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Carlo Ancelotti must stop Marcel Brands from wasting millions of pounds with a summer swoop for Everton to sign AS Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Mancini is earning widespread admirers with his performance at the Stadio Olimpico, to see that Everton are not the only side keen.

Ancelotti’s Toffees are said to be big admirers of the Giallorossi enforcer, but face having to contend with Chelsea for his signature as they eye a potential heir for Thiago Silva.

Ligue 1 and Bundesliga giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on the scene, as well, with the Parc des Princes natives long-term admirers and approached Roma for further information on his availability during the recent winter market.

Scouts from Italian powerhouse duo Inter Milan and Juventus are also keeping an eye on developments, with the latter aware of the need to reinforce the guard currently occupied by 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, who turns 34 in May.

But the number of admirers Mancini has gained has also seen Roma up their valuation of the £33,000-per-week talent they paid a combined €24m (£20.5m) for, between a loan spell and his purchase, with the defender now worth at least €10-€15m (£8.5-£13m) more.

An asking price of between €34m (£29m) and €39m (£33.5m) is not expected to scare off the Premier League sides said to be interested, while Mancini intends to evaluate his options in the summer.

Mancini’s former side, Atalanta BC, would also be owed 10% of any fee Roma receive for the 24-year-old, who has started all 23 of his Serie A appearances this season after missing two games with a muscular injury and one through an accumulation of yellow cards.

Should Everton sign Mancini?

Qualification for next season’s edition of the Champions League is expected to be crucial for any side wishing to land Mancini’s services in the off-season, as the four-cap Italy international is anticipated to put the sporting project above a potential pay rise.

Everton are in the mix for a top-four finish to the Premier League season, with a four-point gap but a game in hand all that separates them from Chelsea in the last of the qualifying spots.

Yet Ancelotti must block Brands from using a UEFA campaign as a reason to spend a vast sum to sign Mancini, as it would be questionable of the 6 ft 3 enforcer establishing himself as an upgrade on those already at Goodison Park.

Ancelotti already considers Ben Godfrey to be the best of his current centre-halves, despite Mason Holgate offering a unit-high 2.5 successful tackles from 3.2 duels per game when fielded in the heart of the Everton backline for Premier League fixtures, per WhoScored.

Mancini offers Roma 1.7 successful tackles from 2.2 attempts per game in the Serie A this season, along with winning possession back for Paulo Fonseca’s side with 2.1 clearances.

Holgate currently offers the fewest clearances by one of the Toffees’ centre-halves with 3.5 a game, while Mancini would rank last on Merseyside for aerial duels won with 1.8 from three – Holgate offers the least with two from 2.7 at present.

If Brands is to spend a significant sum – more than Everton paid for Allan (£21m), Abdoulaye Doucoure (£20m) or Godfrey (£20m) last summer – on a new centre-back, he will surely have to be a distinct upgrade.

AND in other news, Everton will listen to offers for a £16m-rated ace who has failed to live up to his price tag…

Whether or not Sunderland are promoted this season, they already have plans in mind for how they’ll attack the transfer market.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, Sunderland will explore the possibility of signing Dion Sanderson on a permanent transfer in the summer.

The £7k-per-week earner is currently on loan from Wolves and has had to wait patiently until the New Year to really be given a chance of regular football at the Stadium of Light.

However, the club have clearly been impressed with what they’ve seen from the defender.

It’s understood that Sanderson is open to a move away in the summer so that he can continue his progression. Competition for places at Wolves are steep so joining Sunderland permanently would probably be a wise idea.

Clever planning

After the youngster’s first few months at the club, it didn’t look as though he’d have what it takes to sufficiently play for the Mackems.

Though, since Lee Johnson’s arrival he’s been thoroughly impressive, mainly earning chances through circumstance. He got a rare chance at left-back with injuries to Denver Hume and Callum McFadzean before a trio of issues to Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and Tom Flanagan saw him operated at centre-back.

