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Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Sheffield United’s next manager will have less control than Chris Wilder, and control is what forced the 53-year-old out in the first place.

Wilder left Sheffield United back in March, with the Blades glued to the bottom of the table, and the club have since confirmed that there is a five-man shortlist of managers who could potentially succeed him.

That shortlist includes Paul Heckingbottom, who was put in interim charge following Wilder’s departure from Bramall Lane.

For Palmer, handing someone like Heckingbottom the job would suggest that the club want an individual who is going to allow them to call the shots, perhaps taking on more of a head coach role rather than a manager one.

On Sheffield United’s manager situation, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday player told TT in an exclusive interview:

“This might be an issue in terms of why Chris left the club because if they put somebody like Paul, you’ve got to remember now, if you put somebody like Paul in there and they could perhaps call the shots with Paul.

“But if you get a manager worth his salts, you’re not going to be able to call the shots. He’s going to want to run the club the way that he wants to run the club. And, you know, I think in the end that was the issue with Chris Wilder – they were trying to bring in a director of football.”

In terms of external candidates, Club Brugge manager Philippe Clement is one name that has been linked with the job in recent days.

If football was played on the tea-stained piece of paper sitting on your desk, then last night’s game between Everton and Sheffield United will have been a foregone conclusion.

It will have resulted in the home side coming away with all three points, presumably from a couple of clinically taken Dominic Calvert-Lewin goals.

However, this is the Premier League, a division that so often captivates and lures us in even when there’s nothing to play for.

The Blades may be sitting rock bottom of the top-flight and already relegated but that didn’t stop Paul Heckingbottom’s men from putting up a spirited fight.

Courtesy of 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison, Sheffield United managed to beat the Toffees 1-0.

It was a disastrous and embarrassing result for Carlo Ancelotti, one that’s seen his team lose vital ground in the race for European football next season.

Mason Holgate was again at fault during the game and left his manager raging as he dragged him off at half time. Though, another player who will have the manager cursing his team is Richarlison.

On his day, the Brazilian is an effervescent character, someone who can change the game in an instant with a piece of trickery. However, those moments have been few and far between for the spritely attacker of late.

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Richarlison now hasn’t scored since 4th March, nor has he assisted a goal since 5th December.

His creativity and instinct inside the area has completely deserted him and he’s now running down blind alleys.

His performance at Goodison on Sunday was a concern. Even against the third-worst defence in the league he looked toothless, spurning a glorious opportunity to score late inside the opening period.

James Rodriguez played the ball in but the forward’s header was straight at Aaron Ramsdale, a goalkeeper who made six saves during one of his best days of the season.

Richarlison was fortunate to last the 90 minutes given his performance. He made just 15 passes and lost the ball every 3.5 touches.

He lost 60% of his defensive duels, played just one key pass and didn’t complete a single dribble either.

For a player with so much flair in his locker, this was a particularly disappointing night.

So often one of the most vibrant players in this Everton squad, Ancelotti can only carry him so far. At the moment Richarlison is fortunate they have a lack of depth in attack.

Ahead of the summer window he needs to improve or be wary of finally being replaced in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Everton could find their very own TAA by signing £3.5k-p/w gem with “enormous ability”…

PSV Eindhoven have asked Aston Villa for information on striker Wesley Moraes ahead of a possible swoop.

The Lowdown: Wesley’s Villa Park struggles

It’s safe to say Wesley hasn’t exactly made the impact he would’ve hoped after joining from Club Brugge in 2019 for £22.5m.

He scored just six goals in 22 appearances before suffering a serious injury against Burnley on New Year’s Day 2020.

The Brazilian missed the rest of the 2020/21 season and the majority of the current campaign, making three brief substitute appearances in recent weeks.

Villa are looking to loan out the 24-year-old in the summer, and it seems as if they have a potential suitor for the £35,000-a-week man.

The Latest: Source shares update

According to Football Insider, who have been informed by a Dutch source, PSV have made an enquiry and are looking at a year-long loan.

