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Carlo Ancelotti can sign a top-draw upgrade on Yerry Mina in SSC Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, as Farhad Moshiri looks to back the Everton manager in the transfer market once again.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, Ancelotti is eying a cut-price deal for Koulibaly as he looks to be reunited with the Senegalese star.

The Italian coached Koulibaly for 18-months during his time in charge of the Serie A side, a period in which he lauded the 29-year-old as “the best defender in the world”.

Ancelotti now hopes he can convince Koulibaly to follow him to Goodison Park, as the former Liverpool and Manchester United target is expected to be valued at far less than the £89m that Napoli had demanded last year.

The Napoli star’s precise valuation remains to be seen, but Blues owner Moshiri is expected to back Ancelotti in the coach’s efforts to land his man.

Everton feel they have the right manager at the helm in Ancelotti, so will present the funds the 61-year-old feels are needed to sustain the club’s challenge for a consistent top-six spot.

Recent reports had suggested that Ancelotti has marked Koulibaly as his top defensive target for the summer market, as he does not believe Everton’s current options have the ability to play together in the long-term.

Ancelotti’s doubt in the talents of his current centre-back group, apart from Ben Godfrey, were also noted last month, with the Daily Mail claiming that questions marks had arisen over the Italian’s best possible pairing.

Should Everton sign Koulibaly?

The question marks that arose over Everton’s current centre-half options added that Mina could be moved on at the end of the season, seemingly having failed to imprint a positive impression on Ancelotti.

Mina had been a pillar of the Toffees backline before sustaining a calf injury at home to Manchester City last month, with the Colombian only failing to open four Premier League fixtures from a possible 23.

He returned to the line-up for last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City, but his long-term presence appears to be up in the air with Koulibaly being linked.

Ancelotti has previously questioned the performances of Mina, with the Blues boss noting in September how the 26-year-old was not aggressive enough in shutting down West Bromwich Albion whilst Grady Diangana opened the scoring.

“Yerry had an average game, I think he could be more aggressive and do more with the ball,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “The only aspect we have to look at is him being more aggressive when he can press the opening.”

Reports of an uncertain future and interest in Koulibaly would suggest those concerns are still present, as the £45m-rated Napoli star – who former Chelsea star Craig Burley claims is “fantastic” – would offer Ancelotti a superb upgrade on Mina.

Ancelotti knows Koulibaly well from his time in Naples and clearly thought highly of him, having claimed the 43-cap international was worth as much as €150m (£130m) in 2019 and that there was “no question” that he would be staying.

Now, the question is whether Ancelotti can convince Koulibaly to leave southern Italy for Merseyside, and offer the Everton boss the defensive player he seems to feel is missing.

AND in other news, an “exceptional” Everton figure is being eyed by a Premier League rival…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt insists that there is no reason for fans to panic over the club’s form in such a bizarre season.

The Premier League season is being contested behind closed doors because of the ongoing pandemic and Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that such conditions are only likely to add to the bizarre results we have seen at times this season.

Indeed, Spurs have struggled under Jose Mourinho and fell to ninth in the Premier League table at one point.

Their win over Burnley at the weekend means they are still just six points off the top four, though, with a game in hand on fourth-placed West Ham United.

And Mabbutt insists there is absolutely no reason for fans to worry given that the season is largely upside down.

He has cited Liverpool as an example, with the Premier League champions, who lost just three games last season, currently sixth in the Premier League table, with seven defeats to their name.

They are 19 points off league leaders Manchester City, and are almost certain to lose their title this season.

Speaking to FFC earlier this week, Mabbutt said: “People talk about how we’ve fallen away since December, we were top of the table mid December, and then we slipped away a little bit.

“Well, it’s exactly that: slipped away a little bit. In real terms, in a normal season, dropping from top to ninth would be, ‘how did that happen?’ 

“But in this current season, when you’ve got the champions who pulverised everyone before them last season, lying in sixth place, whatever, and losing their last four games at home. Excuse me, it’s just an absolutely one off season that is seeing results no one would expect.”

Mabbutt also expressed his sympathy for the conditions the players are being forced to play in, with him making the point that the Premier League is being played in “training ground conditions”.

