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Sunderland’s descent down the divisions to the third tier began in the 2016/17 campaign as they were relegated from the Premier League under David Moyes.

The Black Cats were unable to stave off the drop for another season, with Sam Allardyce having just about led them to survival in 2015/16, and they found themselves back in the Championship.

Midway through their relegation campaign, Moyes decided to cash in on centre-back Sebastian Coates, who was sold for a fee in the region of £4m to Sporting Lisbon. He spent the first half of the season on loan to the Portuguese giants, and the Wearside club opted to let him leave on a permanent deal instead of recalling him to bolster their survival hopes.

Coates had joined Sunderland from Liverpool in the summer of 2014, initially on loan, and made 32 appearances in all competitions before heading out to Lisbon. He had only played 24 times for the Reds prior to his switch to the Stadium of Light and failed to hit the ground running on Wearside, despite Dick Advocaat dubbing him “very solid” prior to his exit.

However, instead of offering him another chance to show what was capable of as they battled against the drop, Sunderland chose to sell him to the Primeira Liga outfit. This turned out to be a shocker of a decision, as the Uruguayan defender went on to flourish at his new club.

By the summer of 2019, Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping £13.5m. This is a £9.5m increase from the £4m that Sunderland got for his sale and shows that the club had a howler with the centre-back as they missed out on a bigger payday. Even to this day, he is worth a sizable £11.7m.

Instead of raking in a sizeable transfer fee or benefitting from his talents on the pitch, the Black Cats received just £4m for his services and suffered relegation to the Championship that year, which is why letting him go was a shocking decision, albeit with the benefit of hindsight.

To date, the Uruguayan colossus has played 275 competitive matches for Sporting and scored 28 goals from defence, winning one league title in that time. This shows that he has become a crucial player for the Portuguese giants over the years as they have relied on him as a consistent performer, with his soaring market value suggesting that he excelled on the pitch between his Sunderland exit and 2019.

What could have been…

AND in other news, Speakman must avoid big Sunderland disaster over teenage phenomenon who has 12 goals in six games…

According to a report from Italian outlet MilanLive.it (via Sport Witness), Liverpool remain interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr. 

The lowdown: Reds slayer

Initial interest in Sarr materialised shortly after the Senegalese ace had put Jurgen Klopp’s side to the sword at Vicarage Road in February 2020.

The 24-year-old forward was in unstoppable form on the night, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory as Watford ended Liverpool’s hopes of going through the Premier League season unbeaten.

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The Anfield club instead opted to sign Portuguese ace Diogo Jota, whose productivity has been off the charts since arriving on Merseyside.

However, as the summer transfer window looms, a reignited move for the ex-Rennes speedster remains a possibility…

The latest: On the radar

As per MilanLive.it, translated by SW, it’s stated that Liverpool ‘seem to have plans to get serious’ in pursuit of Sarr this summer.

The report claims that AC Milan view the Reds and new sporting director Julian Ward as a ‘dangerous competitor’ in the race to sign the 39-cap star.

This comes after reports last month revealed Klopp is personally a huge fan of the player, marking him out as his number one target to reinforce the attack.

The verdict: An inevitable departure?

So far this season Sarr has scored five times and provided one assist in 17 top-flight outings for relegation-threatened Watford, taking the Africa Cup of Nations winner to 41 direct goal contritions for the Hertfordshire club.

Named player of the season in 2020/21, having dropped down to the Championship only to fire Watford straight back up, should the Hornets indeed be relegated for a second time during his stay then a move away seems inevitable.

Predominantly operating from a right-wing role, Sarr would provide adequate cover for Mohamed Salah, a position of relative understrength in comparison to the abundance of natural left-wing options in Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Jota himself.

Lauded as a ‘freak’ by teammate Ben Foster, adding the £24.3million valued man to the already frightening Liverpool attacking ranks would be a worthwhile venture at the right price.

In other news, manager admits desire to sign Liverpool cult hero. Find out more here.

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Everton play their first game in over two weeks on Tuesday when they travel to Cardiff, and Marco Silva should attempt to replicate his former club’s performance against the Bluebirds.

When Silva swapped Vicarage Road for Goodison Park, Everton fans were certain he had made the right decision, but the manager has come under intense scrutiny recently.

The Toffees have lost five of their last six games in all competitions, and the only win in that period was a 1-0 victory over last-placed Huddersfield.

