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Rafael Benitez can win over Everton supporters by defeating Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby of the season, says former Toffees defender Michael Ball.

Some Everton fans were far from happy with the club’s decision to appoint Benitez as manager following his spell with their city rivals.

During that time, the Spaniard called Everton a “small club”, comments which he has since clarified.

However, he will have to do more than that if he is to win over all of the Evertonians, and Ball believes beating his old side could go a long way towards accomplishing that.

In an exclusive interview with FFC, the ex-Everton full-back said:

“I think the big question mark is when obviously the first Merseyside derby comes along. How does he set up? Is he positive enough? Do we get a positive result?

“If that happens and he turns them over, I think a lot of Blues will start to back him a bit more. You know, some fans are saying that they won’t even turn up at Goodison Park. I think they’ll start coming back if that happens.” 

The first league encounter between the two sides will take place in November, with Everton welcoming their neighbours.

As for the beginning of the campaign, the Toffees have some very favourable fixtures. They do not play anyone from last season’s top six until the start of October, a trip to Manchester United, so Benitez has a chance to build some real momentum here.

Rumoured Liverpool target Renato Sanches wants to leave Lille in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Liverpool linked with Sanches move

Gini Wijnaldum’s Reds exit to Paris Saint-Germain has left a void in the middle of the park, and a replacement may be needed this summer.

Sanches has been linked with a summer move to Anfield, having enjoyed an impressive Euro 2020 campaign with Portugal  prior to their round of 16 exit.

The 23-year-old also made 23 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille last season, helping them clinch the league title.

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The Latest: Romano provides key update

Romano has now given an update on the current situation, taking to his YouTube channel [via Empire of the Kop] to confirm that Sanches wants to move on this summer, with a fresh challenge appealing to the Portugal winger.

The journalist stated: “He wants to go, I also know Lille are prepared to sell.”

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The Verdict: Perfect Wijnaldum replacement?

While there are slight concerns surrounding Sanches’ injury record, he looks a fantastic option to come in and replace Wijnaldum ahead of next season, having been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Kevin Campbell.

The 23-year-old averaged an impressive 91.6% pass completion rate at Euro 2020, showing that he shares the Dutchman’s ability to keep possession, and just like the former Liverpool midfielder, he is a powerful presence.

Sanches also averaged 1.3 tackles per game in the tournament, proving that he can thrive in his off-the-ball duties.

In other news, some Liverpool supporters have been reacting to an official club tweet. Read more here.

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson this summer, along with a number of other Premier League clubs.

The Lowdown: Vieira looks for new additions

Patrick Vieira is looking to work his magic in the Selhurst Park hot-seat, having taken over from the departed Roy Hodgson earlier this month.

Palace’s squad could do with some freshening up in the coming weeks, as they look to enjoy a vibrant period under their new manager, and business has already started with the capture of Michael Olise and the links to Marc Guehi.

The Latest: Palace linked with Nelson move

According to CBS Sports, the Eagles are also keen on signing Nelson from Arsenal, with the 21-year-old potentially moving on this summer.

Brentford and Brighton are also mentioned as potential suitors, however, and the youngster’s current Gunners deal expires in 2023.

While there has been talk of Nelson extending his stay at Arsenal, the report states that there is ‘no imminent sign’ of that happening.

The Verdict: Exciting potential signing

Nelson is a hugely exciting young player who has already enjoyed great experience at a high level, scoring and assisting four times apiece in 47 appearances for the Gunners.

Regular football elsewhere could do him the world of good – he thrived while on loan in Germany scoring an incredible seven times in just five starts for Hoffenheim – and Palace could possibly offer him just that, with more quality required in attacking areas even despite the acquisition of Olise.

Mikel Arteta has hailed Nelson as a ‘special player’, highlighting his pedigree, and he would be worth taking a punt on, given his long-term potential.

In other news, some Palace fans have been reacting to a report linking the Eagles with a Championship player. Read more here.

