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Everton are trying to sign Argentinian teenager Santiago Sosa from River Plate this summer for a reported £13.25m.

Who is he?

The youngster has been linked with a move to the Toffees this summer in a move which would represent a significant step forward in his career, with Portuguese manager Marco Silva keen to add depth to his midfield.

Sosa is 20 years of age and was born in La Plata in Argentina, and plays for South American giants River Plate.

However, a move to the Premier League could be on even if attaining a work permit is likely to be an issue.

What’s his style of play?

Sosa represents a type of player Everton haven’t enjoyed at their club for a while, a player in the mould of Mikel Arteta who used to grace Goodison Park with classy displays under David Moyes.

It’s not too far-fetched to compare the two, at least in style. Sosa is also a defensive midfielder who boasts a lot of the same qualities needed to be a fantastic number 10. He’s got a tremendous range of pass, which is vital to the role he plays.

If he were to line up alongside Idrissa Gueye in the heart of the Everton midfield, you’d feel the Toffees man would be the engine and energy in the side while Sosa would deliver the calming influence and dictating role his team will need to break opposition teams down.

Sosa provides an out-ball for his teammates as well. While the Everton midfield is expected to be incredibly dynamic on the press and fluid in attacking motions, the Argentinian typically holds a very central position, waiting to receive the ball and recycle possession. His passing range, intelligence in his movement, and skill to get away from a tight situation gives him the quality needed to succeed at Goodison Park.

2018-19 in numbers

Last season Sosa played the defensive midfield role using his main strength, which is his passing range and ability to dictate the tempo of games. In his appearances this season the Argentine has averaged 37 passes per game and has a pass completion rate of 85.3%, according to WhoScored.

Defensively though, Sosa doesn’t stand out quite as much, averaging just 2.5 tackles per game.

This season River Plater finished fourth in the Primera Division league table, behind bitter rivals Boca Juniors. Anyone else enjoyed a similar path?

Gonzalo Higuain: The striker came from River Plate and enjoyed his football at Chelsea last term. He’s had wonderful spells at Real Madrid and Juventus while enjoying a plenty of game time with Argentina as well.

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Alexis Sanchez: The forward is currently at Manchester United having played for Barcelona and Arsenal as well, some of the biggest clubs in the world.

When will we see him?

The deal to bring Sosa to Everton reportedly hinges on a work permit and potential passport issues, but if all can be agreed and settled then fans should expect to see Sosa playing in the first-team next season – perhaps not immediately from the start though, as Silva would surely ease him in.

The ex-Watford boss has a reputation for trusting youngsters having given Richarlison his big move to the Premier League and using him regularly back in 2017-2018, so there’s no reason why he may not do the same again.

David Bentley will be sidelined for up to six months after undergoing a knee operation, in a further setback in the Tottenham man’s career.

The midfielder found opportunities at White Hart Lane hard to come by last season, and has not lived up to the £15 million price tag that Spurs paid for him back in July 2008.

Bentley was farmed out to West Ham on a season-long loan in the summer, but he will now be out until April after only making five appearances for the Championship team.

Upton Park boss Sam Allardyce has stated his disappointment at the news, and has wished Bentley good luck in his rehabilitation.

“It is a great shame for David as he had settled in well to the squad. We wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery,” he told West Ham’s official website.

The injury will be a blow for West Ham’s promotion bid; the Hammers currently sit in fourth place, four points behind leaders Southampton.

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By Gareth McKnight

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We mere mortals will never fully understand the feeling of being a professional sportsman/woman and dealing with day to day life in the spotlight. Football players seem to deal with the pressure well and don’t let performing in front of thousands of people each week effect them. However in the past few weeks and months, retired players have shown that life after football is anything but easy. If you were to quit your job, you may react differently to others, but what comes with being a professional footballer is hard to replace.

Anybody; like myself; who has not suffered with any mental issues such as depression will always find it difficult to fully understand exactly what it involves to be in that state of mind but it is becoming more in vogue than ever now and the seriousness of the situations are being explained.