A trip to the Cardiff City stadium to take on the Bluebirds represents a chance to get back on track though after Watford pummelled the Welsh outfit 5-1 on Friday night, and Silva should take a page out of Javi Gracia’s book and deploy a 4-2-2-2 formation on Tuesday night.

On the chalkboard

Watford set up with a pretty traditional back four on Friday night, but Gracia switched things up in midfield, pushing his wide players further forward and more central.

By doing this, the Hornets were able to create situations where the attacking players outnumbered Cardiff’s back three, something Troy Deeney and ex-Toffee Gerard Deulofeu took full advantage of, scoring all five goals between them.

Silva and Everton have the players to replicate this strategy if Cardiff continue with a back three, and the pace, skill and guile of both Ademola Lookman and Bernard make them perfect for those advanced positions in midfield.

At the base of midfield, a combination of any two of Andre Gomes, Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies should be more than capable of fulfilling the roles that Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure carried out on Friday night.

Boost for Richarlison

The biggest beneficiary of this system could be Richarlison, who has lost his way a little bit during the Toffees’ poor run of form.

The 21 year-old has bagged ten Premier League goals this season, but has cut an increasingly isolated and frustrated figure recently, particularly when deployed up front on his own.

Putting him in the Deulofeu role, with a traditional target man like Cenk Tosun carrying out Deeney’s duties, would allow him much more space to get on the ball and work his magic.

It may hurt Silva’s pride, but the man who replaced him at Vicarage Road dropped a master-class in Wales on Friday night and he would be a fool not to try and emulate it.

The Athletic have now revealed some big Sunderland manager news involving Roy Keane.

The Lowdown: Keane rumours

Indeed, Keane becoming the next permanent manager at the Stadium of Light looked all but done earlier this week, with The Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards reporting that a deal was ‘close’ to bring him in, while Football League World reported that he was ‘in the driving seat’.

Fans and media alike are desperate for an appointment to be made – Scott Wilson of the Sunderland Echo called it ‘unforgivable’ for the Black Cats to play two crucial games in the promotion race without a new face in the dugout.

However, with further delay over a confirmed decision by the board, it seems as if they will now look at other candidates.

The Latest: Deal off?

As per The Athletic journalist Michael Walker, who also writes for The Irish Times, Keane ‘is no longer’ part of the board’s search for a new manager, following the departure of Lee Johnson:

“It appears Roy Keane is no longer part of Sunderland’s search for a new manager.”

The Verdict: Big blow

Indeed, it will come as a huge blow to the Stadium of Light faithful that the chances of Keane returning slipped away so fast.

Walker does not make it clear why the deal collapsed, although Football League World reported that his wage demands were ‘pretty substantial’.

Of course, Black Cats fans will have fond memories of life with Keane as manager before, having got them promoted up to the Premier League from the Championship in first place in his first term on Wearside – he then kept them up in the top flight the season after (Transfermarkt).

When he left, his decision was thought to be accepted ‘reluctantly’, at least according to chairman Niall Quinn, but now a return to SAFC is unfortunately off the cards.

In other news, find out who Sunderland’s three worst players were against Cheltenham Town here!

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United have ‘discussed’ signing Richarlison, as the Everton ace changes his agent.

The Lowdown: Time to go?

Richarlison has been linked with moves to the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, amid growing uncertainty over his future given the situation he finds himself in at Goodison Park.

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The Merseyside club currently find themselves in 17th place in the Premier League table, nervously looking over their shoulders at potential relegation.

If they were to go down to the Championship, it seems very unlikely that Richarlison would stay, especially given that it is a World Cup year and he will want to be playing at a higher level to get picked by Brazil.

The Latest: Man Utd talks

Taking to Twitter, Romano has revealed that Man Utd have ‘discussed’ the possibility of signing Richarlison ‘internally’, and that he has now signed with a new agency:

However, there have been ‘no talks’ with the player or the club themselves, and so Richarlison is ‘totally focused’ on the Toffees at the moment:

“Everton striker Richarlison and his Velasco Sport Group have now officially signed with CAA Base agency.“Been told Manchester United have discussed Richarlison internally, alongside Darwin Nunez and other options. “Of course no talks now – he’s totally focused on Everton.” The Verdict: Sell

Even though Richarlison has been a good servant to the Blues over the years, now is the time to cash in.

He has certainly not been at his best this season, with just criticised for having attitude problems.

At 24 years of age, Frank Lampard’s team could get a sizeable fee for him, which could then be used to help rebuild a squad in desperate need of quality across various positions.

