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Many Everton fans have been left to hail some early team news ahead of their home game versus Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Speaking to evertontv (via the official website of the Goodison Park faithful), Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that he Republic of Ireland international “will be back” to play against Sean Dyche’s team at the weekend.

The Merseyside club greatly missed their captain in their last match, a 2-0 away loss at the hands of Chelsea, a side with whom they are currently fighting for to finish in the UEFA Champions League qualification spots come the end of the 2020/21 term.

Coleman will offer a much more attacking threat than Mason Holgate, who has been filling in for the 32-year-old at right-back and is predominantly a central defender by trade.

Nonetheless, it will be great to see him back on the football pitch for the Toffees once more.

Everton fan reaction to Coleman news

These Blues hailed the news of his return on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far to claim that it was “excellent”:

“Good news, 100 mph straight out the blocks on Saturday COYB”

Credit: @MrGriff1878

“Excellent news”

Credit: @nikkiharg

“Good. Will add a more attacking threat than Holgate. Give him a rest.”

Credit: @Rochey1878

“Great news that”

Credit: @JackWilliams_24

“He really makes whoever plays RW better, Iwobi looks like a different player with Coleman”

Credit: @baldoochi

“We’ve missed that link up on the right”Credit: @SJxH22In other news, find out what recent Everton update has been lauded by fans here!

David Moyes must have a plan in place to strengthen his midfield in the summer transfer window after Mark Noble was tipped to quit West Ham United at the end of the season.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan claimed that the 2020/21 season could be Noble’s last at the London Stadium.

Whelan believes the £4m-rated veteran will still have the fire in his belly to go out and cut it elsewhere, as Noble will not want to see his playing career end on a whimper.

Moyes has awarded Noble starting roles in just three of the Hammers’ 23 Premier League fixtures thus far this term, while handing him a further nine outings from the bench for a total of only 279 minutes.

Ben Johnson (143) and Jesse Lingard (180) are the only outfield players currently at West Ham to have featured in the top-flight less often than Noble this season, but Whelan doubts the 33-year-old is ready to throw in the towel.

“He loves the club, he’s West Ham through and through but I think everyone will understand that if it’s his last year and he’s coming to the back end of his career, he needs to be playing and enjoying it, make the most of it and squeezing every last bit of juice out of the game that he’s got,” said Whelan.

“He doesn’t want to finish just being at West Ham and being a bit-part player, that’s not how people want to end their relationship with a club. I’m sure that he feels he’s got enough left in him to go and play another couple of seasons somewhere and be successful somewhere.

“He’ll still have that desire and appetite for the game, and I think it might be a farewell for him at the end of the season.”

Does Moyes have a Plan-B?

Noble is nearing the end of his current West Ham contract, with his £50,000-per-week terms due to expire in the summer. So, Moyes will need to have a Plan-B in place in case the midfielder decides to leave the London Stadium, to either hang up his boots or wear a jersey that’s not claret and blue next season.

It has been no surprise to see Noble struggle to get on the field for Premier League games this season, with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek both performing at superb levels in the two deep-lying roles of Moyes’ midfield.

Their efforts have left Noble forced to rely on a drop off in form from Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals or Manuel Lanzini to earn his three starts in the attacking role, and his chances have only gotten slimmer with the addition of Lingard on loan from Manchester United.

But Moyes cannot simply wave Noble goodbye at the end of the season, as the 33-year-old is currently his only senior depth behind Rice and Soucek, who – along with Aaron Cresswell – are the only Irons players to feature for all 2,070 minutes of regular time in the top-flight this term.

It is vital that Moyes and his recruitment team spend the coming months working with West Ham’s scouts to source a replacement, as well as a striker to fill Sebastien Haller’s void, as he could be despairingly thin of options next season in a campaign that may yet include European football.

AND in other news, West Ham are willing to take a £19m hit to offload an £85k-p/w flop…

Southampton have been linked with a move for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham ahead of the summer transfer window and, if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, he could be the dream successor to Danny Ings.

According to Eurosport, Southampton and West Ham have both enquired about signing the 23-year-old in the summer, as he has found himself on the fringes of the Chelsea squad since Thomas Tuchel arrived as manager.

The report suggests that the Blues will try and sign Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland in the summer, which would free up Abraham to leave, and Southampton could then look to bring him to the south coast.

Hasenhuttl’s side could find themselves without their own talismanic striker in the near future, with Ings yet to agree to a new deal with the Saints and his current contract set to expire at the end of next season.

It has been reported that the former Liverpool man would be keen to move to a club which can offer Champions League football next season, and considering Southampton’s woeful form in 2021 so far, it seems as if he will have to achieve that with another Premier League club.

