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Everton have produced some amazing talents in their academy over the years with Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley and Anthony Gordon just a few of the standout performers who have become household names.

Frank Lampard is renowned for his eye for young talent and the development of rising stars, a philosophy the Everton boss successfully implemented whilst managing Chelsea.

The 45-year-old former Premier League midfielder handed top-flight debuts to Mason Mount, Reece James, Tariq Lamptey, Marc Guehi and Armando Broja, all of which have gone on to be some of the best young talents in the league. Meanwhile, the first two named went on to win the Champions League following Lampard’s departure from Stamford Bridge in 2021.

Now the manager must use his talent for spotting the best potential in the youth teams and academies at Finch Farm to improve and strengthen his team in the long term.

One player who has been the recipient of huge interest since rising through the ranks on the blue side of Merseyside is Ishé Samuels-Smith.

Despite only being 16 years of age, the talented left-back has tallied up 25 appearances in the Everton U18s and three appearances for the Everton U21s, more recently featuring in the club’s EFL Trophy run too.

Over his two performances so far in the competition, Samuels-Smith has shown glimpses of his ability winning 71% of his duels and completing 100% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 2.5 interceptions, three tackles and 1.5 clearances per game.

Those are some outstanding numbers that prove he is adept not just in defensive scenarios, but when carrying the ball forward too.

In a Q&A with The Athletic, Patrick Boyland claimed that the youngster was “one to watch” and even revealed that he will be given opportunities to train with the first team too:

“Ishe S-S definitely one to watch. He was best in his group with Emilio Lawrence, who left the club over summer. They did well to keep hold of ISS over summer, because there was plenty of interest.

“Currently away with England U17s, playing left side of central defence. Versatile – also plays full back – so will be interesting to see where he ends up position-wise.”

“There’s a plan for him. Papa John’s minutes + some training opportunities with first team. But he’s still some way off, as expected for 16 y/o.”

With that being said, the future is looking incredibly bright for the young talent and if he continues to flourish over the coming months and years ahead, there will be no doubt that he will attract the attention of the Everton boss in no time at all.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that reported January transfer target Mykhaylo Mudryk would be a ‘real exciting signing’ for Everton.

The Lowdown: Scouts sent

It was reported in September that scouts from Goodison Park were in attendance to watch Mudryk play for Ukraine in their 3-0 loss away to Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.

However, other Premier League scouts were also in attendance, including from Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Leeds United, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Wolves, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Thus, the Shakhtar Donetsk winger is expected to be a player in high demand come the January transfer window.

The Latest: Exciting signing

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke has claimed that Mudryk would be a ‘real exciting signing’ for the Merseyside club, and also a ‘great addition’ to the Premier League in general:

“I think it’d be a real exciting signing not just for Everton but for the Premier League.

“I think he’d be a great addition to the league, to see how he’d cope with playing in the Premier League as well, but for Everton he would definitely be a great addition to the side. 

“What he could add to their side going forward – pace, trickery, goals and assists, any manager would want that in their team.

“And I’m sure Frank Lampard would love that as well.”

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The Verdict: Difficult

Given Mudryk’s meteoric rise this season, with four goal contributions in the UEFA Champions League already and four other assists in Ukraine’s Primera Liga (Transfermarkt), it will be very difficult for Frank Lampard’s side to attract Mudryk to the club in January.

Top clubs around Europe, including those who can offer him Champions League football, are likely to be higher up in the pecking order than the Toffees, and so they may have to move on to other targets.

Nonetheless, the top flight is still an attractive proposition, and with the right offer, perhaps Mudryk could be persuaded to join the Blues.

While he never actually made an appearance for Everton, the Toffees’ signing of Henry Onyekuru proved to be a great decision by Farhad Moshiri from a financial perspective.

The Nigeria international would join Everton from KAS Eupen in a deal worth £7m in 2017, before being immediately sent on loan to Anderlecht.

There he would hit ten goals in 28 appearances in the 2017/18 season but that wasn’t enough to convince the Merseyside outfit that he was worth a shot in the first team, as he was sent to Galatasaray for the 2018/19 campaign.

During his time with Anderlecht, former manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck criticised Onyekuru, saying:

“It does not make much sense to put Onyekuru at the centre, but when he is standing there, he does not move, and he just moves to the left… he always lets himself down.

“He does score now and then, but the last few weeks have not been as good either, his contribution went down.”

