Sean Dyche says Jarrad Branthwaite is making ‘good progress’ toward full fitness after missing Everton’s friendly against Sligo Rovers on Friday.

The Toffees had to come from 2-0 and 3-1 down to salvage a draw against the Irish club in their first friendly of the summer — held in honour of Everton captain Seamus Coleman, who signed for the club from Sligo for just £60,000 back in 2009.

Back where it all began for SC23. ???

Thanks to @sligorovers for a good game, for the hospitality and for making Seamus’ return special for all involved. Best of luck for the rest of your season. ? pic.twitter.com/uodtDwTkDU

— Everton (@Everton) July 19, 2024

Mason Holgate scored Everton’s first goal in his first appearance for the club since returning from loans to Southampton and Sheffield United last season. And after going 3-1 down, two late strikes in two minutes from Portuguese youngster Youssef Chermiti spared Everton’s blushes.

Everton were missing a number of players for their trip to Ireland, including experienced defender James Tarkowski, Scottish right-back Nathan Patterson and former England international Dele Alli.

“He [Tarkowski] has got a minor niggle at this stage and we have to be careful,” Dyche told Everton‘s official website of Tarkowski after the match. “We’ve got some other players we’re just being a bit careful with – they’re okay, just a few niggles that we’re going to monitor but nothing too serious. We’re hopeful with Tarky, hopefully it’s nothing.”

Branthwaite ‘making good progress’

Most notable, however, was the absence of Branthwaite, who has been the subject of much transfer speculation this summer.

The 22-year-old was among Everton’s standout players last season as he helped the Toffees finish 15th and 14 points clear of relegation despite suffering an eight-point deduction.

Branthwaite’s form saw him pick up his first senior cap for England prior to Euro 2024, although he ultimately failed to make Gareth Southgate’s final squad for the run to the final.

The former Carlisle United youngster has also caught the attention of Manchester United who, according to Sky Sports, have already seen two offers for Branthwaite knocked back, the latest of which came in at £50m — £20m short of Everton’s asking price.

But Branthwaite’s absence against Sligo wasn’t related to any sort of transfer activity, with the defender simply struggling for match fitness. Dyche revealed that he will be back in action soon.

He added: “Jarrad is making good progress as are Patto and Dele so we’ll see how those guys go. At this stage, it’s nothing too serious so we’re thankful for that.”

Up next for Everton is another friendly against League Two side Salford City on Saturday.

The post Sean Dyche gives update as Jarrad Branthwaite misses Everton friendly amid Man Utd links appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are negotiating over Dele Alli’s future as the Blues continue helping him recover from his injury.

When the 2023–24 season came to a conclusion, the former England international’s prior contract on Merseyside ended.

The 28-year-old was once thought to be one of the Premier League’s top players, but problems off the pitch and injuries severely hampered his development.

In order to recover from the groin injury that kept him out of action the previous season, the 28-year-old has been offered Everton’s support and is currently training at Finch Farm.

According to The Liverpool Echo, Everton and Spurs are in talks to amend the initial conditions of the contract.

Dele could have the opportunity to prove himself in the preseason if he is successful.

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Dele has been working hard in the off-season, attending training camps in Portugal and London before arriving at Finch Farm just as Everton’s pre-season was about to begin.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has expressed his admiration for Dele both as a professional and as a person, and the former Spurs player has made it clear he wants to return to his best.

Dele Alli could get another chance at Everton

Dele is permitted to train with the Premier League team while his recuperation continues, and it’s possible that a new deal could be secured.

His career has been severely affected by events on and off the pitch when it looked like at one stage he would be one of the best players in world football.

The uncertainty surrounding the future of a football player can be seen in this case but the player is determined to make a comeback and prove himself at the top level again.

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Patience needed from Joao Felix and Barcelona

Nothing has changed with regard to Joao Felix.

Barcelona are still keen on bringing him back, but they need to agree on a deal with Atlético Madrid and that’s not easy or guaranteed yet.

Patience is needed, exactly the same as last year, and from the player’s point of view, Joao Felix is currently waiting again for Barcelona.

Several clubs in the race for Todibo

I’m not aware that Jean-Clair Todibo wasn’t interested in a move to West Ham.

I understand that West Ham were never going to bid for him without guarantees on the player side, and though he was keen on the move the problem was on the price – which is still considered to be too high.

