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Everton have no doubt endured a miserable recruitment record over the years, having routinely made often bizarre and costly decisions in the transfer market, while also missing out on potential ideal signings.

One such figure that eluded them in the past was that of Peter Crouch, with reports back in 2010 suggesting that the Englishman was a potential target for Toffees boss David Moyes, with midfielder Steven Pienaar set to head in the other direction to join Tottenham Hotspur.

While the striker’s previous Liverpool connections may well have been a contentious issue among supporters, the towering marksman would likely have offered a reliable goalscoring presence in attack, having netted 13 times and provided nine assists during the 2009/10 campaign for Spurs.

A player whom Moyes was seemingly fond of – with the Scotsman having reportedly been keen to sign the unique asset during his later stint as Sunderland boss in 2016 – it could well have been an ideal deal for all concerned.

As it proved, however, no such move came to fruition – despite Pienaar securing his switch to north London – with Crouch ultimately staying put with the Lilywhites for a further season.

Amid that missed chance, the Merseysiders instead bolstered their attacking ranks with the free transfer capture of Jermaine Beckford, with the former Leeds United man subsequently going on to last just a solitary season at Goodison Park, having scored ten goals in all competitions during the 2010/11 campaign.

As for Crouch, the 6 foot 7 colossus would ultimately go on to join Stoke City a year later, enjoying a respectable spell with the Potters as he scored 61 goals and provided 27 assists in 261 games in all competitions.

The now-retired journeyman – who also turned out for the likes of Southampton, Queen’s Park Rangers and Portsmouth in a lengthy career in English football – may have never been truly prolific, although remained a real handful for any opposition as a result of his towering frame and aerial ability.

That latter strength ensured that the 42-cap menace still holds the overall record for the most headed goals in Premier League history with a tally of 40, while his tally of 108 league goals ensures he ranks 28th in the competition’s all-time scorers list.

A player who accumulated 199 goals at club level throughout his career, the Macclesfield-born sensation would no doubt have offered a real attacking threat to Moyes had he been snapped up all those years ago.

Just imagine the carnage that could have ensued with the former England international lined up in attack alongside Marouane Fellaini…

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst has hailed Antony’s performance in Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Everton, claiming that it is his best for the club so far.

The Lowdown: Big win for United

Erik ten Hag’s side needed to bounce back from their mauling at the hands of Manchester City and they did exactly that at Goodison Park on Sunday night.

Despite falling behind to Alex Iwobi’s curler in the fifth minute, United eventually picked up all three points, with Antony equalising shortly afterwards and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winner just before halt-time.

It was the former who arguably shone as much as anyone for the Red Devils, as he not only found the net but also won four ground duels and played three key passes.

The Latest: Luckhurst praises Antony

Taking to Twitter, Luckhurst thought that Antony produced his finest performance yet in a United shirt.

The Manchester Evening News reporter shared a column from that publication after the win over Everton and tweeted:

“Last night was Antony’s best performance for #mufc by a distance. Ten Hag on what he improved – and can still improve.”

The Verdict: Very promising start

Having only signed for United at the end of the summer transfer window, Antony has taken little time to make his mark, already scoring three times in as many Premier League games.

He is providing exactly the end product which was required in a new attacking signing, scoring consistently and also producing an impressive work ethic that Ten Hag has been demanding from him.

On this evidence, United have signed a real gem of a player in Antony, and he is looking like someone who could mature into a truly formidable player over the years.

Patrick Vieira has begun his Premier League managerial career rather well, leading Crystal Palace to a 12th place finish last season, along with an FA Cup semi-final appearance, losing 2-0 to Chelsea.

It marked the club’s most successful league campaign since 2018/2019 and it looks like the Frenchman has managed to get the best out of his side and has spent wisely in the transfer window.

The same can’t be said of some of his predecessors, however, with a variety of big money flops arriving at Selhurst Park over the previous few years, with the likes of Christian Benteke (£32m) and Mamadou Sakho (£26m) draining the London sides coffers.

The Frenchman in particular ended up becoming a colossal waste of money and couldn’t turn the potential he had while making a name for himself at PSG in regular solid performances for Palace.

Over his five-and-a-half-year spell at the club, having joined on loan in January 2017 before signing permanently in September, he made 75 appearances and scored just once.

The 29-cap French international started off brightly at the Eagles, averaging a rating of 7.07 as per WhoScored, but his average soon started declining incrementally over the next four seasons with ratings of 6.81, 6.72, 6.24, and 6.06 respectively.

His appearances also decreased the longer he spent at Palace featuring a combined 18 times during his final two seasons, and overall, he cost the club £350k per match.