He added: “It’s proven football is just not football, as we know it, without fans in the stadium. I mean, I feel sorry for the players. And for the staff.

“It’s the crowd in the stadium that wants to create the passion, the intensity, the excitement, it’s the players that rebound off that support, off the crowd. And it’s like playing in the biggest football league in the world, under training ground conditions, and that is not easy.

“For players to build themselves up, getting mentally right to get there, totally concentrated, is very, very difficult. And I do feel sorry for them. But that’s the way it is.”

Aston Villa must swoop for Brentford left-back Rico Henry this summer amid a major transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that the 23-year-old is on the radar for Villa as they look to strengthen their defensive options, and now The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has delivered an update on the club’s pursuit of the Brentford man.

The journalist revealed that “there was always going to be closer attention paid to the full-back department ahead of 2021-22 when Villa are expected to recruit again. Both Elmohamady and Neil Taylor are out of contract so younger alternatives will be sourced.”

Evans would add that Henry “remains an option” for Villa this summer.

Dean Smith loves him

Having worked with him at Brentford, Henry is a familiar name for Dean Smith, and the Villa boss has gone on record multiple times to rave about the left-back.

Speaking after he first brought him to Brentford, he said: “Rico is a player I worked with at Walsall and threw him into the first team at 16 in pre-season friendlies and he more than held his own in those games, he had no fear, and was playing in League One shortly afterwards. He’s a talented player, fearless, and likes to bring the ball to opponents.”

And then, after describing him as “something special”, Smith even likened him to Chelsea and England stalwart Ashley Cole – high praise for an up-and-coming, young English left-back.

The fact Smith has previously worked with Henry makes him a potential dream signing for Villa, and someone who could potentially hit the ground running like Ollie Watkins has done.

There would be no real adaptation period for the full-back to understand Smith’s methods or know his style of play, and it’s exactly why Johan Lange would be making a smart move by targeting the Brentford man.

With Taylor out of contract, Matt Targett would be Villa’s only senior left-back option at the club if he leaves. Bringing in Henry would just add some much-needed cover and competition too, and that’s healthy for all sides.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this £17m-rated machine…

We are now 20 days into the transfer window and Jeff Shi is yet to bring any new faces to Wolves.

With the Molineux outfit failing to win eight of their last ten games, it doesn’t bode particularly well that they’ve not tried to strengthen.

What’s the word?

One way Wolves have looked at improving their ranks is by recalling Patrick Cutrone and Morgan Gibbs-White from their respective loan spells at Fiorentina and Swansea.

Cutrone, however, could exit the club again after just a matter of weeks of returning to the fray.

That’s according to journalist Gianluigi Longari on Twitter who claims that Parma have approached the Premier League side in a bid to bring him back to Italy.

They have other targets in mind but if all else fails they will supposedly pursue Cutrone.

Get rid

It was wise of Wolves to bring the striker back to England this month. After all, he wasn’t getting sufficient game time in Florence and Nuno Santo needed another forward with Raul Jimenez injured.

Cutrone hasn’t scored all season but added depth was vitally important for a side in such a big rut. That being said, it was unfathomable that he’d be the only arrival at Molineux this month. Such is their plight that they need to heavily invest in forward areas.

That, however, could be tough for Nuno after he was told to forget about spending a large sum of cash in January.

That being said, if a suitable offer for the Italy international does arrives this month, they must wield the axe on him and get rid once and for all. This might be ruthless given he’s only just returned but it could provide Wolves with the extra cash they need to bring in someone more qualified to play second fiddle to Jimenez.

Cutrone has scored just three goals in 27 appearances for Wolves, a tally that doesn’t even come close to replicating the exploits of Jimenez in recent years.

Since being signed by Fosun, the attacker has bled the owner dry for a sum of £62.9k-per-week. With just a trio of goals to his name in the Old Gold shirt, he hasn’t even come close to being worth the £16m they paid for him in the summer of 2019.

To brutally sum things up, the 23-year-old has cost the club £5.3m for every goal he’s scored during his time in the Midlands.

That simply isn’t good enough and with players like Olivier Giroud and Diego Costa being linked to the club – proven Premier League goalscorers – they need to sacrifice both Cutrone’s talents and his wage.

