Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, son of former Everton boss Carlo, is now considering taking the head coaching role at Goodison Park.

The Lowdown: Lampard sacked…

The Toffees, after a dismal run over the first half of this Premier League season, sacked former boss Frank Lampard only a year after appointing the England legend.

Despite steering them away from the drop last campaign, Lampard’s run of 11 losses and six draws in 20 league matches, winning just three, saw him receive his marching orders mid-season by Everton’s hierarchy.

Everton have won the least matches out of any side in the top flight with reports suggesting that the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Sean Dyche are among those being considered for the now vacant managerial role.

The Latest: Ancelotti ‘ponders’ Everton job…

According to Marca, there is another name in the frame as former assistant coach Ancelotti ‘ponders’ the Toffees offer of a potential position as Lampard’s successor.

It is believed that Everton are discussing the option of appointing the 33-year-old and Ancelotti is in fact ‘thinking’ about the job as he ‘eyes’ a move back to England.

The Verdict: Credible candidate?

The obvious qualm to this possible appointment by Farhad Moshiri is Ancelotti’s lack of first team managerial experience, something which could be seen as a necessity as they battle a drop to the Championship.

That being said, the young coach does have credentials and real plaudits from current Everton players – so he could be a popular choice in the Toffees dressing room.

Ancelotti’s influence at Real has also apparently grown in the past 12 months but his ultimate goal is to follow his father’s foot steps and become a manager.

Carlo Ancelotti has already paid tribute to his son as a ‘competent, disciplined, professional and very calm assistant coach’ – attributes which will be attractive to both Everton club chiefs and supporters alike.

Mason Holgate has absolutely raved over Real’s number two, calling him ‘unbelievable’ and even ‘similar’ to his father.

Already knowing the club during his time at Everton with Carlo, it would arguably remove the potential adjustment period involving in the hiring of a new boss.

There are reasons to consider this move, but as the Merseysiders fight for survival, there are those who would prefer a more experienced head like Dyche.

Manchester United could be brought ‘into play’ to compete for the signing of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, according to transfer expert Graeme Bailey.

The Lowdown: Weghorst successor needed

The Premier League giants recently signed Wout Weghorst from Burnley on loan until the end of the season, but will need a permanent attacking replacement when he departs.

The Lilywhites striker has just 18 months remaining on his contract in N17, and having not yet signed a new deal, would reportedly make an ideal target for the Red Devils.

The Latest: Bailey’s comments

Speaking to TEAMtalk, Bailey suggested that United would be an attractive prospect to Kane should they secure Champions League football, but they will face stiff competition from Bayern Munich.

“Bayern Munich are huge confirmed fans of the player. They believe he would be an ideal signing for them and could be the natural replacement for Lewandowski. Kane still isn’t 30 and the chance to play for one of Europe’s top teams and a team who challenges for the Champions League title could be a huge lure for him.

“There are other options also set to be available. And another to watch would be Manchester United. If they can finish top four and land Champions League football, that could bring them into play.

“We also know that Ten Hag wants a proper No 9 – we have seen that from the signing of Wout Weghorst on a short-term deal – and there are few better in world football than Kane.

“The next six months will be key to Kane’s future, and whether that is at Tottenham…or not.”

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The Verdict: Splash the cash

Kane is one of the world’s best strikers having been dubbed a ‘monster’ by teammate Heung-Min Son, and whilst his price tag is unknown, United should absolutely splash the cash to sign him this summer.

The Nike-sponsored talisman has recorded an unbelievable 327 goal contributions in 413 appearances in the capital, highlighting the huge impact he has in the final third.

The Red Devils’ aim over the next few years will be to get their hands on some silverware, and the acquisition of Kane would majorly increase their chances of that happening.

He ranks in the top 21 percent in all major attacking metrics, per FBRef, drawing a likeness with Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandowski – this is a world class player and one who could be the difference between Ten Hag bringing true success back to United or not.

Newcastle United were held to another 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Saturday as they were forced to share the spoils with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Magpies have now produced goalless draws in three of their last four matches in the top-flight and scored once in those games – in the 1-0 win over Fulham.

Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth could be left concerned by the side’s struggles in front of goal as the race for a place in the Champions League hots up, with the club currently sitting six points clear of Tottenham in fifth.

Newcastle would surely not want to end the season outside of the top four and bringing in attacking reinforcements could bolster their chances by improving their goalscoring output.

Earlier this month, Media Foot revealed that the Magpies are interested in a deal to sign Stade Rennes attacking midfielder Lovro Majer in January.