Journalist Alex Richards once described the player as “dreadful” and over five and a half seasons, he rarely lived up to his massive £26m price tag.

In 2021, Sakho ended his stint in England by signing for Ligue 1 club Montpellier on a three-year deal and has played 35 matches for the club in the French top-flight already, having just joined at the beginning of last season.

Vieira certainly looks like he won’t make much if any, similar blunders during his stint at Palace, and with the club In a good place, he could be set for a long stay in London.

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their interest in Amad Diallo in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Journalist Jonathan Shrager has claimed that the Black Cats are one of a number of clubs in talk with the attacker’s agent. 

The Ivory Coast international has been given the green light to leave Old Trafford on loan and he could on his way to Wearside if they can win the race for his signature.

Shrager Tweeted: “As it stands today, Manchester United are looking to loan out Amad Diallo this season. His representative Michaël N’Cho is currently talking with various interested clubs, including Blackpool, Sunderland, Anderlecht, Besiktas and Sampdoria.”

Alex Neil’s own Riyad Mahrez

By securing a deal to sign the 20-year-old on loan this season, Black Cats boss Neil could land his own version of Manchester City winger Mahrez.

The former Leicester man is renowned for his left-footed wizardry out wide for Pep Guardiola’s side – becoming only the seventh player in Premier League history to score over 50 left-footed goals in 2021.

Amad, meanwhile, is similar in style in the sense that he is a skilful right winger who likes to cut inside onto his stronger left foot.

England international Luke Shaw once compared the £29k-per-week talent to the Algerian international, saying:

“He’s a wonderful talent and already a wonderful player so I’m sure fans are looking forward to seeing him on the pitch.

“It was interesting because Harry (Maguire) said to me the other day that he reminds him of Mahrez when he was at Leicester. Really quick, skilful, agility, can turn really quick, got great skills and I would agree with Harry – he does remind me of Mahrez.”

The gem went on loan to Rangers in Scotland for the second half of last season and chipped in with three goals in four Premiership starts, playing ten matches in total, along with creating seven chances.

This spell came after he caught the eye whilst playing for Manchester United’s U21 side. He scored six goals and provided four assists in five outings, which shows that he has the potential to make a big impact in the final third if he can nail down consistency at senior level.

Therefore, he could end up being Neil’s own Championship version of Mahrez as he has the skills, the left foot, the scope to improve, and has shown that he has a knack for scoring goals. 

Everton have been working on re-signing Idrissa Gueye over the last few weeks, however, one journalist has now given an update that will stall the deal a was thought to be almost completed.

What’s the latest?

According to Foot Mercato reporter Sebastien Denis, Idrissa Gueye is “reluctant” to join Everton this summer.

Denis tweeted on Tuesday afternoon:

“Despite Onana’s arrival, Everton are still hot on Idrissa Gana Gueye. But the midfielder of PSG is reluctant to say yes to his former club and still wants to give himself time to make the right decision.”

Lampard should be frustrated

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will want to start deploying the best team possible to ensure Everton don’t quickly fall short of points in the Premier League over the next few weeks, so the manager should be frustrated with the latest setback regarding Gueye.

After confirming both Amadou Onana and Conor Coady in the last 48 hours, it is clear that Lampard is keen to get his business done swiftly in order to start focusing on the style of play that will suit the Toffees best over the season ahead of them, especially after losing their first game of the season to Chelsea at Goodison Park last weekend.

It wasn’t the most inspiring display from Everton, with sloppy mistakes yet again costing the team when Abdoulaye Doucoure committed a foul in the box on Ben Chilwell, giving a penalty to their guests that also gave them their winning goal in their 1-0 victory.

As a result, the addition of an experienced midfielder who can not only provide some quality but also stability in the centre of the pitch could be just what the team needs to improve their chances of picking up points this season.

Ball control and tackling are some of the leading strengths in Gueye’s performances for Paris Saint-Germain and it’s not hard to see why when you look at his statistics over last season alone for the Ligue One champions.

Over 26 league appearances, the £8.4m talent tallied up a pass completion rate of 93%, taking 63.2 touches and winning four duels per game whilst successfully completing the large majority of his dribbles (71%), proving that Gueye is more than capable of looking after the ball as well as distributing it effectively too.

The 32-year-old Senegalese midfielder’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed either with Mauricio Pochettino lavishing praise on Gueye hailing him “important” to the team after a goal-scoring performance against Clermont last season:

“He [Gueye] is an important player in the balance he gives the team, he also scores goals now.”

