FRANK LAMPARD fears today’s game against West Ham is “make or break” for his future as Everton boss.
Sources inside the struggling Merseyside club say a defeat – and a poor performance at the London Stadium – is likely to see the ex-England and Chelsea legend axed.
And morale among the players is thought to have been rocked by the lack of any signings made in January.
Our source said: “The game against West Ham is make or break.
“The two recent performances against Southampton, and particularly against Brighton, mean Lampard is on borrowed time. A third performance like that and it will most likely be curtains for him.
“There’s a really low feeling around the club at the moment as it’s obvious they need reinforcements, but there’s hardly been any activity.
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“There is a feeling that perhaps the club is waiting to see if they will be bringing in a new manager before the end of January, and that’s why Lampard hasn’t been given the chance to freshen things up.
“There is also the financial fair play situation but it’s a mess.”
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New West Ham striker Danny Ings is one player Lampard apparently wanted.
But Everton were only able to offer the former Aston Villa striker a loan deal despite Ings being interested in a move due to the fact he was attracted by the idea of a move to the North West.
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One source said: “That summed it all up. Ings would have been tailor-made for Everton and apparently he was keen to join.
“And even with the Liverpool connection fans would have welcomed him with open arms. He would have got goals that could have helped the club move up the table.
“Now he’s going to be lining up for a relegation rival.”
We told last week how Everton are bracing themselves for the exit of Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the end of the season.
The England hitman is wanted by Newcastle United – who may even have moved in for him in January if it wasn’t for the player’s injury problems.
A source said: “Calvert-Lewin is at right at the top of the list of targets Newcastle have. They were interested in him last summer, and that interest remains.
“They think he could be a striker that could help take them to the next level both in the league, and in Europe.
“The only reason they didn’t move in January is because Dominic is struggling with injuries.
“Due to where Newcastle are in their season, riding high in the league and in a league cup semi final, they need additions who can hit the ground running.”
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The Sun understands Frank Lampard has told Everton’s board he needs to keep his trio of top stars – Jordan Pickford, Anthony Gordon and Calvert-Lewin – if they are to have any hope of surviving against relegation.
But all three will leave if Everton do go down.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
