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With Sunderland’s 48-year-long trophy drought now dead and buried, the Mackems can start looking towards a brighter future under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Sunderland’s new owner has immense hunger and the club are already reaping the rewards from a change in hand at the top.

What’s the word?

Louis-Dreyfus hasn’t really had a chance to be involved in Sunderland’s recruitment yet but the club are already targeting new players ahead of next season.

Jermain Defoe has been mentioned as someone who could come to the Stadium of Light, but for now, the focus is on youth.

According to Chronicle Live, the Black Cats have taken Gateshead’s Danny Greenfield on trial for two weeks.

The 20-year-old has caught the eye in the middle of the park for the National League North side and is being watched by a number of EFL sides.

Sunderland have been the first to act and will now take a closer look at Greenfield over the next fortnight.

The midfielder was once on the books of Manchester United and Barnsley.

Louis-Dreyfus vision in place

It’s thought that if Greenfield does sign for the Mackems on a permanent basis then he’ll initially link up with the U23 side.

This has been a part of the club that’s been neglected by the previous owners so it bodes well that Louis-Dreyfus is already looking to build on the academy.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

He said when he first joined the club: “I look forward to supporting our new academy leadership group as we strive to deliver a best-in-class youth system with a clear talent pathway through to the senior squad.”

Indeed, the new owner has been keen to act where others haven’t. He has built a completely new structure at the academy level and is now looking to bring in fresh faces too.

This marks a huge change at the Academy of Light. In recent years, we’ve seen Sunderland as a place where young players are quick to depart. They failed to win a single game last season and you can hardly blame them considering the players they’ve lost.

During Stewart Donald’s tenure, he witnessed Josh Maja, Sam Greenwood, Bali Mumba, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer, Joe Hugill and Logan Pye all depart.

However, Louis-Dreyfus has a different vision. He wants to supply young players for the first-team and that may well start with the addition of Greenfield.

He seemingly has a bright future ahead of him and has produced some promising performances for Gateshead this term, registering two assists and scoring once; a wonderful volley from outside the box.

Their player-manager Mike Williamson, once of Newcastle, only has good things to say about him: “He’s done extremely well since he came back, and he is improving so much. We have given him a new contract and told him that he will get opportunities in the side,” he commented.

“He has grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, and he has so much ability,” Williamson concluded.

Greenfield is clearly very gifted; he’d be a smart way to start Louis-Dreyfus’ long-term vision in the north-east.

AND in other news, Forget Gooch: Sunderland star who made 8 key passes was their true hero at Wembley…

Leeds United prospect Cody Drameh has been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for February, as revealed by the club’s official website.

The latest on Drameh

The 19-year-old right-back, signed from Fulham last year, played his part in a perfect month for Mark Jackson’s side, who sit top of the Division 2 table after keeping three clean sheets in four successive victories.

Manchester City’s Liam Delap and Manchester United’s Shola Shoretire – who have both had first team exposure at their respective clubs this season – are also among the award nominees.

This is great news for Leeds

Drameh could be making his way into the first team soon if he continues to perform in this way. However, whether the England under-20 international is ready to come into Marcelo Bielsa’s still remains a huge unknown.

The teenager has played 17 times in Premier League 2 this season and picked up two assists (Transfermarkt). His performances at that level have seen him receive rave reviews from numerous Leeds fans, while club commentator Thomas Hill described his most recent display as “outstanding”.

The future certainly seems bright for Drameh, who is doing his chances of a first team breakthrough no harm with his deserved shortlisting for the Player of the Month prize. Keep an eye on this one, Whites!

In other news, Noel Whelan has discussed this Leeds duo!

Carlo Ancelotti reportedly wants Everton to sign both Isco and Lucas Vazquez when the summer transfer window comes along, according to Defensa Central.

As per the outlet, both players are wanted by the Italian boss in order to try and convince James Rodriguez to stay with the Goodison Park faithful beyond the 2020/21 term.

The Colombia international has apparently not quite fully adapted to life in England yet and is having doubts about staying at the Merseyside club.

