An update has emerged on Chelsea and their ongoing plans to reshape their playing squad after they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League in the season just gone.
What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?
Mauricio Pochettino is in the market to bolster his options in the middle of the park and Sandro Tonali has emerged as a potential option instead of Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.
The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that the Blues have had an offer of £60m turned down for the Ecuador international and that they are now considering a number of alternatives, including the AC Milan commander.
This is alongside their pursuit of a deal for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson, who is seemingly closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge from the Spanish side after agreeing terms with the Blues. The reporter tweeted:
"Chelsea have agreed terms with Nicolas Jackson + intend to strike deal with Villarreal. €35m clause if needed. 21yo striker has committed. + #BHAFC rejected £60m #CFC Caicedo bid 2wks ago – Lavia, Kone, Tonali, Barella among alternatives."
Ornstein's article, which is attached to his Tweet, does not reveal how much it would take to snatch Tonali away from the Champions League semi-finalists but the Italian international is on the club's list of targets this summer.
Who is Sandro Tonali?
The 23-year-old Milan ace is a defensive midfielder who has the quality to make an impact at both ends of the pitch with his defensive awareness and creativity.
Whilst it remains to be seen how much the Italian giants would demand for his services, Football Transfers estimates his market value to be in the region of €68m (£58m), which is significantly more than the €39.7m (£34m) he was valued at in June 2022.
AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.
This shows that the young maestro, who scout Jacek Kulig hailed as "Il Comandante", has been building his value over the last 12 months and that Chelsea would be bringing in a player who is on the up, rather than a depreciating asset with no sell-on potential.
Tonali enjoyed a terrific 2022/23 campaign in the Serie A with Milan. The Italian commander, who was once lauded as “extraordinary” by former Brescia manager Eugenio Corini, averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 across 34 appearances in the division and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions and 1.8 key passes per match.
Only Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante (both with a score of 7.26) averaged a higher rating in the Premier League and only Kante (1.9) created more chances per game than the £76k-per-week dynamo.
Sheffield United may not be the biggest club in Yorkshire but they certainly boast a notable number of celebrity supporters. It’s a club that generates local passion, after all – and that’s seen in those who grew up there.
Athletes, actors, musicians, and one Argentinian footballer all feature on a list of those struck by the Blades. Here is our pick of the bunch for Sheffield United’s most famous supporters.
8 Juan Sebastián Verón
Veron for Manchester United
Let’s get the strangest one out of the way first. Former Argentina international Juan Sebastián Verón was a Sheffield United fan in childhood and openly admitted wanting to play for them.
There’s a good reason for it, too. Verón’s uncle, Pedro Verde, spent time there at the tail-end of his career and it sparked interest in the young footballer-to-be.
“I was a fan of Sheffield United but I sadly never had the chance to play for them, but I would have wanted to!” Verón went on to say. Oh what could have been…
7 Jessica Ennis-Hill
An Olympic champion and a three-time World champion – Jessica Ennis-Hill is one of the most successful individual athletes to come out of Britain in recent years. She’s also born and raised in Sheffield.
Ennis-Hill is a Blades fan, too, and even had a stand named after her post-Olympic gold. However, that did change in 2015 when it was instead named after a sponsor.
6 Kell Brook
Sticking on the wildly successful athlete theme, Kell Brook is a Sheffield native who went on to hold the IBF Welterweight title for nearly three years between 2014 and 2017.
Brook is a lifelong fan of the Blades, as with just about everyone on this list, and even fought at Bramall Lane back in 2017.
“I’ve imagined this for weeks and I’ve dreamt about this since being a young kid,” he said ahead of that fight.
“I never thought I’d see a boxing ring on the pitch at Bramall Lane, but I’m ready and I’m determined and I’m excited. I’ve got a lot of memories of watching the Blades, my uncle used to throw me up in the air when we scored and at the weekend I want to be throwing my belt above my head once again.”
5 Joe Elliott
Joe Elliott, as the lead singer of Def Leppard, is in the discussion for the most successful person on this list. The band was formed in Sheffield back in 1976. Elliott is from the city and has called United his team all his life.
