Sports
David Moyes Has Huge £53m Problem to Solve After Sunderland Draw
Monday night’s Premier League tie ended in a stalemate, as Everton were held to a 1-1 draw by high-flying Sunderland. And manager David Moyes has a clear problem to address if he wants to take the Merseysiders to the next level.
The visitors made a bright start on the night, with James Garner nearly opening the scoring in a matter of seconds. And the Toffees did then take the lead through Iliman Ndiaye, as he weaved through the Sunderland defenders before then slotting the ball beyond Robin Roefs.
But the Black Cats steadily grew into the game, posing a regular threat to Jordan Pickford’s goal. Regis le Bris’ team levelled proceedings shortly after the break thanks to a wonderstrike from Granit Xhaka and put their opponents under sustained pressure for much of the second half.
Everton’s Strikers Go Missing vs Sunderland
While they had bright moments, chances came at a premium for Everton at the Stadium of Light. Although they are blessed with talented players across the pitch, including Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, it’s no secret that they have lacked real threat up front in 2025/26.
Beto has struggled for form, scoring just once in his last nine league games and Moyes had been urged to drop the 27-year-old prior to Monday night’s match. The Scottish manager obliged — out went Beto, and into the team came Thierno Barry, signed for £27m from Villarreal in the summer.
It was only his second start of the season, but the France under-21 international really struggled to make an impact on proceedings. Although he kept himself busy throughout the game, he squandered a huge chance in the first half to double Everton’s lead.
Check Out Barry’s Miss Below:
As his influence on proceedings gradually decreased, Moyes felt a change was necessary. Barry was taken off for Beto, as Everton went in search of a winner.
But Portuguese international was arguably even less effective than his teammate. The Toffees couldn’t fashion much of real note from open play, but their substitute striker really didn’t give them much to play off, with their £26m striker managing just nine touches in his 33-minute cameo.
That sentiment was shared by Jamie Carragher, who was far from complementary about both forwards during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game. The former Liverpool defender said: “I say this a lot — both of them play better when they don’t play. It makes you think that they’re better and then you put the other one in for the next game.”
“The big thing for Everton this season is to not be involved in a relegation scrap,” he continued. “They’ve got Fulham at the weekend, before the international break. It’s an important game to win, or definitely not to lose.
“I’m not saying that Everton will go down, but they don’t want to be looking over their shoulder. Everton need to find a striker. What they have right now is not good enough and that reason alone could mean that they’re looking over their shoulder between now and the end of the season.”
Ndiaye Could Offer Temporary Striker Fix
It’s obvious where Everton need to strengthen when the January transfer window opens, and they have already been linked with a few different names. Richarlison has been touted for a potential move back to the club, having scored 53 times in 152 games during his first stint.
But in the meantime, Moyes needs to look at alternative options to both Barry and Beto, as neither look to be an effective option up top. In the past, there have been calls to play Ndiaye centrally, given how effective he’s been in front of goal since arriving at the club in 2024.
While not ideal, considering how good the Senegal international has been cutting in from the wings, it would offer a temporary solution that would tie Everton over until they could bring in a more natural option. Moyes’ team are hardly firing on all cylinders right now, and persisting with their current strikers only seems like it will do more harm than good.
Celtic and Rangers are both in the race to sign an English defender in the summer transfer window.
The two Scottish clubs are often going head-to-head in battles for new signings due to being of similar stature.
Celtic might have an advantage over Rangers when it comes to battling for players in the current summer transfer window after they won the Scottish Premiership title last season.
Rangers will be looking to head in a new direction after appointing Derek McInnes as their manager, poaching him from fellow Scottish side Hearts.
Celtic will be looking for a little stability after it was confirmed that Martin O’Neill would continue as manager, signing a permanent deal after his temporary spell.
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Celtic and Rangers Battle for Defender
According to a report from journalist Pete O’Rourke, Celtic and Rangers are among the clubs keeping tabs on former West Brom defender Michael Parker in the summer transfer window.
Parker, who stands at around 6ft 4in, left West Brom back in February, making the move to Swedish side Orgryte IS.
The 21-year-old played 10 times in the top division in Sweden, but he’s now been tipped for a move back to the UK.
Parker also spent time on loan at Hereford last season, and he’s a central defender who can also play at left-back.
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Parker Has Plenty of Interest
Celtic and Rangers will need to ensure that they are able to offer Parker a pathway to senior football in the future.
The 21-year-old has plenty of interest, including from Anderlecht, Udinese, and Strasbourg, so it might not be easy for either Celtic or Rangers to win the race for his signature.
