Erkut Sogut, the agent of Everton striker Cenk Tosun, has revealed it will not be long before the forward returns to full training with the Toffees.

The Lowdown: Difficult time

A loan move to Besiktas appeared to be rejuvenating Tosun – he scored three goals in three games for the Turkish outfit last term in the league (Transfermarkt).

However, disaster struck when he ruptured his Patella – that was in April, and he has not played a game of football since.

The Latest: Tosun close to return

However, Sogut has provided a positive update on the 30-year-old. He told Fanatik:

“I hope Cenk Tosun will return to the field even stronger, as soon as possible. For this, he continues to work day and night with his private trainer. He has started running and will start training with the ball at his club, Everton, in a few weeks.

“[Tosun] is also very happy to be joining his friends at Everton again. He has one more year [on his] contract and will do his best on the field. The success of Everton is very important for Cenk.

“He is counting down the days to return to the national team as soon as possible and fight with his friends on the field to participate in the World Cup. Participating in the World Cup in Qatar is very important for both Turkey and Cenk.”

The Verdict: Future at Goodison Park?

For Tosun’s career, this is obviously great news. He will be eager to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible and get back to his best after such a long spell on the sidelines.

However, whether that will come at Goodison Park remains to be seen. After all, he has just 11 strikes in 58 games for the club after making the switch for £27m in 2018 (Sky Sports).

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After all, the Toffees do have a few options available following the signing of Salomon Rondon. Tosun does have plenty of ability judging by his displays for his national side, but whether he can force his way into Rafael Benitez’s plans when he does return is a different matter entirely.

In other news, Everton fans were livid with this international break news.

Some Liverpool supporters have criticised Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain despite a video emerging of him scoring a stunning goal in training.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has had an up-and-down Reds career in many ways, with high points thrown in but injuries often holding him back.

The 28-year-old has increasingly struggled to hold down a regular place in Jurgen Klopp’s starting lineup, making just two starts in the Premier League last season.

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Despite this, there is no doubt that Oxlade-Chamberlain is a talented technical footballer and a video shared by Liverpool’s official Twitter account has highlighted that to perfection.

The clip shows the midfielder rifling a stunning volley into the top corner in training before he nonchalantly celebrates the moment.

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Liverpool fans critical of Oxlade-Chamberlain

While the video clearly shows what a talented player Oxlade-Chamberlain is, these Liverpool fans saw the negative side on Twitter, claiming he doesn’t replicate it enough during matches.

“Do it in a game”

Credit: @KlngJohnson_10

“He absolutely stinks in matches”

Credit: @Rome_yR

“I’d rather you’d do one thing that would impress me during an actual match”

Credit: @WasonJack

“Only at training”

Credit: @KatlegoPodile

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“Admin releasing Ox’s season highlights”

Credit: @tannaknowsball

“Would be great to see that in a game”

Credit: @AbsolutefitOC

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited after a January transfer rumour emerged. Read more here.

Liverpool will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season when they take on Norwich City in the Carabao Cup this evening.

Manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to make several changes to his starting lineup, partly due to injury and illness issues and partly due to his tendency to rotate in the domestic cup competitions.

During Tuesday’s press conference, assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed that Roberto Firmino, Thiago, Harvey Elliott and Neco Williams will be unavailable due to fitness concerns, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet recovered from a sickness that saw him miss the weekend’s clash.

However, he did reveal that academy graduate Curtis Jones is set to make his 50th appearance for the club at Carrow Road, while fellow youngsters Caoimhin Kelleher and Kaide Gordon are also expected to make their first outings of the campaign.

If 16-year-old winger Gordon does come into the side, it will be his senior debut for the club and that could add extra excitement to an already intriguing tie.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp’s side to line up against Norwich, with eight changes from the team that defeated Crystal Palace…

In goal, 22-year-old shot-stopper Kelleher appears to have overtaken Adrian as the Anfield outfit’s No.2, meaning he should receive his first minutes of 2021/22 against the Canaries. Ahead of the Irishman is expected to be a similar back four to the one that started against Palace, only with one major change.

Left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas should keep his place alongside Ibrahima Konate and James Milner, but talismanic Virgil van Dijk is likely to be rested, allowing Joe Gomez to return to the starting XI.

