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Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Everton will be facing Sheffield Wednesday with an injury-ravished squad but they will welcome top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin back for Sunday night’s FA Cup tie.

The winner of the fourth round encounter will host either of Wycombe Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur in the next stage of the competition, with Jose Mourinho’s Spurs also visiting Championship opposition on Monday evening.

Everton have not reached the fifth round of the FA Cup since progressing through to the semi-final in 2015/16, after bowing out to Liverpool (twice), Millwall and Leicester City in recent years.

So, in Ancelotti’s quest to continue competing in the oldest national football competition, here’s a potential line-up the Italian may name to counter Everton’s injury crisis…

Ancelotti has grown a reputation at Goodison Park for rotating his goalkeeper options since the arrival of Robin Olsen last summer and he will be expected to name the AS Roma loanee against Wednesday after starting him at home to Rotherham United.

Everton will be forced into naming Ben Godfrey at left-back once again with Lucas Digne and Niels Nkounkou both ruled out of Sunday night’s tie, further forcing Ancelotti to name a full-strength centre-back pairing, likely alongside Seamus Coleman.

Coleman played the full 120 minutes of the third round win over Rotherham but has only started one Premier League fixture since the £70,000-per-week gem returned from a hamstring injury last month.

The Toffees will also be without Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Allan and Fabian Delph, leaving Tom Davies, Andre Gomes and Abdoulaye Doucoure as Ancelotti’s only fully fit natural options for the holding midfield role.

Doucoure will be expected to start at home to the Owls with the Frenchman suspended in the Premier League for Wednesday night’s meeting with Leicester City, and could be partnered by Gomes to afford Davies a rest ahead of the Foxes encounter after starting the Blues’ last five fixtures across all competitions.

Ancelotti has been met with a further absence in attack with Alex Iwobi ruled out, likely forcing the former Chelsea head coach to rely on Richarlison and Bernard to bring the width in six changes from the side that beat Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

Gylfi Sigurdsson started as a false nine at Molineux but will be expected to start in an attacking midfield capacity against Sheffield Wednesday, as Ancelotti likely looks to manage James Rodriguez’s workload following the Colombian’s calf injury.

Calvert-Lewin at least offers the Italian tactician a welcome boost with his return from a hamstring injury, and will hope to end a six-game drought across all competitions in search of his 15th goal of the season.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit reacts as Everton to hand £100k-p/w man a new contract.

Mike Ashley should sanction a Newcastle United swoop for Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham to join Steve Bruce’s side before Monday’s transfer deadline.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, the Toon have lodged an enquiry to sound out Ntcham’s availability as Bruce eyes the completion of a loan deal before the January window slams shut on Monday night.

The Hoops would favour a deal that carries an option to purchase the 24-year-old at the end of the season, as Ntcham is now inside the final 18-months of his £14,000-per-week contract.

Ntcham is said to have made it clear to Celtic that he wishes to leave Parkhead after being denied a move to Ligue 1 outfit Stade Brest on Deadline Day in the last transfer window, after the Hoops demanded £12m to part with the alleged former Southampton target.

Newcastle seemingly face competition from West Bromwich Albion in the race to sign the Frenchman, while a number of sides in the midfielder’s native country are also thought to be keen, with Celtic now said to value him at £7m.

Ntcham has only started 29% of the Hoops’ Premiership fixtures this term, with the former U21 international opening just seven of his 14 outings and not taking to the field at all since before Christmas.

Should Newcastle sign Ntcham?

A deal to sign Ntcham on loan with a view to a potential permanent deal at the end of the season is something Newcastle owner Ashley should very much consider sanctioning, as the 24-year-old is nowhere near his prime, yet he can offer Bruce an instant impact in the engine room.

Ntcham, lauded as an “excellent player” by Celtic icon John Collins, has been questioned for his inconsistency at times but has earned an array of interest over the years for being excellent on his day.

It was only last season that the Frenchman scored eight goals and provided four assists across all competitions, with strikes to his name in the Premiership, Europa League and both domestic cups.

