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Everton could be set to be involved in a Premier League transfer tussle for Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer this summer if reports are to be believed and it’s led to fans discussing the potential deal on social media.

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several clubs eyeing up a move for the Norweigen colossus with the likes of Manchester City, Wolves and believed-to-be front-runners Leicester City all keen.

It’s claimed that Brendan Rodgers is keen on reuniting with the 22-year-old but will face stiff competition to land him.

Ajer has played 49 times this campaign, primarily in the centre but also at right-back and he even started out his career in midfield before dropping back.

Carlo Ancelotti currently has several options to call upon in his defensive ranks, including Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate.

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It remains to be seen what sort of fee Ajer would command. Transfermarkt value him at just £2.43m whilst reports from Italy said in March that the SPFL champions would want €40m (£35.8m) amid interest from Milan.

Some supporters have been comparing the Celtic man to their English counterpart whilst others would very much love to see him arrive at Goodison Park.

Here’s how the Toffees faithful have been reacting…

AND in other news, Everton fans destroy ex-player Ashley Williams on Twitter…

A group of celebrities, including former-sports stars, comedians and actors, have signed up to compete in the NHS Charities Together Cup, which aims to raise £100m in support of the current Covid-19 crisis.

The FIFA 20 competition will involve eight all celebrity teams, with three celebrities per team, going head-to-head in 12-minute long FIFA 20 matches. Fans will be given the chance to vote for who they want to see compete from every team in each round.

Everton legend Tim Cahill will be joined by the likes of Cricket stars Joe Root and Ben Stokes, fellow former footballers Joleon Lescott, Fabrice Muamba and Shaun Wright-Phillips, golf’s Justin Rose and boxer Dilian White.

The competition’s organisers, Celebrity e-Sport, hope to raise a huge £100m for NHS charities together during these desperate times for all the care workers on the frontline, who are putting their own lives at risk to help save ours.

For more information on the event and how you can donate, click here.

In this instalment of our TT Roundup, Football Transfer Tavern have gathered three of the biggest stories to have involved Rangers recently and have provided our thoughts on the reports published.

Rangers offer contract to Nathan Patterson

Rangers defender Nathan Patterson has been offered a new contract by the club to replace his current deal, as reported by Football Insider.

According to Football Insider, the 18-year-old has been presented with a three-year contract which will see the youngster receive a substantial pay rise.

Football Insider added that the right-back is regarded by senior coaching staff at Ibrox as a player who can establish himself in Rangers’ first team.

Verdict

Patterson has yet to make a senior appearance for Rangers but made his mark for the under-19 side in their UEFA Youth League first round win over Young Boys, his goal in the 3-3 draw in Switzerland proving pivotal as the ‘Gers advanced on away goals.

He has been earning plenty of plaudits among coaches and ex-Rangers players, with development team boss Graeme Murty saying he has “all the characteristics you would ascribe to an elite-level full-back” and Peter Lovenkrands intimating that the teenager reminded him of a young Alan Hutton. [via Football Insider]

Patterson will need a few games at senior level before a better judgement can be made but he might not have to wait much longer for a first team debut if the rave reviews of coaching staff are anything to go by.

Ally McCoist critical of James Tavernier’s defending

Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist was highly critical of James Tavernier following Sunday’s 3-1 win over Hamilton.

Speaking on BT Sport [via HITC], McCoist said that the 28-year-old is “brilliant going forward” but insisted that he needs to be better defensively.

He said: “We’re having this conversation every second or third week,” adding: “Your first job as a right-back is to defend and he’s not good enough at that at this moment in time.”

Verdict

McCoist is not the only one who criticised Tavernier’s defensive capabilities following the win at New Douglas Park – Jordan Carlisle of Rangers News said that the right-back “was caught out of position at times in a shaky second half”.

Last month, the 28-year-old endured an off-night in the Europa League defeat to Young Boys, with two errors leading to the Swiss team’s goals in a 2-1 loss for Steven Gerrard’s side. [via BBC]

Tavernier may be club captain but a continuation of defensively suspect performances could see his place in the team come under intense scrutiny.

Steven Gerrard commends Kai Kennedy

Steven Gerrard said that young attacker Kai Kennedy had merited his opportunity to travel and train with the first team ahead of Sunday’s 3-1 win at Hamilton.

Speaking to Rangers TV [via Rangers News], the manager said: “Kai’s trained with us all week, he got a cameo against Leicester and he earned the chance to come and train with the first team and warm up with us today.

“It’ll be a good experience for him because he’s certainly a talent. There’s a lot of work to do with him, but we certainly see a bright future for him.”

Verdict

The 17-year-old winger has featured regularly for Rangers’ youth and reserve teams this season, with two assists from seven appearances in the UEFA Youth League and Scottish Challenge Cup (as per TransferMarkt).

