Everton’s season went from bad to worse as they suffered a comprehensive 4-1 defeat to a previously goal-shy Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday, and Toffees fans have urged the club to appoint Sam Allardyce as their new manager.

The Merseyside outfit have now been without a permanent manager for five weeks following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, and David Unsworth looks unlikely to be handed the job on a full-time basis with the 4-1 loss on the south coast coming just days after the 5-1 humiliation at home to Atalanta.

The Toffees are in serious danger of being relegated this term as things stand, and in that respect Allardyce would be a good appointment as he has never gone down from the Premier League.

Everton supporters have been having their say on the 63-year-old via social media, and while one simply said “get Sam Allardyce in now”, another has told the club to “pay him whatever he wants”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Celtic and Hibernian offered up a real treat of a match in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, drawing 2-2 in a dramatic and pulsating encounter at Easter Road.

After a goalless first half, things kicked into gear in the second half when Scott Sinclair scored a double to take his goal tally this season to 14. With a two-goal cushion, the Hoops looked destined to see out the match and pick up all three points, but the home side had other plans.

They fought their way back into the match though with two goals in three minutes thanks to Efe Ambrose and Oli Shaw. That set-up an end-to-end final ten minutes that really could have gone either way.

While obviously pleased to have avoided defeat, Celtic supporters were unhappy with the manner in which they allowed Neil Lennon’s side back into the game, with many pointing out the deficiencies in defence in particular.

None of the back four exactly covered themselves in glory and most were criticised, even popular stars like Kieran Tierney.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Dele Alli went into this World Cup with doubts over his starting place in the England side but Gareth Southgate utilised Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury to bring the Tottenham man back into his starting eleven.

The man valued at £90m by Transfermarkt got the nod in Southgate’s strongest eleven, fielded for the opening game of the tournament against Tunisia but his performance was undermined by an early injury.

The playmaker has struggled to recover and despite taking his time to rest before coming back into the side for the fiery encounter against Colombia in the last 16, he did not look at his best on that dramatic night.

How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

He still struggled for mobility and fitness, so we raised the issue with you – should Alli be dropped for such a vitally important game?

It was a close vote, but 46 per cent of supporters who responded do want Southgate to abandon his faith in the midfielder, as you can see from the results below…

According to a report from The Express and Star, West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi has a £10 million release clause in his Baggies contract. The 27-year-old may well have been part of a West Brom team relegated from the Premier League last season but he certainly did his bit to try and keep them there, to the point that Newcastle United should seek to land him this summer in case they lose influential ace Jamaal Lascelles.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 24-year-old Lascelles played as big a part as anyone in helping to keep the Magpies in the top-flight last season upon their return to the Premier League, with the centre back appearing in 33 of their league matches, missing the other five only as a result of injury.

And with key goals at one end and wonderful defensive efforts at the other, the Englishman saw his stock raise ten-fold last season to prompt reported interest from clubs higher up the Premier League table, thus opening up the prospect of a summer move.

And were the North East heavyweights to indeed lose their captain, they will certainly have to replace him, which is why a reported £10 million release clause in Hegazi’s contract must be of interest to Benitez and the Newcastle hierarchy.

The 27-year-old may well have gone down with West Brom last season, but he was a rare shining light in their miserable campaign in starting all 38 of their Premier League matches, and showing decent top-flight pedigree in the process.

Be it aerially in both his own box and the opposition’s, or indeed on the floor in being comfortable on the ball or strong in the tackle, the Egypt international certainly proved his worth at the Hawthorns last term to suggest that he is an adept Premier League centre back.

Yes, the defender was part of a disappointing World Cup campaign with his country, in which they lost all three matches in a group many expected them to get out of, but that shouldn’t detract from the fine season Hegazi had last time round – there’s a reason West Ham are thought to be interested.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here

And for a reported £10 million, it could turn out to be an absolute bargain if the 27-year-old is able to produce the same level of performance this season as he did last time out.

Thus, with the future of Lascelles still uncertain heading into the 2018/19 season, Benitez must be ready, in case he does leave, to secure a bargain deal for the West Brom ace as replacement for the Englishman.

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

West Ham recently confirmed the signing of Andriy Yarmolenko, but the Ukraine international is unlikely to be the only attacking addition made this summer.

According to Sky Sports, the Hammers have finally agreed a fee with Lazio for Brazilian winger Felipe Anderson, although a deal for Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes appears to have hit a snag.

Fernandes is also attracting interest from other clubs in Europe, making signing the attacking midfielder an even more difficult task.

Furthermore, West Ham should consider making a move for Yarmolenko’s former Borussia Dortmund team-mate Mario Gotze if Fernandes cannot be brought in.

£16.2m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Gotze, for various reasons, has not lived up to his potential after initially taking European football by storm as a teenager.

The Germany international, who scored the winning goal for his nation in the 2014 World Cup final, was one of the most productive players in the Bundesliga during his first spell at Dortmund and the earlier part of his Bayern Munich career.

And under Pellegrini, the 26-year-old could hit heights close to that again. At Malaga, Pellegrini worked with Isco – whose style closely resembles that of Gotze’s – helping him to develop into one of the best attacking midfielders in La Liga.

