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Everton have named their price for reported Paris Saint-Germain target Idrissa Gana Gueye, and it’s an eye-watering £40million according to the Mirror – significantly higher than the player’s market value of just £18million, per Transfermarkt.

Gueye had been identified as a possible PSG target as the Ligue 1 giants search for replacements for the out-bound Adrien Rabiot, who will leave the Parisian club for free in the summer when his contract expires.

Losing the Senegalese international could ruin the Toffees’ season which is why the ‘too good to refuse’ offer must be placed before Marcel Brands would consider sanctioning the transfer. Let Football FanCast run you through the potential consequences if he does…

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Points will be dropped

There will be no clearer impact on Everton than points being dropped. The 29-year-old is pivotal to the side’s success as he gives them the defensive nous in midfield no one else currently on the books can. He leads the Toffees for tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes and total passes.

Whenever Gueye is not on the field, his absence is notable and results are always affected – so far this season, Everton have won just two of the six games the defensive midfielder hasn’t been involved in.

Marco Silva faces the sack

Questions can already be raised over whether or not the club is making progress since appointing Silva in the summer, with Everton currently in tenth place after 22 games and offering no clear indication that they will challenge the top six anytime soon.

Take away Gueye, and the attacking play the former Watford boss wants to utilise at Goodison Park will collapse into a stale mess with a flimsy core allowing the opposition a free-run at the backline – which itself has been ropey this season.

It would then be more likely that Silva faces the sack rather than results being turned around. The club were happy to pull the trigger back in 2017 and fire Ronald Koeman after the Dutchman oversaw six wins in 17 games at the start of a highly anticipated campaign.

Fruitless spending cannot strike again

When Manchester United stumped an initial £75million to land Romelu Lukaku, the Everton board went cash-mad and fluttered the payday away with a hoard of players that failed to fill the Belgian’s void.

Without Gueye, the board will have to do a better job at replacing a key figure in the dressing room and focus their spending on improving that one position rather than spreading the budget over the pitch.

Names already being linked to replace the Senegalese star would easily eat the money recouped from selling the 62-cap international, anyway, with Lyon demanding £75million for Tanguy Ndombele, Watford asking for £30m for Abdoulaye Doucoure, Lille’s Thiago Mendes holding a £27million valuation and Wilmar Barrios’ Boca Juniors release clause set at £23m.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-Min will be returning to the Premier League after South Korea were eliminated from the Asian Cup on Friday, as covered by Sky Sports.

Son’s side were stunned by Qatar in their quarter-final, Abdulaziz Hatem scoring the only goal of the game.

Fresh from clinching victory in the Asian Games in the summer – a result which means Son will not have to serve in the military during his career – South Korea were heavily fancied going into the mid-season tournament.

However, Son will now return to Spurs earlier than expected after their surprise elimination.

Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad think in the video below…

The news will come as a welcome boost to manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has struggled with a spate of injuries in recent weeks.

Harry Kane and Dele Alli are both currently absent, while Lucas Moura only returned to full fitness last week, making his comeback in Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg clash with Chelsea.

The Brazilian, however, missed a penalty in the shootout as Spurs were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat on the night (2-2 on aggregate).

Pochettino’s men face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Sunday, before a Premier League clash with Watford in midweek.

And Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to express their joy at Son’s imminent return.

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As reported by BBC Sport, Monaco have given manager Thierry Henry the boot after the Arsenal legend failed to impress given 20 games at the helm. Henry took over from Leonardo Jardim in October but has been unable to lift Monaco out of the relegation zone.

The 41-year-old was linked with the vacant Aston Villa job after Steve Bruce was sacked but ended up taking a role in his native France instead, while Villa appointed then Brentford boss Dean Smith as their new manager.

Smith has done an unremarkable job so far but has kept his side in touching distance of the play-off spots, even if the Villans will have to both pull off some excellent results and count on others going their way between now and the end of the season if they are to earn promotion.

The 47-year-old currently boasts a 35% win rate with Villa having emerged victorious in six out of 17 games so far, while Henry won five out of 20 during his short tenure at Monaco, equalling a 25% win rate. However, the Frenchman lost a whopping 11 games, while Smith has been on the losing end of just 5 matches.

While many were surely hoping for the commercially appealing appointment of Henry when the Midlands outfit were in managerial limbo, it seems most of the Villa faithful are counting their lucky stars that the former striker snubbed them, meaning they went for sensible Smith.

You can check out the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

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Tottenham Hotspur are playing a very dangerous game.

