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Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Everton’s James Rodriguez asked to be substituted during the Toffees’ 3-1 defeat against Manchester United.

Rodriguez was tired

Rodriguez came back into the side after missing the last match, against Newcastle United. However, he played just 80 minutes, with him coming off despite Everton still being in the match at 2-1 down.

After the match, Ancelotti was asked why he decided to take off the £31.5m-valued Colombia international (Transfermarkt). He replied:

“He was OK, he was tired.

“This week he did 80 minutes and he asked me to change it because he was tired but no physical problem.”

Not the best news for Ancelotti

Of course, even with James still on the pitch, there is no guarantee that Everton would have been able to get something from the game. However, he is one of their most talented and influential players – he already has three goals and four assists in eight games since making the move from Real Madrid in the summer.

This was a moment in the match when Ancelotti will have been wanting his star men to stand up and be counted – instead, Rodriguez asked to be replaced. Hopefully, it was just a case of a lack of fitness for the 29-year-old, and he will be ready in the future to play a huge role when Ancelotti needs him to.

In other news, one football lauded this Everton star against United.

Premier League clubs may have taken a financial hit during the pandemic, but there is no doubt that England’s top tier still boasts some of the richest and most valuable clubs in world football.

Title winners Liverpool can be considered as the best club in the world given they are Premier League and Champions League holders at present while the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are also very much among the financial powerhouses.

Chelsea have asserted their financial power by already securing the additions of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech this summer, while United’s reported pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is a clear indicator of their own power and allure.

However, the market value of clubs certainly varies across the division with an ever-widening gulf existing between the elite and the rest, but some clubs have punched well above their financial weight to achieve massive success this campaign.

Here, we rank all 20 Premier League clubs in order of their club market value in comparison to their final league position…

20. Sheffield United

Sheffield United enjoyed a memorable return to the Premier League as Chris Wilder’s men sealed a ninth-placed finish following their promotion in 2019, and the extent of their achievement is further magnified by the club’s market value being the lowest in the league.

The Bramall Lane outfit are currently worth £114.17million according to Transfermarkt’s valuation, but this figure looks bound to increase if the Blades continue to establish themselves as a Premier League outfit following a 12-year stint outside the top tier.

19. Norwich City

Norwich’s relegation does not come as an enormous surprise when the club has the second-lowest market value in the division at £124.31million, with Daniel Farke’s men having perhaps over-performed to even gain promotion in the first place.

This is testament to Farke’s impact at Carrow Road since his arrival back in 2017, but the Canaries finished 20th in an extremely underwhelming 2019/20 season despite the promise shown during their 3-2 win over Manchester City in September.

18. Burnley

Burnley rank remarkably low at 18th on this list considering they have now been a Premier League side for four consecutive seasons, but their £138.62million market value suggests Sean Dyche’s side are continuing the exceed expectations at Turf Moor.

The Lancashire outfit sealed a top-half finish as they finished in 10th spot at the end of the season, with the Clarets’ tight-knit group of players never looking at any real risk of facing the drop.

17. Crystal Palace

Palace can now be considered as an established Premier League club given they have spent seven straight seasons in England’s top tier, but the fact they have not finished higher than 10th in any of these campaigns means they only rank 17th on the list.

The club’s current market value sits at £161.48million as they look ahead to starting on a clean slate in September after experiencing a late-season slump which saw them end the 2019/20 campaign in 14th spot.

16. Bournemouth

Bournemouth’s relegation was perhaps one of the biggest surprises in the Premier League this season, with the south-coast side finishing 18th in the table after five years in the top flight following a meteoric rise under Eddie Howe.

The Cherries were condemned to the drop on the final day of the season following an overall poor campaign which will have affected the club’s market value that currently stands at £171.25million to put them at 16th spot on the list.

15. Watford

Watford are the highest-ranked side on this list to have suffered relegation this term with their campaign having ended in a 19th-placed finish, which was particularly disappointing given they had looked to turn a corner with a win over Liverpool in February.

The Vicarage Road side are valued at £181.64million to leave them 15th in these rankings, with owner Gino Pozzo now in search for a new manager to lead them into the Championship after going through three permanent bosses during the 2019/20 season.

14. Newcastle United

Newcastle’s final league position of 13th almost correlates directly with their 14th-placed ranking on this list, with Steve Bruce having successfully met expectations during his debut campaign in charge of his boyhood club.

The Magpies’ early preparations for the new campaign have been overshadowed by the collapse of the Saudi-Arabian backed takeover of the club, with Newcastle currently being valued at £200.07million to put them 14th on this list.

