Everton manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that the club are in talks to sign Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, reports The Independent.

What’s the word?

Walcott’s career at the Emirates has always stuttered, and some have questioned whether he ever reached his potential.

This season in particular, the England international has had to spend most of it watching from the sidelines.

In total, Walcott has started nine games in all competitions and has featured in a further five Premier League matches, but was not in the first XI for a single one.

With that in mind, it seems that Arsenal are prepared to let their long-time member leave.

During Friday morning’s press conference, Allardyce confirmed to reporters that talks have begun over a permanent switch to Everton.

The Independent quotes the Toffees boss as saying:

“I think you are all aware of our interest in Theo If that is possible to get over the line I’d be delighted. Obviously there are negotiations that are happening at the moment and if that can all be sorted out one of the most difficult things to do today – then that would be a great addition in my opinion to come and join us from an attacking point of view.

“Two or three reasons really – goalscoring threat, pace, experience and he’s good on assists from wide areas in terms of his crossing ability. If that is at all possible it would be very nice. It is not imminent at the moment but some negotiations are going on. I don’t think there’s any chance of a loan so I think it is a permanent deal we’re hoping to negotiate.”

Is Walcott a good option for Everton?

The one thing that might have Everton fans nervous is the fact that the winger has suffered numerous injury problems throughout his career.

Walcott has been part of the Arsenal fold since 2006, but there have only been a few seasons since then when he has been a consistent standout player for the Gunners.

Given that the Englishman is edging closer to 30, he may become even more injury-prone, but that is a risk that Everton will have to take.

Many positives come with signing Walcott, particularly his ability to speed down the field.

The Toffees have been lacking pace in wide areas, which is something that the Arsenal man can certainly provide.

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In addition, Walcott also enjoys playing up front, so he can give Allardyce various options in attack.

Having scored more than 100 goals in his 12-year career in North London, the former Southampton star could potentially be the answer to Everton’s attacking woes.

Keep in mind, though, that the club will have to spend big to match Walcott’s wages at Arsenal.

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Everton produced a fine performance on Wednesday night to defeat Leicester City at home in the English Premier League.

After failing to win a single match in January, it was the perfect end to January for the Toffees and gives supporters hope they can finish the season strongly.

Theo Walcott was the hero of the evening, scoring a first half double to put the game beyond the Foxes, who clawed one back in the second half through a Jamie Vardy penalty.

He was aided by the return of Seamus Coleman, who started his first match since last March after suffering a broken leg. The right-back produced a remarkable performance considering his lack of football and completed the full 90 minutes.

Fans now believe the Coleman-Walcott partnership on the Toffees’ right flank could be something special in the weeks and months to come and can’t wait to see how it develops.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Coleman’s return…

West Ham United have been going through a bad patch on and off the pitch.

The East London outfit have had to deal with numerous injury problems, which has depleted their squad.

Andy Carroll, who has been in and out of the team due to injuries, is on the sidelines, while Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic have also been out of action with hamstring problems.

On the pitch, things have not been much better as the club were recently knock out of the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic.

The team also had to settle for draws with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Last weekend, the Hammers were humiliated by Brighton in a 3-1 loss at the Amex Stadium.

This afternoon, David Moyes’s men will return to the London Stadium, but they face a Watford side that are fresh off a 4-1 thumping over title holders Chelsea.

Pundit Paul Merson, though, thinks that West Ham will manage to keep the Hornets at bay in a 2-0 victory.

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The ex-Arsenal man told Sky Sports:

“West Ham had a bad result against Brighton but David Moyes has done well overall, and I don’t think the speculation about him this week will hurt them. They’ve got to get back and win, and I think they will.”

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Leeds United travel to Pride Park on Wednesday to face Derby County and fans are calling for the return of Samuel Saiz to the side on social media.

The Elland Road outfit are currently sitting 11th in the Championship and have had a number of suspensions in the past weeks, however, Paul Heckingbottom is able to consider some of those names for the first time since his arrival.

Saiz, alongside Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi, are all available for the Whites and the new manager has admitted they are all ready to get back into action and be involved.

Whilst fans are pleased that they have the majority of their players back and in contention for the first-team, the Spaniard is the one they appear to be most excited about welcoming back into the side.

Saiz has been highly influential in Leeds’ campaign so far this season, having scored eight goals in 13 matches across all competitions so far, however, a six-game suspension stopped his impressive contributions.

The midfielder was banned following an off-the-ball incident during their 2-1 defeat to Newport County in the FA Cup and was shown a red card for allegedly spitting at an opponent.

