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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Central midfield certainly wasn’t an area of worry for Everton this summer following the transfer business they conducted.

The signings of Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin added to a position which already included the likes of Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin, and looked to be one of their strongest in terms of depth.

However, that has fallen apart in recent weeks leaving them short ahead of hosting Watford at Goodison Park on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

With Delph unavailable for the opening day trip to Crystal Palace after picking up a groin injury during pre-season, and with Gbamin not yet deemed match fit, Marco Silva decided to use a double pivot of Gomes and Schneiderlin against the Eagles.

However, the Portuguese manager ended the game not being able to select either for their following Premier League fixture against the Hornets, with the former suffering an ankle injury that forced him off just before half-time, and the latter being sent off for two bookable offences.

While there has been no official confirmation of Gomes’ injury and how long he will be out for, it seems almost certain that he will miss out at Goodison following an ankle scan this week, and Schneiderlin is suspended.

Delph has returned to training this week but it remains to be seen whether he will be 100% ready to start or risked against Javi Gracia’s men.

That leaves Silva with a choice of using Gbamin – who looked visibly rusty when he came on in south London – and Davies in a pivot, although he could choose to switch formations and potentially use Alex Iwobi or Gylfi Sigurdsson in a slightly deeper role, too.

Davies more important than Gbamin

It may well be expected that the summer signing from Mainz is the man to step up and replace Gomes in his absence, but they just aren’t a similar type of player.

As the Liverpool Echo pointed out this week, the Portugal international may well be bigger and heavier than the Ivorian, but he is weaker when it comes to defensive duels.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

At the same time, he is far more effective on the ball than the 23-year-old, with his passing accuracy sitting at 86.7% compared to Gbamin’s 77.4% against Palace.

If anyone thinks that he can be a like-for-like replacement for Gomes, who has drawn praise from Kevin Kilbane previously for how he dictated the play, they are likely going to be disappointed.

That brings us on to Davies, who is still yet to really make his mark for the Toffees despite making 90 appearances in all competitions for them, as per Transfermarkt.

He was only on the pitch for 11 minutes last weekend, but he had a passing accuracy of 85.7% to show his capabilities on the ball.

He does have previous of threading the sort of through-balls that Bernard and Richarlison will be crying out for – as he did for Kevin Mirallas against Manchester City back in 2017 – but it simply doesn’t happen enough.

The 21-year-old may not be the guaranteed answer to Silva’s issue this weekend, but it is about time he stood up and took his opportunity to stamp his authority on a game and dictate a lot of play going forward like Gomes often does, with Gbamin staying deep.

Everton will be hoping he takes that chance if he gets the nod.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Gary Neville has admitted Manchester United’s signing of Alexis Sanchez has been an “absolute disaster”.

What did he say?

The Chile international arrived in a swap deal from Arsenal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan go in the opposite direction. The former Barcelona star had lit the Premier League alight with his performances at the Emirates, but has failed to reproduce anything remotely similar in a United shirt.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, Neville has insisted the time has come for the Red Devils to cut their losses on the 30-year-old and simply move on.

He said: “We talk about Alexis Sanchez going to Italy. I welcomed him coming to the club as he’s a tenacious forward that plays across the line and scores goals. But it’s been a disaster. He has been an absolute disaster. I have no idea what’s happened. There must be two of him. The one that played for Arsenal and Barcelona and then the one that’s turned up in Manchester. They need to get him out of the club.”

A major shock

Wouldn’t it be so perfectly ironic if Sanchez got his reported move to Inter and started banging in the goals again in Italy? The Chilean’s failings at Old Trafford are frankly unfathomable. Yes, his record with injuries has been poor and has no doubt contributed to some of his ineffectiveness, but his transfer to United didn’t see him switch leagues or countries.

Sanchez went from playing for one of English football’s biggest sides to playing for another of English football’s biggest sides. Indeed, perhaps the biggest reason behind his shocking decline is the lack of freedom he has gotten at Old Trafford to play his own style of game.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

At Arsenal, he was the main man. At United, he has simply been one of a number of under-performing players in an under-performing team. The best outcome for all parties would be if the 130-cap star makes his exit this summer.

