Marco Silva will be looking to replicate his excellent work in the summer transfer window over January.

The Portuguese replaced Sam Allardyce in the dugout in the summer with plenty of work to do in order to transform the Everton squad. After some questionable transfer deals in recent seasons, with the help of new director of football, Marcel Brands, Silva finally hit the nail on the head for the Toffees. Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Richarlison have all made excellent starts to their Everton careers with plenty more to come from the likes of Yerry Mina and Bernard.

The former Watford boss will once again have the opportunity to strengthen his squad when the transfer window opens in a few weeks.

One man who should be on his shortlist is West Ham youngster – Reece Oxford. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the 20-year-old graduated from the club’s famed youth academy and was tipped to follow in the footsteps of Rio Ferdinand. After various failed loan spells with Reading and Borussia Monchengladbach, Oxford returned to the Hammers but has been unable to convince Manuel Pellegrini of his talents. A January exit looks likely with Oxford preferring to leave the club permanently – Everton should do all they can to secure his services.

The defender, who is also comfortable at defensive midfield, would be an excellent long-term option for the Toffees. Oxford’s potential is massive but he needs regular football under a manager who believes him to aid his development – a move to Goodison Park could help reinvigorate his stalling career. With Silva and Brands ushering in a new era on Merseyside, Oxford would be the perfect signing.

Not only would the defender add to Everton’s homegrown contingency – he could prove to be a mainstay in defence for the next decade.

Everton fans, thoughts?

Roy Hodgson can fire Crystal Palace up the Premier League table by signing Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in January.

What’s the word?

The Eagles desperately need a goalscorer, having scored fewer than a goal a game on average prior to Boxing Day.

Injuries to Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham left the 71-year-old forced to deploy wingers Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Jordan Ayew as makeshift strikers, but the trio only had four goals between them when playing centrally.

In the same time, Morelos had registered 19 goals from a total of 32 appearances, including nine in his last ten Scottish Premiership outings up until December 23.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard has noted that he will pick up the phone to any club wishing to discuss his forward’s signature, but added: “He’s going nowhere”.

Such a stance would make any Palace approach difficult, but a record offer could tempt the Teddy Bears’ manager into a change of stance.

Rangers’ current record sale was the departure of full-back Alan Hutton to Tottenham for £9m

With a similar figure for Morelos, Gerrard would be able to buy two new strikers competitive at the club’s respective level.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

What would Morelos add to Palace?

The one-cap Colombian international is quickly becoming a top talent in Scotland, with the 22-year-old capable of playing anywhere across the attacking line.

Morelos is also adept with the ball at either boot, and has been touted by rival clubs as holding the potential to reach similar heights to Moussa Dembele – who joined Lyon in the summer – and Celtic’s iconic striker Leigh Griffiths.

Beyond his impressive goalscoring record, the 5 foot 9 hotshot has assisted a further ten goals for his Gers teammates.

As a player, Morelos is strong on and off the ball, with an inspiring workrate and determination to make the difference, and, should he put more chances to bed, will soon be considered one of the best.

Would you welcome Alfredo Morelos at Selhurst Park? Let us know in the poll below…

Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has found first-team opportunities hard to come by since Jose Mourinho was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last month, and Tottenham Hotspur should consider making a clever and calculated move for the Belgium international.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the tall former Everton man always seemed to be a favourite under former Red Devils manager Mourinho, often starting matches in midfield because of the steel, strength and height he brought to proceedings, also offering similar traits from the substitutes’ bench.

While he featured for 45 minutes in the Portuguese boss’ final match in charge against Liverpool before he was sacked, he has only played three minutes since having been an unused substitute against Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic already look to be Solskjaer’s preferred central midfield trio in a 4-3-3 system, and with the likes of Fred and Andreas Pereira also fighting for a spot in the middle playing time could be increasingly difficult to come by for the 31-year-old.

Why should Spurs move?

Tottenham had looked like real title contenders in recent weeks, but their lack of strength in depth in their squad showed as they were beaten 3-1 at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

A lack of experience and quality in the middle of the park showed against Nuno Santo’s men, while they didn’t have that outlet from the bench who could have offered them something different as they searched for a way back into the game.

