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Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Everton will be without their top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night, a match you can bet here on.

The Toffees boss had hoped to see Calvert-Lewin return from an abductor muscle problem to lead his side’s charge, after missing Monday’s goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion despite travelling to the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls affair was only the fourth Premier League fixture that the 14-goal frontman had sat out this term, following spells on the sidelines with separate hamstring injuries in January and February.

Ancelotti fielded Richarlison and James Rodriguez at striker but failed to see either deliver the needed impact to beat Graham Potter’s south coast side, as the Brazilian struggled for service and the Colombian found himself marked out of the game.

Ancelotti will now need to see his forwards step up if Everton are to beat Tottenham on Friday night and move above the north Londoners into seventh place, after confirming that Calvert-Lewin will be absent once again.

“Available for the game are Jordan Pickford, Allan, Joshua King and Andre Gomes. In the next week, we are going to have Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph and Bernard [back],” the Blues boss said on Thursday.

“It will be longer for [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin and [Abdoulaye] Doucoure. Gbamin doesn’t need surgery, but he will be out for at least eight weeks. The plan for him is to be back for the start of the new season.”

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Calvert-Lewin returning next week could see the striker be made available for Everton’s trip to Arsenal on Friday 23rd, who currently trail the Merseyside outfit by three points and having played a game more.

But Ancelotti will be gutted to be facing Tottenham without his top-scorer, who has 19 goals and four assists over 32 games in all competitions this season, knowing his side struggles to play to the same rhythm without the 24-year-old on the field.

Calvert-Lewin gives Everton a focal point in attack and a teammate for Richarlison to bounce off, while offering an aerial presence in the opposition’s penalty area.

No Toffees player contests (8.7) or wins (4.4) as many aerial duels per Premier League game than Calvert-Lewin has this season, with left-back Lucas Digne contesting the second-most (4.5) and Mina winning the second-most (3), per WhoScored.

Richarlison led the game for aerial duels contested against Brighton on Monday with six, but only two of those challenges came in an offensive situation – one less than Digne (3).

Calvert-Lewin’s ability to occupy defender’s thoughts is just one reason why Rio Ferdinand has lauded the England international and claimed that players would fear coming up against him.

“I’ve watched a lot of Everton this year and he’s one that unnerves defenders,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube channel. “He’s not one you want to play against week in, week out. He’s aggressive, he attacks the ball.”

It will be a huge blow for Everton’s hopes of beating Tottenham to be without Calvert-Lewin, in what is almost a must-win match if Ancelotti is to see the Goodison Park natives qualify for a European competition this season.

AND in other news, an “outstanding” talent is keen to join Everton this summer, but there’s a hitch…

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Crystal Palace host West Ham this weekend at Selhurst Park and will be hoping they can burst the Hammers’ post-Liverpool bubble – the east London side were excellent on Monday as they held the Reds to a draw.

Defensive injuries, though, have meant Roy Hodgson will be forced into making some adjustments to the side that were 2-0 victors over Fulham last week. Although one key stat concerning their opponents on Saturday should make the former England boss’ selection decision far easier.

On the chalkboard

James Tomkins, who has formed a stoic partnership with Mamadou Sakho at the heart of defence, has been ruled unlikely to play this weekend by Hodgson.

Fortunately, the Eagles boss has sufficient defensive cover to provide a natural replacement for Tomkins in Martin Kelly – the former Liverpool man was called upon for the Leicester clash in December and excelled, despite cutting an uncertain figure in previous seasons.

However, his 71-year-old manager should take a gamble by going with his fourth-choice centre-back if it means he can exploit a little-known Irons weakness.

Dangerous Dann

West Ham splashed the cash in the summer as Manuel Pellegrini took the helm in a bit to rebrand the team; the signings of Felipe Anderson and Issa Diop have been impressive but the latter, a £22m signing from Toulouse, has been unable to plug all the deficiencies in defence.

Surprisingly, the London Stadium outfit are level with Everton, who have conceded the most goals from set-pieces this season, on expected goals (xGA) from set-pieces, with 4.6%.

Palace should look to trouble their opponents in that aspect by flooding the box with big men. Christian Benteke’s availability will be crucial, but starting Scott Dann will significantly boost their chances of capitalising on a dead-ball situation.

