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Marcel Brands must avoid offering Kyle John a new contract and keeping him at Everton amid doubt in the defender’s long-term Goodison Park future.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, John is one of 13 first-team and Under 23 players who are currently due to be out of contract this summer.

Everton are unlikely to retain most of those facing uncertain futures, as Director of Football Brands is striving to continue his work lowering an inflated wage bill.

The Toffees are due to part with senior quartet Yannick Bolasie, Theo Walcott, Matthew Pennington and Muhamed Besic when their contracts expire in June, and will also allow a number of academy talents to depart to lower the average age of David Unsworth’s side.

John has been a regular for the Blues’ U23s this term with 11 Premier League 2 starts, but Everton are undecided on retaining the young right-back or teammates Joseph Anderson, Con Ouzounidis and Ryan Astley.

Josh Bowler, Nathan Broadhead and goalkeeper Nico Hansen are also expected to leave when their contracts lapse, along with Dennis Adeniran and Callum Connolly who sealed loan exits in January.

John joined Everton’s academy at the age of six and was awarded a two-and-a-half-year contract in March 2019 after stepping up to Unsworth’s U23s from the U18s at 17, which is now set to expire.

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Should Everton retain John?

While John has been at Everton for the past 14-years, this summer must represent the end of their journey together as the defender with dual English and Welsh citizenship will not be expected to make a first-team career for himself at Goodison Park.

The Toffees’ coaching staff were noted last year to see John as being in the mould of the modern-day full-back and having the athleticism needed in the role, but he has not kicked on and progressed into the senior game.

While the likes of Adeniran and Connolly sealed loan exits in January during the last year of their Blues contracts, John remained at Finch Farm and has earned nine of his 11 PL2 starts for the season after the turn of the year.

The 20-year-old John has never once played for a club outside of Everton’s academy, where the Chester-born prospect is described as a “class act”, and may be blocked from progressing on the same path as Jonjoe Kenny this summer.

Everton are widely reported to be in the market for a new right-back who can become Carlo Ancelotti’s long-term heir to Seamus Coleman, and face paying £30-35m for Max Aarons, £30m for Tariq Lamptey or £17m for Diogo Dalot.

If either join, John would have little expectations of becoming a first-team player at Everton over the next few years, even if Unsworth once noted “he’s got terrific pace” and was “a bundle of energy up and down the right”.

AND in other news, Everton have eyes on a “very good” £3.5m-rated forward available on a free transfer…

Leeds could make an exciting move this summer by signing Stuttgart forward Nicolas Gonzalez.

What’s the story?

Reports over last summer’s transfer window suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were very much interested in bringing the Argentina international to Elland Road from Bundesliga side Stuttgart, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Now, Get German Football News editor-in-chief Daniel Pinder has exclusively told FFC that Gonzalez’s arrival at Elland Road this summer would help create an “exciting” attack for Marcelo Bielsa.

He said: “It’s that thing of, you’ve got Raphinha and potentially Gonzalez on the other wing and Bamford up front. And with their fast direct play up front, them interchanging, it would be an exciting time to be a Leeds fan if they signed Nicolas Gonzalez.”

Imagine him and Raphinha

With his ability to play up front and out wide on the left, the £22.5m-rated Gonzalez could form an outstanding duo with Raphinha on the right-hand side.

While the Brazilian can bring a bit of creativity and skill, the 23-year-old Gonzalez is more of an inside forward, with a real clinical edge.

This season has seen him score six goals and provide a further two assists in just 15 Bundesliga games, while his average of 3.3 shots per game actually ranks him third among all players in the division.

Gonzalez’s eye for goal would go a long way to easing the burden on Patrick Bamford’s shoulders, while Raphinha will enjoy trying to set up someone who’s “always looking to get in behind, and is strong in the one-on-ones”.

And judging by the kind of mentality he is, he appears to be a perfect fit for Bielsa’s side.

Stuttgart’s head coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, said of him: “He’s got a lot of qualities, but what I like best about him is that he’s a winner. He wants to win at all costs. He always gives 100 percent, and gets stuck in. He’s very important for us.”