The race for Todibo remains open, and there are several clubs interested.

No approaches for Mo Salah so far

Despite the rumours, I’ve still zero updates on Mo Salah’s situation so far.

It’s quiet, there are no changes with Saudi clubs, and though the interest is there since last summer, Liverpool have not received any proposals or approaches at the moment.

I don’t have any confirmation or guarantee either about Salah leaving and joining Saudi this summer.

Juve to part ways with Chiesa

The decision of Juventus has been made in the case of Federico Chiesa. The player will leave the club this summer, this is the plan.

You may ask me why an important player is being sold, and it’s because the new manager, Thiago Motta, wants to go in a different direction.

Juventus are not counting on him, so Chiesa is expected to be sold by Juventus this summer for something around €20m/€25m. It’s that cheap because the player is out of contract in summer 2025.

For sure, Federico Chiesa is a big opportunity on the market, and he will probably have several options to choose from.

Arsenal leading the race for Calafiori

Talking about Italian players, let me say that in the last 24 hours, Arsenal made contact on the club side for Riccardo Calafiori.

Talks are now ongoing but we are still waiting for an official bid, still waiting for the club to club agreement.

The player gave a green light to Arsenal in terms of contract, and is really excited by the possibility of working under Mikel Arteta.

He’s considered a proper, proper talent for the left-back or centre-back position, he can cover both of them.

Arsenal are really convinced that they have an agreement almost ready on the player side, but are still waiting to reach agreement with Bologna. I told you that the relationship with Bologna is very good, and they want something around €50m/€55m.

The other club monitoring the situation is Chelsea, but at the moment Arsenal are ahead.

Kilman in but Paqueta not yet out at West Ham

Flamengo’s directors have travelled to London to make an approach to West Ham for Lucas Paquetá but the reply was clear: no chance for a loan deal.

At the moment, the deal is complicated but Flamengo are keeping doors open to a new attempt in the next days or weeks. It’s not an easy one, for sure.

Sticking with West Ham, the deal is done between them and Wolves for Max Kilman. £40m is the package agreement for the player, wanted by Julen Lopetegui.

So, an important signing for the club.

Olise medical on Sunday, deal to complete soon

Michael Olise will have the first part of his medical as a new Bayern Munich player on Sunday. Right after that he will sign a contract until 2029.

The reason this has taken a little longer than expected is because Crystal Palace, as part of the agreement, will also have a sell-on clause, understood to be around 10%-15% and the issue to resolve was that.

Now everything is agreed between Bayern and Palace, and they’re waiting to exchange the documents, waiting to sign, waiting to complete the medical.

He should be unveiled by Bayern really, really soon,

De Ligt only wants Manchester United

Bayern want to sign Jonathan Tah and they’re very confident, so will keep discussing the structure of the de Ligt deal with United.

I’m told the only club with the authorisation from the player to negotiate with his agent is Manchester United. That is the intention of Matthijs de Ligt.

Finally, after difficulties for a fantastic defender, he could be back working for a manager who trusts him.

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PSG interest in Joshua Kimmich is genuine

The interest of Paris Saint-Germain in Joshua Kimmich is real, is genuine, and from what I’m told it doesn’t depend on João Neves. That’s a separate story, a completely separate story.

Paris Saint-Germain love João Neves too, but at the moment he’s very expensive; €120m release clause.

PSG appreciate both players, but Kimmich is out of contact in one year, and doesn’t have that kind of crazy price.

Dele Alli working hard but no new club yet

He’s working hard and training well, but I don’t know anything concrete about negotiations with clubs or concrete talks. Probably it’s still too early.

Nothing is happening right now.

The post Exclusive: Patience needed from João Félix, Todibo race still open, no change for Salah, Chiesa out and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Now without a club after Everton decided not to extend their association with him, Dele Alli is nevertheless working hard in training as he looks to earn himself a new contract elsewhere.

The former England international’s personal problems have been well documented, though it’s his injury concerns that have kept him off the pitch of late.

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As a video on Instagram showed, however, he is looking fit, healthy and sharp in training, and that is likely to help him in his quest to get back to somewhere approaching his best.

Pictures from refinedbycp and jazzi.fc official Instagram

The post Video: Dele Alli looking sharp in training as former England international searches for new club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The future of midfielder Dele Alli is still uncertain as his contract at Everton is about to expire soon.