He needed just two minutes on the field at Motherwell to score his only goal of the current campaign, too, having come on to replace Tom Rogic in the closing stages and soon tapping Odsonne Edouard’s pass into Aaron Chapman’s net. Only to then face exile at Parkhead.

Jonjo Shelvey was Bruce’s top-scorer in the Premier League last season, with the midfielder scoring eight goals. But Newcastle have only seen 10-goal forward Callum Wilson find the net more than Jeff Hendrick and Miguel Almiron this term, who are the only ones to have also hit home more than once.

Despite featuring little in the Premiership this season, Ntcham can additionally offer Bruce a creative output, as the 24-year-old has delivered 23 crosses into the box and directs 36.4% of his shots on target, per FBref. Only Jamal Lewis (28) and Ryan Fraser (25) have registered a greater number of crosses for the Toon in the Premier League this term.

So, if Celtic are receptive to a loan-to-buy deal, Ashley should absolutely be on the phone to get a deal across the line before Monday’s deadline passes, as the upsides far outweigh the negatives at the price Newcastle would likely have to pay.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Rob Lee slams “laughable” Newcastle and Steve Bruce decision…

According to a report by Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Juventus defender Radu Dragusin ‘continues to please’ Tottenham Hotspur as talks continue between the player and his current club over a new deal – but there has still been ‘no agreement’, despite ‘constant dialogue’. 

Dragusin, who was reportedly attracting Spurs’ interest in the January window (Longari), seems to be keeping hold of Daniel Levy’s attention as talks over a Juve contract extension have, so far, led to a new deal being signed.

Dragusin attracting Spurs interest

The Old Lady are apparently planning a fresh offer for the Romanian starlet but the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle United and RB Leipzig appear to be waiting in the wings.

Dragusin has played 22 minutes in total for the Serie A giants this season across all competitions (WhoScored), making his Juventus debut recently and he’s already managed to impress Andrea Pirlo.

The World Cup winner heralded his youngster as ‘very strong’ in a press conference at the end of 2020 – but also went on to claim that he must ‘develop on a technical level’ (Juventus TV via Football Italia).

Transfer Tavern take

Standing at a lofty 6 foot 3, it’s hard to argue with Pirlo’s assessment of Dragusin’s physicality, with Tottenham reportedly taking note among other clubs.

There is currently no sign of a new deal for Dragusin as talks continue, and maybe Spurs could take advantage and swoop for a promising asset if nothing can be resolved between the two parties.

In other news: Tottenham still keen on this attacker, find out more here.

While Leeds United may have gotten back to winning ways against Southampton last time out, Marcelo Bielsa must consider unleashing Helder Costa when Aston Villa make the trip to Elland Road on late Saturday afternoon.

The Whites ran out 3-0 winners over the Saints in the Premier League, but the scores were locked level at 0-0 before a second-half salvo knocked the wind out of the home side’s sails.

And one man who was instrumental in changing the complexion of that game, was Costa.

The £10.8m-rated star has been on the periphery of things in the Premier League this season, after initially starting the first eight games of the campaign. Since then, both Jack Harrison and Raphinha have nailed down the starting wide positions, with the 27-year-old Costa left looking in from the outside.

But after coming on at the break for Harrison against Arsenal, the exciting winger has shown flashes of being back to his best. He delivered an emphatic finish at the Emirates to pull one back against the Gunners as Leeds tried to mount a second-half fight-back, while he was equally impressive against the Saints, this time picking up an assist after again coming on for the same player.

Against Southampton, he attempted more dribbles, provided more key passes and won more duels than Harrison, while his quick feet and trickery also saw him earn four free-kicks for his side – the joint-most of any player on the day.

Speaking earlier this season, his former manager at Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo, waxed lyrical about his fellow Portuguese man, saying: “When we arrived in the Championship, Helder was injured. They were major injuries and it took a lot of time for him to recover. So that season was not the best for him, but in the first season we were in the Premier League, Helder was immense and had a huge impact on the team.

“He’s a very talented player, but things happen naturally, players move from here to another place. It happens in football. Honestly, I’m delighted he’s showing his quality and enjoying his football.”

