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Marco Silva has recently been forced to stick his faith back into some of the senior players in the Everton camp in the hopes of getting some momentum going before the season comes to an end and one player who has certainly used the opportunity to show his worth as a club stalwart again is Seamus Coleman.

The right-back has been rolling back the years in the past few weeks that saw the Toffees claim impressive wins over Chelsea and West Ham United with Saturday’s victory at the London Stadium a very dominant display by Marco Silva’s men.

Coleman had a busy afternoon against the Hammers, mainly on attacking duties, especially in the first-half as Everton applied heaps of pressure on the flanks, which caused West Ham a lot of problems. How good is it to see him doing well again, Toffees fans? It’s been far too long.

The 30-year-old’s linkup play with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison was very impressive, which gave him the opportunity to square a pass to Bernard for Everton’s second goal of the match.

Indeed, during the Chelsea visit just before the international break, Coleman was more lively in defence and had to cope with the likes of Eden Hazard to keep the Blues out in what was a brilliant defensive showing by the whole Everton outfit.

The experience and wisdom of Coleman has clearly helped this Everton team get some rhythm together and remain calm in certain pressure moments of the match.

The ‘back-to-basics’ approach by Silva looks to have worked after what has been a very turbulent campaign so far for Everton.

Perhaps Seamus Coleman will need replacing in the not too distant future but, right now, the Republic of Ireland stalwart is certainly rolling back the years. In one of the most important positions in modern football, his recent renaissance only adds to his legend as one of the club’s best ever modern-day signings.

Everton fans, how impressed have you been with Seamus Coleman of late? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

لا يريد ماركو أسينسيو أن يتذكر إصابته في الموسم الماضي، والتي أبعدته عن النادي الملكي خلال الفترة الأكبر من الموسم، قبل أن يعود ويسجل أمام فالنسيا في يونيو الماضي بعد غياب 330 يومًا عن المشاركة.

أسينسيو تعرض لإصابة في صيف 2019 مع ريال مدريد خلال فترة الإعداد والمباريات الودية، بقطع كامل في الرباط الصليبي للركبة، ليعود بعد عام، مستغلًا تأجيل الدوريات بسبب فيروس كورونا، ويشارك في حسم لقب الدوري مع النادي الملكي.

طالع أيضًا.. فينجر: رفضت ريال مدريد مرتين بسبب آرسنال

وقال اللاعب الإسباني في تصريحات لصحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “عندما أتذكر الإصابة، أشعر بقشعريرة، ركبتي كانت تتضخم، وأنا لا أريد تصديق ذلك، ولكن منذ ذلك الحين عرفت أنني في وضع خطير”.

وأضاف: “دخولي إلى غرفة العمليات كان من أسوأ لحظات حياتي، كنت في حالة من الذعر لم أدخلها من قبل، قلت لهم إنني لا أستطيع التحمل، الجميع كان حولي، لكنني لن انسى تلك اللحظات أبدًا”.

وأكد: “رأيت نفسي بعد العودة أنه يمكنني المشاركة في يورو 2020 مع إسبانيا، ولكن مع تأجيلها حتى 2021، ربما هذا يمنحني الوقت للعمل أكثر وتقديم أفضل ما لدي”.

وواصل: “في هذه الأيام لا أعرف ما يفكرون به، لقد مر وقت طويل منذ آخر استدعاء لمنتخب إسبانيا، لكنني سأواصل العمل لأكون هناك مرة أخرى”.

وأكمل: “إنريكي رفض الحديث عني وهذا من حقه بالتأكيد، لأنني لست ضمن المجموعة الآن، وهو لا يحب التحدث عن الأشخاص الذين لم يتم استدعائهم، لكنني أمتلك علاقة قوية معه، إنه رجل عظيم جدًأ”.

وأردف بالحديث عن زين الدين زيدان: “عندما وصلت إلى ريال مدريد في 2016، كنت أعلم أنه يجب أن يكون لدي بداية جيدة لكي أقنع زيدان، وأخبرني أنني سأبدأ مباراة كأس السوبر الإسباني، وأنه يعتمد عليّ”.

وتابع: “زيدان مُخلص للغاية، إنه يمنح الكثير من الهدوء إلى اللاعبين، هو مدرب رائع، منح ريال مدريد العديد من الألقاب، كل عام يتفوق على نفسه أكثر، وعندما كنت طفلًا كان لدي ملصق على الحائط في غرفتي، لهدف زيدان الأسطوري أمام ليفركوزن بنهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا”.

وعن إيدين هازارد، قال أسينسيو: “أرى هازارد جيدًا، الأمر صعب عليه لأنه لم يكن معتادًا على الإصابات، وما حدث له سوء حظ، بمجرد أن يشعر بالرضا، سيستعيد الثقة بسرعة”.

