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Everton manager Frank Lampard has hinted that midfielder Allan could leave the club in ‘the next week or two’ prior to their next Premier League clash against Southampton on 1 October.

The lowdown

The 31-year-old, who made a £21.7m move from Napoli to Merseyside in 2020, has yet to play a single Premier League minute this season. Indeed, he was left out of the matchday squad entirely on Sunday as the Toffees beat West Ham 1-0 at Goodison Park.

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland said last week that it looked like ‘the beginning of the end’ for the Brazilian in an Everton shirt.

The latest

The Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas took to Twitter to relay Lampard’s comments on Allan prior to the weekend win over West Ham. It sounds like the 31-year-old could depart the club in the near future, with so many midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order.

Thomas tweeted Lampard’s comments on Sunday: “Allan left out of today’s squad on selection: ‘You have to make those decisions sometimes.’

“Speculation over his Everton future raised and Lampard responds: ‘We’ll see over the next week or two.’

“Looks like Lampard has Iwobi, Doucoure, Gueye, Onana, Garner + Davies ahead of him.”

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The verdict

Where could Allan potentially go?

Most transfer windows in Europe are already shut, but clubs in Israel and Ukraine are still able to sign players, so that’s a possibility.

There’s also a chance that player and club would mutually agree a contract termination which would enable him to choose his next move as a free agent.

Allan is the fifth-highest earner at Everton on £70,000 per week, and right now that outlay feels like a waste for Everton.

Still, there could be some fans who may be sad to see him go, particularly given that he is highly rated by coaches like Jose Mourinho, who called him a ‘great’ player.

Aston Villa were handed a British transfer record when Manchester City offered £100m to acquire the services of Jack Grealish.

The 27-year-old, who was a proud graduate from their academy, had captained his boyhood club to promotion from the Championship and security within the Premier League.

He was their poster boy and was impressed with his consistently dangerous performances off the left wing.

In total, the England international featured 213 times for the club whilst contributing to 32 goals and 43 assists.

Steven Gerrard could now look once again to his academy, as there might be a player brewing who could be the direct replacement for their former skipper.

Whilst Louis Barry might be the main name emerging from the youth setup, there could be another who might surpass even him.

Ben Broggio is a 15-year-old midfielder who is highly rated within the club and has featured twice for England U16s.

There is great expectation that the attacking midfielder can be their next true star and the fact that he has begun this season featuring for Villa’s under-18s marks a huge step up.

One goal in his opening two games is also indicative of his faith he has in his own talent, which clearly he possesses in abundance.

BirminghamLive reporter Ashley Preece is one of many who also has high hopes for the youngster, and actually likened him to their recently departed hero.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said:

“Ben Broggio, is only 15 and plays for the England U16’s.

“He’s a bit of an attacking midfielder, a bit of a Jack Grealish type, dare I say it? Villa rave about him.”

Preece went on to label him a “big prospect”, concluding his praise.

Having seen Jacob Ramsey break into the first team more recently, there is clearly a pathway for youngsters to make the step up from youth football.

Also, the sale of Carney Chukwuemeka might provide hope that if he can develop at a similar rate, he will be given chances, and if not the club will be willing to see you depart.

If Broggio can have half the impact on the club that Grealish did, he will certainly be considered a success. He has taken to under-18s football well, so if he can continue this trajectory he will be destined for big things.

Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici has made contact to sign Bayer Leverkusen ‘rising star’ Piero Hincapie, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs plan for January?

The Lilywhites enjoyed a very productive summer transfer window, snapping up the likes of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and completing a permanent deal for Cristian Romero.

However, this campaign represents a tough challenge for manager Antonio Conte, who is forced to cope with the added European fixture schedule and congested run of games before November’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Taking this into account, the Premier League giants may need to add reinforcements mid-season to combat the added demands of this long and intense season.

The Latest: Paratici makes Hincapie contact…

Now, some news has emerged on this front.

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Football Insider claim Spurs chief Paratici has made contact with Leverkusen defender Hincapie’s camp over a possible move as he opens discussions.

The ‘rising star’ Ecuador international is thought to have agreed a new contract at Leverkusen in a possible blow to the north Londoners, but the report adds this is unlikely to deter Spurs, who remain keen on Hincapie.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The £34 million centre-back is currently amassing a ‘growing reputation’ abroad and South American football expert Tim Vickery has called him ‘excellent’ in a back three.

Conte may be attracted to the latter aspect of his game, though Hincapie’s age and debatable lack of maturity could also make the Italian think twice about green-lighting this move.

Much could depend on whether the 20-year-old does in fact sign a new deal with Leverkusen and just how much his price could increase as a result.

