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Bernard has been given three months to impress Carlo Ancelotti after Everton reportedly snubbed a Deadline Day deal for the midfielder to join Serie A heavyweights AS Roma.

What’s the word?

According to Bernard’s agent Adriano Spadoto, the Brazilian had strived to leave Goodison Park before the international market closed on Monday night, only to be denied by Everton.

Bernard moved to Merseyside as a free agent in 2018 and signed a £120,000-per-week four-year contract following his exit from Shakhtar Donetsk, but has struggled to build on his 68 appearances this term amid difficulties establishing a role for himself under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian coach has thus far only awarded Bernard minutes in the Carabao Cup against League Two Salford City and League One Fleetwood Town this season, while opting to leave the 28-year-old on the bench for each Premier League match and in the EFL Cup Fourth Round win over West Ham United.

Reports on Deadline Day suggested Everton were in talks with Roma over a potential deal to send the midfielder to Italy on loan, although the Liverpool Echo have since claimed the Blues never received an official offer and that Ancelotti wants Bernard to remain a part of his plans.

Spadoto has been adamant that he and his client sought to secure a move, however, and has refused to rule out a second attempt to secure a transfer in January.

“We tried to convince Everton to let him go, but the English club did not agree,” Spadoto told LaRoma24.IT. “Not even on loan.

“I think so [we’ll try again in January], the player could be sold outright for around €7million (£6.3m).”

Three months to impress

If the Liverpool Echo are right in that Ancelotti has intentions of keeping Bernard in his plans, then the Brazilian has three months to impress his coach and turn things around, otherwise Spadoto will likely return to Goodison Park and push Director of Football Marcel Brands into accepting whatever offer he can muster.

It would take a surprising twist for Bernard to be happy with his understudy role offered so far this season, given reports back in April claiming interest from Roma also noted how the 14-cap midfielder was having difficulties in his relationship with Ancelotti and wanted to quit Everton as a result.

But Bernard has never stood out on a consistent basis since Ancelotti’s appointment and therefore has found himself pushed down the pecking order, with just two goals and two assists in 19 appearances to his name.

Ancelotti has frequently tried to find a role on the field for Bernard, be it one the left, right or through the middle of the attacking midfield line, yet it strongly appears the former Chelsea head coach’s intentions are only for the 28-year-old to be a back-up option now.

AND in other news, Everton are in need of drastic action with a forgotten player after failing to deal with his situation over the summer.

Newcastle United ace Jonjo Shelvey has revealed that his future at the Tyneside club is out of his hands, although he suggested that he would like to stay in the North East for the rest of his career, as per ChronicleLive.

The central midfield player claimed that he really likes living in the city and playing at St. James’ Park, adding that there is always a buzz in training and around the place whenever the team wins a football game, however, he did say that his future at the Magpies is out of his hands.

“It’s a great club to play for, we love the city and everyone’s just been so welcoming and so warm,” said Shelvey. “You know what it’s like when you’ve won a game and you come into training and everyone’s buzzing around the place, and the city’s buzzing.

“So yeah, I wouldn’t mind – but it’s out of my hands!”

Indeed, Shelvey has emerged as a key player for Steve Bruce so far in the 2019/20 season, as he has scored a handy five goals in 19 appearances in the Premier League, according to Sofascore.

The 28-year old has also won 2.6 duels per game in the top flight, whilst also averaging 1.8 key passes and 1.2 shots (via the website).

These stats are relatively high and are arguably in key areas for a midfielder, as Shelvey has shown that he can excel in all areas of the pitch.

The Englishman has proven to be a rather loyal servant for the Magpies over the years, as he has racked up a total of 133 matches under his belt across five consecutive campaigns now, netting 13 times and making 19 assists (per Transfermarkt).

However, as Shelvey suggests, his future may not be in his own hands if the proposed takeover of the Toon is completed before the start of the next term, as Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabian-led group will have to decide as to whether to keep him or sell.

Geordies, would you like Shelvey to end his career at NUFC? Comment below!

Newcastle United fans have been subjected to dull football for far too long.

As much as Magpies supporters loved Rafa Benitez, the side didn’t possess much flair during his tenure with supporters accusing the Spaniard of employing boring tactics during his time at the club, and many of the same complaints have been present during Steve Bruce’s tenure.

However, under Bruce things have gotten a bit more interesting, and that’s down to one man.

Allan Saint-Maximin has been a revelation at St James’ Park since joining last summer, with the Frenchman averaging the second-most dribbles per game in the Premier League and drawing a lot of praise for his explosive and dynamic style of play.

