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Derby County have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Festy Ebosele ahead of their upcoming Championship clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Derbyshire Live, Wayne Rooney confirmed that the right-back, who last featured for the Rams in the 2-1 loss to Peterborough United back in August, has not recovered from illness in time to be available for selection for the visit of Reading on Wednesday evening.

Speaking about the current condition of the 19-year-old, Rooney said: “Festy will be in [on Wednesday] training on his own and hopefully he can train with the group on Thursday.”

Rooney will be gutted

Considering that Rooney opted to start Ebosele in the Peterborough United loss, in addition to the fact that the 35-year-old’s other option on the right-hand side of his defence, Nathan Byrne, has not exactly been in the best form of his career this season, the news that the Republic of Ireland U21 international is not fit to feature on Wednesday is sure to have left the Rams boss gutted.

Indeed, over Bryne’s nine Championship appearances this term, the £1.35m-rated man has helped his side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.4 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 2.8 clearances and winning 3.6 duels per game.

These returns have seen the defender average a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.61, ranking him as Derby’s 11th-best performer in the second tier.

As such, the return of Ebosele would certainly be a boost for Rooney, as, not only would the 19-year-old provide the manager with another option in the position, he would also more than likely push the level of Bryne’s performances up, as the 29-year-old will undoubtedly want to retain his place in the starting XI.

However, Rooney will nevertheless have to make do without the youngster once again on Wednesday, in a game which the Rams simply must win if they are to give themselves any chance of securing survival this season, following the club’s 12 point deduction after entering administration.

In other news: Fresh claim emerges on “brilliant” £2.7m-rated DCFC gem, Rooney would be gutted

Rangers came from behind to beat Hibernian 2-1 in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday as they reclaimed their spot at the top of the table.

Hearts had moved ahead of the Gers on Saturday with their 2-0 win over Motherwell, but Steven Gerrard’s side were able to claim the three points against Hibs to return to the summit.

Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos scored in the second-half after an opening goal from Kevin Nisbet had put Hibernian in the lead.

Despite the victory, there were some negatives to take from the match for Rangers. For example, one player who struggled out on the pitch was central midfielder Joe Aribo.

The ex-Charlton man lined up as the most advanced of the three central midfielders and failed to grasp his opportunity to impress in a forward role. He was unable to make much of a positive impact on the match before being substituted by Gerrard in the 79th minute.

On the ball, Aribo failed to showcase his creativity. Per SofaScore, he had zero key passes and gave away possession of the ball 15 times from 54 touches, completing 80% of his attempted passes and failing to complete a single long pass or cross in his time on the pitch.

This is particularly frustrating as he is capable of providing quality in the final third of the pitch. He has averaged 1.8 chances created per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, which shows that he does have the ability to open doors at the top end of the pitch. That is why his failure to do so against Hibernian let Gerrard down.

Against the ball, Aribo left a lot to be desired. Per SofaScore, he lost eight of his 13 duels on the pitch as he made one tackle and no interceptions. This suggests that he was not strong enough to deal with the Hibernian players in 50/50 duels throughout the match.

It is worth noting, however, that Aribo was subject to a red card challenge from Ryan Porteous in the 30th minute. Although the Hibs centre-back did not make full contact with his tackle, Aribo may have been shaken up by the incident and that could have affected his performance in terms of battling for possession.

Overall, though, it was a disappointing display from the midfielder and one that will have left Gerrard feeling let down heading into the international break.

AND in other news, 118 touches: Rangers beast with 95% pass accuracy was Gerrard’s unsung hero vs Hibs…

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has revealed what PIF think of Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce amid speculation he is set to be sacked.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Contains details of Bruce talks on Monday, why new owners admire him and why he still hasn’t been sacked.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Telegraph, Edwards added: “Steve Bruce has been praised by the new owners of Newcastle United for the way he has conducted himself throughout the 18-month takeover saga and thanked for helping to make it happen by keeping the club in the Premier League for the last two years.

