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When Farhad Moshiri wrapped up a deal to bring Carlo Ancelotti to Everton, it was one of the biggest coups in the club’s history.

They’d brought a Champions League-winning manager to Goodison Park who had achieved magnificent success in four of Europe’s top five leagues.

Finding another manager of his calibre will be a particularly hard task, but they may well lure one in a certain Antonio Conte, who left Inter Milan last month after guiding them to their first Serie A title since 2010.

Conte departed the San Siro after being told he’d have to work with a downsized project following the impacts on the ongoing pandemic. Salary costs were going to be cut by 15-20% and player departures would become an absolute necessity.

A move to Tottenham looked to be on the horizon but talks eventually collapsed after he failed to be convinced by the project, indicating that he’d rather stay at home instead.

“Generally, I like the challenges and I’ve accepted many of them during my career,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Evening Standard).

“Even the top clubs I coached were never the favourites when I arrived. However, if there’s something that doesn’t convince me I prefer not to accept regardless of the money.”

The Telegraph claimed that an informal inquiry has been made by Everton to the Italian’s camp, and if they could secure his services, it would surely be Moshiri’s greatest achievement at Everton to date.

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Not only will they have beaten a Premier League rival to his signature, they will have landed a manager with the qualities and experience to potentially earn them a place in Europe.

If Conte is looking for a challenge, then he’d find few greater than Everton in the Premier League. They have consistently finished mid-table in recent years despite housing ambitions of reaching the Champions League.

He’d also be backed financially in Merseyside as well, something which wasn’t going to happen at Inter. In the last four years alone, Everton have splashed out on more than £446m worth of players. That should be attractive to Conte, who could take the Toffees to the next level if given the right budget.

With that set of circumstances at Goodison Park in mind, everything looks set up for him to thrive. Described as a “tactical master” by Pep Guardiola, the 51-year-old has five league titles to his name, one of which was the 2016/17 Premier League with Chelsea.

With fellow Everton candidate Andrea Pirlo also hailing the Italian as a “genius”, this has the potential to be a mouth-watering appointment by Moshiri and Bill Kenwright.

AND in other news, Forget Benitez: Kenwright could revive Everton by hiring 54 y/o “fantastic motivator”…

According to The Sunday Mirror (via Shields Gazette), Mike Ashley has lined up Sean Dyche to replace Steve Bruce if the latter is sacked as Newcastle manager.

The Lowdown: Bruce future uncertain

The Magpies have lost just one game in their last seven (Sky Sports) and have beaten the likes of Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham, but that still leaves them 16th in the Premier League table.

Bruce is not the most popular man on Tyneside (Chronicle Live), and his future at St James’ Park remains uncertain.

The Latest: Dyche in the frame

As such, if Ashley does decide to relieve Bruce of his duties, the Newcastle owner will reportedly target Dyche as his replacement.

The Burnley boss has just over 12 months left on his contract at Turf Moor, although he is in talks with Clarets over a potential extension to that deal. Crystal Palace, Everton and Aston Villa are also said to be keen on the 49-year-old.

The Verdict: Much change?

Dyche has done a magnificent job with Burnley. Despite having one of the lowest wage bills in the Premier League (Spotrac), he has been able to keep them in the top flight since 2016, having twice led them to promotion.

He is actually the longest-serving boss in the top tier, having taken over the role at Turf Moor in 2012 (sportskeeda.com), and fellow Premier League manager Graham Potter has acclaimed the “amazing job” the Kettering native has done at Burnley (Lancashire Telegraph).

However, whether he is the right man for Newcastle is uncertain – the biggest criticism directed at Bruce has been the stale football his side has played (The Mirror). Burnley only average 43.3% possession compared to the Magpies’ 41.3%, while Dyche’s men have averaged even fewer shots per game (WhoScored).

Granted, Burnley’s squad is perhaps not as good on paper as what Bruce has, but the statistics do not indicate that Dyche would be able to given Newcastle fans the entertaining football they crave.

In other news, Newcastle are interested in signing this Premier League forward.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to quit Wolves last week came as a big shock.

He seemed happy and content with the direction in which the Old Gold were heading but, following a dialogue with Jeff Shi, he decided to hand in his resignation.

You can hardly blame him, either. The Portuguese was going to have small resources to work with this summer and they would have to sell their best players in order to spend big.

The Molineux outfit have consulted Jorge Mendes in their bid to find a new coach, with former Benfica manager Bruno Lage the frontrunner. Paulo Fonseca has also been in the frame but, according to Wolves legend Steve Bull, they should consider Julen Lopetegui.