13. Southampton

Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men looked in serious danger of relegation earlier in the campaign, but a sustained turnaround in form saw them secure a highly respectable 11th-placed finish as Danny Ings’ 22 league goals proved crucial.

Southampton’s solid campaign might mean they can now look ahead to a ninth straight season in the top flight, but they are still in the bottom half of the standings in terms of club market value as their figure currently stands at £201.06million.

12. Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton’s market value of £207.54million means they sit 12th in this list, while their actual league position was 15th as they dodged relegation courtesy of vital successes over Arsenal and Norwich following the season’s restart.

The south-coast outfit will now be looking to push forward under the guidance of head coach Graham Potter who was installed an attractive style of play this term, while the early summer additions of Joel Veltman and Adam Lallana represent good business.

11. Aston Villa

Dean Smith’s side rank quite high at 11th on this list considering they have only spent one season in the Premier League since their last promotion in 2019, but Villa are a notoriously big club whose market value would have been helped by their survival.

Their 1-1 draw with West Ha on the final day of the 2019/20 season ensure their survival in the top tier, and this has helped put their value at £209.43million heading into the new campaign according to Transfermarkt.

10. West Ham United

West Ham enjoyed a strong end to the season as they dodged relegation to finish 16th in the Premier League table, but they have snuck into the top half at 10th on this list as their club market value currently stands at £275.63million.

There were eyebrows raised when the West Ham board hired David Moyes for a second time in December, but the club now looks in a relatively stable position as players such as Michail Antonio and Pablo Soucek excelled towards the end of the season.

9. Wolves

Wolves have been a breath of fresh air since their promotion to the Premier League two years ago, with Nuno Espirito Santo having now guided his side to a second consecutive top-half finish as they ended the 2019/20 season in seventh spot.

The last two league campaigns will have certainly boosted Wolves’ valuation, while their Europa League success will have also helped, and this means the Molineux outfit are now valued at £308.16million to put them at 9th on the list.

8. Everton

It was a relatively mediocre season for Everton as they eventually finished 12th in the Premier League table, but there are definitely reasons to be positive for the Goodison Park faithful given some of the promising signs shown under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Toffees are still firmly in the top half of this list despite their lower league finish, with the Merseyside outfit current valued at £370.67million to put them eighth in these rankings as they prepare to push on next season.

7. Leicester City

Leicester’s season may have ended in disappointment as their poor end-of-season form saw them slip out of the Champions League spots despite having occupied them for much of the season, with the Foxes finishing in fifth spot.

However, the club definitely made big strides under Brendan Rodgers during his first full campaign at the King Power Stadium, with Leicester’s impressive progress having seen their club market value rise to £405.45million as they sit seventh in this list.

6. Arsenal

Arsenal’s poor first half of the season resulted in Mikel Arteta replacing Unai Emery as club manager, and this switch injected a fresh lease of life into the Gunners’ campaign as they finished in eighth spot and lifted the FA Cup trophy.

This improvement means Arsenal still occupy sixth spot in this list with their current market valuation tallying at £519.17million, but it is now important the north Londoners keep hold of their key assets in order to keep progressing.

5. Tottenham Hotspur

It was a real rollercoaster campaign for Tottenham which saw Mauricio Pochettino replaced by Jose Mourinho who eventually guided the club to a sixth-placed finish following a strong run of form following the season restart in June.

This means the north London club sit just outside the top four in this list with their market value now at £628.52million, with this being just less than £50million behind the next-highest club in fourth spot.

4. Manchester United

United produced a strong conclusion to the season as they secured Champions League football for next term, with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January helping to elevate the Old Trafford outfit to a new level as they finished in third spot.

This means United’s club market value now stands at £673.81million as they prepare for a return to the Champions League with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Fernandes looking set to help spearhead the club’s next chapter.

3. Chelsea

Frank Lampard enjoyed a stable start to life in the Chelsea hot seat as he led the club to the FA Cup final while sealing fourth spot in the top tier, and the Blues are also looking strong off the pitch as their valuation currently stands at £750.11million.

The Stamford Bridge side have certainly caught the eye with their transfer business heading into the new season – with Werner and Ziyech both officially on board – and Lampard will surely be targeting a title charge in the new campaign.

2. Liverpool

Liverpool may have cruised to the Premier League title by a staggering 18-point margin this term, but they are sitting second in this list with their market value currently standing at £912.51million as they prepare to defend their crown.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been constantly improving since the German was appointed at Anfield, and the club’s Champions League win and league title success within the space of 12 months is clear evidence that Liverpool have returned to Europe’s elite.

