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Many Everton fans have been left to slam an update from Patrick Boyland on the fitness of both Ben Godfrey and Tom Davies.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, both players failed late fitness tests which meant that they could not play for the England U21s in their crucial game against Croatia on Wednesday evening.

Aidy Boothroyd’s team managed to win the match 2-1 in the end without them, but the Young Lions still went crashing out at the group stages of the European Championships.

Nonetheless, the fitness of both Godfrey and Davies has now become a big concern for several members of the Goodison Park faithful, as they play Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League on Monday evening.

Everton fans on Godfrey and Davies fitness update

These supporters of the Merseyside club slammed the update from Boyland on Twitter, with one Toffees fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘unbelievable’:

“Hope that’s not true”

Credit: @nikkiharg

“No. Hope they are fit for our match especially Ben is a must”

Credit: @Efc_sai

“Oh no”

Credit: @jonesyefc

“Unbelievable how can that be at their age ?????????”

Credit: @brougham_kevin

“Eugh.”

Credit: @Phoenix20387

“:( Bad News Boyland”

Credit: @_lauraaj96

In other news, find out what Liverpool dig from one Blues star has been lauded by fans here!

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Keith Gillespie believes that selling Adam Armstrong and Ivan Toney are part of the reason why Newcastle are struggling in the Premier League at present.

The pair, who both came through the ranks at St James’ Park, made just 25 appearances between them for the Magpies, and were eventually sold following a number of loan spells in the EFL.

Since their respective departures, Armstrong has become one of the most feared strikers in the Championship, and is approaching 60 goals in a Blackburn shirt following his move from Newcastle back in 2018.

Meanwhile, Toney has worked his way through the leagues, and after two outstanding seasons in League One with Peterborough is now the top scorer in the Championship with Brentford.

They both left St James’ Park in the same window, when Newcastle had the likes of Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez at their disposal.

But whilst summer signing Callum Wilson has impressed since his arrival from Bournemouth, the likes of Dwight Gayle, Joelinton and Andy Carroll have continued to struggle on Tyneside.

And Gillespie believes that perhaps the duo weren’t given a fair crack at Newcastle. He told Football FanCast:

“He [Adam Armstrong] has scored a lot of goals. I was reading about him being linked with Newcastle again, which is ironic when you’re a club that get rid of him and then want to bring him back.

“When a player scores a lot of goals in the Championship, Premier League clubs are going to take notice. You only have to see last season with Ollie Watkins, he’s gone into that Aston Villa team and has been a regular all season and been fantastic.

“I’m sure there’s probably people looking at Toney at Brentford, another ex-Newcastle player. The top-two goalscorers in the league, and Newcastle have got rid of both of them. That shows why Newcastle are in the position they are.

“Armstrong is one that when he did have a few chances at Newcastle you could see the potential there, but he never got that consistent run and was farmed out on loan.”

Whether Newcastle end up staying in the Premier League or not this season, either one of Armstrong or Toney would be solid additions for the St James’ Park outfit this summer.

And whilst hindsight is a wonderful thing in football, perhaps they should have given the two academy graduates more of a chance to prove themselves before cashing in.

As confirmed by Tottenham Hotspur’s official website, interim boss Ryan Mason is set to be without Ben Davies for today’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.

Tottenham confirm Davies absence

Mason looks set to be short of one defensive option on the left, while it is unclear whether Spurs will have star striker Harry Kane back in action. While the forward could potentially feature today depending on developments, one player who will certainly be missing this afternoon is Davies, whose absence has been confirmed by the club.

The 58-cap Wales defender has been out since the start of April after suffering a ‘significant’ injury blow on international duty, and it will be interesting to see how Mason lines up his defence today against an electric Manchester City attack.

Transfer Tavern take

Wales teammate and fellow defender Joe Rodon is also cup-tied and cannot play, with the most likely solution being Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier in the centre of defence.

In place of Davies, Sergio Reguilon is more than likely to start on the left-hand side, while Spurs supporters could enjoy a vigorous battle between him and in-form City winger Riyad Mahrez, who debatably has the best chance of featuring on the right for Pep Guardiola’s side today.

Amid all the worry surrounding Kane, news of Davies’ continued absence somewhat flew under the radar, and it could present Mason with some difficult tactical and personnel decisions to make at Wembley.

In other news: Tottenham working to sign this powerhouse, find out more here.

