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Everton ended their recent losing run in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, having claimed a convincing 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park, following what was an impressive display from Frank Lampard’s side.

Having slipped to a third Premier League defeat in a row following their midweek loss to Newcastle United, the Toffees bounced back in style yesterday as goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dwight McNeil, either side of a poacher’s finish from Anthony Gordon, sealed a much needed three points for the hosts.

That goal for the latter man was particularly timely as the young Englishman had failed to score since netting in the draw with Leeds United at Elland Road back in late August, with this latest strike over the Eagles taking the 21-year-old’s tally to three top-flight goals in 11 appearances thus far.

The 21-year-old was not the only asset to have sent something of a message with his display, however, with full-back, Vitaliy Mykolenko having seemingly looked “a different player” against Patrick Vieira’s side, according to journalist Joe Thomas.

While the Ukrainian international did lose possession 15 times in his promising individual outing, that was seemingly a marker of the former Dynamo Kyiv man’s willingness to get forward, having also played a key part in Gordon’s goal after seeing his initial, fierce effort parried out by opposition ‘keeper, Vicente Guaita.

The 23-year-old – who was signed by the Merseyside outfit back in January on a £17m deal – has faced a tough test trying to fill the void of Lucas Digne in the left-back berth, having somewhat failed to replicate the Frenchman’s attacking impact with no goal involvements to his name thus far this term.

On the evidence of Saturday’s win, however, there are encouraging signs emerging with regards to the 28-cap gem’s influence in the final third, with the defender having been “far more adventurous” on the left flank than usual, in the words of the aforementioned Thomas.

The £58k-per-week colossus also showed his quality defensively after winning three of his five ground duels and recording two tackles, while his match rating of 7.3, as per SofaScore, was the joint-third highest of any of player on the day.

Having ‘defended resolutely and consistently got forward’ – according to Liverpool Echo’s Chris Beesley – Mykolenko has seemingly set the benchmark for his performances from now on, with the £16.2m-rated machine needing to continue to offer a real threat in an offensive sense.

Wolverhampton Wanderers starlet Chem Campbell is now set to be handed a new contract with the club, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Campbell’s breakthrough

Having made his way through the side’s youth academy, the 19-year-old was handed his debut by former manager Bruno Lage in the Premier League last season in the Wanderers’ 1-0 loss to Newcastle.

His only senior outing of the campaign, the Welshman has now emerged as a fully-fledged member of the Old Gold’s first-team, having made four appearances off the bench in the English top-flight this season.

The Latest: Contract news

Having impressed in the side’s most recent Premier League clashes against Manchester City, West Ham and Chelsea, Campbell appears ready to extend his stay at the Molineux.

Taking to Twitter, journalist O’Rourke revealed:

“Wolves are set to hand attacking midfielder Chem Campbell a new deal.”

The Verdict: Big talent

Having made his first-team breakthrough this season, Campbell deserves an extension with the Midlands club, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

Totalling 57 appearances for the U21s and a further 21 appearances for the U18s, the youngster is now ready to make the step-up and compete for a place in the side’s starting XI.

Hailed as ‘sublime’ by journalist Liam Keen for a dazzling run he made with the ball for Wolves’ youth side last month, Campbell is ‘clearly a cut above’ the level he is playing at with the U21s.

News of a fresh contract could suggest even more senior game time is coming for the 19-year-old this season.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says Arsenal opening contract talks with defender William Saliba could be a ‘big statement’.

The Lowdown: Saka agreement close

Mikel Arteta’s side have enjoyed a fine start to the season and currently sit top of the Premier League table with seven wins from a possible eight.

It looks as if the club want to continue that feel-good factor off the pitch, with reports in recent days claiming that Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Bukayo Saka over a new deal, which will see him become one of the top earners at the Emirates.

The Gunners have also held preliminary talks with Saliba over improved terms after an impressive start to the campaign that has seen his Transfermarkt valuation rise to a career-high £36m.

The Latest: O’Rourke reacts

Talking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke was asked for his thoughts on the update involving Saliba.

He said a new deal would be a ‘big statement’, describing the defender as a ‘revelation’ since returning from his loan spell with Marseille.

“I think it’d be a big statement along with maybe a number of other players that Arsenal could tie down.