The Dutch heavyweights, who have two European Cup triumphs in their history, want to be sure Wesley is over his injury issues before committing to a possible deal.

The Verdict: A good move for all involved?

Should guaranteed game time be offered by PSV, we feel as if a temporary move to the Netherlands would be good for Wesley.

It would give him the chance to get back to his best in a competitive league, while also possibly playing Champions League football.

PSV will be getting a forward capable of scoring plenty of goals, with Wesley netting 17 times in Belgium in the 2018/19 campaign prior to his move to the Midlands.

Rivals Ajax have scored 28 more goals than PSV this season, so the acquisition of Wesley could help them table a stronger challenge next season.

As for Villa, should things go well, they would then be getting a forward back full of confidence for the 2022/23 season, which may prove to be a shrewd move by Villa officials.

In other news: Villa linked with move for £5.1m-rated defender, many AVFC fans happy, find out more here. 

Celtic fans may now have to wait until next week for the club to announce Eddie Howe as their new manager, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Bournemouth’s exit opens up door

Howe’s former employers, Bournemouth, crashed out of the Championship playoffs on the weekend, which appeared to have played into Celtic’s hands.

The Cherries lost 3-2 to Brentford on aggregate, with reports suggesting Howe’s move to Parkhead was on shortly after that semi-final tie.

The 43-year-old was poised to bring Richard Hughes, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone with him to Scotland, but four days on, a deal is still yet to be announced.

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The Latest: Announcement update

Reports on Sunday claimed that an announcement was expected by the end of the week.

However, the Daily Record dropped a potential delay to an official unveiling on Tuesday evening.

They ran a story on Kristoffer Ajer’s Parkhead future, and in there, suggested that Howe is ‘poised to check in by the end of this week or start of next with Celtic chiefs finalising the minor details of the new look management team.’

The Verdict: McKay playing a dangerous game?

In our opinion, new CEO Dominic McKay is playing a dangerous game, should a deal not be officially announced by the end of the week.

There have been concerns from multiple media sources that Celtic’s waiting game in the manager hunt is becoming tiring and even claims it is disrespectful to the Hoops fans, while the club themselves reportedly have fears that Crystal Palace could look to scupper a move for Howe.

Surely, then, they would look to get a deal announced as soon as possible.

Bournemouth’s playoff exit last weekend gave them the perfect chance to do just that, but it appears as if Hoops fans may have to wait a little longer for a deal to go through.

They’ve been waiting long enough for a new first-team manager, so we’re sure a few more days won’t hurt, but let’s just hope there are no more hiccups.

In other news: Olivier Ntcham contract speculation refuted, find out more here. 

Celtic are not currently pursuing a permanent deal for AC Milan loanee Diego Laxalt, according to Gianluca Di Marzio. 

The lowdown

The Uruguay defender joined Celtic at the start of October and went on to make 26 appearances for the club, his only goal coming in the 2-2 draw away to Hibernian in November. He played every minute under interim boss John Kennedy in the Premiership.

Whilst there was no option to buy contained in the loan agreement, Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb reported in March that Celtic were keen to sign him long-term. A separate report from Il Milanista claimed that Laxalt would be available for €8m (£6.8m).

Back in November, Neil Lennon hailed the Uruguay international as a ‘superb asset’ and an ‘excellent addition’, saying that he was ‘absolutely delighted’ with the 28-year-old’s efforts up to that point.

The latest

It looks as if Laxalt’s future lies away from Glasgow. The report confirmed that he would return to AC Milan, who remain open to offers.

Turkish champions Besiktas and Champions League quarter-finalists Porto have made enquiries about his price tag, with Di Marzio adding that ‘an offer will arrive soon’ for the left-back.

The verdict

Ultimately, Laxalt simply isn’t worth the kind of figures being discussed – a £6.8m deal would make him the seventh-most expensive signing in Celtic’s history.

The defender drew criticism from some supporters for a few of his displays in Glasgow, while WhoScored’s metrics ranked him a lowly 18th among the Hoops’ squad for his performances throughout the season.

