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Everton have been linked with a number of defenders since Rafa Benitez entered the club but he is yet to conclude a single deal.

Work will be underway behind the scenes but Marcel Brands and co will have to go the extra distance in order to live up to the promises they made to the new manager.

What’s the word?

Everton could still make a mega-money move for Brighton defender Ben White this summer but they have other options in mind if he prefers a switch elsewhere.

Merih Demiral has been on their radar but full-back is also a priority for Benitez. Denzel Dumfries continues to be linked after a stunning European Championships, for instance.

However, according to 90min, Norwich City right-back Max Aarons is still an option.

Aarons has been the subject of their attention for a good few months now but a fresh report states that there is a direct line of communication between the Canaries and Everton.

A deal for the youngster could cost around £30m.

Benitez needs him

With Seamus Coleman the only viable option at right-back heading into the new season, the Toffees desperately need to add another player in that position to their ranks.

The price tag for Aarons is steep but for an English defender, it’s hardly a surprise.

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Coleman could depart in a year’s time once his contract expires and they need a player in place to take up his position.

It could also lead to an improved defensive record next season.

Aarons was part of the horrendous Norwich side that got relegated in 2019/20 but proved his quality in the Championship again last season.

The Englishman, who’s been described as “outstanding” by Daniel Farke, registered four goal involvements, putting in some wonderful displays from an offensive point of view.

He recorded 1.4 key passes per game and beat players with relative ease, succeeding with 1.4 dribbles per match as well.

For context, the full-back was just 0.1 behind Lucas Digne in terms of chance creation but his dribbles were streets ahead. In fact, no other defender managed more successful take-ons than the Everton target last season.

The Toffees have enjoyed great success with Ben Godfrey since he made the switch from Norfolk so Benitez will be hoping for a similar impact from Aarons if he joins.

AND in other news, Everton eye move for £46k-p/w beast who’s “top-level”, he’d be a huge upgrade…

West Ham target Eddie Nketiah is still to agree a new deal with Arsenal, according to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The lowdown

The Athletic reported last week that Arsenal had presented young striker Nketiah with a contract offer.

He has only 12 months left on his contract, and the Gunners are looking to ‘protect their investment and grant themselves some flexibility’.

The England Under-21 international made 17 Premier League appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side last season, but only four of those were starts.

He scored two top-flight goals, adding another three to his tally in the Europa League and one in the League Cup.

The latest

Romano tweeted that ‘there’s still nothing agreed’ between the 22-year-old and the North London outfit.

West Ham are among the clubs named as ‘interested’ parties, and may be taking encouragement from the delays.

Newly-promoted Watford and managerless Crystal Palace are also potential suitors, while Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen have apparently been pushing for a permanent deal for ‘months’.

The verdict

Football Insider report that West Ham are after another striker to provide both cover and competition for Michail Antonio, and Nketiah may be adjudged to fit that bill.

The Hammers were targeting RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka, but the player has apparently rejected their overtures.

Nketiah is admittedly a somewhat underwhelming alternative, but West Ham fans may have to lower their expectations – the most prolific strikers may be reluctant to join if Antonio is to remain the primary no.9, meaning a young player who is happy to play second fiddle while they hone their craft is perhaps the Irons’ best bet right now.

In other news, could this West Ham record-breaker be headed back to his former club? 

West Bromwich Albion are set to reconsider their original decision of allowing Rekeem Harper to leave The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Express & Star, who claim that 21-year-old’s proposed transfer to Ipswich Town has been put on hold until the club’s impending appointment of Valerien Ismael is completed.

It is reported that, despite agreeing terms with the League One side, as well as the midfielder having undergone a medical with the Suffolk club, the Baggies could end up cancelling the move if the potentially incoming Frenchman is not prepared to let the former England under-19 international leave this summer.

Harper must not leave

While it would have been an odd move on the part of Guochuan Lai and Xu Ke to allow such a promising player to leave the club while the duo had still not appointed a manager, it would very much appear that the West Brom hierarchy have now made a sensible call on the matter.