Parker hasn’t been playing at a strong level lately, so he might find it difficult to get up to speed in Scotland or at some of the other aforementioned clubs.
There’s every chance he would come in at academy level to begin with, but there’s no doubt he’ll still be looking to see a pathway to first-team football eventually.
Tottenham have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sandro Tonali this summer.
Spurs have had a busy start to the summer transfer window, signing three new defenders and bringing in a goalkeeper already and they are not done there.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has moved his transfer business further up the pitch, with Tottenham in talks to sign both Tonali and West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
Tottenham have already had an offer in the region of £75million rejected by Newcastle for the Italian and the Lilywhites are preparing to go back in with a new offer for the 26-year-old.
Spurs have already agreed terms with Tonali
Reports have suggested that personal terms will not be an issue, with Tottenham reportedly already agreeing to a £200,000-a-week contract with Tonali.
However, the biggest problem – aside from agreeing a fee with Newcastle – appeared to be the competition Spurs would face in trying to complete a deal.
Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Tonali, although their initial focus was on getting a deal over the line to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
That transfer finally looks set to go through, after City agreed on a £116million move to sign Anderson, with add-ons taking that figure past the British transfer record Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer.
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With question marks over the long-term future of Rodri at the Etihad Stadium, City, under new manager Enzo Maresca, will be looking for added reinforcements and Tonali is seen as the perfect candidate, despite the similarly large price tag on his shoulders compared with Anderson.
City are keen to have conversations with Newcastle over a move to sign Tonali, with an offer in the region of £95million being readied by the Citizens, according to Spanish publication Marca.
Man City plot alternative transfer move
However, City may well have turned their attentions elsewhere, due to Spurs’ long-standing pursuit of Tonali.
According to the Athletic, City are now looking at making a move to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan who has been shining at the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico so far this summer.
The Athletic report states that “Sandro Tonali is of interest but he has an offer from Tottenham – which is another factor influencing the interest in Bouaddi”.
Spurs will be keen to get Tonali to sign on the dotted ine and continue the transfer revolution going on under De Zerbi.
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Iran have posted a statement hitting out at US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for his comments after their World Cup exit.
Iran’s time at this year’s tournament in North America came to an end last weekend in dramatic fashion. After draws against Belgium and New Zealand, Team Melli knew a victory over Egypt in their final group match on Saturday would see them progress to the last 32.
Amir Ghalenoei’s side thought they had scored a last-gasp winner at Seattle Stadium when Shoja Khalilzadeh found the back of the net. The goal was chalked off for the tightest of offside calls, though, meaning they had to settle for a draw.
Despite that disappointment, Iran still had a chance of progressing as one of the eight best-performing third-placed sides. However, they were knocked out of the competition after Austria’s 96th minute equaliser against Algeria.
‘One of Donald Trump’s Key Allies’ Celebrates Iran’s World Cup Exit
Iran’s football team has faced multiple hardships during this summer’s World Cup amid the war between the two countries.
While Iran were allowed to play their matches in the United States, they were not allowed to stay in the country for a prolonged period and were forced to travel to and from Mexico in between games.
Iran lodged an official complaint to FIFA due to their travel issues, with head coach Amir Ghalenoei describing themselves as ‘the most oppressed’ team at the World Cup, while captain Mehdi Terami also hit out at FIFA and the United States for the hardships they were forced to endure.
Mullin, described as ‘one of Donald Trump’s key allies, has now expressed his relief at Iran’s group stage elimination in a World Cup briefing at the government’s Special Event Coordination Centre on Monday. He told reporters, per the Telegraph:
“I’m just glad they’re [Iran] done, and they’re not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance. I’m very happy they’re going back because there wasn’t a single team that we dealt with more than them.”
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Iran Hit Out at Mullin
Iran have not reacted well to Mullin’s comments. An official for the FFIRI said: “Iranians are used to the mistreatment and lies of US officials, so no one in Iran is surprised by these hostile remarks.
“These remarks once again demonstrate that U.S. officials have no commitment to international law or the principles expected of a host nation capable of organising a global sporting event.
“The fact that he openly celebrates Iran’s elimination says far more about him than it does about our team. It reflects a level of pettiness that cannot even tolerate the presence of a football team competing on the world’s biggest stage.
“After our match against New Zealand, our head coach [Amir Ghalenoei] said that the United States did not want Iran to remain in this tournament because of the inhumane and unprofessional treatment our team experienced. These latest comments only reinforce that belief.”
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