“Saliba has been a revelation this season since coming back from his loan in Marseille. He’s been a key part of Arsenal’s success so far this season and he’s building up a really good relationship at centre-back with Gabriel as well.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

It appears as if a new deal for Saka is extremely close to being finalised, and it would be another piece of exciting news if Saliba also extended his stay.

The 21-year-old is yet to miss a minute of league action and has even contributed to three goals in eight top-flight games. He has averaged the most clearances per game and has been dribbled past the least when it comes to the Arsenal squad, as per WhoScored, so it’s safe to say the player has earned an improved deal.

Saliba’s current contract will have just 18 months left to run in January, so hopefully, a new deal will be sealed before the New Year.

Newcastle United could reportedly be set to make a fresh approach for Leicester City midfielder James Maddison in January, having been rebuffed by their Premier League rivals over the summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Northern Echo, the Magpies are set to make the 25-year-old their ‘number one transfer priority’ once the window re-opens in the new year, with recruiting a new attacking midfielder seemingly the main focus.

The report suggests that the Foxes will look to tie the Englishman down to a new deal – with his current contract set to expire in 2024 – albeit with the suggestion being that the player had been keen on a move to St James’ Park over the summer.

The northeast side are believed to have had two bids rejected for the one-cap gem in the recent window – the second of which was reportedly in the region of £50m – with Brendan Rodgers’ side demanding more than £60m for his signature.

Imagine him and Isak

Failure to get the Leicester man through the door epitomised what had been a largely frustrating window for the Tynesiders regarding attacking additions, albeit with that situation changing drastically late in the day as highly-rated striker Alexander Isak arrived for a club-record fee from Real Sociedad.

That statement addition has only served to raise excitement levels among the Newcastle faithful, with the Sweden international notably netting on debut in the narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, having shown a ruthless composure in front of goal against the Merseyside giants.

The 22-year-old looks set to be a real coup for PIF if the early evidence is anything to go by, albeit with the one-time Borussia Dortmund man likely to be in need of quality service if he is to continue to deliver the goods for manager Eddie Howe.

That is seemingly where Maddison comes in, with the £45m-rated ace offering that killer instinct in the final third, having previously been lauded for his “world-class” set-piece ability by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.

Also dubbed “sensational” by the aforementioned Rodgers following his side’s 5-1 thrashing of Watford last season, the former Norwich City man enjoyed a particularly profitable 2021/22 campaign, scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in the top-flight alone.

Even amid a dismal start to the new campaign for the Midlands side, the £110k-per-week playmaker has been a rare bright spark in recent weeks, scoring twice and registering one assist in five league games.

A dynamic asset in his creative midfield berth, Maddison is no doubt an ideal fit to supply the goods for the Magpies – and Isak – moving forward – with only five players having created more big chances in the top tier last season.

Although it could well be something of a saga that continues to rumble on until the New Year, it would no doubt be worth the wait if Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth is able to get a deal over the line.

Leeds United have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of Ismaila Sarr after Aston Villa’s move for the Watford winger collapsed.

The lowdown

Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekhol named the 24-year-old as a potential attacking target for Leeds earlier this month, while French journalist Santi Aouna reported last Tuesday that the Whites are ‘strongly interested’ in the Senegal attacker.

He said that Jesse Marsch’s side have ‘almost’ reached an agreement on personal terms, but need a ‘departure’ to go through before they can make a move.

Alas, Sarr seemed poised to join Villa instead after the Midlands outfit agreed a £25m deal with Watford.

The latest

However, it now looks as though Sarr is back on the market, with Sky Sports News reporting that Villa’s proposed move is ‘off’ as they ‘have pulled out of the negotiations’ on the day that the player was due to undergo a medical.

On top of that, ‘Sky Sports News has been told’ that Villa manager Steven Gerrard had ‘reservations’ about the deal and ‘decided to walk away’.

They called it ‘big news’, and it may well revive the battle for the 24-year-old’s signature.

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The verdict

It looks like Leeds could sign Sarr after all, but they must now be wary of competition from Crystal Palace.

Indeed, The London Evening Standard have already suggested that Villa’s decision to back out of a move offers the Eagles ‘hope’ of pulling off a deal themselves.

