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Everton were right to sell Davy Klaassen to Werder Bremen for a significant loss in 2018, despite Ruud Gullit now claiming that his compatriot was wasted at Goodison Park.

Klaassen moved to Merseyside from AFC Ajax four years ago in £23.6m deal as the priority signing of then-manager Ronald Koeman amid doubts over Ross Barkley’s future, but he would only last the one season in royal blue.

The Dutchman struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League during a turbulent campaign for the Toffees, making just 16 appearances in all competitions before leaving for only £12m.

The season had begun with a run of just two wins in nine league games to pave the way for Koeman’s sacking, and the appointment of Sam Allardyce brought with it a style of football unsuited to Klaassen’s talents.

The physicality of the English game also proved an issue for the player named as the 2016 Dutch Footballer of the Year, and saw that he only started three of his seven Premier League outings and never scored for the Toffees before moving to Werder Bremen.

Now back at Ajax, Klaassen is again firing on the front foot and scored his fifth international goal as the Netherlands lost to Turkey in a World Cup qualifier earlier this week. Afterwards, Gullit explained how Everton had failed to get the most from the 28-year-old.

“He’s a [No.] 10. He’s a midfielder who goes all the time in the box. Ajax always played with plenty of people around the box, so it was easy for him,” the Dutch icon said, via quotes shared by the Liverpool Echo.

“There are numerous players from Ajax who went abroad then all of a sudden are in an environment which doesn’t play like that. That is the worst part of it.

“Klaassen went to Everton and found that problem. He came from Ajax, goes to Everton, who don’t play like that. All of a sudden, he’s lost, he doesn’t know what to do, where to come, because he’s not good at the ball and doesn’t do all kinds of tricks, he doesn’t have that.

“Klaassen then went to Germany, played a different role and played well. Now he’s back to Amsterdam and played the same role as he did before and he’s an outstanding player in the national team again and everyone says ‘Ooof!’.”

While Gullit suggests that Everton wasted Klaassen during his year at Goodison Park, the 58-year-old also explained why the Toffees were right to sell the midfielder, even if doing so meant owner Farhad Moshiri had to sanction a £11.6m loss.

Everton wasted a total of £15.6m with the signing and subsequent failure of Klaassen, having awarded him a £70,000-per-week contract which earned the Dutchman £4m in wages over his 58 weeks on Merseyside.

For that money, the Toffees only saw one assist, no goals and 10 starts from 16 appearances in all competitions, while being omitted from 29 matchday squads due to his inability to adapt to either the demands of Koeman and Allardyce or the demands of the English game.

It would have been unsustainable for Moshiri to continue paying Klaassen so lucratively for that return, knowing that a second season at the same level – or worse – would have meant his market value decreasing more than the near 50% it already had.

Everton simply had to bite the bullet with Klaassen when they did and accept that he may go on to rediscover his form in a system more to his suiting, as – like Gullit claims – the Premier League and the tactics used at Goodison Park were not set up for him to excel.

AND in other news, Everton dodged a £13m bullet in a “remarkable” talent as the hype falls silent…

According to recent reports, West Ham United will have to battle a Premier League rival in order to land the summer signing of Adam Armstrong.

The report by The Sun claims that Armstrong, who is valued at £25m by Blackburn Rovers, is attracting interest from both West Ham and Brighton & Hove Albion, with the Seagulls said to be “desperate for a finisher” in the summer transfer window as Graham Potter’s side have massively underperformed on their xG in the Premier League this season.

It is also reported that David Moyes’ side are “reluctant” to pay the Championship club’s valuation of the 24-year-old as the striker will have just 12 months remaining on his contract this summer, posing another obstacle to a move going through.

However, The Sun claimed that Brighton “may go close” to Blackburn’s asking price, adding that the former England under-21 international’s wages would “not be too high” for the south coast club.

Transfer Tavern Take

Armstrong has certainly impressed over his 32 Championship appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side this season, with the 24-year-old bagging 19 goals and providing three assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.02 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the second tier.

However, despite the centre-forward’s impressive form this season, that he will enter the final year of his deal at Ewood Park this summer does make his £25m asking price appear rather steep.

Also, with Brighton’s interest now reported, it would seem unlikely that Blackburn will budge on the striker’s valuation, raising the question as to whether a move would make financial sense for West Ham.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who spent one season with West Ham United, admits he can’t see Declan Rice staying with the Hammers in the long term unless they continue to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

With Mark Noble not starting many games this season, it has been Rice captaining the side, something Lee says is an unbelievable achievement for someone who is just 22 years of age.

