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Everton left-back Lucas Digne says the likes of himself and teammate Richarlison need more time if they are to build something good at Goodison Park.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the summer addition from Barcelona was speaking to evertonfc.com ahead of his team’s next match against Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday night, which comes on the back of a run of five defeats in their previous six fixtures in all competitions.

The Merseyside outfit have slipped down the Premier League standings as a result and are now six points adrift of seventh-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of this weekend’s games, but Digne says the players are working hard to turn things around during the run-in.

Speaking to evertonfc.com, the Frenchman said: “We are giving everything in training and want to continue to work and finish as high as we can.

“We are building something in the Club. We are changing a lot of players, new players, like me, like Richie, we need a bit of time.”

More time needed?

It certainly is.

While the recent form and season in general is once again disappointing given how much money Everton have spent in the transfer window, it once again shows it isn’t easy to build a successful team overnight.

The likes of Digne and Richarlison are still relatively young and need to add more consistency to their game, and patience will be required in order for that to happen over the coming weeks and months.

There is no doubt that there is great potential at Goodison Park, and once Silva has a settled XI that know each other’s strengths inside out, the results will follow on the pitch.

West Ham United returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon as the Hammers beat relegation-threatened Everton 2-1 at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen.

The former opened the scoring with an excellent free-kick before half-time but saw his side lose their lead when Toffees defender Mason Holgate saw a volley deflect into the back of the net early in the second half.

However, the Irons soon regained their lead as Bowen, back from injury after a month out, tapped the ball into an empty net after Michail Antonio saw a shot parried by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Despite the victory for his side, it was another tricky afternoon for Antonio, who now hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since New Year’s Day.

According to SofaScore, the Jamaica international missed two big chances whilst also having just 43 touches all game. Furthermore, the 32-year-old lost the ball on 13 occasions, an average of every 3.3 touches.

The striker was able to get shots away against a leaky Everton defence that had to deal with being down to ten men in the second half when Michael Keane was shown a second yellow card.

However, none of them were too troublesome with one hitting the target, one going off target and the other blocked.

In fairness to Antonio, the striker did work hard, winning 11 ground duels out of an attempted 17 at a 64.7% success rate whilst also winning half of his aerial duels (two out of four).

Moreover, the 32-year-old provided three key passes, although he failed to complete more than three-quarters of his passes with a passing accuracy of 74%.

There was little defensive contribution either with zero tackles, interceptions, blocks and clearances as well as committing two fouls.

Being David Moyes’ side’s only senior striker certainly comes with baggage and the 32-year-old is carrying high expectations upon his shoulders, with the East London side competing for both European qualification and the Europa League title.

The Jamaica international had started the season in stellar fashion, scoring four goals in his opening three Premier League outings. However, those four goals currently make up half of his league goal tally for the season in April.

There’s no doubt that Moyes will be looking to add at least one striker to his squad in the summer, regardless of how his side finish the campaign.

Whether or not Antonio is going to be in the Scotsman’s plans is still yet to be revealed after another afternoon where the striker let his manager down.

AND in other news: Forget Bowen: West Ham “explosion” with 95 touches showed he’s a “revelation” today

Newcastle United are closing in on a move for Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett.

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, and as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa have bolstered their left-back ranks with the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton this month. The Frenchman has since replaced Targett in the team, and it seems as if the latter could now be on his way to St James Park on a temporary deal.

According to O’Rourke, Newcastle are closing in on multiple signings, with Targett set to be the latest on loan. Should that move go through, Steven Gerrard would be left with Digne and Ashley Young as left-back options for the remainder of the season.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to O’Rourke’s post, with many not exactly thrilled at the update and one labelling it as ‘ridiculous’ given that Targett was a near-constant starter prior to Digne’s arrival this month. Another fan even described it as ‘the dumbest move in existence’.

“Surely not a loan”

Credit: @FHG10VTID

“Surely got to be kept for depth, or sold? Be an awful decision to let him go on loan.”

Credit: @mcartlidge275

“Ridiculous to get rid of him on loan!”

