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Reported Everton target Luis Diaz pulled off an ‘outrageous’ piece of skill during Colombia’s World Cup qualifying clash with Brazil on Sunday.

Diaz was under challenge from Marquinhos and Fred and shuffled the ball from his right foot onto his left, which he used to dink it between the two players.

The game would end up finishing 0-0, with FC Porto’s Diaz playing the full 90 minutes.

He was otherwise marshalled pretty effectively, winning only two of his nine ground duels (via SofaScore).

Diaz could have been a Blue

Everton tried to sign Diaz in the final knockings of the transfer window as part of a deal that would have seen James Rodriguez go the other way. Ultimately, James’ salary was an insurmountable hurdle (via Carlos Aleman).

It remains to be seen whether the Blues revisit their interest in subsequent windows. Manager Rafael Benitez ‘clearly wanted more options out wide’.

Portuguese football feed Proxima Jornada posted the footage, and here’s what Everton supporters had to say.

Everton fans flock to Diaz clip

“If only James hadn’t got greedy, Diaz would be at Everton now!”

Credit: @MaxyMj3669

“I’m on my knees Brands”

Credit: @Adam_1878

“Get him in, he’d have Trent all over the gaff in the derby.”

Credit: @Joel_1878

“Get him signed up @Everton ASAP”

Credit: @gflan02

“Get to r’s x”

Credit: @MainManMina

“Feel sick”

Credit: @lucas1878_

In other news, Everton fans will be encouraged by what Greg O’Keeffe said about January.

A big update has emerged regarding the short-term future of Rangers defender Jack Simpson at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the centre-back is primed for a loan move away from the club amid growing interest in his services.

The report claims that Giovanni van Bronckhorst will not prevent him from leaving, with Ross Wilson now tasked with sorting out the best solution to his situation.

Fans will be buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this news as it suggests that the club are willing to send Simpson out to obtain regular game-time without completely giving up on him.

The £3.1k-per-week outcast has not played a single minute of competitive football for the first team since the Dutchman arrived at Ibrox, suggesting that he is not in the 46-year-old’s immediate plans.

His last appearance came in a 6-1 win over Motherwell in October, when Steven Gerrard was at the helm. He has been named on the bench three times under Van Bronckhorst but was never used.

However, this does not mean that his future at the club is non-existent. Wilson previously heaped praise on the centre-back upon signing him for the club, saying: “His contractual situation at Bournemouth provided a natural and attractive moment for us to pursue Jack’s signature. It has been well publicised that he has been a much-coveted player south of the border but from our first discussion with Jack, we could see how the opportunity to join Rangers was one that was very appealing to him.”

This suggests that there is a good player IN there somewhere, as Wilson claimed that Simpson was ‘highly-coveted’; and going away to play consistently could be what he needs to discover his best form. If, for example, he goes to the Championship in England and catches the eye with consistent performances, that could tempt Van Bronckhorst into giving him a chance at Rangers.

Therefore, Gers fans will surely be buzzing as the club will potentially recoup money back in wages over the coming months for a player who is currently rotting away on the periphery, whilst still offering him the opportunity to go out and prove that he has more to give at Ibrox. A loan exit appears to be a move which suits all parties involved, and it could be a masterclass from Wilson if it works out.

AND in other news, “Money talks”: Journalist drops key Rangers prediction which will leave fans fuming…

Leeds United’s decision to let Tom Cairney leave Elland Road all the way back in 2007 may go down as one of the club’s biggest ‘what if’ stories in recent memory.

The midfielder was with the Whites for nine years but was released after being deemed “too small” at only 5 foot 1, and Cairney himself has since admitted that the rejection has played a big part in the way he would define his career.

In opening up about it back in 2014, he revealed: “To be honest it crushed me, it crushed me a lot. I was with Leeds from I was seven to 16 so it was a big part of my life. I was going there three-four times a week, missing days of schools, and obviously my mum and dad had put a lot into it too.

“So getting released at 16, it just felt like, ‘oh no, after all that effort’. But I was determined I would not stop there.”

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After shining at Blackburn Rovers, Cairney made the move to Fulham, and he has been a cornerstone of the London side for a number of years now, helping them to the Premier League a couple of seasons ago and now seeing them back in the hunt for promotion again.

Winner of the EFL Player of the Year award back in 2017, it’s no surprise that he has earned rave reviews for his performances with the Cottagers, with former boss Scott Parker waxing lyrical about him following a 1-1 draw against Bristol City.

He said: “Tom Cairney took his goal superbly and was outstanding throughout the game. I thought he was head and shoulder above every other player.