The 31-year-old is an excellent header of the ball and has scored some vital goals for Palace over the years, although he hasn’t made a start in the Premier League this season. Hodgson should take a gamble by starting the former Blackburn man, even if he may be more vulnerable when West Ham look to use their pace on the counter.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

David Moyes is right to try and sell Andriy Yarmolenko this summer amid claims that West Ham United are in talks with Dynamo Kyiv over such a move.

What’s the word?

According to Pedro Almeida, Dynamo Kyiv are keen to be reunited with the 31-year-old and want to welcome the forward back to the Ukrainian Premier League at the end of the season.

Yarmolenko played 340 games for the Ukrainian club between 2007 and 2017, before joining Borussia Dortmund, where he only lasted one year. West Ham bought him one season after his arrival at Signal Iduna Park for £17.5m and awarded the winger a four-year contract, which is set to enter its final 12 months this June.

The 31-year-old could now make a return to the club where he made a name for himself, with West Ham claimed to be in active negotiations with Dynamo Kyiv over a potential deal. Yarmolenko has seen his future in claret and blue be cast into doubt over recent months, with reports earlier in the year suggesting that bids of between £5m and £6m would be considered.

The Hammers are thought to have accepted that a sizable hit on the fee paid to Borussia Dortmund will need to be taken in order to move Yarmolenko on at the end of the season.

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Should West Ham sell Yarmolenko?

It remains to be seen what terms Dynamo Kyiv are able to offer West Ham for Yarmolenko’s services, but Moyes is absolutely right to make the winger available for a transfer ahead of the Ukraine international entering the final year of his Irons contract.

Yarmolenko has been a consistent injury risk for the Hammers since his arrival in 2018, having missed 57 games and counting across all competitions due to various issues including Achilles, back, abductor and knee ligament damage.

The forward returned to training prior to the March international break but is yet to feature in one of Moyes’ matchday squads since, and he has only started eight first team fixtures – one in the Premier League – over 21 appearances thus far this term.

Those eight starts still account for more than a third of Yarmolenko’s career opening calls in claret and blue, having started just 23 matches in all competitions across his 53 appearances over the past three seasons.

West Ham are paying out a lot of money for Yarmolenko to frequently occupy a seat on the bench when not in the treatment room, with the forward – who Moyes lauds as “a very talented player” – the Irons’ top earner on a £115,000-a-week contract, per Spotrac.

That salary has seen West Ham hand over £16.4m in wages over Yarmolenko’s 143 weeks at the London Stadium thus far, which – added with the £17.5m paid to Dortmund – equates to £1.5m for each start or £640,000 per appearance.

Yarmolenko has simply been stealing a living at West Ham, who need to call time on his spell at the club this summer. It just remains to be seen how much they can recoup from Dynamo Kyiv, or whether another suitor may be willing to show an interest.

AND in other news, David Moyes eyes a summer reunion with £75k-p/w enforcer who looked “like he’s on roller-skates” in 2020…

It’s easy to see why Nigel Adkins took the Charlton Athletic job.

The vastly-experienced 56-year-old has a proven track record in the lower leagues of English football and would’ve leapt at the opportunity to save them from their freefall.

He arguably made his name at Southampton, where he led the south coast outfit to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, handing them a shot at the big time after a seven-year absence.

There are plenty of similarities between that Saints side and the Addicks now; former top-flight teams dwindling in the third tier, foreign owners prepared to stump up the cash to save the club, and a fanbase to fit a 27,000-seater stadium.

But could Adkins take inspiration from a side that won promotion a decade ago? He’s certainly well-equipped to…

On the Chalkboard

In Preston loanee Jayden Stockley, the Charlton manager could find his next Rickie Lambert – a powerful striker fit to lead the line at this level.

The 27-year-old talisman has very much had a comparable career to that of the Saints legend, prior to their arrivals at their respective clubs, both were well-travelled.

Lambert jumped from club to club in the lower leagues, playing for the likes of Blackpool, Macclesfield Town, Stockport County and Bristol Rovers before finding his feet at St Mary’s.

Stockley has played for 14 different clubs, thanks largely to boyhood club AFC Bournemouth shipping him out on loan every year.

Both stand at 6 foot 2, and are known for their target man ability. Indeed, WhoScored list the £810k-rated forward as a threat from set-pieces whilst a whopping 6.3 aerial duels won across League One and the Championship only reinforces that thinking.

No other Addicks star is managing to win as many battles in the air as Stockley (9.4). Speaking about his strength, former teammate Sean Maguire once said: “He’s a fantastic player. The guy can hold up a house. He’s strong and his hold-up play is one of the best I’ve played with.”