Sheffield United have made a move in a bid to bring Max Kilman to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claimed that Slavisa Jokanovic’s side, along with fellow Championship club Barnsley, have made an approach to Wolverhampton Wanderers regarding a deal for the centre-back.

However, the report added that Bruno Lage’s side have rejected both clubs’ advances for the 24-year-old, as Wolves view the defender as a part of their first team plans for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

Finally, it is claimed that both clubs will be keeping a very close eye on the situation of Kilman over the coming weeks, with the hope that his circumstances at Molineux change.

Jokanovic surely gutted

With Jokanovic being rather short of options in the centre of defence ahead of next season – Jack O’Connell looks set to remain sidelined for a further six to 10 months following an injury setback, while Kean Bryan’s future is still very much up in the air – that the Blades appear to have been rather bluntly rejected in their approach for Kilman is sure to have left Jokanovic gutted.

Indeed, over his 18 Premier League appearances for Wolves last season, the £4.05m-rated man helped his side to keep five clean sheets, along with averaging 1.1 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 2.2 clearances and winning 2.9 duels per game.

These metrics saw the man Conor Coady dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Nuno Espirito Santo’s 11th best performer in the top flight.

As such, it is rather unsurprising that Wolves are unwilling to sanction the sale of the £14,000-per-week centre-back this summer, but the fact that a deal for Kilman appears to be unattainable for Sheffield United will nevertheless have frustrated Jokanovic, as the defender very much seems as if he is the type of player the Serbian would love to add to his squad given his quality and position.

Furthermore, the 52-year-old is also starting to run out of time in the summer transfer market, with the new Championship season edging closer with each passing day – something which could lead to a nervy last few weeks of the window for everyone involved with the Blades.

In other news: Journo drops 13-word Sheff Utd transfer claim on “superb” £30k-p/w gem, he’d be a coup

Celtic are set to sign Royal Antwerp right-back Aurelio Buta for around £3 million, according to respected Belgian reporter Florian Holsbeek on Twitter.

The Lowdown: Celtic gear up for vital 2021/22 campaign

Moving towards a pivotal campaign at Parkhead, newly appointed manager Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to address problem positions in order to raise the bar in quality within the Hoops squad.

Right-back has been a particular problem position for the Celts in recent years. Currently, Anthony Ralston is the only right-sided defender with senior experience on the books at Celtic Park.

Now, the Hoops could be set to address this issue following recent developments.

The Latest: Buta could join Celtic TODAY

Communicating to his following on Twitter, Holsbeek issued an update on the situation which translates roughly to:

“Aurélio Buta will leave Antwerp for the Celtic FC against a check for 3.5 million. Formalization during the day.”

Previously, it had been relayed by news outlet Voetbal24 that Celtic had made an offer of €2.5 million for the Angola-born defender, however would be willing to raise the fee to Antwerp’s desired €3.5 million price-tag in order to seal the deal.

With the domestic season set to get underway on Saturday for the Hoops away to Heart of Midlothian, the Celtic hierarchy seem to have met that fee, which comes out at about £3m.

He will become Postecoglou’s sixth summer signing.

The Verdict: Buta signing would be a much-needed boost for everyone at Celtic

Coming as a massive relief to the Bhoys support, Buta looks like a player who could slot nicely into Postecoglou’s high-octane style of football.

Pacey, adept on the overlap and an intelligent crosser of the ball, he represents a significant upgrade on limited current options in that area of the pitch for Celtic.

In 2020/21, the former Benfica B man registered five assists within 34 appearances for Royal Antwerp [Transfermarkt].

Capable of linking the play effectively, Buta managed to record a commendable passing accuracy of 80.9% last year across the campaign [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘one of the best full-backs in the Belgium league’ by journalist Aster Nzeyimana, he looks to be a much-needed addition to the Celtic ranks which will surely provoke some excitement amongst supporters [Birmingham Live].

In other news, Celtic face a blow in a reported transfer pursuit.

An update has emerged regarding Celtic’s interest in Derby County left-back Lee Buchanan.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Hoops are monitoring the 20-year-old as they eye up potential defensive reinforcements before the end of the transfer window.

