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Everton manager Sean Dyche faces a brutal task in his Goodison Park debut on Saturday, and the former Burnley boss must focus his efforts on stopping Arsenal’s superstar skipper Martin Ødegaard.

The Lowdown: January disaster

After the sacking of Frank Lampard, Everton fans could have been forgiven for expecting to see some new faces coming through the door during the January transfer window.

Alas, the Toffees ended up as the only team in the Premier League not to make a single signing, despite selling Anthony Gordon, who has played over 1,000 Premier League minutes this season.

Dyche now faces an uphill battle with a squad even thinner than the one Lampard left behind, and his first test is welcoming Mikel Arteta’s red-hot Arsenal team to Merseyside in Saturday’s early kick-off.

The Latest: Ødegaard the key

While it’s fair to say the Gunners have more than a few threats – Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have seven top flight goals each – stopping Ødegaard is surely the new Everton boss’ priority. Arsenal have failed to win in each of Ødegaard’s three lowest-rated performances this season (Whoscored), and they are the only times they have dropped points.

The Norway captain is perhaps the most crucial cog in the Arteta machine, racking up eight goals and five assists on route to becoming one of the front-runners to be named PFA Player of the Year.

The last time these sides met, the 24 year-old, who has four goals and three assists in his last six league matches, scored in a 5-1 demolition job of the Blues in north London, creating five chances – just one less than the entire Everton team – and registering three shots, one successful dribble and a 100 per cent completion rate on long passes.

The Verdict: 4-5-1

One way to trouble the Gunners star is to pack the midfield by dropping an extra forward player when out of possession, similar to how Dyche used Ashley Barnes during his time at Turf Moor.

Setting up in a 4-4-2, either Barnes or Jay Rodriguez would come deep to effectively create a 4-5-1, allowing the two central midfielders to limit the space between themselves and the centre-backs while Chris Wood remained up front as an out ball (The Mastermind Site).

At Everton, Dyche should look at none other than Alex Iwobi for this role, given the Nigerian’s tireless work ethic and impressive versatility. He is capable of playing across the midfield or on either wing, and has been dubbed ‘exceptional’ by Franck Leboeuf for his form this season.

Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye, averaging 2.6 and 2.1 tackles per game respectively, can focus their efforts on stifling Ødegaard, with Demarai Gray and Dwight McNeil the likely candidates on the flanks to get balls into Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front.

According to Whoscored, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton set up in exactly this system when they took points off Arsenal back in October, deploying a 4-4-2 with midfielder Joe Aribo playing in the ‘Barnes role’. Dyche can give Toffees fans a first impression to remember by replicating the Austrian’s game plan.

Newcastle United failed to overcome a resolute West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday evening, drawing 1-1 in a frustrating contest following the visitors’ tenacious approach.

The match had a rip-roaring start, with Joe Willock scoring in the opening minute before seeing the goal chalked off by VAR. The St James’ Park faithful didn’t need to wait long for 1-0 on the scoreboard, though, with Callum Wilson latching onto Sean Longstaff’s ball just a couple of minutes later to fire Newcastle into the lead.

That emphatic opening simmered out, however, and West Ham’s new-found fluidity caused problems for Eddie Howe’s side, prohibiting the Magpies from adding to their early flurry of offensive activity, with Lucas Paqueta restoring parity later in the first half.

The Brazilian’s drilled equaliser after the half-hour mark was the first time that Newcastle have conceded in the Premier League since November 6th, with the resilient and cohesive backline forming the nucleus of Howe’s high-flying team.

While the result ensures a fourth draw out of the last five in the league for the Tynesiders, there has still been a remarkable sense of progress in such a short space of time following the Saudi-led takeover last season, the appointment of Howe as manager and the shrewd signings made over the course of the past 13 months.

The first player signed under PIF’s ownership was Kieran Trippier, with the 32-year-old signing for £12m from Atletico Madrid in January 2022 and since cementing his position as undisputed first-choice right-back at Newcastle.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of full-backs in Europe’s main five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for rate of goals and the top 10% for progressive passes, elements to his game which were very much on show against the Irons.

BBC journalist Emlyn Begley praised the 32-year-old for another “high-quality” performance, and indeed no player on the pitch for either team could match Trippier’s 7.6 rating from Sofascore, with his tireless performance and spark with the ball yet again leaving him as Newcastle’s most creative outlet.