Across his two seasons in the Premier League, Sarr has scored 10 goals, set up another six , created 46 chances and recorded 167 total dribbles. He truly is a dynamic wide threat.

His former Watford team-mate Ben Foster has marvelled at the forward’s acceleration and described the 24-year-old as a ‘game-winner’, so hopefully those are qualities that Leeds can utilise by bringing him to Elland Road and pouncing upon Aston Villa’s U-turn.

Wolves have been linked with a move for Inter striker Edin Dzeko recently and the former Manchester City man could form a dream partnership with Pedro Neto in Bruno Lage’s attack.

Reports from Italy have suggested that the likes of Wolves, Everton and Leicester City are all interested in signing the Bosnian hitman, who could be set to leave the San Siro, despite an impressive debut season at the club.

The 36-year-old signed from Roma after a prolific spell with I Giallorossi and contributed 17 goals and ten assists in 48 appearances, which emphasises that he still has the ability to produce at the top level.

It is no surprise to see Wolves linked with such a consistent goalscorer, considering their lack of goals in the top flight last season, with only the relegated sides scoring fewer.

Raul Jimenez has not been the same player since his head injury, while Fabio Silva has left for Anderlecht on loan after failing to find the net last season, so a new striker is definitely required.

Should the Old Gold convince Dzeko to make the move to Molineux, the veteran striker could excel alongside Portuguese winger Neto, who may well feel like a new signing after missing much of the last campaign through injury.

The 22-year-old made just 13 appearances in the Premier League last year having been one of the star performers in the 2020/21 season, and he will be hoping to make a similar impact in the upcoming campaign.

Jamie Redknapp was full of praise for Neto last season, saying:

“He’s not going to be a good player, he’s going to be a world-class player once he comes back from injury.

“You could see last year when you were watching him he was developing every single week.”

With Neto’s pace and ability on the wing, he is sure to create goalscoring opportunities next season, and who better to put them away than the “fantastic” Dzeko.

AND, in other news: Wolves plotting bid for £20m target who’s “full of assists”, he’s Lage’s dream signing

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez is reportedly close to putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Premier League champions behind the scenes.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from L’Equipe, the Algerian is set to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium until 2025, with his current contract due to expire next summer.

In the summer of 2018, City broke their then-club record fee to bring the winger to the club from fellow Premier League side Leicester City in a deal worth £60m.

This has since proved to be a smart move from the club as Mahrez has been a consistent and deadly attacking player in Pep Guardiola’s team.

In 188 appearances for the Citizens, the 31-year-old has scored 63 goals, provided 45 assists and won numerous domestic trophies along the way.

City fans will be buzzing

Last season saw the attacker rack up 11 goals and five assists in 28 league appearances, leaving only Kevin De Bruyne (23) and Raheem Sterling (18) with more goal contributions among Guardiola’s squad.

Having also started 11 out of City’s 12 Champions League games in 2021/22, the winger netted seven goals and supplied two assists, highlighting just how vital he is for the team in Europe as well as domestically.

Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why the club are reportedly looking to secure Mahrez’s future for the next few years.

It’s also safe to suggest that, should the former Leicester star sign an extension to his current deal and continue his journey with Guardiola’s side, this would surely have a lot of City fans buzzing.

Also, with the club having sold Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal recently and Raheem Sterling looking likely to join Chelsea, this will further highlight City’s need to keep hold of Mahrez and ensure that he can continue delivering consistent goals and assists for the team.

If this reported contract extension can be officially confirmed as soon as possible, just as they have done with Rodri, this should duly allow the club to focus on other players in their ranks to whom they may want to offer new deals.

AND in other news: Man City can forget about Ake as Guardiola eyes swoop for “sensational” £54m machine

Celtic are now pressing hard to sign Lommel SK midfielder Vinicius Souza, according to The Daily Record’s Keith Jackson.

The Lowdown: Busy summer

Ange Postecoglou has wasted no time in adding to his title-winning squad ahead of his second season in charge at Parkhead.

Loan moves for Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda and Jota have all been made permanent, while goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist and left-back Alexandro Bernabei have also made the move to Glasgow.

Those five permanent deals have set Celtic back just over £18m, and it looks as if Postecoglou doesn’t want to stop there.