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Gonzalez’s versatility would tick two key boxes for Bielsa, namely, an elite wide player to go along with Raphinha, and also someone who can provide Bamford with some much-needed competition up front too.

Meanwhile, Leeds should land this “exceptional” English striker…

When Helder Costa completed his switch to Leeds United last summer, Marcelo Bielsa would no doubt have been hoping for some big things from his big-money signing.

With reports claiming that Leeds spent around £16m to sign him on a permanent deal from fellow Premier League side Wolves, it’d be fair to assume that Bielsa would have expected a lot more from one of the club’s most expensive signings in recent memory.

Instead, the 27-year-old has really struggled at Premier League level, managing just two goals in 19 top-flight games for the Yorkshire club, and playing less than 1000 minutes in the competition.

Now, CIES value him at just £6m, less than half of what the Whites actually paid Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to bring him to Elland Road permanently.

His performances this season have really struggled for any kind of consistency, and his recent form has been the perfect snapshot of that – after coming off the bench to score against Arsenal at the Emirates, he popped up with an assist against Southampton a couple of games later. Since then however, he’s delivered nothing, and was promptly dropped from the side by Bielsa for the 2-1 win over Fulham.

And, after a particularly disappointing display against Aston Villa back in late February, former Leeds man Noel Whelan tore into the winger for failing to take his chance.

He said: “Costa was given his opportunity and once again he did not take it. We are talking about a £16m player here who did not effect the game in any way shape or form. He needs to show consistency. You need to make that position your own when your manager puts his trust in you from the start.

“I saw absolutely nothing from him against Aston Villa. Nothing suggested to me that he has given Marcelo Bielsa a headache with that performance.”

Now, reports in recent days and weeks have claimed that Leeds are willing to listen to offers for Costa in this upcoming summer transfer window, with the club having earmarked him as someone who could be sold to raise some funds for improvements elsewhere.

Given how his market value has dropped considerably, it would certainly be a major surprise if Leeds got anywhere near the kind of money that they actually paid to sign him.

It surely has Andrea Radrizzani fuming about Leeds’ blunder to commit to paying such a large chunk of money for Costa in the first place.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet who’s shades of Raphinha…

David Moyes can end his search for West Ham United’s next striker by landing another Michail Antonio in Blackburn Rovers star Adam Armstrong.

What’s the word?

According to Lancs Live, there is an acceptance at the Ewood Park outfit that Armstrong may have to be sold in the summer transfer window in order to fund their recruitment drive.

Rovers are in a position where they cannot rely on owners Venky’s investment to support their activity in the off-season, when boss Tony Mowbray will have several gaps to plug.

Blackburn are due to lose five players once their loan deals expire at the end of the season, and have close to a dozen players also out of contract in June.

The only position in which the Lancashire outfit are not expected to address is in goal, with 28-year-old Thomas Kaminski keeping eight clean sheets in 28 Championship appearances since penning a two-year deal with the option of a third last summer.

Given the situation, Blackburn are inclined to sell their top-talents like Armstrong for the right offer, with a belief that short-term pain could prove worthwhile long-term.

West Ham have been credited with an interest in Armstrong frequently since the turn of the year, though Moyes opted against tabling an £8m offer in January following Sebastien Haller’s exit, per The Sun.

The Irons boss is instead thought to want to see how Armstrong tackles the second half of the season, though could face competition from Everton, Fulham and Newcastle United this summer.

Should West Ham sign Armstrong?

It remains to be seen how Armstrong performs between now and the end of the season, but the striker hit the ground running coming out of the summer and has 19 goals in 30 Championship games to his name.

Only Ivan Toney (24) has found the back of the net more often than Armstrong this term, though the Brentford ace is playing in a side competing for automatic promotion while Blackburn are seeing their faint Play-Off hopes dwindle after five-straight defeats.

Armstrong fired home in two of those loses, and has earned vast praise from his manager, Mowbray, throughout the campaign.

“I think Adam Armstrong is asset rich. He’s lightning fast off the mark, he plays on the shoulders [of defenders], he can score with both feet – he can score all sorts of goals,” the Rovers boss said earlier this month. “He can shoot from distance, he can go round the goalie and he can side-foot it in with both feet; he’s very, very clinical.”

