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According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Idrissa Gueye is indeed hoping to leave Everton for Paris Saint-Germain this month. The 29-year-old made the move to Goodison Park back in the summer of 2016 and has since become a vital member of the squad on Merseyside, to the point that Thomas Tuchel’s French giants have expressed an interest in his services during the January window.

And while a £21.5 million bid has been rejected by the Toffees (as per The Daily Mail), Gueye himself is reportedly (as per The Daily Mail) seeking to leave Everton this month in a bid to join the Ligue 1 champions.

And with manager Marco Silva already under pressure after a poor run of results recently, it could be game over for the Portuguese boss were his side to indeed sanction the 29-year-old’s exit this month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the arrival of the 41-year-old during the summer was met with much optimism and anticipation after the testing reign of Sam Allardyce last season, with Silva seen as the progressive, young manager the club needed to set themselves up for future success.

And while things started reasonably well for the ex-Watford and Hull City chief, things have gone downhill fast recently with just two wins and two draws in their last ten Premier League games, while a 3-2 defeat to Millwall in the FA Cup at the weekend has hardly helped his cause.

Thus, Silva appears up against it in terms of turning things around at Goodison Park, defeat tonight at Huddersfield Town is simply unthinkable, and things would be made a whole lot more difficult, perhaps too difficult, were the club to sell Gueye this month.

The 29-year-old has become a mainstay in the Everton first team ever since swapping Villa Park for Goodison Park two-and-a-half years ago, with the midfielder since then appearing 94 times for the Toffees, 86 of which coming in their last 99 Premier League matches.

And were the club to indeed cash in on the Senegal international this month, it would leave a huge void in the heart of the Everton midfield, as there is little doubting that Gueye is the main man in the central midfield department at Goodison Park.

There are few better midfielders in the division than the 29-year-old in terms of off the ball skills in making key tackles, blocks, and interceptions, with his overall reading of the game second-to-none, while he has also greatly improved on the ball this time round to suggest that he is beginning to become the all round Premier League midfielder.

And while Andre Gomes’ arrival on loan from Barcelona has given Silva the ideal man to play alongside Gueye, the latter remains the constant in that area of the pitch – quite simply, the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, and James McCarthy haven’t done enough to dislodge Gueye, or prove that they can deputise as effectively were he to leave.

And were the latter eventuality to indeed play out, Silva could be in serious trouble – not only are things not going particularly well at present, but losing the number one choice central midfielder is hardly going to help his cause.

In fact, sanctioning Gueye’s exit this month could prompt the beginning of the end for Silva at Everton.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Leeds were comfortably beaten by a really impressive Norwich performance on Saturday evening, and Marcelo Bielsa must now rest Mateusz Klich after his ineffectual performance.

Klich was perhaps the standout player of the season in the early stages, regularly chipping in with goals from midfield as Leeds raced out to an early Championship lead.

After opening the season with five goals and five assists in 16 Championship games though, he has just two goals and one assist since the beginning of November, with both of those goals coming last week at Rotherham.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Any hopes that the brace at the New York Stadium would kick-start his form have surely now faded, after the 28 year-old really struggled to make an impact on Saturday.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had 63 per cent of the ball in the 3-1 defeat, but managed just six shots on target, and when your best attacking midfielder is struggling this much it’s hardly a surprise.

The Polish international completed just one key pass and one dribble in the game, worryingly low numbers for an attack-minded player in a side that dominated the ball.

He completed just 73 per cent of his overall passes and was responsible for four of the Whites’ 21 shots, only one of which he managed to get on target.

Perhaps what will concern Bielsa most is simply how sloppy his side were, and Klich was the biggest culprit of this, losing the ball six times, more than any other player on the pitch.

The Polish midfielder has quickly become a fan favourite this season, but having already racked up over 2,500 minutes played in his first proper campaign of English football, it may just be time to give him a few weeks on the bench.

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Vakoun Issouf Bayo has been left out of Celtic’s Europa League squad, as reported by BBC Sport.

The Ivorian striker joined Celtic last month from Dunajska Streda but UEFA regulations only allow for three players to be added to the squad that competed in the group phase.

Timo Weah, Oliver Burke and Jeremy Toljan have already made their debuts and have been included for the matches with Valencia on February 14 and 21.

On the surface it would seem the sensible choice but it does leave Celtic short on striking options for the matches against the Spanish giants.

Odsonne Edouard picked up an injury on Sunday against St Johnstone that puts a question mark over his availability while Leigh Griffiths hasn’t played for two months with no indication of when he will return to the fold.