There is no confirmation that any type of depression was involved in the tragic and shocking death of Wales manager Gary Speed towards the end of last year but since then more and more ex players have broken their silence regarding mental problems. Plenty of people are still confused about the Speed situation and a lot has yet to be cleared up to allow his supporters to understand exactly what brought him to end his own life.

Over the weekend, another footballing legend Dean Windass discussed how he attempted to kill himself due to pressures of life after football.

“I have cried every day for the last two years since retiring,” Windass told The People. “People outside football think we have it all. But I was in a hole that I honestly didn’t know how to get out of.

“Just over a week ago I hit rock-bottom and decided to end it all. I first took an overdose and when that didn’t work tried to hang myself. I felt so alone and believed I had nothing to live for.

“I need to sort myself out which is why I’m speaking out now.”

He added: “People have this image of me as this big strong man who can take anything life throws at him. But I’m not ashamed to say I wanted to end it after a string of setbacks. I knew I’d been a fool but I couldn’t shake off the depression at feeling what a failure I’d become.”

So, since Windass retired he has been unable to cope with life, something that may be becoming more common in the English football. It seems that football fans struggle to understand how hard it is to cope with a lifestyle that changes dramatically so quickly. For anyone to admit that they are suffering from this type of problem is always sad, but when it is one of your sporting heroes it is tough to watch.

The part-time Soccer Saturday pundit enjoyed a long career, that included a promotion winning goal for his boyhood club Hull City that sent them to the Premier League for the first time and it seems the highs have been hard to replicate since then.

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Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side Of Sport was on BBC1 last week and gave a heartfelt insight into how he and his fellow sportsman went through a similar situation as Windass while he was the England cricket captain. The stories that he spoke about and the way he was talking about them was so intriguing to watch and brought the situation home to a level where everyone could understand.

Since Speed’s tragic death the subject of depression in sport has finally been promoted and it is now a hot topic that will hopefully give the fans a chance to understand exactly why their idols may be dragged into doing some terrible things. If you get the chance, make sure you watch Freddie Flintoff’s show on BBCiplayer and always seek help when needed.

Do you really understand about depression in sport? What does it mean to you? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard

Despite the thrills and excitement that modern football provides us with, from the ever improving Premier League to the glamorous Champions League battles which are shown on our televisions, talked about on our radios and written about in our newspapers (and on the world wide web), football today is not all it’s cracked up to be. Today in modern football, there are all-seated stadiums, a variety of football boots and of course the celebrity footballers who are treated like movie and rock stars, but what about the football of ‘yesteryear’, the football that I am sure most of us grow up with and still like to remember.

Of course football today has improved in terms of fitness levels and professionalism which has coincided with the big money involved in the sport. It paints a very different picture from the football from the early 1990s to the start of the 1980s and an even different picture looking back further to the seventies and sixties eras – but as football fans, we do love to look back with a sense of joy and loss for football as we knew it.

I am sure most of us would like to see a few changes made in football today, with the cost of ticket prices or a cap on player wages, but the following Top Ten is on Football Nostalgia – what we used to love from the beautiful game that got lost in its own decade but still provides us with great memories. Join me for my Top Ten of Football Nostalgia….

Click on the League Ladder below to see the Top TEN

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PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has admitted that Carlos Tevez may be in line for new charges and fines from Manchester City due to his decision to travel back to Argentina.

The South American has had a controversial last year at the Etihad Stadium, handing in transfer requests and on numerous occasions expressing his desire to leave the Premier League club.

The latest indiscretion saw the striker refuse to warm up against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in late September, with City suspending the forward for two weeks and docking him four-weeks wages.

Tevez has been training by himself on his return to the club, but after being denied permission to return to his homeland, decided to go against his employer’s wishes and flew back to Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.

Taylor has tried to defend Tevez in the past, but fears the hot-headed forward may be liable for further sanctions from Roberto Mancini’s side.