The Croatia international, who has been valued at €60m (£53m) by his current club, could come in as an upgrade on current central midfielder Joe Willock, who has struggled to provide consistent end product at the top end of the pitch.

Since the start of last season, the former Arsenal man, who has played in midfield and out on the wing, has racked up four goals and two assists, whilst failing to provide more than 0.9 key passes per outing, in 49 Premier League appearances for the Magpies.

Majer, meanwhile, has produced seven goals and ten assists in 45 Ligue 1 appearances in that time, whilst creating 1.6 chances per match last season.

The 25-year-old, who was hailed as “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig last term, also ranks in the top 8% of players in his position in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days for non-penalty goals, assists, shot-creating actions, and expected assists per 90, which essentially means that he has been one of the best midfielders in Europe at scoring goals from open play and creating opportunities for his teammates.

Willock, meanwhile, does not rank in the top 15% in any of these statistics, something that indicates that Majer would be a significant upgrade on the Englishman in terms of what he offers at the top end of the pitch.

The Rennes magician’s quality, in terms of both scoring and assisting goals, could be the difference between Newcastle drawing 0-0 and winning the match, whereas the current Toon midfielder has not proven that he can be a difference-maker on a regular basis.

Manchester City hold one significant advantage in the race to sign Girona right-back Arnau Martinez, according to a report from Spain.

The Lowdown: Man City’s options at right-back

Pep Guardiola has given increased game-time to Rico Lewis this season, with the youngster making eight appearances in the Premier League, while the City manager also has stalwart Kyle Walker at his disposal.

He was hailed as ‘exceptional’ by his Guardiola earlier in the campaign but he is now 32, and City need to start thinking about long-term options in that area of the pitch, with Martinez now emerging as a potential signing.

The Latest: City hold advantage in Martinez race

According to reports from Spain, both City and Barcelona are interested in the 19-year-old right-back, who has a release clause of €20m (£17.5m) included in his contract.

However, the Cityzens could end up winning the race for his signature due to the fact that Girona are also under the City Football Group umbrella, which could make a deal far easier for the Premier League champions to orchestrate.

The Verdict: Get it done

With Lewis impressing since he entered the first-team picture, being described as ‘fantastic’ by Guardiola on BT Sport earlier this season, there is no immediate need to bring in Martinez, although it would be wise to sign him and duly loan back out to continue his development.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has waxed lyrical about the 19-year-old, hailing him as a ‘jewel’ with ‘excellent technique’. He offers a constant threat on the front foot, placing in the 85th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 in the past year among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

In his team’s recent 1-0 defeat to Barcelona, the Spaniard also showcased his defensive qualities by making four tackles, twice as many as any other Girona player.

City are lucky to be blessed with strength in depth at right-back, but the Spanish starlet would still be a very good signing, especially considering his modest release clause.

An update has emerged on Arsenal and their long-term transfer plans for Mikel Arteta’s options in midfield…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Gunners are still eyeing up a swoop to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice at the end of the season in spite of their efforts to strengthen their midfield this month.

The report claims that Edu and Arteta are hoping to secure a deadline day deal to sign Brighton star Moises Caicedo and that Stan Kroenke has given them the green light to go in for the Ecuador gem

It is stated that Arsenal could splash out a club-record fee to sign the central midfielder and that they could go as high as £75m but any move for the youngster would not impact their plans to go in for Rice in the summer.

Thomas Partey heir

Edu could now land Arsenal their heir to Thomas Partey’s position in the team by patiently waiting until the end of the campaign to snap up the Hammers star.

The current Gunners defensive midfielder has been in fine form in the Premier League this season and has been one of the key cogs in Arteta’s side as they charge towards qualification for the Champions League and a potential title.

Partey, 29, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 across 16 appearances in the division and made an eye-catching 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game for the team, whilst also completing 87% of his attempted passes.

Rice, who was once dubbed a “Rolls Royce” by journalist Joshua Mbu, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.25 in 20 outings for West Ham. The England international has averaged 3.9 tackles and interceptions per match and completed 89% of his passes in that time.

He also caught the eye at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by making 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and completing a whopping 94% of his passes in five appearances for England.

The 24-year-old has proven himself to be a terrific defensive midfielder at Premier League level and on the world stage for his country and this suggests that the gem would be a sublime signing for Arsenal.

Rice could come in as the dream long-term heir to Partey’s position in front of the back four as the Englishman has shown, with his aforementioned statistics, that he can regularly break up play with defensive contributions whilst also being extremely reliable with the ball at his feet.

