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Chelsea manager Graham Potter has personally set his sights on signing in-form Rennes forward Martin Terrier, according to reports from France.

The Lowdown: New forwards needed?

Romelu Lukaku’s summer loan exit to Inter Milan and the patchy form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arguably highlighted the Blues’ need for new centre-forward options.

There are few natural goalscorers in Potter’s current squad, although you could make a case for the likes of Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja, with Chelsea now potentially looking to the transfer market for solutions.

This comes amid a new era at Stamford Bridge, with American tycoon and owner Todd Boehly now looking to make the west London side a major Premier League force again.

The Latest: Potter green-lights Chelsea move for Terrier…

According to Jeunes Footeux, it appears that Potter has personally given the green light for Chelsea to move for Rennes star Terrier, whose form could make him an outside bet to make France’s 2022 World Cup squad.

It’s claimed that the Chelsea manager has asked his board to target at least one attacking signing in January and has recommended a move for the 25-year-old to solve his goalscoring problems.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Terrier has been one of the continent’s most deadly forward players since the beginning of 2021/22.

Scorer of 21 goals and provider of four assists in Ligue 1 alone last season, the attacker has followed on from that dazzling campaign with eight goals and three assists in just 13 starts so far this term (WhoScored).

Journalist Graeme Bailey claims that there are ‘few better players in Europe’ right now than Terrier, while other members of the press have called him ‘sublime’.

The Frenchman could certainly be a viable candidate to add some much-needed fire power to Potter’s ranks at Chelsea.

Liverpool will face one of their biggest challenge of the season this weekend when they take on Manchester City at Anfield, and manager Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that the outstanding display in the Champions League against Rangers this week will inspire confidence in his team going forward.

The Reds are currently experiencing their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade with just ten points tallied up out of a possible 24 over their eight outings so far, which has led them to fall into 11th place matching Everton and Brentford for points.

As a result, the Liverpool manager has been trying to shake up his team and reignite their form with several formation changes and rotations of players to find the solution, something that he finally nailed in the 7-1 victory at the Ibrox on Wednesday night.

One player who shone in the adapted system against the Scottish side this week was Harvey Elliott, scoring his first-ever Champions League goal during the clash.

The talented midfielder’s future in the newly-formed formation, with just two midfielders playing in the starting line-up, was questioned by Ian Wright this week after the Arsenal legend questioned how the successful set-up can benefit Elliott:

“Where’s Harvey Elliott going to play in that midfield?” Wright asked on the Kelly and Wrighty show.

“He’s not going to be a Jordan Henderson who goes and fills in for Trent [Alexander-Arnold]; he’s a more creative midfielder.”

As a result, Klopp could now unleash the 21-year-old in a more advanced role on the wide right against Manchester City, a position he excelled in as he grew into the game against Rangers.

Elliott was outstanding over his 90-minute appearance taking 75 touches, making one key pass, two clearances and one tackle, with two shots on target, as well as winning five duels and of course, scoring the seventh goal for Liverpool.

The teenager’s performance is proof of how much more beneficial it is to have the player in the right wide position to give him the freedom to create between the lines and pick up the ball from deep to build an attacking threat against opponents.

Whilst Mohammed Salah is proving how effective he can be in the striker role, it could be the perfect opportunity to give Elliott a shot on the right wing but just playing the midfielder on the right, in general, could be the key to improving the connection between the centre of the pitch and the forward line.

With that being said, Elliott could be Klopp’s secret weapon in the Premier League this weekend and maybe the element of predictability that allows Liverpool to take their first victory since they beat Newcastle United back in August.

Everton made plenty of shrewd signings under David Moyes’ 11-year tenure, many of whom were later sold on for huge profits.

He was often forced to work on a shoestring budget, and the Toffees continuously overperformed with regard to the opposition and their spending power.

One such example of a fine piece of business was when he managed to pick up Joleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The defender joined as a fresh-faced 23-year-old in 2006 for just £5m, having come through the ranks at the Old Gold to make a whopping 227 appearances for them.

