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Everton were dealt a cruel set of blows on the eve of their first match of the season last night.

The Toffees have hardly found life perfect since Carlo Ancelotti departed earlier this summer and this was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Whether you believe in superstition or not, Friday 13th was indeed an unlucky date on the calendar for everyone associated with Everton.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on that day, Rafa Benitez confirmed that the Toffees would be without five first-team players for their match with Southampton on Saturday.

The reason was that under government guidelines, they have to self isolate. Two of the players in question are Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin but another missing for the match is James Rodriguez.

The Colombian suffered from fitness issues towards the end of last season and he will now miss the first competitive match of the new campaign. Rodriguez only played in one of the club’s last six matches of 2020/21 after returning from a calf problem.

He has been regularly linked with a move away from Merseyside this summer, but even with his future in doubt, his absence from proceedings on Saturday will be a big blow for Everton.

With a lack of options to replace him in attacking midfield, Benitez is likely to be gutted over this news. After all, Richarlison has had a busy summer with Brazil and may have some fatigue in his legs.

Rodriguez signed on a free transfer last year, and judging by his first season at Goodison Park, he will be a hefty miss this weekend.

The Colombia international had a hand in ten goals and was the club’s most creative outlet. He supplied 1.7 key passes per game, which was by far the most from a player who regularly featured in an offensive position.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin may well return to the fray but his chances of scoring have now been hampered. Instead, Benitez will have to rely on his new signings Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray to load the bullets for Everton’s main marksman.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for “exceptional” 19-goal beast who Rafa said is on “another level”…

Carlton Palmer has hit back at criticism of Paul Pogba at Manchester United.

The midfielder has been a victim of intense media scrutiny throughout his time at Old Trafford and has repeatedly been criticised by Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.

Pogba was in brilliant form for United at the weekend, as he laid on four assists in the 5-1 win over Leeds United.

Souness, though, refused to praise the France international, insisting that such a performance is “expected” of a player who is the club’s record signing.

Pogba did somewhat struggle to add an end product to his game last season, as he scored just three times in the Premier League and laid on five assists.

Still, Palmer insists that the player does not deserve the criticism he receives at Old Trafford, although he has confirmed that he is a big fan of Souness.

Speaking to Football FanCast, the former England midfielder said: “Listen, I’ve always said this, week in, week out, I don’t get the criticism Paul Pogba gets, I just don’t get it.

“I’m a massive fan of Graeme Souness, as a football player I used to love him, as a bloke I like the bloke, because he lives his life the way he played his football. If you get in his way, he’s going to two foot you, that’s the way he is.”

Tottenham Hotspur have received a huge injury boost ahead of their two games this week…

What’s the latest?

Nuno Santo and his side need to overturn a one-goal deficit against Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday evening to keep their European hopes alive, whilst they face newly-promoted Watford in the Premier League on Sunday in a bid to maintain their 100% start.

And the Portuguese head coach has been handed some encouragement after one of his injured stars made a return to training this week.

Cristian Romero made his debut from the bench in Spurs’ opening day clash against Manchester City and played the full 90 minutes against in Portugal last Thursday, but was not in the matchday squad for the win over Wolves at the weekend.

The 23-year-old, signed from Atalanta this summer, was pictured in first-team training, via football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

Big boost

Spurs were stunned last week as they were defeated 1-0 against Pacos in the first-leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League clash and must win to remain in the competition later this week.

Not only will the encounter hand Romero more valuable minutes but it’ll give Nuno another chance to take a look at his new summer signing, who has undoubtedly been brought in with the intentions to become the first-choice.

The current partnership of Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier may have kept impressive clean sheets against the defending Premier League champions and Wolves but they were two members of last season’s problematic backline.

Spurs conceded more goals than any of the other ‘big six’ in 2020/21 and that was largely due to individual errors and a lack of cohesion, in which the aforementioned duo played a major part.

Romero, who won Serie A’s ‘Defender of the Year’ award last term, was surely brought in to fix that but he needs game time after an injury in the Copa America saw his start to training initially delayed.