The club have yet to make a signing in the January transfer window and have been eliminated from two domestic cup competitions in the past week.

A languid, sloppy 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Fourth Round followed an agonising penalty shootout defeat by Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. And just like that, Spurs are facing up to the prospect of yet another trophyless season.

Of course, one must point out that they remain in the Premier League reckoning, third after 23 games, but they face an almighty challenge to overhaul both Liverpool and Manchester City. They sit nine points off the leaders and five behind City. Spurs have already lost six times this season; Liverpool and City have lost four times between them.

And they also have a Champions League knockout tie to look forward to, against Borussia Dortmund, a team blessed with the ferocious pace of Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus and the seemingly impossible goalscoring feats of Paco Alcacer. Dortmund are top of the Bundesliga, six points ahead of old giants Bayern Munich.

It bears repeating that there are no easy games at this level but Spurs have been particularly unlucky in Europe’s premier cup competition; they could not have faced a more in-form team, and it will take some feat, particularly with Harry Kane and Dele Alli both out injured, to overcome Lucien Favre’s men.

Why then is chairman Daniel Levy gambling the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino by refusing to dip into his wallet?

Per the London Evening Standard, Pochettino said on Tuesday that he was not “optimistic” over potential signings before Thursday’s deadline.

“You know how we work – in the last minute anything can happen,” he said. “Of course different players maybe will have the opportunity to leave the club. We’re going to see, there’s not too much time. A few days ago I was very optimistic about some options to sign – realistic options to sign – but today no, I’m not optimistic.”

His words bear examining because they suggest that there was movement and the potential of additions previously, yet now it appears that there will not be a single new face arriving at Hotspur Way.

Links with Youri Tielemans of AS Monaco on Tuesday – per The Telegraph – flared hopes of a dramatic deadline-beating signing, a la Rafael van der Vaart or Moussa Sissoko, but Pochettino appears to have extinguished that admittedly tiny flame.

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

The Argentine continues to tow the party line, however, repeatedly telling reporters that he is happy, that he believes in the project – the new stadium is swallowing money – and that he feels that the top four is more important than trophies. The Guardian quotes him as saying that trophies merely “build egos”.

It can be argued that he may well be right when it comes to the balance sheets but Spurs are crying out for investment, for new blood.

A separate Evening Standard report claims that he’s not keen on the chance to sign Jarrod Bowen from Hull City, as well as Leeds United’s Jack Clarke, but those are players for the future, who would be placed on the bench immediately after signing.

Yet the argument that the starting XI cannot be strengthened is hogwash and we have seen that proved just this season. Kieran Trippier, at right-back, has exhibited none of the form that saw him so lauded at the World Cup in the summer, while his deputy, Serge Aurier, is nothing more than a walking yellow card.

Ben Davies, behind Danny Rose in the pecking order but regularly picked at left-back, is average at best and would not get into the side at any other top six club, while Eric Dier appears to have regressed over the past couple of years, now reduced to a sideways-passing water carrier. Mousa Dembele, ageing but still, on his day, one of the best footballers in England, has been allowed to leave.

And all of that goes without remarking on the quality of the back-up brigade which, if one is to be kind, is slightly below-par. Fernando Llorente, Vincent Janssen, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Michel Vorm do not belong at a Champions League football club.

Yet Spurs have done nothing to improve their starting XI in the past two windows – their last signing was Lucas Moura in January 2018 – and continue to rely on the wizardry employed by Pochettino in the dugout. ‘He’s magic’, sing the fans, and they’re right – he has taken Spurs to the Champions League, to within a whisker of the title, and to numerous semi-finals over the years. And yet that next step is missing, that winners’ medal around his neck.

He was the first name tipped for the Manchester United job after Jose Mourinho’s departure and it was of little surprise. Chief executive Ed Woodward could offer Pochettino everything he doesn’t have at Tottenham; a massive transfer budget, a huge pay packet and the ability to actually go out and win trophies. Obviously, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s success may have thrown a spanner in the works there, and there is the very real possibility that the Norwegian will be offered the job if he continues to perform as he has been.

That would give Spurs some breathing space but there will be other suitors, the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich should all be casting admiring glances.

It remains to be seen how long the “project” can last at Spurs, particularly with a summer of upheaval coming; Christian Eriksen has yet to sign a new contract, Toby Alderweireld could leave after Spurs triggered an extension in his deal that also activated a summer release clause, and it is uncertain if there will be any investment in the playing squad.

