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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer is adamant Carlo Ancelotti has no intention of catering to Alex Iwobi’s desire to play in his preferred position at Everton.

Iwobi recently posted a story on Instagram that was interpreted by some as a dig at his club manager for not always utilising him efficiently. Ancelotti has since responded, stating he is willing to play Iwobi in a position he feels more comfortable in if the player speaks to him about the issue.

Palmer, however, doubts the three-time Champions League winning-manager will go through with his words, especially with Everton doing so well in English football’s top flight this season.

Discussing the matter in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“Maybe he’s just saying that for the public. I don’t believe for one minute Carlo Ancelotti would do that, I don’t believe for one minute. I think he’s just trying to deal with it in the press and in the media, defusing the situation by saying that. He’s never going to change the system to suit one player.”

£50,000-a-week man Iwobi has been used in various positions this term, including at left and right wing-back.

As an attacker, naturally, it can be expected that the Nigeria international wants to play further forward. However, at present, there is a lot of competition in that area of the pitch at Goodison Park.

Richarlison and James Rodriguez are just a couple of players Ancelotti can call upon when fielding his forward line, making things a bit difficult for Iwobi in regards to his desire to play in attack regularly.

Southampton travel to Bramall Lane on Saturday hoping that they can turn around their recent awful form and pick up three points against Sheffield United, who despite some recent impressive results are still rock bottom of the Premier League.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have now picked up just one point from their last nine top-flight fixtures, which has seen them dragged into a potential relegation battle, but they can ease any fears of playing Championship football next season with three points against Chris Wilder’s side on Saturday.

The Austrian could welcome back the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Ibrahima Diallo after injury, which should be a huge boost to their chances of leaving Bramall Lane with maximum points.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line up, with three changes from the team which started against Everton last time out…

Fraser Forster keeps his place in goal, despite conceding his first goal of the season in the 1-0 defeat against Everton.

There’s one change in defence, as Walker-Peters makes his return at right-back, which allows Jan Bednarek to move back into the middle, with Mohammed Salisu the one to miss out.

There are two changes in midfield, as Takumi Minamino returns from his own minor injury to start on the left-hand side ahead of Nathan Redmond, whilst Ibrahima Diallo comes in to partner James Ward-Prowse, allowing Stuart Armstrong to move out to the right-hand side, with Moussa Djenepo not risked.

Finally, in attack, Danny Ings partners Che Adams, although both will have to rediscover their goalscoring touch if Southampton are to turn their recent form around, with Adams hoping to find success against his old side on Saturday.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl handed huge boost ahead of relegation clash; he could be a game-changer

Carlo Ancelotti has dropped a double injury blow for Everton ahead of their home game versus Southampton in the Premier League on Monday night.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the St. Mary’s faithful, the Italian boss revealed that there has been no date set for Jean-Philippe Gbamin to return to training, while Yerry Mina faces another two weeks out of action.

Double Everton injury blow

The Merseyside club will be without both Mina and Gbamin for the fixture against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men at Goodison Park, and will no doubt miss the former especially.

Mina has been nothing short of a rock for the Toffees in the heart of the defence, winning no fewer than 4.7 of his duels a game in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term, as well as averaging 4.5 clearances, 1.1 interceptions and one tackle per appearance (Sofascore).

As for Gbamin, it is a case of whether the Blues will ever be able to see him play for EFC again. The central midfield player has had an awful time with injuries ever since his move from Mainz, and has only played in a mere two senior matches in all competitions for Everton, with his last one coming all the way back in August 2019.

Nonetheless, Ancelotti’s team will have to find a way to get all three points against the Saints without both of them.

In other news, find out why Paul Joyce’s latest update has been lauded by Everton fans here!

According to a report by French news outlet Le Parisien, translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur were offered two players by Ligue 1 giants Paris-Saint Germain in an attempt to facilitate Dele Alli’s switch to the Parc des Princes – including former Premier League ace Idrissa Gueye. 

