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Any chances Everton had of signing Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma on a permanent basis this summer have surely ended following news of the west London outfit’s two-window transfer ban from FIFA, but it could be good news for Yerry Mina.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it was announced on Friday that the Blues won’t be able to bring any new players to Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2020 for breaching rules in relation to youth players, which will have a big impact on their squad.

Zouma was sent out on a season-long loan deal to Goodison Park last summer as he looked for more regular football following his return from a serious injury, and he has certainly got it after striking up a strong partnership with Michael Keane at the heart of the defence, making 23 Premier League appearances.

Even if the Merseyside outfit were considering an attempt to bring the 24-year-old north permanently, those hopes are surely over given Maurizio Sarri’s men’s struggles recently and the fact that the soon-to-be out of contract Gary Cahill and David Luiz are getting no younger.

Good news for Mina?

It certainly is.

The Colombia international would have been expected to hit the ground running when he signed in a big-money deal from Barcelona following his impressive showing for his country at the 2018 World Cup, but he simply hasn’t got going yet.

Injuries have played a part but the 24-year-old hasn’t looked convincing or dominant when he has been on the pitch, and Keane and Zouma are clearly Marco Silva’s preferred partnership right now even if the latter was dismissed against Watford.

Without the France international next term though if Chelsea choose to keep him, the South American would have the perfect opportunity to finally kick-start his Everton career.

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According to Radio Galega presenter Victor Lopez – since reported on Monday by Spanish media outlet Faro de Vigo – Southampton defender Wesley Hoedt is closing in on a move to Spanish side Celta Vigo, and Saints fans have been quick to react to the rumour on Twitter.

Hopes were high when the Netherlands international arrived at St Mary’s from Lazio in the summer of 2017 that he could be a partner for Virgil van Dijk in the short term and potentially replace his compatriot in the future.

However, the 24-year-old has struggled to make the transition to Premier League football and despite being a regular under Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes, he has been completely frozen out by current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Hoedt has failed to make the previous eight matchday squads and he would leave having scored two own goals – against Manchester City and Liverpool – in 13 Premier League appearances this term.

It is reported by Faro de Vigo that the Dutchman will become a Vigo player once an agreement with the south coast outfit is finalised and could even be presented on Tuesday.

Southampton supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the potential exit, with some even expressing their condolences for the Celta Vigo fans.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to Hoedt’s potential departure…

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

According to The Mirror, Nottingham Forest are planning a swap deal with Stoke between Ben Osborn and James McClean. 

The deal would see McClean team up with former managers Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane, who he worked with for the Republic of Ireland.

As far as The Reds are concerned, this is a brilliant deal that could bring a huge amount of success. Not only would McClean be a favourite of both O’Neill and Keane, but he would bring a lot of attributes that Forest are perhaps lacking currently.

The Reds have two wonderful attackers on their books in Joe Lolley and Matt Cash at the moment, who have been two of the best performers at the City Ground so far this season. However, with Cash only being 21 years of age, the 29-year-old McClean could provide some experience to Forest’s attack, given the fact that he has played over 100 Premier League games. That is perhaps what the club need at the moment with their attackers, and this is perhaps what the 24-year-old Osborn does not provide in that area of the field.

In fact, although versatile, Osborn has struggled to win over a lot of Forest fans, but McClean could earn the fans’ respect, particularly if he links up well with Lewis Grabban. Furthermore, when tracking both players’ careers, McClean has clearly played a higher level than Osborn has, and while he is older, he is closer to the standard of player that the club are seeking in their pursuit of making it to the Premier League in the coming seasons.

[ad_pod ]Newcastle have put in some stellar performances in recent weeks, not least a 2-1 win over champions Manchester City, and were unlucky not to get a point from their clash with Tottenham. One key factor in their fantastic showings has been Sean Longstaff, who has excelled as a holding-midfielder.

On the chalkboard

Rafa Benitez seems to have found his winning formula at St James’ Park – playing with a back-five and two central midfielders, the Magpies have plenty of bodies between their opponents and the goal but can spring a counter through their wide-men, while Longstaff and Isaac Hayden sit.

The latter was keen on a move away last month but is striking up a solid, young partnership with the former, who has broken through to the first team in recent months, making just his third Premier League start against City.

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the duo in his post-match interview, saying that his side “could not deal” with them. For a 21-year-old thrown in at the deep end, it surely doesn’t get much better. Longstaff’s emergence though, could be terminal to Mohamed Diame’s Magpies career.