The giant Fellaini would certainly do that given his frame and strength, and the fact that he can play in the middle of midfield or further forward means that he would be a useful weapon to have for the north London outfit in what could be a pivotal second-half of the season for them in the Premier League.

Given he is unlikely to have a  long-term future at Old Trafford, a deal might not be as hard to complete as you would think.

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

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Sampdoria have joined the scramble for misfiring Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini, per the Daily Mail. The striker has fallen behind Danny Ings and Charlie Austin in the club’s pecking order, and a number of clubs want to sign him in January.

What’s the word?

The report claims that the Serie A club have tabled a loan bid for the striker, with a view to a permanent transfer that will be worth £10.75million.

However, Real Betis are also interested in his services, as well as those of West Ham striker Lucas Perez.

Sky Sports claim that AC Milan and Fiorentina have also entered into talks with Southampton regarding Gabbiadini, and it appears that the striker is poised to leave the Saints.

Indeed, Gabbiadini has scored just once this season, though he has completed the 90 minutes only twice.

Surplus to requirements

Southampton appear relaxed about the prospect of Gabbiadini leaving the club, and it is unsurprising.

First-choice striker Danny Ings has scored eight goals this season, while winger Nathan Redmond has found a scoring touch, hitting the back of the net four times. Charlie Austin and Stuart Armstrong, too, have scored three apiece.

They will not need to recruit a direct replacement, then, should the Italian leave the club.

The 6 foot 1 attacker is already struggling for game time, and his departure would merely see him removed from the wage bill.

That money, of course, can be reinvested, but there is no pressing need to do so, giving new manager Ralph Hassenhuttl the luxury of choice in the transfer market.

American Soccer Fan is back! You should check out the video below but Southampton fans should look away now…

Liverpool’s squad is full of talent, but injuries have been a bit of a problem for the Reds as of late. In particular, defensive problems have been an issue for the club this season, with players including Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all succumbing to various issues throughout the year.

That’s put some unnecessary strain on the Reds at the back, and given their current position in the Premier League, that is a worry.

Reinforcing this area of the field ahead of a title challenge, then, makes sense, and a move for Nathan Ake – who, according to the Sun, is a target of Chelsea – might be an ideal option for the Reds.

Ake has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League (PL) over the last year or so since his move from Chelsea, having helped to solidify the defence of the south coast outfit.

Strong in the air, comfortable in the tackle and great with the ball at his feet, the agile Ake has very few weaknesses to his game, and he’s getting better every single week.

Furthermore, his versatility – he’s able to play at centre-back and left-back – means that the reportedly impending departure of Alberto Moreno would be less of a worry, with Ake able to fill in behind Andy Robertson if required.

Ake is a great footballer, and he’s a very modern defender, and so he wouldn’t be out of place in the very talented and technically gifted Liverpool defence. He wouldn’t be cheap, especially given Chelsea’s interest, but a move makes a lot of sense.

Thoughts?

According to The Sun, Everton are lining up a transfer for 25-year-old Espanyol striker Borja Iglesias. 

The forward has already scored nine goals in 19 La Liga appearances this season, and has a £25m buyout clause in his contract.

In this day and age, £25m is quite a small fee for a striker that is only 25, and Everton should not hesitate to make this move. Only four people have scored more goals than the Spaniard, and that list includes Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, so he is in very good company.

Signing a high-level striker is good for any club at the best of times, but it is particularly crucial that Everton make this signing before the transfer window is up.

So far, The Toffees have been linked with a number of players, however, they have rarely been linked with a striker. This is despite the fact that this is probably the area which needs addressing most urgently at Goodison Park.

The arrival of Cenk Tosun last January has proven to be a disaster, and has left Everton in the cold ever since. Richarlison has been fashioned into a striker this season, but the Brazilian is much more adept on the wing. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also been called upon, but he is still perhaps too much of a novice to be relied upon.

Therefore, the recruitment of Iglesias is an indication that Everton are aware of their greatest weakness and are addressing it this January, and this could revive their stuttering season.

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As reported by The Guardian, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund are preparing to smash their transfer record to bring Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha to the club, as they seek a replacement for Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic.