Therefore, if he were to leave, Southampton would desperately need to bring in a replacement who can score goals, with Che Adams suffering a crisis of confidence in front of goal at the moment, his barren streak currently standing at 15 games.

Abraham has shown himself to be an excellent goalscorer in his time in the Championship and the Premier League, as he was prolific with both Bristol City and Aston Villa in the second tier before being given a chance under Frank Lampard in the top-flight.

He has 30 goals and 12 assists in just 80 appearances for the Blues but has fallen behind both Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud in the pecking order under Tuchel, whilst the potential arrival of Haaland could unfortunately spell the end for his time with the west London club.

Despite starting just 12 games in the top flight this season, Abraham has still managed six goals, whilst he also has six goals in other competitions, so clearly knows where the back of the net is.

Back in 2019, Rio Ferdinand compared the youngster’s impressive performance against Lille in the Champions League to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, and if he could produce performances like that on a consistent level with Southampton, he would surely prove to be a very good signing indeed.

Therefore, if Southampton cannot convince Ings to sign a new deal, then perhaps they should turn their attention towards the £36m-rated Abraham, as he could be a superb replacement for the 28-year-old striker in Hasenhuttl’s side.

And, in other news… Silver Lining: Key Southampton injury blow can be the making of 21 y/o Saints beast

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is chasing a new central defender this transfer window, according to reports…

What’s the word?

And Sky Sports Germany have linked the north London outfit with a move for Schalke 04 colossus Ozan Kabak as the Bundesliga side are in a sticky situation financially.

It is claimed that the 20-year-old has a release clause of €40m (£36m), but they are unlikely to receive such a fee due to the financial implications from the pandemic.

AC Milan have previously submitted an offer, though it’s thought that the Turkish centre-back would welcome a move to the Premier League with defending champions Liverpool also keen amid their defensive injury troubles.

Van Dijk 2.0?

He may well be inclined to make the move to Merseyside over London due to his admiration for Reds monster Virgil Van Dijk, a player that Kabak idolises and models his game on.

This should only be more reason for Daniel Levy to make the move before anyone else – he is averaging 4.3 aerials won, 3.6 clearances, 1.4 dribbles and one tackle per game this term, via WhoScored.

It is in his imposing presence driving out from the back that bears the best similarities to the Dutch game-changer.

Perhaps it’s no surprise to see the Turkey international likened to Sergio Ramos in that sense. Bundesliga.com wrote: ‘Kabak has a sound in-game radar and a deceptively quick turn of pace. Powerful in the air and with a great sense of timing.’

Whilst former Villa midfielder, now Stuttgart sporting director, Thomas Hitzlsperger dubbed Kabak a “role-model,” he said:

“It’s incredible how worldy-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how he mature he is. He wants to know everything; he wants to learn German right away and understand everything. That’s the kind of attitude we need. He’s already a role model, despite his age.”

Mourinho can force Davinson Sanchez closer to an exit with this move too. The 24-year-old has failed to make nine of their last 11 squads in the Premier League and is heavily out-of-favour.

The Athletic believe he would be open to leaving N17 this month, so it could well be the case of Sanchez out and Kabak in, and that would be quite the impressive switch.

Just maybe the leader-like Schalke sensation can have a similar impact to that of Van Dijk at Anfield.

AND in other news, Special £62m-rated enigma has become Mourinho’s sacrificial lamb…

Leeds did a great deal in the summer transfer window but aside from welcoming club-record signing Rodrigo to the club, they did some fascinating business in improving the academy.Sam Greenwood arrived from Arsenal while impressive young talents Crysencio Summerville and Cody Drameh also walked through the door.Yet, their most eye-catching acquisition from an academy point of view was former Wigan youngster Joe Gelhardt.The striker has already played over 20 games at senior level and is a budding prodigy who could well take on the mantle from Patrick Bamford in a few years.You only need to look at one specific goal he scored for Wigan. The teenager turned his man close to the edge of the area with unrelenting confidence before sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Judging by the 18-year-old’s reputation, he is probably one of the first names in the academy who will be given a senior-team opportunity.

Yet, a player two years his junior should also be considered as an option for Bielsa going forward. Just a month shy of his 17th birthday, Max Dean has been a brilliant capture since signing from Everton.

The poacher loves scoring goals and has been more prolific at U23 level than Gelhardt has this term. Dean has scored four goals in just five games, bagging twice against League Two Barrow.

Bizarrely, that’s a higher tally than any Leeds player managed when they played fellow League Two opposition Crawley in the FA Cup.

That speaks volumes about what he can do against senior professionals and considering he’s just 16, it’s incredible that he’s already pulling up so many trees.

Dean epitomises the classic poacher, scoring from a matter of yards out against both Crystal Palace U23s and Reading U23s. He is always in the right area, picking up pockets of space that terrify defenders. For such a young player, his movement inside the box is enthralling.

