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Sevilla hold a ‘regret’ over snubbing West Ham United’s advances for colossal target man Youssef En-Nesyri, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Hammers enjoy busy summer…

The Irons, it’s safe to say, fully backed their manager David Moyes with a flurry of impressive deals and signalled their intent to remain among the Premier League’s most elite sides.

Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer, Emerson and club record signing Lucas Paqueta all arrived at the London Stadium with West Ham sealing eight new arrivals in total.

En-Nesyri was also linked with a move and reports suggest the club lodged bids in both the January transfer window and summer.

The Latest: Sevilla ‘regret’ not accepting…

The La Liga side snubbed West Ham both times, and according to reports, that’s a decision Sevilla are now ruing.

The media in Spain, via Sport Witness, state there is a ‘regret’ on their part over not doing business with West Ham – with the club’s own supporters holding ‘anger’ and growing ‘tired’ of En-Nesyri’s poor form.

The Verdict: Dodged a bullet?

Over the 135 minutes he has played domestically this season, the 6 foot 3 powerhouse striker ranks among Sevilla’s worst-rated performers on average – ranking with a lacklustre 5.97/10 per 90 according to WhoScored.

He’s also failed to register a single key pass or successful take-on in that time, leaving little wonder the Spaniards are growing frustrated with their forward.

Having signed the highly-rated Scamacca, who is already proving a popular figure, West Ham supporters may be thankful they didn’t complete a deal for En-Nesyri after-all.

Everton have had to endure a tough start to their season and are one of the few teams left in the Premier League without a win.

However, that’s not to say that Frank Lampard’s side have not been performing well. Two fine draws on the road to Brentford and Leeds United were impressive yet frustrating having surrendered a lead both times.

But it was the Merseyside derby where they really announced themselves as a side that has made a marked improvement from last season’s misery.

Battling to a 0-0 draw, in which they gave as good as they got against their bitter rivals Liverpool, this game also noted the return of a cult hero at Goodison Park. Idrissa Gana Gueye was introduced 62 minutes in and has already staked his claim for a starting spot.

Gueye must start

The 32-year-old received a SofaScore rating of 6.9 in just half an hour of game time and instantly improved the Toffees in midfield. His unrelenting work rate broke up plenty of attacks for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and then set Lampard’s men away to attack.

He managed seven accurate passes with a 70% success rate but won 100% of his ground duels and two out of three of his aerial duels.

This was the perfect reintroduction for Gueye, who returned having not lost an ounce of the class that made him such a fan favourite in the first place. The 94-cap machine was thrown into the deep end, and it was as if he’d never been away.

With West Ham United at Goodison Park just around the corner, if that home stadium was to welcome him back into the starting lineup it could provide all the ingredients to spark Everton towards their first victory of the season.

The performances are there, they just now need the results.

Back in 2017 journalist Paul Brown listed some stats that outlined Gueye as a fine performer defensively, also claiming that he was the “glue”, in a bid to describe his importance to the Toffees back then.

Therefore, this time around he must start, so he can get back to being that glue that holds the team together. Gueye could be the final piece that sees Lampard’s system start churning out wins.

Director of Football Kevin Thelwell is reportedly eyeing an Everton move for Napoli winger Hirving Lozano in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: International star

‘Chucky’ Lozano is a global icon in the men’s game, having been a prominent figure in the Mexico national team with 58 caps and 15 goals for them, while he has also racked up 200 appearances in European football for both PSV and Napoli (Transfermarkt).

However, his form for the latter seems to have dried up of late, with no goals and just one assist in seven games in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Everton interest

As per Marca, the Goodison Park outfit are one of four clubs eyeing a potential move for Lozano in January, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig also thought to be interested in his signature.

However, Napoli have put a price tag of €30m (£26.8m) on his shoulders, as he still has two years left remaining on his contract in Italy.

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The Verdict: Worth a punt

Even though Lozano has never played in English football, his underlying numbers suggest that he would be worth a punt for the Merseyside club.

He currently ranks in the 89th percentile for non-penalty expected goals per 90 in Europe’s top five leagues, while he is also in the 88th percentile for progressive carries (FBref).

Hailed as a ‘real top player’ by journalist Pete O’Rourke, the 27-year-old’s playing style is similar to many top wingers in the Premier League, and given that he shares the same agent as Anthony Gordon among other Toffees, this is a deal that has a chance of being pushed through in January.

