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Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti and Director of Football Marcel Brands will have to tread carefully in January should the Goodison Park outfit look to revive their interest in SSC Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik.

What’s the word?

According to TuttoMercatoWEB, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are already prepared to forge plans to sign Milik in January after the 26-year-old failed to secure a move away from the San Paolo Stadium before the international transfer market slammed shut.

It is not considered a guarantee that either the Blues or Spurs will lodge formal offers for Milik, but rather presumed that the foreign track will emerge as his best route out of Naples where the striker is set to spend the next few months in an uncomfortable stand-off.

The £28.8million-rated forward is not currently seen to have a role to play under head coach Gennaro Gattuso, who is only expected to offer Milik minutes in Napoli’s cup fixtures as they look to compete for honours in the Serie A, Europa League and retain the Coppa Italia.

Milik struck home the deciding spot-kick in a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over Juventus in June to secure Napoli’s first major trophy in six seasons, but is now inside the final year of his €90,000-per-week (£81.3k-p/w) contract and could choose to leave the San Paolo Stadium as a free agent next summer.

Yet with this year’s UEFA European Championship postponed until 2021, Milik could look to secure a winter deal to ensure he features in his national team’s plans, rather than risk losing his seat on the plane through a lack of competitive game time in 2020/21.

Gattuso has thus far opted not to name Milik in either of his Serie A teamsheets to date this term, despite the forward netting 11 times in 26 league games last season as part of a 14-goal haul across all competitions.

Everton must tread carefully

While Ancelotti has historically been one of Milik’s largest supporters, Everton will have to tread carefully around the idea of signing the Poland ace in January should Gattuso continue to overlook his services in the coming months.

Ancelotti will be ill-afforded to splash funds on a striker that could be severely lacking in match fitness, as it could take weeks or even months before Milik is up to speed with the Italian’s system and at a level where he can rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a place in the side.

The Everton boss has already snubbed a chance to reunite with Milik, too, with reports earlier this summer suggesting Ancelotti was not keen on his potential signing despite the forward aspiring to secure a move to Goodison Park.

His decision shows a drastic change in thought by Ancelotti, who once stated that he considered Milik to be a more complete option than Mauro Icardi at a time he was being linked with a move to sign the Argentine from Inter Milan.

“I have always had great centre-forward in my career, from [Filippo] Inzaghi to [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic,” Ancelotti told Luna TV, via quotes by Calciomercato in 2019. “Icardi is a great centre-forward like Milik.

“The Pole, however, is more complete, even if the Argentine finalises more inside the area. Talking about Icardi would mean diminishing the value of Milik.”

AND in other news, a £90k-p/w Everton ace offered an ineffective cameo appearance during the October international break.

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has compared his side’s current situation to that of League One side Sunderland.

Championship side Boro are sat just two points above the drop zone and have three games left to play to keep their second tier status in tact.

Facing Reading on Tuesday evening, Warnock’s side will know that just four points separates 17th place Stoke City and 22nd placed Hull City, meaning anything less than a win could put the former Premier League club in real danger of the drop.

Having replaced Jonathan Woodgate as Boro boss earlier this season, Warnock has now discussed how a relegation to League One would draw comparisons to Sunderland, who dropped out of the Championship in 2018.

Speaking ahead of his side’s game with Reading, Warnock is quoted as saying by Sunderland Echo:“Well the problem Sunderland have is the same problem Middlesbrough would have, is that every team comes to your stadium and it’s like Wembley.“The atmosphere, the crowds, you all want to play above yourselves and that’s what makes it harder for clubs like Sunderland, Middlesbrough, et cetera to come straight back up.“Players do lift themselves 20-30 per cent and it’s hard enough at that level without people playing above themselves against you.“I do realise how difficult it is.”Sunderland failed to gain an automatic promotion or play-off place this term, meaning they will now undergo a third successive campaign in England’s third tier.

Warnock certainly has a point here and it not uncommon for so-called bigger clubs to struggle upon relegation to League One. Sunderland are certainly an example of this having failed to bounce back to the Championship in two successive seasons now, whilst the likes of Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Norwich City have all found themselves stuck in the third tier in the past.

From Sunderland’s point of view however, they would love their north east rivals to be relegated as it would give them two derby fixtures to look forward to next term.

Do you think Warnock is right in what he says? Let us know in the comments section below…

Portsmouth have registered interest in Leicester City defender Josh Knight, according to Portsmouth News.

Kenny Jackett is seemingly desperate to bolster his squad options ahead of next season after suffering a second successive promotion failure, losing to Oxford United in the League One play-off semi final.

