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Loads of Everton fans have been left fuming over an official post that has emerged from the Goodison Park faithful on Lucas Digne.

The Toffees have now released a statement confirming his sale to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, but it did seem very underwhelming, with only three lines of a goodbye message and with no comments from Digne himself or those inside the Merseyside club.

The left-back made a total of 127 appearances for the Blues over the course of the last four seasons, scoring six goals and making a further 20 assists (Transfermarkt), and was a loyal servant over the years.

Thus, the statement does seem strange considering his time with them, and it is no surprise to see so many EFC supporters fuming over it.

Everton fans on Digne statement

These Evertonians were left fuming as the statement on Digne’s exit was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it is ‘pathetic’:

“Embarrassing to be an Evertonian these days”

Credit: @Cam_Green73

“Disgusting statement to make on the departure of a player who has captained the club on multiple occasions.”

Credit: @JamieMellor81

“Pathetic, I’ll do it for you then, thanks @LucasDigne and good luck.”

Credit: @NikolasHeyes

“No word of thanks, @Everton? Very disappointing.”

Credit: @dtaylor334

“That’s IT???!!!!…….No acknowledgment of his service??!!! You under orders, Admin?…….Poor form that, Everton. #WereBetterThanThat”

Credit: @CathyMcAlle

“Shocking statement that, The People’s Club showing it’s true colours.”

Credit: @TheEvertonEnd

In other news, find out what injury update before Norwich City has Toffees buzzing here!

Newcastle failed to build on any momentum a 1-0 win over Burnley gave them as they were hammered 4-0 by Leicester on Sunday.

The Magpies were torn to shreds by the Foxes in the second half as they conceded three goals from the 56th minute onwards, having gone 1-0 down in the first-half after Jamaal Lascelles was adjudged to have fouled James Maddison in the box.

Eddie Howe’s team are 19th in the Premier League table after 16 games and have only won one match all campaign, whilst they have also conceded the most goals (34) in the division.

Axe him

One player who struggled against Leicester was central defender Fabian Schar, who has had a difficult season at St. James’ Park.

He failed to make a single block, interception or tackle in the 90 minutes, whilst losing two of his three duels on the ground. The centre-back only completed 67% of his attempted passes and lost possession of the ball a whopping 24 times in total.

This came after he struggled badly in the win over Burnley. As per SofaScore, he lost 11 of his 13 duels and only completed 42% of his attempted passes. He also gave the ball away 20 times and made one block, whilst failing to make a tackle or interception.

Over the course of the season so far, he has lost the ball 110 times in seven Premier League appearances, whilst averaging just 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game. He has found a teammate with an abysmal 66% of his passes overall, showing that he has been dreadful with the ball at his feet this season with his failure to find the right colour shirt with his passing.

Magpies boss Eddie Howe recently admitted that he has been a fan of Schar from afar and claimed that he is a ‘fantastic’ player.

He said: “I have been an admirer of Fabian from afar for a long, long time. I think he’s a fantastic footballer.

“He has also shown his defensive resilience and mentality to not want to concede.”

This suggests that he believes there is a good player in there and axing him from the team for a few matches could benefit him. It could give him time to get back to 100% and be ready to come back into the XI and start showing why Howe thinks he is a ‘fantastic’ defender.

In the 2018/19 campaign, Schar averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.14 and made 5.3 tackles and interceptions per game at centre-back for the Magpies. This level of form may be what Howe is referring to with his comments, but his form this season is a far cry from this and that is why he should be brutally axed from the team, for now.

AND in other news, Forget Joelinton: NUFC must seal record-breaking swoop for “world-class” £42.7m beast…

West Brom shared images of controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai at the club’s training ground on Wednesday afternoon.

And, as to be expected, a number of Baggies fans were quick to flock to social media to give their thoughts to the club’s official Twitter post.

Lai hasn’t been present in the Midlands over the past three years, leaving the day-to-day running of the club to chief executive Xu Ke and chairman Li Piyue.

However, he made a shock appearance on Wednesday to meet the first-team squad and hold meetings with head coach Valerien Ismael and other staff members on his plans to take the club forward.

It is reported that he spoke with Ismael for 45 minutes, with the January transfer window one topic that was discussed. Lai isn’t expected to be present for the Baggies’ trip to Barnsley on Friday evening, though, and his appearance at the club’s training ground left many surprised.