This sort of ability should see Stockley fit in a range of systems and tactics – two-up top? one-man? He should be able to do it all. Just like Lambert at the Saints.

Adkins could be onto a winner if he draws inspiration from his old side, and the five-goal loan star must be at the centre of it all up top.

AND in other news, Forget Famewo: Charlton ace who lost possession 21x vs AFCW has already badly let Adkins down…

According to Give Me Sport, Glasgow Rangers are interested in Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga.

Gers eye Assombalonga

Assombalonga currently plays his football for Middlesbrough in the Championship. His contract at the club is set to run out at the end of the season (Transfermarkt).

As such, the Ibrox outfit are said to be eager to take him north of the border on a free transfer.

Potential bargain

Assombalonga has scored goals at a steady rate throughout his career. He has netted at least 10 strikes in seven different campaigns, and has a record of 131 goals in 344 matches since making his debut (Transfermarkt). Boro even paid £15m in 2017 to sign him (BBC) – that was, and still is, a club-record fee for the north-east outfit.

Unfortunately, in more recent times, he has struggled to hit the same heights. This term, he has managed just five goals in 29 matches in the English second tier and was even stripped of the club captaincy by Neil Warnock  (Teesside Live). However, he is clearly a player with plenty of talent, and perhaps a change of scenery could do him the world of good. On a free transfer, this could well be a bargain signing for Ross Wilson and co – especially after Alfredo Morelos recently shared his desire to move to the Premier League (Radio Caracol).

In other news, Rangers fans slam this Union Bears statement.

Daniel Farke’s Norwich City are considering a move for Danilho Doekhi ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by De Telegraaf (via Football Oranje), who claimed that the Canaries, along with the likes of Atalanta, Newcastle United, Fulham and Rangers, are keeping tabs on the £1.8m-rated Vitesse Arnhem centre-back ahead of a potential move this summer.

The former Ajax starlet has just one year remaining on his current contract with the Eredivisie club, with reports suggesting that this could tempt Thomas Letsch into cashing in on the 22-year-old in the close season.

Webber must move

So far this season, Doekhi has impressed over his 29 league appearances for Vitesse, with the defender helping his side to keep 10 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, and three clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.02 – ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the Eredivisie.

According to SofaScore, the Netherlands under-21 international’s major strengths are both his aerial and ground duels, something which is evident in the centre-back’s average of three aerial duels and 2.6 ground duels won per match, at 77% and 63% success rates respectively.

Interestingly, SofaScore also note that the £2,400-per-week defender has no outstanding weaknesses, with the 22-year-old also seeming comfortable on the ball, averaging 67.9 touches per match, as well as an accurate distributor, completing an average of 47.7 passes every game with an 86% accuracy rate.

Vitesse manager Letsch has dubbed the Dutchman as “fantastic”, as well as calling him “one of the best centre-backs in the Eredivisie”, words which hint at the scale of the talent he possesses.

Farke may seek improvements to his current options at the heart of his defence ahead of the club’s Premier League campaign next season; and with Doekhi bettering Grant Hanley, Norwich’s best-performing centre-back this season, in a number of defensive metrics, a move for the defender should be extremely high on the list of Stuart Webber’s priorities in the summer transfer window.

In other news: Norwich handed blow in pursuit of “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated gem, Farke surely gutted – opinion

Liam Kennedy has dropped some insight from sources on a potential timescale for Mike Ashley’s latest Newcastle United takeover case.

The Lowdown: Ashley launches another legal case

As per the Shields Gazette, Ashley and the St James’ Park club have launched another legal case against the Premier League, this time accusing them of what they believe to be anti-competitive behaviour in their decision-making process on the proposed deal from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

This is separate to the other case that the chief executive of Sports Direct has held against the league over the failed takeover, which is pending an arbitration hearing.

The Latest: Potential timescale for case

Writing in his latest piece for the Shields Gazette, Kennedy has outlined that proceedings for the case could reach a court date in less than six months, depending on the outcome of an impending hearing, according to sources.

The legal representatives of Newcastle, along with those of the Premier League, will also take part in a case management conference to determine whether their case will be expedited, and this should happen within the next seven to 10 days.

The Verdict: Premier League under pressure

The Premier League have certainly been put under pressure by Ashley and the Tyneside club in what is now two legal cases being launched against them relating to the failed takeover bid.

