Josh Sargent scored his 11th goal of 2024, his 15th of the Championship campaign, for Norwich City Tuesday as he continues to light up the league.
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Everton continued their recent upturn in form on their travels down to South London, Sean Dyche's Toffees making it three wins from their last four Premier League encounters with a barnstorming 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace.
It was an all-action affair between Roy Hodgson's Eagles and the confident Merseysiders, Vitaliy Mykolenko opening the scoring for the away side with barely a minute gone on the clock before both sides ended up sharing out the goals back and forth in an enthralling watch.
Idrissa Gueye would end up being the hero on the day for the visiting Toffees however, the 34-year-old scoring only his fifth-ever goal in Everton colours from 154 appearances to win the tight and exhilarating contest.
It was the number 19 for the Blues who stood out though amongst a sterling collective display, Mykolenko now with two goals in his last two games for Dyche's in-form side even whilst playing at full-back.
The Ukrainian defender has gone from a player in and out of his manager's first-team plans to one of the first names on Dyche's team sheet recently, Mykolenko excelling after an initially tricky transition to the demands of English football.
The former Dynamo Kyiv man has given the Blues another attacking outlet to help the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin advance forward in the past few contests, exemplified in his efforts against the Eagles last time out.
He would set the tone at Selhurst Park from minute one, placing a thumping header past Sam Johnstone in the opposing goal before many Palace and Everton fans had even taken to their respective seats in the stadium.
He was also pivotal when the Blues found themselves regularly under the cosh up against the Eagles, wave after wave of attacking pressure usually kickstarted by Palace livewire Eberechi Eze snuffed out by Mykolenko and his defensive teammates competently more times than not – the Ukrainian star clearing the ball away from danger five times, whilst also launching himself into three tackles during the 90 minutes per Sofascore.
One of those standout teammates was James Tarkowski, the former Burnley man – who played under Dyche at Turf Moor – rock solid throughout his side's 3-2 win.
The 32-year-old is still performing at the peak of his powers despite his lengthy career inevitably winding down, performing at his previous Burnley best now with his current employers which saw him routinely impress over over 219 appearances in total for the Clarets.
Against the Eagles, the ageing defender did uncharacteristically display chinks in his defensive armour for Odsonne Edouard to net a disastrous equaliser at 2-2 – failing to sense the danger of a dropping ball, expecting Jordan Pickford to come off his line with the ex-Celtic sharp shooter poking home from lax defending when that wasn't forthcoming.
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James Tarkowski vs Palace in numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Touches |
55 |
|
Pass Accuracy |
22/31 (71%) |
|
Clearances |
8 |
|
Blocked Shots |
3 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Tackles |
5 |
|
Duels Won |
10/13 |
|
Dribble Success |
100% |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
Still, that was the only blemish present on the defender's otherwise very impressive afternoon. Everton's lofty captain was authoritative and imposing when needed minus this error, hailed as "brilliant" by one fan on social media subsequently.
He would win a remarkable ten duels that came his way at Selhurst Park, alongside clearing the ball away from danger eight times when Palace pressure nearly became unbearable to thwart per Sofascore.
A last-man tackle won by Tarkowski during the match was also pivotal to keep the Eagles at bay, Gueye winning the game for the resolute Blues late on with the 32-year-old key.
Dyche will continue picking his experienced centre-back to shore up his backline in the pursuit of more wins, an integral seasoned veteran at the back slotting in nicely next to breakthrough partner Jarrad Branthwaite who is a whole 11 years younger than his counterpart.
Chelsea were wrongly denied a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final after a new angle showed Jack Grealish clearly swiping the ball with his arm.
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Sergino Dest's devastating knee injury has raised some challenging questions surrounding the Barcelona loanee's long-term future.
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Sunderland will be pleased with how their season is unfolding even just at this early stage, Tony Mowbray's Black Cats find themselves in the final playoff spot in the Championship currently with a 3-1 win against Birmingham City last time out a confident overall display.
Jobe Bellingham was the star of the show at the Stadium of Light in this one, the ex-Birmingham City teenager scoring the opening goal against his boyhood club to set up the dominant victory.