Diame down and out

The Senegalese has made 21 league appearances for Newcastle this season but, with Miguel Almiron set to come in and the aforementioned midfield duo, plus Ki Sung-Yueng and Jonjo Shelvey to compete with for a spot at the base of midfield, he surely won’t make too many more this campaign.

The 31-year-old joined from Hull in 2016 and has chalked up eight goals and three assists in all competitions since, but is yet to contribute this season.

Despite his versatility – the number 10 is capable of playing deep or further upfield – there seems to be no room for him, particularly now that Longstaff has stamped his authority on the starting XI.

The only people more shocked by Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Man City than City fans were the Magpies fans themsleves! Check out their brilliant reactions in the video below…

أكد وليد عبد الهادي، وكيل محمد الشناوي حارس النادي الأهلي، وجود النية لدى مسؤولي القلعة الحمراء في حل أزمته مع اللاعب الدولي، إلا أن الأخير يعارض.

وكانت الأيام القليلة الماضية قد شهدت صدور حكم قضائي بتغريم الشناوي مليون ونصف المليون لوكيله بعد انتقال الشناوي للأهلي مقابل 15 مليون جنيه.

وقال عبد الهادي في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “النهار” عبر برنامج “نمبر وان”: “أشكر سيد عبد الحفيظ تواصلت معه وهو تواصل بدوره مع الشناوي، ولكن الأخير مصمم على تقديم استئناف والاستمرار في القضية”.

محمد الشناوي: باقي مباريات الدوري ستكون فترة إعداد لـ أبطال إفريقيا

وأضاف: “الخلاف بيني وبين الشناوي، والأهلي ليس له علاقة بالموضوع، النادي يريد حل الأمر ولكن اللاعب لا يريد الحل حتى الآن”.

وتابع: “تعاقد الشناوي الأول مع الأهلي جاء مقابل 15 مليون جنيه في 5 سنوات، يحق لي الحصول على 10% من المبلغ، وحصلت على حكم محكمة بأحقيتي في الحصول على مليون ونصف”.

واستكمل: “بعد كأس العالم الشناوي طلب عدم استمرارنا في العمل، وطلبت منه أن ننهي الموضوع وأحصل على مستحقاتي فرفض منحها لي، ولذلك ذهبت للمحكمة وقدمت شكوى”.

وأتم: “لدي النية والأهلي لكي نحل الموضوع وسيد عبد الحفيظ حاول يحل الأزمة”.

واختتم: “ما وصل له محمد الشناوي أنا سبب فيه، ولا أعرف سبب تعنته تجاهي”.

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On Tuesday, Everton legend Tim Cahill shared an image of his son, Cruz Cahill, at a training session with the Toffees.

There is absolutely no question that Cahill – Tim that is – is an Everton legend, having made close to 300 appearances for the Merseyside club in all competitions, scoring 68 times in the process.

The 39-year-old is still playing professionally in the Indian Premier League, turning out for Jamshedpur FC.

Cahill was back on English soil earlier this week, however, and shared an image of his son in training with Everton.

Cruz was born in September 2012, meaning that he will turn seven later this year.

The post from his father was always going to bring a huge reaction from the Everton fans when considering Cahill senior’s standing at the club.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

And that was indeed the case, with the Everton supporters, who are frustrated with their team at the moment, reacting to the image in their numbers:

In general, he might not be enjoying his best season yet at Goodison Park but Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford proved to the footballing world on Sunday just why he is such an important player to the club.

The Toffees surprisingly kept their neighbours Liverpool at bay in a goalless draw at home in the much anticipated Merseyside derby, although it probably wasn’t the best of matches fans were hoping for.

But, it could’ve been much worse for Marco Silva and his men if Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah managed to score in the first-half after he was brilliantly kept out by Pickford.

The Egyptian sprinted away from the Everton defence after receiving the ball in heaps of space, leaving him one-on-one with the England shot-stopper.

The 24-year-old Pickford stood his ground, trying to put Salah off, before making a spectacular right-handed save to deny the former Roma forward of finding the back of the net.

The position in which the Liverpool star took the shot has become a famous sign in the Premier League as he usually scores when given the opportunity to open up his body and take the shot on his preferred left-foot.

The save again proved why Pickford – who is now valued at £36m by Transfermarkt – is such a recognised figure in-goal and the massive amount of talent he possesses.

Pickford was at fault in the previous occasion of this derby when he embarrassingly fumbled a high at Anfield in December, which led to Divock Origi scoring the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

The former Sunderland player definitely made amends for that horrible error on Sunday and looked very comfortable at the back.

Everton were always going to be under some pressure from the start due to Liverpool’s lethal attacking options, but the Toffees did well to keep them out in the end, largely down to Pickford’s performance.