Sheffield has had more than their fair share of world-renowned music acts and Def Leppard are arguably the biggest. That other group that has an argument are all Wednesday fans, if you’re wondering.
4 Paul Heaton
Paul Heaton was born on the Wirral but moved to Sheffield when he was very young. He and his brothers all struck up an interest in football but while they all went with Wednesday, Paul followed United.
Heaton would go on to form the Housemartins and The Beautiful South, with massive success in the ’80s and early ’90s. And in terms of Blades fans, he might be one of the biggest on this list.
3 Joe Root
Former England Test Cricket captain Joe Root is another from Sheffield and has made no secret of his love for United. In fact, Root has appeared on the club’s social media channels several times, while one of the first interviews he gave after receiving the captaincy was at Bramall Lane.
His support runs through the family, too, it seems. “I’ve always been a Blade,” Root told the Athletic in 2020. “There were three generations of Roots there when I watched my first game. Myself and my brother, dad and grandad.”
Root, of course, will go down as an all-time great Test batsman – yet one more wildly successful name on this list, then.
2 Michael Palin
Sheffield United striker Cameron Archer.
Michael Palin might be a bit of a controversial one on this list as he’s very openly talked about also wanting Wednesday to do well. The comedy legend is from Sheffield and grew up supporting the Blades – but he’s a little bit more about the city doing well than his club.
Here’s what he told When Saturday Comes back in 2000:
“United were the club I supported when I was growing up, mainly because their ground was the nearest to our house. I used to see Wednesday supporters as a different type of person, just… deeply disturbed. But then I was always excited when either club was involved in a big game and Wednesday tended to be involved in bigger games. When I first came to London, it was 1966 and Wednesday were in the Cup final, so I couldn’t say I wasn’t interested because they were from my city. Eric Idle was a big Chelsea fan and I used to go there to see either Sheffield team play. I found myself being sucked in as a sort of associate Wednesday fan, though I would have been disemboweled in Sheffield if they’d known that.”
Fans can make their own minds up whether they’re accepting that one or not.
1 Sean Bean
We thought we’d save the most famous Sheffield United fan until last. Sean Bean isn’t just the most famous person on this list, after all, but he’s also incredibly public with his love for them.
Bean has tattooed his support on his shoulder, while he’s also competed in charity matches and above all, served on the club’s board in the 2000s. He als, chewed-out manager Neil Warnock after the club were relegated from the Premier League back in 2007 – though, Bean claims this wasn’t as aggressive as the manager claimed in his book.
“Yes, I was looking for him after we were relegated – and I wasn’t the only one,” he said, per the Mirror. “We were all devastated. But I didn’t storm into Warnock’s office and confront his wife as he claims in his book. I was outside in the corridor when I told her what I thought of him.
“What I didn’t know was that his kid was behind the door and when someone pointed that out to me, I immediately apologised.”
BBC journalist Tom English has slammed Rangers defender James Tavernier amid his "atrocious" display in the club's recent defeat.
What's the latest on James Tavernier and Rangers?
It was another frustrating Old Firm clash for the Ibrox outfit as they lost to their bitter rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Truth be told, it was a pretty tight affair but Celtic just about edged out Michael Beale and co on the day to pick up a 1-0 win at Hampden Park.
With that in mind, it will be all the more frustrating for the only goal of the game to have come in the manner in which it did. Indeed, the Rangers defence went to sleep, allowing Daizen Maeda to quickly cross to Jota who headed in at the far post.
Tavernier was among those most culpable in the Ibrox backline and this was made clear by journalist English.
Indeed, as quoted by BBC Sport, he remarked: "There were four or five Rangers players culpable for the goal. A defensive lapse, switching off and James Tavernier's positioning there was atrocious.
"He's the captain and, when the ball is in the air, he doesn't have a clue where Jota is."
How bad was James Tavernier against Celtic?
The BBC reporter wasn't the only one to note just how poor this piece of defending at the back post was by the £30k-p/w right-back.
For instance, in the Daily Record player ratings, writer Andrew Newport handed him a 6/10 and said of the incident: "Sleeping at the back post as Jota pounced."