Something truly special has been built at Tottenham, and it forever feels as though they are just one final push away from taking the final step and transforming into winners.

It does not appear, however, that those in the boardroom quite have the nerve or the willingness to make the necessary investments, to the point where the ridiculous decisions not to are becoming increasingly crippling.

If that continues, it feels inevitable that Pochettino will leave and this team, this brilliant young team, may break up without ever having won the trophy that Spurs fans believe they sorely deserve.

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According to The Mirror, Simon Beck – the linesman who was on duty for West Ham’s match with Liverpool on Monday – has been dropped from this weekend’s fixtures following the events of the London Stadium match.

Both linesmen were embroiled in controversy having first allowed play to continue after Adam Lallana flicked the ball into the path of a certainly offside James Milner, who subsequently fired into the feet of Sadio Mane in the Hammers box to give the Reds the lead.

Beck’s flag remained down amidst outrage from West Ham players and fans alike, and so the goal stood. Luckily, Michail Antonio fired the hosts level six minutes later after Felipe Anderson cleverly played the Englishman in, but in the dying minutes it almost happened again.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Then as Liverpool pressed forward looking for a winner, Naby Keita scooped the ball towards Divock Origi but the Belgian couldn’t find a lethal touch. The opposite linesman’s flag remained glued to his side and replays revealed that the Reds forward was well offside – had he found the net, a Liverpool goal would, for the second time in the game, have wrongly stood.

Having battled their way to a point, the London Stadium faithful are right to feel aggrieved that the referee’s assistants had cost them two points, and nearly all three.

Here’s how they reacted on Twitter…

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With the appointment of Maurizio Sarri last summer, Chelsea tacitly accepted that they had fallen behind the rest of the Premier League’s top clubs philosophically.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham have all created identities, playing styles and approaches in which winning silverware is just the byproduct; the sheer entertainment, enjoyment and optimism they create, in the immediate term at least, is the most fundamental benefit, and an important one during an era where six major clubs can conceivably win any three of the domestic trophies on offer.

Compare that to Antonio Conte, who brought two trophies in two years to Stamford Bridge but left everybody miserable, partly through despondent demeanour and partly through an increasingly mind-numbing penchant for tactical pragmatism.

Even Chelsea’s 6-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday paid homage to that; while it was the Blues’ biggest loss in 28 years, Chelsea at least attacked in patches at the Etihad Stadium and approached the game with earnest intentions. When Conte took Chelsea there last season, they lost 2-0 without creating anything that could be considered a meaningful attack and until the last few minutes failed to even venture outside of their own half.

Whether Roman Abramovich prefers to see his team go down swinging or limit damage with whatever qualifies as the footballing equivalent of a clinch is a decision the Chelsea owner will have to make, one that will determine whether his sudden interest in a more ambitious brand of football is genuine or merely a brief flirtation.

But regardless, the fundamental problem with Sarri isn’t the style of football he offers Chelsea, but the tactical stubbornness accompanying it. That’s where Chelsea fall short of Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham, the clubs Sarri’s appointment was an attempt to emulate.

It shouldn’t be forgotten this is Sarri’s first season, one in which he has continuously warned that Chelsea aren’t in shape to truly compete for the title, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino all struggled during their opening campaigns as they introduced significant changes to style of play. In fact, they finished up third, eighth and fifth respectively, barely improving if not worsening the efforts of their predecessors.

But those three managers, even during their inaugural seasons, were open to experimentation. Perhaps not in style, but certainly in personnel, shape and structure. That has only been more the case since Conte’s introduction of 3-4-3 filtered out through the rest of the Premier League; even if just for a handful of games per season, it made every club recognise the need for a Plan B, a second setup whether that be to simply facilitate opponents with three-man defences or find a different manner of beating sides that came their way.

This season alone – according to Whoscored – Manchester City and Liverpool have used four different formations in the Premier League, Tottenham and Arsenal have used seven and Manchester United have used nine. Four of those five, Liverpool the exception, have switched between a back four and a back three at least once as well.

Chelsea though, have been set up in a 4-3-3 system, one anchoring midfielder behind two box-to-box players, for every minute of every game so far this season – all 26 of them. The only slight differentials have come in personnel; Olivier Giroud is more direct than Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard, Ross Barkley is more swashbuckling than Mateo Kovacic, and Willian looks to score goals in different ways to Pedro.

