According to reports in The Sun, Everton have failed with an approach for Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez this week as they look for a potential replacement for the under-fire Ronald Koeman.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun says the Toffees want the Spaniard to replace Koeman at Goodison Park, but he rejected their advances when he was approached about taking the job this week.

The Dutchman is under huge pressure at Goodison Park after the Merseyside outfit won just two of their opening eight Premier League fixtures this season, while also only taking one point from six available in the group stages of the Europa League.

The former Southampton boss will hope to relieve some of the pressure with a positive performance at home to Lyon in Europe on Thursday night, but his position is certainly under threat unless results improve.

The Sun adds that Everton were hopeful that Benitez might jump ship now that Mike Ashley has put Newcastle up for sale, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.

Why would Benitez turn Everton down?

There are a number of reasons.

While he hasn’t always got on with Ashley at St James’ Park, the Spaniard has a great relationship with the fans and he will see a future potential takeover as the chance to significantly strengthen his squad if he is handed the extra funds that he didn’t receive during the summer transfer window.

In addition, Benitez obviously used to manage Liverpool and he may feel that it would be something of a betrayal to the Reds if he took a job with their arch-rivals.

What happens next for Everton?

Well, their home fixtures against Lyon and then Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday will show if there has been any improvement from Koeman’s side following their 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.

If there is no sign of improvement, the Dutchman could easily be sacked next week and Everton would then need to step up their search for a replacement.

Could Benitez yet have a change of heart?

It seems unlikely given things are going well for Newcastle in the Premier League right now, and unless the new takeover of the club would mean that he isn’t given any money to spend to strengthen his squad, him leaving seems unlikely.

When Jose Mourinho arrived in England in 2004, the Premier League was a very different place. After two league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup, the Portuguese coach departed Stamford Bridge for the first time, while the fans of the west London club pined for six years until he eventually returned.

In that time, it wasn’t as though Chelsea were having it rough, but one League title and three FA Cups would, perhaps, look like a fairly lean period were it not for a Champions League victory in 2012, or the Europa League triumph the year later.

Maybe that’s part of why Mourinho returned a hero.

Before the former Porto coach arrived at Chelsea, they were just making their way as a force in European football. They’d made a semi-final of the Champions League under Claudio Ranieri, and before that even won the Cup Winners’ Cup under Gianluca Vialli, but after Mourinho, they’d come of age. Everyone knew who Chelsea were.

Once he’d left, however, Mourinho was the symbol of how the club had matured and become that force, but there was, perhaps, also some worry over whether or not Chelsea were just as capable of standing on their own two feet: Mourinho had removed the stabilisers, but although Avram Grant took the club to a Champions League final, it was clear he wasn’t a long-term solution. If Chelsea looked like they were pedalling freely of their own accord, perhaps was it just a temporary case of beginner’s luck before they’d come crashing back to Earth.

The difficulty for Chelsea has been finding a manager with the ability to give the club an identity beyond just being a team that wins things. It’s the same thing that Manchester City have struggled with in recent years, but the style of football that Pep Guardiola is playing will surely take them a step closer to having that even after he leaves, bestowing upon the club a legacy in a way that Jose Mourinho never managed to achieve at Stamford Bridge. At least, aside from creating club legends who have since left or retired.

For Mourinho, though, he went from strength to strength. An unprecedented treble with Inter Milan was his next big achievement, bringing three trophies to an Italian club for the first time ever: not just a first for the club, but for the entire country.

He then took charge of Real Madrid, charged with stopping the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona much in the same way you feel he’ll have to do this season in Manchester.

His abrasive style followed him wherever he went, but that’s what makes Mourinho Mourinho, and without that we wouldn’t have the soap opera that seems to follow him around.

Perhaps one of the things that follows the Portuguese coach around is the idea that whatever he says must come imbued with an ulterior motive – that he is not to be taken at face value, but rather to be first frisked for mind games.

The same was true when he returned to Chelsea in 2013. Announcing himself as ‘The Happy One’ in reference to the ‘Special One’ tag he gave himself nine years earlier, he also told the world that he wasn’t returning home just to settle and retire, that his experiences as a winner in other leagues around Europe had given him a perspective that he never had when he came to the Premier League the first time around.

“I am coming with the exact opposite perspective,” he said, probably holding in mind the pain he felt at having his fingers burnt so badly at Real Madrid, when he left the club in a haze of toxic spew, making enemies at a rate that not even Jose Mourinho must be used to. This time, he felt, it was to be different. He was older and wiser, after all.

Rarely, though, has he been so right.