How much West Ham would have to pay to land Armstrong in the summer remains to be seen, with The Sun quoting a £10m+ fee for the £17,000-per-week frontman while Chronicle Live believe Blackburn valued the 2022 free-agent as high as £30m earlier in the term.

But Moyes and co-owner David Sullivan meeting the Ewood Park outfit’s demands, however much they may be, could see the pair bring another Antonio story to the London Stadium.

Antonio arrived at West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015 after one full campaign at the Championship side, where he struck 16 goals and provided 15 assists in 50 league games.

The striker is now a fans’ favourite in claret and blue, ended last term as the club’s top-scorer with 10 goals and has fired home six in 16 Premier League appearances this term.

Moyes needs another option behind Antonio after Haller’s exit and could do far worse than signing another in the mould of the Englishman.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover West Ham’s next Dimitri Payet in a 24-y/o whose protected by a £258m release clause…

Liverpool could potentially secure a perfect replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum as soon as the summer.

The Dutch maestro has long since been linked with a move to Barcelona, with the Reds reportedly interested in bringing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar to Anfield, should he depart

The Frenchman, rated at £45m, would be the perfect replacement in the Liverpool starting line-up.

His fledgeling reputation has continued to grow in his home country having starred for his boyhood club for the past four seasons.

In 161 appearances for the French giants, Aouar has scored 30 goals and notched the same amount of assists – incredible numbers considering that he is just 22 years of age.

Swapping Wijnaldum for Aouar would be a masterstroke from Klopp with the latter being a far more creative presence in the centre of the park.

When comparing the two players’ statistics, the Lyon man comes out on top with 1.4 key passes per 90 compared to Wijnaldum’s 0.7, whilst he is also taking far more shots – 2.5 per game compared to just one.

The two players’ defensive numbers are also extremely similar. Wijnaldum provides 0.8 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per match, whilst Aouar’s numbers sit at 0.5 and 0.7

This implies that the Lyon man could slot straight into Wijnaldum’s role but that he would add far more creativity and ambition to the Liverpool midfield.

With one of Fabinho or Jordan Henderson acting as a protective shield in front of the defence, and with Thiago Alcantara being deployed alongside him, the addition of Aouar would see Jurgen Klopp assemble a formidable midfield at Anfield.

They might well face considerable competition for his signature, with Arsenal also reportedly holding a long-standing interest in him.

However, Michael Edwards should try everything he can to get Aouar through the door and avoid a repeat situation of the Nabil Fekir fiasco.

In more news, read why we believe Jurgen Klopp should unleash Fabinho against Chelsea on Thursday…

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse scored his first England goal in their 5-0 win against San Marino in midweek, and Ralph Hasenhuttl should perhaps be concerned that it could increase interest in the 26-year-old ahead of the summer.

The Saints academy graduate has been a mainstay in the Austrian’s line-up so far this season, playing every single minute in the Premier League in a season where nearly every other player has been struck down by injury at one point.

He has also equalled his best-ever goalscoring season in the top flight with seven goals to his name in 29 appearances, which has seen him average an impressive 7.10 WhoScored match rating.

This ranks him as Hasenhuttl’s best performer in the Premier League and, after another excellent season with the Saints, it would not be a surprise if some clubs playing in Europe next season come knocking in the summer.

Even if it was against San Marino, His performance also highlighted just how good he can be in a team which gives him the freedom to go forward and attack more, as he opened the scoring from open play, something he has managed just once in the Premier League this season, in the 2-0 win against Everton.

The rest of his goals have either come from free kicks or the penalty spot, which have also boosted his reputation this season, with Pep Guardiola remarking that he is the “best free-kicker taker I have seen in my life” earlier this season.

Whilst he did come close to a second goal against San Marino with a free kick, it was a superb all-round display from the Saints captain.

As per SofaScore, Ward-Prowse – who reportedly earns £45,000 per week at Southampton – earned a superb 8.3/10 match rating for his display, which was only bettered by Mason Mount with 8.8.

During the 90 minutes, the 26-year-old Saints man completed as many as five key passes whilst also registering a 94% pass accuracy, both of which are significant improvements on his average numbers in the Premier League this season.

