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Chelsea are reportedly tabling a number of player options for the Irons to choose from in exchange for Declan Rice.

The Blues, who have already spent a combined £80million on Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, are still hot on the trail of the West Ham ace.

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are offering up a choice of Michy Batshuayi, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori as they attempt to strike a swap deal. The report claims the Blues are flexible on any of the players listed and are willing to use ‘one or more’ of them to secure the signing of Rice.

Tomori will reportedly only be available on loan, but Zouma and Batshuayi are available to sign permanently.

The Blues have been monitoring Rice with both Frank Lampard and assistant Jody Morris ‘big admirers’ of the young England international. His versatility will be a strong addition to this Chelsea side as they move forwards and look to challenge for silverware next season.

The 21-year-old has a Transfermarkt value of £44.5million, but that could be lowered or even waived if West Ham opt to take a player swap or cash-plus-player deal.

It’s unlikely the Hammers will let Rice go whilst taking a Chelsea player on loan, so that could rule Tomori out of the equation. However, Batshuayi and Zouma could be attractive names as David Moyes’ side looks more and more likely to sink into the drop zone.

Defence has been West Ham’s particular weak area this season, conceding the fourth highest amount of goals with 59. A centre-back like Zouma who has been trusted to start in a strong Chelsea side could be what the Irons need moving forward. If they are to face relegation, they will also benefit from any cash thrown their way in the Rice transfer.

Undoubtedly, the 21-year-old is one of Moyes’ most valued players, but if the right offer comes along, his arm might be twisted into selling as he looks at the bigger picture with the club.

Do you want Chelsea to sign Declan Rice this summer, Blues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Key information about St. Mary’s Stadium

St. Mary’s Stadium was built in 2001 and it now houses the Premier League side Southampton FC. The ground is located in the heart of the city of Southampton and has replaced the club’s iconic ‘The Dell’ stadium.

Its current capacity stands at 32,384 with a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with natural grass, has undersoil heating installed and is not surrounded by a running track.

The record attendance at St. Mary’s Stadium was set 28 April 2012 when Southampton hosted Coventry City in front of 32,363 fans.

A history of St. Mary’s Stadium

For the vast majority of long-lasting Southampton fans, The Dell will always be synonymous with the Saints. However, even though they have been playing their football there for ages, the early ideas of a relocation were conceived in the 1980s when the club’s ambition began to outgrow their stadium.

The Dell’s location was quite cramped, which meant there was no efficient way to expand it and following the Taylor Report which converted it into an all-seater in 1993, the capacity dipped and the idea to vacate the ground springed up again.

Despite all the far from ideal circumstances, Southampton pushed on until they finally decided to move. However, there was another problem on the horizon and after a lengthy and unsuccessful attempt to construct and move into a new 25,000-seater stadium and leisure complex at Stoneham, the Saints were offered the chance to build a new stadium on the disused gas work site in the centre of the city, a bit less than two miles from old ground.

Construction started in December 1999 and St. Mary’s Stadium was finished by July 2001. The total cost was around £32m but it was worth it since Southampton finally had the stadium they wanted and more importantly, the stadium they needed. The club moved in in August and haven’t looked back ever since.

The first game to be played at the new ground was a clash against RCD Espanyol on 1 August 2001 and unfortunately for the hosts, the Spanish side would end up winning 4–3 on the night.

Interestingly, at first, the stadium was officially named ‘The Friends Provident St. Mary’s Stadium‘ but following fan pressure, the club opted against naming it purely after the sponsors and in 2006, the new sponsors, Flybe.com, decided against buying the naming rights, meaning the name reverted back to St. Mary’s Stadium.

The current highest attendance was actually set for the Football League Championship clash between Southampton and Coventry City on 28 April 2012 with 32,363 fans flocking in to watch the game. On the other hand, the lowest league record was Southampton’s bout against Sheffield United, which could only attract the crowd of 13,257 people.

Tickets to watch Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium

All tickets to watch Southampton play at St. Mary’s Stadium can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The price will vary depending on the age group and the location you choose to be seated in. The cheapest adult ticket costs £40.