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The Celtic captain wasn’t in a jovial mood after his team got away with one on Sunday.

The Bhoys beat Hearts 3-1, but the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story.

Two own goals helped Neil Lennon’s side on their way to a win, but they only managed three shots on target in the whole game.

For a team who is usually so dominant in this division, it was a less than impressive performance, and Brown himself didn’t have a great game.

The midfielder gave away a late penalty, and he seemingly wasn’t too impressed by the team’s performance, as his Instagram post wasn’t as upbeat as usual.

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[ad_pod ]Ah, the eternal question: is Marcus Rashford ready to lead the line for Manchester United?Ole Gunnar Solskjaer waved goodbye to his one and only out-and-out striker in Romelu Lukaku this summer, with the Belgian joining Inter Milan after a fairly lukewarm Old Trafford experience alongside fellow forward option Alexis Sanchez.It means the goalscoring burden now falls on Rashford, a man who has frequently been employed as a winger in recent years, and fellow line-hugging convert Anthony Martial. And while we admit the pair possess heaps of talent, recent results, and a lack of sting in United’s attack, would suggest that something is seriously amiss.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rashford boasts an impressive-looking array of statistics on paper. He’d scored more goals before his 22nd birthday than Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling had by the same age and equalled Old Trafford legend, Cristiano Ronaldo.

But is this a true reflection of his ability? talkSPORT pundits Andy Goldstein and Darren Gough have had their say…

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Self-proclaimed as one of the best defenders in the world, Dejan Lovren’s future was up in the air for much of the summer transfer window this year.

The 30-year-old was linked with a potential move to Serie A giants AS Roma, but it was then suggested Jurgen Klopp was keen on him staying him put at Anfield.

After failing to see a move materialise, Lovren has yet to feature for the Reds this season, and so a stint away on international duty with Croatia would have come as a welcome relief.

The centre-back enjoyed an impressive game at the heart of defence as his side recorded a fine 4-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday, and got himself on the score-sheet with a diving header in the closing stages.

After seeing Lovren’s performance, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the Croatian.

Many supporters of the Merseyside club insisted the veteran defender is “under-rated”, and hoped Klopp would give him more opportunities over the course of the season.

Some Reds fans suggested Lovren is better than fellow centre-back Joel Matip, whilst one fan even clamoured for him to be made captain.

Check out some of the reaction of Liverpool fans below:

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Liverpool Under-18 captain Paul Glatzel has signed a long-term contract with the club and many fans are thrilled to see him commit his future at the club.

It is a positive development for the 18-year-old, who received a tough setback earlier this summer when he suffered damage to his knee ligament in a pre-season match against Tranmere.

The striker was in fine form last season for Liverpool U18s, finding the net 28 times and also helping his side win the FA Youth Cup.

A reward of a new contract suggests there will be no repeat of the Bobby Duncan situation, after another talented youngster took measures to force a move to Italian club Fiorentina.

Liverpool fans are pleased to see that a talented young player will be retained by the club and hope that he will get his chance in the first-team when he recovers from his injury.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Here are some of the reactions from excited fans to the contract news.

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Lots of Leeds fans have taken to Twitter to call on Marcelo Bielsa to start Eddie Nketiah and Helder Costa following the pair’s influence off the bench in recent games, notably the late 2-0 win over Barnsley on Sunday.

Nketiah arrived on a season-long loan from Arsenal this summer, whilst Costa arrived on the same terms although his move will be made permanent next summer – however, neither of the new arrivals have started in the Championship yet.

The Gunners loanee has made four appearances off the bench, scoring two league goals, whereas Costa has made seven appearances from the bench while grabbing one assist.

Their contributions have been vital for Bielsa and have led to Leeds sitting top after the win over Barnsley – as a result, a lot of fans have called on the Argentine boss to make the bold call to start them both.