“Bearing in mind what has happened recently, and the fact he was clearly told on more than one occasion that he was not to return to Argentina and that he was on his fitness regime here, he has flagrantly breached that instruction and that goes to the heart of the contract,” Taylor told The Telegraph.

“That could be gross misconduct in anybody’s language. I don’t want to predetermine, but I’m very concerned. It is a serious situation and one that the PFA aren’t happy about and, I assume, neither are Manchester City,” he concluded.

The in-discipline by Tevez is sure to influence City’s decision over his future, with a January sale now looking very likely.

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By Gareth McKnight

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New Newcastle signing Papiss Cisse had a dream debut against Aston Villa on Sunday, popping up with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for the Tyneside club.

Alan Pardew’s men were boosted by the return of Cisse and countryman Demba Ba from the African Cup of Nations, with the latter opening the scoring for the hosts in the first half, taking his Premier League goal count to 16 for the season.

Robbie Keane equalised in first half injury time to square things up at the break, before debutant Cisse stole the show and guaranteed three points for the Sports Direct Arena outfit.

Pardew is happy to keep the good run of form up, and knows that his Senegalese strike partnership will cause defences problems for the remainder of the season.

“It was a good win because Villa came here and looked lively. They looked lively first half,” he admitted to Sky Sports.

“Although they scored just before half-time, they deserved to be level. They deserved to be in the lead at half-time. We accepted that and second half we knew we had to be better and more controlled, and we were. We limited their breakaways on us and we got a bit of pressure building.

“Of course we got a dream goal for us, because he’s a new signing and he wanted to do well. It was a fantastic goal.

“We mustn’t get carried from the team ethic we have got here because the guys did brilliantly to get a result at Blackburn in the week and again we have put in a display here that has been strong.

“(James) Perch in midfield was brilliant. We had no Cheick (Tiote) today, no (Yohan) Cabaye, but we keep winning. That’s a great thing.

“Having said that, you still need great players because they change games. Papiss did that today and Demba has done it for us before. It was a real bonus that he got a goal on his debut.

“They are a dangerous pair. We have got dangerous strikers all over the place here because Shola (Ameobi) and Besty have done well, (Peter) Lovenkrands is there as well and (Hatem) Ben Arfa, so we have got firepower. We just need to tighten up a little bit more,” he concluded.

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The Geordies are in fifth place, and in battle for a top four finish as they are only a point behind Chelsea in fourth.

By Gareth McKnight

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As he approaches his 62nd birthday, Wenger’s future as Arsenal boss was being doubted like never before last week. You wouldn’t discount the possibility of Wenger clocking up 25 years at his club, like Ferguson, and managing on until his 70s. But Wenger has NEVER signed an established world-class footballer and has never even seemed to want to.

His belief in young talent and pure, passing football is admirable. But it is not enough to compete with the financial might of the Manchester clubs or Chelsea. And if he doesn’t think he is capable of making Arsenal a true force again, then he may start considering his exit strategy.

The great reigns in English football management have rarely had happy endings. Alf Ramsey was sacked by England and Bill Nicholson quit Tottenham as a victim of player power. Brian Clough simply went on for far too long, becoming a parody of himself and damaging his health as well as his reputation and legacy.

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Had Ferguson retired in 2002, as he had intended to, the whole Manchester United empire could easily have gone into meltdown – instead of a further five titles and three Champions League finals. But the Scot trusted his instinct and perhaps learned a lesson from Bill Shankly, the last manager to build a true dynasty of greatness at an English football club – and yet never stuck around to see his club conquer Europe. Shanks was a lost soul after shocking the football world by retiring in 1974, leaving his assistant Bob Paisley to carry off three European Cups.

The two managers I spent most of my career playing under both met unhappy ends. When Bill Nick quit Spurs in 1974, the club were still reaching cup finals but the manager began to realise he had “lost the dressing room”. I know from grim experience that Bill believed players should have been happy to play for Tottenham Hotspur for nothing – you should have tried negotiating a contract with the bloke! But a few years after I’d left, he started having to deal with more bolshy modern players, who started demanding bonuses and appearance money, and he ended up thinking: “This just isn’t my game any more.” Three years later, Spurs were relegated.

