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Frank Lampard made some excellent decisions during the summer transfer market that have given Everton a solid foundation to build on this season as they chase a top-half Premier League finish.

Signing Conor Coady, James Tarkowski and Amadou Onana has created a spine in the team which has seen them concede just 12 goals in 11 top flight fixtures so far.

With the January window fast approaching, the onus is on Lampard to move a few players who aren’t justifying their wage, and defender Yerry Mina should be one of them.

 Mina must go

The Colombian centre-back is earning £120k-per-week and having played just once in the Premier League this season due to injury, he is not justifying this massive weekly outlay.

In fact, since joining the Toffees in the summer of 2018 from Barcelona, Mina has missed 60 matches for the club, playing 91 times in over four seasons.

According to Calcio Dangolo (via Sport Witness), AS Roma are interested in bringing Mina to Serie A as they are on the hunt for a centre-back.

With his contract expiring at the end of the season and the club not willing to renew his deal, recouping some of the £27.2m fee they splashed out on the player will be one of Lampard’s main aims during the winter window.

With Coady and Tarkowski forming an excellent partnership in the heart of the defence, even when Mina does become fit, there is no guarantee he will oust any of them from the starting XI.

Journalist Martin Mucha described Mina as a “titan” following his performances for Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, becoming the first defender to score in their first three matches in the competition.

With Lampard aiming to significantly reduce the wage budget, helped by the departures of Fabian Delph, Jonjoe Kenny and Cenk Tosun, moving on Mina will suit all parties.

Hopefully, the club can get some sort of fee for him in January and potentially use this to improve other areas of the team.

Leeds United are reportedly close to securing their second senior signing of the summer, with Daniel Farke clearly targetting a true area of weakness.

Is Karl Darlow joining Leeds United?

That's according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to issue an update on the Whites' latest pursuit in the market.

With a deal for Ethan Ampadu having been tied up earlier in the window, it now seems like a goalkeeper has become an area of priority, The backline has obviously been earmarked as a position in desperate need of renovation.

The Italian journalist wrote:

"Leeds United are closing in on Karl Darlow deal as the verbal agreement is in place with Newcastle, waiting to clarify on final details. Almost there."

With just two years left on his current £30k-per-week deal at St James' Park, and chances having been limited since Nick Pope's arrival, to trade Tyneside for west Yorkshire marks a no-brainer for the 32-year-old seeking to squeeze some added life out of the twilight years of his career.

How good is Karl Darlow?

With 100 appearances for the Magpies, the experienced shot-stopper has been a fine servant for the club, stepping in when needed with his acrobatic, athletic and often eccentric performances.

In fact, when compared to others in his position across Europe, the former Nottingham Forest gem ranks in the top 1% for touches per 90, suggesting a desire to be constantly involved in the play even if it can provide some risky moments.

Last season saw him enjoy a fine stint on loan at Hull City though, where he showcased his safety in between the sticks, as a key factor in driving the Tigers towards safety.

He would maintain a 7.08 average rating across the 12 Championship appearances he mustered, keeping five clean sheets and making 2.9 saves per game, at a success rate of 71%, via Sofascore. That rating would have made him comfortably Leeds' best performer last season.

Darlow clearly offers a much safer pair of hands than Illan Meslier, and in signing him he would arguably fix the club's greatest issue from last campaign.

The young Frenchman was a mainstay in a backline that shipped 78 goals, the most in the entire Premier League as they fell to the drop.

For all the attacking impetus they threatened to possess, it was always marred by a lack of organisation that could see them undone at a moment's notice.

It also did not help that their 23-year-old goalkeeper was incredibly prone to errors, as he made three which directly led to a goal (joint-second worst in the Premier League), maintaining an abysmal 6.65 average rating in the league, via Sofascore.

By signing Darlow, not only would they hopefully eradicate these mistakes, but his experience and quality far surpass that of his potential predecessor. He would bolster their defence tenfold, and in turn, solve the club's standout issue.

Former Whites midfielder and now pundit Carlton Palmer had recently suggested that the capture of the keeper would represent fine business for whoever pulled it off, noting:

"This would be a shrewd bit of business. He spent the second half the season on loan at Hull where he was outstanding".

Now that it seems like the Elland Road outfit are the ones set to enjoy his presence, Farke can perhaps move on to some more exciting offensive deals, safe in the knowledge that his big problem is solved for now, with the additions of both Darlow and Ampadu.

West Bromwich Albion might have found the man who can fill their current managerial vacancy…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, Ron Gourlay has compiled a lengthy list of potential candidates for the job.