Baggies fans react

This is what these West Brom supporters had to say in reply to the four images of Lai, with one ‘shocked’ and another labelling it as ‘interesting’.

“He makes me want to cry”

Credit: @jordanebanks_

“Surely not?”

Credit: @CameronHarris07

“I’m shocked”

Credit: @LukeyP_wba

“Interesting”

Credit: @JoeTalbotWBA

“he still knows we exist?????”

Credit: @Adam_WBAFC

“Well, would you look at this? I for one, cannot believe my eyes.”

Credit: @alio2525

In other news: ‘Shameful’ – Lots of West Brom fans fume as club share ‘ridiculous’ news. 

As per Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici has made an exciting transfer plea to club chiefs involving Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes Serie A upgrades…

As widely reported, Conte may turn his attention to Serie A as he seeks to bolster his Tottenham options and transform his new side back into a force.

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It has been two-and-a-half years since Mauricio Pochettino guided the Lilywhites to a Champions League final against Liverpool, and the new manager is tasked with returning Spurs to those lofty heights.

According to Calciomercato, the Italian top flight could be a fruitful transfer pool for Conte and Tottenham, and one of the stars they’ve been tipped to target is Juventus defender De Ligt.

The Netherlands international is one of many players currently on Conte’s radar (Calciomercato.it), with Football Insider now bringing an exciting update involving Paratici.

The Latest: Paratici makes exciting plea…

As per their sources, Tottenham’s transfer chief has told fellow club officials that a ‘deal can be done’ to sign De Ligt from Juventus.

Indeed, the 22-year-old centre-back is ‘on the radar’ of Paratici as he aims to seriously strengthen Conte’s defensive options. As such, Spurs have now ‘set their sights’ on De Ligt ahead of the January transfer window.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Of Tottenham’s defensive targets, which includes Inter Milan mainstay Stefan de Vrij, it is clear that De Ligt stands out as the most ambitious signing of them all.

Spurs would need to smash their transfer record to sign the player going by his £63m valuation according to Transfermarkt, nearly £10m more than the fee they paid to sign Tanguy Ndombele (BBC).

It would signal a real statement of intent by Paratici and the north London club, as evident by the notion that De Ligt ‘can’t be stopped’, according to the player’s representative Mino Raiola.

Likened to an ‘oil tanker’ by his agent, the £200,000-per-week star averaged an impressive 92.5% passing accuracy out from the back over 25 Serie A starts last season – a higher rate than any Spurs player managed (WhoScored).

This sums up his class and composure at such a young age, but if Paratici really does believe that a deal can be done, he may need to pull out all the stops.

In other news: Tottenham tell rising star he is free to leave as they green light surprise exit from N17, find out more here.

Rangers are enjoying a fantastic season in the Premiership as the Glasgow giants currently sit top of the table after 16 games.

The Gers have won 12 of those matches, drawing three and losing one, and they sit four points clear of their nearest rivals in second as it stands.

GVB magic

Despite their success on the pitch, one player who has had an underwhelming season at Ibrox so far is Scott Wright. He has struggled to nail down a regular place in the side and has found game-time hard to come by under Steven Gerrard and now Van Bronckhorst.

The Dutchman now needs to work his magic to get Wright’s season back on track and turn him into a player capable of making the difference in the Premiership, having failed to do so thus far. In the league this season, the 24-year-old has made nine appearances (three starts) and produced one goal and zero assists as a wide midfielder.

As per SofaScore, he has lost possession of the ball 64 times this season, which averages out at 7.1 times per match, and has lost 56% of his duels on the pitch, winning just 1.9 battles per game. This shows how he has been a lightweight for the Gers in the top flight with his regular loss of possession, along with his struggles with the physical side of the game.

The fact that he also has just one goal contribution in nine games adds to the disappointment of the £5.6k-per-week dud’s season so far. However, all is not lost for him as he has plenty of time on his hands to turn it around and make a name for himself in Glasgow.

At the age of 24, he has room to develop and is far from the finished article. This means that Van Bronckhorst has the opportunity to work his magic with him on the training pitch to mould him into the perfect winger for his 4-2-3-1 system.

Wright showed a glimpse of what he can do in a cameo against Dundee over the weekend. As per SofaScore, he completed two of his three attempted dribbles and won three of his four duels, although he failed to translate that into providing a key pass or a shot on goal.