Once again, the now 25-year-old impressed, contributing 16 goals and six assists in his first season with the club but still, the Toffees weren’t keen, and they cashed in on him that summer, selling him to Monaco for £12.5m.

It seems remarkable to nearly double your money on a player that would fail to play a single minute for the club and Moshiri deserves a lot of credit for this, especially considering Onyekuru’s form since leaving the club.

After failing to score in four appearances for Monaco, the Nigerian was loaned back to Galatasaray but he struggled to rediscover his previous form at the Nef Stadium, managing just one goal in 12 appearances.

There was a sense of deja vu again in the 2020/21 campaign, as after four disappointing appearances for Monaco, Onyekuru was sent back to Galatasary again, this time hitting five goals and four assists in just 15 Super Lig appearances.

However, the French side had clearly made their mind up on Onyekuru at that point, selling him to Olympiacos last summer.

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The Nigerian’s crazy career would continue as after struggling to make his mark in Greece, he returned to Turkey again this season, signing for Adana Demirspor on loan.

Although he has started well there, with two goals and two assists in the league, it seems clear that he never would have made it at Everton when you consider his career since leaving, and therefore Moshiri deserves credit for somehow managing to make a profit on him.

Liverpool scouts have returned positive reports about Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves amid the Reds’ search for a midfield addition, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Riddled with injuries

Jurgen Klopp’s side got off to an infuriating beginning to the season after failing to win any of their opening three Premier League games – making this their worst start to a campaign in ten years despite the big win against Bournemouth.

Whilst not an excuse, the Reds are riddled with injuries in the midfield. They are currently without the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, leaving veteran James Milner to pick up the slack in the middle of the park.

As a result, Klopp has now conceded the fact that Liverpool must dip into the transfer market for a new midfielder ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.

The Latest: Neves reports

According to 90min, Liverpool scouts have written a number of reports on players who could potentially join the club at Anfield this summer.

Only a few options seem to fit with the Reds’ criteria, but one of the players included is Wolves star Neves, who has been linked with a move to Merseyside in the past.

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders previously worked with the 25-year-old at Porto and has since claimed that he “always interests” the Reds in the transfer market.

The Verdict: Great signing?

When looking at Neves’ underlying stats, a wide range of attributes come to the forefront, illustrating a great balance of skills to lead a side in the midfield.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the Portugal international ranks in the 88th percentile for passes attempted, in the 82nd percentile for clearances and in the 81st percentile for non-penalty goals and shots total, displaying his well-rounded game.

Possessing a likeness to West Ham star Declan Rice, Neves is already Premier League proven, meaning he can slot straight into Klopp’s XI without struggling to make an instant impact.

Therefore, Neves, who has been dubbed ‘outstanding’ by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers, could be a brilliant addition to Liverpool’s struggling squad.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Callum Hudson-Odoi in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that the Magpies are weighing up a potential swoop to sign the English winger in the coming weeks.

Amanda Staveley was pictured with Chelsea chiefs at Stamford Bridge in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham and the reporter has added that the Toon are looking at two Blues players. 

He Tweeted: “Newcastle’s owners also being hosted by Behdad Egbali. NUFC interested in Conor Gallagher and considering Callum Hudson-Odoi.”

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

By striking a deal to sign the youngster, Eddie Howe could form an exciting wing pairing with Hudson-Odoi and Allan Saint-Maximin this season.

Both players are impressive dribblers with the quality to make things happen in the final third and they could get fans off their seats at St. James’ Park.

In the top-flight last term, Saint-Maximin completed 62% of his dribble attempts and created 1.4 chances per match for the Magpies. Matt Ritchie, who only started 14 matches, was the only player with more key passes (1.6) per game for the club, which shows how important the Frenchman was to the attack as he provided creativity on the wing.

Meanwhile, talent scout Jacek Kulig once claimed that Hudson-Odoi has “huge potential” and his career to date suggests that is a fair comment.

The 21-year-old has already racked up 126 appearances for Chelsea and been capped three times by England, winning the Europa League and the Champions League with his club in that time. He has scored 16 goals and registered 22 assists for their first team, including 12 assists in 72 Premier League outings.

In the 2021/22 top-flight campaign, he created 1.7 chances per game and completed 62% of his attempted dribbles – playing 15 times in total. This shows that he has the ability to skip past defenders more often than not and he has the end product to make something happen at the top end of the pitch when he gets into good positions.