Credit: @Villacallum

“on loan would be the dumbest move in existence”

Credit: @EliAVFC

“This is bizarre to me. Cashing in is one thing but loan? Felt like we had genuine depth there for the first time in a long time. Guess Targett just doesn’t fit SGs plans”

Credit: @TomC2312_AVFC

“LOAN?”

Credit: @AVFCTranstweet

In other news: ‘No way’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to journalist’s deadline day hint

Everton officially sacked Rafa Benitez after just six months in charge at Goodison Park, and the race for finding the sixth manager in six years begins with many names already being thrown into contention, but one favourite for the job has reportedly already ruled himself out.

What’s the word?

Brighton and Hove Albion manager, Graham Potter, was named as one of the potential options on the shortlist for the Everton job yesterday, but Sky Sports have now reported that he “isn’t currently interested” in the job.

Reporting live last night, they revealed:

“Sky Sports News understands Graham Potter, one of the names being linked with the job, is very happy at Brighton and isn’t currently interested in talking to Everton about their managerial vacancy.”

The Toffees are on the hunt for the successor of Benitez, with many names including Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Roberto Martinez being reported by Sky yesterday, however, no official talks or offers have been made as of yet.

Everton sacked Benitez after his tenth defeat in charge of the side, in an embarrassing performance against relegation battling Norwich City, who took all three points from the Toffees with a 2-1 win at Carrow Road.

Fans surely gutted

After a nightmare season so far, Everton fans will be relieved that Benitez has been sacked, but will also be concerned about the manager that succeeds him as many big changes clearly need to be changed, and an instant impact is integral in saving the Toffees season.

Fans will surely be gutted that Potter has ruled himself out of the job, as he became a talking point on social media last night, with many fans making him their number one choice. One supporter tweeted:

“Was always a strange decision to hire Benitez in the first place, Everton seem to get it wrong time and time again. Next one has to stick. Graham Potter would be my choice in the summer. Big Dunc in until the end of the year.”

There was no doubt that Potter would be linked after making impressive strides at Brighton, with only  Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea losing fewer Premier League games than the south coast side, with the manager leading them to six wins, ten draws and only four losses.

His attacking and progressive philosophy, meanwhile, will have surely been of interest to Farhad Moshiri but he will already have to consider other targets. They must regret not targeting the former Ostersunds boss more seriously last summer.

Everton will now continue in their search and simply have to appoint somebody as soon as possible to guide the club out of their current demise, sitting 16th in the Premier League only six points off the relegation zone.

In other news: Moshiri must axe Michael Keane after Benitez sacking

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action following a busy end to the January transfer window.

Antonio Conte’s side host Brighton and Hove Albion in north London for a fourth-round clash in the FA Cup, where Spurs will be looking to advance in the only piece of silverware on offer this season.

After such a long break without any action, the Italian head coach has been left with plenty of interesting dilemmas over team selection, not at least because he is able to welcome back key players from injury and now has two new signings at his disposal, too.

It’s in defence where there is a decision to be made after Argentina beast Cristian Romero returned to training during the winter break. He should come straight back into the side, taking the place of Japhet Tanganga, who has been a liability in recent games, in the back three.

Indeed, the young academy product has been at fault for a number of goals during their three matches against Chelsea last month and at one stage, looked set to depart for AC Milan.

During their Carabao Cup semi-final exit against the Champions of Europe, the versatile defender was dubbed the “weak link” of the side by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick as he walked a tightrope following an early booking. He struggled to deal with the threat of Callum Hudson- Odoi all game.

As per SofaScore, he was rated ever so poorly (5.8) as the only player to manage below a 6.3 rating. It was that bad that analyst Statman Dave described the outing as a “horror show” on social media.

Earlier in the season, he received his marching orders for getting into a tussle with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and that moment of madness was slammed by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.

“It’s a lack of experience and rush of blood. He’ll get over it but it cost them today,” he said during the game (via the Daily Mail).

Not to mention his role in League One outfit Morecambe taking the lead in the round prior to this one. He lost his man from a corner. It’s the basics and it happens far to frequently.

As such, Conte must be ruthless in his team selection and axe the £18m-rated calamity against the Seagulls this evening.