1. Manchester City

City lead the way in the club-value stakes with a total valuation of £971.98million according to Transfermarkt, with the Etihad Stadium side ranking ahead of Liverpool by just under £60million despite each Premier League club’s market value in comparison to their final position finishing well behind them in the actual league table.

The Manchester club have been the most dominant team in English football over the last decade by lifting the Premier League title on four occasions, and it is this sustained success that ultimately sees them just pip the Reds to top spot in this list.

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-England international defender Danny Mills has heaped praise on Spurs defender Matt Doherty after the club managed to secure a £16 million deal to sign him from Wolves last week – with the pundit going on to describe his traits as ‘what Mourinho wants’.

Doherty, who started 32 games for the Molineux outfit last season, proving an old reliable under Nuno Espirito Santo, has now completed a switch to north London to become part of Spurs’ Champions League qualification push next season.

His signing also opens the door for Serge Aurier to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and pundit Mills thinks the acquisition is an ‘upgrade’ on the Ivorian.

The new Premier League campaign starts in just under a fortnight, and Mills has been in awe over Spurs’ tackling of the transfer market so far – going on to worship the signing of Doherty to Football Insider.

Jermaine Jenas has also proved to be a fan of the right-back in past seasons, with the ex-Spur once calling him ‘sensational’ to Match of the Day via Sports Joe. 

Mills, branding Doherty as ‘solid’ and ‘reliable’, certainly appears to admire the 6ft 1 stalwart, and he could be a coup if the ex-top flight veteran’s verdict is anything to go by.

“He is an upgrade on Serge Aurier. He has done incredibly well at Wolves over the past few seasons,” explained Mills to FI.

“Lots of people coming out and saying he is an Arsenal fan and so what? It makes no difference.

“I have been very impressed with him at Wolves. He has a good skill set, great ability in the final third and a very, very good work ethic. He is solid, reliable and that is what Mourinho wants from his players.”

Mourinho, having now secured deals for Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Joe Hart this summer, with chairman Daniel Levy spending around £30 million in the process, could see the squad significantly bolstered just in time for his first full debut season in charge.

The Republic of Ireland international comes in as an alternative to polarising defender Aurier, with the Lilywhites right-back now potentially on his way out this summer as AC Milan become continuously linked (Fabrizio Romano via Football Italia).

Spurs fans, is Matt Doherty a bargain coup? Have your say in the comments below…

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho hasn’t had it easy during his time in charge of Spurs so far. 

Mourinho, who was appointed in November last year, has had to pick up the pieces left by his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs slumped to a disappointing defeat to Sheffield United on Thursday night, even though they enjoyed the majority of possession at Bramall Lane but didn’t make it count.

The Lilywhites are now ninth in the Premier League, nine points away from fourth-placed Chelsea, with only six games remaining. Nevertheless, fans should rest assured that Mourinho is not going anywhere anytime soon, but the question still remains over what will happen next.

Mourinho is preparing for his first summer transfer window in charge of Tottenham, although things will be very different from what he has experienced in the past.

Spurs have borrowed a huge sum of money from the Bank of England to cover the costs left by the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. As a result, Daniel Levy has made it clear that he will not be spending “rivers of money” in the summer, so Mourinho will have to cope with a severely limited budget.

The Portuguese has plans for the future as he is tied down to a lucrative long-term deal but it will take considerable funds for him to mould the squad into his own image, which isn’t readily feasible at the moment.

Spurs have conceded more goals than Arsenal, Manchester United and Premier League champions Liverpool, which is something that he urgently needs to address. The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun this season and the defeat to Sheffield United will probably force him into a defensive reshuffle.

According to The Athletic, he will be given time to turn things around. He has an extremely rich CV but needs the backing of the board to make the signings he needs to make a difference.

However, Mourinho will need multiple transfer windows to transform his squad, so supporters shouldn’t expect a quick fix. Instead, he will mostly have to rely on free transfers, loans and swaps deals this summer.

If Mourinho can buy himself some time, Spurs could be challenging for silverware sooner than expected, as his track record more than speaks for itself.

Tottenham fans, do you think the future is bright under Mourinho? Let us know in the comments below!

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no intention of dropping David De Gea following his 400th game for Manchester United. 

According to ESPN, De Gea’s place as first-choice goalkeeper has come under pressure in recent years, but Solskjaer insisted he has no plans of axing him anytime soon.

Once again, Solskjaer has decided to back the Spaniard, which could be bad news for the Red Devils as this may annoy Dean Henderson.

The Norwegian is not short of options between the sticks, as he can call upon the services of Sergio Romero, while Henderson has impressed on loan at Sheffield United.