These statistics would have made the £120k-per-week gem the most creative player in the Newcastle team last term and he was on par with Saint-Maximin in terms of the efficiency of his dribbling.

Now, imagine both of them running down the wings and committing defenders with their trickery before creating chances for their teammates with their ability on the ball. It is an exciting prospect and one that the club should look to make a reality as they consider swooping for him.

Liverpool reportedly have no intention of selling legendary forward Roberto Firmino this summer due to Jurgen Klopp’s affection for the player.

The Lowdown: Firmino linked with Juve move

In the last few days, the Brazilian has been linked with a summer exit from Anfield, with Serie A giants Juventus emerging as potential suitors.

Firmino’s current Liverpool deal expires at the end of this season, at which point he will be able to move elsewhere on a free transfer, should no new contract have been agreed.

Thankfully, it doesn’t look as though the 30-year-old will be departing in the coming weeks, with the Brazilian press leaking news from the dressing room.

The Latest: Brazilian not going anywhere

According to the reliable Goal Brasil [via Sport Witness], Juve are still ‘monitoring’ Firmino this summer but he has Klopp’s ‘approval in the dressing room’ and won’t be going anywhere.

It is stated that a ‘giant offer’ could turn Liverpool’s head, but that seems unlikely.

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The Verdict: Keep him for years

This is a positive update from a Reds perspective, with Firmino an undoubted Anfield legend, having registered 172 goal involvements (98 goals and 74 assists) in 327 appearances for the club, not to mention winning countless trophies along the way.

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He has looked fresh in pre-season and may begin the new campaign in Klopp’s starting XI as Darwin Nunez adjusts to life at his new club, and he has years left in him at a high level.

For that reason, Firmino will hopefully extend his stay at Liverpool in the near future, continuing to cement his legendary status, even if he is more of a squad player moving forward. He has been hailed as ‘incredibly smart’ by Klopp, which speaks volumes about his brilliance and importance to the system.

Rangers are reportedly close to securing a loan deal for an American midfielder.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report by Chris Jack in the Glasgow Times, the Ibrox club are close to finalising a deal for Malik Tillman which would see him spend the upcoming season on loan with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

With 109 appearances under his belt for Bayern Munich across their senior and youth teams, the 20-year-old – who is valued around the €2m (£1.6m) mark according to CIES – has scored 40 goals and delivered 25 assists along the way.

This shows the experience he has of playing at one of Europe’s top clubs and the ability he has at providing an attacking and creative threat based on the goals and assists he has accumulated.

Bearing in mind how Aaron Ramsey has now concluded his loan deal with the Gers, his exit could have paved the way for the Premiership club to bring in another midfielder who can add an extra attacking factor to the team, such as the Bayern starlet.

Great news for Van Bronckhorst

To further highlight what sort of player Tillman is, former Germany under-17 coach Michael Feichtenbeiner has previously been full of praise for the youngster, who has since switched his allegiances to the United States.

Feichtenbeiner said: “In general, he’s very good on the ball. He can create combinations, chances. He can also score. He’s a good midfielder, a No.8 for us, who can work defensively. But he’s better in attack. He has very good skills to spot the other players.”

In addition, Bayern’s academy boss Jochen Sauer said about Tillman: “Malik’s one of the younger lads in the U19s, but he’s a beast physically. He has very, very good technique. He’s difficult to nudge off the ball. He’ll get even better if he becomes more dynamic.”

Having only made four senior league appearances for Bayern last season, the prospect of potentially getting regular game-time at a big club like Rangers would surely be an exciting one for the youngster and give him the eagerness to do all he can while he’s in Glasgow.

Taking all this into account, this news that the Gers are closing in on securing a deal for the American would surely have Van Bronckhorst buzzing, as the player clearly seems to have the talent to be a fine addition to the squad at Ibrox.

AND in other news – In talks: Journalist relays big Rangers transfer claim that’ll leave supporters gutted

Wolves are interested in making a move for Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Downes impresses for Swansea

The 23-year-old was a regular for the Swans throughout last season, making 37 appearances in the Championship and excelling in front of the defence.

Flynn averaged an incredible 92.6% pass completion rate in the league, highlighting his class on the ball, with Russell Martin describing the workaholic as ‘incredible’.

A move to the Premier League could now be on the cards this summer, with a fresh report suggesting there is lots of interest from the top tier.