The Argentina international also led the league for interceptions (3.1 per game), which goes to show his intelligence and ability to read the game, and perhaps, suggests he’s far less error-prone.

Having him available for the clash against Pacos on Thursday and Watford on Sunday should leave Nuno absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Alasdair Gold drops huge Spurs transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

Celtic have made some incredibly strong progress under Ange Postecoglou but the time to properly judge the Australian will be next May.

The Hoops have signed some exceptional players to suit his system and all of that has provided six wins on the spin.

Yet, given how everything unravelled last season, supporters must be realistic about their chances.

What’s the word?

With just over a week to go before the transfer window closes for the month, the Bhoys still have plenty of business they want to conclude.

Odsonne Edouard could still head to the Premier League and if he does depart, a replacement will be required.

Celtic have been in the market for Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis but they are also interested in signing a player closer to home; Kevin Nisbet.

The Scotland international has been a target all summer and according to reporter Peter Martin, they are trying to tempt Hibernian with a player swap deal involving Leigh Griffiths.

Whether Hibs decide to bite on a deal, however, remains to be seen.

Must sign him

With Nisbet having expert knowledge of the Premiership, deciding to sign him this summer should be a no-brainer for Postecoglou and Dominic McKay.

Only Edouard scored more goals in the Scottish top-flight than the 24-year-old last season while a further two strikes in 2021/22 has taken him to 20 in Hibernian colours.

Furthermore, Celtic have seen firsthand the damage he can do.

On his way to being described as “wonderful” by Frank McAvennie, Nisbet scored twice against the Bhoys last term, including a last gasp goal in the League Cup.

On that occasion, he embarrassed the catastrophic Shane Duffy late on. A ball was swung into the area but the Irish centre-half typically failed to deal with it.

He lost balance and then instead of clearing the ball sufficiently, played it straight into the path of Nisbet who fired home in injury time.

It was a typical poacher’s finish from a player who has made the Premiership his playground over the last 12 months.

His record might not be as attractive as someone like Giakoumakis who found the net 29 times last campaign, but he knows the SPFL inside out.

Needing little adjustment time, he may well be the perfect heir to Edouard’s coveted throne. Ange needs him for that reason alone.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kyogo: Ange must seal Celtic swoop for “dazzling” 27-goal weapon…

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills believes Ian Poveda’s Whites career is over, following his loan move to Blackburn Rovers this summer.

The Lowdown: Poveda heads out on loan

The 21-year-old isn’t seen as a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans this season, so he will spend the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Ewood Park after a temporary deal was confirmed this week.

Poveda is yet to fully establish himself at Leeds in general, failing to make a single Premier League start last time around, coming on 14 times as a substitute.

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The Latest: Mills makes brutal prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills gave a bleak outlook regarding the youngster’s Whites future, when asked if he thinks he will remain at the club:

“No is the answer. Once you get sent out on loan it’s very difficult to come back and have a real impact.

“The reason you are being sent out on loan is because you are surplus to requirements.

“That sticks in your mind, even if you go out and have a fantastic season, it’s always in your mind that ‘This manager did not want me last season’.

“There’s always a bit of a hangover from that. It’s quite hard to shake off sometimes.”

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The Verdict: Time up for youngster?

At 21, Poveda certainly has time on his side – some fans praised his performance at home to Manchester City last season, calling him ‘immense’, among other superlatives – but if Bielsa saw him as a key man moving forward, he would surely have kept him as part of his squad.

The hope is that the youngster impresses at Blackburn and goes up a gear, although even if he does, it is difficult to see him ever being a star figure at Elland Road.

He hasn’t done enough to justify that yet, and as Leeds move on without him, he could only get left further behind.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be interested in making a late summer move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Some Liverpool supporters have reacted angrily to claims regarding Mohamed Salah’s future, with some fearing that it could lead to him leaving the club.

The Egyptian has arguably been the superstar of the Jurgen Klopp era at Liverpool, producing incredible levels of quality for the Reds. Salah has scored a remarkable 127 goals in 206 appearances for the Merseysiders, smashing numerous records along the way.