“In a long conversation at the club’s training ground on Monday afternoon, Bruce is said to have been impressed with the way members of the consortium spoke to him and listened intently to their ambitions for the club.”

Time for a fresh start

If there is going to be one positive to take out from Bruce’s reign as manager at St James’ Park, is that he didn’t end up getting the side relegated.

The 60-year-old has fronted as Mike Ashley’s human shield since he took over from Rafa Benitez a few years ago, and while he’s done his best to try and steer the ship, he’s fallen well short of expectations.

Edwards’ claim that Bruce is admired by the club’s new owners for the way he has conducted himself over this past year does at least show that PIF are mindful of the kind of tough situation that the Magpies have been in.

Sacking Bruce after acknowledging his work at St James’ Park seems like an honourable step as they look to move forward into a new era and fresh start, and fans are sure to be intrigued about what could come next now.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could sign this former Premier League star for free…

Speaking to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has revealed a big blow for manager Nuno Espirito Santo in a behind-the-scenes Hotspur Way reveal.

The Lowdown: Nuno facing sack pressure…

Despite clinching August’s Premier League Manager of the Month award, even managing to beat champions Man City on the opening day, Nuno is now at the centre of mounting pressure over his job.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-updates/” title=”Spurs updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, a dismal run of results in September, where they lost in convincing fashion to London rivals Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal, has really turned up the heat.

So much so, a Spurs source has now leaked some damning information involving Nuno and senior players in what could be a big blow for the Portuguese.

The Latest: Source leaks damning Hotspur Way reveal…

As per the N17 source, speaking to FI, Nuno now has ‘few allies’ in the Spurs dressing room with senior players ‘unhappy’ over his style of management.

It is claimed that ‘high profile’ players are ‘unimpressed’ with the former Wolves boss and his training methods/communication at Hotspur Way.

Indeed, there’s even a suggestion by the source that the prospect of a dressing room mutiny is very real just four months into his role.

The Verdict: Blow for Nuno…

Signed on a two-year contract by chairman Daniel Levy after failed talks for the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte, it’s safe to say Nuno wasn’t exactly Tottenham’s first choice for the job.

As the Premier League coach seeks to elevate his own career with a role as prestigious as the Spurs job, it appears he is now already in real danger of an uphill battle to keep it as this behind-scenes claim drops.

In other news: Spurs already have offer pencilled in to sign ‘world class’ player who Hoddle called outstanding, find out more here.

After an impressive 5-1 win over Club Brugge in midweek, Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend with a trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, with the Seagulls fourth in the table just one place and two points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead of the match against Graham Potter’s high-flying side at the Amex Stadium, one City player who we feel should definitely be in the starting XI on Saturday evening is Ruben Dias.

After coming on as a substitute in the second half of City’s previous Premier League match against Burnley, the 24-year-old centre-back played the full 90 minutes in their hefty midweek win in Belgium.

During the match against Brugge, he made five tackles, three interceptions and four clearances, as well as winning five out of his eight ground duels and racking up an average passing accuracy ratio of 90%. Those returns ultimately earned him an impressive overall match rating of 7.2/10, making him the third-highest rated City player who started the game according to SofaScore.

This game saw Dias, who has been described as “fantastic” by Jose Mourinho, show why he is so important to the Premier League champions and why he should be in the starting XI against Brighton at the weekend to possibly terrify their attacking players.

City signed Dias back last year from Portuguese club Benfica for a reported fee of £65m. In his debut season in England, the £67.5m-rated defender (according to Transfermarkt), made 32 appearances in the Premier League which earned him the Player of the Season award, an impressive feat considering it was his first campaign in the division.

With City knowing that defeat tomorrow would see Brighton leapfrog them in the table, as well as potentially losing ground on Chelsea and Liverpool, Guardiola must include the imperious 24-year-old in his starting XI on the south coast.