The Magpies captain was very much in the thick of the action, enjoying 100 touches, completing 80% of his passes and making three key passes. He was also fouled three times and won six of his ten duels, indeed encompassing the dynamic role for which modern full-backs should strive.

While the in-form Tynesiders suffered another setback in the top flight, they still hold a four-point advantage over fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur overnight and have tasted defeat in the league just once all season, away to Liverpool back in August.

With Trippier combining leadership and experience with his consistently superlative performances, they seem well-placed to maintain their position inside the Champions League berths for another while yet.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Mario Lemina was sent off against Southampton this afternoon, and journalist Nathan Judah has slammed the decision.

The Lowdown: Victory at St Mary’s

Journalist Steve Madeley claimed Wolves ‘had the better of’ the first 15 minutes, but it was Southampton who took the lead, with Carlos Alcaraz firing home from the edge of the penalty area.

After going a goal down, the game changed when Lemina was sent off for a second bookable offence, having initially received what Madeley called a ‘very harsh’ yellow card.

However, the visitors still managed to take all three points, with a second-half Jan Bednarek own-goal being followed up by a late strike from Joao Gomes.

The Latest: Judah reacts

There was initial confusion as to why the central midfielder had received his marching orders, but Judah took to Twitter to clear it up at half-time, and he fumed over the decision.

The journalist said: “We’re hearing the explanation of Lemina’s second yellow card is because ‘Lemina ran towards the referee aggressively’ I absolutely give up! Game’s gone”

The Verdict: Bizarre decision

If there was no dissent from the Gabon international, then it was a very strange decision by Jarred Gillett, and one that could have had a significant impact on the game, if not for a fantastic second-half display from Julen Lopetegui’s side.

Despite only having ten men, the Old Gold were much the better team, having more possession and far more shots than their opponents, and Lopetegui will be delighted with the spirit of his players, after being on the receiving end of a contentious decision.

Wolves welcome AFC Bournemouth to Molineux next weekend, in what could be another six-pointer in the Premier League relegation battle, but unless the decision is overturned, they will have to make do without Lemina.

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery swooped to make two additions to bolster his playing squad during last month’s January transfer window.

The Villans boss worked with Johan Lange to snap up Jhon Duran and Alex Moreno on permanent deals from Chicago Fire and Real Betis respectively, to improve their options at the top end of the pitch and at left-back.

It remains to be seen whether or not either of them will be a success in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see if they can avoid becoming the latest in a growing line of top-flight flops for the club since they returned to the division in 2019.

Dean Smith, who was sacked in November 2021, led the side back to the top table by winning the play-offs in 2018/19 and splashed the cash in his first summer in charge.

The English boss brought in the likes of Tyrone Mings, Wesley, Matt Targett, Douglas Luiz, and Trezeguet, among others, to head into the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.

One of the signings from that summer that the now-out-of-work manager endured a blunder with was defensive midfielder Marvelous Nakamba.

Where is Marvelous Nakamba now?

The Zimbabwe international arrived at Villa Park from Belgian giants Club Brugge for a fee in the region of £11m and is currently plying his trade in the second tier of English football with Luton Town.

He joined the Hatters at the end of last month on loan until the end of the campaign after failing to make a single appearance in Villa’s first-team during the first half of the season.

Luton boss Rob Edwards recently described the midfielder as a “Duracell battery” and the gem has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.80 across his three Championship appearances so far, winning 66% of his duels and making an eye-catching 5.0 tackles and interceptions per match.

Nakamba appears to have found his level after struggling badly in the Premier League following his big-money move from Belgium in the summer of 2019.

In his first campaign in England, the now-29-year-old was handed plenty of opportunities to prove his worth as Smith played the enforcer in 29 top-flight matches – 19 of which were starts.

However, an average Sofascore rating of 6.67 – placing him 18th in the squad – in 19/20 shows that the battler did not grasp his chance and failed to deliver consistently impressive displays in comparison to his teammates.

The midfielder then went on to start just 19 Premier League games in the following two seasons before his exclusion from the side in 2022/23 under Steven Gerrard and then Emery, which led to the decision to send him down a division to the Championship.

