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Reported Everton target Tanguy Ndombele produced a brilliant performance for Lyon as they picked up a goalless draw in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie with Barcelona at the Lyon Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, surely ending the Merseyside outfit’s chances of signing him.

On the chalkboard

Well, The Liverpool Echo reported in November that Toffees chief scout Martyn Glover had been sent to watch the powerful 22-year-old midfielder in action, with the media outlet reporting at the time that the France international was worth £40m.

The Liverpool Echo said that the interest in the Ligue 1 star was evidence that Marco Silva and Marcel Brands were keen to bolster the team’s options in the centre of the park across the January transfer window and then in the summer, which could be a priority given they did no business in that area last month.

Andre Gomes is only on loan from Barcelona, Idrissa Gueye has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain while 20-year-old Tom Davies has captained the team in recent weeks.

Could they sign Ndombele?

In a word, no.

Any chance they did have of bringing him to Goodison Park have surely vanished after his latest display in Europe, where he produced a display full of quality and composure against some of the best players in world football.

Not only did the powerful Frenchman shine from a defensive point of view – which is of course important given his usual deep-lying position – but he also made an impact going forward for the Ligue 1 outfit as well, as you can see from his WhoScored stats, as he completed five dribbles and was successful with all three long balls he attempted.

Everton may well be keen to strengthen their midfield this summer, but they won’t be getting Ndombele whose price will be soaring and who will surely be attracting interest from the very best clubs in Europe as he continues to excel at the highest level.

Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne could miss the rest of the Premier League season after sustaining a collar bone injury in Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman suffered a nasty-looking collarbone injury in the defeat to Spurs that manager Steven Gerrard fears could sideline the 28-year-old for the remainder of the campaign.

Gerrard said to the media after the game: “I’m concerned and worried about it because he’s in a sling right now. We’ve got a collarbone issue rather than a shoulder issue. If it’s what we fear, it could be season over.

“We’ll analyse it in the next 24 hours in terms of scans and we’ll have a medical report on it but the doctors have said they are worried and concerned and that tells you the story.”

It’s not the first injury Digne has suffered since making the move from Everton in January with the Frenchman’s whole campaign being full of setbacks.

Supporters will be gutted

Although Digne was omitted from the Everton team by former manager Rafa Benitez for the final four games of his time at Goodison Park, the signing of the left-back was certainly exciting for Villa fans.

The Frenchman, who was purchased for £25m, has an excellent pedigree having earned 44 senior caps for France as well as playing for both PSG and Barcelona.

Moreover, Digne averages 1.7 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game as well as having a 77% passing accuracy.

However, since making the move to the West Midlands, a tricky season for the 28-year-old has been made worse with numerous injury setbacks, making settling into the side tricky for Digne.

Saturday was the third time the left-back has had to be withdrawn from a game due to injury since joining Aston Villa, all of which being separate issues.

Moreover, with Matt Targett currently on loan at Newcastle United, Gerrard is now short of options at left-back with 36-year-old Ashley Young the only other alternative.

Villa have already lost their last four matches in the league so without Digne, it could mean dire consequences for the rest of the season.

In other news: Forget Martinez: Villa dud who lost the ball every 3.6 touches failed Gerrard’s test

Since their promotion to the Premier League back in 2018, Wolves have reasserted themselves as a solid Premier League side.

They finished seventh in their first two seasons back in the top flight, and after sustaining something of a blip finishing in a 13th place the season in 2020/21, now look as though they will add to their consistency of finishing in the top half of the table with what looks to be, but not guaranteed, an eighth-place finish.

However, while their position in the table looks positive, they have struggled to score goals this season, averaging just one goal per match, a stat that places them 16th, just ahead of the likes of Watford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and Norwich City.

As such, it is clear to see they need some more creativity in attack, so the latest reports will surely be welcomed by Old Gold supporters.

What’s the word?

According to a report from Spanish outlet Super Deporte, two Premier League teams have enquired about signing Sevilla’s versatile winger; Lucas Ocampos.

The two Premier League teams in question are West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Whilst West Ham have asked Sevilla about the situation of the Argentine attacker, Wolves are tipped to pip them to the signing due to their positive relationship with the Andalusian club, after Rafa Mir joined Sevilla last summer.

It is said that the Spanish outfit want Ocampos to renew his contract for another year, giving them the opportunity to add a release clause of between €70m-€90m (£58m-£75m), with Sevilla not prepared to sell the Argentine attacker for less than that.

A source of creativity

It is no secret that Trincao’s loan spell from Barcelona has not exactly gone to plan from a Wolves perspective – with the £131k-per-week winger having so far scored just one goal and provided one assist over his 24 Premier League outings.

