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Everton cannot afford to lose both Amadou Onana and Anthony Gordon during this transfer window, Pete O’Rourke has claimed.

What’s the word?

Both players have been linked with moves away, with Newcastle eyeing up Gordon whilst Arsenal and Chelsea are monitoring Onana, and with a few days remaining in the transfer window, Everton face a tough task ahead.

They are currently in the relegation zone, managerless and are yet to make a signing in the January window. Given that both players could leave for significant fees, there is an argument that they could use the money and reinvest it across the squad.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O’Rourke insisted that whilst losing one and using the transfer profits on extra players could be beneficial, losing both players at this stage may not be:

“I think for Everton right now, if they sell them, they could maybe use the funds to strengthen the squad elsewhere, but to lose both players would be a major blow,” he stated.

Sell Gordon

Gordon has had a nightmare season following his breakthrough last year, falling out with sections of the fanbase, as well as failing to deliver consistent performances, with just three goals in 16 appearances.

With his value falling since Everton rejected approaches from Chelsea in the summer, now would perhaps be the best time to sell, with Newcastle reportedly agreeing a £45m deal.

If they can gain a significant sum for the Englishman, they could afford to sign a few players to help bring quality to the squad, and keeping Onana could be crucial to their season.

Onana has been impressive since his arrival in the summer, and was described as “unique” by former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez.

With days left of the window, selling Gordon should be the priority, before quickly finding attacking reinforcements to bring to the squad.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth says that both Albert Sambi Lokonga and Cedric Soares could now leave Arsenal on loan before the deadline.

The Lowdown: Marquinhos leaves

Arsenal confirmed this morning that young Brazilian winger Marquinhos has joined Norwich City in the Championship on loan for the rest of the season.

They had already loaned out seven members of the first-team squad in the summer, with Marquinhos being the eighth, but it now looks as if two more first-team players could go out on loan before the deadline.

The Latest: Two more departures?

Taking to Twitter tonight, Sheth says that aside from the now confirmed signing of central midfielder Jorginho from Chelsea, Lokonga is ‘close’ to joining Crystal Palace on loan, while there is ‘cautious optimism’ that Cedric will also go out on loan to Fulham:

“Arsenal: Jorginho formal announcement soon… Albert Sambi Lokonga loan to Crystal Palace close… Cedric Soares loan to Fulham – “cautious optimism” it gets done.”

The Verdict: Good moves

Both Lokonga and Cedric have suffered from a lack of game time so far this season, with just eight appearances between them in total in the Premier League.

Lokonga’s game time would have been even more limited by the arrival of Jorginho, while Cedric has Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu to compete with in the right-back position.

They also reportedly earn a combined £125,000-per-week at the Emirates Stadium, and letting them go on top of Marquinhos would help cover Jorginho’s salary, with his move to the Gunners now confirmed.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly made a permanent move for Dean Henderson in the summer one of their main priorities.

The Lowdown: Henderson at the City Ground

The goalkeeper was one of numerous players to make the move to the City Ground in the summer and had been a regular under Steve Cooper before suffering a thigh injury last month. The 25-year-old has made 20 appearances for the Reds, keeping six clean sheets.

Keylor Navas has been brought in on loan from Paris Saint-Germain as a result of Henderson’s injury, but it looks as if Evangelos Marinakis and Forest have long-term plans when it comes to the Manchester United loanee.

The Latest: Transfer meeting

The Telegraph’s John Percy shared an article on Saturday looking at the inside story of a move for Navas.

The reliable reporter claimed in the article that a transfer meeting has already been held ahead of the summer window, with the Forest deciding that a permanent move for Henderson is one of their priorities for this year.

The Verdict: Could well happen

It seems as if Henderson turned down the chance to return to Old Trafford in January after Martin Dubravka was recalled by Newcastle, something which may impact his chances of a long-term future at Manchester United.

Should that be the case, Forest may well fancy their chances of securing a permanent move for the shot-stopper, who Paul Taylor hailed as ‘truly outstanding’ earlier this season.

He appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €22m (£19.8m) Transfermarkt valuation; and with regular game-time when fit, Henderson could be open to the idea of making a permanent move to the City Ground.

