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If there was ever a duo of recent years to sum up Everton Football Club, it would have to be Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman.

The official Everton Twitter account has posted a snap of the full-back duo during a training session at Finch Farm. Plenty of Blues have flocked to show their appreciation of the pair.

Between them, Baines and Coleman have contributed 24 years of service to the Merseyside outfit and have a combined goal tally of 72 (via Transfermarkt).

Coleman is currently contracted until 2022 but Baines could be leaving the club as a free agent this summer unless new terms are met. Everton have offered the 35-year-old a new one-year deal but a decision has yet to be made from the player himself.

One Blues supporter has tweeted saying: “It’s almost unforgivable that these two players won’t win a trophy”. As Everton have struggled over the last few years and have qualified for Europe just once in the last five seasons, it seems likely the pair will leave the club without any silverware.

Read through more replies from Everton fans here:

How would you describe Baines and Coleman over the years, Blues fans? Let us know in the comments below!

Whilst the sporting market climate continues to be affected by the current global crisis, it looks more and more unlikely that clubs will be able to splurge on the transfer targets they had in mind this summer.

According to a recent report by Transfermarkt, player values have dropped by up to 20%, which could impact the way teams go about their summer business.

If spending big, or even at all, is not an option in the upcoming window then clubs may need to turn to their youth ranks in order to provide depth for the senior players next season.

We’ve put together a list of five youth players West Ham should call upon next campaign if bringing in new personnel is off the cards…

Jeremy Ngakia

West Ham have conceded the third most goals this season with 50, and are currently on 27 points, only out of the drop zone on goal difference. The Irons must tighten their defence next season if they want to avoid repeating a relegation battle.

If recruiting some stronger defensive players in the transfer window isn’t an option, West Ham should look towards 19-year-old Jeremy Ngakia. A right-back by trade, the London local has played in his preferred role in four Premier League matches this season, as well as filling in as a centre-back for the reserve side.

Ngakia’s versatility can be utilised across West Ham’s back four as they are likely to re-consider their defensive options. The 19-year-old has also registered an assist this season, showing his eye for creativity is also a strong point.

Josh Cullen

Although West Ham’s midfield has been much stronger than their attack this season, the club must ensure they have enough personnel to provide depth. With Jack Wilshere currently injured and Carlos Sánchez having played just six league games all season, the Irons should look to extend their arsenal in midfield.

Josh Cullen could be an exciting option to bring into the senior squad next campaign. Despite only tallying one goal and one assist on loan with Charlton this season, his 2018/19 performances were much better. Cullen bagged himself two goals and seven assists last term and can play in either central midfield or in a more defensive role.

Cullen’s versatility could really help bolster West Ham’s ranks and provide a fresh burst of creativity from the bench.

Xande Silva

Even though the right flank is currently well-occupied, three out of the four recognised West Ham right-wingers are ageing. Andriy Yarmolenko and Michail Antonio are both 30-years-old, and Robert Snodgrass is 32. The only youthful wide-man is 23-year-old Jarrod Brown, who recently arrived from Hull City.

Xande Silva is a winger who could really put up a fight for his place in the starting XI. The 23-year-old has made one senior appearance this season and was given just 17 minutes, however his form in the reserve league speaks for itself. Silva has scored seven goals so far this campaign and with the first team’s solid engine room behind him, that amount could be a lot higher.

David Moyes should consider bringing in the Portuguese attacker, especially if he decides not to give new deals to Snodgrass and Antonio who will both enter their final 12 months under contract this summer.

Gonçalo Cardoso

Another defender West Ham could look to bring into the senior team next season is Gonçalo Cardoso. The 19-year-old has played mainly as a centre-back for the U23s this campaign, scoring a goal and assisting two from the backline. He has also filled in as left-back on two occasions.

It seems Moyes already has plans for the Portuguese defender as he has featured on the bench three times this season. A chance-creating defender is a rare attribute to have in your team, and Cardoso’s abilities need to be utilised on the big stage.

Nathan Holland

Perhaps the most exciting prospect in West Ham’s youth ranks at the moment. Fans are desperate to see Nathan Holland be given a chance to shine with the first team.

