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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has suggested that Arsenal should have kept goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Martinez, who left Arsenal to join Villa in the last summer transfer window for regular playing time, has been in superb form this season.

In the current Premier League campaign, the 28-year-old has kept 14 clean sheets, a number only bettered by Manchester City’s Ederson.

Last term, following a serious injury to Bernd Leno, Martinez was given an opportunity between the sticks at the Emirates and absolutely delivered. He helped inspire Arsenal to their 14th FA Cup trophy after the Gunners managed to beat London rivals Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, really staking a claim for a more long-term role.

In the end, however, it was not enough to convince Mikel Arteta, who allowed Martinez to leave the club, a decision Hendrie has questioned.

“I feel that Martinez should have stayed at Arsenal for how he performed,” the ex-Villa star told FFC.

“I just felt that it was in his divine right to be given a chance, and you could see why he wasn’t going to sit around and have all that high talk of how well he’s done and not push on and build on that. I’ve got total respect for him.

“But, listen, managers make their own minds up at times and, you know, sometimes it works, sometimes it goes against you.”

Arsenal’s current No.1 Leno will next be in action when the north London club take on Liverpool after the international break.

Celtic have identified Enzo Maresca as their ‘first target’ for the vacant managerial role, according to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira.

The Hoops have yet to announce a permanent successor to Neil Lennon after he tendered his resignation in late February amid the club’s struggles.

John Kennedy has taken over on an interim basis until the end of the season.

The lowdown on Enzo Maresca

Maresca has not managed a senior team before but he has been an assistant at Sevilla and West Ham United. He worked under Premier League-winning manager Manuel Pellegrini at the London Stadium during the 2018/19 season.

This season, he has taken charge of Manchester City’s under-23s and done an impressive job. They sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League 2 table and boast by far the best goal difference in the division, netting 53 goals whilst only conceding 23.

According to Schira, that form has caught the eye of the Parkhead hierarchy as they look to build a project to rival that of Steven Gerrard at Rangers.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Perhaps some Celtic fans would instinctively prefer a more established name, one who has already demonstrated his credentials as a senior manager, but this isn’t necessarily a link to be dismissed. Maresca is a manager who will have been tasked with implementing Pep Guardiola’s philosophy at the youth level, such is the culture at Manchester City.

High-quality football will surely be vital to addressing the mounting discontent at Parkhead. Celtic should not be overwhelmingly preoccupied with reputation, instead choosing a manager who would be a good fit and would likely restore the club to the summit of Scottish football.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is desperate for a different managerial appointment at Celtic.

From a defensive point of view, this season has been difficult for Leeds United.

It has often been a tale of whether the Whites can outscore their opponents. In the final third, they are swashbuckling and relentless in their approach. Very often do they come out second best, unless they’re left open at the back.

It’s unsurprising that’s been the case though when you consider some of the injury problems they’ve had. Liam Cooper missed the first few weeks of the season while Diego Llorente has been largely anonymous for the first five months of his Leeds career.

Robin Koch has also missed a large portion of the campaign through injury.

With that in mind, it’s rather amazing to see them occupy a place just outside the Premier League’s top ten.

Bielsa has patched together his backline and they have still managed to gain results. Llorente is now back fit and his influence in the middle of the defence is proving invaluable.

The Spaniard made his debut in a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea but after missing six matches prior to that with a groin problem, would then sit out a further half a dozen outings with the same injury.

Llorente would play ten minutes against Newcastle in January before being absent for another four games; this time because of a hamstring problem. Since then, however, Llorente has played four consecutive 90 minutes.

Very quickly, we’re starting to see why Victor Orta put in so much effort to bring him to Elland Road.

Signed from Real Sociedad last summer for £18m, this addition was a bit of a coup given his status in La Liga. He was a Spain international trading European football for a potential relegation battle.

Indeed, he must have been left wondering what on Earth he’d done after playing just twice before the New Year period. Though, with Leeds in 12th place and Llorente now proving so important, he is beginning to pay back his fee.