Therefore, Smith endured a Villa blunder by swooping to sign Nakamba for £11m as the flop has not become a consistent performer, or even selection, for the club and is now playing in the second division despite only turning 29 in January.

Chelsea are considering dismissing Graham Potter from his managerial duties after appointing the Englishman only earlier this season.

What’s the latest on Chelsea’s managerial position?

The Premier League giants have fallen wayward this season, and despite replacing Thomas Tuchel with Potter in the maiden phase of campaign, Chelsea languish in tenth place after 23 matches.

As such, according to reports stemming from Spain, there have been a number of managers discerned as potential successors to the managerial position in west London, and Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone could be a tailor-made appointment at Stamford Bridge.

Simeone, according to prior reports, is set to depart from his role at the head of the Madrid-based outfit at the end of the campaign, ending an 11-year attachment to the club after arriving from his Argentine homeland in 2011.

Would Simeone be a good fit at Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea are a football club steeped in silverware. Since the turn of the millennia, no club in English football have clinched more major honours than the Blues; in 2020, Chelsea had one more trophy than Manchester United behind them, who have not tasted triumph dinner winning the Europa League in 2017.

And should the “respected” – as dubbed by Ralf Rangnick – Simeone be handed the opportunity to craft his own chapter in west London, he might just combine with owner Todd Boehly’s affluence to steer the club towards the very forefront of the competitive pool of talent in England, and indeed in Europe.

Despite living in the shadow of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Atletico, Simeone has become a “master of the dark arts” – as dubbed by CBS’ Aaron West – enjoying ample success and bringing silverware to his team, winning two La Liga titles, two Europa League’s, the Copa del Rey and two UEFA Super Cup trophies.

This comes after a period in Los Colchoneros’ history of great strife, achieving promotion to the top-flight roughly ten years prior to Simeone’s arrival and winning just two major honours during this time.

A manager who is “like Mourinho” – in the words of Danny Mills – he possesses such a clear identity and proven track record of sniffing out silverware and heaping success onto his outfit.

That certainly goes in tandem with the demands and expectations of the proud and prestigious Chelsea fanbase, no strangers to roaring in adulation as their crops of players lift trophies into the air.

Organisation and tactical fluidity are the two salient aspects of Simeone’s system at Madrid, and despite not more most aesthetically-pleasing and free-flowing manager in Europe, it is these components that make up an iron-clad resolve that has formed the nucleus of his sustained success in Spain.

The 52-year-old, lauded as “absolutely exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp, could emulate the success of past Chelsea managers Mourinho and Antonio Conte – the most offensive-minded managers, the sturdy defence and steely mentality ensured silverware rained down from multiple corners.

As such, Chelsea would greatly benefit from someone of Simeone’s ilk, reconstructing the core of the club and providing the dynamic that many past Chelsea squads have held in order to steer towards success in abundance.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Liverpool feel there is a “real opportunity” to land Mason Mount and have a “genuine” interest in the possible transfer.What’s the latest on Mason Mount to Liverpool?The Chelsea midfielder will see his current contract expire in less than 18 months and the Daily Mail has reported an offer of more than £200,000 per week has already been turned down.As a consequence, plenty of rumours in the media have already begun to link Mount with a permanent move to Liverpool in the summer. Of course, it’s always hard to judge how accurate such reports are but according to Jacobs, the Reds are very much keen on a deal.Indeed, while talking on the Born And Red podcast, the journalist said that the player isn’t happy at Chelsea and Jurgen Klopp’s side are consequently ready to swoop in.He said (1:04:53): “Well, usually I’m the one that will shout down a lot of these rumours but the Liverpool interest in Mason Mount is genuine. That’s the first thing to say.”They really liked the player. And they see a real opportunity to move because of the uncertain situation at Chelsea. And Mount is not happy. He’s not starting every game, he’s not found his goalscoring form of last season where he got 11 Premier League goals.”But he’s young and under the right manager can definitely recapture that form.”Could Liverpool sign Mount in the summer?In the past winter window, new owners Todd Boehly spent big on new signings such as Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, and Noni Madueke.Those new arrivals could all potentially make it harder for Mount to get regular minutes under Graham Potter and the Englishman has actually started on the bench for two of the club’s last three Premier League three games.Seeing as he started all but one league game before January, it’s easy to see why he might feel unhappy about how the club’s transfer business has already impacted his status in the team.And so, if he won’t renew, Liverpool may feel as though they can land the England international, who has been compared to a “teacher’s pet”, for a relatively cheap fee this summer – though it remains to be seen as to how much exactly Chelsea would demand for their 24-year-old who would be into the final year of his contract at that stage.

Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson has had his fair share of transfer successes and gaffes over the years since becoming the club’s sporting director in 2019.

He has been responsible for bringing in flops such as Aaron Ramsey and Cedric Itten, although he also managed to secure the astute signings of John Lundstram and Malik Tillman, among others.

The former Southampton executive has had mixed success in the transfer market at Ibrox, but one piece of business that he did get bang-on was the deal to sign Antonio Colak from PAOK last summer.

Has Antonio Colak been a good signing for Rangers?

Wilson hit the jackpot by signing the Croatia international to bolster the Rangers squad, as the centre-forward has been a terrific addition for the Scottish giants.

Then-manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst hailed the transfer by saying of Colak: “He is a very experienced player who has played at high levels and scored a lot of goals for the teams he has played for.”

The striker was valued at £1.2m (€1.4m) by Football Transfers at the time of the move to Glasgow, and his performances at Ibrox have caused his value to skyrocket.

At the time of writing (27/02/2023), Football Transfers value the forward at £2.6m (€3m), which means that his price has soared by a whopping 114% in less than a full season. This shows that the dynamo has been in exceptional form since making the switch to Glasgow.

Colak, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed “has everything”, made a rapid start to life at the club and earned the Light Blues millions by playing a crucial role in the team qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League.

Rangers earned a guaranteed £13.2m by making it through to the group stage of the competition and the Croatian marksman scored winner in the second leg of the play-off against PSV to secure group stage qualification.

This means that Colak’s terrific finishing ability landed the Gers a huge payday, which you could argue made his signing a success irrespective of how the rest of his career at the club transpires. Nonetheless, the Croatian has gone on to be a great success in the Premiership, as he has plundered 11 goals in 15 Scottish top-flight starts this term.

Only four Rangers players have averaged a higher Sofascore rating than Colak’s 7.14, which suggests that the dynamo has been one of the team’s best performers over the campaign so far.

Therefore, Wilson struck gold by signing the 29-year-old last summer, as the attacker’s value has soared whilst delivering brilliant performances domestically and in Europe, alongside earning the club millions by scoring the goal to secure Champions League qualification.

YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has slammed Erik ten Hag for his “horrific error” as he subbed Fred off for Scott McTominay during the Manchester United defeat this weekend.

What’s the latest on Erik ten Hag and the Man United defeat?

On Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, the Red Devils knew they had a tough game on their hands but nothing could have prepared their fans for the shock 7-0 thumping they were about to suffer against Liverpool.

A brace from Cody Gakpo and one effort from Darwin Nunez had given the Reds a three-goal lead by the 50th minute and before the hour mark, Ten Hag opted to make a change.

In the remaining 32 minutes with Fred now off and McTominay on, Man Utd managed to ship a further four goals and Goldbridge has outlined why this was such a poor substitution to make.

While speaking on The United Stand, he explained (8:25): “It’s as unforgivable as it is shocking because of what actually happened. But to be honest with you, I actually think at 3-0, Ten Hag made a horrific error. A horrific error that cost us four goals.

“Bringing Scott McTominay on and putting them in a game like that was like throwing a rabbit into a bunch of lions. It was a tear-up because we completely capitulated in the midfield.

“Fred might not have been having a good game, but we’ve always said this about Fred: he can have a bad hour and then in the last half an hour he can be world-class.

“Taking Fred off from McTominay… He [Ten Hag] was obviously not very happy with Fred, but taking Fred off and McTominay – however bad we were with Fred – that midfield just dissipated, completely disappeared.”

How badly did Scott McTominay play for MUFC?

Seeing as the game was essentially lost at 3-0, it’s not hard to see why Ten Hag felt as though he needed to change things up to try and shift the momentum of the game.