Unfortunately, this isn't the only time of late where question marks have been raised over the captain's defensive abilities during an Old Firm meeting.
For example, when Rangers lost 3-2 to Celtic at the start of April, former Celtic captain Tom Boyd described Tavernier as a “very, very poor defender”.
After the right-back scored a freekick in the defeat, Boyd said (via the Irish Mirror): “Joe Hart had absolutely no chance with the accuracy of it coming down off the crossbar. He might have been able to save it if he was standing there.
"But that’s all Tavernier’s got as a player. He’s good at set pieces, he’s good at penalties… as a defender he’s very, very poor.”
Unfortunately, after this latest defensive mishap on the weekend, it's not as though the Rangers captain has done much to prove these claims wrong.
TalkSport pundit Jamie O'Hara has claimed that "a lot of billionaires" will want to buy Tottenham Hotspur if they are put up for sale.
What's the latest Spurs takeover news?
It was a terrible final home game of the season for Spurs on Saturday as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by Brentford in the Premier League.
This means, the campaign will see Tottenham end without any trophies yet again, while the club don't even have a permanent manager or a sporting director in charge.
It certainly is a mess in North London right now and fans have been furious with ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy for some time, protesting against the ownership set-up with growing regularity.
However, there is no guarantee that they would be bought by someone who would do a better job of running the club if Tottenham was put up for sale.
Even so, while talking about it all on TalkSport, former player O'Hara insisted there would be no shortage of offers for the Premier League asset if ENIC did opt to sell.
He explained: “I can assure you now if Tottenham went up for sale properly – and Joe Lewis did come out and say we're going to sell the football club – there'd be a lot of billionaires who would want to buy it.
"Are you joking? You've got concerts? You've got Formula One there. You've got NFL matches there. It's one of the most sought-after stadiums in the world."
Who wants to buy Spurs?
It's notable that O'Hara doesn't call upon any footballing achievements when listing while the football club would be a good asset for any prospective buyers.
To be fair to him, though the new stadium is a great venue, with deals struck to host music concerts, boxing and rugby in London N17. And the club have even, somewhat spuriously, estimated that 5.9bn people globally will be interested in events held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur chairmanDanielLevy
However, even if it is a potentially attractive asset, as we've learnt with the saga that has developed after the Glazer family put Manchester United on the market this season, it wouldn't be simple to get ENIC out and someone else (someone better) in charge.
Still, there may already be a leading candidate to takeover Spurs with Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi – chair of MSP Sports Capital – reportedly working with a consortium ahead of a possible £3b takeover in the near future.
It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Aston Villa defender Pau Torres was slammed by the media for his performance against Liverpool in the Premier League this afternoon.
What was the Liverpool vs Aston Villa score?
Villa suffered their second defeat of the Premier League season this afternoon, and while they faced tough opposition in Liverpool, Unai Emery is still likely to be disappointed with his side's performance.
The Villans succumbed to a 3-0 loss at Anfield, with the hosts breaking the deadlock after just three minutes, through Dominik Szoboszlai, before Matty Cash doubled the Reds' lead by scoring an own-goal less than 20 minutes later.
Mohamed Salah added another in the second half, putting the game beyond doubt, with the visitors never posing much in the way of attacking threat, having recorded an XG of just 0.63 across the entire match.
A number of Aston Villa players were not at the races, including Cash, who scored an own-goal, and Diego Carlos, with the Brazilian receiving a Sofascore match rating of just 6.4.
However, Torres was the player singled out for criticism by sections of the media, with journalist Sam Tighe saying:
"What kind of mood did Pau Torres wake up in today? He’s doing some wild stuff."
Journalist Michael Akomeah also criticised the centre-back for his performance, saying:
"Someone tell Pau Torres , this is not la liga.., before also adding:
"He stays on the ball for too long".
How much did Aston Villa pay for Pau Torres?
The Spaniard arrived from Emery's former club, Villarreal, back in July, and set Villa back an initial fee of £33m, which was the second-highest fee paid in the club's history at the time, and it is expected to rise further.