Sanderson is a full-back by trade but he’s stood out in the middle, stepping in for Wright admirably. In fact, he’s been outstanding in the last few months, demonstrating a supreme ability to win aerial duels. The 21-year-old has won 24 battles in the air in his last ten outings alone.

Consider his versatility and his ability to perform consistently, Kristjaan Speakman simply has to build the future of the club around him.

Sunderland’s other centre backs have struggled for fitness, as too have the club’s full-backs. Sanderson, on the other hand, has been fully fit since October.

He’s a player that’s also earned rave reviews from Stephen Elliot. He took to Twitter after the Black Cats’ win over Fleetwood to say: “Dion Sanderson has a huge future in the game. Best on loan player I’ve seen at the club since Johnny Evans. Wise beyond his years on the pitch.”

That’s quite the statement to make, but if anything sums up why Sunderland must build their future around him, that is it.

Sanderson has pace, power and elegance, possessing the ability to play out from the back too. With that in mind, he could fit a variety of styles and systems. He is a manager’s dream.

Speakman must bring him back next summer.

AND in other news, Dreyfus could begin his reign with a bang by tying down “outstanding” SAFC gem…

Liverpool’s defensive woes increased on Thursday night despite their win against Tottenham Hotspur, as Fabinho was ruled out of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium through injury.

The Brazilian has been one of the Reds’ most important players so far this season, as he has stepped up in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez by taking on the role of centre-back.

In his 17 appearances in the top-flight so far this season, the 27-year-old has averaged a solid 6.92 rating and has been the only centre-back in Klopp’s squad to feature more than ten times in the Premier League, due to Joel Matip’s inconsistent fitness and the German manager’s rotation of Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams.

Whilst the former Monaco man, who reportedly earns £100k per week at Liverpool, was exposed somewhat in recent fixtures against Burnley and Manchester United, he is still an incredibly important part of this Liverpool side at the moment and looks much more comfortable at centre-back than fellow defensive-midfielder Jordan Henderson, who has also featured in defence in recent fixtures.

Therefore, whilst the length of Fabinho’s injury is currently unknown, his setback must be the catalyst for the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to act in the remaining days of the January transfer window, as it seems clear that Klopp is desperate for a centre-back.

Following the game with Spurs, the former Borussia Dortmund boss provided an update on Fabinho, saying:

“It was nothing really. He just felt something and we had to take him out. And now he’s out.

“It was not a challenge or whatever, it was not intense situations. It was just how things happen.”

He also suggested in his post-match conference that Liverpool were looking for ‘the right player’ to bring in before next Monday’s deadline, so it seems as the Reds could well dip into the transfer market after all, although they are running out of time to complete a deal.

Earlier this week, the makeshift centre-back was praised by Thiago, who dubbed him an “amazing player”, whether he’s playing in defence or in midfield.

Certainly, if Fabinho’s injury does prove to be a long-term one, then the Liverpool board must surely see sense and bring in a defender, otherwise, they run the risk of falling a long way short of retaining the Premier League title.

And, in other news… Forget Trent: LFC “machine” who made four key passes was Klopp’s star vs Spurs

Celtic captain Scott Brown must stick around at Parkhead and it would be ‘crazy’ not to have him around next season.

Sutton speaks out

Those are the words of former Bhoys striker Chris Sutton, who has had to witness an unusual turn of events at his old club this season.

Neil Lennon’s side are currently 19 points behind arch-rivals Rangers with three games in hand, and they have had to put up with protests calling for his dismissal following their early exit from the Europa League.

On top of this, the Irish tactician has often opted to drop Brown in favour of youngsters Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull, who have been impressive this season for the Hoops.

Writing in his Daily Record column, Sutton believes that Brown must be retained at all costs.

“Scott Brown must stay,” he said. “Regardless of whether Celtic win or lose the race for Ten In A Row.

“He’s been sat on the sidelines in other recent matches as Ismaila Soro has taken his place and really cemented a spot in the side.

“It all points to a career winding down. An inspirational skipper who is coming to the end of the road with a contract expiring at the end of the season.”