Gueye offered as part of mooted Spurs swap deal for Alli

Gueye, who signed permanently for PSG in the summer of 2019 for around £30 million from Everton (BBC), has started just over half of their league games this (WhoScored) – with the Senegal international reportedly offered out to Spurs in a bid to capture Alli.

Indeed, as per this report, the European challengers were extremely eager to complete a deal for the 24-year-old – so much so that sporting director Leonardo tried to include both Gueye and World Cup winner Julian Draxler in a bid to come to an arrangement.

Draxler, however, had a ‘0%’ chance of leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s side in January – so the offer was allegedly scrapped.

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not Tottenham would have accepted Gueye alone isn’t mentioned, but he would have arguably been a great coup for Spurs in a swap for Alli – even if he isn’t a like-for-like replacement.

The £108,000-per-week midfielder (Salary Sport), amassing an impressive 91.8% pass accuracy on average over the Ligue 1 games he has featured this season (WhoScored), has also been described as a ‘monster’ in the past by former Lilywhites boss Tim Sherwood during his stint at Aston Villa (talkSPORT).

Whether or not Spurs would still accept Gueye as part of a loan deal for Alli remains to be seen, but there are potentially incentives if the opportunity were to arise for chairman Daniel Levy.

In other news: Jose Mourinho refused to rule out Tottenham action as the final days of January loom, find out more here.

When it’s come to Wolves’ Premier League form, there hasn’t been much to criticise in the previous two years.

They have been a breath of fresh air to the top-flight but now they are facing doubters and criticism. Nuno Santo’s men have won just three of their last 13 matches and pressure is building upon the management.

So, where is it all going wrong?

On the chalkboard

One of Wolves’ biggest problems at the moment is their midfield. When it comes to creativity and scoring goals, none of their central players have a particularly outstanding record throughout there respective careers.

For context, Ruben Neves has netted just 21 goals in over 250 career appearances while Joao Moutinho has only 50 strikes in 714 outings. It’s pretty grim reading for Leander Dendoncker too. The Belgian has 20 goals in 292 club appearances.

Though, they are also struggling from a defensive point of view and with dictating the rhythm of the game. That has never been more evident than in their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer news”]

Ebere Eze ran riot at Selhurst Park as he scored the goal that separated the two teams. There was a lack of dynamism in the middle of the park as Moutinho significantly struggled with the pace of the game.

He was dribbled past on four occasions and failed to play a single key pass. It’s been a dismal campaign for the Portuguese ace and it’s already been suggested that this could be his final campaign as a regular in the starting XI.

The solution

Wolves’ midfield desperately needs improving but fortunately, there could be a quick fix. The transfer window closes on Monday evening but they have a midfielder on their radar.

According to reports in Spain (via The Mirror), the Old Gold are one of a number of teams interested in signing Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour on loan.

They face competition from Aston Villa, West Ham, West Brom and Crystal Palace so it won’t be straightforward pursuit.

Yet, given their struggles in the middle of the park, he’s someone they simply have to sign.

Gilmour’s record in front of goal isn’t the best – the 19-year-old hasn’t scored at senior level yet – but crucially he has plenty of other attributes that the Wolves midfield is missing.

Speaking about the Chelsea teenager when he burst onto the scene in a win over Everton, Roy Keane waxed lyrical about the Scot.

He said: “As the game started I literally got out of my seat, which I very rarely do, and I thought, ‘Who is this kid?’ There are certain traits you want from a midfielder, quality on the ball, football intelligence, composure.”

Keane concluded: “He had everything, it was one of the best performances I have seen in a long, long time.”

It’s rare a player has the former Manchester United man standing up and taking notice but he didn’t stop there with his appraisal: “He makes the game look easy, he looks forward, he’s got his head swivelling, looking over the shoulder, he was very positive with his passing,” Keane added.

Wolves are missing someone like that at the moment. During their defeat to Palace, Dendoncker made just four progressive passes – balls further than ten yards towards the opponent’s goal – while Moutinho managed just two. On top of that, the pairing didn’t attempt a single dribble.

In Gilmour’s only start of the season – a 1-1 draw with Krasnodar in the Champions League – he was far better in these two statistics. He completed five progressive passes and also attempted four dribbles.