Headlining it is Swansea City manager Russell Martin, who has impressed already in the Championship.

With the managerial search reaching a third day now since Steve Bruce was sacked, they will want to act quickly.

The report also detailed names such as Carlos Corberan, clearly outlining how the Baggies are looking for a more progressive coach than their last.

He can rebuild their mentality

With West Brom currently sitting in the relegation zone, they are hardly an attractive proposition for managers in a job.

Especially the likes of Martin, who has motivated his Swans side to four straight victories as they take up a playoff spot this season.

His sides play a very specific way, and he is clearly a manager who is determined to stick to his principles no matter what.

Perhaps if Gourlay can tempt the 36-year-old to join, he would be the perfect fit to take his possession-based style and apply it to a side that are averaging 57.5% possession a game.

They are lacking a ruthlessness that is holding them back and applying principles that would ensure a solidity that has clearly worked for his Welsh outfit might help propel the Baggies up the table.

If he were to join, he would have the tough task of turning around a side that are winless in their last eight league games.

However, he has a track record of building a mentality that could benefit the Midlands outfit.

As aforementioned, he is a staunch believer in his tactical ideas. This was showcased in a viral video that showed the manager telling his players: “If it doesn’t work and I get sacked, at least I get sacked doing something I believe in. I don’t get sacked regretting that I have bowed on my principles.”

Speaking about that video, he said something with regard to mentality that would please fans of the club he might join.

He claimed: “It wasn’t a big deal to me – it was just common sense. It helped us build a bit of siege mentality. It was like: ‘Look, no one believes we can do this and no one wants us to be successful doing this.’”

Martin might be the perfect young and progressive manager they need, to turn the Baggies into a side that teams will soon fear.

Glen Kamara is reportedly ‘a doubt’ for Glasgow Rangers ahead of their game at Ibrox in the UEFA Champions League tonight.

The Lowdown: Must win

The match at home to Liverpool tonight is already looking like a must win for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side if they have any chance of carrying on their European journey beyond the group stages.

They are currently six points behind the Premier League outfit in the table, but could close the gap to three with a win, which would put them in a decent position to qualify out of the group, especially if Napoli beat Ajax.

The Latest: Kamara concern

Taking to Twitter, Gers reporter for The Athletic Jordan Campbell has shared that while there are no new injuries ahead of the Liverpool clash, Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Kamara is ‘a doubt’ after picking up a knock:

“Van Bronckhorst says there are no new injuries for the game against Liverpool, although Glen Kamara is a doubt as he picked up a knock.”

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The Verdict: Not ideal

Although there are no other new injury concerns going into the match, Kamara being a doubt is certainly not ideal.

In the Champions League so far, the Finland international has ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average interceptions, blocks, key passes and pass success (WhoScored), and the Light Blues could do with his experience in such a huge game at Ibrox.

Nonetheless, Van Bronckhorst will be hoping that his latest injury is not serious enough to rule him out of the squad altogether, and perhaps the 26-year-old could be called upon from the bench if needed.

Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh suffered an injury scare for the U21s against Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday evening.

The Lowdown: 5-3 win

Michael Skubala’s U21s began their EFL Trophy campaign with an entertaining 5-3 victory over League Two side Tranmere Rovers.

The Whites named an attacking side that included Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt, Wilfried Gnonto, Sonny Perkins and Mateo Joseph. Gelhardt netted twice, and goals from Perkins, Joseph and Drameh sealed an impressive victory.

However, it may have come at a cost, with Drameh, who started against Brentford in the Premier League last month, suffering an injury scare.

The Latest: Tranmere ‘knock’

Leeds journalist Joe Donnohue was at Prenton Park for the game on Tuesday evening and shared news of a ‘knock’ for Drameh.

He relayed comments from Skubala, who stated that the 20-year-old was due to be assessed on Wednesday, but there is no word yet on the severity.

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Drameh has missed just one of Jesse Marsch’s Premier League squads this season, with the Leeds boss heaping praise on the full-back back in August.

He seems to be in the mix alongside Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling at Elland Road, so it would be a shame if his injury proves to be serious, harming his long-term development and the manager’s depth.

Donnohue labelled Drameh as a ‘level above’ on Tuesday, while former Cardiff City manager Steve Morison described the defender as ‘excellent’ during his loan spell last season, so fingers crossed he can be back playing and pushing his way into the first-team once more relatively soon.

Arsenal are a side who have reaped the benefits of possessing an impressive academy set up in recent years, with the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka having all graduated from the Gunners’ youth ranks before establishing themselves as regulars in Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad.

