David Moyes is hoping Everton have a big summer in the transfer market (Picture: Getty Images)
Everton are eyeing a summer move for Chelsea forward Liam Delap after a disappointing first season at Stamford Bridge.
Delap only joined the Blues from Ipswich Town last summer, completing a £30m move after an impressive Premier League campaign with the Tractor Boys, scoring 12 league goals.
The 23-year-old has struggled to make an impact in west London, though, not coming close to that goal-scoring tally with his new club.
Delap has scored just one Premier League goal in 27 appearances, netting twice in 40 outings across all competitions.
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The former Manchester City forward has struggled to command a place in the starting XI, but 12 of his 27 league appearances have come from the start.
The England Under-21 international signed a six-year contract with Chelsea less than 12 months ago, but he could be on his way out of the club this summer.
The Sun report that the striker is one of Everton’s top targets in the upcoming transfer window, along with making Jack Grealish’s loan move from Manchester City permanent.
Liam Delap has failed to make an impact at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images)
Former Everton striker Louis Saha has backed the move for Delap, feeling that he will be more likely to fulfil his potential there than at Chelsea.
Much will depend on how new Blues manager Xabi Alonso rates Delap, but Saha has talked up a move to Merseyside.
‘Chelsea’s strategy is a bit messy,’ Saha said via Compare.Bet. ‘They’ve mixed a lot of profiles without really thinking it through, hoping something special would come out of it. But that’s not how football works.
‘This sometimes leads to bad consequences and can destroy the confidence of many players, and Liam Delap has been one of them.
‘I do think that Everton will bring him back to his high standard and can help him fulfil his potential. He’d definitely bring something different than Beto and Barry.
Delap’s one Premier League goal this season came at Fulham in January (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I think there are good things that will come out of this move if it materialises. I genuinely believe that Liam can be the type of striker who scores 20 goals if he’s given the right chance.’
Everton manager David Moyes has made no secret of the fact he wants the club’s owners to spend big this summer as he wants to push forward and challenge for Europe next season.
Everton have an option to buy Jack Grealish for £50m (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I believe that’s what we need to do and I also want the ownership to show that as well,’ he said.
‘I want them to come out and show, “We’re here, we’re going again, we’re supporting you”.
‘And by the way, you can’t always just keep spending bundles of cash, you have to get some rewards for it somewhere along the line.
‘But I hope we can add to what we’ve got. I hope we can excite the supporters a little bit with what we’re trying to do.’
Calum McFarlane’s side currently sit eighth in the Premier League ahead of their trip to Sunderland on Sunday afternoon.
Should Chelsea finish in eighth place that would secure them a place in the UEFA Conference League next season.
Chelsea are already out of the running to secure a place in next season’s Champions League but a spot in the Europa League, a competition they have won in 2013 and 2019, is still a possibility.
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Qualification for the Europa League will depend on Brighton’s result at home to Manchester United. If Fabian Hurzeler’s side beat United, Chelsea will be unable to finish in the Europa League place.
European places if Aston Villa finish fourth
Arsenal – Champions League
Man City – Champions League
Man Utd – Champions League
Aston Villa – Champions League
Liverpool or Bournemouth – Champions League
Bournemouth, Brighton or Liverpool – Europa League
Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea or Sunderland – Europa League
Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea or Sunderland – Conference League
Because of their superior goal difference over Brentford, if Chelsea beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and Brighton draw or lose to United, they will almost certainly finish in seventh place.
If Brighton lose to United by two goals and Brentford fail to win away to Liverpool, Chelsea can also finish seventh with a draw.
Chelsea’s highest possible finish in the Premier League is seventh
However, a defeat for Chelsea would mean they fail to qualify for any European competition next season as they would be overtaken by Sunderland.
‘It’s going to be a great game,’ said Chelsea’s interim head coach McFarlane.
European places if Aston Villa finish fifth
Arsenal – Champions League
Man City – Champions League
Man Utd – Champions League
Liverpool – Champions League
Aston Villa – Champions League
Bournemouth or Brighton – Champions League
Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea or Sunderland – Europa League
Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea or Sunderland – Conference League
‘Both teams need to win as well. Sunderland have had a brilliant season. They’re a really good side, a really challenging side, causing you problems.
‘We need one more push, one more big game, three points, and hopefully get ourselves up that table.
‘We’re more than capable of going there and winning that game, but we know we have to be at our best to get three points because they’re a very good side.’
Ederson is on the brink of leaving the Serie A club (Picture: Getty)
Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino has confirmed midfielder Ederson is in talks to join a ‘major club’ with Manchester United reportedly on the brink of signing the Brazilian.
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Atalanta finished their Serie A campaign with a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina on Friday night with Ederson left out of the squad.
Quizzed on his absence post-match, head coach Palladino revealed the midfielder is deep in talks over a move to leave the club.
‘Ederson is out because a major club is following him,’ he told reporters. ‘It was a decision we agreed with the boy because there is something there at the transfer market level.
Reports in Italy claim a fee has been agreed (Picture: Getty)
‘The fact that such a player is being followed by such a big club must be a source of pride.’