The Latest: Souza update

Jackson shared a story late on Tuesday evening regarding Celtic and Souza.

He claimed that talks have been ongoing between the Hoops and Souza’s representatives, adding that Celtic are now ‘pressing hard’ for the midfielder to ‘put his cards on the table once and for all’.

However, reports since have suggested that PSV are on course to win the race for the Brazilian’s services, although nothing is yet to be confirmed.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Postecoglou appears to be after a ‘physical enforcer to beef up his midfield options’, and Souza, labelled an ‘athletic’ player by Lawrence Shankland and a ‘freak’ by scout and analyst Mikail Serin, seems to be at the top of his list.

The 23-year-old is at the top of his game with a £4.05m Transfermarkt valuation and can play in central or defensive midfield roles.

Souza has even turned out as a centre-back during his career, so would provide plenty of versatility in Scotland, and it looks as if the Hoops are extremely keen to make him their sixth summer signing, so fingers crossed there can be a breakthrough in talks soon.

According to a report in the print edition of Tuttosport on Sunday morning (via Milan News), Tottenham Hotspur talks are scheduled as the club eye a move for Torino defender Gleison Bremer.

The Lowdown: Conte wants new defender…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte has reportedly prioritised the signing of a central defender this summer ahead of his first full Premier League season in charge of the Lilywhites.

Transfer chief Fabio Paratici has allegedly shortlisted numerous candidates to potentially come in at Hotspur Way, including Alessandro Bastoni, Marc Guehi, Stefan De Vrij, Clement Lenglet, Josko Gvardiol, Pau Torres and Bremer (GiveMeSport).

As per Tuttosport (via Milan News), there has now been a potentially significant development in the latter’s case.

The Latest: Spurs chiefs schedule talks…

According to their information, Tottenham are ‘serious’ about signing the Torino star, and their sporting director Davide Vagnati will fly to London in the ‘next few days’.

Indeed, Vagnati is apparently set to ‘meet’ with the Spurs hierarchy in the capital as the Lilywhites, and by extension Conte, eye a move for Bremer.

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The Verdict: Promising…

As Paratici continues to adopt his scattergun approach to Tottenham transfers, this update comes as a potentially significant one, and it will be interesting to see the outcome of these talks.

The Brazilian defender may well be a credible option to bolster Conte’s backline, with members of the media having called Bremer an ’emerging superstar’ (Rajath Kumar, Serie A expert and former Forza Italian Football writer, via Twitter).

Kumar’s opinion is certainly backed by statistics, with Bremer standing out as a colossal presence for Torino over 2021/22. He averaged their highest number of interceptions and clearances per game domestically whilst also finishing the season as their best-performing regular by average match rating (WhoScored).

Indeed, as Spurs continue their defensive hunt, Bremer has proved that the ability is certainly there to challenge for a place under Conte.

In other news: Agents offer Tottenham chance to sign £25m ‘monster’ who Lineker called ‘exceptional’…find out more here.

Newcastle United journalist Scott Wilson has revealed that Freddie Woodman is now ‘on verge’ of leaving St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Lack of games

Woodman has suffered from a lack of game time throughout his career in the North East, with just five senior appearances made last season, and nine in total spanning over six separate campaigns (Transfermarkt).

He was shipped out on loan to AFC Bournemouth in the January transfer window, but only played once for them, in the shock 1-0 loss at home to non-league Boreham Wood in the FA Cup.

The Latest: Deal close

Taking to Twitter, Wilson has revealed that Woodman is now ‘on verge’ of signing for Preston North End on loan for next season, with a view to a permanent deal:

“NUFC goalkeeper Freddie Woodman on verge of joining Preston on season-long loan, with a view to a permanent departure from St James’ next summer…”

The Verdict: Get rid

While the move to take him to Preston is only on loan initially, the Tynesiders should be happy to sell Woodman permanently, even in 12 months’ time.

The Englishman is 25 years of age now, and so needs to be playing regular football, which he is clearly not getting at the Magpies.

It is a shame for a player who has shown promise, as former Toon defender Steve Howey hailed him as ‘excellent’ after a successful loan spell at Swansea City, but next summer provides the optimum time for both him and the club to part ways.

In other news, find out which ‘super saiyan’ giant NUFC are now eyeing here!