Celtic are thought to be interested in a move for Peterborough United forward Siriki Dembele.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Give Me Sport, who claim that his impressive form in the current campaign has sparked intrigue from the Hoops.

Dembele’s impressive Peterborough form

The 24-year-old has netted seven times and provided 12 assists in English League One this season, helping the Posh to second place in the division ahead of the run-in.

His London Road deal expires at the end of June, meaning the Hoops could strike a pre-contract agreement over the coming months.

Transfer Tavern take

Dembele appears to fit one of the club’s two transfer policies of being a UK-based talent with high upside potential available on a pre-contract.

He has lined out on the left and right, at centre-forward and as an attacking midfielder during his career, so his versatility could be welcomed at Parkhead.

Dembele is also the older brother to Hoops teenager Karamoko. Reports have suggested that the 18-year-old is set to leave Celtic in the summer, but could the possibility of his brother moving to Glasgow change his mind?

In other news: Celtic readying summer move for player Nick Hammond watched live two months ago, find out more here. 

After seeing a couple of their club’s academy talents make their debuts against Wolfsberger in the Europa League on Wednesday night, a lot of Spurs fans no doubt are keeping an eye out for who could be the next break-out star.

Dane Scarlett of course is the name on everybody’s lips, after the 16-year-old helped set up Carlos Vinicius’ goal and had Jose Mourinho purring about he’s a “diamond” and a “kid with incredible potential”.

But while Scarlett appears set for a bright future, there may be another Spurs academy player who could make a more immediate impression on the first-team: Dennis Cirkin.

The 18-year-old has already caught the eye of his manager, who lauded him as someone with a “lot of quality” back in November 2019. And, given the position that he plays, Mourinho should seriously consider bringing him permanently into the first-team fold.

Left-back is an area that Spurs thought they had finally found a long-term solution for last summer, after bringing in Sergio Reguilon. While the Spaniard has showcased his ability whenever he’s been on the pitch – Harry Kane will be the first to recognise that given the incredible crosses he regularly delivers – he has had his fair share of injury problems.

Meanwhile, Ben Davies just doesn’t seem to be the answer, with Spurs fans slamming him as recently as the Manchester City game earlier this month.

In Cirkin, Mourinho has someone who could give Davies a run for his money, and provide some better cover for Reguilon right now, as well as giving him some genuine competition in the future.

Writing for The Athletic back in September, Charlie Eccleshare revealed: “Stylistically, Cirkin fits the prototype for a modern full-back.

“He’s energetic (fit enough to look like he is gliding up and down the wing), positionally aware, and the owner of a powerful left foot that has helped him pick up goals and assists throughout the age groups at Spurs — including scoring twice in the Under-18 Premier League last season.”

As Spurs fans have seen throughout the years with Gareth Bale, and even in their most recent Premier League game against West Ham when he cannoned one off the crossbar, a player with a “powerful left foot” can be an absolute joy to watch.

And just like Bale in fact, Cirkin appears to be a natural left-back with all the attacking instincts and qualities of a winger, and perhaps down the line, could even transition into a player that plays further forward.

But for now, as Eccleshare says, Cirkin fits the bill as the modern full-back, and given Spurs’ problems in that position this season with Davies’ lack of consistent form and Reguilon’s injury struggles, he may be the academy prospect Mourinho should look to bring into the first-team fold.

Steven Gerrard has revealed Ryan Jack is an injury doubt for Glasgow Rangers’ Europa League round of 16 second leg tie with Slavia Prague next Thursday.

Gerrard reveals Jack blow

Jack was unavailable for the clash in Czechia this week, but he has been an important player for the Ibrox outfit throughout the campaign.

Speaking after the first match with Slavia, Gerrard revealed he could well be missing in Glasgow as well. He said (via The Glasgow Times):

“I’d still say Jack is a doubt at this stage. He’d have to have a real positive four or five days coming up to be available.”

Disappointing

Jack has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, with both his knee and his calf causing him problems (Transfermarkt). However, he has still had an important role to play this term, appearing in 24 matches in all competitions. Having him available would give Gerrard another option, and a quality one at that.

Should he be ruled out, though, the Gers do at least have plenty of alternatives. Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield, in particular, can continue to deputise for the £2.7m-valued 29-year-old (Transfermarkt). The 1-1 draw in Prague puts the 55-time Scottish champions in a strong position, and they will feel confident of reaching the quarter-finals even without the Scotland international.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Sky Sports news.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Marcelo Bielsa’s presence at Leeds United should have a major impact on the club’s transfer business.