AND in other news, Conte concerns emerge at Spurs amid huge transfer claim…

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in the January transfer window but face stiff competition for his services.

The Lowdown: O’Brien shines for Huddersfield

The 23-year-old has matured into arguably one of the best midfielders in the Championship in recent times, producing consistently influential performances.

O’Brien has started 23 league games for the Terriers this season, averaging an impressive 2.9 tackles per match – more than both Joao Moutinho (1.9) and Ruben Neves (2.1) at Molineux – as well as completing 1.1 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Leeds recently, and it appears as though Wolves are also in the conversation.

The Latest: Wolves linked with move

According to TEAMtalk, Wanderers are ‘weighing up’ an offer for O’Brien, who has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by journalist Steven Chicken in the past.

Wolves aren’t alone in showing an interest, with fellow Premier League clubs Newcastle United, Burnley and Norwich City all mentioned in the report to accompany the aforementioned Leeds interest.

The Verdict: Strong squad option

While O’Brien wouldn’t necessarily seem like a glamorous signing by Wolves, he is someone who could come in and improve the midfield depth in the squad.

His superior tackling average to Moutinho and Neves speaks volumes, and his age means that he could develop even further as a player in the coming years.

His prospective signing in the January transfer window could give Wolves the necessary injection of fresh blood to aid their push for a European finish this season.

In other news, Bruno Lage is confident of one Wolves move happening. Read more here.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst continued his 100% record as Glasgow Rangers manager on Wednesday evening, as Gers defeated Hibernian 1-0 at Easter Road.

However, the Light Blues did not have things all their own way against Jack Ross’ side, with Hibs looking very good value for a draw until the 85th minute of the match, when Kemar Roofe slotted home from the spot to seal an important three points for the Dutchman.

Despite the win – which saw Rangers extend their lead at the top of the Premiership table to seven points – there were nevertheless a couple of underwhelming performances turned in by Gers players on the night, none more so than from central midfielder Steven Davis, who was ineffective in the middle of the park.

Lost possession 14x

After being left out of Rangers’ last two Premiership fixtures, Davis did very little over his 66 minutes on the pitch against Hibs to convince van Bronckhorst he is worthy of retaining his starting spot in the middle of the park going forwards.

Indeed, the £900k-rated man failed to make a single tackle or interception, won just one of his three duels, failed with his one attempted cross and one attempted long ball, completed a mere 33 of his 43 attempted passes – a completion rate of 77% – and lost possession for his side on 14 separate occasions.

These metrics not only saw the £20k-per-week midfielder brought off midway through the second half, but they also saw him earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.5, with no other Rangers player who started the clash receiving a lower rating than the Northern Ireland international.

As such, with a hectic Christmas period coming up for Gers, one which could ultimately end up deciding the Premiership title race, Davis will undoubtedly have to up his game in the coming weeks if van Bronckhorst is to go on and secure the club’s second successive league title come the end of the season, as the midfielder failed the 46-year-old on Wednesday.

In other news: Gio could unearth Goldson 2.0 in “superb” Rangers teen who is “going to be massive”

As per West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh, coming after the club’s historic 3-0 victory at Lyon in their Europa League quarter-final second leg, things just get better and better as they share a ‘£30 million’ update.

The Lowdown: Hammers make history…

David Moyes’ side made history on Thursday night by impressively cruising past Lyon into the Europa League semi-finals – where they will take on Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Goals from Craig Dawson, Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen sealed a brilliant win for the Hammers who have made history with their run in Europe so far.

Off the field, this could pay dividends for West Ham and club owners GSB, with C&H sharing the latest financial developments after mid-week.

The Latest: C&H make ‘£30m’ claim…

According to their information, the club have been gifted a major windfall as West Ham’s finances ‘grow and grow’.

They claim, when adding up the competition’s prize money, London Stadium ticket sales and TV revenue, the Irons have earned ‘over £30m so far’ due to their run in the Europa League.

The Verdict: Major boost…

It is unclear whether this money, or even a portion of it, will be allocated to Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman’s transfer kitty, but this £30 million boost comes as a fantastic side-effect of West Ham’s dream semi-final push.