In other news: Signed for £1.8m, now worth £25.2m: MCFC struck gold with ace who’s “fundamental” to Pep

West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal could face an extended spell on the sidelines through injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Coufal out injured

The Hammers are enjoying a superb start to the season, not only shining in the Premier League but also catching the eye in the Europa League and reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

One negative at the moment is that Coufal has been struggling with a groin injury, even though he featured in Wednesday’s cup win over Manchester City.

The Czech Republic international has been an influential figure for David Moyes’ side, making 45 appearances to date and registering eight assists in that time – he averages the third-most tackles and third-most crosses of any Irons player this term, showing his effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

The Latest: Expert provides worrying update

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery admits Coufal’s injury recovery may not be going well after Moyes admitted the defender was having injections to ease the pain:

“This may be a little more complex than we thought.

“It may be that things aren’t progressing as well as they hoped after he picked up the injury in the League Cup against Man United a while back.

“The injury was being managed conservatively. We saw that he wasn’t training a lot and was then rolled out for matchday. The injection is used when a player is in a lot of pain. It will limit the pain and reduce the inflammation around that area.

“We expected to see him back in and around the squad in game week eight or nine but that hasn’t come to fruition. It could be that he isn’t responding and that might mean they need to make a decision with regards to treatment.

“But West Ham are winning games, so is there a need to rush? They have the luxury to be able to continue in his absence.”

The Verdict: Big blow if Dinnery is right…

Coufal has been such a steady, reliable performer for West Ham that it is vital he doesn’t face a prolonged spell on the sidelines this season.

The 29-year-old is a model of consistency in his defensive work, averaging 2.1 tackles and clearance apiece per game in the league this season.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher is a massive fan of the defender, admitting he ‘loves’ the Czech Republic international and placing him in his team of the season for 2020/21, which shows the sort of level the defender has been at since arriving in London.

The hope is that Coufal is managed sensibly and ends up proving his fitness, not missing too much action in the process.

In other news, some West Ham fans have gone wild over an official club announcement. Read more here.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Prague International, Czech football pundit Jiri Hosek has dropped an enticing claim involving West Ham-linked billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.

The Lowdown: Kretinsky in talks…

As news broke last week of the Czech tycoon’s advanced talks to buy a 27 per cent stake in West Ham, the impending deal has been met with much excitement and promise in what could be a huge financial booster for the club.

The potential agreement will see the Hammers’ value as a club rise to between £600 million and £700 million – around six times more than it was worth when GSB took over.

The Telegraph believe Kretinsky’s talks could also be the ‘precursor’ of an eventual full takeover, which would put an end to GSB’s divisive reign at West Ham.

Kretinsky’s personal fortune is said to be more than £3 billion and so it isn’t infeasible to believe that West Ham could see a cash injection for transfers if talks succeed.

The Latest: Hosek drops enticing claim…

Speaking to Radio Prague, Czech source and football pundit Hosek has made an enticing claim as he backs this big news out of West Ham – going on to say that fans should be ‘relaxed’ about the billionaire’s reputation as an owner.

“There are some very dramatic stories being told behind the curtains about his involvement in choosing the line-up, the coaches and discussing the team’s tactics,” he explained.

“West Ham fans should be very relaxed about the reputation of Daniel Křetinský, if we are talking about this in comparison with the recent acquisition of Newcastle United by the Saudi Royal Fund.

“There is a very transparent record of Mr Křetínský’s fortune, so we can say that he is not one of these dodgy Central and Eastern European tycoons whose sources of money we can’t track.

“This is perhaps an optimistic note for West Ham United fans.”

The Verdict: More good news…

Club investments or part ownership from relatively unknown overseas parties will always arguably strike a degree of uncertainty, so this claim on Kretinsky’s background should indeed come as a positive for Irons supporters.