However, arguably one of the club’s most talented academy prospects in recent memory, Reiss Nelson, is yet to fulfil his undoubted potential at The Emirates. And, with a matter of months remaining on his current contract in north London, time is running out for the 22-year-old to prove he has what it takes to make it at the club.

Indeed, former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, previously stated his belief that Nelson “has shown that he can dribble, go past people and he isn’t fazed by the occasion,” while legendary Gunners centre-back Martin Keown claimed that the winger “showed the sort of touches you often see or associate with a Neymar or a real top player.”

There has been evidence of these claims on the pitch, with the £5.85m-rated talent having impressed during a loan spell at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim back in 2018/19, scoring seven goals and registering one assist over his 23 Bundesliga appearances, with Julian Nagelsmann going as far as to compare the attacker to another of Arsenal’s former academy graduates, Serge Gnabry.

Regarding Nelson, the former Hoffenheim manager said: “Reiss is a player whose qualities can be compared to those of Serge Gnabry, but just not so well developed.”

And, considering the fact that Gnabry now boasts a market valuation of £72m – having scored 67 goals and registered 43 assists over 182 appearances for Bayern Munich – just eight years after he left Arsenal for a measly £4.5m, it would appear extremely wise for the Gunners to learn their lesson from the 27-year-old’s rise and hand Nelson one more chance to impress before the end of his current deal.

Indeed, it is undeniable that the academy prospect possesses the potential to be a massive success in the professional game, perhaps even going on to match the level of the Germany international, but whether or not this development occurs at The Emirates looks to solely depend on whether or not Arteta affords the £15k-per-week starlet a final opportunity in an Arsenal shirt.

Everton remain unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and finally picked up their first three points last weekend when they hosted West Ham United at Goodison Park.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team is starting to gel and work well together, improving upon the disastrous campaign in the league last season that left the side in a difficult relegation battle, and there is no doubt the new signings made this summer have made a huge difference.

With James Tarkowski and Conor Coady forging a formidable centre-back partnership and Neal Maupay working well in the front line alongside Anthony Gordon, the future is looking bright for the Toffees, and a comfortable finish in the top flight is looking more achievable than it ever has over the last 18 months.

One newly acquired player who has been making a huge impact in the centre of the pitch is Amadou Onana, with the midfielder becoming the positive presence Lampard desperately needed to improve the quality of play in the midfield.

Last month, French football expert Julien Laurens heaped praise on the £33.5m Everton dynamo, comparing him to World Cup winner Paul Pogba:

“He’s a very exciting player, a midfielder who can play pretty much all across the midfield. For me he’s a great box-to-box because he’s powerful, he’s good on the ball, he’s tall, he’s strong, he will drive the ball very well.

“He’s very much like a (Aurelien) Tchouameni, or a Paul Pogba, but he’s got more of a defensive mind as well.”

That defensive mind has had a huge contribution to the Toffees’ ability to go unbeaten in the Premier League over their last five outings as he’s made 2.8 tackles, won 1.2 interceptions, completed 1.7 clearances and won six duels per game so far. Thus, Lampard will be thrilled he finally has a midfielder he can truly rely on to leave everything on the pitch in his performance.

Thanks to the signing of Onana, the Everton boss can finally ditch out-of-favour Allan with speculation that the £21m Brazilian dud could be about to make his exit from Goodison Park over the coming days and weeks.

Lampard spoke out in his pre-match press conference over the weekend about the midfielder’s exclusion from the team over the season so far:

“You have to make those decisions sometimes. We’ll see over the next week or two.”

The £120k-per-week midfielder who was dubbed “slow” by Gabriel Agbonlahor doesn’t appear to have any chance of getting back into this team after Lampard acquired the services of Onana and James Garner this summer, and now the team are performing with stability this season without Allan it is looking like his days are numbered.

With that being said, Lampard has a big decision to make on the Brazilian’s future at the club as he is not only one of the oldest members of the squad at 31 years old, but also one of the highest earners and if he is not in the manager’s plans he has to go.

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is set to lose his place in the team for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Ajax, according to Paul Joyce of The Times. 

The lowdown

The Reds host Ajax on Match-day Two in Group A, looking to muster a response to last week’s 4-1 defeat against Napoli.

Gomez started that game alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence but was withdrawn at half time, with Joel Matip sent on in his place.

Jurgen Klopp has picked the Englishman for the last five games in all competitions after Matip and Ibrahima Konate both suffered injuries.

The latest

Joyce reports that Klopp is expected to make at least one tactical change to his line-up when the Eredivisie outfit visit Anfield.