Fundamentally though, Chelsea have been playing exactly the same way for the entire season, even if it means sticking square pegs in round holes. N’Golo Kante has probably been the most discussed example of that, but it applies to Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well. Sarri preferred to play Hazard out of position as a centre-forward than designing mechanics to get the best out of him in the absence of a reliable striker, while Loftus-Cheek – unquestionably a central player – has spent most of this season making cameo appearances on the wing.

At times it has bordered upon baffling, and Sunday’s defeat felt like a poignant moment. After going a goal down to Raheem Sterling within the first five minutes, would there have been anything wrong with moving Kante alongside Jorginho for the next quarter of an hour to provide a stronger base in midfield? Could Ross Barkley not have pushed up and sat on Fernandinho, in the same way so many teams have done with great effect to Chelsea’s own anchorman this season? Could Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta not have tucked in to create a fully flat back four, rather than stretching themselves so thin?

This is after all, the home of the reigning Premier League champions, and while Sarri seemed genuinely perplexed when quizzed on how Chelsea have conspired to lose their last three away games, the explanation is markedly simple: unless you’re the best team in the league by a country mile – which Chelsea currently aren’t – you can’t expect to use the same game-plan indiscriminate of opponent, venue or other circumstance and expect to continuously win games.

Jamie Carragher compared Chelsea to Arsenal after Sunday’s loss in reference to their sudden lack of spine and strength. But the greater similarity, assuming Carragher was comparing to Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, lays in Chelsea’s painful predictability. Wenger’s Arsenal increasingly paid the price for never venturing far away from 4-2-3-1, for always leaving themselves too exposed at the back and for holding onto possession to the point where it became genuinely pointless, and within just six months at Stamford Bridge it’s already become patently obvious how Sarri will set up his side for any game.

Amid an era in which the overall managerial quality in English football is the highest, most complex and sophisticated its ever been, being easy to predict is predictably perilous. Sarri is a talented manager with fantastic ideas, but if he isn’t prepared to bend those ideas around the necessities of reality, Chelsea will always be stuck behind the calibre of club they’re trying to compete with.

Leeds have performed superbly in defence this season but a lapse of concentration in the closing stages against Cardiff signalled a lack of composure amongst the backline.

That was partly due to Marcelo Bielsa bringing on youngster Pascal Struijk in place of Gaetano Berardi, which meant there was suddenly inexperience and a lack of leadership in the heart of the defence.

It is that latter attribute which is particularly important, and will be significant in handling a Fulham side which has scored 33 goals in 22 league games.

That’s what makes the possible return of Liam Cooper so crucial.

The defender revealed he is fit, hoping to get back into the team after missing the previous three matches, and is taking part in training prior to Saturday’s match

Several supporters are understandably pleased and relieved with the news, as you can see below…

Cooper’s return is exactly the lift Leeds need after Saturday’s huge disappointment that saw them squander a three-goal lead, and though the Cottagers present a difficult challenge, the 28-year-old coming back into the team will act as a confidence boost which should help the defence return to its familiar strength.

It is little surprise that the Whites have lost just two out of the 15 games the skipper has played in, with just seven goals conceded in the process – and the last of those defeats came almost three months ago.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

While some fans also acknowledge the efforts of Berardi, who hasn’t done much wrong of late, there is an understanding that Cooper’s return to play alongside Ben White means Leeds should be back at their best.

Meanwhile, Danny Mills has been discussing the future of Marcelo Bielsa, and revealed some worries which will likely concern Leeds fans too.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

When speaking to SER Catalunya (via Sport) just recently, Pedro expressed his wish to go back to Barcelona one day, and it does sound like a tempting prospect for the Catalans.

What did he say, then?

Of course, Pedro and Barcelona share a long and rich history.

The now 32-year-old winger has practically spent his whole career in the Catalan capital and he rose through their ranks during his youth, only to depart for Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2015.

While he was one of the Blaugrana, however, he scored 99 goals and assisted a total of 62 in 321 games. By all means, that’s a pretty impressive return for a man who obviously doesn’t hide his love for the club.

When speaking to SER Catalunya, Pedro admitted he still hopes for a return in the future.

Here’s what he said, as quoted by Sport:

“It’s an option that’s always there and that I hope it could happen. Everyone knows what I feel for the club and it’s evident that it’s a possibility to go back.

“I’ve always said it. It’s a club I have special love for because I support them. I’ve had so many experiences there and was there so many years, I feel loved by the fans.

“I don’t know if it’s in the hands of the president, the coach or whoever. I think for them my return is difficult but it’s clearly a possibility.”

An intriguing prospect

With the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Carles Perez already in the team, it seems unlikely that Barcelona would ever go for a 32-year-old.