The Saints also have season tickets and memberships on offer that can get you discounts throughout the season.

Related links

https://www.southamptonfc.com/ – Official website of Southampton FC

https://www.southamptonfc.com/season-tickets – Southampton FC Ticket Office

Marcelo Bielsa has previously been touted as the best coach in the world, but despite this, he’s never really managed a truly elite European club.

Yes, he’s been at some top-class outfits such as Marseille, Lazio and Athletic Bilbao, but these aren’t teams that are competing for the Champions League year in, year out.

You’d think that someone of his stature would have had a number of top jobs, but instead, he’s spent the last two years managing in the Championship.

Unfortunately for Leeds, he’s seemingly caught the eye of one of football’s biggest stars.

What’s the story then?

The Sun are reporting that Lionel Messi wants Bielsa to be the next Barcelona manager.

Of course, a player wanting something isn’t quite the same as the club being interested, but it’s certainly fair to say that Messi isn’t in the same boat as most players.

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As much as the Argentine hates the notion that he runs Barcelona, he has more sway than most players could ever dream of, with a director getting sacked for making negative comments about him.

One insider spoke about Messi’s sway at the club stating: “Messi has unspoken veto power over most player transfers, coach appointments or major tactical decision.”

If the £500k-a-week star wants Bielsa, the board may just have a look into that possibility, and with his Leeds contract being up, he is technically available.

Impossible to turn down

As much as Bielsa seems to love Leeds, you can’t help but feel that it’d be impossible for him to turn down Barcelona if they came calling.

The 65-year-old may never get another chance to manage a club of that calibre, and after completing his primary goal of getting the Whites promoted, it’d be understandable if he felt it was time to close this chapter of his career.

We’re due to hear about the gaffer signing a new deal at Elland Road sooner rather than later, but if Barcelona do come in for him, that could put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Leeds United are back in the Premier League, though they’ll need strength in depth if they are to truly contend and not follow the same path of Norwich City this season.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Yorkshire giants have held talks with Serie A outfit AS Roma over a potential move for defensive midfielder Amadou Diawara.

It’s claimed that Arsenal are also keen on signing the 23-year-old, resulting in doubt in the Italian capital over where the player’s future may lie.

Roma are wanting €30m (£27m) for his services, just a year after signing him from league rivals Napoli.

Phillips 2.0

Currently, Marcelo Bielsa only has one out-and-out lynchpin in Kalvin Phillips – during his absences throughout their title-winning campaign, centre-backs Ben White and Pascal Struijk have filled in.

But in Diawara, they could land a genuine alternative option that’s very much in the same mould to the Englishman.

Per WhoScored, the Guinea international averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.2 long balls per game in the Serie A this term – the latter is particularly impressive as he still managed just under a 90% passing accuracy.

Diawara has been tipped as the heir to Daniele De Rossi’s throne, mainly due to that aforementioned passing ability. Roma fan page Chiesa Di Totti claims “he can make a long-distance pinpoint pass seem easier than putting your shoes on in the morning.”

The 6-foot powerhouse has also been likened to Claude Makelele, so if he were to come in at Elland Road and have half the impact of the Chelsea enforcer, then United would certainly be onto a major winner.

Bielsa can’t afford to risk a lack of squad depth to such a crucial component to his system, thus a move for Diawara would make the world of sense, even at £27m.

He’d be a dream second-fiddle.

AND in other news, Phil Hay confirms Leeds close to clinching a new signing…

Carlo Ancelotti is not messing around in the ongoing summer transfer window. Everton are on the verge of completing a couple of high-profile signings and with them done, the Toffees’ squad will be looking better than ever ahead of the new 2019/20 Premier League season.

Of course, we are talking about the possibility of incorporating all three of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure in one single swoop. If the recent reports are to be believed, only the final steps are still left for all three of them officially becoming the newest Goodison Park arrivals.