Aston Villa dropped to 11th in the Premier League over the weekend as they were beaten 4-2 by Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester on their own turf on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s side are sitting comfortably in midtable and one of the team’s best performers throughout the campaign so far has been veteran full-back Ashley Young.

The 37-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the Premier League so far this season and this places him second in the Villa squad – only behind Douglas Luiz.

Young has played 17 times in the top flight, starting 13 of those matches, and has contributed with three tackles and interceptions and 0.6 key passes per match for the team.

However, the gem turns 38 in July and Emery may start to think about what life may look like after the former England international retires or parts ways with the club.

Matty Cash, 25, is the other senior option at right-back but the Poland international would not have any competition for his place if Young moved on without a replacement coming into the squad.

Emery could find the dream heir to the ex-Manchester United winger’s place in the side by unearthing the talent of 20-year-old academy full-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

The young dynamo has already experienced League Two, League One, and Championship football out on loan in recent seasons and the Villa coach could look to slowly bed him into the side as Young heads towards the end of his playing days.

Reporter Jonny Leighfield previously hailed the talented youngster during the gem’s time on loan at Swindon Town during the 2021/22 campaign, saying: “As soon as the loan deal from Villa was done Garner told us that this kid’s got serious quality, a player who’s destined to play for Villa’s first team.”

The journalist added: “He’s just a cut above.”

“He’s got a brilliant turn of pace and a player who like to do his damage up the other end of the pitch. He’s got everything about him to play either Championship or Premier League football regularly.”

During the first half of the current campaign, Kesler-Hadyen made 1.2 tackles and interceptions and 0.7 key passes per match in the second tier for Huddersfield. This came after he made 1.9 defensive contributions and created 0.8 chances per match in League One during the 2021/22 season.

The 20-year-old may not be producing the kind of numbers that Young has been delivering for Villa in the Premier League, from a defensive perspective, this season but the gem has 17 years of development to catch up with the veteran.

Kesler-Hayden could be the future of Villa’s right-back position, given the glimpses of quality he has shown in the Football League so far, and Emery could find Young’s long-term heir by providing the youngster with chances to impress in the coming seasons.

Everton could reportedly sell Jarrad Branthwaite to Liverpool this summer, with two other clubs interested in signing the PSV loanee.

The Lowdown: Impressing at PSV

Branthwaite is starting to find some form at PSV, starting their last two goals against FC Emmen in their recent win in the KNVB Beker Cup.

The central defender was a menace at the back, winning eight of his ten individual duels, while he also made a team-high three clearances, and recorded three tackles (SofaScore).

After the match, Branthwaite admitted that he is considering staying at PSV beyond this season, and now other clubs are starting to take notice of his performances.

The Latest: Liverpool interest

As per The Daily Mail, Liverpool are one of three clubs who will send scouts to watch Branthwaite in action next week, alongside Manchester United and AS Roma.

PSV have also made no secret of wanting to sign him on a permanent deal, having had two bids rejected in January by the Goodison Park outfit, the last thought to be £15m.

The Verdict: Keep him!

Everton need to do all that they can to keep hold of Branthwaite this summer, and so should forget about selling him, especially to their major rival Liverpool.

Hailed as a ‘great talent’ by PSV manager and Premier League legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, the 20-year-old clearly has a lot of potential, and has even been backed to be a ‘future England international’ by another one of his former managers, Steven Pressley of Carlisle United.

The Toffees do have plenty of centre-backs available at the moment, but Conor Coady is only on loan from Wolves, while Yerry Mina is out of contract in the summer with no signs of his deal being renewed.

Thus, there should be room for Branthwaite in the squad next for next campaign, and so the Blues should keep hold of him.

Newcastle United have reportedly made an inquiry over the possibility of signing Athletico-PR striker Vitor Roque in the summer.

The Lowdown: More firepower needed?

Newcastle have struggled for goals recently, with just nine scored in their last nine games in total over all competitions.

Chris Wood was allowed to go to Nottingham Forest on loan in the January transfer window, casting his long-term future at St. James’ Park into doubt, while both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have suffered with injuries this season.

Thus, they may look for another striker this summer in order to help out the frontline.

The Latest: Roque inquiry

According to GOAL, the Tynesiders are one of five clubs to have made an inquiry for Roque, with Arsenal, Chelsea, PSG and FC Barcelona in the mix for his signature.