Sutton continued: “But I’ll tell you one thing. With so much uncertainty around Celtic and huge upheaval looming in the coming months, it would be crazy not to have Brown around that dressing room for 2021-22.

“I’m not saying he should be playing 20 or 25 games. It might only be five or 10. As he turns 36 years of age of June, it might not be any.

“But I still feel he needs to be there and there’s a reason for coming to this definitive conclusion.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Brown has been sensational for Celtic over the years and has been the driving force of his team’s dominance in Scottish football.

Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney recently described him as the “perfect” leader and was in awe of his qualities, which supporters will be fully aware of.

Someone with that sort of presence in the dressing room should have the chance to stick around at the club. Brown is Mr Celtic and Parkhead will be a strange place without him.

In other news – Celtic due to receive short windfall on the back of transfer concerning former Bhoys’ star.

Harvey Elliott has been impressing at Blackburn Rovers since joining on loan from Liverpool in the recent summer transfer window, to the extent where he could be considered ready for the Reds’ first-team next season.

The 17-year-old joined the Championship side on loan in October and in six appearances for Tony Mowbray’s side, he has contributed one goal and three assists (per Transfermarkt).

Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in 2019 and he has already made as many as nine appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s first team, suggesting that the German manager has very high hopes for the youngster.

The winger has also impressed for Liverpool’s U23 side, having contributed three goals and four assists in 13 appearances, which included a superb overhead kick against Wolves’ academy side.

The ‘wonderkid’ is showing himself to be immensely talented, as to contribute to four goals in six appearances in the Championship with a new club suggests to us that it won’t be long at all until he is pushing for a starting spot in Klopp’s side.

Of course, Liverpool have world-class talent on their wings, in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane but with both of those players set to play in the African Cup of Nations in January 2022, perhaps Elliott could be the man to fill in in their absence.

Back-up winger Xherdan Shaqiri has also been linked with a move away from Anfield in recent times, so if he leaves in January or the summer, perhaps we could see Elliott promoted to one of Klopp’s main back-up options.

The 17-year-old was praised by Klopp after Liverpool beat Arsenal on penalties in the League Cup last season, with the German manager saying:

“It’s easy to be convinced about him when you see him training, he is an exceptional talent, absolutely, and he’s a nice kid as well.

“To see him, how he encouraged the crowd around the corners…I had a couple of moments where I was really touched tonight, to be honest. So for a few moments, that’s really cool.” (per Liverpool Echo)

Therefore, if Elliott is able to continue his impressive start to life at Blackburn Rovers for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign, there seems no reason why he can’t be pushing for a spot in Liverpool’s first-team next season.

Leeds United’s transfers this summer haven’t been bad by any stretch, but there is always room for a little bit of improvement.

The Whites spent almost £100m on new talent in the window, but interestingly, not one of these players had ever worked with Marcelo Bielsa before, despite the Argentine having a huge network of ex-players he could call upon.

Bielsa has worked with some of the most talented players in the game at the moment with the likes of Man City’s Aymeric Laporte and Benjamin Mendy, as well as PSG’s Ander Herrera developing under him, but for one reason or another he hasn’t worked towards bringing in any of his ex-players at Leeds.

Familiarity with your playing staff can be a great thing, and using your connections to make signings can be incredibly lucrative, as shown by Garry Monk’s time at the club.

The former Swansea City boss brought in three players who he worked with in south Wales, and it’s fair to say that this strategy was a rousing success, with both Pablo Hernandez and Kyle Bartley earning a place in Phil Hay’s Leeds United Team of the Decade.

Bielsa has a litany of stars in his contact book from his spells at Marseille, Athletic Bilbao and Chile, and while many have been linked, not a single one of his ex-players have signed for Leeds.

Perhaps this is down to Victor Orta having the main say on Leeds transfers, but it’s been well-documented that Bielsa has a sway on the club’s transfer activity, so it may just be that the Argentine is actively deciding against using his contact book.

However, with Leeds seemingly having huge financial resources these days, there are plenty of players he worked with at his former jobs that could slot nicely into United’s XI, especially seeing as Marseille and Bilbao are regularly playing in European competitions.

