According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Juan Mata is in talks with Manchester United over a new deal at Old Trafford. The Spain international made the move to the Premier League giants back in 2014 after a mightily impressive time at Chelsea, with the 30-year-old having since gone on to score 42 goals in 199 appearances for the Red Devils.

Yet his contract is up at the end of the season but no new deal has yet been agreed, although discussions are reportedly taking place – discussions which should be being monitored by fellow top-flight side Everton as they seek to bring the star quality to progress with Marco Silva’s Goodison Park revolution.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the Toffees appear to be heading in the right direction following the appointment of Silva during the summer, what with his side sat ninth in the Premier League table and having won four and lost just one of their last six league games.

Thus, Everton supporters will surely be looking up and hoping that their side can challenge the top six as the season progresses, but one look at the current squad at Goodison Park and it’s clear that further star quality is needed to compete with the division’s best sides.

And someone like Mata, who has played for two of the biggest teams in the country in Chelsea and United, could be exactly what Silva is after in a bid to continue his revolution on the blue side of Merseyside.

The 30-year-old Spaniard first made the move to English football with Chelsea back in 2011 and immediately started delivering on a consistent basis for the Blues, eventually ending up with 32 goals and 58 assists in just 135 appearances for the club – there’s a reason he twice won the club’s Player of the Season award.

And while he wasn’t able to help Chelsea win the league title during his three-year stint at Stamford Bridge, he did get his hands on the FA Cup, Champions League, and Europa League trophies – thus, he possesses the sort of trophy-winning experience seriously lacking at Everton.

Add in further success at United in adding another FA Cup and Europa League crown, alongside the Carabao Cup last year, as well as World Cup and European Championship glory with Spain, and Mata’s glittering CV would certainly help an Everton team that are seeking to take the next step under new boss Silva.

Yes, the 30-year-old continues to perform when called upon for United, recent free kicks in wins over Newcastle United and Juventus underline that he still possesses incredible quality, to suggest that a new deal may seem likely, but with little over six months until his contract runs out, and no agreement yet reached, he could well leave Old Trafford.

And there’s little doubting that Silva’s revolution would benefit massively from the Spaniard’s arrival – they must be ready to pounce if contract talks break down.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has become a key player for his club and England this season, and it begs the question of how much the 21-year-old is worth now.

The Reds signed the player from Charlton Athletic in a £3.5m deal in the summer of 2015, but injury and his lack of experienced limited him to just 10 appearances in all competitions in his first two campaigns with the Merseyside outfit.

However, he became more of a key player under Jurgen Klopp last term with 31 outings in total, and he has become even more important this season with 14 of his 15 appearances coming after he was named in the starting XI.

The youngster has formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence and when he has played in the Premier League his side have only conceded on four occasions, while he has also shown his versatility by featuring at right-back when needed as well.

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His form for the Reds as led to him becoming a favourite under England boss Gareth Southgate in 2018 – he started Saturday’s Nations League win against Croatia – and he likely would have gone to the World Cup in Russia had he not been ruled out because of injury.

We at Football FanCast believe that in the current transfer climate that Gomez is worth at least 12 times (£42m) what Liverpool paid for him, and we want fans to vote on our poll below to tell us how much they feel the talented defender should be valued at right now.

It’s been a pretty poor season for Southampton this year as they’ve struggled and currently sit 17th in the table. 

Despite rescuing the club from relegation last season, Mark Hughes has been unable to stop the club’s slide down the table and unless they make some serious moves in January, they will be relegated.

According to Football Insider, Stoke City are planning a move for Saints ‘keeper, Fraser Forster if they lose Jack Butland in January. If Stoke do lose Butland, Southampton must cash in on the goalkeeper who has completely lost form and with the arrival of Angus Gunn, is probably third-choice.

The Breakdown

When Forster made the move to Southampton he started off his career on the south coast well. In the last few seasons, however, the former Celtic man’s form has dropped severely and for the second-half of last season, he was replaced by Alex McCarthy who has kept his place in the first-team this season.