The engine room is set to have a rather unfamiliar feel to it, though, with Klopp completely changing the midfield personnel for this one.

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Naby Keita’s wonder strike last time out will see him line up alongside Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as club captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho watch on from the sidelines.

But it’s in attack where Klopp is likely to make his boldest decisions. Gordon could replace the £90m-rated Mohamed Salah on the right-wing, with Takumi Minamino getting his first taste of action on the opposite flank and Divock Origi leading the line through the middle.

And, in other news…Liverpool suffer double selection setback ahead of Norwich, Klopp will be gutted

A number of Liverpool supporters have been reacting negatively to an update regarding the extent of Naby Keita’s latest injury problem.

The Reds experienced a below-par night at the office on Saturday, drawing 3-3 away to Premier League newcomers Brentford. While there was plenty of attacking quality on show, Jurgen Klopp’s men were woeful in defence, twice giving away a lead in sloppy fashion.

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Curtis Jones scored Liverpool’s third goal at the Brentford Community Stadium, with the youngster playing in the absence of Harvey Elliott, Thiago and Keita.

Speaking after the game in a Q&A for The Athletic, journalist Caoimhe O’Neill claimed that the Reds are “still waiting to see the extent” of the Guinean’s injury after he hurt himself in the Carabao Cup third round win at Norwich City last week.

Keita’s three-year stint at Anfield has been dogged by persistent injury problems, having missed 23 matches last season alone (Transfermarkt), and he has made just 34 Premier League starts since his 2018 move to Merseyside.

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Liverpool fans react to Keita latest

These Reds fans took to Twitter to react to O’Neill’s update on the 26-year-old, with plenty of negativity in the air from frustrated Kopites.

“It’s Keita, he will be out for months.”

Credit: @DavidVaughan5

“How is he injured again”

Credit: @ADTrouble

“I give up”

Credit: @GuineaMaestro

“Just sell him, I beg”

Credit: @DiogoSlotta

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“just bin him at this stage, becoming ridiculous now”

Credit: @Adamf941

“Lol he kicks the ground and he’s injured. He’ll never make it at Liverpool as long as this keeps happening”

Credit: @G1121C

In other news, some Liverpool fans were unhappy with one player’s performance against Brentford. Read more here.

At the moment, Liverpool are not shy of options for the central-midfield position.

However, we feel that with the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson now over the age of 30 and Thiago Alcantara having hit that landmark back in April, they will need to add some young blood into their squad at some point.

What’s the latest?

Earlier last week, football pundit Don Hutchinson said that Liverpool could be one of the Premier League clubs that would be interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the next summer transfer window from the Yorkshire club.

He said: “Everything about him told me that he’s not going to be at Leeds for much longer. There is going to be Liverpool and Man United, all the big clubs are going to want him in the summer.”

Should Liverpool make a move for Phillips?

As a product of Leeds’ youth academy, Phillips made his senior debut for the Whites back in April 2015 in a 4-3 defeat against Wolves in the Championship.

Since then, the midfielder, who was labelled as “magnificent” by BBC pundit Alan Shearer as a result of his work alongside West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice during England’s Euro 2020 campaign over the summer, has made a total of 219 appearances for Leeds across all competitions.

During that time, he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists along the way.

Looking ahead to a possible summer transfer move for Phillips from Liverpool, we feel that even if the Reds were interested in signing the player, it could prove to be quite costly for the Merseyside club, especially with the midfielder apparently keen to sign a new and improved deal at Leeds even though his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2024. Transfermarkt currently values him at £36m, after all.

Also, with Henderson himself having recently put pen to paper on a new four-year deal that will see him stay at the club until 2025, it could be argued that the Reds still has some time before they consider bringing in a potential new midfield player to replace him.

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That being said, the two England internationals are vastly similar. They have both completed just north of 85% of their passes and they are both strong in the tackle. Phillips won 2.3 tackles per game last term for instance while Henderson won 2.1 when Liverpool won the league in 2019/20.

In our view, for the time being, it feels as though Liverpool will be set to continue with the plethora of midfield options they currently have at their disposal. However, with the summer transfer window still months away, anything could change between now and then that could make signing a new midfielder such as Phillips a priority for the Merseyside club.