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The Tyneside outfit have now been linked with the Premier League’s third-most prolific dribbler, with the Daily Mail stating that the club are interested in Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

The Ivorian will cost a pretty penny, with the Eagles reportedly demanding £80m for his services last summer, and while that asking price may have come down, he’s still valued at £39.6m by Transfermarkt.

However, if United’s potential new owners take charge that will be a drop in the ocean for the Magpies, and if Steve Bruce’s side are able to line up with two of the league’s top three dribblers in their frontline, they will become one of the most entertaining sides in the country.

Fans love to see a player with a bit of pace and trickery about them, hence why Saint-Maximin has immediately become a fan favourite in the north-east, and if Zaha is there to play alongside him, the Magpies will be very easy on the eye.

Of course, playing entertaining football and winning games don’t always go hand in hand, especially if Joelinton continues to falter up front, but if Newcastle can get Zaha through the door they will at least be fun to watch, which is a lot more than can be said about them over the past couple of seasons.

A number of West Brom fans are resigned to losing Grady Diangana once his loan deal expires at the end of the season.

Twitter channel @BaggiesHQ asked followers if they think Albion have a chance of signing the 22-year-old, currently on loan from West Ham, again for the 2020/21 campaign, but many supporters reluctantly believe that eventuality is unlikely.

Diangana has struck five goals and registered six assists in 22 appearances at The Hawthorns this term, including a brace in a 2-1 win at Luton early in the season. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury just before Christmas had heavily curtailed his involvement since then even prior to coronavirus halting English football in March. [via TransferMarkt]

It is an indication of how well the winger has performed during his loan spell under Slaven Bilic that he has the fourth highest average WhoScored match rating of everyone in the squad for the current campaign.

However, these West Brom fans on Twitter are pessimistic about the chances of Diangana pulling on a Baggies shirt again once his loan deal ends:

West Brom fans, do you think the club should at least try to sign Diangana again once his current loan expires? Comment below with your views!

Steven Gerrard has said that Filip Helander’s return from injury at Glasgow Rangers will be like a new signing.

The Sweden international was an important part of the Gers squad at the start of the previous campaign after signing from Bologna last summer for £3.5m. However, he unfortunately suffered a serious foot injury that kept him out of the action from December until the term was prematurely ended in May.

Now, he has recovered from that issue, and Gerrard has underlined how important his return will be to the side. He told Rangers TV (via The Scottish Sun):

“Filip has come back in great shape but he still needs to get football fitness.

“He is a leader in how he goes about things and that will feel like a new signing as he was sorely missed.

“From Christmas onwards, we missed his experience and leadership.

“We want to improve that area and stop individual mistakes and sloppy goals. Fil will help us.”

All in all, Helander managed 17 appearances during his first campaign at Ibrox. Impressively, the 54-time Scottish champions conceded just four goals in the eight league matches he started, compared to 15 in 21 without him. With experience at Bologna and Hellas Verona in Serie A, he should become a vital member of Gerrard’s side if he can stay fit.

Let us know what you think below!

Dele Alli was on the scoresheet as Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 4-2 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday night.It looked like it could be a very, very tough game for Jose Mourinho’s side when Olympiacos took a shock 2-0 lead in the English capital.Spurs responded with four unanswered goals, though, to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the competition with one match to spare.Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Alli found the back of the net in the closing stages of the first period, and it was a key goal for Tottenham as it halved the deficit.

According to WhoScored, Alli also won three tackles and two aerial duels during a positive performance, which ended in the 83rd minute when Tanguy Ndombele entered.

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A number of Tottenham fans were pleased with what they saw from the 37-time England international during the European affair.

And a selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

Alli was also impressive in Tottenham’s 3-2 win over West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are “primed for talks” with Norwich starlet Max Aarons.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old has enjoyed an impressive campaign in the top-flight with the Canaries, missing just two Premier League games all season.

And now, Football Insider claim Spurs have made the England U21 international their top target to help solve their problem position at right-back, and have “laid the groundwork for a summer deal”.

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The report adds that the north Londoners made “good progress” in trying to sign Aarons, before they took the decision to furlough the club’s non-playing staff, including those involved in the recruitment process. It further suggests that Spurs will resume talks when business goes back to normal.

Solution

At just 20, Aarons could represent both the future of Spurs and England for the next decade or so.

The level of experience that he is picking up whilst playing top-flight football with Norwich means the adaptation time shouldn’t be as long as someone who may come in from abroad.

The north London side have already been burned by turning to France for Serge Aurier, what with the Ivory Coast international’s tendency to put his foot in when unnecessary.

Rated at £18m by Transfermarkt, Aarons (as well as teammate and full-back partner Jamal Lewis) was lauded as “something special” by Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe last year, who lauded the young defender for being the archetypal modern full-back.