The 21-year-old is a goal-getting left-winger who could potentially take the place of Felipe Anderson if West Ham are to offload him this season (via Mirror). Holland is due to return from loan from Oxford United where he gained some valuable time in the senior squad. This season, the Englishman has a massive 15 goals and eight assists across all competitions, scoring one in the FA Cup against Newcastle.

Holland can also switch up and play on the right-wing as well, which will add depth to West Ham’s team. He is at the point now in his career where he will be looking to establish himself as a first team regular, and Moyes should be looking to offer him that chance next season.

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

In 2013/14, Charlie Austin’s prolific form in front of goal helped to fire a team playing in blue and white into the Premier League. Five years on from those heroics with QPR, for whom he also scored 18 top-flight goals despite their relegation a year later, West Brom put their faith in a second lightning strike by signing him from Southampton for £4m last August.

Austin came to The Hawthorns with a tremendous scoring record at Championship level but, having turned 30 last summer and endured a lean campaign with the Saints, it would have been understandable if some Baggies fans had reservations about his arrival.

Any such opposition to Albion’s decision to buy him may well have grown after the first three months of the season, with only one goal in his first 11 league appearances for Slaven Bilic’s side. He duly lost his place in the starting XI following the November international break but, far from shattering his confidence, it ended up getting the best out of him.

Austin duly went and scored in five successive league games despite starting only one of them, hitting six goals in the space of just two hours on the pitch (as per WhoScored). Most of those were crucial goals, too, with late winners against Sheffield Wednesday and Preston, along with a two-goal salvo to ensure victory from a losing position away to Birmingham. The 30-year-old was swiftly proving to be the epitome of a supersub.

The £4m man hasn’t been able to maintain such excellent form, with only one goal since Christmas as he continued to settle primarily for substitute appearances rather than a place in Bilic’s first XI (as per TransferMarkt). However, it is evident from his tremendous form in late 2019 that he is quite capable of embarking on rich scoring bursts.

Despite only starting 13 of Albion’s 35 Championship matches so far this season, Austin is their second-highest scorer with nine goals in all competitions, only one behind Hal Robson-Kanu. His goals have been worth eight league points to the Baggies, without which they would not be in an automatic promotion place, and his eight league goals have come in 1,123 minutes of game-time, one per 140.37 minutes. Contrast that with Kenneth Zohore, who cost twice as much last summer but has just three league goals in 602 minutes, one per 200.67 minutes.

Should the Championship season resume and West Brom maintain their place in the top two, they may well look back on their £4m investment in Austin and regard it as an astute purchase towards a proven scorer with previous in firing teams to promotion.

West Brom fans, how good a decision was it to sign Austin for £4m last August? Comment below with your views!

Having retired earlier this week at the age of 31, Michu makes a pretty strong case for being the greatest one-season wonder in Premier League history.

The Spaniard’s decline was a consequence of harrowing injury problems, a distinct difference from the many other players over the last 25 years to also earn that moniker in the English top flight, whose rises and falls were considerably more mystifying.

Nonetheless, Michu’s plight is quite exceptional; during summer 2013, after finishing fifth in the Premier League’s scoring charts with 18 goals and scoring in the League Cup final, the then-Swansea City striker was linked with a move to Arsenal – in fact, Arsene Wenger later compared him to Gunners legend Dennis Bergkamp.

“I see him like a little bit, position-wise, like a Bergkamp, more than an up-front striker. They can play with both [strikers] because Michu’s the kind of striker who is a midfielder as well.

“He can play both positions, that’s why they are 4-4-1-1 or you can call that a 4-4-2 when Wilfried Bony plays.”

Four years, a failed loan spell at Napoli, an embarrassing stint in the fourth tier of Spanish football and one goal-shy season at Oviedo later and injuries have forced Michu to hang up his boots – a spectacular slump from grace.

But can anyone throughout the last 25 years rival the former forward for the title of being the Premier League’s greatest ever one-season wonder? FootballFanCast takes a look…

Marcus Stewart

Arguably the Premier League’s archetype one-season wonder, Marcus Stewart fired newly-promoted Ipswich Town all the way to fifth place and subsequently the UEFA Cup during the 2000/01 season, his 19-goal haul in the top flight that season only bettered by Chelsea’s Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and including goals against three of the division’s remaining top six – Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – as well as three game-winning goals.