With his long-term future up in the air, Costa doesn’t appear too much time to really stamp his mark on Leeds and prove to Bielsa that he deserves to remain at Elland Road.

But given his recent performances from off the bench, he’s absolutely deserving of a rare start when Aston Villa come to town on Saturday afternoon. He could well be the Leeds boss’ game-changer if given the opportunity.

According to a report by Tutto Bologna Web, also transcribed and shared by Sport Witness, West Ham United are eyeing in form star Lukasz Skorupski as they could look to strengthen the goalkeeping area of the squad.

Skorupski, who has been in fine form for Serie A side Bologna recently, grabbing one of the top performances by a goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues last weekend according to WhoScored, is now reportedly attracting interest from the Hammers.

West Ham eyeing Skorupski

Tutto Bologna Web tout West Ham as the side primarily looking at the 29-year-old, coming as a potential replacement for current number one Lukasz Fabianski – with back ups Darren Randolph and David Martin also beginning to reach the twilight stage of their careers.

After becoming Bologna’s first choice this season, he is starting to attract interest, with fellow Premier League sides Aston Villa, Brighton, Wolves and Crystal Palace also touted as sides who could be in need of new goalkeepers.

Transfer Tavern take

A fellow Poland international, the shot stopper could be an ideal option for West Ham as they contemplate a new player to either compete with or play deputy to Fabianski.

Whether or not they launch a concrete bid in the summer is yet to be seen, but as per this report, the Hammers are casting an eye.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

Dean Windass spoke exclusively to Football FanCast and delivered his verdict on Richarlison and what he must do to get better.

The Brazillian international was the stand-in striker during Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence and has performed well for Carlo Ancelotti and Everton.

Richarlison scored a stunning goal against Liverpool as well as a brace in the FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to lead the line for the Toffees, before also netting on Calvert-Lewin’s return against Southampton on Monday.

However, Ancelotti has claimed Richarlison will play where he tells him to with Calvert-Lewin still the main man at Goodison Park.

Having registered just five goals in the Premier League this season, the £90,000-a-week forward has perhaps not done enough to prove he is ready to be a regular striker for Everton, instead of being pushed out wide.

However, he does have eight for a Brazil side which is bursting full with attacking options. Richarlison is also regularly deployed as a striker for Tite’s side.

After speaking exclusively to Football Fancast, Dean Windass says the Brazillian may be starting to earn the trust of his manager but must do one more thing.

He said: “He’s sort of getting that trust with Ancelotti now and the player is starting to trust his manager.

“The boy’s young, 23-years-old but you look at the kid and think he’s 28/29 because of the confidence and talent he’s got. He’s good in the air, he’s quick and plays off that left-hand side.

“He just needs to add more goals to his performances and obviously the one against Liverpool was a great finish. He’s sort of stepped up to the plate with Calvert-Lewin being injured.

“For me, when I played I wanted to be the main man all the time and that’s the attitude you’ve got to have as a player all the time.

“A single-minded, selfish player, you’ve got to be like that.”

Richarlison has been a good signing for Everton since joining from Watford for a fee that could rise to £50 million. The winger looks to make things happen but his desire to play through the middle may be out of his hands as long as Calvert-Lewin is at the club.

Everton are covered in the striker department, a rarity in the Premier League nowadays. however, it doesn’t come without its troubles of both players wanting to play in one position.

Sunderland have a rare opportunity to put the league on hold this weekend.

That’s because the Mackems are getting ready to face Tranmere in the final of the Papa John’s Trophy at Wembley.

On the chalkboard

Heading into this weekend, Lee Johnson has plenty of selection dilemmas. Does he disrupt a defence which has kept five clean sheets in six or does he try to reintegrate some of the men who have been out injured?

There are also dilemmas in attack, an area of the field which has been dominated by Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady. They have contributed to 36 goals this term, a phenomenal return from two players from whom Phil Parkinson failed to get the best.

Wyke has 26 strikes this term compared to the six he scored in 2019/20, although Sunderland have also received help from the likes of Aiden O’Brien and Jordan Jones. The pair started last time out against Portsmouth but there are also cases for Lynden Gooch and Chris Maguire to feature.