If Wolves want a better transition between defence and attack, then signing the £43.2k-per-week teenager on loan from Chelsea would certainly be a good idea.

AND in other news, Shi must reignite Wolves swoop for 23 y/o “Rolls-Royce of a player” who bullied Traore…

Glasgow Rangers will be well aware they will need to find a suitable replacement for Steven Davis in the not too distant future.

What’s the word?

Ross Wilson brought in Bongani Zungu from French Ligue 2 side Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option-to-buy but the Bafana-Bafana midfielder has arguably done very little to justify an extension to his stay at Ibrox thus far.

It seems Steven Gerrard is in agreement, as Rangers have reportedly turned their attentions elsewhere instead.

According to Football Insider, Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram is still of interest to the Light Blues, and Chris Wilder has recently admitted defeat.

The Blades boss said: “Him [Lundstram] and his agent have made a decision that he doesn’t want to sign.”

It’s claimed clubs south of the border, including Premier League duo Burnley and Crystal Palace, are also keen to secure his signature in January.

Lundstram has impressed for the south Yorkshire outfit especially over the past couple of years, providing eight goals and assists in 100 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Ideal Steven Davis alternative

Although his form has somewhat tailed off this season, having been sent off against Brighton following a challenge on Joel Veltman, there’s no denying the fact that Lundstram could be a significant coup for the Gers.

It’s an open secret the Ibrox boss has wanted a genuine box-to-box midfielder for some time now, which is why he tried to sign Preston North End playmaker Daniel Johnson in the summer, but to no avail.

Given his age, it’s safe to say that Davis isn’t getting any younger, and coupled with the fact his current deal is set to expire at the end of this season, it’s surely only a matter of time before he decides to hang up his boots for good.

Former Aston Villa and England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has insisted Lundstram, who reportedly earns around £4,000-per-week at Bramall Lane, would seize the chance to move to Ibrox in a heartbeat.

He told Football Insider: “I think so. He’s a quality player.

“I’ve heard he’s not agreed a contract, maybe that’s wages they can’t agree. If Rangers can pay the money that he wants then maybe it suits him.

“I’m sure if anybody’s got a chance to leave Sheffield United at the moment, the way they’re playing, I’m sure they would.

“Rangers are a massive club that I’m sure he would love to go and play for.”

Rather than signing Zungu on a permanent basis, Rangers chief Ross Wilson may be better served sanctioning a move for Lundstram, as not only would he be able to provide suitable backup for the Northern Irish veteran stalwart, but he’d also be a significant upgrade on the South Africa international as well.

His high levels of concentration and ability to spray passes over the top would make him the perfect fit for the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, whilst signing a midfielder capable of covering and competing for a place in the starting line-up with Davis would be an extremely smart bit of business.

Should Davis depart Ibrox, Gerrard would have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings if Wilson can get a deal over the line.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers dealt cruel blow before Celtic clash after Ryan Jack ruled out due to injury…

Crystal Palace suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp as Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah both scored twice to lift Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

There’s no two ways of saying this, but the Reds largely dominated proceedings from start to finish, as Roy Hodgson’s side struggled to get a foothold in the game.

It wasn’t for want of trying, as Palace strove to break the deadlock in the first period, but they were shortly overwhelmed by the defending champions, who raced into the lead with relative ease after Mane teed up Takumi Minamino to slot home in the third minute.

Not that you’d know it, but Liverpool hadn’t won away from home in the league since September, though they seem to be well on their way to retaining the title as they are set to be top of the table at Christmas for the third consecutive season in a row.

Barely any of Palace’s players were at the races today, in particular Nathaniel Clyne, who badly let Hodgson down with his abysmal display.

The £3.6m-rated right-back was lightweight in his individual battles, as he failed to win a single duel from two attempts overall, which meant that he lost 100% of his duels against the league leaders, as per SofaScore.

Clyne lacked confidence and looked short of form against his former club, as he took just 41 touches of the ball, providing only 21 out of 26 attempted passes in total, which is pretty embarrassing especially when you consider the fact that even Gary Cahill made seventeen more.