The report claims that Nottingham Forest are also interested in the defender and have already had a £1.2m bid rejected by their fierce rivals Derby.

Ange would be delighted

Celtic must seal a deal for the 1.75m (5 foot 9) beast this summer as he would be a terrific addition to the squad and improve their defensive options in the short- and long-term. He could come in and compete with Greg Taylor for the left-back spot and provide a healthy competition for places which could help drive on both players to improve.

Taylor played 22 games in the Premiership last season and averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.96. Buchanan, meanwhile, played 35 games in the Championship and averaged a rating of 6.92 when starting as a left wing-back and 6.63 overall. This suggests that he could come in and be a reliable option for Postecoglou to call upon either to start ahead of Taylor or as a backup to the 23-year-old initially.

Rams manager and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has said that the 20-year-old has a “bright future” and believes that he will become an England international.

He told the Derby Telegraph: “I think I can speak on behalf of my players. Lee Buchanan has got a really bright future and I am sure he will play for England within the next couple of years.

“He is getting better every game. The small sides of the game he needs to improve, he is improving on massively.”

This is high praise indeed from a man who knows exactly what it takes to play for England and in the Premier League and Champions League at the highest level. Therefore, Buchanan could have the potential to be a phenomenal player in the future if he lives up to the hype Rooney has placed on him.

Postecoglou would surely love it if the club brought in the 20-year-old because it would represent an exciting coaching challenge for him. He would be tasked with helping Buchanan become the England international Rooney believes he can be, and if he is able to reach those levels, Celtic would have a terrific player on their hands and all parties will be delighted with the outcome.

AND in other news, Celtic must axe £14k-p/w beast whose career is in “freefall”, his time’s up…

West Ham United continue to discuss a move for Nikola Milenkovic, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has provided a fresh update on the Irons’ pursuit of the Fiorentina centre-back to Twitter, where he revealed:

“#Zouma to #WHUFC tough deal due to fee & wages. Zouma open to move but happy to stay at #CFC – contract to 2023. Zouma to #Sevilla as part of Kounde deal not impossible – but he prefers London stay. #WHUFC remain in talks with #Fiorentina over #Milenkovic.”

It’s thought that the 23-year-old Serbian, who is entering the final year of his contract at La Viola, is available for just €15m (£12.8m).

Moyes would love him

At that price, you’d to consider it an absolute bargain and one which would please Hammers boss David Moyes greatly.

Back in May, Football Insider reported that the 58-year-old was keen to bolster his backline with the addition of a top-quality centre-back and more recently, the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee has suggested that this is now their top priority in the coming days – in some part due to Angelo Ogbonna’s injury.

There seems to be a lack of trust in young Frenchman Issa Diop, who only started 15 top-flight games during the 2020/21 campaign, whilst there’s a space to fill following the departure of Fabian Balbuena.

At times, even Aaron Cresswell fills in, particularly if Moyes switches to a back-three formation.

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Milenkovic is a class act and, despite his inexperience, he’d be an impressive signing for the Europa League-bound Irons.

Standing at 6 foot 5, the £22.5m-rated titan has featured 28 times for his country and has already racked up more than 120 appearances in Serie A, widely considered one of the best five leagues across the world.

What makes the Serb a very intriguing option is the fact that he’s been compared to one of the Premier League’s best and most feared defenders, Nemanja Vidic.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic claimed to ESPN FC. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

The 23-year-old outperformed several of Moyes’ current options during last season – he averaged three aerials won and 1.4 tackles per game (more than Dawson, Diop and Ogbonna), as well as 1.3 interceptions per match (more than Diop and Dawson) and conceded fewer offsides, too, via WhoScored.

On this evidence, the East Londoners could secure themselves another defensive bargain, following in Vladimir Coufal’s footsteps. For less than £13m, GSB absolutely must sanction this move.

Moyes would love Milenkovic at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops update on “special” West Ham machine, fans will be buzzing…

Carlton Palmer reckons that Josh Windass’ injury could see him remain at Sheffield Wednesday.