It was also a valiant defensive display from the Black Cats despite the near dominance too, 20-year-old centre-back Nectarios Triantis coming into the side for his debut and winning all three of his ground and aerial duels to solidify his side as per Sofascore.
Regardless of the defensive performance keeping Wayne Rooney's Blues at bay for the most part, Mowbray could well be in the market for a brand-new defender to offer the likes of Dan Ballard and Jenson Seelt competition in the form of Nathaniel Adjei.
Sunderland wouldn't be alone in their pursuit of the Ghanaian, however, with frenzied interest from a number of clubs in the EFL and beyond intensifying according to reports.
A whole host of clubs are interested in Adjei's services, with Sunderland, Celtic, Rangers and Preston North End all considering the Hammarby centre-back as an option to bring in to help bolster their defences.
The Black Cats would only pursue a deal for the 21-year-old defender on a short-term loan deal, to add to the plethora of emerging talents at the back at the Stadium of Light currently – Triantis only 20 years of age, as is summer signing from PSV Eindhoven Jenson Seelt who has filled in at the back competently when asked to do so.
Mowbray might well want to add numbers defensively as well due to Dan Ballard's reoccurring injury problems, the former Arsenal youth product key to the Black Cats at the back this campaign but is prone to a knock when called up to the Northern Ireland international squad.
The 24-year-old is reportedly set to sit out his country's match versus Denmark tonight owing to a hamstring concern, the Black Cats potentially light on numbers at centre-back if Ballard is out for a considerable amount of time.
This proposed Adjei deal could well have legs therefore this January, with the 6 foot 1 centre back a consistent performer out in Sweden for Hammarby.
The 21-year-old joining the building at Sunderland would add a "physical monster" into the Black Cats ranks, the Hammarby number 32 crucial to his side in intercepting the ball, closing down his markers and winning a fair majority of duels when he's on the pitch.
In a recent 0-0 stalemate away at IFK Värnamo in league action, Adjei won five of the seven ground duels that he threw himself into as per Sofascore and was key in Hammarby managing to steal a share of the points.
In contrast, Seelt for Sunderland has shied away from similar defensive duties with the Black Cats. This was apparent in the demoralising 4-0 defeat suffered by his team up against Middlesbrough back in October – Seelt unsuccessful in all two of his aerial duels in the contest as per Sofascore, bullied by the buoyed on Boro attackers.
Adjei is also far more alert to the danger than Seelt in the Allsvenskan, the lofty Hammarby presence more adept at clearing the ball away to alleviate pressure than the Dutchman.
The Ghanaian enforcer has cleared the ball away 2.7 times on average this season per game via Sofascore, whilst Seelt has averaged a lesser 1.3 in the second tier.
Mowbray might well look to Sweden this January to seal a deal for Adjei therefore, offering the Championship promotion hopefuls another body at the back to keep opposition attackers at arm's length and tally up more wins as a result.
It's been reported that an injured Tottenham player is expected to return in December, which could be a needed boost for manager Ange Postecoglou.
The Lilywhites are currently being forced to cope with as many as ten players unavailable to play right now. James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips and Pape Matar Sarr are confirmed absentees at the minute – through either injury or suspension.
In a further blow for Postecoglou, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was hauled off with an ankle injury during Tottenham's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
The severity of Bentancur's injury is yet to be announced, but it comes as a worrying blow for the player and Spurs given he has only just returned to action after a long-term problem. When asked if Tottenham are suffering a serious injury crisis right now, Postecoglou was forthright in admitting it's a big problem right now.
"Yeah, that's a pretty good summation," said Postecoglou on Spurs' injury list. "We have got eight (injuries), Bentancur nine, we had a couple of suspensions today and we've only got a squad of 25. You do the sums and that's what we've got.
"We lost Ashley Phillips during the week as well. It is just the situation we're in at the moment, but we'll get through it. It might take a little while, but we'll get through it and as long as we show the same intent and play the football we did today, I've got no doubt when we come out the other side, we'll be a very good football team."
