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Everton Under 23s boss David Unsworth can utilise the Goodison Park outfit’s failed efforts to offload Muhamed Besic this summer in developing the club’s potential wonderkid Imam Jagne.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Besic will not attempt to force his way out of Everton during the closing stages of the last major European transfer window after being omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s 25-man Premier League squad.

The Portuguese market is the last to slam shut with Liga NOS outfits still able to do business until Sunday but is not thought to be one that appeals to Besic, who instead intends to remain at Finch Farm and focus his efforts toward securing a move in the January sales.

Besic – who will be in the final six months of his £30,000-per-week contract come the New Year – had been the subject of interest from Rangers this summer, but the Scottish Premiership giants were unable to reach an agreement to sign the 28-year-old.

It is not yet understood if Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox natives will look to revive their pursuit in the winter, but Besic’s continued presence at Finch Farm can be put to good use by Unsworth following Everton’s’ capture of Gambia-born talent Jagne.

The perfect mentor?

With Besic unable to feature in the Everton first-team until February at the earliest, the Bosnian will now be resigned to playing with the U23s should the Toffees look to award the 2021-free agent any game time over the coming months.

As part of Unsworth’s squad, however, Besic could serve as the perfect mentor to Jagne after the Toffees signed the 17-year-old from Swedish outfit BK Hacken for 15million Swedish Kroner (£1.3m) this summer.

The talented teen has signed a three-year deal with Everton and was touted to have a bright future ahead of him by Hacken manager Sonny Karlsson following the move.

“Imam is a nice guy with a nice future as a football player, who is welcome back to us when he so wishes,” said Karlsson, via quotes by Goteborgs-Posten.

However, Jagne is yet to establish himself in one defined position, as while the Sweden U17 international is listed as a defensive midfielder by TransferMarkt – who note that is where Unsworth handed him his Toffees debut against Tottenham’s U23s –  professional scouting platform Wyscout via Sport Witness shows the teen has also featured on the right-wing and in a central attacking midfield role.

Should Unsworth and Everton consider Jagne to be a defensive midfielder for the future, he could benefit vastly from drawing on Besic’s experience.

Besic has played 34 of his 56 career Everton games as the Blues’ midfield enforcer, and offered an average 3.7 tackles, 2.7 interceptions and 42.3 passes a game during his final season as a regular at Goodison Park in 2017/18, per WhoScored.

AND in other news, Everton are yet to open talks with a key club figure who’s set to be out of contract next summer.

Key Information about Caledonian Stadium

Caledonian Stadium has been the home of Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle since it opened in 1996, two years after the club was formed.

Caledonian Stadium was redeveloped in 2004-05 which included the construction of two new stands as well as converting the ground into an all-seater with a capacity of over 7,500.

A history of Caledonian Stadium

When Caledonian and Inverness Thistly proposed to merge and join the Scottish Football League in 1994, it gave them more of a chance to build a brand new state of the art stadium. After two years of negotiating, work on the Caledonian Stadium finally commenced in October 1995 with Provost William Fraser cutting the first ceremonial turf. The first competitive league match played at the new ground was on 9 November 1996 when almost 4,000 fans witnessed a 1-1 draw with Albion Rovers.

Despite a successful opening of Caledonian Stadium, it was soon revealed that the ground did not meet the Scottish Premier League’s criteria of 10,000 seats and it looked as if the club’s hopes of playing in the top flight would be damaged. Somehow, Caley Thistle proposed a 100-mile ground share move at Pittodrie, Aberdeen so that they could play in the Scottish top flight for the first time.

Despite the odds, the SPL agreed that it would be possible for Caledonian Stadium to be upgraded before late January 2005. In addition to this good news for the club, the criteria had changed to 6,000 seats rather than 10,000 ahead of the next season. Redevelopment of Caledonian Stadium began shortly after, with the construction of two new stands at either end of the ground.

They were extraordinarily built in just 47 days by the Tulloch Construction Company who are also the club’s biggest shareholder. As part of the redevelopment cost, Tulloch’s name was added to it upon completion, though in February 2019, the stadium was renamed Caledonian Stadium after long-time sponsors Tulloch gifted the stadium to the club.