But the Englishman struggled to replicate that form in the following season and managed only five goals in the Premier League, none of which resulted in victories for the Tractor Boys as they exited the top-flight in 18th place. In fairness, Stewart still enjoyed a decent Football League career until retiring in 2011, representing Sunderland on over 100 occasions and enjoying a swansong at Exeter City. But never again did the now Bristol City assistant match the prolific strike-rate of 0.55 goals per game.

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Amr Zaki

Unlike Marcus Stewart, who gradually faded back into the abyss of relative obscurity, Amr Zaki disappeared into it as quickly as he’d emerged.

The stocky striker wasn’t exactly a household name when Wigan Athletic signed him on loan from Egyptian outfit Zamalek in 2008 but during his only full season in the Premier League, he netted 10 times to fire the Latics to an eleventh-placed finish and for a small period was even third in the division’s Golden Boot race.

“Zaki has been sensational already. He does remind me of Shearer. He’s a natural striker too who is so hungry and so determined.”

But whereas chairman Dave Whelan compared the Egyptian to Alan Shearer, Steve Bruce was far less impressed with Zaki’s lack of professionalism, incurring a number of fines for returning late from international duty.

That convinced Bruce not to sign his 2008/09 top scorer permanently and Zaki, baring a six-game loan spell at Hull City in 2010 which didn’t produce a single goal, returned to Asian football without being seen again. He left Zamalek in 2012 and rather incredibly signed for six clubs over the next three years, three of which he didn’t make a competitive appearance for.

Odion Ighalo

The most recent addition to the one-season wonder pageant, Odion Ighalo looked like a top-class goalscorer in the making during his first six months in the Premier League with Watford, scoring against Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham before the turn of 2016 as the newly-promoted Hornets found themselves just one point away from the top six, and striking up an incredibly impressive partnership with Troy Deeney.

That saw the Nigerian international linked with a January move to Arsenal, as the kind of in-form short-term signing who could give the Gunners extra cutting edge.

Unfortunately, however, Ighalo quickly ran out of steam from them on; in fact he would go on to score just three goals in his next 35 top-flight appearances for Watford, including only one the following season, before being eventually sold to Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai for £20million earlier this year.

He’s not been hugely missed at Vicarage Road, though he has been given another chance at Manchester United.

Michael Ricketts

Michael Ricketts established himself as one of the most exciting young players in the Football League when he fired Bolton Wanderers to the top-flight in 2000/01, so when he began the next season by scoring 12 goals by mid-January – most notably a winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford and an equaliser against Arsenal at Highbury – an England call-up inevitably beckoned for the prodigious Trotters front-man.

However, that proved to be the cut-off point for Ricketts. He was given a 45-minute runout but failed to find the net – not only for the Three Lions but for the rest of the domestic season as well.

Rickets would go on to score just six more league goals for Bolton before being sold to Middlesbrough in January 2003, which saw his career slide along a downward spiral that eventually ended with a 12-game stint at League One Walsall during 2009/10.

Overall, after that flurry of form at the start of his Premier League career, Ricketts went onto score just 33 league goals in over eight years.

Roque Santa Cruz

In fairness to Roque Santa Cruz, he’s probably the most talented player on this list, spending eight years of his career at Bayern Munich – where he won six Bundesliga titles and the 2001 Champions League title – proving his proficiency in La Liga with Malaga and picking up a staggering 112 caps for the Paraguay national team, netting 32 goals in the process.

Yet, in terms of scoring at club level, one season of Santa Cruz’s lengthy career, which continues to this day in Paraguayan football, truly stands out – 2004/05, when he netted a personal best of 19 top-flight goals for Blackburn Rovers and laid on a further seven assists.

But the South American couldn’t keep it up and in the following season bagged just four league goals for the Ewood Park outfit. Despite this, Manchester City still saw fit to splash out a staggering £17.5million on the 6 foot 3 striker in the summer, the club where Santa Cruz’s deficiencies became most apparent.