Moreover, with the arrival of Angus Gunn over the summer, Fraser Forster has found himself further down the pecking order. While the former Man City man may not be the first-choice goalkeeper at the moment, he will certainly take over from McCarthy in the near future.

Forster has not featured in a matchday squad for Southampton this season and if a suitable bid comes in, they must take it. He has no future at the club, and Southampton need to get him off their books while a team is interested.

Thoughts Southampton fans? 

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Middlesbrough sit second in the Championship table on 34 points, despite scoring the fewest goals of any of the teams in the top eight.

It remains to be seen whether the lack of a regular goalscorer harms the team this season, particularly during the busy festive period.

The Chalkboard

Boro’s 2-1 win over Brentford at the weekend moved them onto 34 points, and they are two points off Championship leaders Norwich City after 18 matches.

Boro are four points clear of seventh-placed Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, and will fancy their chances of staying in and around the top six come the end of the season.

Tony Pulis’ side have comfortably the best defensive record in the Championship this season with just nine goals conceded, but the fact that they have only managed 21 down the other end of the field is a concern.

To put those numbers into context, Norwich have 32 goals this season, while the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United have 39 and 31 respectively.

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Boro will be tough to score against this season, but there is a problem in the final third as they lack a player capable of hitting the goal trail.

Who is struggling this season?

Jordan Hugill led Boro’s line against Brentford at the weekend, and the on-loan West Ham United forward scored to make it three goals in his last two matches.

It is difficult to rely on the 26-year-old for the remainder of the season, however, and the supporting cast of Britt Assombalonga and Rudy Gestede have both struggled.

Assombalonga does have five Championship goals to his name this term and is the team’s leading scorer, but his overall game has been criticised, whilst Gestede – only just back from injury – is yet to register.

Boro’s success this term has been built on a strong defence, and they also have a number of talented midfielders who have contributed this season.

Bringing a new striker to the club in January will surely be high on Pulis’ list of priorities, however, as there will be a big problem if gaps start to open down the other end of the field.

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Kieran Trippier has missed Tottenham Hotspur’s last two matches with a groin strain, but has been passed fit for Wednesday’s clash with Southampton.

Tottenham recorded a 3-1 win over Chelsea in Trippier’s absence, but suffered a 4-2 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Serge Aurier struggled against the Gunners, and Trippier is expected to be handed a spot in the starting XI against Southampton.

The Tottenham supporters, however, are not all that keen despite Aurier’s struggles.

Trippier – a 2015 arrival from Burnley – was excellent for Tottenham last season, and was also one of England’s key players en route to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

Some of the defender’s performances this season have been a bit disappointing though.

The 28-year-old has scored once and provided four assists from right-back this term, but his defensive work has been criticised on a number of occasions.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Tottenham fans can be seen below:

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Leeds fans on Twitter were buzzing with the performance of loanee Izzy Brown as he continued his recovery from injury by starring in the U23’s 6-3 win over Burnley on Tuesday.

The Chelsea man managed 90 minutes in the tie, and he even netted the Whites’ fourth goal to really up the excitement among the Elland Road faithful.

Brown was somewhat of a controversial signing when he joined in the summer under new boss Marcelo Bielsa, as he was still some way off a return to action having suffered knee ligament damage while on loan with Premier League side Brighton.

Many Leeds fans would have already been wary of signing injured players, as both Tyler Roberts and Aapo Halme were out of action when they joined the club in the previous January.

Brown though now looks like he could be an excellent acquisition, and Leeds fans on Twitter are clearly keen to see him in the first team as soon as possible.

Check out some of the best reaction to his performance against the Burnley youngsters below.

According to the BBC, Cardiff manager Neil Warnock is interested in signing Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne in January. 

The move would see a reunion between the pair, after they worked with one another when Warnock was manager of Crystal Palace.

The England international has not featured for The Reds this season in the Premier League, and has had to settle with a League Cup appearance, as he is clearly not the favourite at Anfield under manager Jürgen Klopp. The German prefers 20-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Clyne has been left out in the cold.