The 29-year-old, who earns around £80,000-per-week at Selhurst Park, failed to register a single shot or record a single key pass from the right flank and lost possession ten times as well to sum up his frustrations.

In the absence of new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson – who is yet to feature for the first team – Clyne has started eight out of the past nine games in the Premier League so far this season, but was left out of the matchday squad for the trip to the London Stadium to take on West Ham on Wednesday night.

We said at the start of the month that he has a real opportunity to earn himself a contract extension in the wake of Ferguson’s latest setback, but now he’s going to find it even harder to convince Steve Parish to give him a new contract after he let his manager down massively with yet another poor performance.

With Joel Ward waiting in the wings, the former Liverpool defender will now face an anxious few days before the Eagles travel to Aston Villa in a matter of days.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace star Patrick van Aanholt was abysmal in embarrassing Liverpool defeat…

Celtic will be hoping to gain some ground in the Europa League this evening over bottom-of-the-table Sparta Prague. The Hoops haven’t had the best start to their run so they will be hoping that this will be a golden chance to resurrect their recent streak of rocky form.

Neil Lennon has been changing up his starting lineups a lot over the past few weeks and whilst some have fallen flat on their face, others have started showing glimpses of promise. Particularly with Odsonne Edouard back in action, Celtic could be in with a good chance of grabbing three points tonight.

Football FanCast has predicted how the Hoops will set up to face Sparta Prague this evening…

With Scott Bain proving to be a much better option between the sticks than Vasilis Barkas, Lennon would be foolish to change things up now. The £7.6k per-week Scotsman had a solid game against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup last time out and the clean sheet will give him motivation to produce another winning performance.

A change in defence could be warranted though, with Nir Bitton currently filling in for the injured Kristoffer Ajer. However, Shane Duffy was disappointing against Lille in Celtic’s previous Europa League clash, making just 23 accurate passes and giving away a penalty (via Sofascore).

For this reason, fans could see the return of Hatem Abd Elhamed, who was a key figure this season until he was sidelined due to coronavirus.

With Ryan Christie in fine form at the moment, he will undoubtedly start opposite Mohamed Elyounoussi in the wide areas. The two could prove to be lethal to the opposition as they continue to work together. Lennon appears to have dropped the idea of a double strike force in his attack and has been trying out one lone target-man supported by three others.

Albian Ajeti could get the nod after being deployed up front on several occasions recently. His support just behind Edouard could help the Frenchman find his form after also being out of action. Bagging a win will put the Hoops back into a winning streak, with Motherwell awaiting them on Sunday.

In other news, Celtic must move for bargain priced Diego Laxalt on permanent deal…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast’s Tom Ward, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has been discussing the injury suffered by Liverpool ace James Milner and the impact it could have on Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

The experienced midfielder became the latest name to be added to the Reds’ worrying injury list when he was substituted in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Brighton due to a hamstring injury.

Klopp is already short on midfielders, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago also currently sidelined, whilst Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have only recently returned from injury.

Milner has proved to be extremely versatile in this Liverpool side in recent seasons, and produced a superb display at right-back in the Reds’ recent 3-0 win against Leicester City, earning an 8.15 rating for his performance.

Here’s what Palmer had to say when speaking to FFC about Milner’s injury and what it might mean for the Reds:

“It’s a massive blow but hopefully it’s not too bad and because of the way he looks after himself, it’s highly likely that he will return quicker than most other players because of his fitness levels. It’s a massive blow for them because he’s so versatile.”

He also added:

“Milner is a big loss to him because I think he’s a very versatile player. He could play [centre-midfield], he could right-back, he could play left-back. Those are the types of players that win you the league because they can fill in in areas like that and do a very very good job for you. In most other cases in a top-seven side, Milner would be a starter.”

Whilst Palmer describes Milner’s injury as a “massive blow” for Klopp and Liverpool, he also backs the 34-year-old to be back soon, due to his impressive fitness levels.

