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Some Everton fans have been left to fume over Paul Joyce’s manager update on Rafa Benitez.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, Joyce confirmed that previous rumours are true and the former Liverpool boss is indeed being considered for the vacant manager’s job, following the exit of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid.

He is a candidate on the shortlist of Farhad Moshiri, which also includes the likes of David Moyes, Nuno Espirito Santo, Roberto Martinez, Christophe Galtier and Graham Potter.

Some members of the Goodison Park faithful simply do not want to hire a man who used to manage and was so fondly remembered by Liverpool, given that he won the UEFA Champions League with them back in the 2004/05 term (Transfermarkt), while others believe that other candidates like some of the ones mentioned above would be far more suitable for the role.

Everton fans on Benitez manager updateThese Toffees supporters fumed as the manager update on Benitez was shared across Twitter:

“Benitez no”

Credit: @jorge_alk

“BENITEZ walked away from Newcastle for money nothing else, if we get him in am done with us. 50 years supporting the Toffees through good and bad, but appointing Benitez is more than I could take”

Credit: @MalcolmGregor18

“Not watching us if Rafa is boss”

Credit: @1878Ket

“Rafa is a big no. Galtier is the only one the fans are together on, and nobody wants to see the Spanish Sam Allardyce in charge of Everton”

Credit: @LiamTownson

“Lord help us. Not Benitez under any circumstances”

Credit: @waynewhewell

“Moshiri picked Allardyce and it was bad enough seeing Sammy Lee with him. I can’t forgive him if he gets Benitez”

Credit: @mikjaal

In other news, find out what big manager update has Blues talking here!

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to an article from The Daily Record which suggests that a gesture made by Tinie Tempah, who recently released a song to celebrate the Gers’ 55th title, has divided football.

This term, the Gers won the 55th league title in their history, and they did it in magnificent fashion as they went the whole campaign unbeaten (BBC). Celtic ended up finishing 25 points behind the champions – the Ibrox outfit were dominant from start to finish.

Tinie Tempah released a single in honour of the Gers’ achievements called Glorious 55th. In an Instagram video, the rapper did a cut-throat gesture similar to the one from Alfredo Morelos in the Old Firm derby in December 2019. It is fair to say both the single and the gesture did not go down well with the Celtic supporters at all.

The article was shared on Twitter on The Daily Record’s official Twitter account, and the Rangers fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Tinie Tempah article below

“This is getting beyond a joke now. Faux offended and snowflakes making something out of nothing. I despair at how pathetic their lives are!”

Credit: @BoweryBoy1872

“The Celtic fan base. Absolutely destroyed and broken. A bunch of offended grasses. Glorious 55th”

Credit: @simon1872

“Absolutely embarrassing”

Credit: @kostie88

“55 has genuinely burst scotland”

Credit: @dougiethebear

“A thing if beauty. Delighted to up this tweet’s engagement rate. Utterly broken them.”

Credit: @The_JazzyB

“the level of journalism in Scotland was never high but it’s beyond the gutter now”

Credit: @petera1872

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this article.

Fabio Silva arrived at Molineux with a lot of hype and excitement surrounding him but despite being just 18-years old and having been throwing in at the deep end, he’s flattered to deceive a lot of the time, but Wolves legend Steve Bull still holds out hope for him.

During his time with Porto, Silva was described as the ‘€125 million boy’ because of his release clause in his contract which was, and still is, the highest to ever have been inserted into a contract in Liga Nos.

Former manager Nuno Espirito Santo may not have expected to have handed Silva as many as 12 Premier League starts but his hands were tied when Raul Jimenez was ruled out for the season in November.

Four goals in 32 league appearances doesn’t scream wonderkid however, and he came under scrutiny from Jamie O’Hara on Twitter following his appearance against Tottenham earlier this month, with the talkSPORT pundit labelling him as “absolutely shocking”.

Bull, though, does believe that he will prove his worth in the future and justify his huge price tag and then some more, as he exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Mendes and the club must have seen something in him and they did say when he first joined the club that in four years he’ll be worth £100 million.