He allegedly wants to return to Spain and has not ruled out that possibility, as the Toffees are working to try and keep hold of the 29-year-old.

Both Isco and Vazquez are thought to be players that Ancelotti would like to sign in order to try and convince Rodriguez to stay, given that they all used to be teammates at Real Madrid.

Signing Isco and Vazquez could be smart business by Everton

Signing both Isco and Vazquez could turn out to be smart business by the Blues, especially if it means that Rodriguez is more likely to stay.

Isco was dubbed as an ‘outstanding talent’ by pundit Danny Mills back in November when EFC were linked with a January move for him, and has vast amounts of experience playing at the highest level, including in the UEFA Champions League, where Everton will surely be setting their sights in the longer term given their strong position in the Premier League at the moment.

Vazquez could also be another handy option to have and can fill in at right-back as well as playing on the wing if needed.

Isco is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, and Vazquez at £13.5m, totalling £31.5m for the duo, which may be a decent price in today’s market.

In other news, find out what recent Ancelotti comments have been lauded here!

It appears as though Leeds United are already prepared to wave off some senior members of their squad as the summer transfer window approaches. Ezgjan Alioski has been linked to an exit from Elland Road for some months and it now looks as though the chapter is firmly closing on his era in Yorkshire.

According to Football Insider, the left-back has instructed his agent to start looking for a new club. He is well into the final six months of his current contract with Leeds and will become a free agent once the season ends with negotiations proving unfruitful between him and the club.

At the moment, Alioski is Marcelo Bielsa’s only senior defender who can naturally play on the left. His only other option is Leif Davis, who has just 14 first team appearances for the Whites since signing from Morecambe in 2018, as per Transfermarkt. The 21-year-old is coming along nicely in terms of his progression, but he is nowhere near ready to become Leeds’ first choice left-back next season.

Victor Orta must scour the market for a replacement for Alioski, who looks to be definitely headed for the door. The North Macedonia international will free up a weekly wage of £55,000, which will give Andrea Radrizzani a good budget to move into the transfer window with.

Although the club haven’t offered him a new contract, Alioski has still been a valuable member of the team, both this season and last.

He has missed just two Premier League fixtures this term and has two goals to his name so far. He may not be high up the priority list in terms of personnel, but he is the only senior left-back Leeds have right now. Replacing him must be one of the first things they look to do once the window opens or they will be left seriously exposed on the left flank with just Davis and no real back up to cover.

In other news, Leeds target Nicolas N’Koulou commits fewer fouls than Cooper & Koch…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United man Steve Howey has been discussing Manchester City’s reported interest in Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

The Citizens are reportedly ready to splash the cash in the summer transfer window and Kane is one name who has been touted as a potential option, with Pep Guardiola no doubt looking to bring in a replacement for the legendary Sergio Aguero, who looks likely to leave this summer when his contract expires.

Kane has enjoyed a superb season so far with Spurs, contributing 13 goals and 11 assists in just 20 top-flight appearances, resulting in an outstanding 7.82 average rating – the best of any player in the Premier League.

Therefore, considering his superb form with the North London club in recent years, it seems fair to suggest that he would be an exceptional addition to this City side, should they manage to prise him away from the Lilywhites and Daniel Levy in the summer.

Asked if he’d like to see City sign Kane, Howey told FFC exclusively:

“Imagine how many goals he’d score at Man City. He’d score about five a game, the amount of chances he would get. He scores goals on his own, he creates his own goals. It’s basically like having four Heung-Min Sons in the same team. He would be absolutely lethal. For me, I think that he would be a better signing than [Erling] Haaland.”

Howey clearly rates Kane highly and seems to think that Kane would be even more prolific if he joined City, due to the number of chances they create.

He also suggests that he would be a better signing than Erling Haaland, who has also been linked with City, as he continues to star in the Bundesliga following his move to Borussia Dortmund from RB Salzburg.