In the summer months, Orta had a few options. Koch was one, but there were failed attempts to sign both Ben White and Josko Gvardiol. After last season’s performances, White would have been the cherry on top of the cake.

Though, after missing out on him, Llorente was the next best thing. His performances of late are finally proving why this is a dream deal for Leeds.

Despite conceding against Aston Villa, he was imperious, fending off Ollie Watkins and regularly stopping the Villans in their tracks by intercepting the passing lanes. The £52k-per-week earner made four tackles during that game but arguably saved his best performance for Chelsea last Saturday.

The 27-year-old was a force to be reckoned with, winning 100% of his ground duels and completing 81% of his passes in the process. It was a performance that Phil Hay rightfully described as “impressive.”

Since Llorente came back into the side, Leeds have kept two clean sheets; something that’s a bit of a rarity this term. Although Bielsa will be pleased with his defensive capabilities, it’s the Spaniard’s ability to drive the team forward that stands out.

Like White, the centre-back is capable of picking out a pass and dribbling out from the back. With that in mind, he is the perfect Bielsa player.

He has missed much of the season but in double-quick time he has now shown what an impressive capture he was. The £18m they paid is beginning to look like very shrewd business.

AND in other news, Leeds have their perfect Pablo heir in rarely-seen 19 y/o, he’s a “great talent”…

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to complete a January transfer for AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko to solve his search for Sebastien Haller’s replacement.

What’s the word?

According to Corriere dello Sport, an intermediary has put forward Dzeko’s services as a potential option for the Irons to explore in the mid-season market after selling Haller to AFC Ajax.

Dzeko has endured a seismic falling out with Giallorossi boss Paulo Fonseca and been stripped of the captain’s armband, much to the frustrations of corners to the Stadio Olimpico dressing room.

Fonseca and Dzeko’s relationship is considered to be difficult to heal after he was exiled from the squad to face Spezia Calcio this weekend, but even more difficult to separate with the Bosnia and Herzegovina international due to him earning €7m-a-year (£120k-p/w).

Inter Milan and Juventus are also no longer thought to be keen on exploring the 34-year-old’s availability, though Everton and Manchester City have been linked with potential interest in the £7.2m-rated star by Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness.

Reports by Sky Italia also claim Dzeko is liked by Wolverhampton Wanderers, but that he would not look fondly on a move to Molineux or the London Stadium this month.

Dzeko had scored seven goals in 15 Serie A appearances this season before his omission from Saturday’s 4-3 win over Spezia, that saw Roma close the gap to Serie A leaders AC Milan to six points after the Rossoneri’s 3-0 loss at home to Atalanta.

Should West Ham target Dzeko?

West Ham have to sign a striker in the January transfer window after selling Haller to Ajax, with the decision leaving Michail Antonio as Moyes’ only recognised senior striker fresh off the 30-year-old returning from a second hamstring injury of the season.

Andriy Yarmolenko led the line and scored against Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup on Saturday, but likely cannot be relied on to carry the burden for the remainder of the campaign after scoring just seven goals in 43 Premier League games to date.

Yet whether David Sullivan spends the cash needed to land a new centre-forward remains to be seen, as Claret & Hugh recently claimed that it is increasingly unlikely that a permanent option is acquired after missing out on some of the club’s top targets.

Dzeko would serve as an ideal stop-gap until the summer when other targets can be explored, though, and Moyes must urge not only West Ham to make a swoop but also convince the Bosnian that life at the London Stadium would not be as bad as he may think.

Former England striker Darren Bent was urging Tottenham Hotspur to sign Dzeko not that long ago, as well, as he felt the two-time Premier League winner would be the ideal foil for Harry Kane.

“He’d be a very good signing,” Bent told Football Insider. “He was great at Man City, as his goals to game ratio was crazy and up there with the very best.”

Dzeko scored 50 goals and provided 24 assists in 130 Premier League games, of which he only started 74, during a four-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.

It would also be a long-time coming for Dzeko to line up in east London, with the Irons heavily linked with the ex-Manchester City striker over the past few years after hiring his former coach Manuel Pellegrini between Moyes’ tenures.