Who to unleash?

Maguire had been one of the biggest losers from Johnson’s appointment just a few weeks ago. He was, and still is, being mainly restricted to substitute appearances.

That being said, he has come to life to deliver some vitally important cameos in recent weeks.

The forward has already bounced back from his fair share of tough times at the Stadium of Light. He was reprimanded by Parkinson after being snapped alongside McGeady at a McDonald’s just hours after suffering a defeat to Gillingham in December 2019.

He became a pillar of Parkinson’s team from that moment onwards, however, contributing four goals and three assists in his next six outings.

The £4,400-per-week earner has responded to Johnson not picking him on a regular basis by starring from the bench. In the 32-year-old’s last five outings, he has been involved in three goals.

With the Scottish forward’s form improving all the time, Johnson has to consider unleashing him on Sunday. Maguire could just prove to be Sunderland’s secret weapon.

After all, the majority of Tranmere’s pre-game preparation could well be on how to stop Wyke and McGeady.

With Jones a major doubt, it only adds further appeal to playing Maguire on Sunday. He may be the difference.

AND in other news, Dreyfus may be on the verge of repeating one of Donald’s biggest SAFC mistakes already…

Say the name Almen Abdi around Hillsborough Stadium and you’ll likely get back a prickly response from the Sheffield Wednesday faithful – but that is quite understandable.

The Swiss midfielder cost the Yorkshire giants a whopping £4m from Watford in 2016 and, in three seasons, racked up an abysmal 23 appearances. A shocking waste of money, to say the least.

It was such poor a signing that YorkshireLive dubbed him their ‘undisputed captain’ of the Owls’ worst 25-man squad of the last decade.

He never lived up to expectations, and now there’s another name heading down the same treacherous path – Massimo Luongo.

According to reports in his home country Australia at the time (summer 2019), the former QPR midfielder cost around £3.3m, which isn’t too much cheaper than the price paid for Abdi.

Now valued at just £1.44m by Transfermarkt, the 28-year-old has struggled to make much of an impact in the near two seasons that he’s been in south Yorkshire.

In total, Luongo has made 43 appearances for the Owls but hasn’t started a game since a 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield at the start of December and has missed 22 league outings through injury, per Transfermarkt.

He comes back and then gets injured almost instantly – even when appearing from the bench for the odd ten to 20 minutes.

This is very much the same story to that of Abdi and that should have Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri hugely concerned as it’ll be another disastrous cross on his transfer record.

Frustratingly, when the injury-prone maestro is fit, he’s among the club’s best-performing players, but those matches come few and far between.

In 2015, the Aussie was named alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on a 59-player list for the Ballon d’Or world footballer of the year award.

Just two years later, former Rs boss Ian Holloway lauded him as the best player in the Championship, via Goal.com, whilst ex-Owls boss Garry Monk – who signed Luongo in 2019 – waxed lyrical about him last season. He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader,” before adding: “I think his performances have been excellent.”

Darren Moore knows all too well about the £18k-per-week dynamo, too. Echoing the aforementioned sentiments, he told reporters in his unveiling press conference: “Mass is an excellent player, we know that. He’ll be a wonderful addition with the squad.”

However, there is a long way to go before Luongo can back up just glowing praise. He must first focus on staying fit – if he can’t, then the Owls could certainly have another Abdi on their hands.

The 34-year-old has not played for another club since his exit from Hillsborough at the end of the 2018/19 season. Luongo best hope he does not follow the same path.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer adamant Liam Shaw shouldn’t be playing for Sheffield Wednesday…

Steve Bruce will be fearing for the worst as Newcastle United await the results of Isaac Hayden’s scans amid claims of a potentially season-ending knee injury.

That’s according to The Northern Echo, who note that the Toon midfielder was left in considerable pain after a freak and accidental collision with Yves Bissouma during Saturday night’s 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Hayden’s knee appeared to buckle underneath him and he required five minutes of treatment on the field before being stretchered off in first-half stoppage-time, as United went on to extend their winless run to six games.