Kane certainly boasts more experience in the Premier League than Haaland would, and whilst the Norwegian is clearly destined for an amazing future, it is difficult to see the England captain not being a huge success with City should he make the move to the Etihad next summer.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Fernandinho: Txiki should complete swoop for £36m-rated beast

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has recently come out and said clubs will be lining up to sign Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Alfredo Morelos in the summer, but the 54-time Scottish champions simply can’t afford to let their star striker go.

What’s the word?

Morelos’ return to form has been welcomed by Steven Gerrard as the Colombia international has enjoyed a prolific spell since the start of the year, having fired in two goals in just three appearances across all competitions over the past couple of weeks.

The Rangers star was linked with the Ibrox exit last summer, but a move did not materialise, although this has done little to dampen down speculation over his future.

Naturally, other sides have caught wind of his situation, with German publication Sport.de recently claiming Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have the 24-year-old firmly in their sights.

The report revealed Munich are reportedly eyeing up a move for Morelos as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

Stand firm

But from Rangers’ point of view, Morelos – who earns around £33,000-per-week at Ibrox, is one of the few players Ross Wilson simply can’t afford to lose. Despite his disciplinary issues, he is far too important for their chances of future domestic and European success.

And yes, the Gers may have scored 11 goals in six Europa League games, but Morelos is still their joint top-scorer in Europe this season with a tally of two goals to his name. Whilst that might not sound like a lot, he recently broke Ally McCoist’s longstanding record, which is certainly saying something.

Apart from Morelos, Gerrard seems to be well-stocked with several options up front, as Kemar Roofe has proven to be a useful versatile asset, having scored 10 goals in 15 top-flight games. However, the 27-year-old has also shown he is rather injury-prone as he has only made one appearance since the start of the year.

Jermain Defoe is always an option, but the former England international is also 38 and has only managed to muster seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season as he has entered the twilight of his career.

It’s no wonder players like former Rangers defender Fabio Cardoso have described the Colombian as a “machine” as his phenomenal goal record arguably speaks for itself. 87 goals in 166 games for the Gers is simply astonishing.

Should Morelos depart Ibrox, Gerrard would lose an important piece of his jigsaw puzzle, which is why Ross Wilson shouldn’t even consider sanctioning a sale in the summer, should they receive an official approach.

AND in other news, Borna Barisic was Rangers’ unsung hero against Motherwell…

According to The Athletic, Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig.

What’s the story?

United were heavily linked with a move for Upamecano in the summer, with The Telegraph revealing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to pair him with Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence ahead of the new season.

The 22-year-old is one of the most sought after talents in Europe after arriving at the Red Bull Arena from sister club Red Bull Salzburg in 2017.

However, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that the Red Devils have cooled their interest in the RB Leipzig defender, who signed a new contract with the club earlier this year, which reportedly contains a release clause which will be active from next summer.

It’s subsequently been claimed that Upamecano is desperate to move to the Premier League, with former Norway striker-turned transfer guru Jan Aage Fjortoft hinting “the ball will start rolling” next summer.

This could just be the club’s feeble attempt to try and play hardball in transfer negotiations, but whatever the case may be, Ed Woodward simply must sign him at all costs or face serious consequences.

United must sign Upamecano at all costs

While the Red Devils remain interested in Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Woodward should forget about making a move for the England international, and should instead focus his efforts on prising Upamecano away from the Red Bull Arena – it would be an unforgivable error if he doesn’t land the Frenchman.

It’s fair to say that Solskjaer needs to bolster his centre-back options, as Maguire has had his fair share of criticism so far this season, while Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof simply isn’t up to scratch.

United survived a late scare against Sheffield United after David McGoldrick headed home from a corner to give the hosts a small amount of hope before Dean Henderson exorcised his demons by saving a shot from Lys Mousset.

Upamecano is certainly an option the club legend should look to consider as a genuine contender, having made 28 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, whilst he averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

Valued at £54m via Transfermarkt, in five appearances in the Champions League, Upamecano is averaging 3.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.

By comparison, Lindelof hasn’t even managed one tackle on average per game in any competition so far this season.