Gelhardt might be the more senior player at the moment but it’s arguably Dean who has caught the eye the most in Leeds’ development squads this term.

The 16-year-old is prolific and even finished as Everton’s top goal scorer for his age group in the 2018/19 season. He knows where the net is and that quality cannot be underestimated. After all, Leeds have failed to score in 2021.

Throwing in a player of his age at Premier League level would be foolish but it shouldn’t be too long before Marcelo Bielsa considers handing the teenager his first-team debut. He deserves an outing just as much as Greenwood and Gelhardt do.

After all, Dean has already proven what he can do when unleashed against Football League opposition. He could be a real wildcard for the Leeds boss.

AND in other news, Shades of Pablo: Orta can save millions if Leeds unleash rarely-seen “great talent”…

Glasgow Rangers qualified for the Europa League knockout stages for the second successive season, with a game to spare, as Steven Gerrard’s side stunned Standard Liege in a thrilling 3-2 win at Ibrox on Thursday night.

Standard Liege took an early lead after Maxime Lestienne scored from close range before Connor Goldson met Borna Barisic’s corner with a towering header to tie the game.

The Belgian club struck back shortly before the break, but James Tavernier coolly slotted home his ninth penalty this season so far for the second, and Scott Arfield’s strike in the second half secured the victory.

Much of the focus will be on Arfield’s winning strike, but this doesn’t mean that one unsung hero’s performance should be totally forgotten about, either.

Goldson was momentarily caught off guard after Duje Cop beat him for pace before the Croatian fired a cross into the box for Lestienne to finish in front of Borna Barisic.

Whilst the 27-year-old toiled for large parts of the game, Gerrard will have been secretly pleased to see Leon Balogun shine in Filip Helander’s absence.

Balogun’s consistency has delighted the Ibrox boss, who described him as a “fantastic” example for the rest of the first team after he helped Rangers record a second straight victory in Group D back in October, and he did not disappoint against Standard Liege last night.

Per SofaScore, the 32-year-old was given a high grade of 7.6 for his efforts – he made five clearances, two tackles, one interception, and blocked four shots, which was more than any other Gers player on the pitch, whilst he won nine out of 12 duels overall (75%) and only lost possession of the ball twice.

By comparison, Goldson lost possession of the ball 12 times throughout the game and only blocked one shot, as per SofaScore.

Likewise, GlasgowLive gave the Nigerian international a 7/10 rating, claiming he ‘defended well and made a great tackle to stop Tapsoba getting through late on’, whilst The Daily Record went one better, insisting ‘the centre back was a standout when the pressure was on early in the game’ and adding he was the ‘best defender on the night.’

With Helander still self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19, there’s no doubt that Gerrard will have been buoyed by Balogun’s defensive shift at the back, as his reliability will have gone some way towards softening the blow.

In the process, Rangers kept their unbeaten record intact and will travel to Victoria Park to take on Ross County in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

Maybe Calvin Bassey could return in a more central role after impressing against Falkirk in the Betfred Cup, but we’re backing Balogun to keep his place in the starting line-up after another impressive showing.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must get key star to sign a new deal amid links abroad…

Sheffield Wednesday are back in Championship action this evening as they search for that elusive first win under Tony Pulis.

The Owls head to Nottingham Forest in what would usually be a game between two playoff hopefuls only this season, both teams find themselves in the bottom four.

A victory for the Yorkshiremen would see them move to within one point of the Reds, which will massively boost their prospects of remaining in the division ahead of a hectic festive period.

The 62-year-old has only managed to return three points from his first seven matches in charge and needs to find that spark here tonight, so what sort of XI could we see at the City Ground?

Here’s what we are predicting…

We could see as many as five changes as Pulis desperately searches for that first victory.

One of which comes between the sticks as Cameron Dawson is handed an opportunity after Joe Wildsmith was particularly poor against Huddersfield and Barnsley.

Joost van Aken is another who drops out of the starting lineup as Liam Palmer returns to play at left-back, which means Chey Dunkley will make his second successive Owls appearance alongside Tom Leeds in the middle with Moses Odubajo continuing on the right.

We may also see Massimo Luongo come back into the fold having been left out at the weekend, he replaces the injured Dominic Iorfa to partner Barry Bannan in the engine room.

Pulis may even axe a pair of Garry Monk signings in the shape of Josh Windass and Callum Paterson, both have underperformed recently amid the club’s struggles on the pitch.

The flat-capped boss lambasted his options upfront after defeat to the Tykes, so maybe it’s time to give out-and-out striker Jordan Rhodes a proper go at leading the line for a period of time.

Whilst we could see Izzy Brown be handed a rare start in the no.10 role with Adam Reach and Kadeem Harris continuing on the wings.