While the £2.25m-rated midfielder has not exactly been a regular in Albion’s first team in recent seasons, under the guidance of Ismael, Harper could well turn out to be a key player for the Championship club next season.

In his breakthrough season at the club back in 2018/19, he featured in 16 Championship games for the Baggies, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, with these metrics seeing him earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.60.

The following summer, the 21-year-old was linked with a number of high-profile clubs, including the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham, although the £8,000-per-week man eventually went on to sign a new three-year deal to keep him in West Bromwich until the summer of 2022.

However, having made just 10 Championship appearances in 2019/20 and two Premier League appearances in 2020/21, it is understandable why the player whom Slaven Bilic claimed has “no limits” in the game may want to leave the club this summer.

However, with a manager potentially taking over at The Hawthorns who is known to favour a younger side, the West Brom outcast could finally be linking up with a coach who can help him fulfil his undoubted potential. That leads us to believe that Ismael must right Ke’s wrong of sanctioning Harper’s departure this summer, and instead integrate him into the Baggies’ first team next season.

In other news: Nixon drops latest West Brom managerial development which should have fans buzzing

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a move to sign Alan Velasco in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Velasco impressing

Velasco is certainly impressing in his native Argentina with Independiente, so much so that he seems to be attracting plenty of interest from clubs around Europe.

Averaging no fewer than 1.8 successful dribbles per game in the Copa de la Liga Profesional (Sofascore), the 18-year-old is certainly showing plenty of confidence and flair despite being so young.

Previously dubbed as ‘the future Kun Aguero’ by the vice president of Independiente, he seemingly has the potential to become a top player, and given what Aguero managed to achieve with Manchester City, Velasco may be more than capable of delivering in the Premier League as well.

The Latest: Newcastle eye Velasco

As per Football Insider, the St. James’ Park faithful are eyeing a move to bring Velasco to the North East, but face stiff competition from Brighton and Hove Albion for his signature.

The Seagulls are reportedly preparing a new bid for the teenage talent, having had a £6m one rejected, with his current deal at Independiente set to expire on New Year’s Eve in 2023.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Velasco

Currently rated at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, Velasco could potentially be available on the cheap given just how much potential he has.

The Tyneside club should take advantage of this if they can, and get one over on their top-flight rivals by beating them to his signature.

Velasco has been playing men’s football since 2019, which is rather remarkable considering that he is only 18, and so he is well prepared to make the step up to the Premier League, which will demand more of him physically as well as his technical ability.

Nonetheless, the Magpies should really be pouncing on the opportunity to sign the winger at all costs, even if they plan to sell him on in a few years for a profit.

In other news, find out what advantage NUFC have in pursuit of this ‘brilliant’ target here!

Celtic appear to have lost out to Swansea City in the race to sign Wigan Athletic forward Kyle Joseph, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s long-standing interest

The Hoops were first credited with an interest in the 19-year-old during the January window.

Celtic made an approach for Joseph in the winter window and offered him a pre-contract deal in March, but, as we know, Liam Shaw is the club’s only pre-contract addition so far.

And it appears as if that will remain the case following a recent development.

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The Latest: Postecoglou announcement; Joseph update

Celtic announced Ange Postecoglou as their new permanent manager early on Thursday morning, with the 55-year-old penning a 12-month rolling contract.

It is believed that Postecoglou will assess transfer targets during his isolation period in Scotland, but it seems as if a deal for Joseph is now off the cards.

Football Insider ran a story on Joseph’s future just over an hour after Postecoglou was confirmed as Hoops boss.

A Swansea source informed the site that a deal has been agreed for the centre-forward, who snubbed a new contract at Wigan while also rejecting Celtic, Rangers and Newcastle.

The Verdict: Not an ideal start…

Celtic clearly liked what they saw in Joseph, and it seems as if they did all they could to secure a cut-price pre-contract deal that would’ve cost £300,000 in compensation.

It may not be ideal news for Postecoglou to see a move for a highly-rated Scotland Under-21 international, who was also wanted by Newcastle and Tottenham, end just hours after he joined.