If talks commence further in regards to a possible summer move, the Eagles will reportedly demand upwards of £50m for their prize asset who cost them just £3m after buying him back from Manchester United, per The Guardian.

Zaha is said to be keen to play Champions League football, so a move could go ahead if Palace and Dortmund come to an agreement. If so, the south Londoners will have a huge cash windfall come their way, and will need to spend it wisely in order to replace the Ivory Coast international and strengthen the team elsewhere.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

So, Football FanCast looks into three signings the club should make to use the funds to full effect…

Allan Saint-Maximin 

If there’s any player in Europe that comes close to comparing with Zaha’s pace, skill, adventure and daring style of play, then it’s OGC Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin. The man has so much swagger to his game that he even took to the field recently against Bordeaux wearing a Gucci headband, and managed to score the winner with it on.

The 21-year-old is five years younger than Zaha, and his five goals in Ligue 1 this season are already two better than the man in question’s three Premier League strikes – he is arguably on par with Zaha in terms of end product right now, and could even have the ceiling to become better than him.

Luka Jovic

As Sky Sports recently reported in their article linking Dominic Solanke with Palace, the Eagles have also been keeping tabs on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic, who looks well on his way to becoming one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers.

The Serbian has hit 18 goals in all competitions already this season, per Whoscored, and at just 21 years of age, should only improve on that tally year after year.

His stock is remarkably high right now given his age along with his scintillating form, but with the Zaha money in the bank, Palace could tempt him to team up with his fellow countryman Luka Milivojevic at Selhurst Park.

Rodrigo de Paul

Since the departure of Yohan Cabaye back in the summer, Palace have notably lacked a calming but tenacious midfield presence alongside Milivojevic.

Cheikhou Kouyate was bought in from West Ham (as per the BBC), but the Senegalese powerhouse is a wholly different player to Cabaye, and simply adds more steel alongside the Serbian as opposed to a complimentary option.

In Udinese star Rodrigo de Paul, there is a relatively unknown midfielder who can also play further forward, but offers a typical South American bite and creative spark in the middle of the park which would be extremely effective alongside Milivojevic.

Tottenham fans will not look back on January too fondly, as it was a defining month in their season.

In the space of four days, Spurs crashed out of both the League Cup and the FA Cup, meaning they only now have the Premier League and Champions League as a slim hope of achieving silverware this season.

What is worse is that they lost ground in their title chase as they lost to Man United at home at Wembley.

It was also a defining January for Tottenham after the summer transfer window where they infamously did not sign a single player. Fans and pundits alike were speculating whether the same would happen again or Tottenham would open their wallets.

With that in mind, these are the two biggest mistakes Tottenham made this transfer window:

Selling Mousa Dembélé

No Tottenham fan would argue that Mousa Dembélé was in the form of his life when he sustained an ankle injury in November. The Belgian midfielder had just come from a taxing summer with Belgium in the World Cup and looked slightly off the pace. Nonetheless, most Tottenham fans would have believed that he would eventually get back to his best.

But the 31-year-old was sold in January to Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F, which would have baffled many fans.

Of course, the 80-cap Belgium star only had half a season left on his contract and would have therefore left for free in the summer, but given the service that he has given to Tottenham and the fact that he could still play a part in their season, selling him for free at the end of the season may have actually been a better alternative to making money from him in January.

Subsequent injuries to Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier had left Tottenham’s midfield looking very sparse indeed, forcing them to rely on the relatively inexperienced Harry Winks and the 18-year-old Oliver Skipp. Dembélé’s absence was certainly highlighted  during January and perhaps as the season goes on.

Not selling the fringe

Of course it is easy to say that Tottenham failing to sign a player over January was a mistake of theirs, just as it may have been in the summer. With injuries in the squad and fatigue, Tottenham certainly could have done with an extra face.

However, it has long been said that Tottenham need to unload of some of their unwanted players before they can sign anyone new, and that may have been an even greater mistake over the last month.