Southampton have both flirted with relegation and vastly overperformed over the last ten years, with Manolo Gabbiadini having experienced both highs and lows whilst at St Mary’s.

Upon first signing for the Saints, Claude Puel’s 2017 acquisition quickly set the Premier League and the country’s various domestic competitions by storm.

A £15m January move was decidedly unexciting, but what was to come is the little bit of magic up top that Ralph Hasenhuttl could do with now.

The Italian scored four times in 11 league appearances, as well as a sensational brace in the EFL Cup final against Manchester United. He was also denied a hat-trick by a controversial offside call.

He was only upstaged on his Wembley birth by the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose late winner truly stole the show.

In fact, the two were labelled as “perfect for English football” by one onlooker during the match.

Standing at 6 foot 1, he possessed wonderful feet and a sharp change of speed that helped him take English football by storm.

If he were to come in for the current Southampton side, the “clinical” talent – as dubbed by Puel – would act as a direct replacement for Armando Broja, who impressed last season on loan but ultimately was always going to return to Chelsea.

The Albanian was a force to be reckoned with on the south coast last term, scoring nine goals, and after finding the net just seven times so far this term, it’s clear the Saints are missing his influence. In a parallel universe where they still had Gabbiadini, however, they may be thriving.

The Saints side that include the Italy international managed an eighth-place when he led the line, however, just five goals across the 2017/18 campaign meant they would slump to a 17th-placed finish.

It may have been short, but those first six months were exceptional and unfortunately never to be replicated.

Just 12 goals whilst at the club seems underwhelming given his two-and-a-half-year stint at the club, but the importance of those scored in his first half a season helped nearly clinch his club’s first major honour since 1976.

Having lacked obvious firepower this season, injecting the goal-scoring know-how of Gabbiadini could be the perfect final piece of the puzzle to the fine young squad Hasenhuttl has built.

His size and proficiency during that period would serve the current toothless side well now, which would certainly prevent Southampton from being anywhere near relegation.

After a shocking start to the new Premier League season which has left Wolves in 18th place with just one win to their name, the Old Gold need to ensure that their next manager can keep them well clear of trouble.

One man who is reportedly interested in taking over from Bruno Lage at Molineux is current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca.

According to 90min, the Portuguese manager has shown an interest in the vacant role, despite having only taken charge of Lille in June.

The 49-year-old has been linked with both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the past so is clearly keen to work in the Premier League, and considering the plethora of Portuguese talent on offer at Molineux where better for the former Roma boss to find his feet in England’s top flight?

During his time with Lille, the French side have had a very ordinary start to the season, winning four, drawing one and losing four of their opening nine games in Ligue 1.

However, Fonseca boasts impressive records with Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Porto, having averaged more than 1.7 points per game at all of those clubs, so he could bring a winning mentality with him to Wolves.

Fabrizio Romano was full of praise for Fonseca when he was linked with Spurs, saying:

“He is perfect in the dressing room and perfect in his relationship with the players.

“He likes to play a 3-4-2-1 formation and likes to play with quality and fast players behind the striker.”

Both of these statements seem like they would be an excellent fit for Wolves given their current situation, as Lage was said to have lost the dressing room before his eventual sacking, while three goals in just eight games this season suggests that the players are not clicking on the pitch.

If Fonseca can boost the players’ relationship off the pitch then surely it will be only a matter of time until they begin to blossom on it, so his ability to win over a dressing room could be key in turning Wolves’ fortunes around.

The promise of playing a 3-4-2-1 could also see Wolves get back to their best, as they boasted a fine defensive record in the league early last season when playing three centre-backs, while the likes of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes would definitely fit the mould of a quick player capable of playing behind the striker.

Therefore, Fosun should definitely consider appointing Fonseca if he is indeed keen on a move to Molineux.

Sunderland’s slump down the divisions created plenty of notorious villains, all of whom contributed to the financial struggles they found themselves in.

However, across their Premier League stay they did also create one or two heroes who will likely go down in Black Cats folklore.

One such name is Sebastian Larsson, who was brought in for free all the way back in 2011.

He had featured 205 times for Birmingham City, and yet nearly repeated that feat on Wearside, where he played 203 times.