Also, Kennedy was named Player of the Tournament in the Alkass International Cup earlier this year, playing an integral role in Rangers’ triumph in the competition. [via The Scottish Sun]

With Gerrard calling him up to train with the first team, the teenager seems to be rated highly by the manager and may get his senior debut at some point over the next few months.

Rangers fans, what do you make of these stories concerning your club? Share your views in the comments section below!

Newcastle United fans have been going through the wringer in the last week or so – whilst the club have been linked with fresh talks of a takeover, Mike Ashley’s decision to furlough the majority of their non-playing staff has caused a stir.

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ChronicleLive reporter Mark Douglas relayed some further news in that aspect with the Magpies’ media team now on the government’s job retention scheme despite the chairman being a very wealthy billionaire. The reliable scribe called it a “shame” and many supporters have echoed that.

He also makes reference to Liverpool, the runaway league leaders, for doing exactly the same as the St James’ Park outfit too.

Newcastle have also put the scouting and recruitment team on furlough leave and they were even the first Premier League club to make such measures.

According to Forbes, Ashley is worth around $2.4bn (£1.96bn) yet the Sports Direct tycoon isn’t prepared to fully support his staff during this time of uncertainty and danger.

A poor look, but did you really expect any better?

Here’s how fans have been reacting to Douglas’ information on Twitter…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to transfer links with “another Joelinton”…

West Bromwich Albion’s quest to return to the promised land of the Premier League is looking more and more likely under Slaven Bilic.

The Baggies currently occupy top spot going into the final international break of the calendar year, and they do so holding a two-point cushion over the chasing pack of Preston North End and Leeds United.

At their current rate, the west Midlands club should surpass a points total of 92, which has been enough for automatic promotion in four of the last five Championship campaigns.

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Integral to their season so far and their future ambitions is Matheus Pereira, who joined the club on deadline day on loan – he has since gone on to score three goals and provide six assists in 11 starts, per WhoScored.

Some of the Hawthorns faithful have been describing his season to date on social media this week.

One supporter claimed he was the best player in the league while another believed he was a better version of Cristiano Ronaldo, even though this was more than likely said tongue in cheek, both players did come through the academy system at Sporting Lisbon.

A further fan of the Baggies stated that Pereira was ‘a must signing’ in the January transfer window with one more calling the 23-year-old ‘very exciting’ on his day.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Sheffield Wednesday are finally back in action this weekend, and it will be for the first time since the EFL charged them for financial misconduct.

Garry Monk has also had two weeks on the training pitch barring the absence of two international stars, so they will have surely worked on their recent troubles – game-management and goalscoring.

It makes for an exciting game as league leaders West Brom play host at the Hawthorns.

Having thrown away yet more points last time out, will the 40-year-old be prepared to make any major adjustments to his side?

Football FanCast predict that Monk will make a total of three changes as several key figures return to the lineup.

Sam Hutchinson will be needed at the base of the midfield three, his squad-high 2.2 tackles per game will be of the utmost importance when coming up against Matheus Pereira, who has managed three goals and six assists this campaign.

In front of him should be Barry Bannan and Massimo Luongo, who hasn’t been seen since his winner against Stoke City a month ago. That was his second winning goal in three games, so his influence will be vital.

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Meanwhile, Julian Borner returns to the starting XI in place of captain Tom Lees. The German was a surprise omission against Swansea City as he battled a virus – the skipper filled in, but that was his first game since August.

Out wide, Jacob Murphy keeps his spot ahead of Adam Reach with Kadeem Harris on the other side.

Steve Fletcher leads the line on his own – he’ll be hoping he can end a run of six games without a goal. It also means that Atdhe Nuhiu drops to the bench.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Football Insider, there is a strong possibility that West Brom’s loan star Grady Diangana is recalled by his parent club in January.

But Slaven Bilic may already have his replacement lying in wait at the club.

What’s the word?

Reports claim that Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is ‘increasingly attracted’ by the prospect of recalling the 21-year-old in January.

Diangana does indeed have a clause as part of his loan deal that would allow the manager to do so.

Pellegrini has been kept up-to-date with his performances at the Hawthorns, but he will only be able to act on that option during the first two weeks of January.

A source told Football Insider that the chances of that happening are “genuine” given West Ham’s struggles in front of goal – they have netted just 12 goals from 10 matches this term.

Willock in wait

Diangana has been emphatic for Bilic’s Baggies this campaign, scoring four goals and providing three assists, per WhoScored, so there’s no doubting that his departure would put a huge dent in their promotion hopes.

However, the effect will be less severe once they realise that they already have his replacement lying in wait in Chris Willock.