With that being said, the powers at Goodison Park will need to work harder to convince Gueye that he can be the protagonist in midfield to deliver the missing piece Everton need to comfortably compete in the Premier League this season.

Any of Tottenham Hotspur’s wing-backs could be in Sergio Reguilon’s position after failing to meet Antonio Conte’s expectations last season, claims ex-BBC pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Reguilon’s potential exit

Last week Spurs confirmed that the Spain international, alongside Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks, had not gone on their pre-season tour to South Korea.

This was followed by Football Insider’s report which claimed that Sevilla are now in advanced talks to sign the 25-year-old on a season-long loan deal.

The former Real Madrid star was rotated with Ryan Sessegnon last season, joining Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal as alternative options on the flanks.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Whelan, a former top flight striker who has worked as a host and pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, has reacted in a chat with Football Insider, believing the Spaniard’s departure could signal things to come for the remaining full-backs at Spurs.

He said:“Reguilon wasn’t that bad – but did any wing-backs really set Conte alight? You’d have to say no.

“That was the one position we knew he would focus on more than anything else after coming in.

“No one could get it right. No one could find the consistency on either flank. Any of them could well have gone because they weren’t giving Conte what he wants.

“He’s not a man who is going to sit there and just accept certain standards. He knows what he wants, he’s been given the finances to make that happen – and he’s identified new options straight away this summer.

“It’s a ruthless business, football.

“You might have been first choice before, and that was the case for Reguilon, but when someone with a different ideology comes in – you can very easily be gotten rid of.”

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The Verdict: Big changes

Conte has already shown that he is not willing to put up with players not performing at the level he would expect by his frequent activity in the transfer market.

This includes the arrival of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough, which was announced after a long stint of negotiations with the Championship club.

As a result, a number of Tottenham’s wing-backs could see themselves fall down the Italian’s pecking order if they are not careful, making Reguilon’s likely exit a sign of things to come at Hotspur Way.

There has been a new development regarding the future of Aston Villa striker, Wesley…

What’s the word?

As per journalist Ashley Preece, the Brazilian marksman is reportedly “in talks” regarding a potential loan move to a European club, as he looks to cut short his temporary stint with Internacional, whom he joined on a year-long loan deal in January.

Writing on Twitter about the 25-year-old’s future, the Villa correspondent revealed a move to Spain could be on the cards for the one-cap brute: “An update on Wesley – almost 12 months since his red card in pre-season vs Stoke – as Brazilian is keen on cutting short Internacional S.C loan to return to Europe. The £22m #avfc striker is in talks with an unnamed Spanish club”.

In his attached piece for Birmingham Live, Preece writes that the former Club Brugge man – who spent the first half of last season back in Belgium – is in discussions regarding a season-long loan move this summer, in order to bring to an end his dismal spell in Brazil.

The 6 foot 4 menace – who has two years left on his contract with the Midlands side – has made just four league starts for the Porto Alegre outfit since joining in the winter window, while he also appears to be surplus to requirements at his parent club.

Supporters will love it

News that Wesley is negotiating another move away from Villa Park will no doubt go down well with the club’s supporters, with most seemingly glad to see him shipped off again following what has been a rather bleak association with the Premier League side.

Despite Steven Gerrard’s reported hunt for a new striking addition, there would be few who would suggest that the £5.4m-rated man should return to the fold, with the player in need of regular game time elsewhere to try and revive his career.

Of course, his Villa woes have largely been down to a horror ACL injury that he suffered back on New Year’s Day in 2020 – just months after joining on a then club-record deal in the summer of 2019 – with that ailment keeping him out for almost 17 months.

That being said, he has hardly shown his worth when he has been fit and available, scoring just six goals in 26 games in all competitions for the club thus far, while also notably getting sent off in a pre-season friendly clash with Stoke City last summer.

The best that Gerrard and co can hope for is for the £46k-per-week man to catch fire this season at whichever new club he joins, with any rejuvenation likely to allow Villa to recoup a larger transfer fee if they are to secure a permanent sale next summer.

It would also ensure the club are not stuck with him at the club after Christmas, with his current deal with Inter set to expire at the end of December.

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez

West Ham United have kept moving after sealing a deal for Morocco international Nayef Aguerd with news emerging on Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Irons set for busy summer…

According to Sky Sports and reporter Dharmesh Sheth, the east Londoners could be set for a ‘very busy’ summer as manager David Moyes allegedly sets his sights on ‘at least’ six new signings before starting the 2022/2023 Premier League season.

This comes after the arrival of Aguerd from Rennes with West Ham seemingly determined to strengthen and back Moyes this summer.