The midfielder has endured a difficult time on and off the pitch and it still remains to be seen which club he will represent next season.

The former Tottenham midfielder’s contract at Goodison Park is about to expire and Everton have still not confirmed their intentions regarding the 28-year-old.

After leaving Tottenham for Everton in January 2022, the midfielder has struggled to find his old form again.

Alli has played in just 13 games throughout his two and a half years at Everton.

The Englishman struggled at Besiktas last season, spending the whole campaign away from Merseyside.

The Toffees are eager to give Alli another look during preseason as he gets closer to making his come back from injury, according to The Athletic.

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The 28-year-old, who has been recovering from a chronic groin injury while away from Merseyside, has persisted in his rigorous rehabilitation program.

And in spite of his contract ending, he will have the opportunity to complete his rehabilitation at Goodison Park.

If Everton hand the midfielder a new deal at the club, they will have to pay an amount to Tottenham.

Alli told Sky Sports that he is doing well and targeting a return to football soon.

He said: “I know my level as a player, I know where I can get to and how good I can be when my head is in the right place. I’m feeling good. Obviously, I’m disappointed with the injury but I’m excited to get playing again. It’s hard for me to even watch football. It’s been tough these last eight months.”

Everton can hand Alli another lifeline

The midfielder will be hoping to get his career back on track, whether at Everton or at another club.

Alli is targeting a return to the England team for the 2026 World Cup, as he has stated in his interview.

The former Tottenham midfielder will be hoping to find his old form which made him one of the best players in the Premier League.

The post Dele Alli could be handed another chance despite Everton contract expiring appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Everton are set to part ways with midfielder Dele Alli at the end of the season.

The English midfielder’s contract is set to expire in the summer and now the club have made the decision to show the midfielder the exit door.

According to Liverpool Echo journalist Matt Jones, Alli and Andre Gomes are almost certain to leave the club at the end of the season.

Alli was once a rising star for Pochettino’s Tottenham team, but since then, he has had personal problems that have affected his game.

After a failed stint at Besiktas, he is certain to depart Everton at the end of this season.

Alli has spent the entire season battling an injury and now it seems that the future of the player lies away from Goodison Park.

The former England international, who reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, has not played for Toffees this season after set backs following surgery.

The former Tottenham man is looking to revive his career after experiencing an unfortunate downfall.

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However, that revival will not be at Everton under the leadership of Sean Dyche.

Meanwhile Portuguese midfielder Gomes, who spent time on loan at Lille last season, has only made 13 appearances for the Premier League club this season.

Both the midfielders are not in the plans of the Merseyside club and they will explore the market for new options.

Everton will be active in the market

With Amadou Onana attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs across Europe and Alli and Gomes leaving, Everton would need more than one addition to their midfield.

On top of that, Idrissa Gueye’s contract is set to expire in the summer, however, the Toffees plan to offer him an extension.

Everton are expected to be active in the market but they will have to be careful about their spending due to Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The post Everton stance revealed on the future of midfielder Dele Alli appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Hammers could reportedly look to sign former Tottenham star Dele Alli if Lucas Paqueta does depart in the summer window.

West Ham have had a difficult season after their incredible feat last campaign, winning their first piece of European silverware in the club’s history.

Although they were able to make it to the Europa League quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen last week after losing 3-1 over both legs.

There are now a lot of questions surrounding the club and the future of David Moyes with many West Ham fans voicing their concerns of the Scottish manager.

Regardless of who their manager is, the club will be preparing itself for a busy transfer window both with incoming and outgoings.

Dele Alli could replace Lucas Paqueta

The most likely player expected to leave in the summer is Brazilian midfielder Paqueta who was courted by Manchester City last year only for the deal to fall through due to a betting investigation.

With many already resigned to the midfielder’s departure, speculation about his potential replacement has already arisen with a report from football.london naming former Spurs star, Dele Alli as a potential option.

The English midfielder’s contract expires at Goodison Park at the end of this season, leaving him as a free agent to be potentially snapped up by another Premier League side.

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The post West Ham could move to sign former Tottenham star if Lucas Paqueta leaves appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Dele Alli’s Premier League career may be finished, according to reports, after a terrible time at Everton.