Tottenham have over a month before they can rectify issues with squad depth through potential January signings, and face tough tests against the likes of Man City in the mean time. However, in some good news for Postecoglou, there are actually a few players who may well return for next month.
Richarlison and Sessegnon are among the Spurs players who could come back fairly soon, according to The Evening Standard, while Postecoglou may also be boosted by the impending return of a summer signing.
Indeed, Solomon is expected to return for Spurs in December. The Israeli international underwent surgery on a hamstring issue he sustained in training, but it appears he's edging closer and closer to match action.
Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer window, Solomon has chipped in with two assists over his limited five appearances so far this season.
The tricky winger could add some much-needed quality to Postecoglou's eleven upon his return, with former Chelsea boss Avram Grant calling Solomon a "special" player.
“Manor is a special player; he was excellent at Fulham,” said Grant to Ynet. “I spoke with him, and he’s thrilled to be at Tottenham; he has improved his killer instinct. What sets him apart is his amazing one-on-one ability; he’s among the best. He is a Premier League player in every sense."
Thomas Tuchel has responded to a fan petition pleading with him to reverse an exit call at Bayern Munich and stay on for the 2024-25 campaign.
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Chelsea have recently been linked with a swoop for Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and a reliable journalist has now delivered the chances of him joining in January.
Kvaratskhelia is naturally a left-winger who has plied his trade at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium since last summer having joined from Dinamo Batumi where he’s so far gone on to make a total of 61 senior appearances to date (Transfermarkt – Kvaratskhelia statistics).
The Georgia international still has just under four years remaining on his deal in the Serie A (Napoli contracts), but that hasn’t stopped chiefs from wanting to keep an eye on his displays considering the outstanding form he’s been in since the start of the season.
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Chelsea could land this supremely talented youngster in the January transfer window.
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Tom Griffin
Nov 23, 2023
Walter Mazzarri’s 22-year-old has established himself as his overall best-performing player so far this term with a match rating of 7.49 (WhoScored – Napoli statistics), with his impressive form seeing him being brought onto the radar at Stamford Bridge.
Back in November, ESPN reported that Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino were one of the clubs chasing the attacker, alongside the likes of Premier League rivals Manchester City, Newcastle, Barcelona and Real Madrid, but if the following update is to be believed, it sounds like a move won’t be taking place anytime soon.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano revealed that while Chelsea are admirers of Kvaratskhelia, there are not in any ongoing discussions to sign him. Quoted by Football Transfers, he said:
“From what I am hearing, Chelsea have not started any kind of contact for Kvaratskhelia. Not on the player’s side and not with Napoli, so the situation is completely quiet.
"Nothing is going to happen in January because Kvaratskhelia is not for sale in the January transfer window, and for Napoli, with the dangerous situation with Victor Osimhen, their idea is to keep Kvaratskhelia. At the moment, between Chelsea and Kvaratskhelia, there is absolutely nothing concrete in terms of negotiations or talks.”
During his time at Napoli, Kvaratskhelia has posted 40 contributions, 22 assists and 18 goals, in 61 appearances (Transfermarkt – Kvaratskhelia statistics), but even if the end product isn’t always there, he’s constantly posing a threat to the opposition's defence.
Sponsored by Nike, the two-footed talent currently ranks in the 97th percentile for progressive carries (FBRef – Kvaratskhelia statistics), highlighting his desire to push his team as high up the pitch as possible to create chances for himself and his fellow teammates in the final third.
Mazzarri’s £25k-per-week earner (Napoli salaries), is even a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the grass since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and as an attacking midfielder.
Furthermore, Kvaratskhelia has received plenty of individual recognition in the past having been named Napoli’s Player of the Year and Georgia’s Football of the Year on three separate occasions, so Chelsea could be making a mistake by not pursuing a deal for the forward in January.
Gio Reyna was left on Nottingham Forest's bench yet again as the USMNT star watched his side pick up a massive 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
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The cannon returns for Arsenal in 2024-25, with the Gunners’ new home kit featuring a retro crest that offers a nod to legends of the past.
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