And whilst there have been glimpses of quality from the young Portuguese winger, they need consistency in their attacking line.

Ocampos can offer just that.

In three of the last four seasons, the £27m-rated attacker who journalist Fede Prami dubbed “electric” has notched up 10 or more goal contributions and has demonstrated his ability to hit the back of the net, having scored an impressive 14 league goals during the 2019/20 season in La Liga.

Wolves’ efforts to boost their offensive threat could well lie in the form of the £26k-per-week Lucas Ocampos, who would undoubtedly offer Bruno Lage a great deal more than Trincao.

AND in other news: Lage could unearth Wolves’ next Neves as Shi plots £25m bid for 17 y/o sensation

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in the race for a top-four finish as the Lilywhites lost 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard bagging a last-minute winner.

Antonio Conte’s men were lacklustre in front of goal, managing just five shots all game, none of which were on target, whilst Brighton managed to get five of their 12 shots on target.

Despite staying in fourth, the defeat will provide an opportunity for Spurs’ rivals in the top four race to make up ground as we enter the final weeks of the season.

No player in a Tottenham shirt can hold their head up high after the defeat, with Emerson Royal, Heung-min Son, Eric Dier all being well below-par.

However, it was undoubtedly left wing-back Sergio Reguilon who was the worst of the bunch against Brighton.

According to SofaScore, the Spaniard enjoyed just 46 touches all afternoon, as well as lost possession on 12 separate occasions – meaning he gave away the ball with every 3.8 touches.

Moreover, the 25-year-old failed to complete a single dribble, attempting just one.

Furthermore, there was also little defensive prowess from the wing-back, who failed to make a single interception, clearance or block, in addition to making just one tackle all afternoon.

Most of all though, Reguilon’s passing was well below par, with the Spaniard’s 62% accuracy – completing just 17 of his 28 attempted passes – being the worst out of Spurs’ starting lineup.

The left wing-back has had a decent season – for the most part – this term, averaging a 6.92 SofaScore match rating. However, against Brighton, the 25-year-old mustered a 6.6.

Against the Seagulls, Reguilon made his sixth appearance in Spurs’s last seven in the league – having missed the 5-1 win over Newcastle with a knock – and had certainly been earning his place in the side back after falling down the pecking order.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in early February, the wing-back who John Wenham claimed is the “worst of the bunch” and Tom Young labelled “pathetic” went a month without game time in the league before being reintroduced against Everton last month as the Lilywhites won 5-0, with Reguilon scoring.

What is for certain is that lacklustre displays as Tottenham pick up poor results won’t pass the grade for Conte, and Reguilon will certainly have to produce better performances over the remaining weeks of the season to ensure that his place in the side is a certainty going into next season.

AND in other news: Source: Insider drops major Spurs claim on £30m maestro, it’s great news for Conte

It’s safe to say that Yannick Bolasie’s best years are behind him, but those best years were certainly during his time at Crystal Palace.

The now 32-year old moved to Selhurst Park in 2012 for £567k from Palace’s fellow Championship side at the time Bristol City.

Current director of football at Palace Dougie Freedmen, who was manager when the transfer took place, described the transfer as ‘easy’ in an interview for the club’s Amazon Prime documentary.

According to him, Bristol City ‘felt sorry for the player’ after Palace had just thrashed them 4-1.

As far as signings go, easy or not, it turned out to be a good one for the Eagles. He was a key part to their promotion success and had ten goal contributions by the end.

However, it was his form in the Premier League that raised eyebrows, particularly in the 14/15 and 15/16 season where he tallied 24 goal contributions in 60 games.

Described as “wonderful” by Tony Pulis’ assistant, Gerry Francis, he was also dubbed ‘dazzling’ and ‘an entertainer’ and it wasn’t long until he was attracting interest from some bigger clubs in the Premier League.

A move eventually came and it was to Everton for £25m, but he failed to repeat the form he showed in south London when he moved to Merseyside.

Bolasie saw out his five-year contract but it was a transfer nightmare for the Toffees with the Congo international only making 32 appearances and being involved in just six goals during his time at Goodison.

The period included various loan spells to Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Sporting Lisbon and Middlesbrough. It’s also worth noting that he missed a year’s worth of action due to an injury.

So what went wrong? Well whilst the 32-year-old record at Palace was good, at the time £25m seemed a lot, and if he was that good then why weren’t clubs like Manchester City or Chelsea snapping him up at the time?

Maybe it’s because they were able to attract a higher quality of player due to being in the Champions League and therefore not having to shell out £25m for a player who turned out to be ‘average’.