When questioned by Football Transfer Tavern about whether he would be a good appointment, Bull commented: “I think so, I think so. There’ll be names bandied left, right and centre. If [Jose] Mourinho was free, you would have dropped him in the hat as well. But, you know, it’s just a lottery at the moment.”

Lopetegui has had an interesting couple of years in management. He was set to lead Spain at the 2018 World Cup but was relieved of his duties on the eve of the tournament after agreeing to become Real Madrid manager after the competition had finished.

Following a string of bad results, he was sacked in October of that year after just a matter of months at the helm.

He has enjoyed a fabulous renaissance with Sevilla, however, winning the Europa League with the Spanish outfit in 2020.

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Lopetegui developed a system which involved wing-backs and turned the Andalucians into a defensive powerhouse. Considering how poor Wolves were at the back this term, he could prove beneficial in leading them back up the table.

The Old Gold kept just ten clean sheets from their 38 league games this term, letting in goals on a regular basis. In 14 league matches between October and January, they only maintained two shut-outs during a wretched run of form.

Lopetegui could ensure that this drastically improves. His Sevilla team kept an incredible haul of 25 clean sheets in 54 matches this season.

The 54-year-old dubbed Nuno a “great coach” when the two teams met last season in the Europa League and has enjoyed great success with a defensive duo of Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos. Those two defenders arrived during his first summer in charge, proving that Lopetegui knows what he’s looking for in the transfer market.

Basing his philosophy on a possession-based brand of football, that would suit a Wolves team with plenty of ball-playing midfielders and defenders in their team.

Lopetegui endured a turbulent year in 2018 but has since shown great dedication and focus at Sevilla. He should definitely be considered by Jeff Shi and Fosun.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “outstanding” 25 G/A beast, he could be their new Traore…

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has invited ‘ridiculous’ offers for former Newcastle United striker Adam Armstrong this summer.

The lowdown

The 24-year-old finished the season with two hat-tricks in three games to post a tally of 28 league goals for the campaign. That left him second in the Championship scoring charts, just three adrift of another former Newcastle player in Ivan Toney.

Armstrong made the permanent switch to Ewood Park in 2018, having racked up 21 appearances in black and white without getting on the scoresheet.

However, Newcastle inserted a 40% sell-on clause into their agreement with Rovers, and Armstrong is now valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, even though he is about to enter the final year of his contract.

Intriguingly, it has also been reported that the Magpies are considering an attempt to bring him back to St James’ Park.

The latest

After Blackburn’s 5-2 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday, Mowbray sent a message to Armstrong’s suitors.

“They’re not doing their job if they’re not looking at Adam Armstrong,” he told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“That’s out of my control. For Adam’s sake, let’s hope the phone rings and someone offers us a ridiculous amount of money, we shake him by the hand and we say go bang in loads of goals in the Premier League.

“We’ll use some of that money in the team and can find another striker who can bang loads of goals in.”

The verdict

According to The Athletic, Newcastle have discussed the possibility of signing Tammy Abraham this summer but have been put off to Chelsea’s £40m price tag.

If that’s an indication that they’re after a striker, Armstrong would be a far cheaper, but still prolific, option.

You could argue that it’s a win-win situation anyway. If they don’t pursue the move, they could still net somewhere around £5.76m (40% of £14.4m) from a sale to another Premier League club due to the aforementioned sell-on clause.

In hindsight, it was a clever piece of business they struck with Blackburn three years ago.

In other news, this Newcastle youngster has reportedly been offered to Premier League rivals.

Newcastle must look to land Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha this summer amid Marcus Bent’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The Ivory Coast international has long been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, with reports last summer suggesting that Steve Bruce’s side were very much one of the clubs interested in signing him.

Now, speaking to FFC’s sister site, This is Futbol, Bent has touted the Magpies as a potential destination for Zaha were he to finally leave the Eagles this summer.

He said: “Zaha has not been that consistent this year, but we know he’s a talent. We spoke about him going to Everton, two years ago Everton would have snapped at the chance, but I don’t think he’s a player they want.

“Newcastle would be a great team to go to. He needs a bigger pedestal to play on and better players around him.”

Imagine him and Saint-Maximin

Already boasting one of the Premier League’s elite dribblers in Allan Saint-Maximin, Bruce could help form a terrifying Newcastle duo by landing Zaha this summer and unleashing him with the Frenchman as a wing duo.