Providing a bid is received, Wolves need to forget about handing out a second chance and dismiss him from their plans.

AND in other news, Wolves can finally replace Jota by swooping for “ruthless” gem with “explosive pace”…

Aston Villa will be hoping that they can correct their most recent outing in the Premier League and return to winning ways as they get this weekend kicked off with a lunchtime clash against Arsenal.

Dean Smith’s side will welcome the inconsistent Arsenal to Villa Park this afternoon as both sides look to bank a crucial three points in their respective season. The Lions are coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to West Ham on home soil whilst Mikel Arteta’s men were recently beaten by Wolves.

Smith isn’t usually known for straying away from his usual lineup and team selections. However, times are becoming urgent as nine outfield players have played more than 1,000 minutes this season, with Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez playing all 20 Premier League so far, according to Birmingham Live.

With several players in need of a rest and plenty vying for their chance off the bench, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Villa to lineup this afternoon…

Although rotation can be key in the Premier League, there’s very little chance that Smith will change up any of his defensive personnel. The Villa backline is unchanged in their last six Premier League games. Even with an injury scare on Matt Targett against Manchester City, the left-back was back in action the following match against Newcastle in their 2-0 victory.

However, the manager’s more creative options will be up for debate. Players like Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet are looking to get their chance to cement themselves in the Villa squad as one of Smith’s regular choices. Last time out, Anwar El Ghazi was disappointing on the right wing and was hauled off the pitch after half-time.

According to Sofascore, the Dutchman managed to complete just seven accurate passes in the first half and lost possession 11 times. This is far from the creative masterclass the boss will have wanted from his winger and could be tempted to bring Trezeguet back into the squad.

The Egyptian hasn’t started for Villa since the reverse West Ham fixture back in November. He then spent eight games on the sidelines due to a head injury and has been limited to cameo appearances since his return, according to Transfermarkt.

Another player who could be put back into the spotlight is £78,000 per week Traore. The wide-man has five goalscoring contributions in his last ten appearances for the Lions and will be paramount for breaking sown Arsenal’s backline this afternoon as Villa kick off this weekend’s action.

That could see Jack Grealish move into the number ten role, with Ross Barkley dropped to the bench. Ollie Watkins will of course lead the line as he has always done, despite not missing a single minute of Premier League football this season.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn: Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

In other news, Aston Villa may rue not signing Josh King on transfer deadline day…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has dropped an intriguing transfer claim this week ahead of the January window.

The 63-year-old, who managed and played for Spurs, believes Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse would be a perfect target for Jose Mourinho this year.

Speaking on his podcast, ‘The Glenn Hoddle Footy Show’, he said:

“I think his all-round game has come on leaps and bounds, but as a set piece artist there is no-one better.

“He’d be a major asset for Tottenham, for instance. Or he could go and play in Everton’s team tomorrow.

“Whether he has the mentality you don’t know until he goes to a big club.”

Daniel Levy has already raided the Saints once this season, and perhaps, he should indeed listen to Hoddle and swoop for the impressive attacking midfielder.

Spurs’ form has dipped in recent weeks, indeed, they have not won in their last four Premier League outings, and they have struggled to continue their rich vein of goalscoring.

This points to there being a creative issue amongst Mourinho’s squad – they certainly haven’t been able to replace Christian Eriksen as of yet. No midfielder is averaging more than 0.8 key passes per game in the top-flight at the moment.

Both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have effectively been creating those chances for one another (both managing 1.5 key passes per game or more), and that is something that needs to change to sustain the form that saw them briefly top the table.

And that is where Ward-Prowse makes a ton of sense.

The £22.5m-rated maestro is not just a set-piece specialist having contributed to seven goals in 16 starts so far this term. That is more than Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele combined.

Ward-Prowse is also managing 1.7 key passes per game, only better by Son, and 1.8 crosses per game in the top-flight this term, as per WhoScored.

Of course, his free-kick ability is what he is most known for with Peter Crouch dubbing him “Beckham-esque” which only echoes the thoughts of teammate Theo Walcott, who claimed he is actually better than the England legend.

Now capped four times by the Three Lions, the Saints skipper is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He’s even impressed talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham, who claimed he’s “got the devil in him” after a win over Iceland.