The Swedish gem quickly established himself as a fine Premier League midfielder with a wand of a left foot, the likes of which were best expressed over a dead ball. He scored 11 free kicks whilst playing in England’s top flight.

His emergence and subsequent reliability across many seasons at the Stadium of Light made him something of a “hero”, as journalist Ross Gregory labelled him following his goal in Sunderland’s win over Manchester United in 2014.

Steve Bruce struck gold with this unassuming deal, with his qualities seen in the 14 goals and 23 assists he made whilst at the club.

His performances earned him the affectionate title of “Super Seb Larsson”, who James Dodd lauded halfway through his first season in Red and White.

In his final season for the club, where they were unfortunately relegated, he still maintained a SofaScore rating of 6.71.

He averaged 1.1 key passes per game during the year, and whilst surrounded by little quality, only managed one assist.

Despite his abundance of creativity, he also maintained 1.8 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game, outlining him as the quintessential all-around midfielder for Sunderland at the time.

Larsson will likely be remembered with great fondness despite being a huge part of the side that suffered that first relegation, due to his reliability and relentlessness in midfield.

In 2019 he came out full of praise for the north-east and how he enjoyed his time there, admitting: “So it was special not just for football reasons but it was a big part of my life. I enjoyed my time there. There was disappointment but there were some real highs during my time there as well.”

To see that he too thinks back fondly of the club lends to this shared love between the player and fans, and further outlines how good a deal this turned out to be.

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta is no longer under consideration for Chelsea’s sporting director role.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Ben Jacobs, with the CBS Sports journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, despite the Spaniard reported to be one of the names on new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s shortlist of candidates for the vacant position at Stamford Bridge, the 43-year-old is no longer an active target for the American.

In his tweet, Jacobs said: “Lots of candidates spoken to with various options explored. There may even be a ‘group’ recruitment head as/when Chelsea add other clubs to their portfolio allowing for a longer-term senior appointment. Luis Campos and Victor Orta are not under active consideration.”

Fantastic news for Leeds

Considering just how impressive a job Orta has done over his five-and-a-half-year tenure as Leeds’ director of football, Jacobs’ claim that the Spaniard is no longer being considered by Chelsea is undoubtedly great news for everyone involved with the club.

With the 43-year-old making the move to Elland Road some 13 years since the Whites had last been playing Premier League football, Orta took just three years to right that wrong through his managerial appointments and transfer business.

Indeed, the Spaniard’s first season at the club saw the arrivals of players such as Adam Forshaw, Pontus Jansson, Gjanni Alioski and Mateusz Klich – all of whom helped to elevate the quality of football played in LS11 almost immediately.

However, it was undoubtedly the director of football’s appointment of Marcelo Biela in the summer of 2018 that proved the catalyst for dragging Leeds out of the second tier, with the Argentine coach being key to the club’s 2020 promotion.

Indeed, following the further additions of players such as Patrick Bamford, Helder Costa and Illan Meslier, as well as Jack Harrison and Ben White on loan deals, the Whites would romp to the Championship title in 2019/20 – ending 16 years of hurt.

Since their promotion, Orta has continued to work hard in the transfer market to ensure that Leeds retain their top-flight status, with international players such as Raphinha, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson, Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams and Rasmus Kristensen all making the move to Elland Road over the past two years.

However, it has not only been the senior side that Orta has strengthened, as the 43-year-old has also brought some incredibly exciting young talent to Thorp Arch in recent seasons, with the likes of Joe Gelhadrt, Sonny Perkins, Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville, Lewis Bate, Darko Gyabi and Mateo Joseph all linking up in the Whites academy setup.

As such, with Orta very much having been the man to have taken Leeds back to where they belong, ensuring the club remained a top-flight team and having meticulously planned for the Whites’ future, the news that the architect of Leeds’ recent success will be remaining at the club for the foreseeable is most certainly fantastic news for all involved with the Whites.

BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has been left excited by some Tottenham Hotspur transfer news involving Leicester City star James Maddison.

The Lowdown: Paratici working?

Sporting director Fabio Paratici must play a key role in securing the future of Antonio Conte by working behind the scenes to bring in his transfer targets. Over the summer, the Spurs chief backed the manager significantly after club owners ENIC green-lit a £150m equity increase.

The Italian managed to bring in Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie whilst also sealing a permanent deal for Cristian Romero.