However, Athletico-PR are reluctant to let the 17-year-old leave this summer for less than €60m (£53m).

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The Verdict: Another exciting target

The North East club are building an exciting group of young talent with the arrivals of Garang Kuol and Harrison Ashby in January, and Roque would certainly add to that.

Likened to the great strikers of Luis Suarez and Ronaldo, the latter has expressed how much he rates his Brazilian countryman in the past, as Roque has scored six goals and made a further two assists in 10 caps for Brazil’s U20s (Transfermarkt).

Hailed as having ‘very impressive’ upper body strength and balance by journalist David Cartlidge, he should be able to cope with the demands of the Premier League despite his tender years, and would be ready to make an impact and grow with the rest of the squad.

Glasgow Rangers have been given the green light to complete the permanent signing of Malik Tillman, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Beale’s admiration

The United States international arrived in the Scottish Premiership from Bayern Munich on a season-long loan last summer with the option to buy included in his deal.

Michael Beale has already admitted that he would personally love to keep the 20-year-old at Ibrox for many years to come, and it appears that he’s now been handed the chance to do just that.

The Latest: Tillman available to buy

According to Football Insider, Rangers have ‘been told’ by Bayern that they are ‘free to sign’ Tillman on a permanent basis.

The German club are ‘delighted’ by his performances in Glasgow but are ‘not looking’ to integrate him into their own squad.

The Bundesliga giants are happy to reach an ‘early agreement’ through the £6.2m buy option, a fee that is ‘prohibitive’ for Beale’s side.

The Light Blues are therefore ‘yet to indicate’ whether they will take up the chance to retain his services for good.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Tillman has been a revelation ever since joining Rangers so Ross Wilson should definitely act to get this deal over the line ahead of the summer, even if it means spending big.

The Teddy Bears midfielder has so far clocked up 14 goal contributions in 36 outings at Ibrox, where he’s averaging 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per league game (WhoScored).

The Nuremberg native has also provided great versatility having operated out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his natural central position.

Tillman has been hailed an ‘epic talent’ by former Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst and considering the impact he’s made, this is a no-brainer of a switch to complete.

Manchester United could well have identified a potential, long-term centre-forward solution ahead of the summer transfer window, amid reports that manager Erik ten Hag is eyeing a move for Red Bull Salzburg sensation, Benjamin Sesko.

What’s the latest on Benjamin Sesko to Man Utd?

According to Football Insider, the Red Devils are currently ‘keeping tabs’ on the 19-year-old striker with one eye on a potential swoop in the coming months, despite the teenager having previously agreed to join sister club RB Leipzig on a £21m deal next season.

As ESPN previously outlined, however, the German outfit could be inclined to instantly part ways with the Slovenian marksman if they do receive a big offer this summer, hence opening the door for United to pounce.

There had been reports last year that suggested the Old Trafford outfit were keen on striking a deal for the 6 foot 5 powerhouse, while The Athletic also previously revealed that the Premier League giants had opted against securing the player’s signature for just £2.5m back in 2019, as the fee was deemed ‘excessive’.

Could Man Utd repeat their Erling Haaland error?

Talk of signing an exciting, teenage forward from Salzburg will no doubt send shivers down the spine of some at the Theatre of Dreams, with the club having previously missed out on acquiring Erling Haaland from the Austrian side in the recent past.

The Norwegian giant had burst onto the scene after scoring eight goals in his first six Champions League group stage appearances for the Bundesliga side back in 2019, with United having been linked with a move in the following January window.

Despite the prolific gem’s links to his former Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – who had recommended the youngster to those back in Manchester years earlier – Haaland ultimately opted to join Borussia Dortmund at the start of 2020, before sealing a £51m move to rivals Manchester City last summer.

United have since had to watch the 22-year-old net 27 goals already this season in the league alone – with three of those coming in the 6-3 derby defeat at the Etihad – with it undoubtedly set to sting that they could not get a deal wrapped up when they potentially had the chance.

The aim now, however, will be to avenge that blunder by snapping up Sesko ahead of next season, with the towering asset already showing signs that he could potentially emulate the current City star, having provided 29 goal involvements in only 67 games for Salzburg.