No one could fault the “machine” for following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to N17 if any offer were to come about. Levy must strike.

AND in other news, Levy could secure Jose Mourinho his next Essien in £16.5m BEAST…

For Olivier Ntcham, his Celtic stay is very quickly running out of gas.

The former Manchester City man was signed under Brendan Rodgers and initially, that looked like good business. He has scored 24 times for the Hoops throughout the years and once established himself as one of the most promising box to box midfielders in Scotland.

However, in double-quick time, it has all unravelled for the Frenchman. No longer does he display the lung-busting energy we associate with Ntcham and his lack of regular minutes this season suggest that he could soon be out the exit door.

The 24-year-old hasn’t started since the end of November and has been touted with a switch to West Brom.

That could be a welcome relief for Neil Lennon, someone who may be troubled by the player’s poor attitude this season.

Speaking earlier in the campaign about Ntcham, talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil stated: “Ntcham, he looks as if he’s tools down and not bothered.”

Funnily enough, a player who could all but end his stay in Glasgow is in a similar situation in England.

The man in question is Preston’s Ben Pearson, another player being left out of the team because of a contract dispute. Celtic are eyeing a move for him and if they get a deal over the line, it would surely push Ntcham further down the pecking order and likely out of the Parkhead door.

After all, Pearson is a midfielder himself, and a powerful one at that.

Discussing his future over the weekend, Preston boss Alex Neil commented: “Listen, Ben would’ve been fit to be in the squad today, but we’ve signed some new lads that need to get minutes now. Ben has made it clear to us that his future doesn’t lie here come the end of the season.”

It was a damning indictment of the 26-year-old who perhaps like Ntcham, has displeased his manager.

Pearson is one of the most aggressive players around and in picking up 52 yellow cards in the last four and a half years, he is no stranger to throwing in a tackle.

By replacing their French titan with the Preston brute, they’d lose a degree of attacking urgency but importantly, they wouldn’t lose his battling and tough-tackling characteristics.

It seems like for all parties it would be best if Pearson and Ntcham left their respective clubs. Celtic, however, are likely to benefit most.

The former’s current £8.5k-per-week deal expires in the summer and consequently, Nick Hammond can agree a pre-contract with Pearson if he deems Celtic’s offer to be appropriate.

This signing would certainly be shrewd business from the Hoops hierarchy.

AND in other news, Lennon could finally axe Celtic veteran by unleashing “sensational” rarely-seen gem – opinion…

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast recently that Manchester City were extremely close to signing Isco in 2018 but they could not find an agreement with Real Madrid.

As per Man City Xtra on Twitter, the Spanish playmaker had agreed terms with the Citizens but they couldn’t negotiate a fee with Los Blancos, who were demanding €90 million (£80.3 million) for the midfielder.

Considering the 28-year-old’s downturn in form in recent seasons, Guardiola will surely be delighted that the club didn’t shell out what would have been an enormous fee plus hefty wages for the Spanish international, as he currently earns £210k per week at Madrid.

So far this season, the former Malaga man has been extremely disappointing, having averaged a 6.32 rating across his seven appearances in La Liga, with no goals or assists to his name (per WhoScored).

Isco’s market valuation has truly plummeted in recent years, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at £18 million, whilst he was valued at £81 million just two years ago, suggesting that Real Madrid weren’t far off with their valuation but that City were right not to pay it.

When he was linked with a move to Barcelona back in 2017, his international teammate at the time, Andres Iniesta, was full of praise for the attacking-midfielder, saying:

“He is a fantastic player, with an incredible talent.

“For many years he has been doing things very well and he is playing for one of the best teams in the world.

“He is an important player not just in the national team but in his club. He is young and has many years to grow and improve.” (per FotMob)

To be so highly-rated by one of the best midfielders to ever play the game certainly suggests that Isco was an extremely talented player, so it is surprising that his career seems to have fallen off a cliff somewhat in recent seasons.

He has also endured his fair share of injury problems in recent seasons with the La Liga giants, suggesting that he would’ve struggled with the physicality of the Premier League had he joined back in 2018.

Therefore, City will surely be glad they didn’t splash the cash on Isco back in 2018 and they now have the immensely talented Phil Foden establishing himself as a key member of Guardiola’s squad, which may not have happened had Isco joined two years ago.

