Aston Villa could land ‘a bigger fee’ for Jacob Ramsey than the one they received for Jack Grealish, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Ramsey at Villa

Ramsey, who came all the way through the academy ranks and turned 21 in May, has been a first-team regular at Villa Park since the 2020/21 campaign. The central midfielder has now racked up 72 senior appearances after progressing through the youth teams, contributing to ten goals.

His displays earlier this year led to speculation of an England call-up from Gareth Southgate, though that is still yet to materialise.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Talking to The Transfer Tavern regarding Ramsey, O’Rourke believes the midfielder has the potential to become a ‘top player’ and didn’t rule out the possibility of Villa receiving a club-record fee in the future, eclipsing the £100m fee Manchester City paid for Grealish.

“I think he could go on and be a top player. The way transfer fees are right now in football, you would never say never that Villa might be able to go and get a bigger fee than they got for Jack Grealish.”

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The Verdict: Exciting…

Ramsey appears to be at home in the Premier League and you can imagine him going from strength to strength in the Midlands after signing a new five-year deal back in April.

Should he improve on his already impressive game in years to come, then there is every chance his career-high £22.5m Transfermarkt valuation will continue to grow.

That could well result in some of Europe’s biggest clubs showing a real interest, and who knows, Ramsey could follow in Grealish’s footsteps by sealing a big-money exit.

Everton made plenty of smart signings under David Moyes’ 11-year tenure at the club, and even Roberto Martinez was liable to pull out the occasional pearler of a transfer deal.

Naturally, everyone is aware of Farhad Moshiri’s recent financial misdeeds that have left the club somewhat struggling to adhere to FFP, but just before his arrival the deal to spend £28m on Romelu Lukaku marked terrific value.

The Belgian had enjoyed a fine loan spell at Goodison Park and joined permanently in 2014 from Chelsea, for a club-record fee at the time of £28m.

He became something of a cult hero on Merseyside, with his goals instrumental to some of the more enjoyable times that the Toffees have had in recent years.

The 29-year-old scored 87 times in just 166 games for the club, as well as assisting 29 times too.

It was during the 2016/17 season that he truly hit the peak of his powers for Everton, scoring 25 league goals for a side that would finish seventh.

He had given almost everything to the various managers he had played under, and when Manchester United came calling it became impossible to deny.

However, with the infamously deep pockets of the Red Devils, the Blues managed to demand £75m to lose him.

This marked an incredible 167% profit made on the Belgium international, who had scored incredible amounts of goals before earning the club a huge paycheck.

Journalist Rahman Osman noted how “insane” Lukaku’s goal-scoring feats for his country had been, labelling him a “special striker”.

What would make the deal even sweeter is that despite 27 goals in his debut year for his new club, he was eventually hounded out of Old Trafford for a lack of fluency in his link-up play.

He has only truly excelled again whilst playing for Inter Milan, for whom he has scored 65 in 98 outings. Even when he returned to Chelsea he struggled, finding the net just eight times in the league, and thus was sent back out on loan to Italy.

Everton hit the jackpot with Lukaku, as they managed to squeeze plenty of goals out of him before cashing in, and then watching his career stutter across his moves following.

After a slow start in the Premier League, it is clear Liverpool are looking ahead of this season to improve their team with a new update emerging on the club’s pursuit of a top transfer target.

What’s the latest?

According to reports coming out of Spain, Liverpool are preparing an €80m (£70m) opening bid for Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham.

As per the report, Jurgen Klopp is desperate to put the failed attempt to sign Aurelien Tchouameni in the past by signing Bellingham next summer and the club are in advanced talks as the front runners to secure the midfielder’s signature.

He’s better than Arthur

There is no doubt that Liverpool are now in a position to freshen up their team, especially in the centre of the pitch with numerous injuries mounting, contracts expiring and players coming to the end of their careers.

Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and James Milner are well into their 30s now with the latter out of contract in June 2023, proving that it is the perfect time to start thinking about the midfield of the future at Anfield.

After failing to secure Tchouameni’s signature, Liverpool settled for a last-minute loan deal for Juventus’ Arthur Melo but the 26-year-old doesn’t look to be a long-term solution for the club as they continue to pursue a much better alternative in Bellingham.

In terms of attacking qualities, adding more goal-scoring opportunities and winning goals to the team, the Dortmund wonderkid is by far more progressive, scoring 17 goals and delivering 20 assists over his club career so far whilst Arthur, who is six years his senior, has only managed seven goals and ten assists over his career so far.