Arsenal have been backed to sign Moises Caicedo by journalist Kim Kothari.

The Lowdown: Caicedo on the move?

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Caicedo has been one of the hotly linked names of the winter window, with elite Premier League sides queueing up for his services.

Previously touted as a “concrete option” for Chelsea by Fabrizio Romano (via GiveMeSport) as well as a switch to Liverpool, The Telegraph has now reported that the Gunners have joined the race for the 21-year-old.

However, the Ecuadorian won’t come cheap, with Duncan Castles reporting the Seagulls have placed a £100m valuation on the midfielder.

The Latest: Kothari’s comments

Speaking on Sky Sports, Kothari discussed the potential switch to north London and urged Mikel Arteta’s side to make a swoop for his services, saying:

“I think you look at that transfer and you see £75m, it does seem a lot of money, but there’s always been a case of teams in fantastic form going into the winter break, going into the January transfer window, not building on it and faltering later in the season.

“They’re doing good business, and I think this would be quite a big statement signing. It seems like a lot of money, of course, £75m as I’ve said, but he’s a very, very, very good player.

“He probably will be playing backup at the moment but Arsenal have been quite lucky with injuries so far this season, so if anything happens in that midfield, he’s going to be a fantastic replacement to have – especially come the end of the season.”

The Verdict: Huge fee

Although Caicedo has proved his undoubted ability for the Seagulls this season with him starting 18 of their 19 league games this season, incidentally only missing the Arsenal clash.

He’s only appeared in 31 games for the Sussex side to date, making a £75m-£100m price tag a huge gamble to match given his lack of experience.

With Kothari revealing that it looks as though Caicedo would arrive as a backup to Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka who have averaged the sixth and seventh highest average Arsenal rating in the league this season (via WhoScored), it poses more questions on what would be a club-record fee for a player not guaranteed to start.

According to The Guardian, Arteta has admitted a new midfielder could come in to replace Mohamed Elneny whose knee injury looks more serious than first feared, but paying a fee up to £100m for a backup doesn’t make sense.

Aston Villa are believed to be ‘working’ on a last-gasp deal to sign exciting Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Aouar a huge talent

The 24-year-old has arguably been considered one of the most gifted French players for some time now, having racked up 224 appearances for Lyon since breaking into their first-team as a teenager.

Aouar is out of contract at his current club at end of this season however, at which point he would be able to seal a free transfer to another club.

It could be that Lyon are willing to the sell Frenchman before January comes to an end in order not to lose one of their top assets for nothing, which is where Villa come into play.

The Latest: Villa linked with late move

According to Football Insider, the Villans are looking at sealing a late move for Aouar before deadline day ends on Tuesday night.

It is stated that Unai Emery is still ‘in the market’ for a central midfielder this month and NSWE have now ‘turned their attention’ to the Lyon star, with negotiations ongoing over a short-term deal.

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The Verdict: What a signing

Aouar could be a superb signing for Villa if they manage to get a deal over the line, bringing in genuine star quality and bags of experience, despite still only being 24.

The one-cap France international has been hailed as an ‘incredible’ footballer by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, which says a lot about his ability, and his attacking metrics for a midfielder are off the scale, sitting in the 75th percentile or higher in every single piece of FBRef’s goalscoring and playmaking data.

Aouar’s creativity is outlined by a tally of 35 assists for Lyon and he could bring a sprinkling of unpredictability alongside the industriousness of Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara.

Simon Jordan has labelled Chelsea’s recent transfer spending as ‘unprecedented’ following their bid for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez.

The Verdict: Premier League-record bid

According to Sky Sports, Graham Potter’s side have tabled a £105.6m bid for the Argentina midfielder, which would be a Premier League record.

The 22-year-old won the Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup last winter as his country went on to lift the trophy.

Fellow Premier League club Liverpool were also linked with the player following the conclusion of the World Cup, with The Mirror even claiming last month that Fernandez’s preferred destination would be a switch to Merseyside.

However, it would seem the Reds were not keen on meeting the Benfica man’s release clause.

The Latest: ‘Unprecedented’ spending

Jordan tore into Chelsea’s spending habits when talking on TalkSport, but he can’t see this going on in the long term.

He stated: “I’m not surprised by it [Chelsea’s spending] because in part of their thinking is that Chelsea is a vehicle that markets well, and so by being very active in transfer markets, it’s part of the marketing of a football club in this day and age.

“What would be better if Chelsea weren’t stinking out the league right now, that would be far more pleasing for Todd Boehly.