West Ham are currently challenging for the top four, however, Lee can’t seee that being a regular occurrence at the London Stadium, which is one of the reasons why Rice will search for pastures new in the coming years.

Rice has become one of the first names on the team sheet for David Moyes as well as forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s side, however, the dream of Hammers fans seeing their midfielder emulate Noble’s one-club mentality may be smashed, according to Lee.

The former Hammers midfielder fears Rice won’t be around for the long term future with an inevitability of him being prised away by a bigger club, in financial terms and in terms of winning trophies.

“Unfortunately, for my hometown team, no.” Lee told FFC when asked if he sees Rice becoming a one-club player like Noble.

He added: “West Ham have done brilliantly, but to keep that going, you have to spend money, a lot of money to keep up with the likes of Man City, Man United and Chelsea.

“He’s probably the best player at doing what he does, sitting in the midfield for a young guy, he’s probably the best I’ve seen for a long time at doing what he does. For him to be captain at such a young age is a great achievement for him.

“So, I think eventually he’ll be prised away.”

Rice has improved season-on-season and was regularly touted with a move to Chelsea when Frank Lampard was manager and one club players seem a rarity nowadays.

The England international has proved his worth at West Ham and may only be a matter of time before he gets a move away from the London Stadium.

Marcel Brands could be risking another Everton disaster amid reports CSKA Moscow have enquired over the Cenk Tosun’s situation in the final week of the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, CSKA have approached Everton chiefs to sound out Tosun’s availability to join the Russian giants on a short-term loan deal.

The Toffees are aware of greater interest in the 29-year-old from clubs across Europe but are yet to receive any other formal offers, as they strive to offload a striker who has been deemed surplus to requirements for the past two years.

Marco Silva slapped a £20m asking price on Tosun in the winter 2019 market and while he joined Crystal Palace on loan with an option to buy for that sum last year, returned to Goodison Park where he has been stuck behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order.

Tosun is eager to secure regular game time to solidify his place in Turkey’s national squad for this summer’s postponed European Championship, having so far only played 43 minutes in the Premier League this season.

The £6.5m-rated flop, signed by Sam Allardyce for £27m, is further yet to start a top-flight game and was omitted from the matchday squad that beat Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup over the weekend.

West Brom had been linked with interest in Tosun following Allardyce’s appointment, but would appear to be one of the sides yet to make a formal approach as the February 1st deadline continues to near.

Should Everton accept CSKA’s offer?

Everton need to reach a decision on how the January transfer window will end for Tosun soon, as the Blues cannot afford to fall into the same trap with the Turkey international as they backed themselves into with Yannick Bolasie.

Reports have suggested Everton may even opt to retain Tosun and let him spend the next six months on the bench to provide cover for Calvert-Lewin, after seeing Joshua King price himself out of a move from AFC Bournemouth by demanding a £120,000-per-week contract.

Brands securing Tosun a loan exit this month without an obligation for the side to purchase the 29-year-old at the end of the season would also be a naïve decision by Everton, having already seen the striker depart on a temporary deal in the hope that it would be his end destination only for injury to force the £60,000-per-week dud back to Merseyside.

Tosun again returning to Goodison Park after failing to set the world alight after a few months away would only risk the Toffees’ chances of recouping a significant proportion of the fee paid to Besiktas in 2018, as he will then be in the final year of his contract.

It is the exact situation that Everton have found themselves in with Bolasie, who is now inside the final six months of his contract after Sporting CP turned down their €4.5m (£4m) option to buy the DR Congo winger last summer after an underwhelming season in Portugal.

Since then, a move to Middlesbrough fell through and Neil Warnock has confirmed the Championship side are looking at alternative options, to leave Everton desperate to offload Bolasie’s wages before he departs as a free agent.

The more Everton either price Tosun out of a permanent move or send him out on loan without an obligation to buy, the more likely it is that he becomes a Bolasie 2.0. Something majority owner Farhad Moshiri will no doubt want to see his side avoid.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit expects Everton to sell a £180k-p/w duo before Monday’s deadline…

Leeds United should reignite their transfer interest in Liverpool winger Harry Wilson, amid The Athletic’s claim that the Reds could look to sell him this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports back in the summer transfer window suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were very much interested in signing the Wales international, with claims that the Whites were ready to come to the table with a bid of around £15m.