And, in other news… Manchester City may already have their next Kevin De Bruyne in “fabulous” academy talent

All eyes at Celtic are currently on Neil Lennon. Arguably, a Hoops manager hasn’t faced this much heat in over a decade.

Over the last nine years, the Hoops have embarked on a remarkable period of dominance, winning the SPFL title in every single year.

In 2020/21, it was supposed to be about their tenth crown but clearly, it has not followed the script.

Out of Europe and 11 points behind rivals Rangers, Lennon is facing huge pressure and supporters are far from pleased. After losing to Ross County, a number of fans rallied at Parkhead to protest against the management.

Although Celtic weren’t expected to beat Milan on Thursday, shipping another four goals is unlikely to have helped Lennon’s cause.

Equally, it should not have helped Peter Lawwell’s case. That’s because the CEO of the football club has spent a ridiculous sum of money on seven players who are costing Celtic dearly.

The men we’re talking about are defenders, namely Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain, Jeremie Frimpong, Hatem Elhamed, Shane Duffy, Greg Taylor and Boli Bolingoli.

The accumulative fees of those men all amount to around £14m, with Barkas being the most expensive at £4.5m.

In this situation, one has to question whether any due diligence was done with these acquisitions. After all, the Bhoys have conceded 12 goals in their last three European outings. Meanwhile, they have shipped 13 strikes in 13 SPFL outings too. That’s ten more than Rangers despite playing two fewer games.

Barkas and Bain have made costly errors in the last week, while Jeremie Frimpong looked out of his depth when Celtic drew 2-2 with Hibernian a fortnight ago, losing possession 18 times. As for Hatem Elhamed, three of the four goals Milan netted on Thursday night came down his right channel.

Furthermore, Duffy looks set to cut his loan spell short and head back to Brighton in January while Boli Bolingoli had a controversial summer, breaking pandemic protocols.

It’s safe to say that a number of Celtic’s defensive signings simply haven’t cut it at Parkhead.

For the Glaswegians, these signings are as much to blame as Lennon is. Of course, his coaching should improve them but Lawwell arguably shouldn’t have spent the money in the first place.

Celtic are a complete mess right now.

In other news, this Celtic star was a complete PUSHOVER against Milan…

Phil Thompson has criticised Liverpool’s decision to cash in on Rhian Brewster this season, as opposed to 25-year-old Divock Origi.

Speaking to Paddy Power (via Daily Mail), the ex-Anfield man said: “On the outgoings, I’m disappointed that they decided to let Rhian Brewster go. I’d like him to have stayed. I can see some of the reasons why, but if you were asking me whether to go with Brewster or Divock Origi, for me, it’d be Origi going.”

Sheffield United came knocking for the young talent with an impressive offer of £23.5million (via BBC Sport). Michael Edwards certainly conducted another transfer masterclass given the fact Brewster had never made a Premier League appearance for the Reds.

A mistake to let Brewster go

Despite their handsome profit and the buy-back clause inserted in his contract, Liverpool were foolish to let Brewster leave the club. As it stands, the Reds only have Origi to fill in for Roberto Firmino if he picks up an injury and despite being a cult hero, his general performances are inconsistent.

Last season, the Belgian tallied just six goals in 42 appearances across all competitions (via Transfermarkt). A very disappointing return for a striker playing for the Premier League champions. But given Firmino’s unique role as more of a playmaker than a goalscorer, Liverpool aren’t boasting high numbers from any of their strikers.

“There’s not too many forwards that have the aggression that Brewster has,” Thompson continued. “There’s a couple of others that could have gone, Xherdan Shaqiri for example could’ve brought a few quid in.”

Indeed, Shaqiri has been linked to an Anfield exit but it seemed Jurgen Klopp had a change of heart at the last minute. However, even with the Swiss international on the books, Liverpool are very thin on attacking options.

With Brewster’s promising loan spell with Swansea, scoring 11 goals in 22 games, the Reds could have worked on making him the club’s next star striker. Now, they must turn to the limited options they have instead.

In other news, Liverpool have last-gasp chance to solve goalkeeping woes with Jack Butland deal…