There are incentives to make a move, but as highlighted by Djed Spence’s lack of game time under Conte, Spurs chiefs may have to think twice before swooping for another young starlet with lots of room to improve,

Leeds United and Victor Orta have got a number of transfer decisions right in recent years, with the £17m signing and subsequent £55m sale of Raphinha, the £5m signing of Illan Meslier and the £11m signing of Jack Harrison standing out as three of the director of football’s better deals during his tenure at Elland Road.

However, the Spaniard has also got a few deals wrong in his time in LS11, with the £13m signing of Junior Firpo, the £25m signing of Daniel James and the £16m signing of Helder Costa not particularly representing excellent value for money for the Whites.

And, while many of the Elland Road faithful may well have agreed that Ezgjan Alioski was not quite of the standard required for Premier League football at the time his contract came to an end in the summer of 2021, with the benefit of hindsight, Orta’s call on the versatile left-back now looks to have been something of a nightmare.

Indeed, while the 30-year-old’s return of two goals, three assists and four big chances created was far from disastrous over his 36 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, there was a general feeling that, should Leeds wish to kick on, the club should sign an upgrade on the North Macedonia international.

However, with this upgrade being Firpo – a player who has started just 22 games for the Whites due to a series of injuries, as well as largely disappointing when he has been on the pitch – coupled with Alioski now enjoying something of an Indian summer while on loan at Fenerbahce, perhaps Leeds would have been better off sticking with the left-back.

Indeed, the defender has impressed over his five Super Lig appearances in 2022/23, scoring one goal and helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as averaging an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.86.

The player who Alex McLeish once dubbed a “firework” has also caught the eye in the Europa League, starting two of Fenerbahce’s three fixtures in the competition, over which he has averaged a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.73.

However, while the £42k-per-week Alioski playing European football will not likely be the cause of too many sleepless nights for Orta, the fact that the player the Spaniard released on a free transfer now has a market valuation of £6m will more than likely come as a gutting blow to the 43-year-old – especially considering Firpo’s struggles both on and off the pitch.

Mark Goldbridge has criticised Fred’s performance in Manchester United’s disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Man United held by Newcastle

The Red Devils hosted the Magpies on Sunday afternoon hoping to continue their improved league form but it ended up being a poor day at the office.

United were never at their best at Old Trafford, and while chances came and went throughout the 90 minutes, a draw was arguably fair in the end as both teams had an equal number of shots on target (two).

It was a day which saw too many individuals fall well below their usual level, and it will be looked back on as two points dropped come the end of the season.

The Latest: Goldbridge unhappy with Fred

Taking to Twitter during the game, Goldbridge make it clear what he thought of Fred’s performance, believing that it may be worth throwing in academy youngsters Zidane Iqbal or Kobbie Mainoo instead, with both having been among the substitutes yesterday.

The talkSPORT host insisted:

“Iqbal or Mainoo can’t be any worse than Fred. Got to be worth a go.”

The Verdict: Is he good enough?

While Fred’s attitude and work ethic can never be questioned, there are real lingering doubts over whether or not the much-maligned midfielder is good enough for United now that they have the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to call upon.

There are clear limitations to his game in terms of providing genuine guile and control in the middle of the park, and Erik ten Hag may well be looking for an upgrade in that position soon.

Against Newcastle, Fred won just two out of eight ground duels and one of our four in the air, highlighting what a timid showing it was from him.

It might be risky for Ten Hag to throw the inexperienced Iqbal or Mainoo into a Premier League game soon, but the Carabao Cup next month might offer a window of opportunity.

This time last year, Tottenham were quickly sinking under the management of Nuno Santo.

The Portuguese had won the manager of the month for August at the beginning of the campaign but that’s as good as it got for the former goalkeeper at Spurs.

He looked out of his depth and would eventually be given the boot, with Antonio Conte taking over.

The Italian has been in the dug out for nearly a year now and there is clear improvement. Tottenham’s start to the 2022/23 season is the best they’ve had in a single top-flight term, but they are still below rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners are on a non-stop train to success at the moment and a large part of that has been down to William Saliba.

The young French defender was signed under Unai Emery but would endure three loan spells in his homeland with Saint Etienne, Nice and Marseille.

It was at OM where he was named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year and his time across the channel has proven game-changing.

The young brute of a centre-back is now one of the first names on the team sheet having matured a great deal out on loan.

The French top-flight appears to be a productive one in terms of loan spells right now, with fellow Arsenal man Folarin Balogun scoring six goals in 11 outings at Reims.

Of course, Saliba wasn’t quite that prolific but he was extraordinarily good from a defensive point of view, having played a combined 50 matches in the top flight over the last two seasons.