While Palladino did not name United as the club in talks with his player, further reports in Italy report it is the Premier League side who are on the brink of striking a deal.
United will reportedly pay €48m (£41.5m) up front, plus €5m (£4.3m) in bonuses.
Carrick was confirmed as the new permanent Man Utd boss on Friday (Picture: Visionhaus)
Ederson, who was left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad by Carlo Ancelotti, is now understood to be ready to travel to Manchester to finalise his move to Manchester.
Atletico Madrid have also held talks with Atalanta to sign Ederson but were able to reach an agreement with the Serie A club.
United’s options in midfield have been limited all season with Casemiro’s exit set to leave a huge void in the middle of the park.
The former Real Madrid star said goodbye to Old Trafford last weekend in the win over Nottingham Forest and will not involved away to Brighton on the final day of the season on Sunday.
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Last week, Barco announced he would be leaving Strasbourg with Fabrizio Romano now reporting Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign the versatile left-back who can also play in midfield.
The Argentina agreed personal terms with the Premier League side ‘a few weeks ago’ with the move now ready to go through.
In a statement on social media last week, Barco said: ‘Today I say goodbye to this club. I always gave everything on the pitch in every game for this shirt.
Barco will arrive in west London next month (Picture: Getty)
‘I want to thank my team-mates, who made everything easier for me; Liam Rosenior and his staff for the confidence they showed in me and for helping shape me as a player; Gary O’Neil and his staff for understanding me and helping me improve; everyone at the club who supports us every day; and the fans for the love they always gave me. Thank you, Strasbourg.’
Barco will be one of four new faces to arrive in July with a number of pre-agreed moves ready.
Emanuel Emegha will also arrive from Strasbourg while Sporting CP star Geovany Quenda will join in a £40million deal. 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev will also arrive from Kairat.
Calum McFarlane, who was parachuted in as interim boss following Liam Rosenior’s dismissal, will take change of his final game this weekend as Chelsea close out their season away to Sunderland.
Chelsea are sat in eighth place heading into the weekend with Champions League football out of their reach.
But they are still in contention for Europa League qualification if results elsewhere go their way.
England have endured their fair share of recent World Cup misery (Picture: Getty)
England head to North America this summer with just one objective – to follow in the footsteps of the class of 1966 and win the World Cup.
The victory over West Germany remains the most iconic moment in English football history, with the sight of Bobby Moore hoisting the Jules Rimet trophy high into the Wembley sky one of the enduring images of our national sport.
Since then, 14 tournaments have come and gone, and all of them have ended the same way for England – with failure.
The long and painful wait to add a second star to the Three Lions’ white shirt has now rolled over into its 60th year, with their pursuit to return to the top of the footballing world characterised by controversial refereeing decisions, penalty shootout disaster and a squandered golden generation.
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And whilst every England World Cup exit is storied with its own tales of woe and heartbreak, it’s true that certain moments have lingered painfully in the memory more than others.
Mexico 1986 – Maradona’s divine intervention
England’s quarter-final against Argentina at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca is a tale of both deceit and genius.
With the score still locked at 0-0 shortly after the start of the second half, a looping ball heading towards the England penalty area was met by Diego Maradona’s hand, which helped nudge it past the oncoming Peter Shilton and into the empty net.
After the game, the legendary Argentine famously said it was scored ‘a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.’
Maradona was England’s nemesis in Mexico (Picture: Getty)
Whilst Maradona’s first goal against England has a place in infamy, his second showcased the full extent of his ability. Dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century,’ Maradona picked the ball up in his own half and carried it 50 yards up the pitch before effortlessly rounding Shilton to double Argentina’s lead.
Gary Lineker pulled a goal back ten minutes before the full-time whistle but the damage at the Azteca had long since been done that afternoon.
Italy 1990 – Gazza’s tears
England scraped into the last four of Italia 90 having won only one of their group games, before requiring extra-time in both their Round of 16 and quarter-final games against Belgium and Cameroon.
The Three Lions fell behind in their semi-final encounter with West Germany before levelling the score late on through Lineker. After extra-time failed to separate the two sides, penalties were required to produce a winner.
After scoring their first three spot kicks, England’s World Cup dream came to a devastating end when Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle failed with their efforts from six yards.
Emotions ran high in Turin (Picture: Getty)
The emotional scars seemed to have a long-lasting effect on English football, with the Three Lions going on to lose five of their next six penalty shootouts in major tournaments.
But perhaps the most memorable image of that fateful night in Turin is of a crestfallen Paul Gascoigne, who broke down in tears after the realisation that his yellow card picked up in extra-time would have ruled him out of the final, had the events of the succeeding half an hour or so unfolded differently.
South Africa 2010 – Lampard’s ghost goal
England turned up to their Round of 16 clash against Germany in Bloemfontein knowing a drastic improvement on their group stage performances would be required if they were to stand any chance of progressing past their great rivals.
Fabio Capello’s men made hard work of what appeared to be a straightforward group on paper, slumping to disappointing draws against USA and Algeria in their opening games before securing qualification to the knockouts with victory over Slovenia in their third match.
Finishing top of their group would have seen England placed on the seemingly easier side of the draw, with Ghana and Uruguay awaiting in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively. Instead, a second-place finish set up a crunch clash with Germany.