Not only that, Bellingham ranks in the top 3% for dribbles completed compared to fellow midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, whilst Arthur ranks in the bottom 48%. It’s not just the attacking capabilities of the 19-year-old that make him a more complete midfielder than his potential position competitor at Anfield.

The Bundesliga star, who was hailed a “Swiss-army knife” by Owen Hargreaves, won more tackles (40 v 14), had a better pressure success rate (33.6% v 32.2%), completed more blocks (64 v 13) and won more aerial duels (44% v 37.5%) than the Brazilian midfielder last season, proving that he offers a more dominant presence in both attacking and defensive play.

With that being said, the signing of Bellingham would be a monumental piece of business for Liverpool and an opportunity they mustn’t let pass them by. It could set up the Liverpool midfield for over a decade if the player continues to perform and develop well.

Arsenal kept up their perfect start to the Europa League as they eased to victory over Bodo/Glimt at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.

The Gunners put in a strong display to defeat the Norwegian minnows 3-0 and now head into this weekend’s Premier League clash with Liverpool buoyed by confidence, where they’ll be looking to keep their place atop the standings there too.

Academy graduate Eddie Nketiah opened the scoring for the north Londoners before centre-back Rob Holding headed home to double the lead just moments later, then it wasn’t until after the break that Fabio Vieira wrapped things up after some good work from substitute Gabriel Jesus.

It was a night for rare chances as Arteta rotated the bulk of his starting XI in a bid to hand out valuable minutes to those that needed it and after a goal and an assist, the Portuguese maestro was certainly in the running for the ‘Man of the Match’ award come full-time.

However, the performance of Takehiro Tomiyasu on both flanks particularly caught the eye as he fully took his golden opportunity to impress Arteta. The Japan international’s early-season injury, combined with the form of Ben White at right-back, has seen him struggle to get back into the lineup.

He started the encounter on the right before switching to the other flank after the 70th-minute introduction of the Englishman.

No player registered more touches than Tomiyasu (83), which shows just how influential he was throughout the game – even Granit Xhaka (30) and Vieira (37) couldn’t match such returns, despite appearing to pull the strings in the engine room.

Also per SofaScore, the 23-year-old defender – who ex-teammate Mitchell Dijks dubbed a “warrior” – was a rock defensively after he won five of his six duels (83%), both on the ground and in the air, and he managed two tackles, two clearances and one interception, too.

A passing accuracy of 82% (from 65 attempts) and a 100% dribble success rate (2/2) highlighted his willingness to get forward, which is perhaps something that White – a natural centre-back – lacks when he’s deployed in the role. Not that it’s his job to get into the final third but it does show that the former Bologna man is still a viable option for the remainder of the season.

The Japanese right-back’s display also caught the eye of football.london reporter Kaya Kaynak, who graded Tomiyasu amongst his best performers on the night – ‘Got forward superbly and showed that he’s more than ready to fill the right-back spot if Ben White finds his standards slipping at any point,’ he wrote.

Having cost the Gunners around £16m in August 2021, it’s evident that the versatile defender isn’t going to be forgotten about anytime soon after he took this rare chance to deliver on the European stage.

AND in other news, Edu hit the jackpot on “untouchable” £40k-p/w Arsenal gem whose value has rocketed 94%…

Leeds United striker Wilfried Gnonto ‘took a few whacks’ while playing for Italy on Monday night, according to Joe Donnohue of The Yorkshire Evening Post. 

The lowdown

The 18-year-old, who sealed a £4.05m move from FC Zurich to Elland Road on transfer deadline day, started for his country for the third time as they took on Hungary in their UEFA Nations League clash in Budapest.

He became the first Italian to reach that milestone before his 19th birthday in the post-war era and completed 65 minutes before he was withdrawn by manager Roberto Mancini, with Italy already cruising at 2-0 up.

The latest

Taking to Twitter, Donnohue predicted that the change was only ‘precautionary’ but said that Gnonto had very much been in the firing line.

He wrote: “Gnonto subbed off on 65 minutes. Took a few whacks towards the end there, occupational hazard of putting himself about. Probably a precautionary change from Mancini with Italy already 2-0 up.”

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The verdict

Gnonto had already provided Leeds with a glimpse of his capabilities, chasing down and challenging the goalkeeper following an underhit Hungary backpass in the build-up to Italy’s opener.

Giacomo Raspadori subsequently latched onto it and had the simple task of finishing, with Peter Gulacsi already on the floor.

Leeds supporters will surely be excited to see a teenager they signed for just over £4m already starting multiple matches for the reigning European champions.