However, The Reds have been exposed recently to have a severe lack of right-backs. Injuries to TAA and Clyne saw Klopp field James Milner as a right-back against Bournemouth last week. It would be absurd for Liverpool to let Clyne and leave only one player in that position left at the club, regardless of how unpopular he is.

Therefore, if The Reds are to dispense of Clyne, it is imperative that they have already recruited a new face, or at least lined up a replacement, particularly as it is unclear as to how long TAA will be out for.

Should Liverpool recruit someone in the right-back position, it is only fair that they let Clyne leave. The 27-year-old will feel that he is in the prime of his career and will not want to rot away on the bench at Anfield. Cardiff would offer the perfect opportunity to play regular football, with the prospect of enticing other Premier League clubs to make an offer for him in the summer.

Last night saw Unai Emery gift Aaron Ramsey with a rare start, and the Welshman failed to make good on his opportunity. After the game, whilst the Gunners were picking apart the loss on Twitter, one fan account tweeted claiming the Welshman had a good game, just to receive dozens of tweets disagreeing about Ramsey’s outing.

The Gunners were fuming at Ramsey after the loss to Spurs. Whilst the 27-year-old has been at the club for over ten years now, the fans will still be quick to slate him if he falls below expectations, and last night saw him do exactly that. Overall, he was off his game and tried too many fancy flicks and touches in a game where they simply weren’t necessary.

The fans would much rather have seen Henrikh Mkhitaryan stay on the pitch after half-time and Aaron Ramsey make way for Laurent Koscielny, as that would have seen Granit Xhaka come out of the back four and into midfield, although it seems Unai Emery got that one wrong as his instinct to give Ramsey the full 90 minutes backfired spectacularly as the Gunners fell to a 2-0 defeat against the old enemy.

You can see what the Gunners thought of Ramsey’s display here:

The Gunners were far from happy with Ramsey yesterday and will be keen to see the Welshman improve significantly in the next few weeks if he wants to try and earn a new contract and stay at the club.

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Everton have certainly come a long way in a short space of time since the end of last season, but it will be a huge test of their progress under Marco Silva when Tottenham visit Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Lilywhites have been in fine form in recent weeks and will be on a high after their North London derby win in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. History would also give them a strong advantage over the Toffees, as in the Premier League era they have won 25 of the 52 league meetings between the two teams, with Everton only winning eight times.

Everton though will be hoping to use the extra rest they have been afforded to their advantage, having not played since their 3-1 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend. With Silva at the helm and some strong summer business though Everton are now a completely different prospect.

Ahead of the 4:00pm kickoff on Sunday, we’ve asked two experts for their opinions on the clash. In the blue corner is chief editor of Read Everton and Toffees fan Elliott Cuff, whilst Tottenham fan and TT writer Josh Raisey will be supporting Mauricio Pochettino’s cause…

After their North London derby win during mid-week and the huge result against Barcelona, are we starting to see the best of this Tottenham team?

Josh: “I think so. The majority of the team looked slow and sluggish at the beginning of the season, which could have been down to the intense summer. But they now look re-energised, and Pochettino must be praised for that and the way he has rotated his squad. With the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele to return, they will only get stronger.”

Elliott: “I think we are (seeing the best of Spurs). Tottenham certainly have so much quality, and now they are building up that momentum that will carry them through the busy festive period. Tottenham are blessed with one of the best managers in world football, and with the confidence they must have currently, they’re a threat to any side.

“Everton will have a tough task on their hands, and are probably playing the London side at the worst time.”

Everton look transformed under Marco Silva, what has impressed you most about them so far this season?

Elliott: “Attitude, without question. Whether Everton have had the strongest team or not, the club’s defining trait in recent years has been their inability to step up to the plate in the more difficult games. Too often Everton have cowed under pressure, and happily rolled over against tough opponents. We saw this last year under Sam Allardyce, where he’d go into a tough game aiming only for a draw.

“Under Silva, we’ve seen Everton fight tooth and nail for every point on offer, and they’ve believed they can win in every game. They’ve no longer accepted being second best, and if anything, the only thing you can judge a team on is its willingness and drive to be better and to do the fans proud, and thankfully that’s what Silva has brought out of this team.”