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As for Sir Alf, our World Cup-winning manager, he’d made too many enemies inside the FA. His was perhaps the only great reign in English football to end with a brutal, out-and-out sacking. In hindsight, he could have stood down after the 1970 World Cup, when England blew it against West Germany in the quarter-finals. Alf had stood up to the FA bigwigs so many times.

During the 1966 World Cup finals, he’d defied them when they demanded he dropped Nobby Stiles for his bruising style. And he’d spoken out against the culture which saw the blazered FA farts revelling in the reflected glory of having breakfast and dinner with the players on away trips. So as soon as England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, the same old boys were hardly going to hand Alf any leeway.

Even if Arsenal had been knocked out of the Champions League, it would surely have seemed unthinkable for them to treat such a great manager as Wenger quite so shabbily. As the old Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd once said: ‘You don’t sack a man like Sir Bobby Robson’. A few months before he went and sacked Sir Bobby Robson.

Barcelona rising star Cristian Tello is wanted by Liverpool ahead of the forthcoming summer transfer window, according to the Mirror.

Tello is currently enjoying his breakthrough season in the Barcelona first team and most recently appeared for 25 minutes in the midweek game at Milan, replacing Andres Iniesta as a substitute.

Liverpool have tracked their attention to the Iberian peninsula in search of talent for a number of years now and Tello could be the latest Spaniard to follow Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Fernando Torres’ footsteps in joining the Anfield club.

Tello who operates as a forward or on either flank is under contract at the Catalan club until 2014, but given Barcelona’s talent at their disposal, they may opt to loan the 20-year-old out to gain vital first-team experience abroad.

A number of Barcelona youngsters have previously moved to England, most notably Cesc Fabregas alongside Oriol Romeu, Daniel Pacheco and Fran Merida, but Tello has been an increasing fixture in Pep Guardiola’s squads and has struck three goals in eight appearances since his promotion from the Barcelona B set up alongside Isaac Cuenca.

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Tello could represent the attacking flair which is currently in short supply for Kenny Dalglish’s side who still remain 13 points away in the race for a Champions League qualification berth.

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Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has admitted that he is relishing the role of being the main forward at the club, after being bought to play as a second striker.

The Netherlands international is the top goalscorer in the Premier League and has been in scintillating form in the Gunners’ revival during the second half of the season.

However, Van Persie admits that he only got the opportunity to play as an out-and-out frontman after the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City.

“I was hoping to play as a second striker. I never thought I would end up as a main striker,” he confessed to The Sun.

“We only tried it when Adebayor went. The boss didn’t buy anyone else. He was convinced I could do it but I wasn’t.

“In my first five or six games I was making assists but I didn’t score and I thought, ‘I am a main striker now, I need to score’.

“When I scored my first goal I then scored seven in seven, with seven assists,” he stated.

There has still not been any news regarding Van Persie’s contract situation, with the marksman’s current deal at the Emirates Stadium expiring in the summer of 2013.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he would love star striker Robin van Persie to stay at the Emirates for the rest of his career.

The Netherlands international is the top goalscorer in the Premier League and one of the main reasons for The Gunners revival this season, but only has 18 months left on his current deal.

After watching the forward grab another brace in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Norwich on Saturday, Wenger has revealed his admiration for Van Persie.

“My dream is that Van Persie stays until the end of his career at this club,” he told Sky Sports.

“I will do the maximum I can to try to convince him and I hope I will manage to do that.

“Robin has some competitors there but he is one of the best of course. He is exceptional and has something that you cannot give to people.

“For the second goal, he finished with a chip on his right foot – and I have never seen a bigger left-footed player than Robin van Persie.

“He always makes the right decisions in a fraction of a second when there is little time available, that makes him exceptional,” he concluded.

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Arsenal are up to 7th place after the win and are joint on 22 points with Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool as their quest for a top four finish continues.

By Gareth McKnight

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