Even if the 46-year-old doesn’t go on to buy a majority stake in the club and take over from GSB, Kretinsky’s cash injection would be one major benefit as manager David Moyes aims to maintain his side’s fight at the very top level.

The Czech pundit’s claims should come as particularly good news for Irons supporters given the chaos currently unfolding on Tyneside, with Unai Emery raising questions over their new owners’ direction when snubbing the club this week, via The Chronicle.

In other news: ‘Huge’, ‘Don’t gas me’, ‘Announce league title’…West Ham fans flock to ‘exciting’ ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

A number of West Ham fans have hit out at Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager voiced his fury over some refereeing decisions in the teams’ clash at the London Stadium on Sunday.

As per Sky Sports, the Reds boss complained after the match that Angelo Ogbonna had impeded Alisson Becker just as the Brazilian goalkeeper inadvertently turned the ball into his own net for the first goal of the Irons’ 3-2 victory.

A few minutes later, Aaron Cresswell caught Jordan Henderson with a high tackle but was not punished in any shape or form by referee Craig Pawson, despite Klopp saying afterwards that the West Ham defender should have been sent off for the challenge.

Following the game, journalist Duncan Wright took to Twitter to claim that the German ‘saw every single infringement’ that the home side allegedly committed but ‘didn’t see Salah free-kick/dive’ for the foul which led to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free kick equaliser shortly before half-time.

West Ham fans slam Klopp

These West Ham supporters replied to Wright’s tweet to lash out at the Liverpool manager for his post-match complaints, with one Irons fan mocking Klopp as a “comedy genius”.

“Bloke should sell tickets to his own show, man’s a comedy genius”

Credit: @Whitey_B

“Classic Klopp. Never ever a foul.  Cresswell could have been a red but not for me. Jota could have been a red. Salah dive (as always) for their free kick. Officials weren’t great but Liverpool bias was in play, they can’t complain. Overall good game and the best team on the day won”

Credit: @adampkelly

“It’s such a shame he keeps embarrassing himself when he loses. He just doesn’t need to do it.”

Credit: @Marcusas11

“You can’t buy class and Klopp needs to realise that. He ought to stay off those sour lemons”

Credit: @PaulCha58026371

“How convenient… and there was me thinking he’d had laser eye surgery!”

Credit: @Steve_Brown01

“He sees what he wants…..”

Credit: @JordanSainz

In other news: This West Ham player came in for criticism from some fans against Liverpool

Everton have been struggling with a mild injury crisis over the last three months, but with players now returning from injury there has been no better time for them as the Toffees take on some of the Premier League giants in their upcoming fixtures.

Between now and Christmas, Everton are set to face Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, all within their next six fixtures, and will be hoping to grab as many points as they can from these huge games to climb into a much better position in the table.

Rafa Benitez’s side currently sit 11th in the table with just four wins so far this season, and with such tough fixtures coming up for the Toffees they will be thankful for the returns from injury with the likes of Richarlison and centre back Yerry Mina.

Everton have been ruthlessly exposed at the back over the last few months with Benitez’s side conceding seven goals in their last four games, with an embarrassing 5-2 defeat to Watford contributing to most of those goals.

It appears that most of Everton’s defensive issues come from set pieces, and zonal marking, with this being something that the manager has addressed. Everton’s expected goals against from set-pieces is 4.0 and tied for second-worst in the league.

Responding to this, the Spanish coach said; “The main thing for us is to make sure we attack the ball and show some character when we have to challenge, we’re not doing that. It’s not just zonal marking, if it’s man-to-man, then they block your defender and you could have a man free.

“I think it’s a question of how to defend, show character and the aggression you have to show when defending a setpiece.”

With all this considered it is no wonder that fans were buzzing that Yerry Mina made his return to training at Finch Farm last week.

Rafa could solve one of his biggest problems in conceding too many cheap goals, by unleashing the £18m rated beast against Man City in their next game.

The club took to Instagram to announce the highly anticipated return of the defender, with the caption reading: “Return of the King.”