Following the Owls’ relegation to League One last season, it looked for all the world that the influential attacker would move away from Hillsborough this summer.

According to the Sheffield Star, Millwall saw at least one bid rejected for Windass, whilst several other Championship outfits were keen on signing the 27-year-old, who’s entered the final 12 months of his deal.

Despite speculation surrounding his future, Windass reported back for pre-season, and scored against both Celtic and Chester in Wednesday’s opening two friendlies.

However, he sustained a hamstring problem against West Brom last month, which is likely to see him miss the start of the League One campaign and seemingly prevent a move away from Hillsborough, with the timescale currently unknown.

Prior to the Owls’ Carabao Cup first-round defeat to Huddersfield on Sunday, Darren Moore told Yorkshire Live that he was waiting for scans and therefore unable to provide an update.

With that in mind, Palmer reckons he’s likely to remain a Wednesday player past the deadline.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Well, it’s a hamstring injury, so any muscular injury, there’s no time frame on it.

“So, with the season around the corner, from the noises I’m hearing it’s a severe one, so I would think that it’s unlikely that Josh will move this summer, so that would work in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour.”

Liverpool have reportedly been monitoring the progress of Wolves’ Pedro Neto as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his options at the top end of the pitch.

What’s the story?

According to Goal’s Neil Jones, the Reds’ recruitment team have been watching the highly-rated 21-year-old ahead of a possible move.

Klopp is believed to be in the market for another attacking addition this summer, with the likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri expected to depart Anfield as a result.

Diogo Jota 2.0

Neto has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most promising young forwards since arriving at Molineux from Lazio back in 2019.

He’s bagged 10 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 79 appearances for the Midlands outfit, but it was his consistently exciting and dangerous performances that really caught the eye last season.

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer was amongst the youngster’s admirers in 2020/21, praising Neto after he bagged a stunning winning goal against Southampton.

“A huge talent who is having a fine season. He changed the game and scored a great goal,” Shearer said.

The Portugal international was arguably Wolves’ standout performer last term and provided their biggest attacking threat following the prolonged absence of star striker Raul Jimenez.

As per WhoScored, Neto recorded an average of two shots per league game, two key passes and 2.1 dribbles, placing him in the top two amongst his teammates for each metric.

If Liverpool do follow up their interest in the skilful winger, then it will be the second consecutive summer that the Anfield outfit have raided Wolves for their most talented wide man.

Neto’s compatriot Diogo Jota swapped Molineux for Merseyside 12 months ago and enjoyed a fabulous first campaign with the 19-time English champions.

Although injuries significantly reduced his game time, Jota found the back of the net on 13 occasions in just 30 outings for Klopp’s charges.

Whether Liverpool make a move for the £31,5m-rated Neto this summer will largely depend on their ability to shift multiple fringe players out of the exit door, but if director of football Michael Edwards can offload the deadwood, then he must move for Neto this summer, he could very much emulate the success that Jota has had at Anfield.

And, in other news…James Pearce drops transfer update that’ll have Liverpool fans buzzing 

Manchester City youngster Liam Delap has got a huge career in the game according to former City defender Michael Ball.

Delap scored 30 goals in just 27 appearances last season for Manchester City, including a goal in the Carabao Cup against AFC Bournemouth which was his senior debut.

After an impressive season for City’s academy there have been a number of clubs chasing the youngster, but according to Football Insider it appears that Stoke City have beaten everyone and are close to signing Delap on loan.

Former Cityzen defender Michael Ball has been full of praise for the striker and believes he will do very well in his career, telling Transfer Tavern: “I think he’s got a huge career in the game and you know whatever decision he makes will be up to him and good luck to him.”

 A loan move away from the Etihad Stadium may benefit Delap as City appear to be adding even more talent to their squad this summer. Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that City were pushing to complete a deal for Jack Grealish in the next few days from Aston Villa and the club have also been linked with a summer move for Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

With the possibility of two new arrivals at the Etihad, it may hamper Delap’s game time in the first team, so a season out on loan playing regularly may help the youngster to develop his game further.