“I cannot see that Chelsea continue this pattern season on season. It may well be they’re buying hard and fast in their first season, establishing where they are in the market and giving themself a base where they don’t have to spend £200m every transfer window, but this is unprecedented stuff.”

The Verdict: Questionable fees

We believe that in the last two windows, Chelsea have spent astronomical fees on players and the results have been mostly ineffective.

As per Transfermarkt, the Blues spent just under €282m (£249m) last summer, but their poor league form in the 2022/23 campaign has led them to continue to spend in January.

This month, they’ve spent close to what they did in the previous window, and should Fernandez end up joining the Blues, it will surpass that amount.

Regardless of whether Chelsea are actually allowed to pay those types of prices in such a short space of time, the recruitment since Todd Boehly took charge of the club was very questionable in the first window, and with the power of hindsight, it’s clear to see.

This month is not an exception, either, as the potential Fernandez transfer particularly raises a lot of question marks, as this is a player who has plenty of talent, no doubt about that – Lionel Messi himself is certainly of that opinion.

But for a fee of over £100m for a player who is relatively new to the top level of European football is a big gamble in our view.

Telegraph journalist Jim White has claimed that Everton will “probably” be bought by an American consortium after owner Farhad Moshiri puts the club up for sale.

What’s the word?

It’s been a pretty mad week for the Toffees so far with Frank Lampard first getting the sack amid a woeful run of form in the Premier League.

This big news was then followed up by reports that Everton are officially up for sale, with Moshiri now looking for offers of more than £500m to do business.

While speaking about it all on BBC Transfer Gossip Daily, White said that this is a decent price for the club as they will soon have an exciting new stadium and so he expects plenty of interest.

He explained: “I think it would probably be an American consortium, maybe the Middle East. But you know this would mean that three of the big northwest clubs are up for sale simultaneously.

“Everton is a lot cheaper than either Liverpool or Manchester United. And they’ve got a new stadium in the most spectacular setting, alongside the Mersey, 50,000 seater stadium.

I think that’s a good buy for somebody coming in. £500m is a lot less than some of the other asking prices that are around about.

So I wouldn’t be surprised, if it’s true – and let’s just put a little caveat in there for Everton supporters – if it’s true that he wants out, I don’t think he’ll be short of people looking.”

Good business?

As mentioned by White, both Liverpool and Manchester United are also reportedly up for sale right. However, these two Premier League giants are expected to be valued at roughly £3.3bn and £5bn respectively.

This is quite the jump up in price from Everton and that’s somewhat understandable when you consider that the Toffees have spent this season and last season fighting relegation and could well spend their next campaign in the Championship.

However, with Lampard now gone, the club will hope to hire a manager who can steer them to safety. If they can achieve that, a new owner could be buying a Premier League club for a very good price – one that will soon have a big new stadium in a brilliant location.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see what sort of parties become interested in a potential deal over the coming weeks and months.

Everton could look to Andre Ayew now the January transfer window is over as a short-term signing until the end of the campaign.

What’s the latest?

The Toffees ended the January window without bringing a single new face in through the doors at Goodison Park for Sean Dyche to work with.

This comes amid the club’s struggles in the Premier League which has them sitting second bottom with just 15 points from their opening 20 games.

However, there have been some reports suggesting the Merseyside club could potentially make a move for the Ghanaian forward Ayew.

And speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke has supported this possibility suggesting the 33-year-old could bring something to Dyche’s side:

“He’s a versatile forward as well, he can play in several positions. So if Everton are desperate to bring in a forward, which we think they are, I think Andre Ayew will be a sensible short-term signing.”

Top flight experience

Ayew is no stranger to the Premier League having spent some time with West Ham United and Swansea City between 2015 and 2018.

Indeed, the 33-year-old was able to rack up 89 appearances in the English top flight where he was able to return 21 goals and 12 assists (via Transfermarkt).

And Ayew could potentially land at Goodison Park in some relatively impressive goalscoring form with 18 goals in 30 appearances in the Qatar Stars League.

However, scoring in the Premier League is a different matter and his previous record with West Ham and Swansea may concern some of the fans at Goodison.

But the reality is, as a result of their dismal January window, there wouldn’t be any harm done in bringing in a free agent like Ayew over the coming days.

Scoring goals has been a major issue for the Toffees this season and with their second-highest scorer this season, Anthony Gordon, now not at the club, any extra help may prove huge.

And as O’Rourke has hinted at, Ayew is an incredibly versatile player who has played in a number of positions across his career which may prove incredibly useful for Dyche in the remaining games this season.