But with the former constantly struggling with injuries and the latter only just breaking into the team, maybe the Spaniard could offer them exactly what they need.

His contract is due to expire next summer and that means Barca could snap him up at a bargain price or, in an ideal world, for free.

Not to mention that he is still very reliable and offers that incredible work-rate in the forward line that not many have. With only 592 minutes under his belt in the ongoing campaign, he has clearly fallen down the pecking order in Frank Lampard’s squad but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t offer something back at his former club.

Even though he scored 99 goals during his Barcelona tenure, that was not nearly what he was all about.

His winner’s mentality and willingness to do the dirty work while Lionel Messi and co. banged in the goals was what made him such a perfect fit for the Catalans.

As Xavi Hernandes, a Barcelona legend, said himself, he gave so much to that team, as quoted by UEFA:

“He gives us a lot because he opens up the pitch – he takes players on and looks for space. He harries, presses and infuses us with his energy. When Pedro plays, the opposition full-backs can’t get forward, and if they do, he runs 30m to track them. He never stops running – he never tires.”

He still hasn’t lost that footballing IQ and that part of his player profile is something the current Barcelona should still very much welcome in their team.

It does sound like a stretch to say they’ll go for him but maybe it wouldn’t really be such a bad idea at all.

This season has not been the best for Southampton.

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The Saints are currently languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table – they are currently in 18th position and in the relegation zone, albeit on goal difference – and are struggling to put together a run of games that could keep them in the top tier.

Watch Chelsea vs Southampton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Whilst their defensive record particularly catches the eye – they have conceded 36 times this term, which is more than any other side in the division – their attacking one is almost as bad. They have scored just 18 goals, with only three sides managing less.

Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….

Danny Ings has had to lead the attack almost on his own. His nine goals contribute to half of all of those in the league, whilst he has also managed one assist as well. Alongside him, he has had to put up with Che Adams and Shane Long and Michael Obafmei, all of whom have failed to score so far.

If only Hasenhuttl had a striker who could score at the highest level? Well, he actually did have one until Charlie Austin left for West Brom for £4m during the summer. Clearly he felt he could do without him, even though he had plundered 16 goals in 34 starts for the club in the top flight.

Since moving to The Hawthorns, he has hit the ground running. Although he has not always been a guaranteed starter, he has still managed seven strikes in the Championship, whilst he has also got himself one in the League Cup as well. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised – the 30-year-old scored 18 in the Premier League during the 2014/15 season despite QPR getting relegated – but the former RB Leipzig boss probably is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sold him.

Selling the England international was a mistake from Hasenhuttl, and he is now paying the price as his side struggles for goals. With the transfer window just around the corner, he has the chance to rectify it and sign a new forward.

In other news, one change of position could rejuvenate this Southampton midfielder.

Leeds United haven’t shown many weaknesses this season.

The Whites may not be in the best run of form at the moment, but they’re still top of the Championship with the joint-best defensive record in the division, despite conceding four goals against Birmingham on Sunday.

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Of course, playing against a team with such a strong defence leads to the opposition trying to figure out different ways of getting the ball in the net, and a number of sides this season have attempted to use set-pieces as their route towards goal.

Birmingham were the latest team to attempt this method, and while they scored four goals on Sunday, just one came from a corner, and that was down to a Kiko Casilla mistake more than anything else.

To be fair, you can’t blame teams for thinking that corners would be lucrative against Leeds. The Whites’ backline is unusually small with Ben White, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper all standing below 6 ft 1, and there isn’t much height throughout the squad beyond that either.

However, the stats show that Leeds have only conceded eight set-piece goals this term which has them pretty much slap bang in the middle of that particular league table.

While that may be seen as a weakness for a team with such a solid defensive record, the fact of the matter is that conceding corners can actually be a positive for the Yorkshire club.

So many times this term we’ve seen the Whites regain possession from a dead-ball and break quickly to create a goalscoring chance. On Sunday, Leeds’ opening goal came from that exact scenario, and they were unlucky to not get another after Stuart Dallas broke and presented the ball to Eddie Nketiah following a Blues corner.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Leeds have recently scored from breaks from set-pieces against Cardiff and Birmingham, and while not all of them have been from corners Leeds have scored plenty of other counter-attack goals this season.

Teams looking for corners against Leeds seems to be playing right into Marcelo Bielsa’s hands as his side are so effective on the break.

In other news, Phil Hay has named three positions that Leeds are looking to strengthen in January.