The Reds will certainly need every possible player available to them as we approach the busy Christmas period, as Klopp’s squad is already looking very thin, so losing someone as versatile as Milner is undoubtedly going to cause issues for the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

And, in other news… Klopp can offload big “personality” by signing youngster who won’t cost Edwards a penny

The UEFA Europa League began in earnest this month, with the draw on 1 October shaping the entire complexion of the competition. As usual, the teams were drawn from pots based on their UEFA coefficients, which are (for now) the defining metric for seeding teams, but not even that could prevent a ‘group of death’ or two from forming.

Last season was no different, with Dynamo Kiev, PSV Eindhoven, Lazio and Borussia Mönchengladbach being definite victims of a shock failure to proceed. Those case studies fuel the belief that some other fancied teams will fall by the wayside, or at least find themselves on the receiving end of an underdog victory.

With this in mind, these three matches will be ones to watch.

Milan v Lille (5 Nov)

All wagering odds for the greatest tournaments show a moneyline favourite and an underdog in every match, but there are certain elements that can reduce the odds against the latter. In the case of Group H, which has already been identified as a particularly tough group, Milan may field a couple of fringe players. Whether or not they do so against Lille, they are guaranteed a challenge, with the French club making an excellent start to 2020/21.

While it is hard to ignore the fact that Lille have not won a Europa League match since December 2010, it is the here and now that really matters. Every Ligue 1 game up to the international break saw Lille keep a first-half clean sheet, contributing much to an unbeaten return of four wins and two draws from the opening six league games.

The continued absence of AC Milan from top-level European football has also played its part in devaluing the San Siro’s status as a fortress when Milan are the hosts. The Rossoneri’s current UEFA coefficient (19.000) is a stark fall from the one with which they entered their last Champions League campaign seven years ago (93.829).

Milan have lost two of their last five Europa League games, against Arsenal and Real Betis, and were unimpressive in their qualifying win over Bodø / Glimt, just scraping home 3-2 after a disastrous start, and relying on a double from Hakan Çalhanoğlu to bail them out.

Cluj v Roma (26 Nov)

Romanian clubs have enjoyed a minor renaissance in recent years, with Astra Giurgiu’s double-header of qualifying aggregate wins over West Ham a few years ago standing prominent in the memory. Over the past 12 years though, CFR Cluj have become a consistent beacon for Romanian football, making a maiden appearance in the 2008/09 Champions League group stage. They won only once en-route to a fourth-place finish – but it was a memorable victory.

Of all teams, it was Roma they beat in that group stage campaign, with Cluj winning 2-1 at the Olympic stadium and stealing all the headlines. Last season saw Cluj make a real breakthrough, with the Transylvanian outfit sucking the life out of every visitor in the group stage, going on to finish second.

Though immediately eliminated by Sevilla – who defied their own adverse pre-match odds to win the final – Cluj did not lose either leg, instead bowing out on away goals. Notably, Roma’s neighbours Lazio were amongst Cluj’s victims in last season’s group stage, meaning that Cluj are not short of the inspiration necessary to ensure that Roma ‘sleep well’ yet again.

Arsenal v Rapid (3 Dec)

For their part, Rapid Vienna have not faced English opposition for ten years, notably dumping Aston Villa out at the Europa League qualification playoff stage for the second time in as many seasons back in 2010. That year also marked Rapid’s most recent competitive win on English soil. More recently, Rapid played opposition from Europe’s top-five leagues twice last term, but were punished in their away legs, going down 5-0 at Villarreal and 4-0 at Inter.

Under normal circumstances, this would go in a similar direction, but it is not just ‘hard’ groups that open up the potential for a shock.

Arsenal have been granted a relatively easy group, containing no other representatives from one of Europe’s top five leagues. That yields expectation of progression being sealed early – perhaps even with two games to spare, provided that Mikel Arteta takes the competition seriously, as he surely will given Arsenal’s status as outright favourites.

Even if progression is not completely sealed by matchday five, a number of fringe players are certain to feature given Arsenal’s home advantage, giving this one a similar feel to recent shock UEL home defeats vs Olympiakos and Ostersunds.