If they can get past Frankfurt, or even go on to win the Europa League, it would represent a seismic achievement for West Ham and surely cement Moyes as one of the club’s greatest ever figures.

Standing to make even more if West Ham go further, this is a very exciting time both on and off the field for supporters.

In other news: Sky Sports: Moyes eyeing new West Ham target in £21.6m-rated star who’s set to leave! Find out more here.

Farhad Moshiri is interested in a move to appoint Wayne Rooney as the next Everton manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on The Transfer Show that the Derby County boss is one of the leading candidates for the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park following the sacking of Rafael Benitez on Sunday.

Regarding Moshiri’s shortlist of targets for the role, Solhekol said: “Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney are leading candidates for the job.”

Fans would love him

While it is true that Rooney’s CV in management is extremely limited, considering the history between the 36-year-old and the Toffees, in addition to the fact that the former England captain has done a rather extraordinary job at Pride Park, it is easy to see why the appointment of the Evertonian would be one that the Goodison Park faithful would love.

Indeed, after taking over the Derby job last season, Rooney managed to seal the club’s survival from relegation to League One in the most dramatic fashion, with a 3-3 draw on the final day of the season in a relegation shootout against Sheffield Wednesday being enough to keep the Rams up and send the Owls down.

Furthermore, the 36-year-old has done an even more astonishing job at Pride Park so far this season, as, despite the fact that the club have been docked 21 points for breaking financial regulations and being entered into administration, are operating with a skeleton squad and are under a transfer embargo, the manager has guided his side to eight wins, 11 draws and just seven losses from their 26 Championship fixtures.

These results would leave the club sitting in an extremely healthy 11th place – just seven points off of the play-offs – if it were not for their points deductions, something which Rooney simply must be given huge credit for.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the Everton academy product has an extremely bright future in management, and, considering his affiliation with the club, his appointment at Goodison Park would undoubtedly be a very popular one with fans.

In other news: Moshiri may repeat Silva disaster as EFC eye boss who “wasn’t ready” for a “big club”

Crystal Palace are interested in ending Nicolas Pepe’s nightmare spell at Arsenal in January, with the Gunners interested in selling.

What’s the talk?

Pepe joined the north London side in a club-record £72m deal in the summer of 2019, signing a five-year contract with the side after an excellent season with Lille in Ligue 1 the previous year where he scored 23 goals and got 12 assists in 41 games. But after just 25 goals in 98 appearances for the club Pepe has fallen down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium.

The 26-year-old Ivory Coast international hasn’t featured since being given five minutes against Leicester at the end of October, with Eddie Nketiah getting the call from the substitutes bench in recent games ahead of him.

Palace were linked with a move for Pepe on loan with the option to buy, and it’s believed that the Gunners would be open to such a deal to free up space and cash in their squad for a player who is out of favour and currently valued at just £31.5m.

Vieira’s Gunners links

Eagles boss Patrick Vieira is an Arsenal legend, captaining the side through their “Invincibles” season and playing 406 times for the Gunners. With his good relationship with the club, it’s very possible that they will have an advantage in any race for the Ivorian winger.

The move would allow him to stay in London, while his international teammate Wilfried Zaha is widely regarded as a top player at Selhurst Park.

With Vieira opting for a 4-3-3 formation for much of this season, Pepe’s arrival on the right wing can allow him to get back to his best which was described by former coach Freddie Ljungberg as “lethal”.

He has great pace and his ability to beat players one-on-one is very good, it’s just the end product that has suffered since moving to England so playing for a team with more space to attack and less expectation could be exactly what he needs.

As Palace continue to struggle in front of goal, scoring just 19 goals in 15 games so far in the Premier League, an attacker with top-level experience is something that they probably shouldn’t shy away from. He will have a point to prove to English football fans and under Vieira could find his best form once again.

Despite a lack of goals, there has been a revolution ensuing under the guidance of Vieira who has engineered wins over both Manchester City and Spurs this term. Adding Pepe, a man who once scored 23 in one season for Lille, would not only continue that revolution but get them into a higher gear, laying a platform for more goals and consequently, more points.

AND in other news, Palace must win race for Sven Botman.