In other news: £7.5k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen his value soar by £25.2m in 2 years, he’s exceptional – opinion

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying update from behind-the-scenes at Newcastle United amid continued speculation over Steve Bruce’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that Bruce was set to be axed ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Spurs, but with just a couple of days to go now before Sunday’s clash, no action has yet been taken.

And now, Edwards has revealed that those behind-the-scenes at the club are beginning to worry about the situation and what is likely to happen.

Initially on Twitter, he said: “Mood darkens around St James’ Park with lack of clarity over Steve Bruce’s future.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Telegraph, he added: “Worryingly, training ground sources have said the mood has darkened in the last couple of days, with coaches fearing they are about to lose their jobs and players lacking focus because of the lack of clarity.

“Both players and staff are taking a day off on Thursday and that surely represents the moment to reveal whether Bruce is going to stay on or not.”

Fans will be worried

When the takeover was confirmed, Newcastle fans would surely have been hoping, if not expecting, Bruce to be gone and a new man (if temporary) in charge for the game against Spurs.

The clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seemed like the perfect stage for a fresh new era, especially with it being at home to St James’ Park – having Bruce in the dugout for a game of such significance in the club’s history was almost unthinkable.

But according to Edwards, the lack of action over Bruce has those inside the training ground feeling like they have been left in the dark, unsure of where they stand with the new regime.

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That is hardly the kind of preparation and feel-good momentum anyone would have wanted heading into the first game of the PIF era.

The longer the new owners leave it to relieve Bruce of his duties and make it clear what their plans are – either appointing a new manager straight away or confirming Graeme Jones as some sort of caretaker boss – fans will be worried.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment…

Journalist Luke Hatfield has been discussing Yerson Mosquera’s injury for Wolves, describing it as a ‘big blow’ for both player and club.

The Lowdown: Mosquera picks up injury

The young centre-back made the move to Molineux in the summer transfer window, sealing a switch from Atletico Nacional in his homeland of Colombia.

Unfortunately, the 20-year-old has picked up a serious hamstring injury which is set to keep him sidelined for five months, coming as a big setback for him early on in his Wolves career.

The Latest: Hatfield discusses injury

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield of The Express & Star admitted that it was a blow for Mosquera and Wolves, but he has backed the youngster to make a full recovery.

The journalist said: “Losing Mosquera is a big blow. He was obviously a signing they had big hopes for and still do because he’s only a young player.”

The Verdict: Come back stronger next season

In many ways, Mosquera should almost consider writing off his first season in a Wolves shirt, considering that his return is unlikely to arrive until the spring.

By the time he is fit again, he will struggle to find the match sharpness to play a key role for Bruno Lage’s side, so focusing on next season instead makes more sense.

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Mosquera has been described as ‘very, very quick’ by Colombian-based journalist Simon Edwards – the hope is that this hamstring issue doesn’t take away any of that speed.

In other news, some Wolves fans loved this Tim Spiers tweet. Read more here.

Leeds failed to build on their first Premier League win of the season against Watford as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at the weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa was without Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford as Armando Broja’s goal was enough to secure the points for the home side.

The Whites clearly missed their key players as they failed to register a single shot on target in the entire match, managing three efforts overall – all off-target.

This is despite £24m summer signing Dan James playing out wide on the left. He created zero chances in the game as he completed 25% of his attempted crosses and missed one ‘big chance’, with the Welshman yet to score or assist a goal in six appearances.

James was unable to provide the spark for Leeds that Raphinha often produces from out wide. The Brazilian has nine goals and nine assists since the start of last season, demonstrating that he can show up in key moments to deliver the goods for Leeds. Unfortunately, James has come in and, so far, failed to do the same, and this suggests that Victor Orta could need to dip into the market in January to rectify the situation.

Leeds reportedly sent scouts to watch Villarreal forward Arnaut Danjuma earlier this month and he could be the ideal player to come in and solve this problem. Orta could land a Raphinha alternative, or Raphinha 2.0 if you will, by bringing the Dutch international in to bolster Bielsa’s options out wide and that is why he must strike in the next window.