They shouldn’t consider that kind of outlay on a player like Laxalt, with Champions League group stage football yet to be secured and with more pressing concerns to address as part of their rebuild.

In other news, Celtic may need to spend a decent chunk on replacing this star.

Barry Fry insists Ivan Toney is the missing piece of West Ham United’s jigsaw, having seen the Brentford ace fire his side into the Premier League.

Toney enjoyed a stunning season in the Championship in 2020/21 and capped it with a goal in the play-off final over the weekend, as the Bees beat Swansea City 2-0 at Wembley.

The former Newcastle United ace scored 31 goals and registered 10 assists in 45 games and will be champing at the bit to take on Premier League defences next season.

The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a potential exit from the club in recent weeks and the Hammers have been touted as a potential landing spot.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Irons will be able to convince Brentford to sell Toney now that they have confirmed their promotion to the Premier League.

But Fry has revealed that he told David Sullivan to buy Toney when he was playing for Peterborough United, before he was sold to Brentford for a fee of up to £10m.

Asked about him potentially moving to the Irons and if he is the player they lack, Fry, who worked closely with Toney at Posh, told Football FanCast: “He [Moyes] has got a couple of Championship players, one he bought from Brentford (Said Benrahma) and the other boy, he bought from Hull (Jarrod Bowen), and they’ve been tremendous, they’re young, they’re hungry, they want to listen, they want to learn and Ivan Toney’s that as well.”

It has been suggested recently that Andrea Pirlo is on Everton’s shortlist to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park this summer, and if the 42-year-old were to get the job, he could be the man to unlock Andre Gomes in this Toffees side.

According to Calciomercato, Pirlo is one of the names being considered to step up as Ancelotti’s replacement after the 61-year-old returned to Real Madrid this week, with the former looking likely to make a swift return to management after being sacked by Juventus recently.

During his playing days, Pirlo was renowned as an incredible passer of the ball who was extremely composed in possession and could dictate games with apparent ease.

He favoured a possession style of play during his time with Juventus, as only Sassuolo averaged more possession per game than the Old Lady in Serie A last season, which suggests that he would deploy a similar tactic with the Toffees.

This could lead to Gomes having a resurgence of form, with the former Barcelona midfielder having struggled for consistent form during his time at Goodison Park, with his 6.46 average rating from WhoScored last season ranking him as the 18th-best performer in the Toffees’ squad.

However, his passing success rate of 85.3% was the fourth-best of any Everton player with at least 10 appearances in the Premier League last season, which emphasises that he is one of their more talented players on the ball.

Gomes seems to lack the energy to push forward from midfield and contribute in attack, so if he were redeployed by the 42-year-old in ‘the Pirlo role’ as a deep-lying playmaker, he could then become a lot more effective in this Everton side.

Whilst the horrific ankle injury the Portuguese midfielder suffered in 2019 has largely scuppered his form, he has shown glimpses of his ability, with former Toffees goalkeeper Nigel Martyn full of praise for his performance against Leeds last season, saying: “He’s a very composed footballer, looks very good on the ball, intelligent and knows which space to run into. His passing’s very good, his tackling’s very good – he’s a great all-round footballer.”

Ancelotti was also complimentary of the midfielder’s performance that night, saying: “In my opinion, the best player on the pitch was André Gomes…technically, physically, tactically. This is the real André Gomes, the one we need.”

Therefore, with Pirlo’s guidance, the £18m-rated Gomes could start producing these performances on a much more regular basis for Everton, which could see him re-establish himself as a key player at Goodison Park next season if the 42-year-old gets the manager’s job.

In other news… Bye-bye Davies: Brands should seal Everton swoop for “exceptional” Premier League beast

Gabby Agbonlahor has dropped a big Newcastle United transfer claim about Conor Hourihane.

The Lowdown: Hourihane impresses

Hourinhane certainly impressed while on loan at Swansea City in the EFL Championship in the 2020/21 season.

The Republic of Ireland international scored no fewer than five goals and made a further two assists from midfield in 19 games in total in the division (Transfermarkt), helping them to the play-off final, in where they lost out to Brentford for a place in the Premier League.