The 17-cap hotshot had also previously bagged 22 goals in just 44 games while on loan at lower league side FC Liefering, having been lauded as something of a “machine man” in front of goal by talent scout, Jacek Kulig.

Also described as a “complete forward” by Kulig, the one-time Domzale youth star has unsurprisingly earned comparisons to the aforementioned Haaland due to his physical stature and finishing prowess, with the player himself commenting on that likeness:

“My team-mates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!”

With Ten Hag and co craving a solution to their number nine woes – with Anthony Martial frequently ruled out through injury – then turning to Sesko could prove a dream scenario for the former Ajax boss, such is the forward’s undoubted potential.

Having let Haaland slip through their fingers, the Old Trafford hierarchy can’t make the same mistake again.

Arsenal started February failing to win any of their Premier League games, however, Mikel Arteta has since led the Gunners to three straight wins to have them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

The recent good run proves early February was just a blip and a first league title since 2003/2004 is very much within their grasp heading into the final months of the season.

With just 13 matches left, the race for the title will likely go down to the wire and Arteta must start with his strongest line-up every match, and with Thomas Partey making his comeback from injury against Everton in midweek, the 40-year-old must unleash him against AFC Bournemouth this afternoon.

Will Thomas Partey start against Bournemouth?

To prove how important Partey is to Arsenal, against Everton in their 1-0 defeat last month, the Ghanian was substituted off in the 59th minute and the Toffees scored a minute later.

He also missed the game against City due to injury, the final result? A 3-1 defeat. The North London side did win against Aston Villa, although they conceded twice without Partey in their midfield.

The 29-year-old managed 45 minutes against Everton in midweek and was incredible. He came on for Jorginho at halftime and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.5/10 for his display, taking 66 touches while having a 93% pass success rate while making one key pass and creating a big chance.

Partey was also solid defensively, making two tackles and winning all three of his ground duels during his 45-minute cameo and it proves Arteta needs to start him today.

These statistics show that the battler made a huge impact on the pitch with his quality on and off the ball, which is why the gem should return to the starting XI now that he is fit.

Journalist Yaw Ampofo Jr claimed after the win that the enforcer “brings stability to Arsenal” and this was clearly evidenced throughout his performance while after the 1-1 draw against Brentford last month, he was dubbed an “absolute monster” by journalist Abhimanyu Bose and both these comments clearly suggest the midfielder makes a massive difference to the dynamic of the side when he is fit and firing.

The North Londoners look to have put their sticky spell behind them and will be hoping to secure their fourth win on the bounce against Bournemouth today. In order to do this, Arteta must start with Partey in the middle of the pitch as the gem holds the key to everything good Arsenal have done recently.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton has slammed Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Tottenham Hotspur for playing a weakened side in the FA Cup only to lose the next Premier League game.

What’s the latest on Spurs’ form?

It was bad afternoon for the north London club this Saturday as they fell to defeat away against Wolves with Adama Traore netting the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute.

To make things worse, this caps off a week where Spurs were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United.

What’s more, clearly prioritising this most recent league game, Conte and assistant manager Stellini opted to rotate and rest in the mid-week defeat only for it to backfire as they ended up losing both matches.

While speaking about this all on BBC Radio Show 606, Sutton said he couldn’t understand why the club would not do more to try and win a cup competition considering their trophy drought.

He said (2:34): “Spurs fans, what is going on at Tottenham? I think it’s been a really disappointing season. May well finish in the top four but so inconsistent.

“But my beef with Spurs is that why would you play a weakened side – when your fans are desperate for you to win a trophy – why would you play a weakened side again Sheffield United in the FA Cup?

“I’ve got to say, I don’t get that one.”

Why aren’t Tottenham winning any trophies?

In that game against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, key man Harry Kane started on the bench and played just 25 minutes. Seeing as he has started all Premier League and Champions League games, it’s clear how important he is to the team.

With that in mind, Conte and Stellini must have felt it was okay to rest his legs, assuming that they could beat their Championship opponents without the use of the England captain.

That clearly was a mistake and with the club trophyless throughout Kane’s senior career – having last won silverware when they lifted the League Cup back in 2008 – it’s little wonder some fans would have been baffled by the dismissive attitude towards their mid-week clash.

It does seem as if they should know by now that if they want to win a trophy, they have to take the domestic cup competitions more seriously.