Hayden is expected to undergo a series of scans and X-rays to assess the extent of his injury, but is feared to have sustained significant damage meaning he is likely to miss Newcastle’s final nine games of the Premier League campaign.

There is a chance that Hayden may also be sidelined for the start of the Magpies’ pre-season training camp this summer, should the 26-year-old have sustained any ligament damage.

Bruce admitted after Saturday’s defeat that the injury did not look good, and now faces an anxious wait for updates on his key midfield anchor.

“It’s a knee injury. We don’t know the severity until obviously he has scans and X-rays, but it doesn’t look too good, that’s for sure,” the Newcastle head coach said.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-newcastle-news” title=”Latest Newcastle news!”]

Hayden missing the remainder of United’s fight for survival would come as a huge blow for the St. James’ Park natives, having opened 22 of his 24 Premier League appearances and only sitting out five fixtures thus far this season.

The £9m-rated enforcer had only missed two minutes of top-flight action in his side’s previous 10 games also, and could now leave big shoes for the likes of Jeff Hendrick and Matty or Sean Longstaff to try and fill in the weeks and months ahead.

Bruce will absolutely be fearing for the worst as Newcastle await the results of Hayden’s scans and X-rays, as a season-ending injury will come as a hammer blow for their hopes of survival after an apologetic and passive performance against Brighton on Saturday.

Hayden has been one of the few consistent stars of United’s tepid season and a saviour for Bruce on multiple occasions, by helping to plug gaps in defence as injuries and coronavirus have wreaked havoc on the Magpies.

“He’s been very valuable because of his versatility, of course, and that helps enormously,” Bruce said, via quotes by BT last month, after Hayden impressed at centre-half against Southampton while previously featuring at right-back.

Beyond his versatility, Hayden also breaks up opposition play like few others have been able to for Bruce this term, with only Arsenal loanee Joe Willock (2.6) averaging a higher number of successful tackles per Premier League game since his winter arrival, per WhoScored.

Hayden, who offers 2.2 successful tackles from three attempts, also ranks second to Willock (2) for interceptions (1.8), but is only dribbled past 0.9 times a game to the Gunners product being beaten on the ground a Toon-high 3.4 times.

His efforts also ensure Hayden ranks first at St. James’ Park for total interceptions (43) in top-flight games with 17 more than second-ranked Ciaran Clark (26) and Fabian Schar (26), along with a team-high 52 tackles – three shy of his total 55 recorded in 29 games last term.

Bruce will be hoping that Hayden can edge closer to his 2019/20 tally and still play a role in Newcastle’s fight for survival, fearing what impact his long-term absence could have on the Toon.

AND in other news, Newcastle’s hopes of signing a “standout performer” have taken a major blow…

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a comment from the Gers’ Supporters Liaison Officer Greg Marshall in regards to season tickets for the 2021/22 season.

With the Gers having already wrapped up this season’s Premiership title, all eyes will now be directed towards the next campaign as the Ibrox outfit attempt to defend their triumph. It will also be special for the fans, as they should be finally able to celebrate the success of their team at their home stadium.

Earlier this week, the Gers released a new page on their website for season ticket renewals, with the prices considerably lower than what they were this campaign. However, it seems the tickets will actually be more expensive than this term, and Marshall revealed the website page was just a test and the prices listed were not an indication of what it will actually cost supporters.

Marshall shared the news on Twitter, and it didn’t go down well with the supporters at all. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“There will be riots…..”

Credit: @GreigC22

“This is ridiculous. Why even put a price on them then? Folk have seen that & got their hopes up! Whoever done that has some explaining to do!”

Credit: @StaunchForever

“Shambles”

Credit: @scottgal85

“Up there with changing the RTV app in the middle of the season and people can’t see games they’ve paid for. Must do better.”

Credit: @uberhonda

“You should be testing offline. Totally ridiculous and amateur!! As if people wouldn’t notice and jump right on it.”

Credit: @davidjcoats1

“So you test something on a live website and put up a page on the website saying season ticket renewals now open ? Honestly how stupid are the admin team. No the first time they have done things like this”

Credit: @scottgraham89

In other news, Rangers fans react to this injury news.