وأجاب على سؤال حول مستقبل ميسي: “لم أهتم إذا رحل ميسي أو بقي، إذا بقي فسيكون ذلك أفضل لبرشلونة بالتأكيد، وأنا أحب مواجهة الأفضل دائمًا، وإذا رحل لن يشغلني كثيرًا”.

واختتم: “أتمنى عودة الجمهور للمدرجات، وستعود الحياة بالتأكيد شيئًا فشيئًا إلى المدرجات، ولكن عدم وجودهم حماية بالتأكيد لهم، ونحن نشتاق كثيرًا لتواجدهم في أماكنهم”.

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Before a ball has even been kicked, Manchester United have the edge over Arsenal with the appointment of Jon Moss as the referee according to the best odds comparison sites, in what is a crucial game in the race for the top-four.

Both teams come into this game in decent domestic form, although their fortunes were vastly contrasted after the midweek European fixtures – the Red Devils enjoyed a historic night in Paris, whilst the Gunners were embarrassed by Rennes.

We all love the Champions League theme tune but you’ve never heard it like this before! Check out the video below…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lost just one game out of 17 since taking the reigns at Old Trafford, a run of form which has seen United move a point clear of Unai Emery’s men.

It will be hard to split the two sides, especially seeing as they battled out a tense 2-2 draw in Manchester earlier in the season – having said that, Jose Mourinho was in charge back then, so it could be wholly different this time around.

Where the Portuguese boss was a hindrance to the 20-time Premier League champions, Moss should prove to be the opposite if you were to look at his statistics in the current campaign.

The 48-year-old has overseen four of the Red Devils’ league games this season, in which they’ve won won three and drawn one – they average 2.5 points per game with Moss in charge of proceedings.

In Arsenal’s case, when Moss is in control, the north London sides have won two of their three games, losing the other one.

However, it must be noted that, out of the five red cards he has brandished this season, one of those has been handed to United – he is not afraid to get his cards out against the league’s biggest sides. In that respect, both teams must be careful of overstepping the line in this historic fixture.

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According to The Sun, Manchester City are targeting Ben Chilwell as part of a £150m triple-swoop to increase their number of home-grown players, with Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and West Ham’s Declan Rice joining the Leicester man on Pep Guardiola’s list.

Despite having spent a similar amount on the signings of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo to strengthen at full-back, the former Barcelona boss is still not satisfied with his options it would seem and Chilwell would presumably vie with injury-prone Mendy for a starting spot at left-back.

The 22-year-old has impressed in defence for the Foxes this season and his performances have earned him a call-up to the England squad, but what could be yet to come for the left-footer and City if he were to trade the King Power Stadium for the Etihad Stadium in the summer? We consider the potential consequences…

Sterling continues on the left-wing

A lack of options beyond Mendy has led Guardiola to deploy utility man Fabian Delph and Oleksandar Zinchenko out of position and at left-back – both have done a decent job despite being natural midfielders, but the arrival of Chilwell, a defender by trade, would mean they are less likely to feature there.

Guardiola rarely plays Mendy and Leroy Sane together, perhaps because the overlapping runs of the former would obstruct the latter, who is also left-footed. Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, has been playing on the left for City frequently of late, where he can cut in on his right foot.

Perhaps the signing of Chilwell, who also enjoys bombing up and down the flank, will mean Guardiola uses Sterling on the left far more often.

Delph back in midfield

As previously mentioned, the 18-cap former Villa man came through as a midfielder but found his Cityzens breakthrough playing elsewhere under Guardiola, however Chilwell’s arrival could mean his opportunities are far more limited once again.

Having made 11 appearances in the Premier League this campaign, the Yorkshire-born ace has been much less of a fixture this season but still seems to be a key player in the dressing room. With Fernandinho ageing and the Brazilian’s ideal replacement Frenkie de Jong moving to Barcelona instead, could Delph do a job at the base of midfield? He is certainly willing to delve into the ‘dark arts’.

On the latest After 90 Sergio Aguero reveals a very embarassing secret. Find out what in the video below…

The Etihad Stadium outfit look far less likely to win when former Shakhtar Donetsk man Fernandinho isn’t in the starting XI and they sorely miss his bite in the middle of the park. Guardiola may feel inclined to reintegrate Delph into the starting XI once his left-back situation is sorted and while City hunt for a more long-term replacement for their anchor.

England spot confirmed

Having won five caps with the Three Lions so far, Chilwell’s England career has well and truly begun but could just as easily be stunted whiles he remains at Leicester and the likes of Danny Rose impress with Spurs.