However, if the Lilywhites are to continue competing with the Premier League’s most elite clubs, further on-field investment could be required to iron out Spurs’ glaring weaknesses – perhaps most glaringly the absence of a star playmaker.

The Latest: Hutton excited by Spurs reports on Maddison…

According to recent reports, the north Londoners are eyeing a move for Foxes attacker Maddison.

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It is also believed the 25-year-old is ‘very keen’ on a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with former Spurs defender Hutton reacting to these reports in an interview.

He explained to Football Insider: “If it comes down to just football reasons, I think someone like Maddison would fit in to the Spurs way. He works hard, he has got that creative spark.

“That is possibly something Tottenham miss in games from that number ten role. He could fit in to the Conte way and it could be something that Maddison could really flourish under.”

The Verdict: Positive news…

As per WhoScored, Maddison is a very effective creator in the final third, currently ranking as Leicester’s best player by average match rating having weighed in with five goals and two assists in just nine league starts.

The Englishman also attempts more shots at goal and completes more key passes per 90 than any Foxes player, whilst drawing the most fouls (WhoScored).

To say that he would flourish under Conte could certainly be an accurate prediction, and Tottenham are arguably lacking someone like him to provide that central creativity.

The fact that Maddison’s 2.3 key passes per game exceeds the 1.9 managed by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Spurs’ market leaders in that regard, would suggest as such.

Wolves have been handed a boost in their hopes of appointing a new permanent manager as a big update has emerged regarding Vitor Pereira. 

The Lowdown: A move on the cards?

The Old Gold have been without a permanent manager in the dugout since the decision was made to sack Bruno Lage earlier this month.

Since then, the Midlands club have won one and lost three of the four league games that Steve Davis has had in interim charge, leading to reports that the club could go back on their decision to stick with Davis.

Now, they may have a potential breakthrough on their hands over the possibility of seeing Pereira become their new head coach.

The Latest

According to journalist Jorge Nicola (via Sport Witness), a behind-the-scenes update has emerged regarding Pereira’s current position in charge of Corinthians, with Wolves name-checked in the report.

It was reported earlier this week that Molineux could be a potential next destination for the 54-year-old.

Nicola said: “An important source of mine at Corinthians assured me that Vitor Pereira has already informed the president, Duilio Monteiro Alves, the football coordinator, Alessandro Nunes, and director of football, Roberto de Andrade, that he is not staying for the next season. He has a number of reasons that justify his decision.”

The Brazilian season ends before the World Cup.

The Verdict

Having managed several clubs across a wide variety of countries, the Portuguese manager took charge of Corinthians back in February.

With 58 matches under his belt at the Brazilian club, Pereira, known for an attack-minded set-up loosely translating to a 4-3-3, has seen his side win 26 of them, drawing 15 and losing 17 along the way.

Moving forward, if the Wolves hierarchy feel that Pereira is the right candidate to take over from Davis, then his decision to part ways with the Brazilian club could be the first major step in making it happen.

Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is reportedly open to joining Newcastle United next year.

The Lowdown: Newcastle interest

There have been reports of the St. James’ Park outfit’s interest in Mudryk, who is on fire so far this season.

The Ukraine international scored a screamer on Tuesday night as he helped his team draw 1-1 away at Celtic in the UEFA Champions League, ensuring that Shakhtar are in European competition after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar ends.

That is just one of six goals that he has managed in all competitions this term, as he has also bagged himself seven assists, with five of those goal contributions coming in the Champions League alone (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Mudryk ‘open’ to joining

As per Football Insider, Mudryk is ‘open’ to joining the North East club next year, as the Tynesiders sent scouts to watch him in action at Celtic Park.

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He is believed to be ‘keen’ on moving to the Premier League in the January transfer window, but could delay a move until the end of the campaign if Shakhtar manage to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Eddie Howe is thought to have given the green light to pursue a deal in January, should the winger be willing to move.

The Verdict: Get it done

Given how Mudryk has exploded onto the scene this season, with football presenter and pundit Jack Collins hailing him as ‘absolutely unreal’ and ‘undefendable’ in explosive bursts, this is a player that the Magpies should not be thinking twice about signing.

However, he is not going to come cheap, and it is likely that top clubs around Europe will be itching to pounce on his signature.

Nonetheless, the 21-year-old is going to be a star for years to come, and would no doubt be welcomed by the Toon Army.