What’s the story?

The Argentine led the Whites to promotion to the Premier League, and in the club’s first season back in the top flight, they have more than held their own – they currently lie just outside of the top ten.

The summer transfer window will surely see Bielsa’s side look to further strengthen ahead of the new campaign, and it has now been suggested that the Leeds manager could hold the key to pulling off big deals.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano said: “When you have Marcelo Bielsa on your bench, you can attract a lot of players. A lot of players are attracted by the project. Leeds have an amazing project, with Marcelo Bielsa, the ownership, the partnership, the stadium, and what they are doing on the pitch.

“When you have Marcelo Bielsa you can attract players for just one season. It’s part of the person and the mystery, and they know about it. Having him with South American players and in this market, it is important to sign great players.  Look at Raphinha for example, he’s a great player, but having Marcelo Bielsa was key for Leeds to go for him.”

Radrizzani should be buzzing

As Romano suggests, Leeds find themselves in that very advantageous situation of having a manager at the helm who’s a real pull and lure for players around the world.

Even in the Premier League, you could probably count on one hand the number of managers who could just use the appeal of their name to sign players, and Bielsa surely figures among those given the respect he has earned over his long and illustrious career.

It’s exactly why Andrea Radrizzani should be absolutely buzzing with Romano’s claim, as it really sets Leeds up for a potentially important summer transfer window.

Transfer targets should already be excited at the prospect of making a switch to the Premier League, but when you add in the so-called ‘Bielsa factor’ then the Whites may well have a notable advantage when it comes to negotiations.

Meanwhile, Leeds must surely regret selling this star…

Lots of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a post from Reds news Twitter account @AnfieldWatch which shares a claim from The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce. He revealed a potentially ‘catastrophic’ consequence for the Merseyside club, should they finish the 2020/21 campaign outside of the UEFA Champions League qualification spots.

This comes after Liverpool suffered a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, which leaves them sitting in fourth place on the Premier League table, 10 points behind the league leaders, City, who have played one game less than the Reds at present, and just one point ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.

In an article that Pearce wrote for The Athletic following that game, he stated that finishing outside of the top four would be ‘catastrophic’ for the Merseyside club, explaining that their summer transfer plans would need to be ‘drastically reassessed’ in that event. 

So, how have these Liverpool fans been reacting?

After Pearce’s claim was shared by @AnfieldWatch on Twitter, lots of Reds fans replied to their post to share some concern.

“We freely walked into this problem. No one to blame than ourselves! We knew we were short at centre back, but we decided against it. Now look…”

Credit: @Y88E

“I’m starting to not like James, his like a FSG puppet”

Credit: @LFCTristyn

“I can never stop blaming klopp for how things have gone so far. He thinks he knows it all. I’m so sure he’s happy with the way things are now. Shameful!”

Credit: @wilonye

“disgraceful #FSGOUT”

Credit: @LFCadzz

“It’s already begun”

Credit: @LFC92

“We are far too reactionary than proactive.”

Credit: @NerdboyK

“I’m begging we don’t drop to Europa I’m begging”

Credit: @lfcdiIIon

“Well this is what happens when you don’t act like a big club. Kabak was clearly available on a permanent transfer. Newcastle were willing to pay the money. But we spend £1m to loan him and then have to loan out Minamino in order to fund it. We’re a tiny club and deserve nothing.”

Credit: @futbol_kraze

In other news, many Liverpool fans slated Trent Alexander-Arnold over his performance versus City on Sunday.

Writing on Twitter, Sky Sports transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has shared an exciting update involving Christian Eriksen – with Giuseppe Marotta confirming that the Dane has been transfer listed after Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a potential return. 

Eriksen, who left Spurs for the San Siro back in January to the tune of £16.9 million, could now be on the way out in January as the Serie A giants appeal to potential suitors.

Eriksen stance confirmed

Indeed, speaking candidly over his future, Nerrazzuri CEO Marotta has confirmed that the club are actively pursuing a sale mid-season – coming after Tottenham reportedly eye a return to bring their former hero back to north London.

Romano recently tipped that Spurs are ‘still thinking to’ Eriksen, with Football Insider also reporting that Tottenham have the chance to re-sign him in the winter window.