A move to a top six club will all but establish the 22-year-old as an England international and further his career on all competitive stages and, unlike many of the other sides around them, City can offer regular game-time despite the plethora of stars already on their books thanks to Guardiola’s excellent squad management – everyone who has earned them gets minutes.

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Everton midfielder Tom Davies has revealed in an interview with evertonfc.com that teammate Andre Gomes, who ousted him from the team following his return to fitness in October, has played a big role in his rejuvenation in recent weeks.

What’s the word, then?

Well, despite captaining the Toffees on occasions earlier in the season, the 20-year-old was an unused substitute in eight successive Premier League matches between October and December, and after appearing in three games over the festive period the same thing happened again – this time for four fixtures.

However, manager Marco Silva brought him back into the starting XI for the 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium last month, and he hasn’t looked back since playing every minute of their previous four top-flight encounters, captaining the Merseyside outfit in the latter two against Manchester City and Watford.

Speaking to evertonfc.com, Davies has praised Gomes for his influence: “Andre is a quality player, I had him behind me when I came back into the side at Huddersfield and he looked to get the ball to me all the time.

“It is good to have him in the team and it is the same with Gylfi.

“They are both very good on the ball and excellent technically and I am looking to learn from them to improve my own game.”

Can Davies finally push on now?

He certainly can.

The youngster should take immense confidence from the fact that he looks to have shoe-horned his way into Silva’s plans and become one of the first names on the team-sheet, and now he needs to show the consistency that has been missing from his game previously.

With little left to play for except for securing a seventh-place finish come what May, the 20-year-old has the perfect opportunity to prove to his Portuguese manager that he is ready to be a mainstay in the XI for the rest of the current campaign and beyond.

According to a report in The Express, Tottenham Hotspur are ready to go head-to-head with arch-rivals Arsenal in a bid to sign £50m-rated Manchester City centre-back John Stones.

The report says that Spurs are keen on the 25-year-old with Pep Guardiola ready to show him the door at the Emirates, having clearly run out of patience with the injury and error-prone 25-year-old, who has also clearly struggled with his confidence.

Guardiola wants to recoup the £50m fee he paid Everton for the defender’s services in 2016, and he might have a keen buyer in Mourinho, who The Express say was keen on him when he was in charge at Chelsea.

Tottenham could certainly do with some defensive reinforcements having conceded 40 goals in their 29 Premier League matches this season to date, while they of course conceded seven goals at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League last year, too.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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Here, FFC’s writers give their verdict on a potential move to Spurs for Stones…

Jack Saville

“John Stones has received bad press following a handful of high profile errors for both club and country, but there is no doubt that the 25-year-old can still become one of the best on the planet in his position.

“On his day he is truly Paolo Maldini-esque, gliding across the turf with grace and intelligence to break up the play. He showed that much during the early days of his budding partnership with Aymeric Laporte, with an outstanding display against Liverpool in a 0-0 draw at Anfield a particular highlight.

“While Pep Guardiola’s positive influence on his ball-playing ability has certainly manifested during his time at Manchester City, lapses in concentration and errors in judgement have stunted his progress.

“With that in mind, Jose Mourinho is the master he needs to fine-tune his defensive repertoire and take him to the level many expected – and are still expecting – him to reach.

“In the midst of a new era under Mourinho at Spurs, the arrival of Stones would be a Levy masterstroke.”

Ben Goodwin

“There’s no question Stones has immense talent – he has quite literally won everything there is to win in England’s top-flight, racking up multiple league and cup titles all by the age of 25.

“Graeme Souness even compared him to Ballon d’Or runner-up Virgil van Dijk as recently as January, claiming the England international has everything it takes to reach that level if he can get “his act together”.

“However, a link-up with Jose Mourinho seems like a match made in hell. Stones has recoiled and regressed every time he has been challenged by Pep Guardiola, so how is he going to fare when Mourinho lashes out at him publicly like he did with Tanguy Ndombele?

“Given Spurs’ weakness in defence and Stones’ susceptibility to foolish blunders like his slip in the Carabao Cup final, it surely wouldn’t be long before he’d get outed like Ndombele has.”

James Beavis

“The link to John Stones is certainly an interesting one.

“Jose Mourinho clearly needs to strengthen his Tottenham Hotspur backline this summer, with the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris simply not as good as they once were, with mistakes becoming more and more common in their respective games.

“That makes the choice of targeting the Manchester City centre-back even stranger then, given his own tendency to make errors that can lead to goalscoring chances and goals for opponents, as in the 2020 Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa.

“Perhaps the Portuguese manager believes he can develop the England international’s game in north London to make him a solid defender – it would certainly be a risky move though, especially if he was to cost £50m.”