After leaving Everton last summer Bolasie joined Turkish side Caykur Rizespor on a free transfer and is now worth just £608k. On that evidence, it’s safe to say they struck gold by selling him when they did.

IN other news: Vieira now heading for huge disaster over CPFC’s £27m-rated “absolute tank”…

Tottenham Hotspur are aiming to bolster Antonio Conte’s backline this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claims that Spurs have three central defenders on their radar ahead of next season, one of which being Lille colossus Sven Botman, who was heavily pursued by Newcastle United in January.

Conte’s former Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig gem Josko Gvardiol also feature on their shortlist.

Taking Spurs to the next level

It would be quite the statement to beat the Saudi-backed Magpies to Botman’s signature in the summer and he would be a signing that helps elevate the north Londoners onto the next level.

The Lilywhites have lost just once in the Premier League since the Italian’s arrival in November but still remain some way off the sides inside the top four, as the man himself referenced following their defeat to Chelsea last month.

“I have to think that in 14 days we lost three times to Chelsea. It means there’s a different level between us and them,” he told reporters (via football.london).

“To lose three games in 14 days means they are much stronger than you, as a team and as a squad.

“You have to accept this but only after a performance like tonight. Because we tried everything to get a big result here. But sometimes it’s not enough, especially when you play against this type of team. This club are on another level compared to us.”

Indeed, they are the Champions of Europe after all but they are the only side to have bested Spurs in the top-flight, so that’s an encouraging sign about the future under Conte.

The 52-year-old must be backed quite heavily in the summer if he’s to bridge the gap to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.

A place in the top four isn’t out of reach either but it must be built upon and they can do so with the arrival of a player like Botman – a young but ready-made talent fit for the physicality of the Premier League.

Alongside Cristian Romero and Eric Dier, Spurs could have quite the backline and results like the ones against the Blues will quickly become a thing of the past.

The 22-year-old Dutch international played a crucial role in Lille clinching the Ligue 1 title over Paris Saint-Germain last season, where he featured in 37 games and averaged 3.2 aerial duels won, 3.2 clearances and 1.5 interceptions, via WhoScored.

His former manager Christophe Galtier waxed lyrical about his influence back in October 2020. He said (via the Ligue 1 official website):

“In football, you have leaders who are vocal, ones who gesticulate and ones who shake the team up… I have a few of those but you also have people who lead by example, through their performances, and it’s true that Sven is emerging as this type of leader.”

Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, Botman is the sort of signing that could take Spurs onto the next level and given the lack of top-quality defenders at the club, he’s someone that Conte would surely love to land this summer.

AND in other news, Conte may have an even better Eden Hazard at Spurs in “explosive” £27m-rated “monster”…

Jordan Campbell has been left buzzing over some Glasgow Rangers news which has now emerged involving James Tavernier.

The Lowdown: Players’ POTY

The Ibrox club announced on Sunday night that Tavernier has won the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year Award (POTY).

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The right-back has been dubbed the team’s best performer in both the Premiership and the Europa League, scoring an astounding 13 goals and supplying a further 15 assists in both competitions combined (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Campbell reacts

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Campbell buzzed over the update as it was announced, claiming that Tavernier was the ‘clear choice’ alongside Calvin Bassey as Young Player as he stated:

“The clear choice this season, along with Bassey as young player.

“I think this is the best football Tavernier has played of his career as his overall game has been brilliant under Van Bronckhorst.

“He looks more emboldened than ever.”

The Verdict: Deserved

The reward for Tavernier is so well-deserved, and as Campbell suggests, the right-back really seems to have stepped up his game under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Under Steven Gerrard earlier this season, the Englishman had managed three goals in total over all competitions. Since Van Bronckhorst’s arrival, he has added another nine, including six crucial strikes in the Europa League to help them all the way to the semi-finals (Transfermarkt).

The captain has certainly led by example, especially in Europe, and while they slack behind Celtic in the Premiership, this could still be a quite remarkable season if they manage to go all the way in the Europa League.

In other news, find out who the Gers are now targeting this summer

Laurens De Bock is still on the books at Leeds United, some four years after joining the club…

Christiansen flop

You could be forgiven for forgetting that name but the Belgian left-back was signed for £3m by Thomas Christiansen back in January 2018, his third arrival of the January transfer window.

The 29-year-old would only go onto play seven times for the Yorkshire outfit, including a particularly nightmare display against Derby County before he lost his place to 19-year-old Tom Pearce.

Ever since then, he’s been out on loan time and time again and appears to be set to finally depart Elland Road at the expiration of his £15k-per-week contract this summer.