AND in other news, West Ham consider January bid for “phenomenal” striker boasting 15 goals in 19 games.

Many Liverpool fans reacted with joy after The Athletic journalist James Pearce posted quotes made by Jurgen Klopp during his press conference.

The German tactician told reporters that goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be available for the Reds’ crunch clash against Everton at Anfield on Saturday.

This followed on from potential worries that the Brazil international may not be available for the Merseyside derby after missing Thursday’s training session, with backup shot-stopper Caoimhim Kelleher also not featuring.

Alisson has been in and out of the side during the 2020/21 campaign after picking up a number of injuries, having played a key role in Liverpool’s recent success domestically and in Europe as the club’s number one shot-stopper.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted to discover that the 28-year-old would be available for selection and made their feelings clear towards Pearce on Twitter.

Alisson news sent these fans wild

“Panic over”

Credit: @Dabzee

“Super. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Credit: @A_C0624

“And the news we all wanted!”

Credit: @LFCNewsSheet

“Thank goodness for that”

Credit: @hjkerins

“Tears in my eyes we move”

Credit: @sisenor_9

“GET INNNNNNN”

Credit: @NunlAlhabsy

In other news, Liverpool fans delighted over links with ‘Argentinian Jack Grealish.’

If you’d been following Wolves news in the last week or so, you will have seen a trend emerging.

Wherever you look, it’s following Nuno Santo’s team.

What’s the word?

The theme we’re talking about is the need for a new striker at Wolves. Ever since Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, it has been a topic of hot debate at Molineux.

Patrick Cutrone has now been recalled from his loan spell at Fiorentina but that hasn’t stopped a number of rumours from circulating.

Whether it be Divock Origi or Diego Costa, a plethora of options are on the table for Wolves.

However, one of them could well be Bournemouth forward Josh King. That’s according to the club’s transfer guru Tim Spiers who spoke about a possible deal on the Molineux View podcast this week. He said:

“Another one who has been doing the rounds for quite a few clubs is Josh King at Bournemouth who has had great success in the Premier League before, scored a fair amount of goals and he’s not playing for Bournemouth at the moment because he’s out of contract in the summer as well.

“So it would only be a sale, and from what I’m told, they’d probably be looking for around £10 million for a player who is out of contract in the summer, as is their right, they’re not going to sell him on the cheap, so I think that would be a bit of a sticking point for Wolves at this moment in time.”

Sign him

Wolves simply cannot afford to let a mere £10m transfer fee be a sticking point in this window.

They may want to acquire someone on loan as cover for Jimenez but King – who is capped 51 times – is a proven Premier League striker and would be a fantastic squad rotation option.

He might not be as pedigreed as a certain Diego Costa, but if you consider their respective salaries and the baggage that would come with the former Chelsea man, King would surely be a safer option.

Costa was on a weekly wage of £265k-a-week at Atletico Madrid compared to the £45k wage that King currently earns at Bournemouth.

Yes, the Spain international is more proven at the elite level, but they’d be walking into a financial disaster by signing him.

King might well come with a transfer fee attached but his salary would be less of a sticking point.  Furthermore, he’s pretty similar to Costa, Eddie Howe once said that the Cherries striker is “outstanding physically.”

Having scored 48 times in 161 top-flight outings, he isn’t a bad option at all.

AND in other news, Fosun set for inexcusable Wolves mistake with swoop for “powerful” £20m “goal machine”…

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Everton will be facing Sheffield Wednesday with an injury-ravished squad but they will welcome top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin back for Sunday night’s FA Cup tie.

The winner of the fourth round encounter will host either of Wycombe Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur in the next stage of the competition, with Jose Mourinho’s Spurs also visiting Championship opposition on Monday evening.

Everton have not reached the fifth round of the FA Cup since progressing through to the semi-final in 2015/16, after bowing out to Liverpool (twice), Millwall and Leicester City in recent years.