The 26-year-old has had a mixed start to life in England, as he has looked impressive on the ball, completing 44 of the 47 passes he attempted against Burnley back in August, meaning he achieved a pass-completion rate of 94%.
Against Hibernian, the former Villarreal man was hailed by ESPN analyst Luis Miguel Echegaray for playing a "ball so magnificent you could marry it" in the build-up to Jhon Duran's goal, but he was not as impressive in possession against Liverpool today.
Pau Torres
Across the 90 minutes, the Spain international lost the ball 16 times, the highest amount of any player on the pitch, receiving a Sofascore match rating of just 6.2 for his efforts, which was the joint-lowest alongside Cash.
It is still early days for Torres, and Emery will be hoping today's performance will be a learning curve for his new centre-back, ahead of Villa's next game at home against Crystal Palace after the upcoming international break.
Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a move for another defender very soon, if reports are to be believed…
What's the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Tottenham Hotspur?
The latest comes from transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to offer a short summation on Ange Postecoglou's pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen ace Edmond Tapsoba.
Regarding the north London outfit, he simply wrote: "Edmond Tapsoba, top of the list as talks will take place in the next days."
Given other reports are suggesting the German outfit will command a fee of around £61m, this could prove a lucrative move for the Lilywhites to make. However, if Daniel Levy is to truly back his new manager, these are the kinds of deals he must push through to progress his club back into the big time.
How good is Edmond Tapsoba?
Many will likely be aware of this towering Burkina Faso international for his work in Germany since his 2020 move. It has not taken long to establish himself as one of the Bundesliga's top centre-backs, with journalist Raphael Honigstein even writing: "Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba has been outstanding since arriving in late, late January. Meet Edmond Tapsoba, the Bundesliga’s new sensation."
The figures support the 6 foot 4 titan's prominence as a skilful modern-day defender, but he maintains the necessary defensive steel that could complement Cristian Romero well within a new-look system at Spurs.
In fact, when compared to others in his position across Europe, Tapsoba ranks in the top 5% for progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90, with his potential new teammate also noted on his 'similar players' list.
The comparisons between the two as creative stars will likely please Postecoglou, whose whole philosophy is embroiled in playing out from the back with confidence.
To further emphasise this quality in possession, the defender actually admitted to modelling his game around John Stones, who has arguably redefined what it means to be a ball-playing defender.
Tapsoba told The Athletic: "John Stones, at Everton. I really enjoyed watching him, he made a huge impression on me. His manner on the ball, and the way he played with the ball. I loved that. I still go back to Stones when it comes to playing in a certain style."
Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min celebrate the South Korean's goal for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Combining this fleet-footed philosophy with the steel of the World Cup winner could be a match made in heaven,
Whilst his 1.1 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and three clearances per game in the German league (via Sofascore) might not be the most exceptional, when accumulated alongside Romero's figures in these categories (1.6 tackles, 2.5 tackles, 3.6 clearances per game in the league), the two could blend well and cover each other's weaknesses.
It is therefore no surprise that Tapsoba remains so high on the list of the Spurs hierarchy, who would surely thrive with these two impressive, aggressive and technically proficient titans at the heart of their defence.
West Ham United boss David Moyes is 'determined' to get the 'best out' of striker Gianluca Scamacca in 2023/24 and will try to keep hold of the Italy international, according to journalist Paul Brown.
Is Gianluca Scamacca leaving West Ham United?
According to Calciomercato, Scamacca has attracted interest from Roma and talks are set to take place between both parties over the potential of the 24-year-old returning to Serie A.
Scamacca is believed only to want to play for Roma over other suitors keen on offering him an escape route from the London Stadium and has given his word to the Giallorossi that he is keen to ply his trade at the Stadio Olimpico.
Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Juventus have sounded out Scamacca and asked for information regarding the £90k-a-week ace to protect themselves against the possibility of striker Dusan Vlahovic leaving the club this summer.
AC Milan are also on the trail of the former Sassuolo man, while Di Marzio has claimed that any agreement to take Scamacca to Roma would likely be on a loan basis.