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While a host of the 29-year-old’s teammates have signed new deals at Anfield this summer, his contract remains unchanged, with it expiring in the summer of 2023.

According to The Mirror [via Anfield Edition on Twitter], Salah is demanding an eye-watering £500,000 per week in order to sign on the dotted line, which would make him easily the highest-paid Liverpool player of all time, amid reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

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Liverpool fans unhappy at Salah contract claim

These Reds fans have reacted negatively to the claims, suggesting there is no way that the much-maligned FSG ownership will pay those wages should the surprise story turn out to be true.

“We’re going to lose Salah”

Credit: @HaaikalZulkifli

“Our stingy owners are gonna let one of the greatest ever PL players leave for free next summer and paint HIM as the bad guy. FSG are so awful”

Credit: @BrayleyCrowe

“guess he’s leaving then”

Credit: @SadioSZN_ynwa

“Now look how they make him out to be the villain”

Credit: @lfcfigoo

“The way I’d be done with football if he left”

Credit: @TWregistalfc

“Here is the start of it, Salah is next summer’s transfer budget, and the briefing is already starting to make him look greedy, so when FSG sell him the fans will blame Salah”

Credit: @Corballyred

In other news, some Liverpool fans are also unhappy over another transfer update. Read more here.

According to journalist Carlos Aleman, Everton are prepared to pay some of James Rodriguez’s wages to make sure he departs the club.

The Lowdown: Rodriguez can still move

With the majority of transfer windows across Europe now slammed shut, it was thought that Rodriguez would have to stay at Goodison Park until at least January.

However, the Turkish window is still open, meaning the £25.2m-valued Colombia international (Transfermarkt) could still make the switch to the Super Lig.

The Latest: Prepared to pay

Istanbul Basaksehir have been linked with a move for the former Real Madrid man, and now journalist Aleman has provided an update.

Speaking on WinTV, he said:

“It is true of Başakşehir’s interest in James Rodríguez. Everton is open to negotiation and they would put part of his salary to go on loan.”

The Verdict: Disaster

Rodriguez’s move to Goodison Park has ended up being a disaster after such an incredible start.

The 29-year-old made the switch because of former boss Carlo Ancelotti, and did show flashes of his undoubted ability by scoring six goals and providing five assists in 23 Premier League matches (Transfermarkt), but injuries limited his impact.

Now, with Ancelotti having departed for Real, Rodriguez appears to have no interest in staying with the Toffees (talkSPORT). On wages of £140,000 a week (salarysport.com), he is an expensive passenger to have, and the Blues now potentially continuing to pay him while he plies his trade elsewhere feels like worst case scenario.

In other news, Everton fans were livid with this international break news.

West Ham boss David Moyes must bring Vladimir Coufal back into his starting XI this afternoon as the Irons look to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to a fifth straight game.

It won’t be an easy task, however, as they welcome Manchester United to the London Stadium and they’ll have plenty of firepower at their disposal, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes.

The Hammers continued their fine form in 2021/22 during the week, defeating Dinamo Zagreb in their own back garden to kickstart their Europa League group stage debut in impressive fashion.

Moyes rung the changes for the encounter, almost utilising a whole new backline, with Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop coming back in, whilst Kurt Zouma was handed a debut.

But despite the solid outings from many of his fringe players, the Scotsman must turn back to his usual first-choice options, which means we should see a return for the industrious Vladimir Coufal at right-back.

It remains to be seen who could line-up for the Red Devils on the left but considering the options are between Sancho and Mason Greenwood, the east London outfit will know they will be in for a tricky afternoon against either.

The Czech Republic beast has continued his phenomenal form from his debut campaign last term and sits amongst Moyes’ best-performing players once again.

No other player is averaging more tackles per game (3.3) this season than Coufal, whilst he’s also averaged 1.3 interceptions and one key pass per match, via WhoScored.

According to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the 29-year-old was “one of the signings of the season.”