Signing players who know Bielsa’s methods would also negate the need for the lengthy bedding in period that the Argentine likes to give his new signings, as it wouldn’t take them too long to get up to speed with a manager they’ve already worked with.

This is a transfer plan that the Argentine should look to implement in the near future.

Leeds United had a brilliant summer transfer window by all accounts.

They spent nearly £100m on new talent and the marquee addition was undoubtedly the club-record signing of Rodrigo from Valencia.

The Whites splashed out £27m on the Spain international this summer, but it seems as though he may not be utilised in the best way going forward.

Indeed, Marcelo Bielsa alluded to the fact that he sees him as more of an attacking midfielder than a striker in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game, saying:

“Just to make a reference, for example, we have Bamford and Roberts up front, Rodrigo and Pablo in attacking midfield. Poveda and Costa, Raphinha and Harrison [on the wings].”

Rodrigo is certainly capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, after all, he has played there twice already this season, but prior to joining Leeds, that is a role he had never actually played in.

The saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and Rodrigo is a man with well over 350 senior appearances to his name with at least 200 of those coming as a centre-forward.

Asking your club-record signing to play out of position in order to accommodate Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts makes very little sense, and Darren Bent’s opinion on the matter perfectly shows why it may not be the best idea.

“It might be difficult but sometimes you’ve got to understand the situation of the team. At times it can be frustrating,” Bent said.

“I always wanted to play centre-forward but early on in my career, I was asked to play wide at times or positions I wasn’t comfortable in.”

Bent is right and Rodrigo could quickly get frustrated by being shackled to a position that he isn’t familiar with. When you add into that the fact that there’s an argument to make that Pablo Hernandez is actually the better option in attacking midfield, it looks as though Victor Orta’s hard work to get Rodrigo in at Elland Road is in danger of being wasted.

Indeed, Hernandez has a lot more experience playing in that role and he’s a lot more suited to playing under Bielsa, winning the club’s Player of the Year award in each of the last three seasons.

Fingers crossed the Argentine starts to use Rodrigo as a striker in the near future as that’s the position he’s played for the majority of his career.

When it comes to Fantasy Premier League, you forward options are often the most important decisions to make before the start of each new season – and this one proves no different to the rest.

There is an abundance of strikers and wingers to choose from now, with plenty of forwards last season heading into double figures for their goalscoring tallies. This new season has seen plenty of new additions from new signings at the big clubs, all the way to the new players coming through from the clubs promoted from the Championship.

No matter what, you can always rely on your go-to’s from each season, as well as finding room for those hidden gems and cheaper players to help fill out your squad whilst making sure you build the best starting XI and bench possible.

With that being said, we’re going to take a look at four options up top that could be a make or break for your FPL team, ranging from all prices at any club in the league.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – £6.0m

The Serbian international is back in the Premier League with Fulham after their prometon via the Playoff final against Brentford. Last season in the Championship, Mitrović managed 26 goals in 41 appearances for the Cottagers – and in his last season in the Premier League, he still scored 11 goals for the club despite their relegation in the 2018/19 season.

The 25-year-old will currently cost you just £6.0m, a great price for a striker of his ability and proficiency, and has only been selected by 25.7% of users. Along with an ICT index rank of 512 of 521, Mitrović should be in everyone’s starting XI this season.

Anthony Martial – £9.0m

Last season saw the Frenchman enjoy his best goalscoring season for Manchester United yet, managing 17 goals in 33 appearances. During that time, he picked up a total of 200 points and certainly struck up a great partnership with Marcus Rashford both before and after the Englishman’s injury.

This season has only seen 13.8% of user select Martial, likely due to his £9.0m price tag – but don’t let that scare you off. Now that the 24-year-old has found his feet in a Red Devils shirt, I can’t see that slowing down now, and he would be a great option in your starting XI if you give him the chance.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – £7.2m

Everton’s No.9 has certainly shown what he is about in the Premier League last campaign.