Although we must take into consideration the standard of the opposition, there is no doubt that Ward-Prowse was one of the standout performers for England in midweek; and if he produces similar displays in the European Championships during the summer, then it may be a struggle for Southampton to keep hold of him ahead of next season.

In other news… Hasenhuttl can amend key Saints issue next season with swoop for £10.8m-rated “great talent”

In the end, Arsenal surrendered their hold on the FA Cup with a meek defeat to Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s side had gone into the game off the back of some good results in the Premier League, but right from the very first whistle, the Gunners looked completely disjointed – it certainly didn’t help that the Arsenal boss decided to make some changes to his starting line-up.

And one of those players who came in from the cold, was Eddie Nketiah.

The England U21 international was given the chance to start from the off, a particularly telling show of faith given that reports have suggested West Ham are interested in signing him and Folarin Balogun’s hat-trick for the U23s a day earlier.

If the game against Southampton was seen as Nketiah’s opportunity to prove the doubters wrong and show everyone what he can do, then he badly fluffed his lines.

As per Sofascore, he lost 11 of his 12 duels on the day, with the majority of his time being spent failing miserably to try and hold his ground against the likes of Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens at the heart of the Southampton defence.

Nketiah struggled massively in that lone number nine role, constantly trying to make runs into the channels, but not providing any hold-up or link-up play with the rest of the Gunners’ attackers.

It was telling that he made just 19 passes in the time that he was on the pitch, by far the lowest amount of any starter. And his usual strong point of finishing chances in and around the box also deserted him, including Arsenal’s biggest opportunity when he was put through on goal only for him to meekly toe poke it at Fraser Forster.

Whilst Nicolas Pepe may come under intense criticism for another display where he failed to really impose his own game, it was Nketiah who arguably let his manager down the most.

Arteta gave him the keys to Arsenal’s attack with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not in the squad, and Alexandre Lacazette being rested on the bench. This display would have done nothing to convince him that Nketiah is ready to start in the Premier League anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing this La Liga sensation; it’s not Odegaard…

A Kemar Roofe double and Cedric Itten’s goal rescued Glasgow Rangers from the jaws of defeat as Steven Gerrard’s side came from behind to beat Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday to move six points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon for Gerrard after the visitors took the lead through Callum Lang inside six minutes in the first half.

However, Rangers grit their teeth and clawed their way back into the game when Roofe levelled the score before Itten scored his fourth goal of the season so far.

But this doesn’t excuse the fact the defence were caught napping when Lang struck the early opener, arguably none more so than Filip Helander, who has looked out-of-sorts since he returned from a spell on the sidelines after testing positive for coronavirus.

With Leon Balogun ruled out due to injury, the stage was set for Helander to remove any element of lingering doubt about his future at Ibrox.

However, he failed to grasp the opportunity with both hands, as he did little to justify his selection in the first place.

SofaScore graded the 27-year-old as one of the worst Rangers players on the pitch with a lowly 6.6 rating – second only to Allan McGregor – he lost possession 13 times, failed to register a single tackle, record an interception or block a single shot in the entire game.

Glasgow Live gave Helander, who earns £9,300-a-week, a 6/10 and claimed he was ‘careless on the ball at times early doors and could have anticipated Lang’s opener’, while Rangers News were equally scathing in their assessment, although they insisted he ‘took time to settle after a month and a half out of action.’

Not only did he look uncharacteristically lethargic, but the Rangers lightweight was also largely anonymous with his teammates Jermain Defoe and Cedric Itten managing more tackles together.

We can’t quite work out why Helander played the full 90′ minutes, save for a lack of options on the bench, but he ought to be nervously looking over his shoulder once Balogun is fully fit and firing on all cylinders after recovering from a head knock he suffered at St Mirren on Wednesday night.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers could have the perfect Glen Kamara partner in Sheffield United star John Lundstram…

Tottenham Hotspur have a wealth of riches when it comes to their wing department, at least on paper.

You’ve got the undroppable Heung-min Son on one flank and then a contentious spot on the other with neither Steven Bergwijn, Gareth Bale or Lucas Moura being able to cement their name down as the regular option.