Oliver Burke becomes the only realistic striking option with the on loan West Brom man adapting to that position after arriving as an attacking midfielder.

Celtic currently have 14 players on the injured list with Filip Benkovic and Tom Rogic both ruled out of action for the remainder of February.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has sung the praises of Sadio Mane following the forward’s impressive recent form. 

What he said

Mane has been prolific for the Reds in recent weeks. The 26-year-old winger has scored in each of the club’s last four Premier League games. These strikes have been vital in maintaining the Reds’ title push.

In total this season, as per Transfermarkt’s stats, Mane has racked up twelve goals and one assist in 24 Premier League appearances – already bettering his league goal tally of last season.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Klopp has recognised the 58-cap Senegal international’s contribution: “He’s in an outstanding shape…It was obvious against West Ham that he was our best player and he was against Leicester the one who caused them the most problems.”

The German coach added: “Long may it continue.” However, he also noted that “if we used that half left space with him more often we could have had a lot more good situations.”

Clearly then Klopp still feels he can get more out of Mane and those around him.

What he meant

Whilst Klopp’s primary intention was to praise, he did include another message in his speech. The addendum that greater use of the left flank could lead to greater rewards ought not to go unnoticed by his squad.

If Liverpool are to land the title this season – which would be their first in the Premier League era – then Klopp’s side must be at their very best for the rest of the campaign. He needs his team to be as efficient as possible, and he clearly sees an opportunity to profit more from the area of the pitch that is Mane’s domain.

Klopp may be pleased with Mane’s recent work, but that hasn’t stopped him from demanding more from the former Southampton man and his teammates at Anfield. 

[ad_pod ]Leeds are set to be without Kemar Roofe for considerable time due to a knee injury, and Izzy Brown now has the perfect chance to make a huge impact at his loan club.

What’s the word?

Leeds have suffered another huge injury setback, as Roofe suffered knee ligament damage during the win over Swansea, reports Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The 26 year-old, who has struck 14 times in the Championship this season, is expected to return before the end of the season, but it seems highly unlikely he’ll play a significant role in the run-in given the seriousness of knee ligament injuries.

Whether he returns this campaign or not, the Whites need a new number ten while the ex-Oxford United ace is out of action, and that offers Brown the chance to re-pay the club’s faith in him.

On the chalkboard

Brown stepped on to the Elland Road turf for the first time on Monday afternoon, taking part in an Under-23’s match against Bolton.

While he only played 45 minutes and was reportedlyÂlimping when he was withdrawn at half time, the injury is not expected to be serious, and he is now another 45 minutes closer to full fitness.

The 22 year-old is yet to feature for Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team after several setbacks on the road back from a knee injury, but his skill, vision and work rate can provide a fitting replacement for Roofe, who has adopted a slightly deeper position since Patrick Bamford’s return to the starting XI.

The Chelsea youngster will not offer the goal threat that Roofe is capable of, but his intelligence and eye for a pass in the middle of the attack will help break down deep defences, and could even pave the way for Bamford to go on a goalscoring run.

Roofe’s injury is a massive setback without a doubt, but Brown is on the verge of showing why Bielsa and the club have stood by him through his long road to recovery.

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Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has confirmed that Jack Grealish is in his thinking for Saturday’s Championship clash with Derby County.

What’s the update from Smith?

The Express & Star quotes Smith as saying:

“This gives everyone a boost. It has been well documented that results-wise it has not been good. I don’t put that just down to Jack.

“He’s trained well so is available for selection. Whether he starts or not, we will wait and see but he has trained well enough. He is pushing for a starting spot on Saturday.

“I have said before I believe he is the best player in the league and any team that loses a player of that quality would suffer. We have suffered a little bit through Jack’s loss. It will be nice to have him back.”

Well, Smith has not confirmed that Grealish will start the clash with Derby, but that seems very likely as the club chases a result.

According to the Villa boss, Grealish ‘is the best player in the league’, which will have certainly boosted the midfielder’s ego as he closes on a return.

There is no question that the 23-year-old has been missed and Villa need him to hit the ground running on his return, which will come against Derby, regardless of whether that is from the start or off the bench.

How has Grealish performed this season?

The Englishman played 21 Championship games for Villa earlier this season before picking up a shin injury against West Bromwich Albion in December.

The 5ft 9in ace has contributed two goals and four assists this term and had been in very good form before he picked up his injury.

Indeed, three of the attacker’s assists and two of his goals came in the six games before he was ruled out for what has proved to be 13 league matches thus far.

Villa have not won in the Championship since the end of January, drawing three and losing two of their last five in the second tier.

The importance of the clash with Derby simply cannot be downplayed as Smith’s side chase a playoff position.