An initial club record was set at 7,045, during a league match against Celtic in 2005, and this was surpassed by Old Firm rivals Ranges who attracted a crowd of 7,512 at Caledonian Stadium a few months later. The West Stand was erected opposite the Main Stand in 2007, and it has a small capacity of just 400 – it was initially intended to be a singing section for the hardcore Calley fans. During 2018, Inverness CT replaced the original manned turnstiles with modern barcode scanning ones.

Tickets to Watch Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Caledonian Stadium

Adult season tickets are available from £20, senior citizens and 16-25 from £15, and under-16s from just £6. Adult season tickets are priced at around £246, seniors at £199, 16-25s at £179, juniors at £81, and under-12s for just £46.

Related Links

https://ictfc.com/ – Official Website of Inverness Caledonian Thistle

 https://ictfc.com/prices – Inverness Caledonian Thistle Ticket Office

Last year, Celtic were extremely close to completing the signing of a gifted Motherwell youngster, David Turnbull. Unfortunately, the now 21-year-old playmaker failed his medical exam due to a knee concern, sensationally collapsing the whole deal in the end.

It was seen as a huge blow for both parties and the youngster was devastated. Now, however, according to the latest information from The Scottish Sun, Neil Lennon is stepping up the Hoops’ scouting of Turnbull as his development continues.

Not only that but if his impressive comeback keeps on going, Celtic may very well make a fresh offer for the youngster and bring him to the club in the not so distant future.

Interestingly, Turnbull was exceptional in essentially every single game he played and started so far this season, including an incredible strike in the 2-2 home draw against Livingston. Of course, the Bhoys will face Motherwell and their young playmaker at Parkhead on August 30 and this will be another chance for Lennon to scout the player.

As things currently stand, however, they like what they’re seeing and a year after his dream of playing for Celtic was shattered, Turnbull may very well get his transfer after all.

The source doesn’t exactly say anything about the price or the negotiations that are bound to take place but it does seem like a real possibility further down the line.

Verdict

Turnbull was a great talent last year and he remains a great talent now. Needless to say, Celtic’s interest is not a surprise at all and can only grow as the 21-year-old keeps impressing the right people.

Of course, the clash at Parkhead at the end of the month could very well be his ‘trial’ with the Hoops. If he brings his A-game to the pitch then, there’s every chance Lennon will be ready to pull the trigger.

Manchester United are plotting a move for a cheaper alternative to Jadon Sancho, according to the Daily Mail. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add a midfielder to his squad before the start of next season, with the Red Devils linked to the likes of Sancho and Jack Grealish. However, the Daily Mail claimed that United are now considering a bid for Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.

Solskjaer has indicated that he wants to improve his options on the right flank and the club have also been monitoring Argentine winger Thiago Almada and Welsh youngsters David Brooks and Rabbi Matondo in the event that they cannot sign Sancho in the summer.

Ed Woodward has previously warned that it may not be “business as usual” for United in the next transfer window, with the club reeling from the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bailey, who is currently valued at £40m by Bayer Leverkusen, would be significantly cheaper than Sancho and Grealish.

Borussia Dortmund value their 20-year-old winger at £89m and the Bundesliga giants are unwilling to change their minds, despite the economic uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will reportedly demand £80m for Grealish as they view their prized asset as being on the same level as Harry Maguire.

Bailey, who can play on the left or right of the midfield, has played 19 games in the Bundesliga this season, scoring five goals, supplying two assists, taking 1.4 shots per game, averaging under one key pass and completing 1.5 dribbles per game on average (WhoScored).

It is worth pointing out that he has received a lower WhoScored rating than both of his English counterparts for his performances so far.

Moreover, Sancho is Dortmund’s top scorer this term and a failure to sign the England international would be a bitter blow for Solskjaer. Indeed, the Norwegian has been chasing the winger for a number of months (Daily Mail). Furthermore, the club legend missed out on signing Erling Braut Haaland last year.