With similar tutelage, Gotze could become an attacker, who alongside the likes of Yarmolenko, Anderson and Marko Arnautovic, help form one of the most dangerous attacks in the Premier League.

Former West Ham United centre-back Jose Fonte confirmed via his official Instagram account on Sunday night that he was looking for a new club after his contract with Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang had been terminated, and Irons fans were quick to react to the news.

The Portugal international only left the east London outfit for Asia in February after finding himself out of favour under David Moyes, but his short spell in China has already come to an end.

The 34-year-old moved to the London Stadium from Southampton in January 2017, but he never really made a positive impact and he seems unlikely to return to the capital given Manuel Pellegrini has released James Collins and signed two younger defenders in Issa Diop and Francisco Balbuena.

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These West Ham supporters, who have urged Pellegrini to make a shock swoop for a Chelsea midfielder this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “Fonte is well past his best now”, another disagreed and said “I would take him back”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Loads of Manchester United fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as reports claim David de Gea is set to pen a new contract with the club.

According to The Manchester Evening News, de Gea has ended speculation of him replacing Keylor Navas at Real Madrid.

The Red Devils’ talisman has been endlessly linked with a move to the European Champions in every transfer window since his arrival at Old Trafford, but MEN claims he is “expected” to sign a new deal.

The Spanish stopper has taken loads of criticism back home for his disappointing performance at the World Cup, but the unwavering support from Manchester United fans has reminded him where his real home is.

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De Gea has refused to agitate for a move at any point despite the on-going interest from Madrid according to the MEN report, which is probably just about the best news fans could get this summer.

Plenty of fans are growing frustrated with the lack of transfer activity, but keeping their Spanish stopper should no doubt be the top priority.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are praising the heavens about this transfer update…

Everton had a poor start last season, but recovered to finish 8th. Marco Silva will be looking to continue his positive start as Toffees boss next season. 

Everton have just signed Watford forward Richarlison for £50m, spending this sum seems to signal some intent for the coming season. The Goodison Park outfit have not been scared of spending big in the last couple of summers, bringing in the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Cenk Tosun to Merseyside.

With the talents of Richarlison, Theo Walcott, Cenk Tosun and hot-prospect Ademola Lookman up-top, Everton look well-equipt in this area. Likewise, they have plenty of creative talent with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson in the middle. It is at the back Everton could do with tightening up. Defenders like Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams are ageing, and Everton need an upgrade at the back.

With that in mind, this is the player Everton should sign for before deadline day…

The player Everton should go after is Lucas Digne, who is rated as worth £13.5m by Transfermarkt. He has an impressive CV, having played for AS Roma and Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Catalonia.

The Barcelona left-back made just 12 La Liga appearances last season, and seems out of favour at the Catalan giants. A move to Everton would allow him to get regular football at a strong Premier League outfit. As you would expect from a Barcelona player, Digne has bags of technical ability, and can deliver a pinpoint cross into the box.

This kind of quality at the back would help Everton kick-on from being a solid upper-mid table side, to a side who were genuine contenders to achieve European football.

If Everton secured one Digne, it would be another major signal of intent.

Leeds United announced on Tuesday that winger Hadi Sacko had left Elland Road to join Spanish outfit Las Palmas on a season-long loan.

Sacko joined Leeds on a permanent deal last summer having spent the 2016-17 campaign on loan with the English club from Sporting Lisbon.

The 24-year-old only made 14 Championship appearances for the Whites last term, however, and largely struggled to make an impact.

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Sacko’s future has been the subject of speculation since Marcelo Bielsa took charge of the Championship outfit earlier this summer.

And the right-sided attacker has now been allowed to leave Leeds on loan.

The English club’s supporters have been reacting to the news on social media, and whilst some took the chance to poke fun at Sacko, many wished him luck.

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

According to the Daily Star, reporting via Calciomercato, Tiemoue Bakayoko is not in Maurizio Sarri’s plans for Chelsea and could be moved on to AC Milan this summer.

Whilst it is true that Bakayoko has been a complete flop in the Premier League, his departure would leave the Blues lacking depth in the centre of the park, making the signing of a replacement necessary.

Abdoulaye Doucoure would have been the perfect candidate to come in and take up Bakayoko’s place in the Blues’ squad. However, Watford have recently confirmed that the midfielder has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Doucoure’s game is similar to what was expected of Bakayoko upon his arrival, except the Watford man has now proved that he has what it takes to thrive in the English top flight.

Doucoure could’ve filled a Bakayoko-shaped hole in Sarri’s squad very well.

The Breakdown

Last season, Doucoure was consistently excellent for the Hornets, playing in a demanding box-to-box role. What makes the 25-year-old such a valuable asset is his ability to be effective in all areas of the pitch and contribute to defensive and attacking phases of play.

Doucoure would’ve brought power and steel to the centre of the park at Stamford Bridge, and would also have added an extra goal threat to the Blues’ ranks. The Frenchman has end product, on top of the good work he does in a deeper role.

Doucoure’s physicality, relentless energy, and tidiness in possession would perfectly complement the respective skillsets of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, making him a perfect fit for Chelsea’s midfield contingent, but Sarri now looks to have missed the chance to sign the Watford man.

The Chelsea boss must now seek a Bakayoko replacement elsewhere, but may come to regret not having acted quickly to land Doucoure.