The Hammers narrowly missed out on qualification for the Europa League at the end of 21/22, falling just short of Man United on the final day, with Moyes meaning business this time round.

The Latest: Phillips bid made…

Now, as per Football Insider, it appears West Ham have made another offer as news emerges on Leeds star Phillips.

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The England international, heavily courted by league champions Man City, is also attracting Moyes’ interest with the report claiming both Villa and West Ham ‘submitted bids’.

However, as per their information, Phillips is still highly likely to make a switch to the Etihad Stadium and Moyes looks ‘set to miss out’.

The Verdict: Ambitious move…

While it is unlikely they can capture Leeds’ star with City in the picture, this alleged offer perhaps sums up the ambition being displayed at the London Stadium.

The marquee England star, said to be valued at around £50 million, has performed brilliantly when fit and available for the Whites.

Teammate Liam Cooper even called him one of the best midfielders in world football last year and ex-Leeds star Andrew Hughes also branding Phillips a ‘very special’ player (The Athletic).

His comparisons to Andrea Pirlo have been well documented and this is the level of player West Ham should be moving for.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are set for a busy summer transfer window according to Bruno Lage, and they may have now identified their first singing before the window has even opened.

What’s the latest?

Portuguese news outlet JN has reported that Wolves will join the race for and reignite their interest to sign Porto midfielder Sergio Oliveira.

As per the report, the Midlands club are interested in offering Oliveira a fresh start in England after Roma, where he had been on loan this season, did not trigger the £11m release clause to secure his signing ahead of the summer transfer window.

Lage’s Neves heir

There have been numerous reports linking Ruben Neves with a move away from Molineux this summer, with Barcelona and Manchester United reportedly expressing an interest in the midfielder, so Oliveira could be the perfect heir to his compatriot in the Black Country.

The 30-year-old, who was dubbed “important” and a “champion” by Roma manager Jose Mourinho, has been a solid and dependable performer for the Serie A club this season.

In the most recent Serie A campaign, Oliveira scored two goals, delivered one assist and created two big chances, along with making 1.1 key passes, 1.9 tackles and 27.3 accurate passes per game, He was successful in the majority of his dribbles (53%) and completed the majority of his duels (58%) in 14 league appearances.

It’s safe to say that his loan spell has been successful at Roma, playing all but one game in the Europa Conference League knockout rounds and even scoring the winning goal in their first game in the tournament against Vitesse. The Giallorossi went on to win the competition, claiming their first European trophy in over 60 years.

Replacing Neves would be no easy task if the 25-year-old were to leave the Black Country this summer, so Lage will need to identify potential replacements who can fit into the team, offering consistent performances in midfield and making an instant impact next season.

With that in mind, the signing of Oliveira would be a major coup for Wolves, as he is experienced at a high level and could make an instant impact in the team following his success with Mourinho’s Roma.

AND in other news – Forget Gibbs-White: Wolves may already have their Neves heir in gem who “makes things happen”

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Philadelphia Union left-back Kai Wagner, Transfermarkt report.

The Lowdown: Wagner profiled

Wagner, valued at a cut-price £2.7m, has been with the MLS side since 2019 but is out of contract at the end of the calendar year, meaning he could move for cheap this summer.

The 25-year-old can also play as a left-midfielder and has made 104 appearances for his current employers.

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He’s scored four times and registered 13 assists while in America, and it looks as if Jesse Marsch is keen on a move for his services this summer.

The Latest: Leeds links

Transfermarkt shared a story regarding Leeds and Wagner on Thursday morning after being informed by a source close to the situation.

They claim that the Whites are keen on his services, where he could become an ‘important part of the club’s rebuild’ under Marsch, Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani.

Relegation rivals Burnley and Championship side Middlesbrough are also name-checked with an interest.

The Verdict: Firpo replacement?

If Leeds go down on Sunday, you’d expect there will be plenty of change over the summer with a number of high-profile exits, with Radz and Orta needing to revamp the squad to give Marsch the tools fit for the Championship.

Junior Firpo, the club’s marquee signing last year from Barcelona, could well be one to leave due to his poor first season in Yorkshire where he has picked up 11 yellow cards, so it looks as if Wagner may come in to replace him.

Leeds have a track record in recent years of getting left-back additions wrong, with Firpo and Laurens De Bock perfect examples, however, Wagner has been described as ‘one of the best left-backs’ in the MLS, so an under-the-radar move for the German could be shrewd and cheap when you look at his contract situation.

In other news: Orta now finally set to accept defeat as Leeds plot exit for Bielsa ‘mistake’ – opinion.