As it happened though, things only went from bad to worse. In the end, McTominay finished the game with a 6.2 SofaScore rating, having picked up a yellow card, touching the ball just six times, compelling two out of three passes, losing the ball once, winning one of two ground rules, while making a foul too.

As that shows, it was a forgettable 32-minute cameo from the midfielder. However, you can hardly blame him for the result, but the decision to bring him on and the entire United performance certainly doesn’t reflect well on Ten Hag, who up until recently has been earning big praise.

All in all, it was a day to forget for everyone involved with MUFC.

Journalist Jacque Talbot has been speaking about the rumoured interest from Newcastle United in Folarin Balogun.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need more goals

After flying high in the top three earlier in the season, Newcastle and Eddie Howe have been brought crashing back down to earth in 2023 having slipped outside of the top four and lost in the Carabao Cup final.

Newcastle have failed to score two or more goals in a Premier League game since Boxing Day when they beat Leicester City 3-0, so Howe must start getting his attacking players to click in the final third if they are to rediscover their early-season form.

That is quite amazing to be saying, however, as Newcastle spent £63m on Alexander Isak last summer and £45m on Anthony Gordon in January. But to be pushing for the top four, they need quality and depth – which someone as young and talented as Arsenal loanee Balogun could provide.

The Latest: Balogun for both the present and the future

Talbot has been speaking on his YouTube channel about Newcastle’s interest in Balogun, who’s been tearing up Ligue 1 this season with 15 goals to his name.

He said: “I am bouncing off a report by Steve Kay, Balogun – he’s over at Reims, I think, doing very well in Ligue 1. Newcastle have got a bit of an eye on him, something that I heard as well, but again, he’s just one to consider, one to watch.”

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The Verdict: A youthful option could be useful

While Talbot doesn’t appear to consider Balogun as a transfer priority for Newcastle, given that the Magpies already have two strikers within their ranks who will be itching to start every week, recruiting someone a lot younger such as Balogun, who could learn from and eventually replace Callum Wilson, could be a smart move.

Wilson is exploring a tough time of things, with his body seemingly not able to cope with the demands of the Premier League having missed nine games this season, so the club may have to start looking towards the future.

Balogun is still very young and unlikely to get much game time back at Arsenal given they have Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah on the books, but a departure could likely anger Arsenal fans, especially legend Ian Wright, who believes the youngster has ‘a lot of hype’ surrounding him following his stunning Ligue 1 season.

Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia will be able to call upon club captain Liam Cooper against Wolves this afternoon after he recovered from injury, Adam Pope reports.

The Lowdown: Adams out

The Whites travel to Molineux this afternoon in what could be a pivotal Premier League meeting. However, Gracia will be without star midfielder Tyler Adams for the match after the club officially confirmed in the week that the USA international suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss the match.

Adams also won’t be available to represent his country during the international break and is being assessed by specialists to see how much of the run-in he could miss. Gracia has Marc Roca and Weston McKennie as senior midfield options, although he also will think about using teenagers Darko Gyabi and Archie Gray while Adams is out.

However, there has been some good news on the injury front regarding Cooper, who has missed five of the last six top-flight matchday squads.

The Latest: Pope’s post

Pope was present for Gracia’s pre-match press conference at Thorp Arch on Thursday, where there was a positive update on Cooper. He relayed news on Twitter that the club captain ‘has completely recovered’ with Gracia adding that the defender ‘offers a lot both on and off the pitch’.

“JG says Liam Cooper has completely recovered from his injury issue. Says he offers a lot both on and off the pitch.”

The Verdict: Selection dilemma

Gracia has gone with Robin Koch and Max Wober in all three of his Premier League meetings in charge at Elland Road, with the pair keeping a clean sheet in his first game in charge against Southampton.

But going by his comments on Cooper, the head coach will have a key decision to make this afternoon as he is clearly already a big fan of the skipper. Cooper appears to be ready to feature from the off after being named in the Scotland squad for the upcoming international break.

As per WhoScored, Cooper has been Leeds’ third-best performing centre-back behind Pascal Struijk and Wober, although Struijk has been turning out at left-back for large parts of the season but has been out with his own injury issues in recent weeks.

It’ll be interesting to see who Gracia decides to go with in defence and in midfield for this crucial fixture, where a win could take Leeds up several places in the table, providing results elsewhere go their way.