Fans have taken to Twitter to show their delight that Saiz can be involved once again and have called for Heckingbottom to put him straight into the side.

Here are some of their tweets…

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According to reports in The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are ready to move for long-term target Wilfried Zaha again this summer and are confident of signing the Crystal Palace winger, and Spurs fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.

The Mirror says that the north London outfit are growing in confidence that they will get the 25-year-old at their third attempt of trying, although they could face stiff competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Times reports that Spurs are ready to bid £50m for the Ivory Coast international, who has scored four goals and provided a further two assists in 20 top flight outings for the Eagles this term, and who only signed a new long-term deal to stay at Selhurst Park last year.

Tottenham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “not good enough for us – he failed at Man U, he will fail again”, another labelled it as a “backwards step”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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According to reports in The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur target Ryan Sessegnon would prefer to join them over a number of their Premier League rivals if he leaves Fulham this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 17-year-old Cottagers star is being eyed by Spurs, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool ahead of a potential summer move according to The Mirror, following an outstanding campaign for the Championship club.

The Mirror says the north London outfit are in pole position to land the £50m-rated teenager because of their London location and manager Mauricio Pochettino two of the main reasons why, even though Liverpool were identified as the frontrunners earlier this week.

The report adds that Tottenham are willing to pay £35m for the England U19 international, although the their neighbours from the capital would be more confident of keeping hold of their star man if they win promotion to the Premier League this season – they are currently on a 14-match unbeaten run that has left them five points adrift of the automatic promotion spots.

How well has Sessegnon done this season?

He has been brilliant, and his displays haven’t gone unnoticed by Tottenham fans.

The versatile left-sided player began the campaign mainly playing as a left-back, but he has often played in a more advanced left wing role in recent months, and especially following the arrival of Matt Targett on loan from Southampton during the January transfer window.

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The winger has scored 14 goals this term – with nine of those coming in 2018 – and he continues to make a huge impact for his club, making 69 first-team appearances for them in total despite his tender years.

He has shown his quality and his maturity, and he is also pretty handy with his weaker right foot too as he showed with two finishes when he scored a hat-trick in the incredible 5-4 win against Sheffield United in October.

How much of a boost is this for Tottenham?

It is a huge one.

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Sessegnon has all of the ingredients in his game to make a similar impact for Spurs as the one Dele Alli has, and it would be a huge coup of they could beat the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City to his signature.

While it is good news that the 17-year-old would prefer to join them, the price tag could still be an issue as they would likely have to pay a club-record fee to bring him to north London such is the competition for his services.

It is an amount that they shouldn’t, and can’t afford to, hesitate on shelling out though.

On Monday night just before 9pm, the news finally arrived that many Southampton fans had been waiting months for – manager Mauricio Pellegrino had been sacked.

It had certainly been a decision that had been a long time coming, with those outside of the city probably not quite fully aware of just how bad things had got for the south coast outfit following a run of just one win in 17 Premier League matches.

The 46-year-old arrived at St Mary’s from La Liga outfit Alaves as Claude Puel’s successor last summer with a promise from vice-chairman Les Reed that he would come in and play the exciting, attacking football that had been distinctly lacking under the Frenchman despite an eighth-place finish and reaching the League Cup final.

Things started off promisingly on the opening day of the season and while their match against Swansea City at St Mary’s ended in a goalless draw, the hosts showed their attacking intent with 29 efforts at goal.

That dominance and excitement in the final third has rarely been reproduced – if at all – since then, with the club’s only Premier League victories throughout the campaign coming against a West Ham United side that played for an hour with 10 men, a Crystal Palace team in the middle of a seven-match losing run where they failed to score, West Bromwich Albion – who look destined for the Championship – twice, and finally against an Everton side that had just been beaten 5-1 by Atalanta and were struggling under David Unsworth.

Southampton have got used to being relatively strong at home over the course of the last three or four seasons in the top flight, but it hasn’t been the case this term.

They have failed get more than a point against relegation rivals Swansea, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Huddersfield Town and Brighton and Hove Albion, while they were beaten 2-1 by Crystal Palace – who are currently in 18th-place – at the start of January, which left fans on social media furious.

After many of those games you could have made a reliable case for Pellegrino to get the chop, but it never happened.

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Alarm bells would have been ringing for the supporters when they were beaten 1-0 by Burnley at St Mary’s in November, and then 4-1 by Leicester City on their own patch the following month.