This is where the 43-year-old can step in and help him in training to develop his end product and teach him how to make better decisions when he gets into good areas in the final third. If Van Bronckhorst can do that and turn him into a quality option for the Gers, it would be a terrific piece of coaching from the Dutchman.

AND in other news, “They can get”: Exciting Rangers transfer claim made which will leave fans buzzing…

Rangers should be ‘on the phone’ to Chelsea in January if Billy Gilmour continues to struggle for game time at Norwich City, Kris Commons says. 

The lowdown

Gilmour was part of Rangers’ youth set-up before he left for Chelsea in July 2017.

The European champions have loaned him out to the newly-promoted Canaries for the 2021/22 season.

But the midfielder has only started four of Norwich City’s first nine Premier League matches and last made an appearance over a month ago in an EFL Cup defeat against Liverpool.

In fact, he’s actually clocked up more minutes for Scotland this term than he has for Daniel Farke’s side.

And according to international team-mate John McGinn, Gilmour is ‘frustrated’ with his current situation at Carrow Road.

The latest

Writing in his Daily Mail column, Commons floated the possibility of a temporary return to Ibrox.

He dismissed any suggestions it would be a ‘backwards step’ and argued that he would represent an upgrade on the veteran Steven Davis.

“If Gilmour is still twiddling his thumbs in January, Rangers should get on the phone to Chelsea and at least ask the question,” he wrote, as quoted by The Daily Record.

“Some people might think it would be a backward step to return to his old club. But Rangers are a different animal now compared to when Gilmour left in 2017.

“I’m a big fan of Steven Davis and he’s been brilliant for Rangers. But I would have Gilmour ahead of him all day.

“That’s how good the boy is.

“He could transform the Ibrox midfield and offer a whole new dynamic as the deep-lying playmaker.”

The verdict

According to The Athletic, Rangers were among the teams who wanted Gilmour in the summer but, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Southampton, they lost out to Norwich.

Chelsea were given assurances that Gilmour would ‘feature regularly’, so if the current situation continues, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him recalled.

And if that happens, Rangers may well be in the conversation again.

In other news, fans were unhappy with this player’s conduct.

Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt has been forced to withdraw from England’s Under-20 squad due to injury, LeedsLive report.

The Lowdown: Gelhardt makes his mark…

The 19-year-old, who joined the club from Wigan Athletic back in 2020, made his long-awaited Premier League debut in October. He came on as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Southampton and followed that up with a starring cameo display against Wolves at Elland Road.

Gelhardt won a late penalty as the Whites drew 1-1 with Wolves, however, he hasn’t featured since in the league. The forward, labelled as ‘astonishing’ by presenter Adrian Durham, was missing in the matchday squad against Leicester City with an unknown injury, and that has now stopped him from featuring on the international stage.

The Latest: Gelhardt out

LeedsLive shared a story on Tuesday evening regarding all things Whites related.

One of the topics was on Gelhardt, with the youngster taking himself out of England’s Under-20 squad for a game against Portugal.

The Verdict: Bad timing…

It seemed as if Gelhardt, who has been involved in 23 goals for Leeds’ Under-23 side since joining, was really starting to break through into Marcelo Bielsa’s team, so this isn’t exactly good news for the Whites.

Patrick Bamford has been out since September with an ankle injury, meaning Gelhardt has been given the opportunity to impress.

He was doing just that before missing the game with Leicester, so hopefully, the injury isn’t a serious one and he can be back performing in a Leeds shirt over the coming weeks.

In other news: Joe Donnohue states how much it could take for Leeds and Radrizzani to cash in on Raphinha. 

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has been tipped to pursue a deal for a new Hoops midfielder from one of the club’s Premiership rivals…

What’s the talk?

The Herald journalist James Cairney has urged Celtic to make a move for St Mirren midfielder Jamie McGrath in the January transfer window.

His contract at St Mirren expires at the end of the season and Cairney believes that the Hoops could benefit from snapping him up on a cut-price deal in the winter market to improve their options in the middle of the park.

Armstrong 2.0

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou could land Stuart Armstrong 2.0 by completing a deal to sign McGrath in the January window.

Mo Elyounoussi was the only midfielder or wide player to hit double figures for goals in the Premiership for Celtic last term, with David Turnbull’s eight the next most by a player from those positions.

Coincidently, Elyounoussi has now returned to Southampton to play alongside another player who knows a thing or two about scoring goals for Celtic – Armstrong. In his last two seasons in Scotland, Armstrong produced 22 goals and 13 assists in all competitions for the Hoops, including 18 goals in the league, and was then sold to the Saints in 2018 for £7.16m.