De Gea, who is currently valued at £36m via Transfermarkt, has copped a fair amount of criticism following a dip in form, but Solskjaer has put his faith in the veteran, who signed a new long-term contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2024.

Although the Red Devils have offered Henderson a new deal, he has made it abundantly clear he is only prepared to sign on the dotted line if he is given the number one spot at the Theatre of Dreams.

The 23-year-old has spent the last few years on loan at Bramall Lane and has been an integral part of Chris Wilder’s side as the Blades have surged into European contention.

Henderson has played 33 games in the Premier League this season, keeping 13 clean sheets and only conceding 27 goals.

Despite his heroics in front of the posts, Solskjaer has given De Gea his support instead.

As it stands, Henderson is set to line up against Leicester when the Blades travel to the King Power Stadium on Thursday. He was tipped to wear the gloves for England before Euro 2020 was postponed due to these uncertain times.

However, Solskjaer’s decision might jeopardise his career at Old Trafford, as Chelsea are preparing to make a move for the keeper in the summer.

If United can’t give Henderson what he wants, he may decide to move elsewhere, as his future remains unclear.

The Red Devils will not want to let another youngster with bags of potential slip through their fingers, as ended up happening with Gerard Pique, who turned out to be a world-class defender at Barcelona.

United fans, do you think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should give Dean Henderson a chance? Let us know down below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews has passed his judgement on the current situation at Sunderland.

Speaking on the broadcaster’s EFL Podcast, he claimed it was ridiculous that there were already calls for Phil Parkinson’s sacking, listing why he should stay at the Stadium of Light.

What’s he said?

Sunderland are on a wretched run of form at the moment and under Parkinson, they’ve won just two of 11 games.

Sacking Jack Ross was a bold call but it doesn’t appear as though the Black Cats hierarchy have got their next appointment right.

The former Bolton boss has struggled to implement his ideas and a 2-1 defeat to Burton last time out summed up what was wrong at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland’s fall from the Premier League has been rather hefty and they’re in real danger of seeping into Football League mediocrity.

That being said, there are reasons for Parkinson to be given more time. Last week, fans were calling for Kevin Phillips to be given the job instead.

However, Andrews has hinted that he at least deserves until the transfer window to put things right. The pundit said:

“Very early would be an understatement for me. I think it’s ridiculous. I can understand the fans’ frustrations who are watching it every week.

“He’s inherited a squad which in my opinion are not as good as what they were. Confidence is a big issue for the players, the expectations as we know playing for that football club are very, very high.”

“He hasn’t had a transfer window to stamp his authority on it in terms of the players he wants.

“We know it’s disappointing, I’m not painting a picture here where it’s been really good in previous weeks but can you realistically get rid of a manager that’s three points off the play-offs having come in and is still sussing out exactly what’s what.”

Wait until January

If results continue to deteriorate over the Christmas period a decision on Parkinson’s future would be justified.

They haven’t won since the start of November and the further they fall away from the playoffs, the worse the atmosphere surrounding the club is going to get.

However, a January transfer window could be exactly what they need. As Andrews notes, the former Bradford manager hasn’t had a chance to bring in his own players and instead, he’s been lumped with what was there before.

Recent results dictate that this squad isn’t good enough and finding a goal scorer over the winter months will be crucial.

Will Grigg has only scored one goal while there’s been a real lack of end product from elsewhere. Their top goalscorer so far is Chris Maguire but even he’s taken criticism from supporters.

Perhaps funds from Juan Sartori will help. Charlie Methven recently commented that he’d pumped more investment into the club in September but because the window was closed, we’re yet to see how much of an impact that will have on incoming players.

Meanwhile, check out why Parkinson needs to take a leaf out of Roy Keane’s book…

Tottenham Hotspur snatched away Real Betis’ gem Giovani Lo Celso in the summer and the young midfielder has arrived on a year-long deal with an option to buy upon the expiry of the spell.

And on Tuesday, his parent club’s president, Angel Haro, revealed that he believes Spurs will make his transfer permanent in January already because in the summer, the 23-year-old midfielder would cost them even more.

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Here’s what he said in full, as per Estadio Deportivo (quoted by Daily Mail):

“Yes they will exercise (the option) because they are not taxed as much as if they have to exercise it in June, when the purchase becomes mandatory.

“They may also have to exercise the mandatory [clause]. We understand that they will exercise it, but if not [we will be] delighted with the player [returning].”

Upon seeing his words, many Spurs fans were actually pretty happy with that verdict, saying that Lo Celso could still turn into a good player for them.