His showing and the result should, therefore, inspire the rest of the Everton team to get their campaign back on track and finish the season on a high.

After a poor start to the New Year, Everton will need to start picking up points somewhere and a trip to Newcastle this coming weekend could be the perfect opportunity for that.

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Arsenal visit Manchester City this weekend and will be hoping to pile more misery on the reigning Premier League champions while subsequently reducing the gap on London rivals Spurs – the Gunners, though, are thin in defence due to a number of injuries but this may be a blessing in disguise.

On the chalkboard

Unai Emery will surely be scratching his head over how he can approach Saturday’s clash with City; Sokratis Papasthathopolous, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding are completely out of the picture, while Laurent Koscielny is being assessed (per Arsenal’s official club website).

The former Sevilla boss has chopped and changed frequently in a bid to find the right blend in his Arsenal side, but the lengthy list of wounded means his options are limited.

However, the lack of defenders may mean Emery is forced into a three-at-the-back approach, particularly due to the lack of pace now that Bellerin is sidelined. If the Gunners’ honchos tuned in for City’s defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday night, they would see that this is the key to besting Pep Guardiola’s men.

Flood the midfield

City have lost four Premier League games this season, three of which have come against teams in the bottom half. Crystal Palace got the better of the Etihad Stadium outfit before Christmas and the Magpies ran out 2-1 winners on Wednesday night – Palace played with five men in midfield while Newcastle’s wing-backs offered their men in the middle plenty of support, which is crucial to thwarting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.

Nacho Monreal’s lack of pace would surely leave him exposed on the counter by Raheem Sterling or Riyad Mahrez and so tucking the Spaniard into a back-three might be the best option, with Sead Kolasinac providing cover at left-wing-back. At the same time, the Bosnian and (most likely) Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the opposite flank can push up to support the engine room and help congest the middle of the park.

With Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up top, the Gunners still possess plenty of attacking talent to upset the Cityzens – playing with three-at-the-back enables both to start and Emery to play the five-man midfield which is becoming City’s kryptonite.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at the Emirates on Friday to see Alexis Sanchez come back to haunt Arsenal. Check out Gunners’ fans reactions in the video above…

Newcastle fans will be encouraged by their side’s performance despite losing to Tottenham at the weekend.

Spurs pinched a narrow 1-0 victory at Wembley after a Martin Dubravka error in the 83rd minute allowed Son Heung-Min to score the only goal of the game. Despite being unable to build on the win against Manchester City, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic after a decent display against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Benitez has his January signings to welcome into the starting eleven with Antonio Barreca making his debut from the bench. The £20m addition of Miguel Almiron will prove to be the difference maker for the Magpies. If the Paraguay international can display his magic, staying in the Premier League shouldn’t be a problem.

Turning his attention to the summer transfer window, Benitez should be keeping tabs on Huddersfield star – Philip Billing. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the Dane joined the club in 2013 and progressed through the youth ranks to become an important member of the first-team. Huddersfield’s time in England’s top division looks to be coming to an end after registering just 11 points so far this season and Biling is likely to be snapped up.

The 22-year-old is a giant on the pitch and his presence in the engine room would give the Magpies some much-needed grit. Despite his size, Biling is also quality in possession and would thrive alongside Jonjo Shelvey. Still improving and developing, the Denmark international has massive potential and with his contract set to expire in 2020, he could be available for a great price.

Biling has already proven himself in the Premier League and could be the man to unlock Almiron in the Magpies attack.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?

Dreams of promoting into the Premier League are diminishing away for Aston Villa. Having fallen close to ten points off a playoffs place, the Villains have to wait another season to dream of playing in England’s top-flight. However, in order to compete for the Championship title next season, Dean Smith needs to hold onto his biggest assets.

The biggest star in the Villains’ season has been striker Tammy Abraham. The loanee from Chelsea’s provided some blooming moments for the fans throughout the topsy-turvy campaign, lighting up Villa Park with his goals.

He’s scored 20 goals in the Championship so far, working very hard in the final third to rally his side forward. Abraham’s practically provided one-third of Villa’s total goals all by himself and that showcases how clinical he’s been in the Championship.

With a dribbling success of 52%, 21 key passes and 70% passing accuracy (stats via Who Scored), he’s been more than just a mere finisher for the Villains, often orchestrating his own goals. The young striker’s movement, eye for goal and ability to thrive in such a limited environment proves how key he is to the team.

Villa needs to do their best to extend his loan deal or sign him up permanently and build the team around him next season. If they get a stronger defence along with a creative midfield to compliment Abraham, the youngster can be the driving force to get them back into the Premier League.

Thoughts?