So, in Ancelotti’s quest to continue competing in the oldest national football competition, here’s a potential line-up the Italian may name to counter Everton’s injury crisis…

Ancelotti has grown a reputation at Goodison Park for rotating his goalkeeper options since the arrival of Robin Olsen last summer and he will be expected to name the AS Roma loanee against Wednesday after starting him at home to Rotherham United.

Everton will be forced into naming Ben Godfrey at left-back once again with Lucas Digne and Niels Nkounkou both ruled out of Sunday night’s tie, further forcing Ancelotti to name a full-strength centre-back pairing, likely alongside Seamus Coleman.

Coleman played the full 120 minutes of the third round win over Rotherham but has only started one Premier League fixture since the £70,000-per-week gem returned from a hamstring injury last month.

The Toffees will also be without Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Allan and Fabian Delph, leaving Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Abdoulaye Doucoure as Ancelotti’s only fully fit natural options for the holding midfield role.

Doucoure will be expected to start at home to the Owls with the Frenchman suspended in the Premier League for Wednesday night’s meeting with Leicester City, and could be partnered by Gomes to afford Davies a rest ahead of the Foxes encounter after starting the Blues’ last five fixtures across all competitions.

Ancelotti has been met with a further absence in attack with Alex Iwobi ruled out, likely forcing the former Chelsea head coach to rely on Richarlison and Bernard to bring the width in six changes from the side that beat Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

Gylfi Sigurdsson started as a false nine at Molineux but will be expected to start in an attacking midfield capacity against Sheffield Wednesday, as Ancelotti likely looks to manage James Rodriguez’s workload following the Colombian’s calf injury.

Calvert-Lewin at least offers the Italian tactician a welcome boost with his return from a hamstring injury, and will hope to end a six-game drought across all competitions in search of his 15th goal of the season.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit reacts as Everton to hand £100k-p/w man a new contract.

Gareth Southgate may have some of the world’s brightest talents to call on in attack for Euro 2020, but it has become shockingly clear that the defence is lacking. Long gone are the days when the Three Lions defence selected itself. Indeed, there hasn’t been a strong and steady defensive partnership since John Terry and Rio Ferdinand lined up alongside each other. With Luke Ayling putting in impressive performances at newly-promoted Leeds United, he could force his way into contention for a place in Southgate’s squad in the summer.

Calls for Change at the Back

Southgate seems adamant that he wants to stick with the 3-4-3 system that worked well for England in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This means that he needs three quality defenders who can work alongside one another but also quickly shift the ball into attack.

In the most recent sets of international breaks, the manager has toyed with various combinations in defence with no preferred solution as yet. Southgate has been loyal to the out-of-sorts Harry Maguire, and likes to find a place for Eric Dier in his back line. Both of these players have been criticised for their defensive fragility, and shouldn’t be auto-inclusions on the team sheet.

On the right side of his back three Kyle Walker is favoured, a player who usually plays as a right-back at Manchester City. Although the 30-year-old has made few errors that have led to goals, his skills are arguably wasted at the back. He would much rather bomb forward and join in the attack, rather than stay back to help out the defence.

Incredible Versatility

Ayling is also a right-back by trade, and if he was only able to play this position there would be little chance of the Leeds United man making the England squad. This is because Southgate already has Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Kieran Trippier among others who could fulfil this role. That means that the right wingback position in the 3-4-3 is pretty much sewn up as well.

However, Ayling could offer a viable alternative to Walker on the right side of Southgate’s back three. The former Bristol City man has played in this position on a number of occasions for Marcelo Bielsa when the manager has been forced to make changes because of injuries. Ayling has shown solid defensive qualities when playing this role, and has proven his versatility.

The first time in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign that Ayling lined up in a back three was in the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. Captain Liam Cooper was out for the game, but Leeds managed to keep a clean sheet in his absence. Indeed, Villa were limited to only four shots on target at Villa Park. When Ayling moved back to his role at right-back and Cooper re-entered the side, Leeds went on to concede eight goals in two games against Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

Despite these slip-ups, Leeds have gained credibility as a side that can stay in the top flight, and they are expected to have a strong season with odds of around 2/1 to finish in the top 10 at most UK bookmakers. Most sites provide a significant welcome bonus for anyone looking to take advantage of this as they aim to entice new customers. However, for anyone looking to find value the live markets are much more suitable as they provide the opportunity to take advantage of in-game situations across a wide spectrum.