Last term, Scamacca struggled to make an impact in his maiden campaign in English football, scoring eight times in 27 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown thinks that Moyes will be 'determined' to help Scamacca succeed at the London Stadium despite his inconsistent form in 2022/23.
Brown stated: “As far as I'm aware, West Ham are still really determined to try and make a success of Scamacca.
"There have been little hints from Italy about him wanting to return there because things didn't really quite go according to plan.
"He does feel like someone who doesn't really fit the Moyes system perfectly, I think Antonio even said that on his podcast not so long ago.
"But I'm told the plan is that they want him back and they want to try and get the best out of him next season.”
Which striker is linked to West Ham?
It's possible that West Ham United will act to strengthen their forward line this summer as they look to build on their Europa Conference League triumph last term.
According to 90min, Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is a target for the Hammers and contact has been initiated with the USA international, who is valued at £30 million by the Gunners.
Folarin Balogun
Strasbourg forward Habib Diallo is another name on West Ham United's radar this window; however, Brentford and Crystal Palace will provide competition in the race to sign the Senegal international, as per Football Insider.
The Irons are tracking Jubilo Iwata youngster Keisuke Goto and the 18-year-old could be brought to the club under the GBE rule, which guarantees that players of significant talent that don't qualify for a work permit are given an exemption from the process, according to The Daily Mail.
Sevilla, Juventus and Feyenoord are all monitoring the exciting starlet, who has striking physical attributes and stands at 6ft 3ins. Goto has been tipped for big things in his homeland and there is an expectation that at some point he will make a full breakthrough to the Japanese national team.
Manchester United are arguably on the verge of crisis mode in the Premier League, having lost three of their opening five games, including their most recent defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.
Off-field issues, which resulted in Jadon Sancho's exile, combined with injuries to key players such as Luke Shaw, have only added to Erik ten Hag's issues, too, culminating in an opening period to forget for the Red Devils.
There's no doubt that those in Manchester will already be keeping a keen eye on January reinforcements, but they must also be aware of the fact that their form could easily drive current players away.
With that said, reports suggest that Bayern Munich are still interested in one particular academy graduate at Manchester United, with a January move possible.
What's the latest Manchester United transfer news?
On paper, United spent well in the summer transfer window, welcoming the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount, and Rasmus Hojlund. On the pitch, however, that business is yet to make a positive impact, and United have looked worse than they have for a long time under Ten Hag.
Even in the two victories that they have picked up, the Red Devils looked a shadow of the side that finished third and won the Carabao Cup last season, with narrow results over Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers their only positive points in the current campaign.
Their form could result in exits, including from academy graduate Scott McTominay. According to The Mirror, Bayern Munich are interested in signing the midfielder, should they fail to sign Joao Palhinha at the second time of asking in January. McTominay is reportedly high up on Thomas Tuchel's wanted list.
The Scotland international has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford, of course, following the arrival of Sofyan Amrabat, and may get the chance at a big move to the Bundesliga when the winter transfer window comes around.
Should Manchester United sell Scott McTominay?
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.
With McTominay sitting lower than ever in Ten Hag's list of preferred options, an exit suits all parties, particularly if it is out of the Premier League and to Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions may well get a close-up look at the midfielder if he plays in Manchester United's opening game in Group A of the Champions League at the Allianz Arena in mid-week. If McTominay does feature, and impresses, then January will become even more interesting.
When at his best, the 26-year-old has earned plenty of praise, including from Liverpool and Scotland left-back Andy Robertson, who told the official Liverpool website, via Manchester United's official website: "There was a wee bit of banter with Scott McTominay during the Scotland duty, just a wee bit, not much, honest!
“I thought Scotty was fantastic for us against San Marino, to be honest. And he’s been excellent all season in a United team that has had its critics. I think he’s carried himself very well. I’ll be looking forward to facing him on Sunday. Obviously, I hope to come out on top.”
Chelsea could finally rekindle some of their former verve as the west London outfit prepares to take on relegation-threatened Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon, and both sides will be eyeing all three points.
The mid-table Blues have fallen by the wayside this season, with manager Graham Potter boasting just two victories from the past 15 outings across all competitions, and the previous home encounter resulted in a chastening defeat to bottom club Southampton.