When thinking of unwanted Tottenham players, Vincent Janssen is probably top of the list. Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear that the Dutchman is not part of his plans and he is unlikely to play this season, particularly now Spurs are out of the FA Cup. Therefore, their inability to sell him not only wastes his career but fails to open up spaces and funds for Tottenham to sign any new players, which could prove to be their greatest error.

According to a recent report from The Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff could be set for an international call-up next month. The 21-year-old has impressed greatly in the heart of Rafa Benitez’s midfield in recent weeks to earn many rave reviews from fans and pundits alike, and it appears that things could be set to get even better for the young Englishman.

And that’s because a recent report from The Newcastle Chronicle suggests that Aidy Boothroyd is keeping a close eye on Longstaff’s progression at St James’ Park ahead of a possible England Under-21 call-up next month, which would be just deserts for his remarkable rise in the last few weeks.

And while the 21-year-old deserves credit for the way he has slotted seamlessly into the Newcastle midfield recently, there has to be some questions asked of Benitez as to why he didn’t feature more often in the first half of the season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the young midfielder has come up through the ranks at St James’ Park having been born just up the road in North Shields, with the 21-year-old impressing greatly for the club’s youth sides to thus earn loan spells at Kilmarnock and Blackpool in years gone by.

And in netting nine times in 45 appearances for the latter last time round in their run to 12th place in League One, the Englishman was slowly but surely beginning to showcase his immense talent in the third tier, only to really step it up this term in the Premier League with Newcastle.

And that’s because the youngster has appeared in each of the Magpies’ last five league matches after earning his Premier League debut for the club on Boxing Day, before bagging his first goal for the North East giants in their FA Cup third round replay victory at Blackburn Rovers last month.

However, it has been recent performances against Manchester City and Tottenham, the second and third place sides in the top-flight, which has underlined Longstaff’s ability as he dominated the midfield against the former and again produced the goods against the latter – he wasn’t overawed by either occasion, and went some way to matching and indeed getting the better of some of the best midfielders in the country.

And that must be of huge encouragement to Newcastle fans given their side have somewhat struggled in that area of the pitch this term, with Jonjo Shelvey somewhat unfancied by Benitez, Isaac Hayden eyeing a move away (as per The Newcastle Chronicle), and Ki Sung-yueng and Mo Diame injured – Benitez needed Longstaff to step up, and he’s done just that.

But what may well be on the minds of some Newcastle fans is why it has taken so long for Benitez to give the 21-year-old a chance – hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking at how brilliantly he has adapted to the top-flight, he surely could have done a job earlier in the season.

Yes, what’s important is that Longstaff has taken his chance to give Benitez another accomplished option in the midfield, but it’s a remarkable rise that could have come a lot sooner were Benitez willing to give him more a go earlier in the campaign – as such, his rise is somewhat highlighting the error of Benitez’s ways.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Newcastle will know they need to continue performing if they want to fully distance themselves away from the relegation zone.

It’s been another season of ups-and-downs for Rafa Benitez and his team but that comes as no surprise because of the lack of investment in the club during the Mike Ashley era.

That has since changed slightly, now that Newcastle have finally broken their record transfer fee for Miguel Almiron but nevertheless, the Magpies need to do more in the transfer market to improve their league standing.

Goal-scoring has been Newcastle’s problem ever since they returned into the Premier League and that could be solved by linking Almiron with his partner at Atlanta United Josef Martinez.

Martinez, (who is valued at £9 million on Transfermarkt) was a goal-machine in the MLS last season as he recorded 35 goals in 39 outings.

Yes, you could argue that it’s an inferior league to the Premier League but his attributes could allow him to make a good impact in England.

With scintillating pace and an eye for goal, the Venezuelan international would be a huge coup for Newcastle, based on his incredible statistics.

Alongside his fellow countryman Salomon Rondon, the two could form quite the bond at club level, with Martinez using his pace to get in-behind and latch onto Rondon’s knock-downs.

The idea of a two-striker partnership hasn’t been a regular occurrence in the top flight for some time but with those two and Miguel Almiron in behind, goals won’t be such a lunar eclipse at St James’ Park.

Goals are needed to stay in the Premier League and although they seem to be managing it this season, Newcastle have to spend if they want to improve and Josef Martinez is the signing to make.

Do you agree… Let us know!