In other Tottenham news, talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham has launched a brutal attack on Harry Kane & Jose Mourinho…

This article is a special report; all information presented, unless otherwise stated, has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources. 

Juan Foyth could leave Tottenham Hotspur this month as the club attempt to reduce the amount of foreign players in their squad, sources have told Football FanCast.

The young defender has struggled for minutes this season and has made just three appearances under manager Jose Mourinho, playing 90 minutes in the Champions League dead rubber against Bayern Munich and a total of 46 minutes versus Wolves and Norwich City. Against the Canaries, he was substituted at half-time.

Sources familiar with Spurs’ recruitment have told FFC that the club are actively attempting to move the 22-year-old out of the club, either on loan or on a permanent basis in this transfer window.

La Liga club Real Betis, from whom Spurs loaned Giovani Lo Celso in the summer, hold an interest in signing the centre-back, who has won 11 caps for Argentina.

Spurs currently have 17 non-locally trained players in their Champions League squad, per Football.London, but that number has increased to 18 with the signing of Gedson Fernandes from Benfica.

As a result, Spurs are making an attempt to move out a number of players and Foyth is perhaps the headline name that could depart north London.

Sources have also confirmed that Victor Wanyama is available, though no bids have yet been received for the former Celtic midfielder, while there is optimism that Christian Eriksen will leave the club before the end of the transfer window.

Inter Milan are in talks with the club over a January deal and it is said to have become a “priority” for Spurs to get that transfer over the line.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

Michel Vorm, the goalkeeper re-signed earlier this season after Hugo Lloris’ elbow injury, could also be allowed to leave given the Frenchman’s impending return to fitness.

While a number of players have been offered to Tottenham in recent days, including the striker Ze Luis, their current priority is to shift out the deadwood.

Meanwhile, another club have entered the race for Christian Eriksen!

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According to the results of our recent poll, the majority of Swansea fans believe that veteran winger Wayne Routledge has a future at the club beyond the January transfer window.

The 33-year-old has been restored to the side by Graham Potter in recent weeks, and he has clearly proven to Swansea fans that he is capable of helping the promotion push to get the Welsh side back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

At the end of November though things were entirely different. Potter had told BBC Sport that both Routledge and Nathan Dyer were free to leave the Liberty Stadium, as the new boss looked to promote the young talent in his squad.

Routledge though has grasped his chance with both hands recently, and with his contract expiring at the end of the year he will hope that a new deal is on the table soon. His recent winner in the pouring rain against Sheffield Wednesday will have done no harm either.

Check out the full results below, where 67 per cent of Swansea fans wanted Routledge to remain with the club.

Stoke City continue to slide under Gary Rowett as they suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers. 

The Potters have looked extremely disappointing so far this season and are still yet to really find their feet in the Championship. Although, it looks as if one of their first team members is looking to hit form on the international stage, as according to BBC Sport, Saido Berahino has highlighted his determination to help his country Burundi qualify for major tournaments in the coming years.

Indeed, the 25-year-old highlighted how keen he is to help his country after making the commitment to play for the African nation on a regular basis.

And, this is what the forward had to say:

“We have a long way to get there but I believe with this team, what I have seen so far, we have young and hungry players and we managed to show that against Gabon.

“As everybody knows, I reached a tough patch in my career and I thought that playing for my country will give me a different type of challenge and give me a different type of responsibility.” 

THE VERDICT:

Saido Berahino has been impressive for Stoke City so far this season and will play a huge part in their push for a place in the play-offs.

Indeed, it’s good to see that the forward is determined to thrive on the international stage in order to help his country qualify for major tournaments.

New Arsenal manager Unai Emery has made an approach for PSV winger Hirving Lozano after his impressive World Cup performances, according to Transfer Market Web, via TalkSport.

What’s the story, then?

The report says that the Gunners have approached the Mexican after a World Cup where he announced himself, especially with the definitive contribution in his country’s victory over world champions Germany in their opening game of the tournament.

That came on the back of a mightily impressive 19-goal season in Dutch football, to prove that he is no flash in the pan.

That reliability in front of goal has reportedly interested Arsenal and made Emery consider him as someone who could be a part of his Emirates revolution.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

Arsenal lack quality out wide

Arsenal have lost Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in wide areas within the last year, and the likes of Alex Iwobi have been unable to step up and fill the breach.

Emery will need genuine pace and width at times in his maiden season in English football and flying wideman Lozano fits the bill perfectly.

He is on another level to Iwobi, not least in terms of productivity in front of goal and Emery must make sure he does all he can to land him after his World Cup heroics brought him to wider attention.