And this, needless to say, is some exciting news for the fans. But apart from just improving the team on their own, Liverpool Echo reporter David Prentice believes they could help unlock Andre Gomes as well.

Here’s what he said on the Royal Blue Podcast, as quoted by Liverpool Echo: “If he fits into the same midfield as two players who are – not water carriers, I don’t want to call them that, because they’re more than that – but he can do what he does best which is play forward passes into dangerous areas and open up defences.

“He can create more. He didn’t do it often enough last season. When he first arrived at the football club we saw it a lot more. It’s a knock-on effect. When we talk about these players it’s not just about what they bring on the pitch, it’s about what they bring to the training pitch, and what effect they can have on people already at Everton.

“Hopefully we will see a better quality Andre Gomes next season. It just looks like a better-balanced unit. We don’t know how it will work yet and how he will fit those players in but it feels like we will see a better Andre Gomes. That excites me.”

Verdict

Of course, even though everyone knows how talented and skilled Gomes is, the Portuguese midfield star hasn’t really been able to fully express himself at Everton.

But with the right players around him and a better unit offering him the necessary support, he could finally be unlocked and show his true colours.

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi could continue the youthful revolution at the club with yet another impressive move in this summer’s transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the Midlands outfit are one of three Premier League teams looking at Dijon wonderkid Mounir Chouiar, though he is also courted by teams from all five of Europe’s elite divisions.

Leeds United and Arsenal are the only other teams mentioned.

They claim that the 21-year-old would be available for just €20m (£18m), which would be the Ligue 1 outfit’s record sale by some margin. Lens would also be due 20% of any fee.

Bargain given his potential

Nuno Santo’s squad is brimming with young talent which has been a key aim of the Fosun ownership group – the likes of Pedro Neto and Ruben Vinagre have broken into the first-team setup whilst £35m club-record signing Fabio Silva will be expected to follow suit.

Chouiar, who can play on the left as well as through the middle, would be yet another ambitious signing with a ton of potential and one that looks quite the bargain at £18m.

Get French Football News have dubbed him a “dribble-king” which is hardly a surprise considering he pulled off more successful attempts (63%) than the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Houssem Aouar last season.

Whilst his manager Stephane Jobard believes the France U19 international is a “serious talent” who “can destabilise the defence in one-on-ones” and is “capable of making the final pass and can even score.”

The Dijon boss also added: “He has the whole arsenal of a modern footballer.”

Chouiar also created 2.6 chances per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 last term, which is better than the 2.6 key passes that Joao Moutinho averaged per 90 minutes in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

Shi swooping for the French attacker would just be yet another shrewd move from the Molineux outfit.

AND in other news, one Wolves misfit outshone Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho this week…

Despite arriving back in the summer of 2018 when Marco Silva was still Everton manager, Bernard has struggled to really nail down a first-team spot at Goodison Park.

The Brazil international has generally been on the fringes of things, showing flashes of brilliance here and there, but never really with any impressive consistency.

All in all, he’s played 66 times for the Toffees, scoring just five goals and providing six assists – in fact, it says a lot about how frustrating the 28-year-old has been, that he’s actually earned more yellow cards than what he’s contributed on the pitch (7).

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…



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But with Carlo Ancelotti’s magic touch at Goodison seemingly sparking a revival on the blue half of Merseyside, Bernard could finally begin to flourish. And whilst a Carabao Cup second round tie against Salford is hardly the measuring stick, and any excitement should be tempered, the Brazilian did produce a very fine performance on Wednesday night.

Though he didn’t score or set up a goal, his overall display was brimming with creativity and energy, and it would have left Ancelotti surely impressed.

He looked as lively as he has ever been in an Everton shirt, boasting a 100% success rate with his dribbles, and providing a whopping seven key passes – the latter stat almost representing half his team’s entire total (16).

Bernard also kept possession really well, rarely wasting the ball and making sure things were kept moving. He had 95 touches and completed 75 passes on the night, at a laser-like accuracy of 94% – the joint-best amongst Everton players.