Zaha’s average of 4.5 dribbles per game in the Premier League last season was only bettered by two players: Wolves’ Adama Traore, and Saint-Maximin himself. Their abilities to play across the front-line could see them interchange positions, and make for the kind of modern forward-line used by the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona of yesteryear.

In fact, Zaha’s Palace teammate James McArthur waxed lyrical about his abilities back in 2018, saying: “He is just unplayable at times and I wouldn’t like to be a defender playing against him. For us, he is a great asset when you can give someone the ball and he can run 40 yards with it.”

Essentially, Zaha would bring a lot of the same characteristics that Saint-Maximin has in his locker.

The £40.5m-rated star would ensure that Newcastle had an added threat to go along with Saint-Maximin, and that if teams do try and double up on the Frenchman, then Zaha would have more space himself to wreak havoc.

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It would cause opposition defences all sorts of dilemmas about how best to deal with the two of them on song together, and why it could be a scary prospect for the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing this former Premier League starlet…

Manchester City will take a one-goal lead to Germany next week after they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at the Etihad on Tuesday night.

Kevin De Bruyne’s goal put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead in the first half and they missed a number of chances to double their lead before Marco Reus scored a late equaliser for Edin Terzic’s side.

However, the hosts pushed forward and grabbed a winner in stoppage time thanks to the excellent Phil Foden, who calmly finished inside the box after Ilkay Gundogan’s lay off.

Although City were impressive at times, there were some disappointing performances on the night, with Kyle Walker, in particular, struggling to perform at his usual level.

As per SofaScore, the 30-year-old would earn a poor 6.2 rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any City player who featured in the game.

The England international would contribute no tackles and just one interception during the 90 minutes, which is fewer than the 2.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions he has averaged in the Champions League so far this season.

The former Spurs man is renowned for his pace and physicality which makes it difficult for opponents to get the better of him, yet against the Bundesliga side, he would fail to win any of his four duels during the game.

Joao Cancelo, who was playing on the opposite flank, would win 10/15 of his duels during the game, which emphasises how much Walker struggled.

The right-back’s passing also arguably wasn’t up to its usual standard, as he completed 63/76 of his passes on the night, resulting in an 83% success rate, which is again lower than the 89.1% he has averaged so far in the competition.

The £31.5m-rated defender also lost possession on 18 occasions during the game, which was the most of any City player who featured, whilst his one dribble attempt was unsuccessful.

Walker arguably almost cost Guardiola’s side the win too, as he was caught horribly out of position for the away side’s equaliser, with Erling Haaland playing in Reus down the right-back’s side, and he could do nothing but watch on as the Dortmund captain curled past Ederson.

Therefore, Walker should feel very relieved that Foden popped up with the winner, although the away goal means that things certainly won’t be easy for the Citizens in next week’s decider.

A 1-0 win for the German giants back at home would see them go through, and Walker’s questionable positioning to allow Dortmund to score at the Etihad will be looked back on as the potentially decisive moment in the tie.

And, in other news… Signed for £27m, now worth £54m: Txiki delivered again with Man City bargain

Rangers have been heavily linked with Morecambe star Carlos Mendes Gomes in recent weeks but it appears as if Steven Gerrard’s hopes of bringing him to Ibrox this summer have taken a significant blow.

According to the Scottish Sun, Rangers are very interested in signing the winger this summer and it had appeared as if they would be able to bring him to Ibrox on a free transfer, due to his contract with The Shrimps being set to expire at the end of the season.

However, Morecambe manager Derek Adams has now delivered a crucial update on the 22-year-old, suggesting that he was ‘comfortable’ with Rangers’ interest in him, as the club have an option in his current contract to extend his deal by another year, something which they will be taking up in the coming weeks.

This means that if Rangers want to bring the Spanish forward to Ibrox this summer, they will have to pay a fee, which could prove to be a significant one, given his impressive performances in League Two this season.

In 40 appearances, the former Atletico Madrid youngster has contributed 15 goals and four assists, which has earned him a solid 6.99 average rating.

His goals have helped Morecambe enjoy a superb season in England’s fourth tier, as after their 4-3 win against Oldham Athletic at the weekend, they currently sit in fourth position, just one point outside the automatic promotion spots.

If the Lancashire side were to achieve promotion, then it would likely only increase Mendes Gomes’ asking price further, so it may prove difficult for Ross Wilson to sign him this summer.

After an impressive performance against Scunthorpe recently, Adams was full of praise for his top scorer, saying:

“Carlos is a fantastic boy, you can tell that by his work ethic in training and in games.”