The Argentine boss was showing time and time again that he wasn’t as tactically adept as some of his rival managers, and that he wasn’t learning from his mistakes.

While there were a few grumbles and murmurings at the final whistle following each of those defeats – and the one against Palace at the start of 2018 – the majority of Saints supporters didn’t really make their feelings known in the stadium after the final whistle, and it was strange.

In the modern day if you want to get media coverage and force the club to make a decision that needs to be taken, you need to do it in the public eye and really make it clear that the manager needed to go for the sake of their Premier League status.

Now, I’m not saying Southampton supporters were wrong not to chant for Pellegrino to go during games – they were right to support their team – but before or after the final whistle they could have done more to ensure that the clearly out of his depth 46-year-old didn’t make it to almost mid-March still in a job.

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There has been few – if any – signs that he was changing things around, and while the fan base have been particularly vocal through social media platforms like Twitter about wanting Pellegrino to go, they didn’t do enough on matchdays when it would have made the biggest difference.

The supporters as a whole must take some blame for that for being too nice and almost turning a blind eye to the plight of a team that secured four successive top-eight finishes previously.

They aren’t the only ones who have made mistakes in this whole sorry affair though, with Reed, Ralph Krueger and new owner Gao Jisheng – who the St Mary’s faithful have barely heard from – also having plenty to answer to.

One point above the relegation zone and with eight Premier League matches left to play this season – including against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City – everybody must now unite behind the new manager to ensure the club doesn’t suffer a disastrous relegation.

Everton fans have been crucifying Yannick Bolasie after Sam Allardyce praised the tricky winger.

Bolasie arrived at Goodison Park from Crystal Palace with big expectations in 2016. The trickster’s £25million price tag maybe played on his mind a bit though, and he struggled for form in his debut season.

The 28 year-old returned from a knee ligament injury in December, and manager Sam Allardyce has praised the influence he has had since returning from injury.

“He’s pacey, he can take the ball from your own half to the opposition’s half and can get possession of the ball, take it right the way up the field and get you into the final third on his own,” Allardyce said.

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“Last Saturday was the type of performance we all know but hopefully he can be better than that. But we want him to build from that performance last Saturday and, if you like, get the old Yannick back into what he does best which is receiving the ball and taking players on and putting them under pressure.”

Bolasie has now played ten times in the league this season, but is still yet to find a goal or assist (although his cross did lead to the opener at Stoke on Saturday). While fans were happy to see him back, it seems they’re not all that impressed by his end product, or lack thereof.

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It’s become pretty clear over the last few weeks that you don’t need to give Everton fans much of a reason to disagree with Big Sam, and their fans are disputing the manager’s praise for Bolasie.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Liverpool have already had a Torres in their midst, and the gossip pages are suggesting that another one could be on his way to Anfield.

According to the Daily Mail, the Merseyside outfit are keeping tabs on Valencia winger Ferran Torres ahead of the summer transfer window.

The youngster’s name does not quite carry the same weight as Fernando Torres did when he joined the Reds for a three-and-a-half-year spell between 2007 and January 2011.

However, that is mainly because the Spaniard is only 18 years old and is only just beginning to prove himself on the elite stage.

The Daily Mail claims that Liverpool have been tracking Torres since last year and have kept a close eye on his 10 appearances for Valencia so far this season.

The publication adds that Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona also have an interest, but it will cost any suitor around £21.9m to trigger the youngster’s release clause.

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Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has also spoken about the rumours, telling Sky Sports that Liverpool are interested in the winger, who can play on either side of the pitch.

On Reddit fans discussed the speculation.

Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.Comment from discussion Liverpool and others are keeping a close eye on Valencia’s 19 year old Ferran Torres. He is a dribbler, fast on the wing, can play on either wing, and he has got ability and intelligence. He can also play inside if needed, so he is a modern winger. Has a €25m release clause- Guillem Balague.

West Ham United took a massive step towards English Premier League safety on Saturday with a 3-0 thrashing of fellow relegation candidates Southampton at the London Stadium.

After three consecutive heavy defeats before the international break, the pressure was on David Moyes’ outfit to secure a result and they did so in style, banging in all three goals before the interval.

Fans were left absolutely delighted by the result and performance, impressed with the improvement from recent matches.

One player that should particular progress was midfield Cheikhou Kouyate, who was impressive in the first half, assisting Joao Mario for the side’s opening goal of the afternoon.

Fans had lost patience with the Senegal international, with some even hoping earlier this week that he might be missing for today’s clash. However, his performance has surely ensured his place in the side in the weeks to come?

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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