However, upon moving to Goodison Park he was quickly turned into one of the league’s more impressive defenders. This was a trait of Moyes’, as he had a clever nose for sniffing out defensive talent and growing it into something special.

Whilst at Sunderland he once again recruited the 6 foot 2 gem to Wearside, where he labelled him a “leader” who was capable of being an important player for his side.

After just 143 appearances on Merseyside, having scored a fine 17 goals whilst finishing in the top half throughout all of his seasons, Manchester City came calling.

As a side in transition, they were in need of players who could take them to the next level without being too high a standard that they would dismiss their revolution.

They were forced to pay £22m to secure the 6 foot 3 defender’s services, marking a 340% return on their initial signing just three years prior.

The now 40-year-old enjoyed a fine career spanning multiple Premier League clubs, and he managed to win every domestic honour available to him with the Cityzens.

However, despite being at the club for five years, two more than he was at Goodison Park for, he only made 17 more appearances for the Sky Blues.

Many were infuriated when Lescott made the decision to leave, citing financial advances as his main motivator. However, at the end of the day, he was a fine defender for Everton and eventually left for a huge profit. There is not much to complain about.

It marks one of many occasions where under Moyes they hit the jackpot on an unknown talent, which has been somewhat undone by Farhad Moshiri’s reckless spending in recent years.

Newcastle United appear to have dodged a bullet regarding their failure to sign Brazil international Philippe Coutinho, with the 30-year-old having endured an underwhelming start to the new season at current side Aston Villa.

The former Barcelona playmaker had previously been heavily linked with a move to St James’ Park prior to the winter window, with it looking as if the 69-cap gem would be the first high-profile addition of the new PIF era.

While no January move came to fruition, there were further reports towards the tail end of last season that suggested that the Magpies could try and hijack Villa’s permanent deal for the one-time Liverpool man, albeit with the player ultimately opting to join the Midlands side for a fee of around £17m.

That switch looked like a real coup for Steven Gerrard and co at the time, although the early signs are that it could well prove to be something of a mistake for the former European champions, with those back on Tyneside perhaps thankful that they failed to strike an agreement.

While the new campaign is still in its infancy, the £18m-rated man has failed to score nor register a single assist in the Premier League thus far, having previously scored five goals and laid on three assists in just 19 games in the second half of last season after joining on loan.

Amid the current collective struggles at Villa Park, one issue has been just how to get the Brazilian into the starting lineup, with the creative midfielder seemingly vying for a regular berth alongside Emi Buendia.

Having such a marquee name resigned to the bench – with just three top-flight starts to his name so far – is not an ideal situation for Gerrard and co, although it represents just how disappointing the former Anfield hero has been of late.

Coutinho’s average match rating of 6.60, as per SofaScore, is currently only the 17th best in the Villans squad, with it hard to see how he is justifying his reported £125k-per-week salary.

Pundit Kevin Phillips had previously suggested that dishing out such a hefty wage could well cause a “problem” in the Villa dressing room, with such a disparity between him and the rest potentially a source of disruption.

Those at Newcastle having seemingly been careful not to cause their own problems by astutely walking away from deals due to exorbitant wage demands, with Coutinho’s arrival likely to have unbalanced what appears to be a harmonious squad at Howe’s disposal.

It may seem bizarre to say of a player who was previously dubbed a “creative genius” by Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson and once cost a reported £142m following his move to the Camp Nou, yet it could well have been a bullet dodged for Newcastle by not signing the seemingly fading force.

Everton have been linked with a move for Armando Broja throughout the transfer window so far, and now a new update has emerged that has given the club a huge boost in their pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Northern football correspondent for iNews Mark Douglas, the young Chelsea striker is keen on a move to Goodison Park.

As per the report written by Douglas, Everton have been in constant dialogue with Chelsea over the potential signing of Broja which is believed to be remaining separate from their interest in Anthony Gordon.