Standing at 6 foot 5, the defender who has been described as a “monster” by Michael Ball, possesses all the physical traits to improve them from dead-ball situations.

The Toffees seem to be on the other side of their injury disasters, with key players back in training ahead of the Premier League’s return this weekend and Dominic Calvert Lewin’s imminent return after being sidelined with a quadriceps injury in August.

In other news: Better than Iwobi? Jonathan Ikone on Everton’s radar

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to make several moves during the January transfer window and that should hardly come as much of a surprise given Antonio Conte’s history and the need to get back on track under the Italian’s stewardship.

The north Londoners have slipped to ninth place in the Premier League after the 52-year-old drew 0-0 to Everton in his first domestic game in charge.

Conte will be most known for his stint at Chelsea, where he won the league title and also secured an FA Cup, so chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Fabio Paratici will be hoping that he can end their near 14-year wait for silverware.

According to The Sun, the Italian boss will get a war chest of around £150m to spend.

The Italian supremo will need to get to work this winter, so Football FanCast have looked into Spurs’ potential XI should he complete a masterclass with as many as three new additions…

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

As current club captain and the longest-serving player at the club, Hugo Lloris isn’t going anywhere in January, especially as the World Cup winner has kept his place following Conte’s arrival.

His contract is up in the summer, however, and that may need to be resolved in the coming months.

Centre-backs: Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Stefan de Vrij*

We know that Conte likes to utilise a three-man defence and one of his former centre-backs is reportedly a top priority – Stefan de Vrij.

That’s according to Football Insider, who believe is rated at £40m, so Paratici may need to fork out a substantial amount to secure the Italian’s Serie A-winning star.

The Dutchman, dubbed a “monster” by ex-Lazio teammate Mauricio, would join summer signing from Atalanta, Cristian Romero, and probably Eric Dier in the backline, meaning full-back Ben Davies, who has been utilised in a ‘Cesar Azpilicueta’ role is dropped.

And there are no places for Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon or Japhet Tanganga – the latter two may need a loan, as a result of de Vrij’s arrival.

Wing-backs: Sergio Reguilon, Emerson Royal

The wing-backs in the current squad are self-explanatory as they pretty much select themselves, with Sergio Reguilon on the left and Emerson Royal on the right.

Matt Doherty is another option to consider, he can play either role if need be. Similarly, there is Ryan Sessegnon, who has returned to training this week following injury to provide further depth on the left.

Midfield: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Franck Kessie*, Tanguy Ndombele

There could be a second new addition in midfield as long-linked Franck Kessie arrives in north London early. His contract at AC Milan is set to expire and Spurs are looking increasingly likely to be his next destination.

The Italian giants won’t want a player who is moving elsewhere lingering around the club, so they could try and reach an early agreement with Tottenham.

He is set to cost €10m (£8m) per season in wages, as per journalist Rudy Galetti, and may not cost a penny upfront.

He will then surely join Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele in the engine room, meaning Oliver Skipp, unfortunately, makes way and has to settle for a place on the bench alongside Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso.

Forwards: Harry Kane, Dusan Vlahovic*

Harry Kane was back in form for England this week, notching back-to-back hat-tricks and he should remain in the starting XI but if Paratici manages to seal a move for one of Europe’s most exciting young talents in Dusan Vlahovic, then it’s going to be hard not to start him even if Conte has Heung-min Son available at his disposal.

It would be very difficult to start all three in the same system, too.

According to The Sun, Spurs have been told that they can sign the Serbia and Fiorentina talisman this winter but only if they fork out a whopping £70m. Although, his name will not go away in N17, so he could well be a firm target for Conte and Paratici.

Paratici could completely transform Spurs’ XI to hand the Lilywhites tactician a dream lineup and in total, it may cost around £110m.

AND in other news, Antonio Conte handed Spurs injury boost ahead of Leeds clash…