“The club must see something that a lot of supporters can’t, but I do think you might see him gradually blend into a well-established centre-forward.”

Just this week, Jeff Shi admitted that he thinks Silva is the best wonderkid in the world at his age but his goal-scoring record at Molineux says otherwise when you look at what players such as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have been and are doing.

Next season could be a huge one for Silva’s development as he can hopefully have an entire season playing, training and learning from Jimenez who is expected to start next season fully fit.

Both Crystal Palace and West Ham have made an enquiry for striker Marko Arnautovic.

According to Il Resto del Carlino, cited by Sports Witness, both Palace and the Hammers have ‘already made an enquiry’ for the 32-year-old and ‘would represent a threat’ to Bologna’s chances of landing the Austrian.

And, as to be expected, the transfer update has had plenty of Eagles fans talking on social media.

Arnautovic, who currently plies his trade with Shanghai SIPG, is expected to leave the Chinese Super League in the summer following a government crackdown on spending.

The former West Ham forward has scored 20 goals in 38 appearances for Shanghai. He made the move to China in a deal worth £22.5m back in 2019, but it seems as if a return to Europe could be on the cards.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared Sport Witness’ report on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

These Palace fans weren’t happy at the links, with on describing Arnautovic as a ‘washed’ forward.

“Why would we do this?? Like really tho…why??”Credit: @TtimeSTL”Noooo”Credit: @PachoAndras”Another washed player on extortionate wages, perfect”Credit: @Jamezy166″No thanks!”Credit: @mainstand_eagle”Cool, let’s blow our budget on the Austrian Adebayor”Credit: @JA9baller”How many more overpaid underachievers are we going to be linked with? And why is it always West Ham?”Credit: @TheEagleDC

In other news: Many fans fume as Palace eye West Brom man, find out more here. 

Raheem Sterling has seen his first-team chances limited recently, especially in the bigger games and Paul Stewart, who jumped from the Third to the First Division when he joined Man City in 1987, exclusively spoke to Football FanCast about the possibility of Sterling leaving this summer.

Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez were both trusted to start against PSG as Sterling was handed just eight minutes over both legs, which has led to reports suggesting there has been a bust-up between Pep Guardiola and the winger.

It has been a less than fruitful season for Sterling at Man City as the England international has managed to score just 10 goals in the Premier League, despite having an xG of 11.7 for the campaign.

Speaking on how Sterling could have to leave the club if he has fallen out with Guardiola but how he offers so much to City, Stewart exclusively told FFC:

“What even are these reports because I’ve heard them myself and you have to wonder if they are just rumours or not. I’m of the opinion that they’ve had a falling out over something, but Raheem just offers so much at City.

“It’s a tough one because if it isn’t true, then I can see him still having a future at City. The one thing I know about Pep though, if he has fallen out with somebody then the door is open for them to leave. So if there has been a fall-out then I think Raheem will be leaving.”

The £300,000 per week winger was signed for £49 million when he left Liverpool to join Man City in 2015 and since then he has won an impressive 11 trophies which includes three Premier League titles.

Man City have already won their second league title in three seasons and they are set to play in their first-ever Champions League final when they face Chelsea at the end of the month.

Cast your mind back to last summer and you will quickly realise just how badly wrong Wolves got their recruitment.

They sold Diogo Jota and Matt Doherty, only to replace them with Fabio Silva for £35.6m and then Nelson Semedo.

Jota and Doherty contributed to 25% of Wolves’ goals last term while Silva and Semedo have since struggled to live up to expectation.

Silva is the club’s record signing but has netted just three times after arriving from Porto. As for his Portuguese counterpart in defence, he has been a liability at the back.

Fortunately, we are starting to see an improvement. Semedo won a mightily impressive ten tackles in Wolves’ late win over Fulham, a victory that was earned by Adama Traore’s goal from a Silva assist.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

It would seem the striker is finally beginning to adapt after scoring in the defeat to West Ham as well.

Silva may well come good in the future but it’s evident that Wolves need more from their attackers. In signing the teenager last summer, they passed on the opportunity to land Rafael Leao.