The former Arsenal graduate has been in red hot form for the U23s this campaign but is yet to taste senior football up in the west Midlands, he has netted two goals and laid on four assists in the Premier League 2, via Transfermarkt.

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It seems daft to have brought someone in on deadline day only to force him to play youth football.

Bilic has claimed that the 21-year-old has to wait for his opportunity while his youth teammate Jack Fitzwater believes it is only a matter of time before we see Willock line up on a Saturday.

Albion reportedly want to keep hold of him despite the lack of senior game time, so they can boost his prospects by allowing him to thrive in Diangana’s absence.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Everton boss Sam Allardyce has questioned the club’s stability in recruiting their managers, suggesting the club will get nowhere if they just spend.

What did he say?

Allardyce was picked up by Everton to save them from a situation similar to what they are in now. The former West Ham United manager took over at Goodison Park when the club were in and out of the relegation zone after a disastrous start in 2017-18.

Now, Marco Silva sits 16th in the table and only two points away from the drop yet again. Now, Allardyce told talkSPORT that the club needs stability at the helm: “Who do you get if Silva goes!?

“When I got the job I thought I’d keep it for a long period of time, that didn’t happen.

“If he’s the right man for the job, only time will tell. But since David Moyes left, which was the stability in the fact that they weren’t financially well off, then this new money comes in and Ronald Koeman comes in for one year and does exceptionally well, then that falls apart.

“If you don’t get stability it will be very difficult to bring success to Everton no matter how much you spend.”

Invest long term

David Moyes never won a trophy and failed to get Champions League football during his 11-year spell on Merseyside, but at least he gave the club long term stability.

However, now, with the heavy investment – which Moyes never had – the club must invest in a long term manager once again.

Farhad Moshiri may have thought he had this in Silva, as he is only 42. However, his tactics are questionable and the recruitment drive under his tenure has not worked out so far. Right now, Silva is struggling to prove he is the man to be trusted with a long term project.

Everton have certainly splashed the cash since the Scot left, spending £50m on Richarlison and £45m on Gylfi Sigurdsson alone, but recent results are not representative of the money spent by the club or the calibre of the players Silva has at his disposal.

If there’s any loyalty left in football then Silva is testing Moshiri’s limits right now.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Alan Hutton has praised Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga after his display against Liverpool, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The former Southampton stopper turned in an excellent performance at Anfield, making a total of 12 saves in the 2-1 defeat, as he continues to deputise for the injured Hugo Lloris.

Spurs had taken the lead in the game through Harry Kane’s first-minute header but goals from Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah, the second of which came from the penalty spot, ultimately broke the resistance of Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Nevertheless, Hutton, who played for Spurs between 2008 and 2011, believes that Gazzaniga has proved he has what it takes to be the club’s first-choice stopper.

He said: “He was brilliant, arguably give him man of the match – definitely on the Tottenham side. He’s come in a little bit out of the cold with Lloris’ injury and he’s really grabbed it.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, Lloris was having a bit of a tough spell himself. For him (Gazzaniga) to come in and put in the displays that he has, he’s really claiming for the number one spot.

“For Gazzaniga to come in and play so well, so quickly, I think he’s only going to grow in confidence. Hopefully he can keep his form up, obviously, I want them to see them doing well so I want him to play well. If he keeps his form up I can’t see how he can be dropped at the turn of the year.”

A long time coming

Lloris should have been dropped long ago.

Of course, he injured his elbow during the club’s 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion but even that came from a mistake, as he flapped under a cross and ended up falling awkwardly as the Seagulls opened the scoring.

According to the Premier League website, this season the Frenchman made two errors leading to goals prior to his injury – only Southampton defender Jan Bednarek has more to his name – while he also made one error last season.

This is not to mention the fact that Lloris was caught up in a drink-driving scandal last year, too, which could well have seen him axed from the starting XI.

He obviously retained his place, but one feels that Gazzaniga’s chance has been a long time coming.

With Lloris out, all the 27-year-old needs to keep doing is avoiding mistakes and making saves.

If he can do the former, he will already have one over on France’s World Cup winning-captain.

Some Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after spotting Chris Powell as part of the England coaching set-up.

The former Charlton and Huddersfield manager became part of Gareth Southgate’s staff at the start of September as part of the BAME programme, a move designed by the FA to “solve the challenge of under-representation”.

Powell managed the Addicks from 2011-2014, following a playing career that saw him make 214 appearances for the south Londoners.

The 50-year-old was appointed at The Valley in 2011 and went on to guide Charlton out of League One and into the Championship as champions, although he was later sacked by Roland Duchatelet just days after reportedly agreeing a new contract with the club.

After seeing their former boss on the bench for England as part of Southgate’s staff, a number of Charlton fans took to Twitter to react.

Let’s take a look at what some of the Addicks supporters said…