And the return of Grealish has come at the perfect time.

Jurgen Klopp must add defensive reinforcements to his squad during the upcoming summer transfer window.

The German finally found the answers to Liverpool’s defensive woes by building a formidable defence centred around Virgil van Dijk. Both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have blossomed into crucial first team players whilst Alisson Becker’s impact has been massive since joining from Roma. Van Dijk’s long-term partner in defence remains uncertain.

Joe Gomez had performed admirably before picking up an injury against Burnley – another long setback for the youngster. Both Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip have chequered injury histories which has forced Klopp to use Fabinho in defence on occasion. It’s clear the Reds need to add another quality defender to their ranks.

One man Klopp should be targeting is Ajax wonderkid – Matthijs de Ligt. Valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, the Dutchman now captains the club after graduating from their famous youth academy. He is widely regarded as one of the club’s best ever youth prospects after establishing himself as one of the top defenders in the Eredivisie.

The youngster has been tipped to move to one of Europe’s elite in the future and partnering him with his international team-mate van Dijk would be a masterstroke from Liverpool. Indeed, he is an excellent defender but also excels with the ball at his feet. The 19-year-old displays a wonderful range of passing for a defender, allowing him to start attacks from the back – such quality on the ball allows him to fill in at defensive midfield if necessary making him a useful option to have at Klopp’s disposal. His vast amount of experience at such a young age should mean that adapting to life in England shouldn’t be a problem.

It would take a mammoth fee to lure him from Holland, however, Liverpool’s defence would be complete for years to come if Klopp could convince the starlet to move to Merseyside. Indeed, even former Dutch international Rene van der Gijp urged him to move to Anfield (as per the Liverpool Echo) earlier this month.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after Fulham made fun of their decision to sack Roy Hodgson and appoint Kenny Dalglish.

In a regular section of the Cottagers’ matchday programme called ‘The List’, in which they mull over three people who would perhaps have been better served staying at the club, the west London outfit aimed a number of insults at the Reds.

It was Fulham who Hodgson was in charge of before Liverpool came calling, where he then endured a terrible time in charge at Anfield before being sacked having won just seven of his 20 league games in charge.

The aforementioned article in the programme reads: “Realising that Roy was not going to win the league immediately and angered by his failure to buy the world’s best players, who would obviously jump at the chance to sign for the team that had dominated Europe a mere three decades earlier, fans quickly lost patience.

“Setting the time circuits to 1991, the club’s executives piled into the waiting DeLorean and floored it to ’88, returning with a fresh-faced and energetic Kenny Dalglish, ready to usher in a new era of dominance spearheaded by future club legend Andy Carroll, a shrewd purchase at just £35m.”

It can’t be denied that Hodgson’s time in charge of Liverpool was a complete and utter failure, but Fulham have shown a huge lack of respect towards Dalglish in their programme for the recent 2-1 loss to Chelsea.

Obviously, given his legendary status at the club, Liverpool fans on Twitter weren’t going to stand by and allow their Premier League rivals speak so poorly of Dalglish…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to praise Adam Lallana for his performance in the 4-2 win over Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

The England international has come in for criticism from a number of the Reds’ fanbase in recent weeks, as Jurgen Klopp has preferred to bring him on from the bench in favour of Naby Keita or Xherdan Shaqiri and to little effect.

What is behind Liverpool’s recent title race slip ups? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video above…

Against the Clarets, however, the former Southampton man was handed just his fourth start of the Premier League season, and took his chance with aplomb by performing admirably.

The 5 foot 8 midfielder recorded two key passes and completed one dribble on a day where he looked bright and dangerous for the title hopefuls, with the win over Sean Dyche’s men helping Liverpool climb back to within a point of Manchester City with eight games to go.

Let’s see what the Merseysiders are saying about Lallana’s performance on Twitter after the convincing victory…

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in disappointed fashion after it was revealed that they would be playing Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Red Devils haven’t faced the reigning Spanish champions competitively since the 2011 final of this competition, in which Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona dispatched Sir Alex Ferguson’s United by three goals to one at Wembley.

Would you rather your club won the Premier League or Champions League? In the video below, Pl>ymaker FC’s Matty believes English clubs have already decided…

Obviously, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and some bloke called Lionel Messi in their ranks, the Catalans are one of the strongest teams left in the competition and will be hard work for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to overcome.

However, if they do manage to progress, a possible semi-final tie against arch-rivals Liverpool awaits if the Reds can beat Porto – if that isn’t motivation, then what is?

It’s safe to say that the United fans on Twitter aren’t happy with the draw, which has been unkind to them to say the least…