Wolves were linked with a move for the 21-year-old just a year after he’d joined AC Milan from Lille in a deal worth £32m; that’s cheaper than Silva was worth.

However, just a year on, the Italian giants are now preparing to sell him for a fee of €40m (£34.5m). With that in mind, Jeff Shi should revive the club’s interest.

Leao is capable of playing on either wing, as well as through the middle as a centre-forward. He has played in all three positions for Milan this season and has helped himself to seven goals and five assists in all competitions.

It’s a handy tally for a young player with the world at his feet. Unlike Silva, the Milan striker has found a potency in front of goal and he’s also more creative.

On top of that, he’s been compared to some of the finest footballers to grace the game. Speaking about the forward last year, one of Leao’s former youth coaches – Tiago Fernandes – said: “I’d say that he reminds me of ‘Fenomeno’ Ronaldo for his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing.”

Lille president Gerard Lopez added: “He’s the Portuguese Mbappe.”

Leao is clearly a player who can bring plenty to the table. He knows how to beat his man and is capable of producing magic moments.

Former striker Rolando Bianchi once commented: “I had seen him at the U20 World Cup with Portugal and he made spectacular plays. He has great speed, he has a touch of the ball. Milan have made a great purchase and if they continue like this they have great prospects.”

Thus, if he signs for Wolves, Nuno Santo would have a marvellous player at his disposal. He appears to be a bigger threat than Silva and would undoubtedly be an upgrade on Willian Jose.

The Old Gold have an option to buy the Brazilian but it’s unlikely they’ll take that offer up considering he’s yet to score for the club.

AND in other news, Wolves should be cursing Mendes for missing out on “unbelievable” £81m-rated star…

According to a report by the Manchester Evening News, West Ham United star Declan Rice is allegedly ‘interested in joining Man United’ and has even asked Red Devils players about the club – coming as a possible worry for the Irons.

West Ham dealt possible Rice worry

Rice has arguably been David Moyes’ most crucial asset this season – whilst earning plenty of praise – and continues to attract attention from many large clubs across the Premier League.

Indeed, alongside United, reports have suggested that Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City hold a firm interest (90min) – with the MEN now providing an update.

They claim that the 22-year-old is ‘interested in joining Man United’ and has even asked Red Devils players about the Old Trafford club whilst on his last international tour with England.

It is understood by MEN that Rice spoke ‘specifically’ to Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw about ‘aspects’ of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side – coming as a possible worry for Moyes and West Ham as they aim to keep hold of their star player.

Transfer Tavern take

This claim that the Irons fan favourite is open to a move away from east London, while concerning, should be alleviated by the fact West Ham could demand a huge price tag.

It is said that GSB value him at upwards of £100 million, making any club talks difficult in these circumstances, with the only caveat possibly being if Rice elects to force an exit through request.

That could depend on whether West Ham manage to seal an unprecedented European finish this season, and if so, it could put them in a very strong position.

In other news: West Ham eyeing yet another Slavia Prague gem, find out more here.

According to recent reports, Leeds United goalkeeper, Illan Meslier, is attracting significant interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

So far this season, Meslier has been one of Marcelo Bielsa’s stand out performers in the Premier League, with the 21-year-old keeping nine clean sheets and making a total of 115 saves over his 28 league appearances, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.12 – ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the top flight.

Seemingly as a result of these impressive displays, a recent report published by Football Club de Marseille (via Sport Witness) claims that Olympique de Marseille are interested in a move for the £26,000-per-week shot-stopper this summer, as Jorge Sampaoli views the 21-year-old as Steve Mandanda’s successor.

However, it is also claimed that the €17 million (£14.6 million) asking price of Meslier is something that will likely prove a stumbling block to any move by Marseille, as well as the fact that several unnamed English clubs are also thought to be keen signing the Frenchman this summer.

Transfer Tavern Take

There are a number of factors within Football Club de Marseille’s report that would not appear to make a great deal of sense from the perspective of Leeds.

Firstly, having only signed the ‘keeper permanently last summer, in what was a £5.85 million deal, it would appear incredibly unlikely that Marcelo Bielsa’s side would be willing to part with the young Frenchman so soon after his arrival.