Clinton Morrison lauded the ex-Bournemouth man when speaking about him on Quest, via Football League World, saying: “Danjuma is an excellent player. Whatever happens, he will be playing Premier League football next year, whether it’s with Bournemouth or without them. He’s an exceptional talent.”

Danjuma has produced five goals and one assist in six starts since moving to Villarreal across the Champions League and La Liga this season, after managing 17 strikes and seven assists in the Championship for the Cherries last term. This shows that, like Raphinha, he has the ability to bully defenders.

Therefore, the £22.5m-rated man could be the Raphinha 2.0 Bielsa needs at Elland Road. Not only could he help Leeds cope without the ex-Rennes man when he is unavailable, but he could also link up with his fellow winger to terrorize opposition defences in the top-flight with their combined ability on the ball.

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He has already shown that he can perform in England, albeit in the second tier, and is now proving himself at the very top level for Villarreal. This is why Orta must bring him to the club in January to improve the team and ensure that Leeds do not become unstuck at Premier League level because of Raphinha’s fitness or availability in the second half of the campaign.

AND in other news, oncerning injury update emerges on £35k-p/w Leeds powerhouse, fans surely devastated…

Manchester City fans are far from happy with the news that Brendan Rodgers is eyeing the Citizens managerial position when Pep Guardiola departs the club.

Since making the move to the Citizens in 2016, Guardiola has had huge success. He has already won ten trophies during that period, including three Premier League titles, one of which came after the Citizens racked up 100 points (Goal.com).

He has yet to get his hands on a European trophy, with last year the closest City have come to the Champions League as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

However, the five years he has spent at City is his longest spell at one club, and so perhaps the club do need to start considering long-term plans. And, according to Caught Offside, Rodgers is reluctant to enter negotiations with Manchester United as he would like to succeed Guardiola instead.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Rodgers news below

“Let’s all have a laugh at this? Nah thank you Rogers.”

Credit: @MarionEsther9

“Just no I don’t want Rodgers. I want Enrique or Ten Haag. Nagelsmann and Flick would be great but I can’t see them leaving Bayern and Germany NT in next 5 years.”

Credit: @Jerarudo1

“Yea no thanks, Nagelsmann or Ten Hag for me.”

Credit: @JMC_Official

“Will be biggest downgrade in history. I’ll even consider stop supporting city”

Credit: @gotcakemate

“Please no”

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Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“Rodgers is a big no for me. He could not perform at Liverpool despite having a good squad and you expect him to perform at Man City. Nope.”

Credit: @IrepApril6

In other news, City fans were gutted with this United news.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has revealed what chairman Daniel Levy has personally ‘promised’ Antonio Conte at Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Conte takes charge…

The 52-year-old’s tenure has officially begun and it’s a new era which comes with plenty of promise and excitement.

Calciomercato.it recently claimed that the former Chelsea boss has demanded a €280 million (£239.6m) transfer war chest as he eyes a plethora of Serie A stars and a major Tottenham rebuild.

Meanwhile, The Sun believe Conte will be given a big budget to play with, though not quite as extravagant, with Levy apparently set to grant him a £150m budget to bring in his desired talent.

Now, backing somewhat backing these claims, Brown has shared what he believes to GMS.

The Latest: Brown makes Levy claim…

Speaking to the outlet, Brown has now shared what Levy has personally ‘promised’ Conte at Spurs and it’s quite an intriguing claim which could entice some Spurs supporters.

“He has been promised a fairly big whack, and a good go at things.” said the journalist.

The Verdict: Promising…

If Conte does indeed get the backing required to make Tottenham a force again, perhaps akin to the latter stage of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure, they could have all the ingredients to become a European powerhouse once again.

Since reaching the Champions League final in 2019, the club have seen Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo sacked whilst also delaying the rebuild process of a squad in need of a big overhaul.

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Pochettino himself candidly admitted that his side needed a ‘painful rebuild’ long before he was shown the door and Conte’s arrival could finally mark the beginning of the process.

He will need help from managing director Fabio Paratici as the Italian duo seek to turn Tottenham’s fortunes around.

In other news: Conte personally plotting to sell ‘very talented’ Spurs player who Nuno called ‘unique’, find out more here.