If Mourinho returned to a stadium where he’d been successful and where the fans loved him, when he returns on Sunday evening that certainly won’t be the case. This time, he will see it from the opposite perspective. Just like he did a year ago, when his first return to Stamford Bridge since his sacking in December 2015 ended in a humiliating 4-0 defeat.

Since his departure in 2007, Mourinho has been back to Stamford Bridge and, indeed, been on the end of failure, humiliation and acrimony. He may have left a hero back then, but this time it’s the opposite.

But he was also right about something else, too. This isn’t the same Mourinho that arrived in England in 2004 so cocksure and irresistible with impeccable hair and shirt sleeves. This is often a wizened Mourinho, embittered by his last two jobs and under pressure to deliver a style of football he never had to do at Chelsea or Inter.

And as a result, this isn’t the same Chelsea, nor is it the same United. This is no longer a Chelsea hoping Mourinho would one day come back. Nor is it a Manchester United who can perpetuate the legend of the swashbuckling adventurers who took on the world under Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson.

And so whatever Mourinho was right about or wrong about in the 13 years since he arrived in England, he’s certainly changed the face of football as we know it: and some of the very biggest institutions within it.

The Everton fans in the Transfer Tavern are finally coming round to the news of Ronald Koeman’s sacking. Though it was not entirely unexpected, most of the fans in the pub were confident that the Everton brass would give him more time – but it appears as though the loss at Arsenal was the final straw.

Koeman’s performance as manager this season has certainly been below par, with the Dutchman failing to get the best out of his team despite the Everton brass investing heavily in the club over the summer.

Unfortunately, though, it appears as though their managerial chase has gotten off to the worst possible start – at least according to Transfer Market Web. They report that Carlo Ancelotti has rejected the idea of managing the Toffees, with the Italian turning down a proposal from the club. Their quick move for the Italian would seem to suggest that he was the club’s first choice, though they are now said to be keen on the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Sean Dyche.

Ancelotti would certainly have been a coup for the club, like hitting the jackpot at a casino online, with the Italian having managed some of the best clubs in the world. Whilst his previous stint at Bayern Munich was far from the perfect run, he took Real Madrid back to the top of the European pile just a few years ago, and so he’s clearly got the talent.

What’s more, his time in charge of Chelsea means that he is experienced in the English top flight, making him potentially the best high-profile option for the club. It looks as though it’s back to the drawing board for the Toffees, though.

Landlord’s Verdict

Carlo Ancelotti was an early audacious shout from a few of the Everton fans in the pub, and it’s clear that he would have been a great fit. He’s experienced, highly regarded and he would command respect, and that’s just what Everton need right now. Their lack of European football and current league standing could have been what put the Italian off, though.

There are other options for Everton, of course, but it’s certainly frustrating for the club.

Everton fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

After the final whistle of Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Liverpool, all eyes were on West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic.It did not take long for the rumour mill to suggest that it was the end of the road for the Croatian, who has been under pressure all season.The Hammers made an official announcement on Monday morning, releasing a statement on theÂclub’s websiteÂclaiming that the chairmen and the board feel that a “change is now necessary”.

Bilic took over the East London outfit in 2015, signing a three-year contract, which was due to expire at the end of this season.

The 49-year-old took the club from Upton Park to the London Stadium last year, but the results on the pitch did not reflect the magnitude of the move.

The club dangled above relegation in the 2016-17 campaign, but managed to finish in 11th place.

Bilic was unable to inspire the team to an improved start this season, recording just two wins in 11 Premier League games, which has left them in the bottom three, one point from safety.

It has not been all doom and gloom during the Croat’s two-and-a-half-year reign, though, given that he took the Hammers to a seventh-placed finish in the club’s final season at Upton Park.

West Ham fans were quick to react to the managerial announcement on Twitter.

For everyone connected with Arsenal, whether it be fans or former players, it was a very enjoyable weekend.Arsene Wenger’s side headed into Saturday’s North London derby with the main focus being on Tottenham Hotspur’s rise over the years.Some even tipped Mauricio Pochettino’s men to cause an upset at the Emirates, but the Gunners made sure that the power shift was non-existent as they claimed a 2-0 victory.Shkodran Mustafi nabbed a first-half header to put Arsenal in front and Alexis Sanchez doubled Arsenal’s tally, which was not disrupted by Spurs.Kevin Campbell, who came through the ranks at Arsenal before spending seven years in the senior side, was understandably delighted with the result.Over the weekend the 47-year-old – as he so often does – interacted with fans on Twitter, and on one occasion decided to poke fun at Tottenham’s trophy history.Spurs have finished third and second in the Premier League over the past two seasons but they have not lifted silverware since the 2007-08 season when they won the League Cup.In the club’s history they have only secured the league title twice, while Arsenal are 13-time champions.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Everton are among a number of clubs interested in signing £20m-rated Lille defender Adama Soumaoro during the January transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Mail says that the Toffees, along with Premier League rivals West Ham United, Monaco, Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund are all keen on the versatile 25-year-old, who can play anywhere across the backline.