Spurs could pull off a major coup by swooping for this rough diamond.

Meanwhile, here are three iconic Spurs goals fans will never forget.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker was forced in goal against Atalanta on Wednesday after an injury to Ederson and a red card to Claudio Bravo.

After this crazy fixture, pundit Gary Lineker has made a hilarious claim that Pep Guardiola could make a “natural progression” into using outfielders as goalkeepers.

What did he say?

It truly was a bizarre sequence of events, as both of City’s goalkeepers left the pitch. Now, the injury to Ederson could rule him out of the crucial fixture against Liverpool on Sunday, as he joins a growing injury list.

As for Bravo, the Chile international was only on the pitch for 35 minutes before he received his straight red from referee Aleksey Kulbakov. Walker would then enter the fray and immediately have to save a free kick, which he initially spilled but held onto eventually.

Lineker tweeted after the game: “Will Pep do away with goalkeepers? A natural progression.”

As long as you’re good with your feet, right?

Guardiola has almost reinvented the role of a goalkeeper over the past few years, with his desire to see the shot-stoppers comfortable with the ball at their feet.

It seemed to be part of the reason why he signed Claudio Bravo from his old club Barcelona, as he learned that trade with the Spanish giants. Later on, Guardiola would eventually acquire the services of Ederson, who was known for this ability at Benfica.

The Brazilian is confident in his capabilities to play the ball out from the back and this has been an integral part of City’s play under the Spaniard.

Who knows, maybe we could see a deep-lying centre-back who can use his hands one day.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Sheffield Wednesday’s financial decisions are in the headlines yet again.

Dejphon Chansiri is at the centre of it all yet again.

Only this time, his decisions may deal the worst and most devastating blow of his tenure in charge of the south Yorkshire club.

Just last week, the Owls were charged by the EFL for misconduct over the sale of their Hillsborough stadium to their owner, Chansiri.

The club do indeed plan on contesting the decision regardless of the course of punishment that will soon ensue. It is expected that Wednesday could be made an example of with talk of them receiving a 12-point deduction at the very least.

Such a penalty would put their promotion hopes in tatters as it will see them sink to the border of the relegation zone.

Whether it is fair or not is an argument for another day, but you have to admit it was a long time coming as his four-year tenure has seen the club flirting with such dangers multiple times.

Chansiri once told fans at a forum, “if we don’t go up soon, we will break [the Football League’s financial fair play rules],” according to the Yorkshire Post.

He even admitted on the same night that “We broke [the Football League’s profitability and sustainability] rules a lot, eight figures high.”

The lure of top-flight football is all just too much for some to abide by regulations as the exploitation of them can often hand a team an advantage, unless caught like in this instance.

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Wednesday have also suffered from multiple transfer embargoes in the past too.

The intention and end goal has always been on the right path as ultimately everyone wants to be in the Premier League, just the execution has been far from ideal, let alone legal.

It’s about time the Owls owner was held accountable for his actions as it will be a case of when rather than if over the repercussions and he’s just cost any chance of Garry Monk succeeding this season.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Marcelo Bielsa isn’t one to be coy in a press conference is he?

The Argentine doesn’t shy away from sharing anything and everything while addressing journalists, and this week he revealed one thing that he’s been focusing on in training.

Improving corners

Indeed, the gaffer told reporters that he’s putting a lot of emphasis on trying to score from corners in order to make up for the team’s lacklustre performances in front of goal.

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It’s fair to say that Leeds do need to improve from set-pieces as they’ve scored just twice from dead-ball scenarios so far this term, but Bielsa shouldn’t be wasting too much time trying to work towards what will ultimately be a minimal gain.

Shouldn’t waste time

Contrary to the view that many football fans may have, corners actually aren’t that effective when it comes to scoring goals.

In fact, an article from the Guardian in 2017 states that just 3.2 per cent of balls into the box from this scenario actually lead to a goal.

Find out how to perform one of Ronaldinho’s most insane skills in the video below…

With Leeds taking 87 corners so far this term, if they had a goal return that represented the average team they would have scored 2.78 goals from those situations this season.

Bielsa’s side have scored two set-piece goals this term, and both happened to be from corners, so United are only 0.78 goals behind where they should be if we go off of the average.

Of course, the manager will want his team to be above average, but how viable is that for a squad in which only six outfield players stand at 6ft or above and none are over 6 ft 2? It seems like a mistake to focus on an aspect they won’t be able to dominate in.

Realistically, the 64-year-old should be spending more time on the training ground on finishing rather than looking for marginal gains in order to make up for the squad’s lack of ability in front of goal.