And emerging reports this week have suggested that the latter by no means has a certain future in north London.

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, Spurs could be willing to listen to offers for the £22.5m-rated Brazilian this transfer window in order to fund other areas of the squad.

Only this week, following their Carabao Cup semi-final triumph, the former PSG man has come under fire as former Lilywhites midfielder Jamie O’Hara claimed he “drifts in and out of games” and “shows no cutting edge.”

Indeed, Moura has only delivered one goal in 13 appearances in the Premier League this season, so perhaps it is time to move him on.

Bergwijn’s record is even more appalling having not scored in the top-flight since June. Even Bale’s persistent injury problems are becoming a cause for concern.

A new winger could even be on the agenda in the near future, and there’s only one name that Jose Mourinho should be considering – Leon Bailey.

Last month, the Daily Mail reported that Spurs had sent scouts to watch him in their Europa League clash against Slavia Prague and if that’s the case, they’d have seen him score two goals from three shots and complete seven dribbles in just 45 minutes of action, per WhoScored.

They also claim the Bundesliga outfit value him at £36m.

And ahead of the January transfer window, the Jamaican speed demon has joined a new UK-based agency, which according to the Daily Mail has put Premier League teams on alert.

Spurs must ensure they are at the front of the queue in any likely transfer tussle.

The 23-year-old sensation has scored nine goals and provided seven assists in just 19 appearances this term and has previously been lauded as a “very rare” talent with “no weak points.”

Last time Spurs had a diamond in the rough was arguably over 30 years ago when Argentian enigma Ricky Villa joined the club. That sort of foreign influx was ever so rare to see back then, yet that didn’t stop him from becoming a hit in N17.

Bailey can bring a similar level of excitement to Spurs and he may well be the perfect option to complement the free-scoring duo of Son and Harry Kane.

Mourinho bye-bye to Moura if Daniel Levy can sanction this swoop.

AND in other news, Levy must offload shocking £36m-rated “weak link” as enough is enough…

After a disastrous end to last month, Celtic have picked up a couple of morale-boosting victories in the Scottish Premiership as they look to salvage a bit of pride from what has been a horror show of a season.

Neil Lennon’s side have watched their hopes of an incredible ten-in-a-row go up in smoke, and have lurched from one nightmare to the other, not least a 2-1 defeat at home to St Mirren on January 30.

That prompted a reshuffle from the Celtic boss for the game against Kilmarnock, with the Hoops running out 4-0 winners. The Bhoys then clinched a 2-1 win over Motherwell, and head into tonight’s game against St Mirren with the chance to make it three wins from three.

One man who has been absent from Lennon’s starting line-up for the past couple of games has been Ismaila Soro. The Hoops manager recalled skipper Scott Brown into the fold, and his captain duly rewarded him with a goal against Kilmarnock and a very dominant display.

But whilst the 35-year-old might have gotten his mojo back, that’s no reason to keep Soro out of the limelight – especially after he has reportedly been cleared to feature tonight having had a minor car accident.

The £900k-rated midfielder has been a rare shining light in what has been a turbulent season for the club, and prior to the start of this month, had emerged as a vital cog in the engine room for Lennon – he had started the last ten games in the Scottish Premiership.

Speaking after his goal against Dundee United back in December, Lennon said: “He’s played brilliantly. I thought he passed the ball really crisply. I’m really, really pleased with his contribution, his energy and his reading of the game. He’s very, very crisp with the ball at the minute as well.”

Described as someone with “explosive power”, the 22-year-old represents the future of this Celtic team, along with young centre-back Stephen Welsh.

Yes, the Hoops might have found a way to win again, but it feels like taking a step backwards by returning to the old reliable of Brown. Soro is the man Celtic need to build around in midfield, and using the rest of this season as the perfect platform for him to be given even more game-time and consistent first-team starts would do him the world of good.

Much like with Welsh, keeping these young starlets on the side-lines just isn’t going to do them anything in terms of their development, and it would make a lot more sense for them to be in the side week-in and week-out.

The title race is effectively over, so Lennon could do more for the club’s long-term by placing his faith in Soro again. Starting with St Mirren tonight.