But there are also some fans that don’t really seem convinced, while some are also not sure whether Jose Mourinho will be keen on getting this deal over the line.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

So far, Lo Celso has only tallied 322 minutes across 11 games in all competitions and still doesn’t have a clear spot in the team. For that reason, some of the supporters even questioned the point of signing him permanently and don’t really see the Argentine thriving at Spurs.

Of course, with such low game time, the 23-year-old midfielder has never really got the chance to shine and show his worth.

We’ll have to wait and see what Mourinho thinks of the whole situation.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Liverpool might go head to head for a player that fits both of their ideologies…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sheffield Wednesday legend Mark Bright believes their local rivals could play a huge role in pushing the side to promotion this season, although their chances will ultimately come down to whether or not they receive a points deduction.

What’s he said?

The Owls currently sit in eighth place, three points behind a playoff berth, but are likely to head into the New Year with so much uncertainty hanging over their head.

An EFL charge could bring a potential punishment with a 12-point deduction being touted as the absolute minimum by one football finance expert.

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Provided Garry Monk’s side steer clear of that for the time being, then they could well be in the promotion hunt for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, arch-rivals Sheffield United occupy a top-five place in the Premier League – times have certainly changed since Wednesday’s leading goalscorer in the top-flight downed the Blades in the FA Cup semi-final many moons ago.

Speaking to The Star, Bright believes that the attention surrounding their Sheffield neighbours will provide added motivation, he said:

“Do you know what? I think they could be close.

“The thing is, to watch the other side of the city doing what they’re doing, getting up before Wednesday, that hurts but all credit to them, they’ve been great and they play some good stuff. It will hurt that bit more.

“This could be Wednesday’s year.

“I left in 1996 and I’m still Sheffield Wednesday’s leading scorer in the Premier League. That just should not be the case. We’re 20 years on, that club has spent too long out of the top flight.”

Motivation

There is no hiding that the Steel City derby is one of the fiercest outside the mainstream few. It has often led to crowd trouble in multiple previous meetings.

After the Owls were relegated from the Premier League back in 2000, the fixture had been a regular occurrence, but the Blades’ promotion last season means that the two won’t play each other in this campaign.

A bore draw was the outcome the last time they faced each other back in March.

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However, their quest to return to the promised land for the first time in over two decades won’t just be centred around what their rivals are doing – it has been the ambition regardless of the division the two play in.

The current paths of both teams are only going to be used as bragging rights for supporters in Sheffield.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Son Heung-min has been in selfless form since Jose Mourinho’s appointment as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

The South Korea international, such a prolific outlet on the left flank, has scored one goal in the Portuguese’s first four games against West Ham United, Olympiacos, AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United.

Fascinatingly, though, he has also provided four assists.

In the 10 league games prior, he had registered three assists, per WhoScored.

In total, against Bournemouth and West Ham, he laid on seven key passes, along with one against Olympiacos.

This is a player who is willing to sacrifice himself for the team and that is only further emphasised by his heat maps.

In both league games, we can clearly see that he tracks back, looking to help his defender before then springing forward.

Versus West Ham, he rarely touched the ball in the box, though he did provide the assist for Lucas Moura’s goal from the left flank while against the Cherries, he appears to hare both up and down the line, looking to both defend but also attack.

Son is something of a Duracell bunny, such is his ability to keep running and keep working but, under Mourinho, he has become more of a creative outlet than the stone-cold finisher he was becoming under Pochettino. Against Manchester United, of course, he did not manage to provide an assist but he did complete eight dribbles as he repeatedly looked to get to the byline.

Last season, after all, he scored 20 goals in all competitions and provided 10 assists.

If this carries on, those numbers could well be reversed under Mourinho this term.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have reacted to a report ahead of the January transfer window. 

West Bromwich Albion returned to the top of the Championship table with a 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Monday night.

Slaven Bilic’s men cruised to all three points thanks to a goal from Matty Phillips, who bagged his sixth of the season and a penalty from super-sub Hal Robson-Kanu.

The Baggies also regained their two-point cushion at the league’s summit going into this weekend’s tie with Hull City.

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It is also just the third time this season that they have kept a clean sheet, which has sparked quite a reaction from some of the Hawthorns faithful with centre-back Kyle Bartley drawing most of the glowing plaudits.

One supporter claimed the 28-year-old is more of a captain than Jake Livermore after his impressive leader-like showing from the heart of defence while another described him as ‘different class.’

A further member of the West Brom crowd was almost shocked by the fact that he had tweeted about how ‘awesome’ Bartley was with one more naming him the best player in the league.

Here’s the best of the reaction: