Everton transfer news

IF there is one consolation for Frank Lampard, as he desperately clings to his job, it is that nobody could reasonably claim Everton’s omnishambles is down to him.A quick glance at the managers who have tried and failed under Farhad Moshiri’s disastrous Goodison ownership confirms as much.
Toffees’ keeper Jordan Pickford looks dejected as Brighton romp to a 4-1 Prem win at Goodison Park on TuesdayCredit: Reuters
Frank Lampard appears to be going the same way as other big managerial names in recent years at EvertonCredit: Getty
Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful boss in European Cup history.
Rafa Benitez, another Champions League winner.
Marco Silva, the greatest over-achiever in the Premier League this season.
And Ronald Koeman, who would go on to manage Barcelona.
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All of them have failed to turn around a club which has become a byword for wasteful mismanagement since Moshiri became Everton’s majority shareholder seven years ago.
More than £600million was wasted on transfers before Lampard’s appointment almost 12 months ago — and yet now Everton’s only realistic aim is to avoid relegation.
With Moshiri bruised from years spent chucking money down the gurgler, and now seeking to get out of the club, Lampard’s net spend last summer was a relatively modest £32m after the sale of star man Richarlison to Tottenham.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder certainly isn’t the root cause of Everton’s deep malaise, yet that doesn’t mean he is the right man to dig them out of another hole.
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Tuesday’s shocking 4-1 home thrashing by Brighton was a result, and performance, which smacked of an imminent sacking.
The Seagulls, pound-for-pound the best-run club in the Premier League, dumped all over its worst-run club, with three goals in six minutes representing a new low.
Brighton’s fourth goal — when Everton wasted an attacking free-kick and Idrissa Gueye attempted a lamentable back-pass to let in Pascal Gross — was one of the worst sequences of football you are ever likely to see from a Premier League team.
Everton have won one and lost seven of their last ten league matches, are in the bottom three and deep in relegation danger for a second successive season.
Lampard, once schooled by Jose Mourinho, is capable of setting up a team to defend and frustrate the bigger clubs — as exemplified by Everton’s dogged 1-1 draw at Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.
The summer signings of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady appeared to have shored up Everton’s defence in the early part of the season — yet even that has changed, with 16 goals conceded in six winless games either side of the World Cup break.
But other than that, there are severe limitations. Going forward, Everton often look devoid of ideas and identity.
Managers should look for the best owner to work for, rather than the club with the best ‘name’. Lampard didn’t do that.
The real question is why Lampard ever chose to accept this basket case of a club in the first place.
Everton may have been as ‘big’ a job as he was likely to get after being sacked by his beloved Chelsea a year earlier — especially as he was interviewed by Aston Villa only to lose out to his old England team-mate and rival  Steven Gerrard.
But managers should always be looking for the best owner to work for, rather than the club with the best ‘name’. Lampard didn’t do that.
And it is an open secret in football that Everton’s dressing room has been riven by internal disputes for years. Did Lampard not do his homework?
Brighton, Brentford and Silva’s Fulham are all embarrassing Everton by proving that a place in the top half of the table is  achievable on a fraction of the Toffees’ recent transfer budget when recruitment is imaginative and a manager has a clear vision.
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Lampard is unlikely to last long after Tuesday’s humiliation — and who knows where one of English football’s Golden Generation may end up next?
But until there is a regime change at Goodison Park, it is unlikely that an eighth manager in seven years would make the blindest bit of difference. More

ASTON VILLA have enquired about the services of former Watford and Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu, according to reports.New boss Unai Emery is thought to be in the market for a wide player and is expected to be backed by the owners in the January.
Aston Villa have enquired about ex-Everton and Watford ace Gerard DeulofeuCredit: EPA
The Spaniard is playing his trade in Italy with Udinese after leaving the Hornets in 2021.
Deulofeu enjoyed a productive spell at Vicarage Road, scoring 17 goals and registering 11 assists in two-and-a-half years.
The most memorable was an exquisite chip in the FA Cup semi-finals against Wolves, which inspired Watford to make a memorable comeback.
But he left when they were relegated at the end of the 2019-2020 season, joining Udinese on loan and then permanently.
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He’s now playing some of the best football of his career.
Last season, Deulofeu chipped in with 18 goal contributions in 34 Serie A matches.
And he’s been involved in another eight in 15 top-flight outings this term.
Regardless, BirminghamLive believe Villa have asked about his availability.
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And Deulofeu is “open” to a new challenge and a potential return to English football.
His overall Premier League record stands at a respectable 44 goals and assists in 127 appearances.
He’s played under Emery previously and won the Europa League alongside him when the attacker was on loan at Sevilla in 2014-2015.
The ex-Arsenal boss has made a bright start to his Villa career, taking six points from three games with his first defeat coming against Liverpool on Boxing Day. More

LEEDS have enquired about Everton defender Mason Holgate.And SunSport understands Ligue 1 outfit Lyon have also expressed an interest in the Toffees centre-back.
Both Leeds and Lyon have expressed an interest in signing HolgateCredit: Getty
Holgate, 26, started three of Everton’s first four league games under Frank Lampard this season before sustaining a knee injury at Brentford.
But the ex-England Under-21 international, who can also play right-back, could be available when the transfer window reopens in January due to Everton’s financial plight.
Lampard has an overload of defenders in Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane while Everton are also keen to trim their wage bill.
Holgate played a major part under Lampard in the club’s successful fight against relegation from the top-flight last season.
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But his strong start to this campaign was cut short after picking up a knee problem in the 1-1 draw at Brentford.
Coady and Tarkowski struck up a partnership in Holgate’s absence and his only appearance since then came in the 4-1 Carabao Cup loss at Bournemouth last month.
But Holgate, who is under contract with Everton under June 2025, is fully fit for the festive period and ready to kick-start his career.
Ahead of the Prem resumption on Boxing Day, Everton lie 17th in the table and just one point above the drop zone.
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The Toffees will take on Wolves next week as they look to climb up the league table.
Lampard has been granted some good news in the build-up to the clash, with star man Anthony Gordon close to completing a new deal.
The 21-year-old is expected to sign a lucrative long-term contract with the club. More

LIVERPOOL and Everton are set to do battle over Birmingham teenager George Hall who has been compared to Jude Bellingham. The midfielder is having a breakout season at the Championship club and the 18-year-old is being tipped to have a big future.
Hall has enjoyed an impressive season in Birmingham’s midfieldCredit: Getty
He is now being monitored by multiple Premier League sides.
The Merseyside rivals of Liverpool and Everton are among those who are following Hall’s development, according to the Mail.
They are both following the England U19 international closely and see him as a potential future star.
While Liverpool have bigger fish to fry in the upcoming transfer windows, Everton’s needs may be more urgent.
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Frank Lampard is believed to be working on a tight budget in January as he looks to steer Everton away from another relegation battle.
A young and dynamic talent could fit well into Lampard’s side and Hall would likely be cheaper than many other options.
Leeds had attempted to land the youngster last summer but were put off by Birmingham’s high valuation.
Hall forms part of a young and exciting Birmingham midfield which also features Jude’s brother Jobe Bellingham, 17, and Jordan James, 18.
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Hall has made 18 league appearances this season and has a goal and assist to his name.
His style of play has seen him compared to ex-Birmingham ace Jude Bellingham, who visited his old stomping ground on Friday night.
Birmingham manager John Eustace has previously spoken highly of the star.
He said: “George is a fantastic young player who’s a big player for us and for the team.
“I think and we’ll be looking forward to him coming back. He’s a top young player. But all I want to do is to keep on developing George in the right way, which I think we have done so far.” More