In other news, find out what EFC injury boost has now emerged here!

Donny van de Beek is undergoing a medical at Everton ahead of his loan move from Manchester United, Sky Sports News have revealed.

The lowdown

It emerged on Sunday that Van de Beek had opted to join The Toffees for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.

Crystal Palace were also interested in the Dutchman, but he’ll instead take up the opportunity to work under Frank Lampard on Merseyside.

Everton have agreed to foot the entirety of his £120,000-per-week salary for the duration of the loan period.

The £22.5million-rated midfielder has only played 380 minutes in all competitions this season and is yet to start a Premier League game.

The latest

Referring to Sky Sports’ ‘State of Play’ transfer tacker, presenter Tom White said Van de Beek’s move was now a step closer to completion.

“Everton are close to signing him on loan after agreeing a deal with Manchester United,” he said.

“It [the transfer tacker] says ‘in talks’. In the last few seconds, that has changed because [he’s having a] medical now.

“That has just come into us in the last few seconds, a fresh update to us.”

The verdict

Completing the signing of Van de Beek would make it a very solid January for Everton.

They’ve found a long-term successor for Seamus Coleman in the form of Nathan Patterson, and also moved quickly to replace Lucas Digne with the signing of another youngster, Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Anwar El-Ghazi, on loan from Aston Villa, adds depth to the squad, and Van de Beek, billed ‘close to perfect’ by BT Sport’s Owen Hargreaves, should inject real quality.

In other news, fans were buzzing over this news on a defender. 

Liverpool have been linked with an audacious move for France and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe this summer.

The Lowdown: Mbappe on the move?

The 23-year-old is undoubtedly one of the world’s best players at the moment, continuing to wreak havoc for PSG and registering 36 goal contributions (22 goals and 14 assists) in 29 Ligue 1 starts this season.

Mbappe’s future continues to be one of football’s biggest talking points, with a summer move to Real Madrid widely mooted while his contract ticks down towards its expiry in the summer.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Frenchman in the past and now a surprise rumour has emerged.

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The Latest: Liverpool back in the hunt

According to Get French Football News on Twitter, the Reds now look like possible front-runners to sign Mbappe this summer:

“His new suitor is likely to be Liverpool.”

PSG and France midfielder Jérôme Rothen has apparently been given new information that a different club has entered the race and may have a ‘new factor’, with Liverpool named as the mystery club due to the player’s personal appreciation for Jurgen Klopp.

The Verdict: Only if Salah leaves?

While the idea of seeing Mbappe in a Liverpool shirt is beyond mouthwatering, it is almost impossible to see a move happening this summer – unless one thing happens.

The wages that he would demand would surely be deemed too astronomical by FSG, while the the current options at Klopp’s disposal are already great.

The only way a move could seem possible is if Mohamed Salah leaves the club, perhaps to PSG, with Mbappe heading the other way. FSG would surely be more willing to pay the big wages Salah wants to a much younger player called ‘the best player in European football’ and ‘unstoppable’ by Carlo Ancelotti.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a key Liverpool contract claim. Read more here.

Rangers have not been reluctant when it comes to spending money to bring new players to the club over the past few years.

However, one player with whom the Gers were linked in recent memory but didn’t end up making a move to Ibrox is Joey Veerman, and missing out on him could now be a great source of regret for the Light Blues.

Back in April 2021, The Scottish Sun reported that Rangers were interested in signing the Dutch midfielder from his previous club Heerenveen.

The 23-year-old, who has been described as a player who “looks beyond his years” by coach Robert Molenaar, ended up staying where he was last summer before eventually making the move to PSV Eindhoven in January in a deal worth a reported €6m (£4.9m).

In his 18 league appearances for Heerenveen in the first half of the current campaign, the midfielder scored three goals and provided six assists, earning himself an overall performance rating of 7.32/10 from WhoScored, making him their second-highest rated player.

Things have just been as impressive for the 23-year-old since joining PSV, having scored two goals and provided four assists in just nine league appearances, earning an overall rating of 7.29/10 to become third-highest rated player at the club according to WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Ross Wilson dropped the ball by not securing a deal which would have seen Veerman join Rangers, based on what he has done on the pitch for Heerenveen and PSV this season.

Given the midfielder’s young age and the fact that Rangers currently have the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis in their squad – who have all hit the age of 30 and are set to become free agents at the end of the season – Veerman could have been an ideal long-term midfield option for the Gers and would have been worth the investment.