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Everton tried to play out from the back against Manchester City and were caught out, do you expect them to play the same way against Spurs and could this play into the visitors’ hands?

Elliott: “I would still expect Everton to play out from the back, but a formational change is what I’m anticipating. Silva likes to build from back to front, and that has often worked in Everton’s advantage, however against City the set-up proved to be ineffective. Everton looked to flood the midfield while using three centre-halves to create a sort of defensive wall, but as many teams have found out this season, it’s difficult to neutralise City’s threat.

“Added to that how Everton’s defensive three struggled positionally in a formation they hadn’t played before, I think Silva will bring it back to the drawing board positionally, but will still look to keep his style consistent.”

Do Spurs have any obvious weaknesses that Everton can exploit?

Josh: “In the first North London Derby of the season, Arsenal highlighted that Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko were not that composed on the ball and exposed them a bit. With Dier out, Winks is likely to start, and is much more comfortable with the ball at his feet, and may alleviate that problem.

“Also, in the absence of Juan Foyth, Sanchez and Vertonghen in recent matches, Ben Davies has been deployed as a centre-back. Without Dier in midfield, Tottenham are left looking pretty weak when it comes to defending set-pieces, particularly if Everton opt to field Kurt Zouma, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane again.”

Where might Tottenham get their joy against this Everton side?

Elliott: “Definitely in Everton’s final third. If Everton decide to absorb Tottenham’s possession football and sit back instead of coming flying out of the starting blocks, then Spurs should have some joy dealing with Everton’s back-line. Keane, Zouma and Mina have all been pretty solid this season, but after a run of disappointing results Everton have found themselves in a slight slump, and Harry Kane possesses enough quality to bully Everton’s defenders.

Seamus Coleman has also struggled considerably in recent weeks, so Heung-min Son could well do some damage on the left flank for Tottenham.”

So, where will this game be lost and won?

Elliott: “It all comes down to the midfield for me. Everton have a pretty strong midfield trio in Idrissa Gueye, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Gomes, but Tottenham also have strong options in those positions. Whoever can control that area will likely dictate the tempo of the game, and that will prove to be essential in dictating how the game will likely turn out.

“Tottenham will be favourites to do so, given the quality they possess in that area, but Everton are strong too, particularly with Gomes who is in the form of his career right now. It’ll be interesting to see which way the paradigm will shift, and whether Everton will be able to steal the spotlight from Spurs who will be expecting to dominate the lion-share of possession.”

And finally, what are your score predictions?

Josh: “3-1 to Tottenham.”

Elliott: “Everton don’t have a good record against Tottenham, and I don’t look forward to such games. Although I hate to sound negative, I’d lean towards a Tottenham win, 2-0. Fingers crossed I’m wrong!”

According to Sky Sports, Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane will face Manchester City in their pivotal Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night following his altercation with Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner during his team’s 5-1 win at Anfield on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

Well, Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah once again all started against the Gunners, and manager Jurgen Klopp would have been desperate for them to all come through the clash unscathed ahead of the visit to Pep Guaridola’s men on Thursday.

While that happened in terms of them staying injury-free, the fact that Mane placed his hands around the throat of Lichtsteiner in the seventh minute meant that retrospective action was always a possibility, with a potential ban seeing him miss the vital title fixture.

However, Sky Sports have now confirmed that the Senegal international will not face any FA action, which won’t be well received by one person in particular.

Bad news for Kyle Walker

Following a less than convincing display littered with errors in the defeat to Crystal Palace last month, the England international was only a late substitute against Leicester City and then didn’t come on at all against Southampton on Sunday with Danilo starting at right-back.

However, it is surely expected that he will return to the starting XI for the visit of Klopp’s men given his experience in huge games like these, and he would have been desperately hoping that Mane would be banned given the ability he has and the fact that he scored his eighth Premier League goal of the season against Arsenal.

Instead, the speedy 26-year-old is now available and will cause Walker plenty of issues with his pace and skill, and could easily play a key role in which way the result goes on Thursday night.

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