That disappointment has now left Jackett with a huge task this summer and interest in players is beginning to be reported.

Portsmouth News were the first to report interest in Leicester’s Knight and that has now been followed up by a further claim.

Knight, who has recently returned to Leicester after spending time at Peterborough for the last one-and-a-half years, is expected to be shipped out on loan by the Premier League club.

The 22-year-old first joined the Posh on loan in January 2019 and since went on to make 24 appearances last term in League One.

His potential arrival could follow a move for Sean Raggett with a latest report claiming a deal for the former Norwich City defender is imminent.

Jackett has to get things right this summer and the Pompey boss will know that given the pressure he will be feeling after missing out on promotion.

Knight is an obvious talent and he could certainly add quality to the squad. Indeed despite primarily being a right-back he still chipped in with three goals and four assists in League One last season.

On paper, this looks like it would be a solid addition for the south coast outfit.

Do you think Knight will be a good signing for Portsmouth? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left dreaming about the prospects of signing one of Jose Mourinho’s reported targets this summer.

According to Estadio Deportivo, the Portuguese boss is pushing to sign Marseille midfielder Maxime Lopez and with the Ligue 1 outfit set to suffer financially post-pandemic, he could be available for as little as €10m (£9m).

And the Spurs faithful are infatuated by the idea of landing him.

The 22-year-old has been a regular presence under former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas this season. In 23 matches, Lopez has provided three assists and has also averaged 0.8 key passes, 0.7 tackles and 0.7 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It has led to suggestions from some members of the Lilywhites faithful that he could be a better player than Harry Winks or at least looks very similar to their homegrown youth product.

The France U21 international was even likened to a legendary midfielder, former Barcelona superstar Xavi by one fan…

Earlier in the month, the Evening Standard claimed Spurs would only be able to operate in the free-agent market along with potential swap deals, which would seemingly put an end to rumours such as this.

However, at just £9m this move could be an absolute snip given his age and the positive reaction it would garner, as seen above.

AND in other news, Spurs fans really do not want this PL star…

Having signed from RB Leipzig, it’s fair to say Naby Keita hasn’t exactly set the world alight at Liverpool.

Since his arrival, the Guinea international has made just 56 appearances for the club, scoring six goals and providing only four assists. And this season has arguably encapsulated his entire Anfield career so far.

He has played just 23 times across all competitions, suffered from various different injury problems, and has barely shown anything like the kind of form that ultimately convinced the Reds to spend big-money on signing him in the first place.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But amid some recent links to Bayern Munich play-maker Thiago, Keita stepped up to the plate in fine fashion against Brighton in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

In a comfortable 3-1 victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it was Keita who helped run the show in the middle of the park, and showed signs of the potential that he possesses.

In the 61 minutes he was on the pitch, he set up Mohamed Salah for Liverpool’s owner, and affected the game in multiple ways, eventually finishing on an impressive 8.2 match rating as per Sofascore – the highest of any Reds player. And when you look at the underlying numbers behind his performance, it is easy to see why.

He had a 100% dribble success rate (three out of three), made two tackles, provided four key passes, created two big chances, and also won all six of the duels that he contested on the ground.

It was the kind of all-action, yet creative display that Klopp would surely have been hoping for from the 25-year-old, and really now raises the question of whether a bona-fide star like Thiago is needed.

The Bayern ace could well be a game-changer for the Reds, but if Keita can show that he can offer something similar with his guile and craft, then there is no reason why Klopp shouldn’t just keep the faith in the midfielder that he already has.

It was a performance brimming with potential, and why the Merseyside club shouldn’t be quick to throw the former Leipzig ace aside.

Leeds United fans have reacted to Liam Cooper’s comments on who he supported growing up as a kid via a Q&A on the club’s official website.

Cooper has played a big part in the success at Elland Road this season, helping The Whites to sit top of the Championship as thing stand.

Born in Hull and starting his professional career with the Tigers, Cooper would have three loan spells away from the club before moving permanently to Chesterfield.

Impressing, Cooper would finally earn a bigger move, joining Leeds in 2014, and he has since gone on to become a key starter at the club, making a total of 190 appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit (Transfermarkt).

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, footballers across England have been engaging with fans over social media, official website’s and more to keep them entertained.

Club captain Cooper took part in a new series from take-away service Deliveroo, receiving questions from the club’s fans, and one response in particular has gained a response from Leeds fans.

Asked: ‘Who did you support growing up?’, Cooper responded with comments about his dad’s loyalties towards West Ham United and his families ties with Hull City, before revealing that he was a Leeds fan.

Below are just some of the responses gained to Cooper’s answer on supporting Leeds:

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This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.