Although Sancho is still a top priority, it seems the board are reluctant to take any risks and are lining up a list of possible replacements if negotiations with Dortmund falter.

United fans, do you think the board should sign Leon Bailey instead of Jadon Sancho? Let us know in the comments below!

On the day that The Athletic journalist David Ornstein revealed that Arsenal are intensifying their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka delivered the kind of statement-making performance against Norwich that would have got people to sit up and take notice.

The Gunners ran out comfortable 4-0 winners over the Canaries on Wednesday night, and the Switzerland international in particular was in inspired form in the middle of the park.

Xhaka’s topsy-turvy relationship at the Emirates is well-documented, with suggestions that after his anger and frustrations boiled over against Crystal Palace, he would be off to Germany in the January transfer window.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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But in came Mikel Arteta to permanently replace Unai Emery, and the former Borussia Monchengladbach man hasn’t looked back since. In fact, after Wednesday evening’s result, the Gunners have remained unbeaten in the ten Premier League matches Xhaka has started and completed the game under the new Arsenal boss.

And against Norwich, he was outstanding. Aside from his well-taken goal in which he made a marauding run forward before sweeping the ball home with his left foot, the Swiss star controlled the game and dictated the tempo in the middle of the park.

As per Sofascore, he had 66 touches of the ball, with only Dani Ceballos and Sead Kolasinac having more, whilst his astonishing 96% pass accuracy (49 of 51 completed) was by far and away the highest of the team.

He also contributed with one key pass, one blocked shot and one interception over the course of the 90 minutes, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s decision to hand over the armband when he was being substituted, showed how full circle everything has come.

Speaking after the game, Arteta waxed lyrical over his midfield maestro, saying: “His commitment goes beyond anything normal. He’s a great example the way he lives this possession. I’m really happy we convinced him to stay and learn from the mistake he made.”

So whilst the Gunners seem to be exploring ways to bring Partey to the club this summer, Xhaka reminded everyone just how good of a midfielder he can be on his day too.

There has been little for West Ham to shout about over the last few seasons.

The move to London Stadium, which was meant to take them to the next level, has been a disaster, with the fans in uproar at the decision. On the pitch, too, things have been disappointing, with them currently 16th in the table and level on points with the relegation zone.

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The rise of Declan Rice, though, has been one of the few positives for the Hammers in recent years, and the increase in his market value shows just how far he has come.

In October 2017, less than three years ago, he was worth £450,000, as per Transfermarkt – that number now stands at £49.5m, which ranks him in the top 10 holding midfielders on the planet.

Here are three reasons behind that considerable surge…

2018/19 season

Whilst Rice made his debut during the 2016/17 season, and had already started 15 Premier League matches by the start of the 2018/19 campaign, it was the latter term during which he established himself as a potential future star – beforehand, he had made most of his appearances at centre-back.

He would start all but four matches in defensive midfield that season, and he proved to be a rock on whom Manuel Pellegrini could rely. He averaged 2.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and gave away just 0.5 fouls per match as the Irons finished in 10th place in the Premier League.

His displays put him on the map.

First England cap

The 21-year-old had the opportunity to play for both the Republic of Ireland and England, and at one point it looked as though he would represent the former – he had played for them regularly at youth level and had also picked up three caps for the senior side before the Three Lions arrived on the scene.

All of those previous appearances came in friendlies, giving him the chance to change allegiances and, after much deliberation, he decided to play for the country of his birth.

He made his debut for England against the Czech Republic last March, and he has picked up six more caps since then.

Manchester United and Chelsea interest

The midfielder was on the books of Chelsea as a child – Mason Mount, who has burst onto the scene at Stamford Bridge this term, is his best friend – and it seems that the Blues would quite like to take him back to south-west London.

According to Sky Sports, he is on their wishlist for next season.

Manchester United, too, have been linked with a move, although he could set them back £80m according to Goal.com. Whether he moves to either of those remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain – the future looks bright for the youngster.

Former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips has revealed why he failed to settle in at Chelsea, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

What did he say?

After impressing with displays for Manchester City, Wright-Phillips joined Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side in the summer of 2005.