England suffered yet more heartbreak against Germany (Picture: Getty)
The Three Lions were 2-0 down inside half an hour but were given a lifeline when Matthew Upson headed home in the 37th minute. England’s tails were suddenly up and they sensed an equaliser – which they got just 53 seconds later.
Except, they didn’t. TV replays confirmed that Frank Lampard’s strike had clearly bounced over the line. A young Manuel Neuer – remember the name – scooped up the ball and continued like nothing had happened. An incandescent England never recovered from that moment and ultimately slipped to a 4-1 defeat.
In truth, England were unlikely to win that tournament – the generational Spanish side were the worthy champions – but the manner of the defeat and the fact it represented the swansong for the failed golden generation make it one of the side’s toughest World Cup exits.
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The year when football was meant to come home. The English public fell back in love with their football team again following on from the calamitous showings at the World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016.
England’s second-place finish in their group saw them on the favourable side of the draw, with Colombia and Sweden duly dispatched in the knockouts.
England, then, were into the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first-time since 1990, with Croatia standing between them and a spot in the final.
England were one game away from the final – again (Picture: Getty)
The match was just five minutes old when Kieran Trippier curled home a wonderful free-kick to hand the men in white a dream start.
It was all downhill from there, though, with an equaliser from Ivan Perisic in normal time followed by a winner from Mario Mandzukic in extra-time. England players and fans looked hauntingly into the Moscow night, knowing their first final since 1966 had slipped through their fingers.
The pain from four years ago stems from the fact that England have rarely played better at a World Cup than the performances they produced in Qatar.
Having reached the European Championship final the previous year, Gareth Southgate’s men lived up to their pre-tournament billing with dominant wins over Iran (6-2), Wales (3-0) and Senegal (3-0) in three of their first four games.
This set up a mouthwatering showdown with Didier Deschamps’ wily French side – defending champions at the time – in the quarter-finals.
Kane’s agony was clear (Picture: Getty)
Having fallen behind to an impressive Aurelien Tchouameni goal in the first-half, England restored parity in the second courtesy of a Kane penalty.
France retook the lead through Olivier Giroud in the 78th minute, only for England to then be awarded another penalty six minutes later. Kane stepped up once more, only this time, his effort agonisingly missed the target. The Bayern Munich star has since called it the lowest moment of his career.
The disappointment is made all the more worse given Morocco would have awaited in the semi-finals – who England would have been quietly confident about beating.
The Manchester City manager is expected to leave in the coming weeks (Picture: Getty)
It’s time to start thinking about Pep Guardiola’s legacy as he prepares to take charge of his final game at Manchester City on Sunday.
That is assuming he does actually leave City at the end of the season.
While reports say his time in charge at the Etihad is coming to an end, there has been no official announcement from the club and Guardiola refused to give a definitive answer when asked about his future after the draw at Bournemouth, telling Sky Sports: ‘I can say I have one more year of my contract.
‘It’s the conversation we’ve had for many, many years, always from my experience when you announce whatever you announce during the competition it’s a bad, bad result.
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‘So like you understand the first question I have to talk is my chairman. Because we both decide when we finish the season we will see and talk, it’s as simple as that and after we will take the decision.’
Up Next
How Guardiola’s time at Manchester City will be remembered
Is he the best to ever do it?
Six Premier League titles, five League Cups, three FA Cups and a Champions League trophy in ten years isn’t bad, and there’s no other manager who changed the way football is played across the divisions as much as Guardiola has, given we now see League Two sides playing out from the back and baiting opposition presses.
There’s the famous treble in 2023, those incredible battles with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and basically everything Kevin de Bruyne did. Ederson’s insane passing, Rodri running the midfield and four league titles in a row.
Some of the football was incredible to watch and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
The FA Cup win this season was Guardiola’s 20th trophy since joining Manchester City (Picture: Getty)
It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. Who remembers Man City nil, Ronald Koeman’s Everton four back in that poor first season, those awful team selections in big Champions League games or just how awkward poor Joe Hart looked when trying to emulate Manuel Neuer with the ball at his feet?
Romelu Lukaku scored as Everton beat Manchester City 4-0 in January 2017. It is one of only four four-goal defeats in Guardiola’s career (Picture: Getty)
If City lose to Aston Villa this weekend, Guardiola will end his final season with the exact same record as in his first – not exactly a good sign even if they did run Arsenal close this year.
There’s no suggestion that Guardiola was aware of any alleged wrongdoing, but he took over in 2016 and his trophy-laden era has been built on the foundations set during those years.
What will Guardiola do next?
A break might be nice – the last one Pep took was for a sabbatical in New York after leaving Barcelona in 2013.
Guardiola doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who retires and spends his hours tending to the vegetables in his garden. He might try, but before you know it he’s off to weekend farmer’s markets and trying to break the Guinness World Record for the largest squash ever grown.
So even if his next job is as a national team manager, as reports suggest, you know he’ll be his intense self wherever he ends up.
As for Man City? Enzo Maresca may look like Guardiola but only time will tell as to whether he can deliver like him too.