The Latest: Hourihane to Newcastle?

Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor, who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for both Aston Villa and the England national team, has claimed that the St. James’ Park faithful ‘would love’ to have Hourihane in their team for the new term:

“I think he’ll definitely have offers.

“It depends what he wants to do. I think he’ll come back for pre-season, speak with the manager and take it from there.

“If he was to leave, he’d definitely have offers and there would be Premier League clubs after him.

“You look at the likes of Brentford, Newcastle. Steve Bruce knows him well. You look at Norwich, Watford, the teams that have come up. They would love to have him in their team.

“He won’t be short of offers. I just hope he gets the move that’s right for him.”

The Verdict: Sign him

Hourihane would certainly be a smart signing by the North East club, given that he would likely not cost too much money being 30 years of age and on the fringes at Villa after being sent out on loan.

His performances while at the Swans should not be ignored, as Steve Cooper, who is a highly-rated manager and who has recently been reported as the favourite for the vacant job at Crystal Palace, described him as ‘excellent’ after one of those displays back in January.

Bruce would also know how to get the best out of him, as the central midfielder played in 76 matches under the Geordie at Villa Park across three consecutive campaigns, scoring an impressive 14 times and supplying a further eight assists (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, signing Hourihane would be a shrewd piece of business by the Tyneside club.

In other news, find out what Mike Ashley has told the takeover consortium about arbitration here!

A Dutch journalist has dropped an interesting update on Everton’s pursuit to try and sign Denzel Dumfries in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Coleman not getting younger

Given that Seamus Coleman is now 32, and will turn 33 years of age in October, the Merseyside club seriously need to start thinking about replacing him at right-back for the long-term.

Being the character that the Goodison skipper is, he will want someone to push him for his starting spot, and Dumfries could well be the answer.

The Latest: Dumfries update

Speaking on Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad’s podcast (via Sport Witness), journalist Mikos Gouna has claimed that Goodison Park faithful now face serious competition from Inter Milan to sign Dumfries, and also made a bold prediction with regards to the ace set to star for the Netherlands at Euro 2020:

“This boy will, of course, make a top transfer.

“I understand that Inter, for example, is also interested.

“He cost 5.5 million for PSV. Well, they will double that. They have already promised him that they will cooperate.”

The Verdict: Sign him

Dumfries scored a highly impressive four goals and supplied a further nine assists in 41 matches in total across all competitions in the 2020/21 season (Transfremarkt), showing just how much of an attacking threat he is, and at 25 years of age, is a lot younger then Coleman, and thus has a lot more time to continue to develop.

He is also the captain of his current club in PSV, similar to the Republic of Ireland international, meaning that leadership both on and off the pitch would not be lost if he took his starting place.

Marcel Brands is thought to be a big fan of his, which should give them even more of an incentive to sign him up.

In other news, find out what manager update has left Toffees buzzing here!

Farhad Moshiri is targeting big-name managers to try and divert attention away from the failures of last season, that is according to former Everton defender Michael Ball.

After a promising transfer window, where the likes of James Rodriguez and Allan were brought in, and strong start to the campaign, much was expected of Everton.

However, they ended up finishing in 10th place and missing out on European football in what turned out to be a very underwhelming season.

Since then, Carlo Ancelotti has left and the club have controversially considered ex-Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, although the latest reports from talkSPORT suggests fan reaction may have killed that potential appointment.

It has left a sour taste in Ball’s mouth, who believes a manager like Benitez is solely being targeted because of his name.

“I feel that Moshiri’s trying to get this name, this star to sort of cloud over what happened last season and trying to bring in another top manager like Ancelotti and feels that’s going to be the answer,” the ex-Everton full-back exclusively told FFC. “The past has proven it’s not working.”

It all seems to be a bit chaotic at Everton right now, and you would expect that chaos to only grow if the Toffees do end up appointing Benitez.

Some fans have already made it clear that they do not want the Spaniard anywhere near Goodison Park.