Let’s see what the Leeds fans on Twitter have been saying…

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[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after an incredible statistic regarding Luka Milivojevic was brought to light by The Evening Standard’s Tom Dutton.The Eagles captain is the only Premier League outfield player to play every league minute possible since December 2017, missing just 159 top-flight minutes out of a total 6930 since Roy Hodgson took charge on 12th September 2017.

The Serbia international – who scored 12 league goals last term – is obviously a key player for the south Londoners, and there is simply no doubting his importance to the team. Fitness and availability is one of the most important traits a footballer can have, and the 28-year-old excels at being an ever-present for his side.

Two supporters below said that the former Olympiacos man may need a rest given the sheer amount of football he has played over the last two years, while another highlighted the fact that a one-game suspension is looming if the midfielder picks up one more yellow card – Milivojevic has amassed four bookings in just five league games so far this season, with five resulting in a one-game ban.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been reacting on social media by sharing their sheer joy in news that Moussa Sissoko has penned a two-year contract extension with the North London outfit.

The France midfielder has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Spurs until the summer of 2023, at which point he will be 34-years-old.

Sissoko joined Tottenham from Newcastle United in 2016 on a five-year, £80,000-a-week contract (Spotrac) as part of a £30million (BBC) deal, which saw the North Londoners beat interest from Everton to seal his transfer on Deadline Day alongside Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

Le Blanc-Mesnil-born Sissoko struggled to establish himself at White Hart Lane upon his arrival, starting just eight Premier League fixtures in a campaign where the midfielder featured 34 times across all competitions – playing 1,307 minutes (TransferMarkt).

It was not until last season when Sissoko would nail down a regular place in the starting line-up under Mauricio Pochettino, as he played 44 times across all competitions for a total of 3,403 minutes – including a run between October 6, 2018 and April 13, 2019 where he missed one top-flight encounter, which came through a groin strain.

Sissoko also featured in each of Spurs’ Carabao Cup clashes last term, and in each Champions League fixture following Tottenham’s 2-1 win at home to PSV Eindhoven in the group stage as they went on to reach the final in Madrid.

Pochettino has continued to rely on the 56-cap international in the current campaign, too, with the 30-year-old named in every Premier League starting XI to date.

Many Spurs supporters have been quick to note the turnaround Sissoko has enjoyed in his career when their side announced his two-year contract extension on Twitter, in a post featuring a video paying homage to the song sung by Tottenham’s fanbase.

Here are a selection of the messages shared in response…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Evening Standard, Crystal Palace are still interested in signing CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Eagles saw a £23m bid rejected for the two-cap Russia international back in the summer, and no move materialised with the 21-year-old staying put at CSKA.

The south Londoners were keen on signing Chalov after he hit an impressive 15 goals and recorded seven assists in 27 Russian Premier League starts last term, and he has continued his eye-catching goalscoring form with four goals in 11 so far in the current campaign.

As aforesaid, Chalov remains a target for Palace, but The Evening Standard report that Roy Hodgson’s side will face fierce competition from sides across the continent.

Admirable from Palace to avoid scatter-gun approach

The Eagles clearly don’t drift away from a target when they line one up in their sights.

They had held an interest in Brentford’s Ollie Watkins in 2018 – who had Palace fans talking on Twitter after he hit a hat-trick against Barnsley – across the last two summers, and had an £11m bid rejected most recently.

Additionally, Palace were also interested in Gary Cahill back in the January transfer window, and while a move didn’t materialise back then, they did eventually end up getting their man back in the summer on a free transfer.

To further reinforce this fact, Palace have been linked with James McCarthy over the past few years – as far back as 2016, to be specific – and a move for the Irishman eventually happened back in the same summer as Cahill’s arrival.

It is admirable that the south Londoners stay fixated on their targets and do not waver away from them, towards a scatter-gun approach.

Only time will tell if Chalov follows Cahill and McCarthy to Selhurst Park, but Palace certainly aren’t giving up it seems.