However, Jesse Marsch will now be hoping that the ‘explosive’ striker, to quote sports journalist Jack Douglas, hasn’t sustained a knock after ‘putting himself about’. It will be intriguing to see what the Elland Road medics deduce once the teenager returns to Thorp Arch this week.

Everton striker Salomon Rondon’s exit from Goodison Park is ‘inevitable’ after he couldn’t even break into the injury-hit striker ranks, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Rondon struggling for minutes

The attacker has found himself on the periphery of things under Frank Lampard this season, playing just 95 minutes of Premier League action.

Rondon’s current Everton deal expires at the end of the season, so unless he moves on in January, he will be allowed to leave on a free transfer at that point.

There appears to be no future for him at Goodison Park and a new update from O’Rourke suggests it is simply a matter of time until Blues fans can wave goodbye to the Rafael Benitez signing.

The Latest: Blues exit imminent

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the reporter said that Rondon will definitely leave Everton after seeing that he couldn’t even earn regular game time when the boss had no other senior strikers to call on:

“Even when they didn’t have [Neal] Maupay and [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin due to injury problems, Rondon still struggled to get a place in the starting line-up, so I think that tells its own story.

“I don’t think he’s in Frank Lampard’s long-term plans, so a parting of the ways seems inevitable.”

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The Verdict: Time to move on

A January exit would make sense for all parties, potentially allowing Everton to receive a small fee and giving Rondon the chance to earn regular playing time elsewhere.

At 33 years of age, the 91-cap Venezuela captain is now past his best and he is unable to offer the energy that the likes of Anthony Gordon and Neal Maupay can when Calvert-Lewin is absent.

The Times’ Henry Winter has criticised Derby County after it was announced interim manager Liam Rosenior had left the club.

The Lowdown: Rosenior’s reign

Upon Wayne Rooney’s permanent appointment as Rams manager in January 2021, Rosenior took the job as his assistant after spending 18 months working at the club as an individual coach.

Following Rooney’s shock resignation over the summer, the 38-year-old was promoted to caretaker manager, during which time he oversaw the club’s takeover in July and led the squad’s recruitment process after the Midlands outfit exited administration.

The Latest: Rosenior departs

Following the appointment of Paul Warne as the Rams’ new manager, Derby announced Rosenior’s departure from the club. In response, Winter criticised the League One side over that decision, claiming that their former assistant boss will not find it hard to obtain another position due to his high regard within the game.

Taking to Twitter, The Times’ chief football writer proclaimed: “Poor decision. Good coach, popular, thoughtful, represented Club well, worked so hard. New manager coming in so probably inevitable but still a loss. Rosenior will be in demand elsewhere. Because he’s so highly regarded in the game. Good luck to him.”

The Verdict: Promising coach

Having taken charge for 12 games, Derby averaged 1.92 points per match with Rosenior as caretaker manger. This trumps Rooney’s total as Rams boss, with the former Manchester United striker averaging 1.14 points per match during his 17-month tenure.

Having only retired from playing in 2018, Rosenior has already been an assistant manager at two clubs, the other being Premier League high fliers Brighton.

Therefore, with such promising results from comparatively little experience, the 38-year-old could indeed go far in his career as a coach, just as Winter has predicted.

Are Arsenal back? It’s an impossible question to answer but the very fact that’s even a conversation right now is a testament to how far they have come.

The Gunners began last season with three straight defeats as they sunk to the bottom of the Premier League table. They ended the campaign in a similarly dismal fashion, failing to qualify for the Champions League.

The resurgence this term, therefore, is rather remarkable. They may not be dining at the top table of continental football but they look every bit an elite team again. They have lost just once in their first nine top-flight games this season as they sit at the summit of the table, ahead of Mikel Arteta’s former employers, Manchester City.

Last weekend’s victory over Spurs was a landmark one, a win that told us a lot about the direction this side were heading in. However, it was Sunday’s triumph over Liverpool that was their boldest statement yet.

Jurgen Klopp’s side may not be the beast they have been in recent seasons but for onlookers to take Arsenal seriously this term, they had to beat some of the best in the division and they have now done that in successive league matches.

Arteta has had a vibrant and swashbuckling attack to thank for that, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli netting in their 3-2 win over the Anfield outfit today.

The latter was a rampant force at the Emirates, putting Trent Alexander-Arnold and indeed his defensive colleagues to the sword, with the north-London side proving dangerous with every attack.

Yet, those at the back also deserve a huge amount of praise, with Takehiro Tomiyasu particularly impressive.

Lacking match fitness in the early weeks of the campaign and cast aside to the bench amid Ben White’s emergence at right-back, he hadn’t started a Premier League match until today.