“We all know his quality on the ball, but in the last three games he has showed much more than that and today it was a complete performance.”

Having recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of the first-half of the season, Cairney has resumed his responsibility as Fulham captain, and is helping lead the promotion charge.

The Cottagers currently find themselves in 1st and well-placed to secure a return to the Premier League under Marco Silva, and Cairney’s inspirational displays in the middle of the park have been a catalyst for that.

Indeed, the Cairney back in 2014 has probably delivered the most impactful line of how those back at Elland Road are probably feeling right now.

He joked: “I think the academy staff at Leeds must have got a bit of a shock when they saw me playing in the Premier League! I don’t know what happened to them but I think they may have got a telling off!”

While Cairney may not be playing Premier League football like Leeds just yet, he looks set to do so very soon.

And had the Whites just shown a bit of faith in a small and diminutive 16-year-old, he could well have been turning out for them instead of a potential rival next season.

AND in other news – Leeds facing major nightmare as worrying news emerges, Elland Road would be devastated

This is part of The Transfer Tavern’s Talking Tactics series, where we analyse two changes the manager should make in their upcoming fixture.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst simply must get a reaction out of his players after the embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of their bitter rivals, and that may even mean making bold calls that could upset both players and some fans.

They face another test at home to third-placed Hearts on Sunday afternoon, and the Dutchman cannot afford to leave Ibrox with anything less than three points.

Injury updates

The talk of the town in Glasgow ever since Transfer Deadline Day has been the arrival of Aaron Ramsey on loan from Juventus, a player who has won numerous big titles with both the Juventus and Arsenal.

He could potentially make his debut against Hearts, with Gio confirming in his pre-game press conference that his fitness will be assessed.

Alfredo Morelos is also available after coming back from international duty with Colombia, and so the manager needs to decide whether to throw him in straight away as well.

Barisic out

Barisic quite frankly endured a first-half nightmare against Celtic, so much so that he was hauled off at half-time.

The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell claimed that he was ‘fast asleep’ for the Hoops’ third goal, for which Liel Abada managed to sneak in past him unmarked and unchallenged.

BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer, Tom English, even went as far as to claim that he looked ‘punch-drunk’, testament to a player who gave the ball away a total of nine times in just 45 minutes.

Leon Balogun, who replaced the Croatia international at half-time, would be the obvious choice to come in, with Calvin Bassey moving to his more natural position at left-back.

Jack in

Speaking after the match, Gio claimed that Jack was ‘the best man on the pitch in the second half’, saying that he ‘changed’ the game and ‘made a big difference’ (Rangers TV via Yahoo).

Indeed, the 29-year-old was ranked as the Teddy Bears’ joint-best (7.1) player on SofaScore despite only playing the second half, as he recorded 55 touches of the ball from the middle of the park, more than starters Scott Arfield (52) and Glen Kamara (34), and achieved an impressive 90% pass accuracy, the fifth-highest in the team.

He has not yet started a game for the Light Blues so far this season, and Hearts would offer the perfect opportunity for Gio to rectify that, despite the arrival of fellow midfielder Ramsey.

With only a 6.4 SofaScore rating, and having just come back from African Cup of Nations (AFCON) duty with Nigeria, Aribo would perhaps be the unlucky one to drop out, but would at least offer Gio some quality from the bench if things are going wrong on the pitch again.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ magician Gers are front of the queue to sign in the summer here!

Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to injury updates on Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Sky Sports post

Both Furuhashi and Turnbull haven’t featured since the Hoops returned to action from the winter break due to hamstring issues.

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Turnbull has been missing since the Scottish League Cup Final, whereas Furuhashi suffered a reoccurrence of his issue against St Johnstone at the end of December.

However, returns could be around the corner, after Sky Sports shared comments from Ange Postecoglou on Twitter.

Postecoglou decided to include the pair in the club’s Europa Conference League squad but refused to give timescales on their reruns, although he did admit Turnbull was two to three weeks closer than Furuhashi.

The Latest: McAvennie’s comments

Celtic pundit McAvennie was talking to Football Insider regarding the updates on Furuhashi and Turnbull.

He labelled their Europa Conference League squad inclusions as ‘brilliant news’ and believes they aren’t a million miles away.

“The fact they have both been included, this is brilliant news for Celtic.

“They would not have been included if there was no chance of them playing.

“We know what Postecoglou is like as well, it’s all mind games. He said there was no way McGregor would play in the Old Firm and he started.

“I’m not saying we will see these players next week or anything, I just think they might not be a million miles away.

“I would love a good run in Europe, we have the squad to do it now.