Gomez is likely to be dropped to the bench, with Matip partnering Van Dijk instead.

The verdict

Gomez can, ultimately, have few complaints off the back of his display in Naples.

His SofaScore rating of 6.1/10 was the second lowest in the Liverpool side, bettering only James Milner (5.6).

He gave the ball away in his own defensice third twice, and while Van Dijk bailed him out in the first instance through a goal-line clearance, he was punished the second time round as Giovanni Simeone scored.

Matt Addison of Liverpool.com called it a ‘woeful’ display, podcaster Joseph Cousins dubbed him a ‘liability’ and journalist James Martin said he’d endured an ‘absolute nightmare’.

Celtic were left to reflect on what might have been on Wednesday evening, as the Parkhead outfit were held to a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in what was a lively Champions League group stage encounter.

Although Ange Postecoglou’s side were finally able to get a point on the board after having slipped to a 3-0 defeat at home to 14-time champions Real Madrid last week, the overriding feeling will have been one of frustration, with the Hoops once again coming up short in front of goal.

As was the case against Los Blancos, last night’s clash in Warsaw saw the Old Firm side spurn a number of clearcut chances to surge ahead, after the explosive Mykhaylo Mudryk had cancelled out an early own goal from Artem Bondarenko.

Both Daizen Maeda and Giorgos Giakoumakis inexplicably fired wide late on with the Glasgow side having firmly taken control of proceedings, as the ‘visitors’ were ultimately forced to settle for a point against the Ukrainian outfit.

The aftermath of that stalemate has seen skipper Callum McGregor criticised for his “terrible decision” to chase the ball in the build-up to Shakhtar’s equaliser – in the words of Chris Sutton – although one man who also somewhat underwhelmed was usual talisman, Jota.

While the Portuguese magician did offer a typically devastating threat off the flanks, the 23-year-old was arguably far more wasteful in possession than usual, notably squandering possession on 20 occasions in his 90-minute outing – the most of any player on the night.

Arguably the most “infuriating” element of his performance, however – according to journalist Sam Tabuteau – was the former Benfica man’s failure to “pull the trigger” despite having a clear sight on goal, having twice fashioned a brilliant opening for himself.

In two almost identical scenarios, the fleet-footed gem had majestically weaved his way into the opposition box, only to then belatedly decide to shoot after seemingly doing too much to try and deceive the opposition.

While it may be somewhat harsh to criticise a player who has sparkled for the Hoops to date – with 35 goal contributions in just 48 games thus far – the £6.75m-rated man appears to still have a way to go to truly become the finished article.

Fulham have been linked with Jason Denayer recently and the free agent could prove to be the next Joachim Andersen in Marco Silva’s side.

Recent reports have suggested that Fulham could look to bring in the Belgian centre-back, who is available on a free transfer after leaving Olympique Lyon earlier in the summer.

The former Manchester City man enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career thus far in France, making 139 appearances for Les Gones, in which he contributed eight goals and three assists.

Denayer has experience of Premier League football, having featured 27 times for Sunderland during a loan spell in the 2016/17 season and could return to the top flight a much better player than the one who left Manchester City for Lyon in 2018.

Last season saw the 27-year-old defender make just 15 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lyon, so it is easy to see why he left the club on a free transfer, but Fulham could be the ones to benefit.

Should he arrive at Craven Cottage, he could prove to be another Andersen, with the Danish defender becoming a fan favourite at the club during the 2020/21 Premier League season despite relegation from the top flight.

The centre-back, who joined Fulham on loan from Lyon, looked a cut above in the Cottagers’ side and was ranked by WhoScored as their fourth-best performer across the season of those to make at least 10 starts.

He has since gone on to establish himself as a solid centre-back in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, with his physicality and passing ability evident in his performances for the Eagles.

Andersen’s former coach Svend Graversen spoke highly of the defender’s passing ability to The Athletic, saying:

“He was the leader in defence — I put him at centre-back but he was normally a midfielder. You could see the calmness on the ball, his awareness, especially the space in front of him in the defence was very good.”

Denayer could emulate this in Fulham’s side should he make the move to Craven Cottage, as FBref ranks him in the top percentile for pass completion when compared to other centre-backs.

Even as a youngster, Denayer’s ability on the ball as a defender was evident, as former Belgium boss Marc Wilmots testified.

He said: “Always calm. I’ve never seen him nervous; he has a lot of confidence and there will be someone with experience standing next to him.”

Therefore, the similarities between Andersen and Denayer are clear to see and considering he is available on a free transfer, it is surely a no-brainer for Silva to bring him to Craven Cottage.