It means the likes of Alex Hunt, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Matt Penney and Elias Kachunga still have to wait for a chance to prove their worth to the Owls’ cause.

AND in other news, Tony Pulis must axe £15k-p/w “real menace” from his starting XI…

Celtic bolstered their attack in the summer by signing Albian Ajeti on loan from Premier League side West Ham United.

He has had to quickly come to the fore as there have been times when the Hoops have been without star attackers Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard.

What Alex McLeish had to say about Ajeti

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland manager Alex McLeish said: Ajeti could come good and flourish. He’s not hit the ground running and when you go to Rangers and Celtic you’re expected to hit the ground running.

“Steven Gerrard’s even sent Roofe and Itten in here and there because they’re probably not up to his full sharpness and feeding them in slowly but Neil had to throw Ajeti into the lion’s den because of injuries, to Edouard specifically.

“You’re probably hoping more than calculating that he will bring you a worldie 90 minutes and show everybody why he was a target.

“A lot of the guys that come into the British league take time to adapt. I know time is against you when you’re an Old Firm manager but I think there’s got to be more to Ajeti than we’ve seen so far, no doubt about it, there’s more to come from him.”

How has Ajeti started at Celtic?

In the Scottish Premiership, the Swiss striker has had a very solid start, with eight appearances (four off the bench) and five goals as well as one assist to his name (WhoScored). Conversely, in the Champions League qualifying round and Europa League, Ajeti has gone five games without scoring.

He will need to step it up in Europe if he wants to have a solid season, but for McLeish to say he hasn’t hit the ground running seems harsh due to his record in the Premiership.

Ajeti’s career did not go well in England as he failed to score and only played 12 times for West Ham (Transfermarkt). What he needs is a bit of confidence which he should be getting in Scotland. He has shown he can find the back of the net – now that is all missing is the consistency.

In other news, McLeish has been full of praise for one Hoops star. Have a read who it is here!

Following the injury to Joe Gomez recently, Jurgen Klopp is now desperately short of centre-back options in his side and as a result, it seems extremely likely that they will be bringing in another defender in the January transfer window, with RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano seemingly top of their list.

It was reported by The Athletic that the French international is now the Reds’ main target ahead of the January window, with the likes of Ben White, Ozan Kabak and Gleison Bremer also on the shortlist. 

The Merseyside club have also lost Virgil van Dijk to a long-term injury, as well as makeshift centre-back Fabinho who picked up an injury last month, leaving just Joel Matip as a senior option in Klopp’s side.

The injury-prone nature of the Cameroonian also suggests that it would be extremely risky for Michael Edwards to not sanction a deal for a centre-half in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Therefore, Upamecano represents a very attractive proposition for Klopp, as the French international has plenty of experience in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, despite being just 22-years-old.

However, the young defender will not come cheap, as he is currently valued at £54 million by Transfermarkt, and still has three years left on his contract.

He also earned the praise of Jermaine Jenas and Rio Ferdinand after keeping Diego Costa quiet in a game against Atletico Madrid last season, with Ferdinand saying:

‘Upamecano was the best player tonight, he was formidable on the pitch.” (per Daily Mail)

This is certainly high praise from a man who was certainly one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era, so there seems no reason why the Leipzig man couldn’t be a success if he were to join Liverpool in January.

Although he won’t come cheap, Klopp will surely need to add a quality centre-back to his ranks as soon as possible if he wants his side to have the best chance of retaining the Premier League trophy this season.

Newcastle United rank among the lowest in the 2020/21 Premier League for six key areas so far, according to Ross Gregory.

As per his tweet, the Tyneside club rank 19th for shots per game (9), 20th for shots on target per match (1), 17th in terms of possession of the ball a game (43.1%), 18th in terms of dribbles a match (5.7), 15th for pass completion success rate (77.3%) and 19th in terms of shots conceded per game (17).

Despite these rather disappointing statistics, Steve Bruce’s team have accumulated four points out of a possible nine, leaving them in a respectable 10th place in the current top-flight table.

However, it is still very early doors in terms of the season and the Magpies may not be so lucky to gain as many points with the kind of figures that they are producing at the moment.

With the new attacking signings of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jeff Hendrick joining the current side for the 2020/21 campaign, perhaps the Toon faithful should be expecting better stats in key attacking areas. Instead, despite currently being in 10th position in the table, they have ranked far lower for several important metrics so far.

Newcastle’s next game is away at League Two club Newport County in the Carabao Cup fourth round before their next Premier League match at home to Sean Dyche’s Burnley on Saturday, where Bruce will surely be hoping to put on a better attacking performance than the stats have seemed to suggest so far.

Geordies, are you worried about these stats? Comment below with your views!