With Leigh Griffiths’ future up in the air and Odsonne Edouard telling friends he is leaving for Leicester City, the new boss will now need to get to work quickly finding other attacking targets.

The European qualifiers are coming up soon, so it is a big blow to already be missing out on potential additions to a squad in need of a rebuild.

In other news: Olivier Ntcham edges closer to Celtic exit, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former West Ham striker Brian Deane has called for Said Benrahma to be given patience at the London Stadium.

The 25-year-old winger recently grabbed his first league goal for the club after what has been a difficult start to life in east London.

After tearing up the Championship last season, much was expected of Benrahma when he joined West Ham.

However, the Algeria international has been in and out of David Moyes’ starting XI and, as already mentioned, only registered his first Premier League strike this month.

Deane, however, does not believe Benrahma should be written off so quickly and has urged for him to be given time.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the former Brentford man, Deane said:

“He’s like [Emiliano] Buendia. He’s that type of player, isn’t he? But in a wide area. Listen, I mean, sometimes you don’t get somebody on fire straight away, but he’s got all the tools.”

Like Benrahma during his final season at Brentford, Buendia absolutely thrived in the Championship this term.

The Argentinian attacker scored 15 goals and provided 16 assists on Norwich City’s way to the title, so it is a fair comparison, with Benrahma doing similar numbers back in 2019/20.

Former Leeds midfielder David Norris believes that should Diego Llorente repeat his second half of the campaign next year he could attract interest from bigger clubs.

Signed from Real Sociedad for £18m, the Spanish defender, who’s recently been called into Luis Enrique’s squad for the European Championships, endured a mixed first campaign in English football.

A groin and then hamstring problem kept Llorente out of the first 60 percent of Leeds’ season, but following his return in February, the defender quickly came a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

In fact, prior to the final two matches with him missing only the final-day victory over West Brom due to a precautionary injury, Llorente started 13 games on the bounce in a three-month period, with the Yorkshire outfit losing just three times during that run.

Strong reports believe that Leeds are expecting offers for the Spaniard, but Norris thinks that following his injury struggles, it would be a major risk for other clubs, especially given the price-tag that’s likely to be slapped on him.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I think Leeds will ask for crazy money, and everyone will be put off because of the injuries and the first half of the season.

“I think if he stays at Leeds and does as well next season, then I think he will have all of the big clubs sniffing around, but at this stage it will be a gamble for the money that Leeds are going to ask.”

Southampton have been linked with a move for Metz centre-back Boubakar Kouyate recently and he could be an upgrade on Jan Bednarek in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side should he make the move to St Mary’s this summer.

According to French news outlet L’Equipe (via The Pink Un), both Southampton and Norwich City are considering moves for the 24-year-old defender this summer, as they look to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The £4.5m-rated defender has enjoyed an excellent debut campaign with Metz having joined from Ligue 2 side Troyes last summer, so it is no surprise to see him attracting interest from the Premier League ahead of next season.

In 24 appearances in the French top-flight, Kouyate has averaged an impressive 7.10 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with one goal and no assists to his name.

If we compare him with Bednarek, who has struggled immensely in recent weeks for Southampton, there is a clear winner, which suggests that should Kouyate arrive at St Mary’s in the near future, he could oust the Poland international from the first-team.

As per WhoScored, Kouyate has averaged 2.4 tackles, 2.3 interceptions, 5.3 clearances and 3.8 aerials won per game in Ligue 1 this season.

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For comparison, Bednarek has managed just 1 tackle, 2.4 interceptions, 3.8 clearances and 2.8 aerials won per game in the Premier League this season, averaging a less impressive 6.83 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This gives Kouyate the edge in every defensive aspect other than interceptions where Bednarek has a slight edge, which suggests that the Mali international could help solidify Southampton’s leaky defence next season.

Only relegated West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United have conceded more goals than Southampton in the English top-flight this season, which suggests that defensive additions are a must this summer, and given their respective performances, it seems clear that Kouyate would be a better option than Bednarek in Hasenhuttl’s side.

Therefore, vice-chairman Martin Semmens should definitely look at bringing the 24-year-old to the South Coast this summer, thus beating Norwich to the punch.