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Therefore, it is disappointing news from Rangers’ perspective that he won’t be available on a free transfer this summer, as he could have been an excellent addition to Gerrard’s side, and this update suggests that the Light Blues may well end up waiting until next summer before making their move for Mendes Gomes.

And, in other news… Gerrard has a huge decision to make over “terrific” Rangers ace after rampant Old Firm display

Ally McCoist has urged Harry Kane to follow the example of Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe and move to a club that demands trophies.

McCoist urges Kane to follow Defoe’s lead

Defoe, who moved to the Gers in 2019, was recently speaking about England captain Kane and suggested that he needs to leave Tottenham to win trophies.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast [06:00, 29/03/21] , McCoist agreed with Defoe and said that Kane should follow his lead in moving to a club like Rangers, where there is pressure to succeed. The Ibrox icon said (via Ibrox News):

“It was brilliant listening to Jermain there, I get totally what he’s saying there.

“He’s now going up to Rangers where there’s a demand to win things that’s greater than anywhere else.

“There’s an expectation level – you’re not wanting to reach finals, you’re not hoping to reach finals or win the league, the difference is you’ve got to.

“It’s a massive, massive incentive and I’d like someone like Harry Kane to feel that kind of pressure, it’s a different kind of pressure.”

Vital

Before moving to Scotland, Defoe had won just one trophy throughout his career – the League Cup with Spurs way back in 2008. At the Gers, he has already doubled that haul after winning the Premiership, and the Gers still have the chance to lift the Scottish Cup this term as well.

With 57 England caps to his name and 163 Premier League goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), Defoe has had fulfilled much of his potential, but this latest trophy victory is probably his crowning glory.

Kane already has 231 senior goals, of which 160 have come in the English top flight, but he will not be remembered among the greats as he rightly should unless he adds silverware to his CV. Unfortunately, that looks increasingly unlikely at Tottenham – he must switch to a club that expects trophies, like Defoe has done and McCoist has advised.

In other news, some Rangers fans react to this bizarre news on a former Ibrox hero.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news that Jack Grealish will miss this weekend’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

The Reds face a must-win game in the top-four battle on Saturday afternoon, with Dean Smith’s men making the trip to Merseyside.

Jurgen Klopp’s side currently sit just three points adrift of fourth-place West Ham, with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton also in the mix.

Villa are another team who have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, though, having enjoyed a strong 2020/21 campaign to date.

Much of that has been down to the brilliance of the influential £54million-rated Grealish, with the England international scoring six goals and registering ten assists.

The 25-year-old been ruled out of Saturday’s match as Dean Smith revealed he has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, acting as a huge boost for Liverpool.

Liverpool fans react to Grealish update

These Reds supporters been reacted to the news on Twitter.

“Let off that for us. Immense footballer”

Credit: @Romevoice

“Good. Need all the help we can get”

Credit: @poggiolino

“Trent will be buzzing”

Credit: @DavidElliott720

“Massive news if 100% true and not a bit of kidology”

Credit: @dannyhl26

“Huge W”

Credit: @lfcjonesiesta

“Thank God”

Credit: @hugonayme288

In other news, some Liverpool fans have launched into a rival player after his latest antics. Find out who it is here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to Marko Grujic’s playacting for Porto against Juventus, on a memorable night for the on-loan Reds star.

The Serbia international was loaned out to the Portuguese giants last October, with Jurgen Klopp struggling to guarantee him regular playing time.

Grujic found himself behind a host of top players in the midfield pecking order at Anfield, including the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Thiago and Naby Keita.

The 24-year-old has made 13 Primeira Liga appearances this season, and while Liverpool supporters may not have seen him in action much, they got to witness his education in the dark arts on Tuesday night.

Grujic was introduced as a late substitute in Porto’s extraordinary Champions League clash with Juventus, as Sergio Conceicao’s side progressed in thrilling fashion, losing 3-2 on the night but going through on away goals.

One moment from the Liverpool loanee caught the eye, as he went to ground in order to waste time, before sneakily looking up towards the referee and smiling.

Liverpool fans react to Grujic’s antics

Here’s how some Reds supporters reacted to Grujic’s antics on Twitter.

“This had me in tears last night”

Credit: @LifeTraveller77

“Extend his contract”

Credit: @patrick44newton

“MY MIDFIELDERRRR”

Credit: @lfcdaniel

“Love this”

Credit: @Natalie_LFC

“Start him tomorrow night”

Credit: @johngibbonsblog

“My midfielder”

Credit: @zk_1stt

In other news, Liverpool fans have been reacting to Jurgen Klopp’s comments about his future.