He made only 20 league appearances for the Citizens, scoring just three times, before enduring a goalless loan spell back with Blackburn in 2011 and then disappearing off to La Liga.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Italian media outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Southampton are one of a number clubs keeping tabs on Sassuolo left-back Alessandro Tripaldelli, and they may have finally found their long-term Ryan Bertrand replacement in the process.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Tuttomercatoweb report that Saints, along with Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Levante, Valencia, Fiorentina, Bologna and Atalanta are all watching the 20-year-old, who has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract with the Serie A outfit.

The report says that scouts from the south coast outfit have been spotted looking at the Italy U21 international, who is described as having the pace that would make him suitable for the Premier League.

Despite all of the interest, he has actually found first-team minutes hard to come by so far during the 2019/20 campaign, featuring for just 135 minutes in total and often having to settle for being an unused substitute.

Long-term Bertrand replacement?

Despite his lack of first-team minutes for Sassuolo this term, the fact that clubs of the stature of Manchester United and Valencia – as well as the fact that he has been capped at U21 level by his country – suggest that Tripaldelli has something about him.

The left-back position has become a real problem for Southampton in recent seasons, and while Bertrand has been a top performer for the club in the past, he certainly hasn’t been anywhere near as consistent or effective in more recent seasons as the club has battled relegation.

One of the reasons for that could well be complacency given he has had little competition for the spot, with Matt Targett obviously failing to convince Ralph Hasenhuttl of his ability having been sold to Aston Villa during the summer transfer window.

The Austrian manager has also preferred to use the likes of Cedric Soares, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Djenepo out of position at left-back and left wing-back rather than place faith in youngster Jake Vokins when Bertrand has been absent, which suggests that he also may not be up to the task of eventually replacing the former Chelsea man.

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That will need to happen sooner rather than later with the England international now 30 years of age and not having the ability to get up and down the pitch like he once did, and Tripaldelli’s pace in particular sounds promising in that respect.

A potentially promising deal for Saints, then.

In other Saints news, fans have been reacting after Gao’s January transfer plans were revealed…

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…

Prior to his sacking, Ray Parlour expressed his surprise that Tottenham Hotspur did not back manager Mauricio Pochettino, per talkSPORT.

What’s he said?

Pochettino was officially sacked on Tuesday evening.

And Parlour, a former Arsenal midfielder, believes that the Argentine should have been given greater support in the transfer market.

He said: ““I’m surprised they haven’t backed him, I really am, by saying ‘right, what do you need? We got to the Champions League final, amazing season for Spurs last year, let’s kick on, let’s try and move closer to Liverpool and Man City, we’ve got a great stadium now.

“‘I know a few players will be leaving but we’ve got to try to get players in, with the quality to keep us up there, with the likes of the top two.’”

Not done enough

Daniel Levy didn’t do enough for Tottenham during Pochettino’s tenure.

That doesn’t just include the summer, but also the transfer windows that have come before it.

Spurs became the first club in Premier League history not to buy a single player in the summer transfer window last year and were then inactive in January, too.

The solution to that in the most recent window was to buy three first-team players in Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon. Only the former has made more than one start in the Premier League so far this season.

It simply doesn’t add up, especially when one includes the departures of Kieran Trippier and Fernando Llorente; neither player was directly replaced.

And so the Spurs squad is weaker now than it was as it headed into the Champions League final which, really, is unforgivable.

Pochettino is a manager, not a miracle worker, and managers, like carpenters, are only as good as their tools.

Levy hasn’t been providing them as he should have been and he is as culpable as anyone for Pochettino ultimately losing his job.

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…

There comes a time when every footballer gets past his very peak and has to call it a day.

Sometimes, they willingly decide to step down and leave their spot to the younger crop while there are other times when they simply overstay their welcome, so to speak.

The latter, unfortunately, seems to be happening to Barcelona’s star duo, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez.

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When they were at their very best, both of these players were irreplaceable for the Blaugrana.

Just recently, the Uruguayan celebrated his fifth anniversary at the club and during that time, he managed to win multiple trophies for his and the club’s cabinet, cementing himself as one of the most important players in their recent history.