“Once our injured players return we will be even stronger as well. I can’t wait to see David and Kyogo back.

“They have both had brilliant seasons so far.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Celtic take on Bodo/Glimt in a two-legged tie on February 17 and 24, and with Turnbull ahead of Furuhashi in regards to a return, perhaps we may see the Scot in the second leg over in Norway.

Reports at the end of December suggested the attacking midfielder could be sidelined for at least two months, so returning before the end of February would be good news and in line with the timescale.

Postecoglou may well think there’s a chance after including both in the squad 25-man squad, so it will be interesting to see what he says on the pair with the first leg just seven days away.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man ‘pretty sure’ Celtic have had ‘conversations’ with one player over new deal. 

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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has been giving his verdict on midfielder Declan Rice, via whufc.com, and has suggested that he has been surprised about just how mature the 20-year-old is.

What’s the word, then?

Well, after a tough start to the season where he failed to make the squad against Bournemouth and was an unused substitute against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening four Premier League matches, the youngster has since played the full 90 minutes in 19 consecutive top flight fixtures prior to the visit of Fulham on Friday night.

The player who has now pledged his international allegiance to England has been one of the standout performers for the east London outfit this term, and he continues to go from strength to strength despite his tender years.

When asked if he was the best youngster Pellegrini has worked with, the Chilean told whufc.com: “I worked with so many young players, it is difficult to compare 20 years of management and different players, but he is a very good player.

“I started with Javier Mascherano when he was 17 years old and he was similar to Declan Rice in his mentality – the mentality that when they are 17 or 19 years old it seemed that they have the mentality of 35 years old.”

How should his comments be interpreted?

By comparing him to Mascherano it is clear that Pellegrini feels that he has a special player on his hands, and one that he has surprised him with the mentality that he has despite only recently coming out of his teenage years.

To say that the London-born midfielder has the maturity of a 35-year-old is certainly a big compliment, and the Irons boss will want him to carry on listening and improving so his performance levels don’t drop anytime soon.

David Moyes will be looking for his West Ham side to continue their momentum when they return to Premier League action later this afternoon.

The Irons have won four straight matches across all competitions since they returned from the international break and a fifth successive victory away at Aston Villa today could see them level on points with defending champions Manchester City, who are in third place.

West Ham head into the encounter after they knocked the aforementioned Citizens out of the Carabao Cup in midweek, whilst Dean Smith’s men are looking to change their fortunes down in 16th.

The 58-year-old boss is left with plenty to ponder ahead of kickoff, so what sort of Hammers side could we see at Villa Park today?

Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as eight changes from the side that defeated City on penalties.

In goal, there should be a routine swap with Lukasz Fabianski resuming his Premier League duties over Alphonse Areola, who appears to be getting minutes in their cup competitions.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Polish veteran, full-back duo Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson keep their place, even despite the potential return of Vladimir Coufal.

Moyes has one mighty decision to make on the right-hand side of defence after the Czech Republic star picked up his first minutes since injury as a substitute on Wednesday night.

However, he may not be risked just yet and it would be tough on the young 21-year-old gem, seeing as he’s kept a clean sheet in all six of his starts this campaign, so he should remain in the starting XI.

They will be joined by Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna in central defence, replacing Issa Diop and 31-year-old Craig Dawson.

In midfield, Declan Rice returns to partner Tomas Soucek, who remains from midweek, whilst further up the pitch, it’s likely to be all change as Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and leading talisman Michail Antonio all return.

The attacking quartet replace Nikola Vlasic, Manuel Lanzini, Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko.

AND in other news, Newman could deliver West Ham their next Payet by signing £22.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

Newcastle United face the unenviable task of playing against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League today in the club’s last match before Christmas.

The Magpies are 19th in the table as it stands, on 10 points, whilst the Citizens are flying high at the summit with 41 points to their name.

Eddie Howe’s men come into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat away to Liverpool in midweek, losing to Jurgen Klopp’s side after taking the lead early on through Jonjo Shelvey.

Unleash him

One change to the team from that loss could be the reintroduction of Callum Wilson after he was left on the bench at Anfield. The former Bournemouth striker must be unleashed against Man City and placed back in the starting XI after he was given a rest against the Reds.

He has had his chance to sit and watch on from the sidelines for the majority of the game to catch his breath back after a busy schedule of late. This, hopefully, means that he will now be fresh and 100% ready to take on City in tip-top shape.

Wilson has scored six goals in 12 Premier League starts this season and is the biggest goal threat in the Newcastle squad. Allan Saint-Maximin’s tally of three is the next highest, whilst the ex-Cherries attacker’s return of 12 league strikes last term also topped the goalscoring charts for the club.