“We talk about [Tomas] Soucek, but Coufal whether it’s right wing-back or right full-back at different times, he’s just one of those players that’s 7/10 minimum every time you watch him play. He’s the type of player you’d love to play with him. A manager’s dream, never injured, he’s there week in week out,” he said on Monday Night Football (4th May, 22:24pm).

Whilst Coufal’s current teammate, the Irons club captain Mark Noble, dubbed the £18m-rated defender as a “machine” to ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ back in May.

If West Ham are to continue their unbeaten run, then Moyes must turn back to Coufal at right-back. He could well hold the keys to a positive result this afternoon.

AND in other news, Fewer passes than Fabianski: £27m-rated West Ham dynamo gives Moyes cause for concern against Zagreb…

Leeds United are reportedly still keen on the idea of signing Club Brugge winger Noa Lang, having shown plenty of interest in the past.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Lang move

The Whites were linked with a move for the 22-year-old at various times during the summer transfer window, but they ended up bringing in Daniel James instead.

Lang signed for Brugge permanently from Ajax after being on loan in Belgium and he has already scored three goals and registered four assists in the Jupiler Pro League this season, with a haul of seven goal involvements quite impressive at this early stage of the campaign.

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The Latest: Whites’ interest returns

It appears as though Leeds still see the young Dutchman as a target, with Football Insider claiming that they are tracking him constantly.

Much may depend on how Lang fares at Brugge, but he has a contract with the Belgian champions which runs until 2025.

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The Verdict: Ideal signing?

Lang looks a huge talent – he has been hailed as a ‘phenomenon’ by Belgian sports journalist Peter Vandenbempt in the past – so it is encouraging to see him being linked with the Whites once more.

It could be that Marcelo Bielsa sees the winger as a long-term replacement for Raphinha should Leeds find it difficult to keep hold of the Brazilian for years to come – he had been linked with the likes of Liverpool over the summer.

Lang’s numbers speak volumes about his quality in the final third, however, and his age means that he could develop even further over time and become a formidable player at Elland Road.

In other news, some Leeds fans have been reacting to a Phil Hay tweet. Read more here.

While there are a number of factors that contributed to Sheffield United’s fall from a top-half finish in their 2019/20 Premier League campaign to relegation the following season, one of the biggest failings for the Blades was their business in the transfer windows, with the club simply not identifying and subsequently signing the right targets.

Indeed, having spent a whopping £63.45m in their first season back in the top flight – some of which was, admittedly, spent relatively wisely, such as the £20.70m on Sander Berge and £3.51m on Ben Osborn – United followed this spree up with another season of heavy spending the following year, splashing £56.43m on the likes of Rhian Brewster, Aaron Ramsdale, Oliver Burke, Max Lowe and Jayden Bogle.

However, while there are a few contenders for the crown, the then-club record £20m fee paid to Swansea City for Oli McBurnie could easily be argued as being one of the club’s worst deals in this period, as the 25-year-old has, thus far in his time at Bramall Lane, not lived up to this price tag whatsoever.

Nightmare

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances in his first season at the club, the £24k-per-week forward scored six goals, registered no assists and missed 10 big chances, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.7 shots and completing just 10.4 passes per game.

These returns saw the Scotland international earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.86, ranking him as the Blades’ joint eighth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

However, over McBurnie’s 23 league appearances the following season, the striker scored just one goal, once again provided no assists and missed eight big chances for his side, with these metrics seeing the 25-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80.

Things have not improved for the centre-forward over his seven Championship appearances so far this season, with the Scot being yet to find the back of the net, as well as hitting the target with a mere 0.1 shots per game and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.83 in the second tier.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise to Sheffield United fans that, since joining the club for £20m back in 2019, McBurnie is now valued by Transfermarkt at just £9m – less than half the figure the club shelled out to land the 25-year-old just two years ago, something which can easily be viewed as something of a nightmare piece of business by the Blades.

In other news: Jokanovic has found Sheff United’s new Lundstrum in “powerful” £6.3m-rated gem