However, things did not quite workout for the speedy winger, managing just 10 goals in 125 appearances for the club.

After three seasons in West London the England man returned to his former club, and looking back on the experience he said he had the wrong approach at Stamford Bridge.

“I think there were a lot of factors at play,” he told Football FanCast.

“Obviously, the older I get the more I’m seeing and the more I’m realising but in my first spell at City, the ball came to me very quickly and I was always that person who was going to make something out of nothing or get people off their seats.

“I was quite fearless. I didn’t think about it in my head. I was just like, ‘I’m going to beat you, I’m going to cross the ball and hopefully create a chance.’ That was my mindset and I think the difference was, when I went to Chelsea, I had to get used to the fact that it wasn’t just me that could do those things.

“I had to learn to be a bit more patient and then I noticed that times when I was getting the ball, I was trying to do everything too quickly instead of playing my way into the game. At Chelsea I had to take my time.

“I look back now I can say that is was the wrong approach. I just needed to just play the way I play.”

Difficult move

Unfortunately for Wright-Phillips his second spell in Manchester was not as successful as his first, with the new owners investing heavily in the squad.

In truth, it was a similar situation that he found himself in at Chelsea, who had plenty of talent out wide such as Damien Duff and Arjen Robben.

As he admitted, his approach at Chelsea was not quite right and with significant competition for places, he suffered as a result.

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Crystal Palace are stepping up their intentions to sign France international Olivier Giroud, according to reports.

FCInterNews have reported (via Sport Witness), that Italian side Inter Milan are also sniffing around for the available striker, however, the Eagles look to be making things difficult for the club.

Allegedly, Palace have ‘moved concretely’ for the 33-year-old, and are willing to satisfy the forward’s wages, which could put Inter’s move for him in doubt.

Within their report, Giroud is reportedly asking for one of two things from Inter; he wants either a two-and-a-half-year deal taking him to the summer of 2022 or a deal until 2021 worth a salary of €8m (£6.25m) for the season and a half. It is not clear as to whether the Eagles have had the same request.

Given that Chelsea will not allow him to leave for free as per the report, it seems finances could prove a stumbling block for Inter.

Palace will be hopeful that the Nerazzurri simply cannot afford the French striker as they could really do with some more reinforcements up top.

Even if the Italian side can afford him, you would presume that regular football is a must if he is to join, as he will want to impress as much as he can before Euro 2020. With the Serie A giants having the in-form strikeforce of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku up top, it’s hard to see where he fits in as a regular starter.

Chelsea’s forward could offer more than one solution for the Eagles. Obviously, with just 10 goals scored from 12 games – the second-fewest amount of goals scored in the league – they will want more goals from a centre-forward. Being France’s third-highest goalscorer of all time and having 78 goals in 224 appearances in the Premier Leauge, there’s no doubt he could do that. After all, this is a man who won the FIFA Puskas Award for his strike against the Eagles while an Arsenal player back in 2017.

Furthermore, with a club legend in Wilfried Zaha struggling to find his feet this season – not scoring once so far – the hold-up play of Giroud could do wonders for the Ivorian winger.

The way in which the World Cup winner could bring the winger into play is something which could really kickstart his season. He is a selfless player, as shown in the World Cup, where his name was “among the first” on the teamsheet (per Stuart James in the Guardian) for his target man capabilities despite not scoring. Looking at what he did for someone like Antoine Griezmann, bringing him in to play and giving him the ‘freedom to flourish’ according to the Guardian, the ex-Montpellier ace does look to be a strong attacking weapon to use alongside a player in a free role.

As per Transfermarkt, Zaha has scored one goal from eight games as a support striker over the course of his career, a figure which could realistically be markedly improved on if he had a target man such as Giroud to float off, as the aforementioned Frenchmen have done.

While he might cost a fair bit of money, someone of the calibre of Giroud is only going to help Palace’s problems for goals.

Even if Jordan Ayew is having a really good campaign, he simply doesn’t have the experience of the 33-year-old.