Since coming back to London, the 21-year-old has been a breath of fresh air to Mikel Arteta’s defensive ranks with the youngster displaying a remarkable sense of composure and positioning.

He isn’t fazed by anything and is rather happy to just sit there and defend, even if he has already found the net twice.

His monstrous displays in defence would do enough to make any team in the division jealous, but Spurs could well find their own version in Welsh defender Joe Rodon.

The 24-year-old has barely had a look in since making the move to London from Swansea and has featured on just 24 occasions for the Lilywhites.

Even with the error-stricken Davinson Sanchez in their ranks, he couldn’t earn a place in the team and it seems as though Antonio Conte doesn’t rate him either.

Like Saliba, the young centre-back has been forced out on loan to Ligue 1 this term where he’s completing a season-long temporary spell with Rennes.

With Arsenal’s imperious centre-half we have already seen the benefits of learning your trade and progressing south of the channel, with Spurs potentially hoping they could unearth their own version of the ever-impressive Frenchman.

The one trouble is, that no matter how well Rodon performs this year, Tottenham could lose him.

The terms of the loan stipulate that Rennes have an option to buy of €20m (£17.3m) if they wish to keep him permanently.

Conte is unlikely to mind too much at the moment but if he does begin to develop like the aforementioned Saliba, they may rue selling him for so cheap.

It’s not just that French connection that is similar, however, with Rodon also sitting in the aggressive ball-playing category.

He has completed a whopping 89.2% of his passes across nine Ligue 1 outings this campaign, but also has an element of brute force to his game, winning 2.8 aerial duels per match.

When it comes to composed passing, Saliba is perhaps one of the best around with his completion rate of 92.6% marking him as one of the elite defenders in possession.

Rodon might not be on that level yet but a year in France could do his confidence and development the world of good.

Described as a “perfect” player who “works very hard” by Jose Mourinho, there is no doubting that he’s ready to put in the hard yards to improve.

Should he continue that mantra, he may well live up to John Hartson’s prophecy, with the defender’s countryman suggesting he is a “potential superstar”. Only time will tell in that case.

A big update has emerged on Leon King and his availability for Glasgow Rangers in the coming weeks…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the central defender will not face any retrospective action for the challenge he made in the second half against Motherwell in the Premiership last weekend.

The Gers won 2-1 away from Ibrox, thanks to goals from Malik Tillman and John Lundstram, and the youngster was shown a yellow card for clattering an opposition forward in a horribly mistimed tackle.

After the match, opposition manager Steven Hammell claimed that it was worthy of a red card and was not happy with the lack of action from the referee in the match, saying:

“I think it is a red card. Not for where it is on the pitch and where Stuart is going – that is up for debate – but I think the actual tackle in isolation is poor.

“I think he catches him high and there is a lot of force in it.

“I think Stuart is lucky not to come away with an injury on the back of it. It is a poor tackle.”

This update means that King will not be suspended for any of the Light Blues’ games against Livingston, Dundee, and Aberdeen in their next three domestic outings.

Big relief

Giovanni van Bronckhorst should be delighted by this news as it is a huge relief heading into the club’s next few matches in all competitions.

His availability is particularly important after Connor Goldson suffered a long-term injury in the recent 7-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Van Bronckhorst confirmed, after the loss, that the defender is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, saying:

“Connor played all the games since I joined the club, only when we rested him. Very important player in the back with his coaching, his presence as well. We won’t have him back for the next months. I’m not exactly sure but it will be several months.”

This leaves King and Ben Davies as the manager’s only natural centre-back options, although James Sands and Lundstram – who are midfielders by trade – can also be deployed at the heart of the defence.

The Gers academy graduate has played six matches in the Premiership so far this season and has shown signs of promise, winning 56% of his individual duels and completing 87% of his attempted passes.

These statistics show that he has held his own from a physical perspective and he has remained composed on the ball, which is why – along with Goldson’s injury – van Bronckhorst will be pleased with the news that the starlet will not be facing a suspension and any time out of the side.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s bold decision to sell Southampton fan favourite Oriol Romeu during the summer transfer window has certainly backfired, as the Saints need him now more than ever.

It was made clear to the 31-year-old during the summer that, following the arrival of Romeo Lavia from Manchester City, he would no longer be the first choice to partner James Ward-Prowse in Southampton’s midfield, as he started just once in the Premier League before his exit.

Romeu certainly didn’t fit into Southampton’s identity of playing and developing younger players and after a bright start by Lavia, which included a goal against Chelsea, it seemed as if the Saints wouldn’t miss Romeu too much following his move to Girona.

However, since Lavia’s injury in September, the Austrian boss has been forced to deploy Ibrahima Diallo in the defensive midfield position, and the Frenchman represents a serious downgrade on Romeu, which is perhaps one reason behind their disappointing form so far this campaign.