Given the Toffees’ superb 1-0 win over Tottenham in the opening Premier League game of the season, Ancelotti won’t be too tempted to ring changes to his starting line-up when they take on West Brom on Saturday.

But Bernard’s display in mid-week has just given the Italian some food for thought, and the way he has breathed new life into the man signed by Silva, could see the Toffees finally see the best of the little Brazilian.

After being a key part of Aston Villa’s promotion campaign a couple of years ago, Anwar El Ghazi hasn’t enjoyed the greatest of times in the Premier League.

The Netherlands international registered 11 goals contributions in the Championship, but managed to score just four times in the top-flight last season.

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And now, according to Greek outlet Sdna, Olympiacos are very much interested in luring El Ghazi away from English football, and that he could be one to leave Villa before the end of the deadline.

The report further claims that at the moment a loan move feels like the mostly likely option, with Olympiacos having worked closely in recent years with El Ghazi’s representatives: super-agent Jorge Mendes and his agency Gestifute.

And after hearing about El Ghazi’s potential exit in this transfer window, Villa fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A few Villa fans insisted that El Ghazi isn’t good enough to be playing at this level, with one supporter saying that in order to push on as a club, they needed to let players like him go.

With Bertrand Traore’s arrival from Lyon, it’s difficult to see how El Ghazi’s chances of getting regular first-team football with Villa this season will improve anytime soon.

Even letting him go temporarily would give Villa some breathing room wages wise, and that could potentially see them dip into the transfer market once more.

Some Liverpool fans were not happy to discover that midfielder Marko Grujic has moved to FC Porto on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old returned from a two-year loan spell at Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, where he impressed the likes of their former head coach Pal Dardai, who described him as their “best midfielder in 20 years”, as per Bundesliga.

On his return to Anfield, Grujic put in two good performances in the Carabao Cup against Lincoln City and Arsenal respectively, despite exiting the competition on penalties against the latter.

However, this wasn’t enough to convince Jurgen Klopp to keep the Serbia international this season, as the club announced that he would be moving to the Portuguese champions.

Grujic is moving to a side that is in the same Champions League group as Manchester City, which could be an ideal challenge for him at a high level this season.

Nonetheless, some supporters were not happy about him being loaned out again and believe that Grujic would have been better off staying at Anfield this season. Here is a flavour of the reaction from disgruntled Reds fans, one of whom called the decision “crazy”:

Liverpool fans, was it the right move to send Marko Grujic on loan again? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Having signed him from Tenerife for just £1.5m, there’s no questioning that Newcastle got their money’s worth from Ayoze Perez.

The Spaniard arrived as a little-known youngster back in the summer of 2014, but then Magpies boss Alan Pardew wasn’t shy in waxing lyrical about his latest recruit.

He said: “We’re delighted to confirm our first signing of the summer and very pleased to have Ayoze at Newcastle United, as a number of other clubs were chasing his signature too.

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“He had a terrific season in Spain last year and is a player who we hope to develop further on Tyneside. He’s only 20 but has a very good eye for goal and that’s a great asset for any young player to have.”

Perez ended up playing 195 times for the club, scoring 48 goals and providing a further 17 assists across all competitions. He made his biggest contribution for the club during Rafa Benitez’s stint as manager, making over 100 appearances for his fellow Spaniard.

The former Newcastle boss even said: “Ayoze is a player that is keen to learn and I am telling him all the time it is about staying consistent. He has given us a lot of things. But the main thing for me is he knows that he can improve and he is keen to learn.”

In the end, following Benitez’s departure from the club, Perez also followed suit. The Magpies got some big-money for the forward though, collecting a reported £30m from fellow Premier League side Leicester, thus making them an impressive £28.5m profit.

And since his move to the Foxes, the 27-year-old hasn’t shown much to justify the price tag, playing 44 times and scoring just eight goals. Given that some Newcastle fans were up in arms over the club selling Perez, it’s now clear to see that the Magpies played a blinder by selling him for that much.

In other news, Newcastle must snap up this Brazilian centre-back in January.