Ligue 2 history. The report claims that any willing suitor will have to pay €15m (£13m) in order to prise Kone away.

Leeds have supposedly been interested in the player for a while and now a move could materialise in the coming month.

Ronaldo Vieira 2.0

Kone is an unknown quantity on the biggest stages but the qualities he’s shown in his small career so far are exceptional.

The teenager has a tall frame and is mightily powerful both on the ball and off it. Detailing Kone’s finest qualities, journalist Marco Conterio said: “Alla Pogba, he is a dribbler with a great physique and long levers, with precision even in the shot on goal. At the moment he is one of the most interesting box-to-box on the international scene.”

That is a glowing review and you only need to look at the statistics to understand further what sort of player Leeds would be getting.

In Ligue 1 last term, the youngster won a colossal 2.7 tackles per game. On top of that, he managed 1.5 interceptions a match and 0.8 dribbles. Kone is a real nuisance when he strides forward, being fouled 2.2 times an outing.

Of course, these qualities are rather similar to Kalvin Phillips but we want to compare him to a former United man in Ronaldo Vieira. The midfielder is now playing his football in Italy but possessed very similar qualities.

During his final season at Elland Road, Vieira won 2.1 tackles and made 1.4 interceptions a match. In terms of his dribbling, the Brazilian managed 0.7 successful take-ons.

Evidently, they are incredibly alike. If Orta brings Kone to Yorkshire then he could well make up for the loss of Vieira in 2018.

AND in other news, Forget Rodrigo: Leeds must move for “extraordinary” £30m gem, Orta has found Pablo 2.0…