Secondly, it would appear even less likely that, even if the Whites are open to selling the 21-year-old this summer, that they would be demanding a figure as low as £14.6 million, considering how impressive he has been for the club this season, as well as the fact that the quoted figure that is less than his current Transfermarkt valuation of £15.3 million.

As such, unless an offer is made that Leeds simply cannot refuse, it would appear more than likely that Meslier will not be making the move to Marseille this summer.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Southampton were one of the sides interested in signing Andre Silva from AC Milan in 2019 but reportedly saw a bid rejected, and he is now starring in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, so it will undoubtedly be a cause of frustration for Ralph Hasenhuttl that the Saints couldn’t complete the deal.

According to reports from Italy, Southampton made a loan-to-buy offer for the Portuguese international nearly two years ago but it was rejected by the Serie A side, as they valued him at around €25m (£21m), whereas the South Coast club had reportedly offered just €18m (£15m).

He was subsequently sent on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt for the 2019/20 season and despite the former Porto man scoring 16 goals in all competitions, Milan were more than willing to cash in on him last summer, with Ante Rebic going the other way after spending the season on loan with I Rossoneri.

Silva has since established himself as one of the best strikers in Germany, as he has 23 goals to his name this season, and sits behind just Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga scoring charts.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

The striker’s incredible 7.54 average rating across the season so far is enough to see him rated as the sixth-best player in the Bundesliga so far this campaign, whilst it would comfortably rank him as Southampton’s best performer if he had produced the same numbers with the South Coast club this season.

As a Portuguese international, Silva has drawn high praise from Cristiano Ronaldo in the past. The former Man Utd superstar claimed his fellow countryman was doing a “phenomenal job” and that it wasn’t just down to his ability to score – so clearly, he offers far more than just goals.

His market value has understandably shot up in that time, with Transfermarkt now valuing the 25-year-old frontman at a career-high £37.8m, whilst Manchester City have also been linked with him in recent weeks.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, given his performances in the last two seasons in Germany, it definitely seems fair to suggest that Hasenhuttl would have loved to have a player such as Silva in his side at Southampton, especially with the South Coast club in danger of losing star striker Danny Ings this summer.

And, in other news… Saints must swoop for £26m-rated “Rolls Royce” who is rotting away at a PL rival

Lots of Everton fans have been left to slam Alex Iwobi after he posted a subtle dig at Carlo Ancelotti on his latest Instagram story.

The story was shared by The Toffee Blues on their Twitter page, as the Nigeria international wrote: ‘Always an honour to get a call up for my national team, hopefully I get to play in my preferred position’.

This has been taken as a subtle dig at Ancelotti by several members of the Goodison Park faithful, who played the former Arsenal man as a right wing-back in their most recent 2-0 loss away at Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday evening, and has played him there on more than one occasion so far in the 2020/21 term.

Predominantly a winger by trade, Iwobi is clearly not happy with playing a wing-back role, as he is asked to defend more rather than showcasing his attacking talent in full force.

Nonetheless, it is a concern that should not really be put in the public domain and thus should be kept behind closed doors instead.

Everton fan reaction to Iwobi dig

These Merseyside club supporters slammed his dig on Twitter, with one Toffees fan even going as far as to call the 24-year-old a ‘fraud’:

“Hahaha. Maybe if he could kick a ball he might get a chance.”

Credit: @LeeCruickshank9

“He is a bad egg within the club. Least he won’t be starting Saturday now”

Credit: @gray1978

“Play where you’re asked to play & if you play well you’ll keep your place & eventually play where you want to play. Iwobi needs to look in the mirror to see the reason he’s not playing regularly or in his preferred role.”

Credit: @EdEFC74

“Not good enough for Everton in any position end of”

Credit: @njy1102

“He’s a fraud ngl. Leave my club ASAP”

Credit: @JustiinR7

“He’s deluded…..simply garbage in every position”

Credit: @paulhollis2

In other news, find out what ‘very talented’ star the Blues are at risk of losing in the summer here!