It goes without saying that he would be a significant upgrade on most if not all of the options currently available to Solskjaer, with Rio Ferdinand hailed him as a “formidable” beast after an outstanding display against Atletico Madrid last season.

AND in other news, Paul Pogba stole the show for Solskjaer as Man Utd edged past Sheffield United…

Crystal Palace have been handed a major transfer boost in their pursuit of Jean-Philippe Mateta after Rouven Schroder said he’s open to selling the Mainz striker.

What’s the story?

Speaking to Bild, the Mainz sporting director has told the German publication that he will consider selling the former France U21 international if the right offer arrives in January.

It’s been suggested by The Guardian, as quoted by TEAMtalk, that the Bundesliga outfit rejected a bid from Roy Hodgson’s side in the summer, believed to be somewhere in the region of €15.5m (£13m).

But Palace chairman Steve Parish must surely consider a return with a new and improved bid when the winter transfer window opens in just a few weeks time.

Better than Batshuayi

Having torn his meniscus last year, which ruled him out of action for 131 days, Mateta was determined to make amends, and it’s fair to say that he has barely put a foot wrong this season so far.

In eight appearances in the Bundesliga, the 23-year-old has scored seven goals and supplied an assist, whilst he is averaging 2.5 shots, 1.1 key passes and at least one dribble per game, via WhoScored.

It goes without saying that the last time Michy Batshuayi scored for Palace was when he bagged a brace against Bournemouth during his first loan spell at Selhurst Park back in 2019.

Batshuayi missed a golden chance to spare Hodgson’s blushes as the Eagles were beaten by Burnley at Turf Moor on Monday night.

By comparison, Mateta has been in red-hot form in Germany, as he can’t seem to stop scoring at the moment, having scored his first hat-trick of the season as Mainz cruised to a comfortable 3-1 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga at the weekend.

Palace already have several strikers on their books, including Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham, but the Frenchman would be a real upgrade on most if not all of the aforementioned options available.

Whilst both Mateta and Batshuayi have averaged similar numbers in terms of the amount of times they have been dispossessed this season, the Mainz striker is consistently outshining the Belgium international in regards to their goal-to-game ratio.

The £30k-a-week Mateta could be a natural goal threat for Palace in the middle of the pitch, whilst he would also be able to offer them more in terms of his attacking output overall, as he has shown that his all-round game is good as he can create chances for others whilst getting on the scoresheet himself.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace striker Michy Batshuayi massively let Hodgson down vs Burnley…

Aston Villa appear to have fully moved on from that fateful 2015/16 season which saw them relegated to the Championship for the first time in their Premier League history.

They narrowly missed out on a return to the second-flight last season but have come on leaps and bounds since, smashing Liverpool for seven goals earlier this season and now, they find themselves inside the top six going into the international break.

Many at Villa Park would’ve been glad to see the back of much of Tim Sherwood’s faltering squad but one player has actually thrived since then, clinching four major trophies.

That man is Idrissa Gueye, who originally signed for the Midlands outfit in a £9m deal from Lille before his £7.1m release clause was triggered by Everton.

Where is Gueye now?

The decision to include such a low figure was a disastrous decision from then-chairman Randy Lerner as Gueye’s value has skyrocketed since.

As per Transfermarkt, the Senegalese international is now worth around £21.6m, which is rather generous in itself as he’s cemented his place down among some huge names like Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe.

The 31-year-old has started seven of ten Ligue 1 matches this term, as well as featuring against Manchester United and RB Leipzig in the Champions League too.

Gueye averaged 3.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored, on PSG’s way to winning the domestic quadruple.

And whilst Villa now have the likes of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn pulling up trees in Smith’s midfield, you can’t help but feel the club could have benefitted more from a player that Sherwood once lauded as a “monster.”

The French giants paid the Toffees £30m for his signature in the summer of 2019, which makes Lerner’s call to put a £7.1m release clause within his contract look like one of the worst pieces of business Villa has ever seen.