McGrath showed last season for St Mirren that he has the quality to come in and be Celtic’s next goalscoring attacking midfielder, just like Armstrong was during his time at the club. He scored 17 goals and provided six assists in all competitions last term, including ten goals in the Premiership.

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin previously lauded the player and claimed that his bravery in possession of the ball is second to none, saying:

“He had been pigeonholed as a No 10 at Dundalk and people looked at him as a luxury player, but I had a very good conversation with Jamie and his representatives and explained that I saw there was more to him than that.

“My belief was that he could become a No 8 and be a box-to-box player and I think he’s shown he can do that.

“He’s not one to fly into tackles, but he gets close to opponents, he’s fit, he’s quick and his composure on the ball is incredible. His creativity and bravery when in possession is second to none.”

This highlights the level of quality he could bring to Postecoglou’s side and why they should act upon Cairney’s advice and make a swoop for him in January. The Australian head coach could unearth the next goalscoring central midfield sensation, Armstrong 2.0 if you will, by snapping McGrath up from St Mirren.

AND in other news, Ange must ruthlessly axe 26 y/o dud who left Celtic “livid”, he’s not good enough…

After blowing a 2-0 lead during their latest League One outing against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday that saw Sheffield Wednesday leave with just one point from a 2-2 draw, Darren Moore’s side are back in action on Tuesday evening with a league clash against Cambridge United.

A brace from Lee Gregory put the visitors ahead before two goals from the home side managed to score a point for both sides.

On the chalkboard

One player that was not in the starting XI against Wimbledon or even came on as a substitute that we feel should be starting against Cambridge is Marvin Johnson.

Johnson joined Wednesday back in August on a free transfer from Middlesbrough. Since then, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.35m according to Transfermarkt, has made nine appearances for the Owls across all competitions in which he has managed to chip in with one goal and one assist along the way.

So far this season, Johnson has racked up an average of 1.5 interceptions per game and 1.6 tackles per match, showing how useful he has been for the team in defensive regard, which suggests to us that he probably would have been needed on the pitch in their last game against Wimbledon.

In his latest appearance for Wednesday, which came during their 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in the Papa John’s Trophy, Johnson managed to grab an assist and ultimately earn himself an overall match rating of 7.4/10, making him their second-highest rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

In terms of who he could replace if Moore does choose to start Johnson against Cambridge, given how Jaden Brown failed to impress against Wimbledon, earning himself a disappointing match rating of 5.8/10 according to SofaScore, we feel this should be a straightforward decision from Moore to give his side the best chance of picking up all three points in midweek.

Looking ahead to the match, whether Moore decides to start Johnson or not, we feel as though given how they threw away two points in their previous match in a rather disappointing fashion, Wednesday will have to make sure they beat Cambridge. They are currently 11 places lower than the Owls in the league table and win would keep them in the running for a promotion place.

In other news: Lost possession 24x: SWFC ace who completed just 50% passes let Moore down on Saturday – opinion

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United supporters have erupted over the official announcement involving their team’s progression in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

David Moyes’ men put a regrettable 2-1 weekend defeat to Manchester United behind them as they exacted revenge with a memorable 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

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Manuel Lanzini scored the only goal of the game to eventually confirm his side’s place in the Carabao Cup Last 16 in what was a solid and impressive display from the Hammers overall.

However, following this brilliant evening up north, an official announcement was then dropped which has left West Ham fans with plenty to say.

Indeed, as confirmed by the club, the Irons will play host to Premier League champions Manchester City in the next round as they gear up to take on yet another Premier League giant.

Erupting over this news, it’s safe to say supporters are cursing their luck with West Ham seemingly having it all to do.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans erupt over Carabao draw…

“I knew this would happen”

Credit: @Fut_Antonio9

“Haha. How corrupt is this competition?”

Credit: @Joe_BM6

“We can never have anything easy”

Credit: @tomWHUFC_

“Noooooooooo”

Credit: @SMITHNIICK

“This is a joke”

Credit: @hjcooney97

“Oh blimey!!!”

Credit: @carlapunkgirl

“Rigged”

Credit: @bxnwhu

“What a joke”

Credit: @VincentYW_

In other news: ‘What a bargain’…Sky pundit reacts as West Ham eye ‘great signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.