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• Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure

  Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.

  The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.

  In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.

  He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.

  "It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.

  "It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."

  Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.

• McAllister 'can't visualise Liverpool without Van Dijk' amid exit rumours

  Liverpool legend Gary McAllister cannot visualise the Reds without captain Virgil van Dijk, with the defender having entered the final year of his contract at Anfield.  

  Van Dijk has played a talismanic role since joining Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018, making 197 Premier League appearances for the club.

  Since his debut, only Mohamed Salah (229), Trent Alexander-Arnold (211), Andy Robertson (209) and Alisson (201) have played more league matches for the Reds.

  The Dutchman has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies with the Reds, taking the captain's armband when Jordan Henderson departed last year. 

  However, he has entered the final 12 months of the four-year contract he signed in 2021, and when Jurgen Klopp announced his departure earlier this year, the centre-back admitted he "didn't know" whether he would continue with the club.

  McAllister, however, expects him to stay put, telling Stats Perform: "He's such a pivotal player and he's a fantastic leader, he's the captain of the club. 

  "I can't visualise Liverpool without Virgil van Dijk. So my feeling and the feeling of most of the people in and around the club is that we need him to stay."

   

  Van Dijk is not the only Liverpool stalwart with an uncertain future, with Salah also out of contract at the end of the season and attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League.

  Salah scored 18 Premier League goals in 2023-24, making it the least prolific season of his seven-year stay on Merseyside, but McAllister says he has nothing to prove.

  "Mo has been simply sensational right from the day he arrived," McAllister said.

  "His goal stats, his assist stats, every stat that you can throw in, all the records that he's broken… he's just got to do what he's done every year that he's been here. 

  "I'm sure the new manager will be leaning on him.

  "He's now a senior player, Mo, he's a player who's got vast experience, he's a world icon, he's an iconic footballer, he's going to be such a massive player for the club this season."

   

  Salah will hope to get more support from fellow attacker Cody Gakpo in 2024-25, with the Dutchman earning a share of the Golden Boot at Euro 2024 with three goals, after only netting eight times in a frustrating 2023-24 campaign. 

  McAllister hopes Liverpool's appointment of Gakpo's compatriot Arne Slot will help him kick on, saying: "That'll help, the fact the manager and Gakpo are both Dutchmen. 

  "It was his first full season at the club, I thought he had some good games, bad games, so his form was a little bit up and down. 

  "But I agree, during the Euros, Gakpo was one of the Netherlands' best players and he got his goals as well. He'll gain from that experience, the fact that he did well.

  "The fans will feel like they've got a new signing, I think you'll see a young man coming in with more confidence and feeling that he's now a proper Liverpool player."

• Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli

  Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday. 

  Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.

  The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison. 

  Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side. 

  The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season. 

  “I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club. 

  "This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.

  “I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.

  “I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."

  The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.

  Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third. 

  "Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche. 

  "He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."