AND in other news, Aston Villa dodged a £18.5m bullet with one target this summer…

Everton travel to Southampton this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, but Carlo Ancelotti will be forced to make changes to the side which drew with Liverpool in last weekend’s Merseyside Derby.

A reckless over-the-top foul on Thiago Alcantara from forward Richarlison saw the Brazilian shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver in the closing stages, ruling the 23-year-old out of Everton’s next three fixtures.

Richarlison has been in fine form this season with the Toffees’ joint-second-most assists (two) over five appearances, while contributing one goal and his side’s highest number of successful dribbles (16), second-most shots (16) and fourth-most key balls (four), per WhoScored.

Ancelotti will also be without captain Seamus Coleman after the Republic of Ireland international was forced off during the Merseyside Derby with a hamstring injury, while sensational summer signing James Rodriguez is a doubt after a knock sustained in a tackle with Virgil van Dijk.

With changes on the cards, then, here’s a potential starting line-up Ancelotti could favour against Southampton this Sunday…

Despite Jordan Pickford’s dangerous foul on Van Dijk which Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has insisted deserved a ban, the England international will start between the sticks on the south coast after Ancelotti stated his support.

“I think yes [Pickford should have been sent off],” said Hasenhuttl via quotes by the Daily Mail. “You cannot go like this into a duel. This is an absolutely disastrous tackle to be honest.”

Pickford has started each of Everton’s last 119 Premier League fixtures, having never missed a minute of top-flight action since his £30million move from Sunderland in 2017, and impressed Ancelotti with his focus in training this week.

“I don’t consider taking him out,” the Italian said, via quotes by The Guardian. “I saw him in training this week and he was focused, he put in a good performance in training and he was concentrated. This is what I want to see from a player.”

Everton’s line of defence will feature changes, however, with Coleman’s hamstring injury presenting Ben Godfrey with his first start since joining the Toffees in a £20m deal this summer.

“Yes, he’s going to play right-back [on Sunday],” Ancelotti stated, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne will likely all retain their places in the starting line-up, with the England centre-half heading home Everton’s initial equaliser against Liverpool and the trio all helping the Blues to start the season with four wins from five.

Andre Gomes failed to impress during his time on the field against Liverpool last weekend, with the Portuguese only offering one key pass, one successful dribble from three attempts, and two tackles from three duels, per WhoScored.

However, with Ancelotti placing his trust in the midfielder to start against Liverpool immediately upon his return from injury, it can be expected that the Italian will favour an unchanged engine room with summer signings Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure stepping out to commence proceedings at St. Mary’s.

Allan has provided Everton’s most tackles (16) and second-most shots blocked (two) in the Premier League this term, per WhoScored, while Doucoure has provided their second-most interceptions (eight) and the highest number of successful dribbles (three) from the core of Ancelotti’s midfield.

With Richarlison suspended, Ancelotti has hinted that former Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi will step into the Everton starting line-up for his first top-flight kick-off since a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in July.

“Alex is a player who works hard,” Ancelotti told the Blues’ official website. “He is fast and with his quality, he can help the team be better in certain situations.”

Iwobi, described as an “unbelievable talent” by former Toffee Joseph Yobo earlier this year, has shown in his brief outings this term that he can offer Ancelotti a stand-in for Richarlison. He has averaged a higher number of big chances created per 90 minutes in the top-flight (0.86 to 0.23) and for key balls (1.71 to 0.94), per SofaScore.

Ancelotti also has concerns over Rodriguez’s involvement in Sunday’s trip to Southampton, but has stated that the Colombian is “not definitely out” and will undergo a late fitness test to see whether or not the former Real Madrid playmaker can feature, according to the Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will once again lead the line for Everton upon their travels to the south coast, as the England international strives to score in six successive Premier League games and build on the seven already struck over the opening weeks.

Everton have won just once in their last four visits to St. Mary’s, coming in a 2-1 victory last November thanks to goals from Tom Davies and Richarlison.

AND in other news, Everton appear to have dodged a bullet in a £13.5m man courted by Marco Silva in 2019.