Still under contract

By the time Marcelo Bielsa arrived, De Bock was deemed surplus to requirements but finding a permanent exit for him since then has proven a very difficult task.

The former Belgium U21 international has been out on loan to four different clubs, featuring for Oostende, Sunderland, ADO Den Haag and finally Zulte Waregem, where he has been since July 2020.

And they are getting fair service from the Leeds loanee, having made 54 appearances over the last year-and-a-half, including 22 matches this season where he has often taken the armband.

At least they are getting their money’s worth, right?

It remains to be seen exactly how much of his wages – if any – the Whites are covering, especially given the fact that he’s not been seen on the pitch for the club since March 2018 but either way, he has been robbing chairman Andrea Radrizzani dry for a whopping 213 weeks – and counting.

If, for instance, Leeds were paying his salary in full, then he would’ve cost around £6.2m in total – nearly £1m per game and £9,841 per minute of game time.

De Bock has been one absolutely disastrous signing for Leeds regardless of how much they paid overall.

AND in other news, Bielsa could have a new Jansson in Leeds’ 18 y/o “massive talent” who’s shades of Van Dijk…

Aston Villa certainly kept themselves busy behind the scenes during the recent January transfer window in terms of the deals they managed to get done, with several new players arriving and a few of the existing squad moving out on loan.

Now that the winter market has closed, it seems as though a clue has been dropped regarding one particular deal which could be under the spotlight once the summer transfer window opens.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Villa rejected a £30m bid during the recent January transfer window for Douglas Luiz and “will listen to offers around the £35m mark in the summer.”

Villa struck a deal with fellow Premier League side Manchester City back in 2019 to sign the midfielder for a reported fee of £15m.

Since then, the Brazilian has gone on to make a name for himself at Villa Park, becoming an important figure for the team with a total of 94 appearances under his belt across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing eight assists along the way.

With John McGinn being the only Villa midfielder to have racked up more minutes in the Premier League this season that Luiz, this highlights just how vital the Brazilian is for the team in that area of the pitch.

Gerrard would be furious

The importance of the 23-year-old for the Villans so far this season in terms of his performances is reflected in WhoScored currently listing him as the squad’s third-highest rated player with an overall rating of 6.91/10. Therefore, it’s safe to say that he would be a big miss for the team if he ends up leaving in the summer.

Also, with Steven Gerrard recently saying that he and his coaching staff rate the £31.5m-rated star “extremely high,” he would surely be furious to see the club potentially selling Luiz in the summer, which would be an unforgivable disaster for Johan Lange to sanction.

With journalist John Percy recently claiming that the Midlands club are looking to open talks with the midfielder with a view to signing a new contract with Villa, this should give the Holte End faithful some hope that the 23-year-old won’t be leaving in the summer.

In other news: Villa dealt big blow on “intelligent” rarely-seen 19 y/o, he could have been Carney 2.0

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United and their transfer interest in midfielder Philippe Coutinho…

What’s the talk?

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Magpies are plotting a major bid for the Brazilian as they are able to match Barcelona’s valuation of his services and they are willing to meet his wage demands to bring him in this summer.

The report claims that Aston Villa have the option to sign him for £33m (€40m) at the end of his current loan spell with the English side, however, the Toon are now hoping to hijack the deal.

He’ll get SJP rocking

Coutinho can get St. James’ Park rocking if he arrives on Tyneside next season as he is a proven Premier League performer who has the quality to be a huge player for Eddie Howe.

He has showcased his ability at this level for both Liverpool and Villa and this means that he would be less of a gamble than bringing in someone who has not played in the English top flight. Newcastle know what they will get from him and, for that reason, he would be a smart signing by PIF.

His former Reds teammate Roberto Firmino previously dubbed him as “phenomenal” and claimed that the 29-year-old has “magical powers.”

It is easy to see why he has been showered in praise when you look at his statistics in England. In 201 games for Liverpool, Coutinho scored 54 goals and provided 45 assists from attacking midfield, while he has also been in fine form for Villa since returning to the country in January – scoring four goals and producing three assists in just 12 outings.

He has also proven himself abroad, with 11 goals and nine assists in 38 games for Bayern Munich and 39 goal contributions in 106 outings for Barcelona. The midfielder has shown that he can do it in the Premier League, the Bundesliga and La Liga, whilst he has also scored 20 goals at international level for Brazil.

Therefore, St. James’ Park would be rocking with excitement at the prospect of Coutinho lining up in black and white next season. He has the ability to have a massive impact in the final third with his goals and assists and he can help Howe’s team to fight in the top half of the table by winning matches with his sublime quality on the ball.

Now, it is down to PIF to excite the fans by getting this deal over the line…

AND in other news: Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”