The 23-year-old scored 13 goals for the Toffees last season, amassing 126 points by the end of the year, and I don’t see that being the end of the Englishman’s goalscoring form. This season has seen Carlo Ancelotti sign three new midfielders in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and James Rodriguez, with the latter being the most important for Calvert-Lewin.

Rodriguez will bring a new attacking dimension for Everton, and I can see Calvert-Lewin benefitting greatly from this. This season the striker will only cost you £7.2m and has only been selected by 24% of users.

Neal Maupay – £6.5m

The French striker has been something of a revelation for Brighton. Since 2016, Glenn Murray was a fantastic goal scorer for the Seagulls, but the 2018/19 season was far from Murray’s brilliance – and this led to the now 36-year-old being side-lined due to injuries and his age.

In steps Neal Maupay, and suddenly Brighton have themselves a real goalscoring striker in their hands. Last season was Maupay’s first for the club, and the 24-year-old managed 10 goals in 37 appearances, totaling 131 points for the campaign.

Maupay can currently be picked up for just £6.5m. Only 2.1% of users have selected him, meaning he has certainly gone under the radar.

Just a season after leaving Arsenal, it looks as though Aaron Ramsey may already be heading out of the exit door at Juventus.

The £400k-a-week earning star played just 24 times in Serie A in his debut campaign in Italian football, with many of those appearances coming off the bench – in fact, he completed the full 90 minutes on just one occasion during the whole year.

Now, Calcio Mercato claim that West Ham are eyeing up a potential move for the midfielder, and that given Juventus signed him on a free transfer, they are considering letting him go and simply making a profit on their investment.

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The report further adds that the Hammers could face competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the race to sign him.

Whilst he may not have pulled up any trees in Italy, there’s no doubting that Ramsey had proven himself to be an elite box-to-box midfielder in this country.

He struck two FA Cup final winning goals for Arsenal, and ended his career with the Gunners with an unbelievable record of 65 goals and 65 assists in 371 games for the club.

Hammers boss David Moyes even admitted during his time as Manchester United manager that he was very close to signing him in 2008 when he was at Everton.

He said: “Yes, I was very close to signing Aaron when I was at Everton. I had him and his family in my house but Arsenal beat me to it.”

More than 12 years later, and Moyes could finally get his man.

The North London Derby is upon us as Jose Mourinho’s side welcome Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Once upon a time, this match would be one of high stakes, with both teams challenging for a top-four finish. However, such has been the decline of both clubs this season, this fixture in one being played with both sides languishing in mid-table, with only an outside chance of taking one of the Europa League places that are on offer this season.

This is a Premier League fixture that normally delivers goals and entertains the neutral, but if Mourinho’s charges continue to park the bus as they have during their last two outings, then we may be set for a dreary affair.

Form

Whilst Tottenham have rediscovered their abilities to keep a clean sheet, the goals have dried up completely as Mourinho’s more pragmatic approach has impacted the fluidity of Spurs’ attacking play.

Despite only one defeat since the Premier League restart – a 3-1 capitulation against Sheffield United – they haven’t looked convincing at all. Arsenal, on the other hand, after a shaky start, have been growing in confidence and Mikel Arteta’s side are starting to gel, although they didn’t get the result their performance deserved against Leicester City at the Emirates earlier this week.

The Gunners will be relishing their first visit to their bitter rival’s new stadium, such is the fragility of Spurs at present.

They may also believe they have the bonus of Michael Oliver as referee; the official who has been responsible for two controversial VAR decisions that have gone against Tottenham in recent weeks.

Team news

Eric Dier remains suspended following his four-match ban from the FA, whilst Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga remain out injured.

Arsenal have Bernd Leno, Gabriel Martinelli out with knee injuries and Nicolas Pepe remains a doubt over a personal issue, but the Gunners hope to welcome back Mesut Ozil to their squad following a back problem.

How to watch

Spurs v Arsenal kicks off at 16:30 UTC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and will be broadcast live Sky Sports, while fans can also live stream football online.