Warrior-like Work Rate

Ayling would be an asset to the England squad as he could play in central defence or at right back if need be. Another attribute that he would bring to the Three Lions side is his warrior-like work rate. The 29-year-old lost four kilos when Bielsa took over, and this has shown in his overall fitness. He never stops running, and always seems to crop up at the right time. His highlight of the season so far was probably when he raced back and saved Jack Grealish’s shot off the goal line.

Ayling has taken a long, winding path to get to where he is today, but he looks like a worthy Premier League player now. If he can keep up his impressive performances all season, Southgate will have to consider him for his Euro 2020 squad.

Tottenham Hotspur have relinquished their place atop the Premier League table as they were beaten by defending champions Liverpool at Anfield this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side had plenty of chances to win the game at 1-1 through Harry Kane and Steven Bergwijn, who both should have done better in front of goal.

Heung-min Son cancelled out Mo Salah’s fortuitous opener before half-time but Roberto Firmino popped up with a header beating Toby Alderweireld in injury time.

Indeed plenty of Spurs fans watching from home were desperate to see the Dutch dynamo hooked off earlier than he was, but arguably, another player cost them a result in Merseyside.

Kane was uncharacteristically lightweight and wasteful, missing two sitters during the second half.

The 27-year-old was graded as SofaScore’s second-worst player (6.4) having lost four duels (33% won) and possession ten times as well as firing four shots off-target, via SofaScore.

He had scored nine and assisted ten in the Premier League prior to kick-off this evening but his blank this time actually cost them the win, if not at the very least, a point.

Kane also made just 12 passes at an accuracy rate of 71%, failing to register a single key pass nor could he manage a successful dribble either.

A vast difference to his usual mean of 1.8 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.

football.london lambasted Bergwijn in their post-match ratings but perhaps their attention should be averted to the England captain as he badly let Mourinho down with his missed opportunities.

The Express were more scathing over Kane, giving him a five out of ten – “Anthony Taylor likely touched the ball more times than the England captain, who had one glorious chance from a corner but completely fluffed his header.”

Valued at a whopping £108m by Transfermarkt, the 6 foot 2 powerhouse must be doing better.

As we say, it was so unlike Kane but still, a horrible night to forget.

AND in other news, £64m-rated Spurs sensation has become Mourinho’s incredible sacrificial lamb…

Nikica Jelavic has questioned the transfer fee that Everton paid to Rangers for him in an exclusive interview with The Athletic.

Speaking to the news outlet, the 35-year old claimed that the transfer fee of £5.94m which saw him move to Goodison Park from Ibrox was too low and even said: “I don’t know why they accepted that amount.”

Jelavic was a hit at Rangers

Indeed, Jelavic was a hit at the ‘Gers, scoring no fewer than 36 goals and supplying a further 15 assists in just 56 games in all competitions over two consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

In this case, perhaps the transfer fee of £5.94m was too low as the striker suggested.

Jelavic was not as prolific at Everton

However, he was not as prolific on Merseyside, as he managed to score 21 times and provide just six assists in 69 matches over all competitions across three consecutive seasons with the Toffees (Transfermarkt).

Jelavic was sold to Hull City for a profit

Indeed, Jelavic was sold by the Blues to Hull City for £7.02m, a profit on the £5.9m that they initially paid for the Croatian.

He has since gone on to play for West Ham United and has also featured for teams in China. He is now playing for NK Lokomotiva in his native Croatia.

Was Jelavic a success at Everton?

Indeed, it could be argued that he was a success at Everton given the relatively small transfer fee that they paid for him, as well as the profit the Toffees ultimately made on him.

In other news, find out which Rangers star Everton are fighting to sign here!