The Whites, in retrospect, defeated Saints in their previous divisional outing before falling to high-flying Fulham in the FA Cup, and new boss Javi Gracia will be quietly confident that the Yorkshire outfit can pull off a major upset to calm the roiling waters of their turbulent campaign.
With further woes eradicating all chance of a late surge for Champions League qualification, the Blues must now rally together, though they will have to complete the feat without Thiago Silva, who has been ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury.
Cobham graduates Reece James and Mason Mount are both nursing respective problems and might not feature, but Potter can take solace in welcoming back assiduous midfielder Mateo Kovacic to the fray.
What could Chelsea look like against Leeds?
Considering this, here is the line-up that Football FanCast predicts Chelsea will field against United, with three changes expected from the starting eleven that fell to defeat against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
The injury to Silva could warrant the inclusion of £75m titan, Wesley Fofana, while the Stamford Bridge faithful will be hopeful that James can overcome his issue with stalwart Cesar Azpilicueta still out due to concussion protocols.
As for the midfield, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and British record £107m signing Enzo Fernandez will continue to nurture their central partnership, with the respective skillsets already looking promising.
The “dream” Hakim Ziyech – as dubbed by Frank Khalid – will return to the bench, having featured prominently over the past few weeks. Replacing the Moroccan, Noni Madueke’s pace and directness could pay dividends against a robust Leeds defence; winter arrival Mykhaylo Mudryk could be offered a starting berth having yet to score or assist from six outings for the Blues.
Up front, Kai Havertz will continue to offer his dynamic abilities, although he will be hoping to score after netting just six times from 32 appearances across all competitions this season.
Manchester United have reportedly identified a potential replacement for long-serving goalkeeper, David De Gea, following an update regarding the club's apparent interest in Yann Sommer.
What's the latest on Sommer to Man United?
According to journalist Alex Crook – in his transfer notebook for talkSPORT – the Red Devils are said to have revived their interest in the Bayern Munich man, with the 34-year-old having reportedly been on Erik ten Hag's 'radar' last summer.
The report suggests that the former Borussia Monchengladbach ace – who only made the move to the Allianz Arena in January – would represent a cheaper alternative to the likes of Andre Onana and Jordan Pickford in the search for a new number one.
As the piece also notes, the aforementioned De Gea has verbally agreed a new contract extension with the Old Trafford outfit, although a formal deal has yet to materialise, amid claims that the Spaniard won't be the first-choice option next season even if he does stay in Manchester.
Would Sommer be a better signing than Pickford?
There has been much talk of late that Pickford could be on his way to the Theatre of Dreams, with the 29-year-old – who only recently signed a new deal at Everton – set to be available for a fee of around £30m this summer.
Everton's Jordan Pickford
While the former Sunderland ace remains the undisputed regular for his country having now made 52 appearances for the Three Lions, there are lingering concerns over his consistency at club level, with pundit Chris Sutton stating that the Englishman simply "makes too many errors".
Ten Hag may then be wise to consider a figure such as Sommer to provide at least a strong, short-term solution in the sticks, with the £83k-per-week colossus having been hailed as the "best in the world" by former Gladbach teammate, Joe Scally.
That hefty praise had come following the 82-cap gem's astounding display against his current employers earlier in the campaign, as the 6 foot ace made 19 saves in the 1-1 draw between the two sides back in August – breaking a Bundesliga record in the process.
Having since gone on to replace the stricken Manuel Neuer at Bayern, the experienced ace has particularly impressed due to his ability to play out from the back, as he ranks in the top 4% for touches made among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues – with Pickford ranking in just the top 44% in that regard.
Sommer's innate composure on the ball is also showcased by the fact that he achieved a standout pass accuracy rate of 83% across his 29 Bundesliga appearances in 2022/23, with far better than the at times erratic Toffees asset, who averaged just 52% for that same metrics.
That superior record would suggest that the one-time Basel man – who was also described as "one of the best goalkeepers in Europe" by former boss Marco Rose in the past – could be a perfect alternative to Pickford in Ten Hag's quest to find a reliable number one this summer.