A deal however failed to materialise, with the 23-year-old eventually being sent out on loan to Championship side Cardiff City, where he has impressed – he’s notched three goals and provided an impressive seven assists in just 20 league games.

Now, The Athletic have delivered an update on his long-term future back at Anfield, with James Pearce revealing that Wilson is among a number of players “who could be sold to raise funds to reinvest into the squad”.

Replacement for Raphinha?

His manager at parent club, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, has waxed lyrical about his technical ability before.

Speaking after the Reds let him join Bournemouth on loan, the German boss said: “His shooting is world-class. Find me five players who shoot better than him. Each free-kick is a proper, proper threat! I was never in doubt about Harry’s shooting ability, his skills in that part of the game are world-class.

“To be involved as an offensive player you have to connect with other players. He has that, it is not like he doesn’t, but to get to the next level, he needs game-time at the highest level.”

With reports in recent days claiming that the Reds are interested in one of Leeds’ own right-wingers in Raphinha, the need to sign a new wide-man could be high up the agenda for Victor Orta come this summer.

In the £60k-a-week earning Wilson, the Whites would be getting someone who has got previous experience of playing in the Premier League in his time with both Liverpool and Bournemouth, whilst his performances for a relegated Cherries side last season was quite impressive – he bagged seven goals in just 31 top-flight games.

Even if Raphinha stayed put at Elland Road or left, Wilson would still be a really shrewd signing for Leeds, especially given how underwhelming the likes of Helder Costa and Ian Poveda have been.

Costa’s scored just once all season, while Bielsa clearly doesn’t fancy him anymore, giving him just 22 minutes of Premier League football since early December. Poveda is in a similar boat to the former Wolves ace, and although he’s still only 21, seemingly hasn’t done enough to convince his manager he’s worth of more game-time, failing to complete more than 45 minutes in any top-flight game this season – and even that was back in the beginning of November.

However things turn out with Raphinha, Liverpool’s reported stance on Wilson should see Leeds reignite their interest in him this summer.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered an injury update on this Leeds United star…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has tipped new West Brom boss Sam Allardyce to swoop for one of his former players in the upcoming January transfer window.

The 66-year-old replaced Slaven Bilic last week on an 18-month contract and suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Aston Villa in his first game in charge on Sunday evening.

He told reporters that he will be backed next month, and Windass has suggested that Everton outcast Yannick Bolasie could be one to make the switch to the Hawthorns.

The 31-year-old originally joined the Toffees in a £25m deal from Crystal Palace in 2016 under Ronald Koeman but would go onto play more times for Allardyce than the Dutchman.

He scored just once in 17 appearances, whilst 53% of his matches at Everton have come under Big Sam, per Transfermarkt.

The DR Congo winger wasn’t registered for their Premier League squad this season and is expected to leave the club in January as Carlo Ancelotti revealed in October.

And the ex-Hull marksman believes he could end up in the Midlands…

He told FFC:

“Yeah, pace in the wide areas.

“He’s been Everton’s forgotten man but yeah [I’d take him].

“Listen, Sam will know, Sam will have it in his mind who he needs.”

The wide areas have been a problematic issue at the Baggies this season.

Grady Diangana hasn’t been able to continue the form that helped spearhead them to Championship promotion last term, whilst Bilic often went to a back five to mask his lack of trust in a true right-winger – neither Matty Phillips, Kamil Grosicki or Kyle Edwards could nail down that spot.

Bolasie could somewhat solve the issue short-term as he’s vastly experienced in the Premier League having made 119 appearances in his top-flight career.

Although, the £70k-per-week Toffees misfit would arrive with plenty of fitness concerns given he’s not played a competitive fixture this season.

Bolasie’s last senior appearance came in Sporting Lisbon’s 4-1 thrashing by Istanbul in the Europa League back in February.

AND in other news, West Brom exclusive: Pundit drops scathing Luke Dowling claim after Slaven Bilic sacking…

Leeds are linked with a potential January swoop for recent free agent M’Bala Nzola, according to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness). The striker was released from former club Trapani before joining Spezia Calcio in October, where he is currently making serious waves.