The Latest: Wolves eye up move

According to Wales Online, Wolves are one of several top-flight sides eyeing up a move for Downes, with Southampton and Crystal Palace also mentioned.

The six-time capped England Under-20 international’s current Swansea deal doesn’t expire until 2025, however, so a sizeable bid may be required.

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The Verdict: Perfect for midfield depth

While Downes is completely unproven in the Premier League, his aforementioned passing statistics suggest he could make the step up from the Championship.

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Wolves are clearly looking at midfield reinforcements this summer, with Ruben Neves expected to move on, and the Swansea man could add depth in that position.

A more marquee midfield signing would also be required, such as Matheus Nunes, but Downes has the ability to thrive for Wanderers in the long term, having also averaged 1.3 tackles per game last season to accompany his wondrous ability on the ball.

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Dean Henderson heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to 90Min, the Magpies have reached an agreement with the England international over personal terms as they attempt to bring him to St. James’ Park.

The report claims that talks are ongoing with Manchester United over whether the deal would be a permanent one or on loan for the 2022/23 campaign, with a fee in the region of £20m touted.

This comes after Fabrizio Romano revealed that the club have agreed on a fee with Stade Reims for 19-year-old French striker Hugo Ekitike.

He’ll leave Eddie Howe speechless

Forget the Ligue 1 centre-forward for now… the Magpies head coach will be buzzing with a potential deal for Henderson as he would love the shot-stopper to be on Tyneside next season.

The Red Devils gem is an exciting prospect who has the potential to leave Howe speechless with his ability between the sticks.

He is a proven Premier League performer as he has enjoyed two excellent seasons in the top-flight for two different teams. In the 2020/21 campaign – for his parent club – Henderson averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 6.94 in 14 appearances as he saved a whopping 77% of the shots against him.

The ‘keeper also impressed at Bramall Lane on loan, with his former Sheffield United teammate Sander Berge previously showering him in praise, saying: “He’s insane. I’ve never been with such a good goalkeeper. One thing in matches, he is almost a defence alone at times, and you feel so secure with him.

“But people have to see him at training. It’s crazy. He saves balls from one yard. Sometimes I am completely speechless by how good he is. It’s like having two goalkeepers in goal with him. He’s awesome.”

In the 2020/21 campaign for Chris Wilder’s side, Henderson averaged a sublime score of 7.00 and saved 75% of the shots against him as he kept 13 clean sheets in 36 games.

His statistics are outstanding and Berge’s inside insight backs up that the Englishman is a top-quality goalkeeper, whilst he still has plenty of time left to develop at the age of 25.

He can be a player Howe works with at Newcastle for a number of seasons, given his quality and age, and that is why he would love to work with him.

Hopefully, PIF and Dan Ashworth can now reach an agreement with Manchester United to make this a permanent move so that Henderson can make the Toon head coach speechless with his stunning displays between the sticks for many years to come.

AND in other news, “In talks…”: Fabrizio Romano delivers NUFC transfer claim that’ll delight supporters…

Celtic are ‘monitoring’ Manchester City pair Ko Itakura and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, according to reliable journalist Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Busy summer for Ange

The Hoops have completed a triumphant 2021/22 season, having won both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup, with transfers now taking centre stage.

Ange Postecoglou will be eyeing up a host of names who he believes will make his squad more formidable, with a return to the Champions League on the horizon.

While established players need to come and enhance the options at Postecoglou’s disposal, it is also important that emerging talent is added.

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The Latest: Ange ready to strike

According to Joseph on Twitter, Celtic and Ange are keen on signing City pair Itakura and Harwood-Bellis this summer:

“Celtic are monitoring Manchester City duo Ko Itakura and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.”

Itakura has spent the season on loan at Schalke, and is 25 years of age, while youngster Harwood-Bellis (20) has been at Stoke City on a temporary basis.

The Verdict: Planning for the future

Whether or not these would be permanent moves remains to be seen, but signing both players could prove to be shrewd business by Postecoglou.

Ikatura made 30 starts in the Bundesliga II in 2021/22, shining at centre-back, while fellow central defender Harwood-Bellis enjoyed 22 Championship starts for Stoke, averaging three aerial duel wins per game.

With Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt set to be first-choice next season, if the former signs permanently, these two could be strong backup options.

In other news, Joseph has also dropped a Celtic transfer claim. Read more here.