Capable of playing at right-back, centre-back or as we found out today, left-back, Tomiyasu is the definition of solidity and reliability.

Who you Gunner call? Show your love for Gabriel Jesus with this amazing t-shirt! Click here to buy…

The Japanese defender was playing out of position this afternoon and had the unenviable task of marking Mohamed Salah. So good was Tomiyasu, however, that the Egyptian menace was brought off by Klopp on 69 minutes.

That was full credit to Arsenal’s number 18 who had pocketed him expertly on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s defence.

He set the tone early in the first half when Salah tried to dance past the 23-year-old on the edge of the area, only for him to stop him in his tracks, before nonchalantly walking away with possession.

During the course of the game, Salah’s influence was missing with Tomiyasu winning an impressive seven defensive duels while having 66 touches.

The full-back, charged with playing on the left in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, was rock solid as he made a whopping six clearances and three successful tackles.

Technically proficient, he was preferred to Tierney for that very reason, with the Japanese star equally as good on his left foot as he is on his right with the former Bologna star expertly carrying out Arteta’s game plan.

It was his ambidexterity for which he was compared to one of the best on both feet in the modern game with football data scientist Tom Worville dubbing him “Cancelo-esque” for his ability to pass the ball.

This was a landmark victory for Arsenal and it was one that typified their new-found squad depth, as well as their gritty nature. Just how long the Gunners will be able to sustain this run is up for debate, but for now, much to the distaste of a certain Richard Keys, they must celebrate just how far they’ve come in the last 12 months.

Manchester United have been boosted in their efforts to sign Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix, with a new report claiming he wants to leave Spanish capital.

The Lowdown: Man Utd linked with Felix move

The Red Devils have strengthened their attack with the signing of Antony from Ajax but they could still do with a new central striker, considering Cristiano Ronaldo is approaching the end of his time with the club and Anthony Martial is injury-prone.

One player who has been linked as a target for United in recent days is Felix, who has fallen out of favour at Atletico this season, only making five starts in La Liga.

Now, a new update suggests that the Red Devils’ chances of signing the Portuguese starlet have increased further.

The Latest: New boost emerges

According to Marca [via Sport Witness], Felix is in a ‘complicated situation’ at Atletico currently and he ‘can’t stand’ the position he finds himself in.

The report also adds that it is the 22-year-old’s ‘intention is to leave’, and although it isn’t specified if a January or summer exit is on the cards, Manchester United are again name-checked in the latest update.

The Verdict: Fantastic signing

While Felix may be struggling for minutes at Atletico by his usual standards, he remains a superb young footballer who has been described as ‘world-class’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

At 22, his best years are still very much ahead of him and he is capable of shining as a striker or a No.10, having scored 29 goals and registered 18 assists in 122 appearances for Atletico.

With Diego Simeone seemingly not seeing Felix as a key player at the moment, United could even swoop in the January transfer window, giving their attack an immediate injection of brilliance and bringing him in as a long-term superstar signing.

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie believes the Hoops should turn down the opportunity to sign transfer target Oscar Gloukh.

The Lowdown: Gloukh linked with Celtic move

Ange Postecoglou’s side may be firing on all cylinders at the moment but that doesn’t mean that new players won’t be necessary during the January transfer window to reinforce the squad ahead of the run in.

One player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead is Gloukh, who is impressing for Maccabi Tel Aviv having scored six goals and registered four assists in 20 appearances. He is allegedly on a list of Ange’s targets going into 2023.

It would mean the 18-year-old linking up with countryman Liel Abada at Celtic, although that isn’t a scenario that is seen as universally popular.

The Latest: McAvennie negative about transfer

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie was asked about the Israeli link-up, claiming it could have the potential to create cliques within the squad – something that could be damaging:

“I think the manager’s got that covered because he’s got a team full of internationals from all over the world. Abada’s only 20, it’s still hard but you don’t want that in the dressing room. You want them all mixing. You don’t want to get cliques.

“I think they’ve got a good harmony in the dressing room.

“I think they understand that they’re playing football. It’s a lonely place but there’s people at Celtic that have got that covered. Especially the manager. He treats them all like his sons and I can see that kind of harmony in the dressing room.”

The Verdict: Slight overreaction

While McAvennie’s argument possibly has some sense to it, with team spirit so vital in football, it does feel like an overreaction in general.

Gloukh and Abada should be professional enough to not cause a division in Postecoglou’s group and having his quality around would further increase Celtic’s chances of success.

The teenage attacker has been hailed as a ‘special’ player Gil Vermouth and could be considered a long-term addition who can grow into a formidable prospect into his 20s.