The Daily Mail says that Lille have been told they must raise £23m by the financial policing arm of Ligue 1, or they could face a ban on January signings or even relegation.

The report adds that the French outfit rate Soumaoro – whose contract runs out in 2021 – at around £20m, and they could choose to sell him to try and erase their money troubles.

How has Soumaoro done this season?

Having been suffering from an Achilles injury earlier in the campaign, the 25-year-old has only recently returned to action.

The Frenchman has started Lille’s last four matches at the heart of the backline however, including the 3-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.

According to Squawka, in those four appearances the centre-back has won seven of the nine aerial duels he has faced, while he has also made 13 clearances and seven blocks.

His passing accuracy of 91% is particularly impressive, and shows that he is comfortable in possession as well as being a good defender.

Last season Soumaoro made 160 clearances and had a passing accuracy of 92% in 34 Ligue 1 outings, while he showed his ability to bring the ball out of defence and beat opponents by successfully completing 20 of the 21 take-ons he attempted.

Would he be a good signing for Everton?

He certainly would be.

While the 25-year-old is still coming back to full fitness following injury, his statistics from both a defensive point of view and his ability in possession of the ball suggest that he would quickly adapt to life in the Premier League.

£20m certainly isn’t too much in this day and age for a 25-year-old centre-back, and Sam Allardyce should look to win the race for the defender in order to strengthen his backline.

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According to reports from The Independent, Arsenal manager Unai Emery is willing to sell players in order to fund a move for Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes, who is valued by the La Liga giants at £30million.

It seems like another astute addition for the Gunners that would appear to suit Emery’s system, but the resulting question is who Arsenal should cash-in on to free up the funds needed to make the deal happen.

While Emery could generate the cash by sending a number of players on the fringes of Arsenal’s first team squad that don’t have much value, that process could prove complicated and arduous – by which time Gomes may have been snapped up by someone else.

Selling one player for roughly the same value, £30million, makes far more sense and the more senior elements of Arsenal’s squad need refreshing anyway after two disappointing seasons. With that in mind, Football FanCast outline five suggested solutions in the form of players Arsenal should consider selling…

Shkodran Mustafi

He’s often suffered from a lack of protection but Mustafi’s not exactly uprooted trees during his two years in north London and was tellingly left out of Germany’s World Cup squad. Some of the centre-back’s last-ditch defending has been fantastic, but the rest certainly hasn’t and he’s one of many Arsenal players who so frequently seem unprepared to really take responsibility – whether that’s in terms of organising, leadership or simply pride in performance.

Overall, it’s been something of a failed venture for Arsenal, one that now appears based on preceding reputation more than anything else, and with Calum Chambers signing a new deal and Sokratis arriving from Dortmund, Emery already appears to be rebuilding Arsenal’s defence around different personalities.

Aaron Ramsey

There’s been talk of Emery rebuilding the Arsenal team around Ramsey, who has proved he can provide a consistent supply of goals and assists from midfield when fit. The obvious counter-argument to that though, is how often the Welshman’s injured – he missed eleven games last season and has managed more than 30 Premier League appearances in a single campaign since the end of the 2012/13 season.

Add to the equation Ramsey’s contract situation, yet to sign a new deal with his current terms expiring next summer, and perhaps the time is right for Arsenal to begrudgingly part company. Transfermarkt value him at £40.5million and that’s the kind of money the north Londoners would expect to receive – giving them enough to afford Gomes and some spare.

Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette’s first season at the Emirates Stadium wasn’t exactly a resounding success, and the January arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund suggests neither Arsene Wenger nor transfer overseer Sven Mislintat were hugely convinced by the Frenchman’s performances – which weren’t enough to earn him a place in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad.

Arsenal could quite conceivably sell Lacazette for the same amount they bought him for from Lyon, just shy of £47million, and that would free up not only funds for Gomes but also other areas of the squad. While there’s an obvious bonus to having two top-class forwards at the club, there’s also not much sense in letting such a valuable player wallow on the bench.

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Granit Xhaka

Gomes and Xhaka aren’t exactly like-for-likes but they’ll likely be taking up a similar role in Arsenal’s midfield and with Lucas Torreira also potentially joining this summer, the Switzerland international’s relevance under Emery has to be questioned.