Giroud’s talents may also be a huge help for Zaha as not only will he take more pressure off the Ivorian, as they will have another star to expect goals from, but he may also be able to form a partnership with the tricky winger which could benefit him hugely on the pitch as he has done at international level.

Could you see Giroud at Palace? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Louis van Gaal’s spell at Manchester United was a memorable one, if not for the right reasons.

The Dutchman spent just two years at Old Trafford and, whilst he did win one trophy, he will likely be remembered for his antics on the touchline and in and around the club – from his hilarious “dive” to his drunken speech at the club’s End of Season awards.

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His transfer record was far from funny, though.

Several of the new recruits brought in by the former Netherlands manager flattered to deceive, such as Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay.

The latter, though, is now flourishing in Ligue 1 with Lyon.

Let’s see how he is getting on…

Time at Manchester United

When van Gaal took his compatriot to the Premier League, he was one of the most exciting young prospects in European football. He had just scored 28 goals in 40 matches for PSV, whilst he bagged two in four appearances at the 2014 World Cup as a 20-year-old.

The £25m they spent on him looked to be a sound investment, but that proved not to be the case. His first campaign, the 2015/16 season, saw him make 45 appearances but score just seven goals, whilst he managed only seven assists as well.

As van Gaal left at the end of the term, Depay’s playing time was to be considerably reduced under new boss Jose Mourinho – he played just eight times before being sold to Lyon in January 2017.

Les Gones paid £16m, meaning the Red Devils made a 36% loss on his sale.

Where is he now?

Straight away, the 26-year-old started making up for lost time in France, scoring five times and providing eight assists in 17 Ligue 1 fixtures in the second half of the season.

The next term, his performances went up another level. His 36 appearances in the league saw him bag 19 times and provide 13 assists, whilst he managed three of each in the Europa League in 10 games.

All in all, his season tally stood at 22 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.

There was a slight decrease in the quality of his performances in the next campaign, but he still managed an impressive 12 strikes and 17 goals created in 47 matches. And this term was arguably his most eye-catching before his cruciate ligament rupture in December. In 16 games, he picked up 14 goals and two assists, with him bagging five in as many Champions League clashes.

The fact he is now captain of the club says all you need to know about his stature in France.

Now valued at £49.5m by Transfermarkt, United will be kicking themselves that he failed to hit those heights in Manchester.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Being appointed captain is one of the biggest honours that can be bestowed upon a player.

Taking the armband means that you have been selected to lead your side into battle, and the skipper is often the player his teammates look up to the most. It should be the pinnacle of a career.

Watch the moment Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal career may have come to an ugly end in the video below…

For Granit Xhaka at Arsenal, though, it looks to be anything but.

The Switzerland international was only appointed as the leader of the dressing room a few weeks ago, but he’s thrown that responsibility up in the air after shouting expletives at the crowd at the Emirates Stadium when he was subbed off against Crystal Palace.

His troubles under the spotlight do not make him the only Gunners captain to have struggled, though.

In fact, history tells us that being the manager’s right-hand man in north London may be a curse.

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Ever since William Gallas was stripped of the captaincy in 2008 for saying his teammates weren’t brave enough, no skipper has had an easy ride.

There have been several reasons for the problems: Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker all suffered damaging injuries, whilst stars such as Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie left the club, to join Barcelona and Manchester United respectively.

Fabregas even revealed he’d pay to leave the Gunners when his time was running out at the club. That simply tells you all you need to know.

Meanwhile, the previous captain, Laurent Koscielny, refused to go on Arsenal’s pre-season tour before the start of this current campaign. He left his legacy in tatters following an ill-advised transfer reveal video for new side Bordeaux in France.

Long gone are the days of iconic leaders such as Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams. Now, it seems that the various men in the dug-out cannot choose the right man to lead their side.

Unai Emery has a group of captains theory, and looking at this lot, there is perhaps a method to his madness after all.

But perhaps he should take the idea even further. Instead of having one main captain and four back-ups, perhaps he should spread the responsibility across the five anyway. That way, no one man has to deal with apparent pressure of the curse. As such, they may be able to rid themselves of it once and for all.