Broja is looking for first-team football after a successful season on loan with Southampton and Everton are currently more than willing to provide that.

Perfect DCL heir

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be delighted with the news that Broja is keen to make the move to Everton in the coming days and weeks remaining in the transfer window for a number of reasons.

The former Chelsea boss is a huge admirer of the Albanian striker and even gave him his Premier League debut at Stamford Bridge when he was managing the club back in 2020, and more recently lavished Broja with praise for his development whilst on loan with Southampton last season.

Lampard told the press ahead of a clash between Everton and the Saints:

“He’s a very nice, very good lad and a very talented young boy.

“He’s fast, strong, has a real eye for goal and he’s a very, very good young player.”

Everton are in desperate need of a striker, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin currently injured for at least the next month ahead, and Broja could be the perfect heir to not only replace the Toffees centre-forward over his absence from the team but also to become the next star striker at Goodison Park.

The £50m-valued talent who was previously dubbed “devastating” by Albania’s assistant manager, Sergio Porrini, showed glimmers of his ability in front of goal during his season-long loan at St Mary’s last season, scoring nine goals and delivering one assist during his stay on the south coast, and now Lampard could pick up where he left in continuing the development of Broja’s skills.

Just like Calvert-Lewin, Broja is effective in winning the ball high to beat his opponents in the final third, using his 6 foot 2 stature to win the majority of his aerial duels last season. The youngster ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for that particular area of the game whilst Calvert-Lewin ranks in the top 5% for aerial duels won.

With that being said, if Everton can finally sign the talented striker this summer it would be a major coup and a great piece of business. It would not only present them with cover for injuries but it would give them a fantastic prospect for the future, as Broja could quite easily become Calvert-Lewin’s heir at the club considering his finishing and aerial ability.

Leeds United winger Luis Sinisterra has been ruled out of this weekend’s Premier League opener against Wolves.

The Lowdown: Pre-season injury

Labelled a ‘serious player’ by journalist Charlie Gordon, the Colombian hasn’t had the most ideal start to his Elland Road career.

The 23-year-old headed to Australia with the Whites just days after signing from Feyenoord and made his first start in their final game down under against Crystal Palace.

However, the winger had to make way early on with a hamstring issue, with injury expert Ben Dinnery labelling it the kind of problem which is ‘avoidable’.

The Latest: Marsch’s update

The Yorkshire Evening Post shared comments from Jesse Marsch on Sunday night following the 6-2 win over Cagliari.

The Leeds manager admitted that Sinisterra is a week away from being back on the training pitch, which rules him out of Saturday’s Elland Road clash against Wolves.

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The Verdict: Not ideal

Marsch would have been hoping for all of his marquee summer additions to have featured this weekend, so this update on Sinisterra isn’t the best news for him or the team.

Hopefully this won’t be the start of a number of different problems for the Colombian, who does have history when it comes to serious injury.

The 23-year-old accrued a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.88 last season, far higher than anyone at Elland Road (albeit in a lower-ranked league), which indicates just how much quality Sinisterra can inject for Leeds once he gets back into action.

Should he return to the training pitch over the next seven days, as Marsch is expecting, he could well be in line for a place on the bench against Southampton on August 13, which could well be the target set by Leeds’ medical team for his competitive Whites debut.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped an exciting behind-the-scenes update regarding the Hoops’ summer transfer plans.

What’s the latest?

Speaking after the pre-season win over Banik Ostrava (via Daily Record), the Bhoys manager said: “We’re still working in the background and hopefully we’ll get some new players in.”

So far in this summer’s transfer window, Celtic have secured permanent deals for their previous loan trio of Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda. In addition, the Parkhead club have also brought a couple of new faces to Glasgow in the shape of goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist and full-back Alexandro Bernabei.

The Bhoys have also missed out on some reported targets such as Rabbi Matondo, who recently joined Rangers from Schalke 04, and Vinicius Souza, who has now joined Espanyol.