The former Tottenham Hotspur player had hoped to start over at Goodison Park, but his time under Sean Dyche at Everton has been marred by a number of injuries and poor performances.

Dele Alli has had a difficult few months

During the January transfer window of 2022, the midfielder signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Everton, as part of a deal that would rise to £40million if all clauses are met.

Though Dele was full of excitement when he moved to Merseyside, things haven’t gone as well as Everton or Dele had planned, and there are already rumors that his Premier League career may be finished.

Bryan King, a former scout at Goodison Park, calls Alli’s spell at the club a “disaster.”

Speaking to Goodison News, King said: “He’s not an Everton player, I can’t see his future there. He’s got to get his head around rebuilding his career, and I can’t see him rebuilding it at Everton.

“I think maybe he needs to step down a league or two, he’s still young enough. Ever since he stepped foot at Everton, he’s been a disaster. He had so much going for him at Tottenham, he’s just dropped off the radar. Terrible.”

Dele Alli’s future lies away from Goodison Park

Alli’s time on Merseyside has been incredibly disappointing, and it’s safe to assume that the player has been affected by off the pitch issues.

The Toffees supporters may be seeing the end of the former England star, since he hasn’t been at his best in a long time.

Although Sean Dyche has handled the issue admirably, as the season draws to a close, the manager might not be able to turnaround the career of Alli.

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The post Dele Alli told his Premier League career is over after nightmare spell at Everton appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The next few months could be amongst the most important in the history of Everton Football Club.

Although the Toffees have recently had their 10-point deduction for falling foul of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules reduced to six, they remain perilously close to the relegation zone.

Just five points separate them from Luton Town who are third from bottom, and Everton have another potential points deduction hanging over them.

Dele Alli could be offered the chance to resurrect his career at Everton

There’s also the small matter of a protracted takeover which is taking time to conclude, and a move into a new state-of-the-art stadium which might just end up hosting Championship, rather than Premier League games for the first season of its existence.

From a playing point of view, one former international ace, who hasn’t played in over a year, could still earn a new deal at the club.

According to The Athletic (subscription required), Everton are willing to offer Dele Alli a chance to resurrect his career from the start of the 2024/25 campaign, if the club can negotiate with Tottenham in order for the the Lilywhites to reduce a £10m payment they would be due if Alli reaches 20 appearances for the Merseyside outfit.

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Jul 22 2024, 19:50

The outlet note he’s already on 13, and given Everton’s precarious financial situation, a permanent move for the player makes little sense unless Spurs are willing to play ball.

Given Alli’s own trials and tribulations over the past few years, seeing him back on a football pitch and doing what he does best is surely in everyone’s interest.

The post Everton willing to hand international ace a new deal but £10m payment could shelve plans appeared first on CaughtOffside.

In his fortnightly exclusive column for CaughtOffside, Jon Smith, one of football’s first-ever agents and a man who was an integral figure in the forming of the Premier League, discusses why Man United are living in the past, why Phil Foden is a decent Ballon d’Or shout, why Arsenal can come back against Porto – and more! 

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Everything at Man United is out of date and INEOS have to get to work quickly

I think the whole system at Man United is antiquated, probably 20 years out of date.

They’ve not really changed anything with the last regime and the regime before that, with personnel either stood down, resigned or left. Nothing’s changed, really.

If you look at Tottenham Hotspur, Man City, Newcastle and Arsenal et al they are really well run clubs in all departments.

The manager, I believe, should report into a sporting director or a technical director who reports to the board. Those nice, cosy, what used to be called ‘fireside chats’ between the manager and the owner is just not how it should be done anymore.

I absolutely think the heartbeat of a football club are the football people that work there.

It’s going to be a long haul. Changing Old Trafford, which needs huge attention, and so much more besides.

Their actual PR is pretty good. I think their social media is strong, but I just think that the way the club reports within and the way it’s structured is where Sir Jim Ratcliffe should be focussing his initial efforts.

I love Phil Foden and I hope he wins the Ballon d’Or

Thomas Frank made a lovely statement recently about Phil Foden being the closest English player to winning a Ballon d’Or and I hope it’s true because I love Phil Foden.

I think he’s a great English footballer with a brain that’s a lot more ‘international.’

The only thing I’d caution about such comments is when I think of players like Juan Mata, Alexis Sanchez and perhaps a more pertinent one, Dele Alli – all of whom were heading in that direction but got lost on the journey.