Diallo has averaged an extremely disappointing 6.19 rating from WhoScored across his nine Premier League appearances so far this season, which ranks him as the worst player in Hasenhuttl’s squad to make at least five starts in the top flight.

Romeu, meanwhile, has averaged a solid 6.73 rating from WhoScored for his performances with Girona this season, and given that he had been at St Mary’s for seven years, making 256 appearances in total, it is hard to understand why Hasenhuttl was so willing to let him move on.

The Spaniard has bettered Diallo in the vast majority of statistics so far this season, averaging more tackles (2.9 vs 1.1), interceptions (0.9 vs 0.2) and key passes (0.8 vs 0.1) per game, which suggests that he is far and away the better player.

Hasenhuttl was a huge fan of Romeu and sang his praises in 2020, saluting his commitment both on and off the pitch.

He said: “I have never seen a professional like him before in my entire managing career. He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen.

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“When you see him as a professional, how he reacts when he’s not first choice, it’s unbelievable. He’s always the first on the pitch, always hard working. I think for this, they love him here.”

This just makes Hasenhuttl’s decision to let him go even more baffling, as it is clear that he would have been a good player for the Saints to have in their current disappointing form, as he is almost certainly an upgrade on Diallo in midfield.

West Ham United manager David Moyes has shared some insight regarding the suspected injury blow picked up by Lukasz Fabianski, during yesterday’s 1-0 defeat against Manchester United. 

The Lowdown: Fabianski blow at Old Trafford

The Irons goalkeeper rushed out to make a headed clearance as Christian Eriksen closed in on goal during the first half, with Fabianski winning the ball but landing awkwardly. A few minutes later, Marcus Rashford netted the decisive goal.

After starting the match at Old Trafford, Fabianski didn’t come out for the second half and was replaced by Alphonse Areola, having sustained a potential injury blow.

The Latest: What Moyes had to say

Speaking after the match, Moyes shared some insight on the issue that Fabianski had, although the West Ham boss appeared to suggest that the 37-year-old wasn’t badly injured.

The Scot said: “I just know that he’s got a sore knee. He’s hurt his knee and we knew we weren’t going to take the chance at half-time.

“I don’t know [the severity], they just told me that his knee sort of went back and I think the footage shows it as far as I know. I think it was just a wee bit of a jar of the knee.”

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The Verdict: Worrying for West Ham

Having played in all 13 of West Ham’s Premier League games this season, it’s clear that the 37-year-old is the Irons’ number one goalkeeper.

In that time, Fabianski has faced 46 shots on target and made 36 saves, giving him a save percentage of 78.3%, leaving only four other goalkeepers in the league with a better return.

His overall performances in the current campaign have earned him a solid rating of 6.73/10 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest rated player at the London Stadium above the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Michail Antonio.

This highlights how vital a figure the veteran has been for Moyes’ side this season and why potentially having him out injured would be a worry for them ahead of the World Cup break.

It seems safe to suggest that everyone at West Ham will have their fingers crossed that the issue incurred by Fabianski against the Red Devils is indeed not a serious one and that he might be fit enough to play in their next league game against Crystal Palace next Sunday.

90min journalist and Sunderland supporter Michael Graham has claimed that some recent transfer news is ‘worrying’ for the club.

The Lowdown: Brereton Diaz interest

90min have recently reported that as many as 16 different clubs are interested in signing Blackburn striker Ben Brereton Diaz in the January transfer window.

His contract at Ewood Park expires at the end of the season, and so Rovers could consider bids worth up to £10m for him in January, in order not to risk losing him for free in the summer.

If Brereton Diaz were to go, then they would need to find a replacement, and Black Cats striker Ross Stewart has been linked with a move to them in January.

The Latest: ‘Worrying’

Taking to Twitter, Graham has claimed that the news with regards to Brereton Diaz is ‘worrying’ for the Stadium of Light outfit, given Blackburn’s links to Stewart:

“With Blackburn linked with Ross Stewart, this has potential implications for #SAFC. Worrying ones.”

The Verdict: New contract needed!

The Wearside club are reportedly in ongoing talks with Stewart over signing a new deal, and they need him to put pen to paper before January.

It looks likely that Brereton Diaz could leave Blackburn, meaning that Stewart is likely to be high on their list for replacements, given his exceptional record over the last two seasons.

Rovers are pushing for promotion up to the Premier League, whereas Tony Mowbray’s side are lingering around mid-table at the moment, so Stewart may find it hard to turn them down should they make a formal offer.

Nonetheless, giving him a new contract protects his value, and would hopefully persuade him to stay beyond January.