Howe previously said of the 29-year-old: “He is an outstanding player with unique attributes for us. He has that ability to run in behind and he’s got the work ethic off the ball and, of course, he knows where the goal is.”

The Magpies head coach, who once dubbed Wilson’s passing as “hugely impressive”, must now unleash him from the start against Man City.

Wilson could provide a focal point at the top end of the pitch whilst harbouring the potential to be the match-winner for the club. The £92k-per-week dynamo’s goalscoring record for Newcastle shows that he has the quality to find the back of the net at this level

That is why he should be starting as the number nine today, whether that comes in place of Allan Saint-Maximin – after his injury against Liverpool – or anyone else. He has proven himself to be the most effective goalscorer at St. James’ Park and that is why he is deserving of a place in the XI.

AND in other news, Journo drops transfer news that’ll leave NUFC fans buzzing, he can be the next Shearer…

Celtic have the chance to add some more points to their tally for the season and take a step closer to the Premiership title this afternoon. 

Their latest league outing sees them take on St Johnstone at Parkhead after securing a 2-1 victory in the Old Firm derby last weekend. 

However, it seems as though Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou will have to do without one of his main attacking options today.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday (via 67 Hail Hail), the 56-year-old revealed that James Forrest is the only player not available to him for selection this afternoon. 

Having missed Celtic’s two previous league games as a result of a knock he picked up during the club’s Scottish Cup win against Dundee United last month, it will be a huge blow for Postecoglou to still have the winger sidelined. 

A product of the Parkhead club’s youth academy, Forrest has made 440 senior appearances in a Celtic shirt across all competitions. In that time, the 30-year-old has scored 97 goals and provided 97 assists, showing how significant figure a he has been across such a long period. 

Postecoglou will be fuming

Even though the Hoops are in a good position in the league following on from their victory over Rangers last week, Postecoglou will still surely be furious that Forrest hasn’t yet managed to recover from this latest injury, despite playing it down at the time.

An even bigger worry for the winger, the manager and the Celtic fans is that he has a reputation for picking up injuries and missing a lot of games over the years.

With Postecoglou saying that the Scotland international should be a week away from making a recovery, the Celtic manager will undoubtedly be hoping that this will indeed be the case and that he can have Forrest fit and available to see out the remainder of the season and hopefully drive his team to the title.

For the time being, it seems as though the Hoops boss will have to rely on the likes of Jota, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada to provide an adequate attacking force for the team while Forrest is out.

Having scored a combined total of 20 league goals between them, at least it’s safe to say that the trio have what it takes to be a suitable threat for the Bhoys in the 30-year-old’s continued absence.

In other news: Ange must unleash “phenomenal” £5.85m-rated Celtic ace, he could fire them to glory

When Dele Alli joined Tottenham Hotspur in what was a £5m deal back in 2015, Daniel Levy looked to have secured one of the most exciting young midfielders in the English game.

And, following three seasons in which Dele scored a quite astonishing 46 goals and registered 41 assists over £89m move to Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain back in 2017.

However, over the following three and a half seasons, Dele’s form rather drastically dropped off, with the midfielder making 149 appearances in all competitions, over which he scored just 21 goals and provided a mere 20 assists.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old’s commitment to the Tottenham cause was also called into question, with Jose Mourinho dubbing the playmaker “lazy” and reportedly being more than happy to move the former MK Dons starlet on in the summer of 2020 – only for Levy to block his exit.

However, just a year and a half later, Dele would be packing his bags, with Everton agreeing a deal worth up to £40m in order to take the midfielder to Goodison Park in the January transfer window.

And, despite the opportunity of a fresh start under Frank Lampard, it seems as if Dele’s problems have continued in Liverpool, with the £6m-rated man having so far failed to be given the nod from the off in a single game for the Toffees, with all six of his appearances coming from the bench.

This has led to more questioning regarding the £100k-per-week midfielder’s application, with Harry Redknapp dubbing Dele’s return to Tottenham in a 5-0 defeat earlier this month as “embarrassing,” while Paddy Kenny stated his belief that the 25-year-old “hasn’t been training well enough” to get into Lampard’s starting XI.

Indeed, so poor has Dele been for Everton that the midfielder is already being linked with an exit from the club this summer, something that, considering the size of the fee Levy received from the sale of the Englishman, proves the Tottenham chairman played a blinder when sanctioning the attacker’s sale earlier this year.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Alasdair Gold drops 5-word Spurs update that will have Conte buzzing