A better player than he’s appeared at times during an underwhelming Arsenal spell, but not a hugely convincing one either – especially in the role Wenger designated him, sweeping up in front of the back four. There certainly won’t be too many tears if Xhaka were to leave this summer but in a setup that better accommodates his qualities, Xhaka could still be an important player for the north Londoners.

Mesut Ozil

Probably the biggest question Emery faces during his early days at the Emirates Stadium – whether he continues to shape the team around Mesut Ozil’s qualities, acknowledging his drawbacks in the process, or decides to create a new talisman by moving the German international on.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is already at the club and has the potential to become the epicentre of the team, while Ramsey – as previously mentioned – could take on that responsibility as well.

Valued at £45million by Transfermarkt, selling Ozil should leave Arsenal capable of signing Gomes with something to spare – that could prove to be crucially important considering how tight money is at the club this summer.

There is a potential obstacle, however; how many clubs would actually want to buy Ozil at this point in his career, and how many of them can afford not just his transfer fee but also his wages?

So, Arsenal fans, which player would you sell to fund a move for Gomes? Let us know by voting below…

Leeds fans are absolutely furious on Twitter after one reliable journalist said the club has cooled its interest in Matej Vydra.

In the summer of 2016, Marcelo Bielsa left Lazio after just two days in charge over a dispute about summer transfers, and Leeds fans are getting anxious waiting for some new signings for their new boss.

Bielsa has been targeting a new goalscorer since he joined, with links to Jerry Mbakogu, Abel Hernandez and Vydra cropping up constantly.

Vydra is undoubtedly the man most fans want, as the Derby man scored 21 times in the Championship last season.

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The club has been crying out for a proven goalscorer since losing Chris Wood, but Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post says it’s “not looking promising” that Vydra will be that man, as the striker’s wage demands have halted the deal.

The deal for Hernandez seems to have slowed down over wage demands as well, and fans are now fearing the worst for the season ahead. Getting a striker should absolutely be the club’s top objective, and they’re failing miserably at the moment.

Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta simply must get this transfer window right, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions to the latest bad news down below…

According to Sabah, West Ham United have joined the race to sign Besiktas centre-back Domagoj Vida, with the Hammers offering £20m for the Croatian international.

What’s the story?

It appears that Vida will have the pick of a number of Premier League clubs this summer, having impressed for Croatia on their run to the final of the 2018 World Cup.

Everton and Liverpool have both been credited with an interest in the central defender, but according to Sabah, West Ham are also very much in the hunt, and it is understood that the London club have made an offer of around £20m.

Vida only joined Besiktas from Dynamo Kiev in January, but it is believed that the defender is unsettled in Turkish football.

It seems likely that the 29-year-old will move on before this summer’s transfer window closes for business, and West Ham could be getting their chequebook out once again to complete the signing of the 6ft ace.

Do West Ham need him?

West Ham’s summer spending has been quite incredible, with Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, Andriy Yarmolenko, Lukasz Fabianski, Fabian Balbuena, Jack Wilshere and Ryan Fredericks all moving to the Hammers ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

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Diop and Balbuena have boosted head coach Manuel Pellegrini’s options at centre-back, but with Winston Reid facing a spell on the sidelines, there is no question that there is room for another defender this summer.

Vida is not the quickest or most technical of centre-backs, but he is an absolute warrior, and could be the type of character that thrives at a club like West Ham.

Indeed, it would more than likely not take Vida too long to become a cult hero, especially as you could imagine him relishing the London derbies next season.

It remains to be seen just how much more money Pellegrini has to spend this summer, but a move for Vida certainly makes sense.

According to The Mirror, Everton have launched a £22m bid for Barcelona defender Lucas Digne, but if they fail in their pursuit, the club should turn attention to Lazio left-back Jordan Lukaku.

What’s the word?

With Leighton Baines on the wrong side of 30, it is a matter of time before the Toffees will need a new regular left-back.

A handful of names have been linked to the position, and recently The Mirror reported that the Merseyside outfit have offered £22m to Barcelona for Digne.

However, the Catalan club have no intention to sell, which suggests that they should look at other options.

After a move for Kieran Tierney fell through, the pool of potential targets has weakened, but Jordan Lukaku should be back on the list.

Why?

The Belgian, who is the younger brother of Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku, currently plies his trade at Lazio.

The 23-year-old signed for the Serie A club in 2016, and has been honing and developing his skills on the pitch.

The left-sided player has pace but also strength, which is something that is needed in the Premier League.

Lukaku’s brother spent three years at Goodison Park, so he could give his sibling some tips on how to fit in at the Merseyside outfit.

Compared to some of the other targets linked to the position, Lukaku is likely to be a cheaper option given that his contract expires next summer, but the Toffees may face competition as the left-back was recently linked to Leicester City.

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