A similar thing can be said about Rakitic as well – after all, we’re talking about Ernesto Valverde’s most used player of the 2018/19 campaign and a player who managed to bag a goal in the Champions League final against Juventus back in 2014/15.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Needless to say, both of these players have been huge servants for the Catalan giants but they might very well be coming to the end of the road.

Or rather, they should be.

At this point in time, their collective influence has already started to diminish and many of the fans have recognised that, bashing both the midfielder and the forward on social media and Twitter.

Quite clearly, they are slowly turning from heroes into villains and for that reason, maybe they should consider either accepting a smaller role in the club or departing altogether.

Barcelona have been on a lookout for a new no.9 for quite a while now, and Rakitic has been linked with a move away from the club as well.

Seeing how they’re unlikely to sway the fans any time soon, this could be a good thing for both of them.

Not to mention that the club would also profit from it in the long run, considering they are both players already in their 30s and not getting any younger.

Let’s see what happens in the future.

Although Arsenal’s on-field form has been considerably suffering as of late – with the Gunners having won just four of their first 11 league fixtures – the milestone of 50 goals for Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang has led to a number of the club’s fanbase praising the Gabonese forward.

Aubameyang has scored eight Premier League goals so far in the current campaign to reach the 50-mark in all competitions for the north London side, with 40 league goals alongside nine in the Europa League and one in the FA Cup giving the former Borrusia Dortmund man his half-century.

Despite ongoing issues at the club – including Granit Xhaka’s confrontation with fans alongside reports of Unai Emery having just one month to save his job – the consistent form of Aubemayang will be seen as a source of huge relief to the club.

If the Gunners want to get their fortunes back on track, it is likely that the striker will be at the heart of any effort to revive their domestic form.

Here are some of the best reactions to Aubameyang’s goalscoring milestone for Arsenal.

Some Newcastle United fans took to social media to share their thoughts on Steve Bruce’s decision making after the Toon boss opted to start Jonjo Shelvey over Matty Longstaff against West Ham on Saturday.

Longstaff had started the Magpies’ previous three Premier League fixtures against Manchester United, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but fell to the bench for his side’s trip to East London.

Shelvey, meanwhile, had not featured in the starting line-up since the North East outfit were held to a goalless draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, with his only outing since the Seagulls clash coming as a late substitute against Wolves.

Take a trip down memory lane to a time when Newcastle were giants on the European stage in the video below…

Bruce had to make changes to his midfield to face West Ham, though, as he was without Sean Longstaff after the 22-year-old was issued a three-game ban for his red card issued against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Molineux natives.

The returning Isaac Hayden, who had served a three-game ban for his red card shown against Leicester City, replaced the 22-year-old. Bruce also opting for Shelvey over the younger of the Longstaff brothers caused some uproar on social media, though.

Longstaff had been one of Newcastle’s better-performing players against Wolves last week, when the Toon product consistently called for the ball and picked out a couple of incisive passes, earning a 7/10 rating from Chronicle Live.

Shelvey, on the other hand, featured for just five minutes after drawing with Brighton.

So when Newcastle shared that Bruce had opted for a midfield partnership of Hayden and Shelvey against West Ham, these were some of the reactions…

Manuel Pellegrini has pointed some of the blame for West Ham’s lack of goals at the door of Sebastien Haller, and many fans believe he has picked on the wrong target.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Sheffield United, the Chilean said that Haller requires better movement in the box, which indicates that he believes the problem isn’t a lack of service.

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That puts him at odds with the thinking of several fans, some of whom have become frustrated with the underwhelming performances of the Hammers’ creative players this season, and for good reason.

Pablo Fornals has failed to make an impact since his summer move with zero assists in 11 games, and whilst Felipe Anderson has provided four assists he has still fallen short of the standards he set last season – as highlighted in his anonymous display against Goodison Park last week.

That led to him being hauled off at half-time, but Manuel Lanzini stayed on, another player who has been the focus of fan dissatisfaction, with some accusations that he doesn’t get close enough to Haller on the pitch, supported by the fact he has just one assist in eight games this campaign.

Here are some of the reactions questioning Pellegrini’s comments, with many blaming the midfield for a lack of support.