In more recent days, the Premiership champions have been linked with a move for Argentinos Juniors midfielder Fausto Vera.

Bearing in mind how the likes of Tom Rogic, Nir Bitton and Ismaila Soro have waved goodbye to the Parkhead club this summer, it’s easy to see why the Bhoys have been linked with another midfielder.

Celtic fans will be buzzing

Now that Postecoglou has revealed that the Hoops are working behind the scenes and is hopeful of bringing more players to Glasgow, that should have a lot of Celtic fans jumping for joy.

Looking back to the significant number of deals which were completed last summer, this track record will surely give Hoops supporters a lot of faith and confidence that the club will be able to get the deals that they want done before the current transfer window closes.

Taking into account how the Bhoys will not only have the league title to fight for next season but also the other domestic competitions as well as the Champions League, having a squad that’s strong enough and has the right amount of depth in it will be crucial.

If Celtic can bring some new players to the club who can improve the squad and push the team forward, this would surely top off what has been a rather productive summer transfer period.

AND in other news: Ange can seal big Kyogo upgrade with £3.5k-p/w Celtic target who has “power and pace”

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans for Callum Wilson as the summer transfer window heats up.

What’s the talk?

According to The Mirror, PIF are plotting a new deal for the centre-forward and are set to hold behind-the-scene talks with him in the coming weeks.

He currently has two years left to run on his contract and the report claims that the club want to secure his long-term future by pinning him down to an extension.

It is stated that the Magpies’ head coach is a big fan of the number nine and believes that he will be an important member of the group moving forward.

Newcastle do, however, want to add another striker before the end of the window and have had their eye on Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who they have been quoted a fee of £60m for.

Supporters will love it

The Toon boss and supporters alike will love this news because it suggests that Wilson will be staying and that another player will be coming in to challenge him for a starting spot.

Whilst the England international is an impressive goalscorer, the ex-Bournemouth man has struggled to stay fit since arriving at St. James’ Park. He joined the club in the summer of 2020 and has missed 35 competitive matches through injury in the subsequent two years.

This is a cause for concern and is why Howe will appreciate the club’s desire to add another option at the top end of the pitch. Chris Wood came in during the January window but was unable to prove himself to be an adequate replacement as he scored two goals – one from open play – in 17 Premier League matches for Newcastle.

Supporters will also be buzzing because keeping Wilson will be a big boost to the team when he is fit and available to play.

In the 2021/22 campaign, he found the back of the net eight times in 16 starts. This came after he plundered 12 goals and five assists in 23 starts in his debut season in black and white – meaning that he has averaged a direct goal contribution more than once every two starts in the Premier League for the club.

This shows that he has the quality to make a huge impact in the final third and that is why everyone associated with the club will be elated to keep him in the squad for many more years to come.

AND in other news, “Lots of talk..”: Keith Downie drops exciting NUFC transfer claim that’ll elate Howe…

West Ham United are reportedly set to make an approach for Atalanta defender Joakim Maehle, according to reports in Italy.

What’s the word?

As per Tutto Atalanta, the Hammers are said to ‘want’ to sign the 25-year-old in the current window, with the suggestion that David Moyes and co will make a move for the Denmark international in the ‘next few days’.

The former Genk star – who still has three years left to run on his existing deal – is said to be valued at around €18m (£15.5m), having somewhat fallen out of favour under Gian Piero Gasperini last term, making just 15 Serie A starts.

Previous reports have suggested that the east London side sent scouts to watch the versatile gem in action for his country against Austria in the recent Nations League clash, with Moyes believed to be plotting multiple new additions this summer.

Imagine him and Aguerd

The Irons have recently confirmed the permanent capture of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola following his strong loan spell at the London Stadium, with the Frenchman becoming the club’s second major deal of the summer following the earlier £30m signing of Rennes defender, Nayef Aguerd.

The 26-year-old, Morocco international will add increased quality and depth to the club’s centre-back ranks next term, with resources having been stretched last season following the long-term absence of veteran colossus, Angelo Ogbonna.