The 24-year-old still has a lot to give and is showing his previous sides what they’re missing out on with his performances at his new club. According to Transfermarkt, Nzola has tallied nines goals and one assist in 13 Serie A appearances so far. These numbers are similar to that of Patrick Bamford (10 goals, 2 assists) and the two could very well strike up a beautiful partnership.

Should Leeds sign Nzola?

Getting the £3.6million-valued striker could be very good business for the Whites as they head into the market this month. Marcelo Bielsa really needs to recruit some more creative players so as to not burn out his star forward. Additionally, Bamford is starved of support at times and could hugely benefit from someone working alongside him.

The duo could complement each other very well, as one seems to have something the other lacks. According to WhoScored, Nzola registers less shots per game, but completes more dribbles and key passes. Bamford is also more disciplined on the ball and makes less errors, but these statistics could really work in favour of each other.

Bamford is a typical goal-poacher who makes easy work of firing home from close-range. With him free to do what he does best and Nzola doing more of the leg work in terms of chance creation and drawing defenders out, the two would be a nightmare for the opposition defenders.

With the Frenchman only recently joining Spezia, it’s uncertain whether they would be willing to let him go given his immediate impact. However, they could make a nice profit on him if they do decide to cash in and Leeds would reap all the rewards.

Fellow Premier League sides have seemingly figured out Bielsa’s attacking tactics, so sharpening his options and changing up his formation will catch all of their opponents off-guard.

In other news, Stuart Dallas continues worrying pattern with latest Leeds performance…

Leeds United have a big game against Arsenal this weekend following the return of the Premier League after the international break. In the build up to the game, the club have tied down Pascal Struijk to a new contract.

Struijk signs a new contract at Leeds

Journalist for The Athletic, Phil Hay, revealed: “It’s been a big six months for Pascal Struijk. He’s now signed a new deal with Leeds United, running to 2024.”

The club have also confirmed the news on their official media channels.

Great news for Bielsa

Struijk arrived from the the Ajax academy back in 2018 (Transfermarkt) and is starting to become a key player for the club. The 21 year-old has progressed from the academy to the senior side, and has now made ten appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, including four in the Premier League.

In those four games this season, the £675,000 valued-ace has managed 1.8 tackles, one interception, and 3.8 clearances per match (WhoScored).

Speaking to Football Insider  in the past, Bielsa said: “He looked very assured at the back, very competitive in the air and his ball distribution was excellent.”

Therefore the fact that they have tied down the young prospect is good for both the present and the future, and he can be a player to club can look to integrate more into the starting eleven over the next few years.

In other Leeds news one star has been praised by legend Deco, have a read who it is here!

Following Man City’s 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night, a result which means more dropped points in the Premier League, many Sky Blues ripped into one man after they couldn’t squeeze a last-gasp winner past Slaven Bilic’s side – with Benjamin Mendy at the centre of criticism from these supporters. 

Mendy, who started last night in place of usual makeshift left-back Joao Cancelo as the Portuguese was placed on the right, had been putting in some noteworthy performances recently – with the Frenchman scoring his first Premier League goal during a 5-0 romp at home to Burnley at the end of November.

The defender also played against Fulham as manager Pep Guardiola seems to call upon him regularly – appearing above fellow full-back option Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order.

However, with the absence of his usual overlaps and powerful left-footed balls into the box on Tuesday evening, Mendy cut a largely ineffective figure – with Guardiola swapping him for Kyle Walker late on.

Criticising his performance, here’s what Sky Blues had to say on social media – find all of their verdicts down below.

Man City fans hammer Mendy

In other news: Man City fans buzzed over this ‘great news’, find out more here.

Many Everton fans have slammed Lucas Digne after the France international got himself sent off with a straight red card against Southampton this afternoon.

Digne was sent off in the 72nd minute for a foul on Kyle Walker-Peters, with the Merseysiders already 2-0 down in the match.

The 27-year-old did not have a good game in general, failing to make a single tackle, interception, key pass or accurate cross, earning him a rather poor 5.1 overall rating, the worst score out of anyone on the pitch (Sofascore).

The Toffees ended up losing the match 2-0 thanks to first half goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams in what was a pretty disappointing display overall from Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Everton fan reaction to Digne performance

These Everton supporters blasted Digne for getting himself a red card as well as the left-back’s overall poor performance, with a couple of Blues even branding him as ‘stupid’:

Evertonians, find out why some fans were unhappy with the starting line-up here and don’t forget to comment below with your views!