Foden’s 24, he’s maturing, he’s high energy and with a lot of trickery – and he had a good World Cup.

I think you should ask me that in three years time, and I hope my answer is yes because he is the complete package.

He just needs to keep his head in the right place.

FFP isn’t quite the level playing field we expected

Real Madrid are kind of a law unto themselves.

Apparently PSG didn’t quite get punished for their FFP issues and Man City still seem to be in the long grass – for a wee bit longer anyway.

Bear in mind Real Madrid was the club of General Franco, and Franco was a bit like Putin is in Russia, he kind of owned the country.

So I think the problem for everyone else is that Real Madrid are probably still living off of Franco’s bank account in some shape or form.

I mean, there’s been there’s been a lot of discussion about how they still own their training ground when apparently they might allegedly have sold it a few times. Not quite sure how that’s played out.

Real Madrid can do stuff like this because they can and because they’ve enough money around them and enough assets to put into FFP.

FFP was designed so that each club doesn’t overspend against their turnover, and then there’s a levelling out between those that have high turnover and those that have lower turnovers. So you supposedly get a level playing field.

As I’ve just said, there’s three or four examples which indicate that the level playing field isn’t quite always as level for everyone as it should be.

I can’t argue against Kylian Mbappe becoming the ‘most expensive free transfer of all time’ because I was the guy who led the charge into the Premier League and said players have to be paid much better.

Remember when Trevor Francis was the first million pound player and we all went, ‘Oh my God.’ Now £120m for a player doesn’t seem to scare the horses, so we’re only talking about advancing what there is in place.

Certainly nothing goes up forever, but I have been saying this in football for 20 years and it’s kept going up. Potentially, it’s got further to go but there will be a moment in time, a sort of pause or a levelling out because living in the stratosphere can be very dangerous.

We’re living in a world where nations are struggling to find support in some of the activities that are going on around them and taking place in their own backyard politically, so they’re using sport as their vehicle to promote their well being – and further their travel on that journey.

Corporate entities will help clubs to buy players in future

Adidas and Apple helped MLS and Inter Miami to sign Lionel Messi, and I think we’ve just got to have a look at the music business as an example of whether the same can happen in Europe.

The major corporations now cross pollinate all the major acts. Sponsorships are very often IT led so that there is a visual download activity around not just ticketing, but the actual sponsorship in the event itself.

Football is going to go the same way because football is the biggest followed sport in the world.

The biggest players are now nations, which means that the major corporations will join in that support. It’s bound to happen.

As long as the rights owners, which are the clubs and the leagues, have the ability to dictate the circumstances, rather than the brands and the countries telling people how to play their game and how to influence what happens on the pitch, there isn’t going to be a problem. However, it is worth noting that major funds are now offering to buy into leagues’ marketing programmes such as Italy.

The big fear for I guess all of us who don’t like domination in our life, is that the people with the big money, which are the huge hedge funds, the countries and the major brands, will be able to effectively run the planet in 20 years because they’ll have the IT behind them.

They’ll have the data that they’re absorbing and they’ll have the ability to dictate what you think and what you should do. All of that is a society problem but football, as we’ve said before in this column, reflects society.

Arsenal will come back and Man City can win back to back UCL titles

I’m still expecting Arsenal to come back in their Champions League match against Porto.

I read the reports, that they weren’t going to qualify now, that they’ve blown it again but I’m sticking with them.

I think Man City, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern will go through, which leaves me pondering Atletico Madrid and Inter with Borussia Dortmund in the background, because I just don’t think they’re quite strong enough.

Teams other than City can win it, of course they can, and I’m thinking certainly of Real Madrid here.

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Jul 22 2024, 21:02

Exclusive: Nothing concrete between Liverpool and 23-year-old talent with €60m release clause

Jul 22 2024, 20:35

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Jul 22 2024, 19:50

It’s a bit like walking out at Anfield under that tunnel sign that says ‘This is Anfield.’

It’s a momentary mind gap that you have to overcome, and I think when you come up against Real Madrid in the Champions League, you just have to forget they’ve won it so many times and just get on with it.

My favourites at this point would be Real Madrid and City but not necessarily in that order.

The post Agent’s column: Man United living in the past, Foden’s a great Ballon d’Or shout, Arsenal UCL comeback assured and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.