The former Dijon man offers both silk and steel with his quality both in and out of possession, notably ranking in the top 10% for attempted passes and the top 16% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s big five leagues, while also ranking in the top 18% for aerial duels won.

The 6 foot 2 menace may not be the only defensive recruit to come through the door, however, with a move for Maehle seemingly set to bolster the backline even further.

The £12.6m-rated “machine” – as he has been dubbed by international teammate Kasper Schmeichel – put himself firmly on the map of clubs across the continent following his impressive displays at last summer’s European Championship, netting twice and providing one assist in his side’s surge to the last four.

That assist, in particular, caught the eye of fans, pundits and clubs alike, as he delivered the ball on a plate to Kasper Dolberg with a stunning outside of the boot delivery in the eventual win over the Czech Republic, with the cross subsequently labelled “world-class” by journalist David Munday.

That moment of genius illustrates just what an attacking threat the £22k-per-week gem can pose from either flank – be it at full-back or at wing-back – with his total tally now standing at 14 goal contributions in just 29 games for his country.

At club level, the Danish “monster” – as described by Maikel Bill – has also recorded ten goals and provided 30 assists in 217 career appearances thus far, further illustrating just what a potent attacking force he can be.

With his lethal threat down either flank and with Aguerd remaining solid and composed in the heart of the defence, the Hammers could seemingly have two hugely influential figures on their hands before the start of next season.

AND in other news, Moyes plotting move for “special” £45m “baller”, he’d be a “superstar” for West Ham

Everton and, in particular, Farhad Moshiri have a reputation for making bad transfer decisions with over £500m spent over the last six years and their most recent relegation battle proves they have nothing to show for it.

The Toffees now find themselves in reported financial turmoil as they attempt to pump money into their new riverside Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium whilst trying to keep the club’s neck above water in the top flight, with the side a game away from losing their Premier League status.

As a result, Moshiri, Frank Lampard and the powers at Goodison Park have work to do to ensure they can identify the right players at the right price this summer as they are in no position to be continuing on the path of reckless spending that once was, and instead should be making smart business decisions when it comes to improving the team.

One player that has been recently linked with a move to the blue side of Merseyside is Adama Traore in a deal believed to be worth £20m, and if the reports are true then Everton could be heading for yet another disaster next season.

The 26-year-old Wolves outcast who was slammed for his “poor decisions” by journalist Muhammed Butt, was shipped off to La Liga via Barcelona for the second half of the most recent campaign on loan after failing to make little impact on the team down in the Midlands.

In Traore’s 20 league appearances for Bruno Lage’s side, the Spaniard scored just one goal and delivered no assists to his teammates, hardly living up to his “unstoppable” tag in the words of Darren Bent.

He also lost possession of the ball every 3.1 touches on average per game and missed three big chances, proving that he is not effective in delivering an end product when deployed in the forward line.

One thing Everton are desperate for next season are goals, as Frank Lampard’s side scored 23 fewer than they conceded this season which contributed to putting them in a dangerous position at the bottom of the table. In fact, Richarlison was the side’s top goal-scorer with just 11 strikes in all competitions.

Everton cannot afford to make mistakes of the past, and Moshiri should consider the weaknesses found in Yannick Bolasie that could quickly become a similar scenario with Traore. Bolasie was a prolific dribbler just like the Wolves winger but similarly had no end product when it came to goal contributions.

Bolasie scored just two goals and contributed four assists in 32 appearances for the Toffees after signing a five-year deal with a transfer fee of £25m back in 2016, and after seeing out his contract on various loan deals left the club in 2021 on a free transfer.

With that being said, Moshiri must learn from his mistakes and avoid making any more signings that can’t deliver a reliable impact on the team going forward, otherwise Everton could find themselves in a similar situation as they were last season or worse.

AND in other news: Offer accepted: Everton closing in on 1st summer signing, Lampard will be ecstatic