And, in other news… Southampton gem’s future looks bleak after Hasenhuttl admission, he’s the “weak link”

A worrying update has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s search for their next manager…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez is making a ‘huge play’ for the vacant Spurs role behind the scenes and is prepared to leave his post at the world’s number one international side, as a result.

It’s claimed that the 47-year-old is ready to quit the Red Devils after this summer’s European Championships to take the helm in North London.

A source has told the site that Martinez remains a strong contender at Hotspur Way and contact has already been made with him over potentially replacing Jose Mourinho. He is now thought to be a front-runner, as per the report.

Worrying development

This will come as hugely worrying news for many supporters as Martinez is far from an inspiring appointment.

In recent weeks, we have seen the Spurs faithful protest against the club’s ownership group, ENIC, as well as against Daniel Levy, after plans to form a breakaway European Super League collapsed several weeks ago.

But the reaction from the fanbase was merely a collection of pent-up frustration over the last decade, if not longer, due to the lack of ambition shown by the Lilywhites hierarchy.

Martinez would only give them more ammunition in their fight for a change at the top.

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The former Everton boss has an appalling overall record in English football. He did surprise many to win the FA Cup at Wigan Athletic in 2013 but it went downhill from there.

The Spaniard has won just 30.5% of matches in the Premier League and his reign ended on a sour note at Goodison Park. According to Jonathan Wilson, who was writing for Eurosport at the time, “the problems seem systemic: what went wrong at Wigan is going wrong at Everton and there’s no evidence Martinez is able to fix it.”

It’s also hard to judge his coaching ability for Belgium, seeing as he’s very rarely spending time with the squad and cannot really take much credit, if any, for their golden generation developing into one of the best teams in the world.

For example, Kevin De Bruyne’s game has been elevated to a new level thanks to Pep Guardiola, not Martinez. And likewise with Romelu Lukaku’s fine goalscoring record for Inter Milan. That’s down to Antonio Conte, not Martinez.

Furthermore, a manager with systemic problems certainly sounds like Spurs could quickly go down the same turbulent route as they did under Mourinho.

So this latest development that sees Martinez emerging as a front-runner for the role is certainly a worrying and dismal sign for Spurs’ immediate future.

He will only add to their ongoing nightmare.

AND in other news, Levy heading for grave Spurs disaster over 45 y/o boss he was once “desperate” to hire…

Amid all the understandable uproar of the European Super League, Leeds United host one of the competition’s ‘founding fathers’ in Liverpool at Elland Road on Monday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side head into the contest off the back of a truly historic 2-1 victory away at runaway leaders Manchester City last weekend, and will surely be in confident mood of pulling off yet another stunning result.

However, the Leeds boss appears to have been handed a major blow ahead of the clash against Jurgen Klopp’s side, with news that Rodrigo is likely to miss out once again.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed that the club’s summer signing is “still recovering from a muscular problem”, and now via a pre-match Q&A, has relayed that “from what Bielsa said last week, it sounded as if Rodrigo would be missing again.”

News of the £18m-rated star being missing for the visit of Liverpool will surely have Bielsa gutted, with the Spaniard really struggling to justify his worth since arriving in a big-money deal from Valencia last summer.

Dubbed as “extraordinary” by former Barcelona boss Quique Setien, Rodrigo just hasn’t been able to find his feet at Elland Road, and while he was quick to dismiss speculation that he wanted a move back to Spain after failing to settle in England, it’s still be a rather disappointing debut campaign for the forward.

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He’s managed just three goals in 21 Premier League games this season, and has been hit by injuries over the past few weeks. After initially recovering from a groin strain that kept him out of six consecutive top-flight matches, Rodrigo has since missed two out of the last three games for Leeds.

A game against the Premier League champions is a tall order at any time, but being without one of his key summer acquisitions is a body blow for Bielsa.

While the Whites coped superbly without him last week against Manchester City, the Leeds boss will no doubt be gutted that he will be without Rodrigo once again when they host Liverpool tonight.

Meanwhile, Leeds must start this “under-rated” gem today vs Liverpool…