Nonetheless, the results of both cases should be quite interesting to see and will surely give a clearer understanding over where the potential takeover of Newcastle United is heading.

In other news, find out what Lampard-likened ace is wanted by Newcastle!

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that West Ham cannot afford another transfer window without signing a striker.

Following the departure of record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January, the Hammers were left with just the injury-prone Michail Antonio as their only recognised senior striker at the club.

But whilst West Ham’s form has improved since Haller left, David Moyes’ team are currently paying the full price for not replacing him, with Antonio now set to miss most of the season with a hamstring problem sustained at Wolves.

Jarrod Bowen has stepped into the role admirably as his deputy, scoring twice and assisting another two since Antonio hobbled off at Molineux,  but with the prospect of European football at the London Stadium next season, McAvennie knows the importance of Moyes adding another striker to the Hammers’ ranks.

He told Football FanCast:

“They’re talking about Tammy Abraham – he’s Rice’s pal from what I gather. I think he would be [first-choice striker] unless Antonio was there. Sometimes you can play with two, people forget Antonio was a midfield player – he can go all over the place.

“I don’t think Antonio can last. Sometimes you’re playing two or three games a week now, and if they get into Europe it will be difficult.

“I would love someone to come in and give Antonio a rest. Give him a complete rest. In the summer he needs two months off to get his legs sorted.”

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that David Luiz won’t be at Arsenal next season.

The defender made the switch across London from Chelsea back in the summer of 2019, and has generally been a regular under Mikel Arteta, despite making a number of costly errors.

On the final day of last season, Luiz broke a league record when becoming the first player ever to concede five spot-kicks in a single Premier League campaign.

Luiz was also sent off twice, and after his red card at Wolves back in February, has now received three and given away six penalties in just 52 Premier League outings for the Gunners.

His contract expires this summer, with Arsenal not expected to offer him fresh terms, especially with the experienced defender having recently undergone knee surgery.

Windass told Football FanCast:

“Unreliable is the word, he’s always got that in his locker. I’d love to play against him. I did a podcast the other week and got asked ‘what did you do when playing against centre-halves?’. You’d always pick two centre-halves out and play on the weak one. I’m not slagging Martin Keown off, but I’d pull on to Martin and not Sol Campbell. 

“He’d be the first one that I would be pulling on every time. Saying ‘hit the diagonals to me and I’ll smash this lad all over’.

“No, not at all [surprised by Arsenal not offering him a new contract]. You won’t see him in the Premier League now.”

After making his return from injury on Sunday night, it’s fair to say that Matty Cash didn’t enjoy the greatest of games in Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.

The former Nottingham Forest star had been out of action for Dean Smith’s side for several games due to injury, with veteran defender Ahmed Elmohamady coming in for him.

After being named as an unnamed substitute last time out against Newcastle, Cash was given the nod to make his first appearance in a Villa shirt since his injury, but things just didn’t go to plan.

As well as being involved in the controversial decision to award Harry Kane a penalty in the second half, the right-back just seemed to lose his composure as the game wore on, perhaps more to do with his match fitness levels more than anything else.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession a whopping 29 times on the night, by far the most of any player on the pitch, and a telling sign of how he just couldn’t get his normal game going – his season average has seen him concede possession 14.4 times per match in the Premier League.

As well as his wastefulness on the ball, Cash also attempted no dribbles, provided no key passes and delivered no crosses either – offensively, the full-back was just a complete non-entity and couldn’t link up with Bertrand Traore at all.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece admitted: “Back in for his first start since tweaking his hamstring at Brighton. Cash started brightly and was aggressive in the challenge against the likes of Lucas and Reguilon.

“However, his performance dipped off significantly in the second half and it was Cash’s clumsy challenge which put this fixture to bed as his trailing leg caught Kane in the box for the penalty. His aggressive nature and willingness for the cause were both welcome but, like most, he wasn’t on his usual game.”

With Elmohamady set to turn 34 later this year, and reports already indicating that Smith is preparing to let him go, there’s a real lack of genuine quality and competition to challenge Cash at right-back either when he’s out injured, or if he’s in bad form.

It’s exactly why the Villa boss will be worried about Cash’s display against Spurs, and will simply be hoping that it was a minor blip in what has otherwise been an impressive debut campaign at Villa Park for the former Forest full-back.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was woeful against Spurs…