Charlie Eccleshare, writing for The Athletic, also revealed that the 28-year-old is a creative ‘option’ as January looms – and this update from Marotta, as relayed by Romano, could be a boost if Spurs do in fact wish to re-sign him.

“Yes, I can confirm that Christian Eriksen is on the transfer list,” explained the CEO to Sky via Romano.

“He’s gonna leave in January. He’s not functional to our plans and he had difficulty here at Inter. I think it’s right that Christian goes away to find more space”.

Transfer Tavern take

Much has been made of Spurs’ past difficulty to replace the international’s creative influence, but Jose Mourinho has arguably done a fine job of it this season.

Both Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele have thrived in the number 10 role this season, with it potentially being a gamble to throw in an unstable chemical like Eriksen who could disrupt the harmony of this squad.

Time will tell whether Spurs do lodge a pursuit, but it’s unclear whether this could be a good idea after all.

In other news: Tottenham have been dealt a potential Son Heung-min setback, find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a huge transfer blow after Barry Fry dismissed claims about Siriki Dembele’s future at Peterborough United.

What’s the word?

Fry had previously claimed towards the end of last month: “Rangers have watched Siriki twice as have the Scottish national side.

“Newcastle manager Steve Bruce watched him at Crewe when he didn’t play well.“There will always be interest in players like Siriki, but we don’t have to sell him. We have him for another 18 months and we’d rather he stayed until the summer when we can reassess his situation.”However, he has now strongly denied reports linking Dembele with a move away from the Weston Homes Stadium, via The Grimsby Telegraph. Make Fry an offer he can’t refuse?

Rangers have been heavily linked with Dembele in recent months, with The Sun even going so far as to claim he has recently submitted a transfer request in an attempt to push for a move in the January transfer window, whilst Peterborough Today added Celtic, Fulham, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Stoke City have also been interested in acquiring his services.

But the Posh director of football has since rebuffed those reports in what will certainly be considered a blow by Steven Gerrard, especially when you consider the fact that versatile forward Kemar Roofe suffered an injury nearly halfway through the crunch Old Firm clash with Celtic, which has left the Ibrox boss short of back-up options out wide.

As per Transfermarkt, his market value is currently unknown, but it’s likely Ross Wilson may have to bring out the cheque book to prise him away from the Posh, and that may not actually be a bad idea if you take a closer look at the numbers.

Dembele may not be the first name on everybody’s lips but you may have heard of his younger brother Karamoko Dembele who is currently plying his trade at Parkhead. Before you turn your noses away in disgust, need we remind you of the McAdam brothers? The two brothers bridged the gap between both sides of Glasgow and went onto become Scottish football icons.

Whilst it’d be a bit of a stretch to suggest that the 24-year-old will go on to hit the same heights as the aforementioned duo, there’s no doubting that he is still an impressive talent.

Recently described as “the best player in League One” by Posh owner Darragh MacAnthony, WhoScored lists his key passing and strong dribbling as some of his key strengths, and statistically at least, he is a better option than current back-up Jordan Jones.

The diminutive Scottish national, who stands at 5 ft 6 in, averages 2.1 shots per game this season whilst producing 1.7 key passes per match.

When you compare his numbers to Jones, there’s almost no comparison, as Dembele is better than the 25-year-old in almost every area. The Northern Irishman only averages one shot per game, whilst averaging just 0.3 key passes per game, so he takes fewer shots and creates fewer chances than Dembele, and fails to really offer anything of note in the final third with just one goal in four appearances in Scottish football this season.

Similarly, Dembele would also be an upgrade on Barker, as he has shown that he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work as well. That’s because he makes 1.5 tackles per game, which is more than Barker himself has managed this season. In terms of statistics, he’d rank joint-fifth highest out of Gerrard’s men in terms of his WhoScored score, should you compare this to the rest of the Rangers squad.

It’s fair to say that Rangers have been crying out for some real depth on the wings to cover for the likes of Ianis Hagi and Ryan Kent. In Dembele, they could find themselves a player who can do precisely just that.

Whilst Fry has insisted he is not for sale, Wilson should splash the cash as it might prove to be too tempting for him to ignore a substantial offer during such a time of economic uncertainty.

AND in other news, Rangers could propose swap deal involving Scott Wright and Greg Stewart…