Alas, it seems as though the Ibrox club will just have to live with their mistake and hope that they don’t miss out on any other reported transfer targets when the opportunity presents itself to strike.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst’s £3.6m-rated “leader” can be Rangers’ “real handful” in Old Firm

The ‘brilliant appointment’ of Frank Lampard can lure in ‘mega transfers’ at Everton after the signings of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek. 

That’s according to former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Dele and Van de Beek arrived at Goodison Park on the final day of the transfer window, the same day that Lampard was announced as Rafael Benitez’s successor.

The former has been named in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions – 2015/16 and 2016-17 – and twice landed the Young Player of the Year award.

The latter, meanwhile, was a key part of the Ajax side that was only seconds away from reaching the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final. He started all but one game on their route to the semis and bagged goals against Juventus and Spurs.

The latest

Kenny says the ‘brilliant’ news of Lampard’s arrival is comparable to that of his former England team-mate Steven Gerrard, who was able to bring Philippe Coutinho from FC Barcelona to Aston Villa last month.

He reckons that Dele may have turned down Everton were it not for his presence in the dugout, and expects more coups in the coming transfer windows.

“It’s the Lampard pulling power,” he told FI.

“It’s just like Gerrard at Aston Villa and him signing Coutinho. Players like Lampard had such amazing careers and they have that pull.

“He’s a brilliant appointment and I would be surprised if Alli had gone to Everton without Lampard.

“With Van de Beek I’m not sure, there were talks last summer so maybe he was more interested in the club as a whole.

“Alli must have had loads of offers but Everton have the money to pay whatever Spurs want over the next few years and their manager was one of the best midfielders we have ever seen.

“I think we will see more mega transfers like that if Lampard stays at Everton.”

The verdict

Everton reaped the rewards of their manager’s status when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge last season.

Ancelotti, a three-time Champions League winner and two-time World Coach of the Year, was instrumental in bringing James Rodriguez from Real Madrid to Goodison Park.

And now, under Lampard, Everton could have a similar edge in the market, so who might his next blockbuster signing be?

Well, perhaps it could be Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller. According to Bild’s Christian Falk, The Blues are already hopeful of snapping up the 32-year-old as he approaches the last year of his contract with the Bundesliga giants, with some reports even claiming Lampard is personally leading the pursuit.

Muller, valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt, has won a whopping 30 major trophies during his career, including the 2014 World Cup, and will certainly know plenty about Lampard given he scored twice in the game of the Toffees boss’ infamous non-goal against Die Mannschaft.

In other news, Phil Kirkbride loved this man’s performance against Brentford.

Manchester United have been dealt another huge injury blow to the team following the defeat at Anfield last night.

What’s the word?

Ralf Rangnick has revealed the extent of Paul Pogba’s calf muscle injury sustained in the first half of the club’s away defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday evening.

The German coach told MUTV in his post-match conference:

“He pulled his calf muscle and, as it seems right now, this will not be an injury like the one Fred has which will be gone in one week.

“I fear he will not be available for Arsenal or Chelsea.”

Huge setback in the season

Pogba joins a long list of first-team players that have sustained injuries over the last few weeks with Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Fred and Edinson Cavani all not fit to play in last night’s game and Cristiano Ronaldo on compassionate leave.

This amount of injuries and absence from first-team players could ultimately be a huge setback and season-ending for Manchester United in terms of their pursuit for a spot inside the top four to secure Champions League football next season.

The squad and the midfield, in particular, will be weakened further ahead of the difficult Chelsea and Arsenal fixtures if Rangnick’s assessment is right on the Frenchman’s recovery time however, Scott McTominay was on the bench at Anfield so is likely to be fit for the games ahead following a foot injury.

Pogba is set to leave Old Trafford this summer with the £49.5m-rated midfielder unable to reach an agreement with the club to extend his stay. The “machine” will be out of contract so if his injury is more serious it could have been the last time we see the 29-year-old in a Man United shirt last night, with just five games left to go.

The Red Devils remain sixth in the Premier League matching Arsenal for 54 points however, the Gunners have two games in hand on their top-four competitor, whilst fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur have one game on Man United, so Rangnick will have to hope that both London clubs drop points to stay in with a chance of a fourth-place finish.

AND in other news: Get rid: Ten Hag must brutally axe “terrible” MUFC flop who made just 11 passes v LFC