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Everton are struggling to secure their safety in the Premier League for next season, and with an important clash against their relegation rivals Burnley tomorrow at Turf Moor, there has been some more disappointing news for Frank Lampard.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Patrick Boyland, told a forum on The Athletic that Seamus Coleman is out due to illness and did not give a timeframe on his expected return to Finch Farm.

In ten words, he simply said: “Been told Nathan Patterson and Gomes are injured. Coleman sick.”

Lampard will be fuming

Everton were dealt a 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium last weekend which means they are currently still just three points clear of the relegation zone going into their game against Sean Dyche’s side on Wednesday evening and there is no doubt that Lampard will be fuming after losing so many players in his defensive line over the last few weeks.

Jonjoe Kenny featured in the right-back role against the Hammers and if Coleman is still sick whilst youngster Nathan Patterson has been confirmed injured, the manager will have no choice but to select the 25-year-old as his only fit defender who is experienced in playing the position in the squad.

Considering he is one of the players to have been sent off late, it does not bode particularly well for the Toffees.

On top of that, Michael Keane was also sent off on Sunday afternoon leaving another hole for Lampard to fill, and another position also harboured with injury problems as centre-back Yerry Mina was confirmed by the Toffees boss to be “back in the next couple of weeks” and would be highly unlikely to be available tomorrow evening vs Burnley.

Club captain Coleman’s absence would be especially gutting for Lampard as the game against Burnley could be a real opportunity to put a gap between themselves and their fellow relegation battling side, and the Premier League midfielder turned manager would surely be hoping he could rely on his experienced players to show character in the clash.

Despite Boyland’s update, it will ultimately come down to Lampard’s pre-match press conference this afternoon to determine exactly what condition Coleman is in ahead of the mid-week fixture, and should the defender be available following a speedy recovery it will be a huge boost for the Everton team going into the game as they seek to distance themselves from relegation.

In other news: “Pretty likely…”: Insider drops huge Everton claim that’ll have Frank Lampard fuming

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton believes that the race for the Scottish Premiership title is far from over as he worries that ‘I don’t know’ how long Giorgos Giakoumakis will be out. 

The lowdown: As things stand

The Hoops currently sit six points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the Scottish top-flight with five games remaining.

Ange Postecoglou’s side, therefore, are seemingly on the brink of lifting the title for the 52nd time.

However, one ex-Celtic Park favourite thinks that the situation is more precarious than the table suggests, especially after the absence of Giakoumakis at Hampden Park left the Hoops without a focal point…

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The latest: Sutton not convinced

Speaking to The Monday Club on BBC 5 Live Sport (as relayed by Football Scotland), Sutton has stated that the race is far from a foregone conclusion and cited a ‘big’ injury concern that could haunt the Bhoys.

“I thought Celtic missed Giakoumakis and his physical presence. They couldn’t get up the pitch. I think Rangers played on that. I don’t know how long he is out for.

“I think that is a big deal Celtic getting him back. But the next game is so important.

“I still think there is a title race on.”

The verdict: No panic

Losing the league from this position would require a monumental collapse and one a manager of Postecoglou’s ilk would be devastated to oversee.

With 13 goals and one assist to his name so far this season across all competitions, missing a player of Giakoumakis’ quality at a vital stage of the campaign is undoubtedly a huge blow.

However, Postecoglou has somewhat of an embarrassment of riches in the goalscoring department having welcomed back top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi to the fold over the last fortnight.

Should Giakoumakis remain sidelined for a prolonged period, albeit the hamstring issue is reported to be minor, then a rotation of Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda, Jota and Kyogo should easily be enough firepower to see the Hoops over the line.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Journalist Ronan Murphy has been left reacting to some exciting Newcastle United transfer news which has now emerged.

The Lowdown: Ndicka interest from Newcastle

As per Bild, the St. James’ Park outfit are now interested in signing Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer window.

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His contract at the Bundesliga club expires in 2023, so he could be available on the cheap with just a year left on that deal.

The Latest: Murphy reacts to Ndicka transfer latest

Taking to Twitter, journalist and Bundesliga pundit Murphy has now given his reaction to the news, claiming that Ndicka is an ‘upgrade’ on Ciaran Clark as he said:

“Newcastle are interested in Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N’Dicka, according to Bild. Definitely an upgrade on Ciaran Clark.”

The Verdict: Exciting

As Newcastle have all but guaranteed their safety in the Premier League, they can now start to look towards the summer in terms of upgrading their squad.

At 22 years of age, Ndicka is a rising star in football and is enjoying a fine season at Frankfurt, helping them to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Described as a ‘towering’ central defender, journalist Jacque Talbot has recently noted the Frenchman’s dominating presence, as the 6 foot 4 colossus has won a mammoth 3.8 of his aerial duels per match in the Bundesliga, notching an impressive four goals and four assists in the process.

Compared t0 Clark, who is now on the fringes at Tyneside, it is simply not a contest. Ndicka has averaged more tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes, dribbles and long balls per game than the Irishman in their respective domestic leagues this season (WhoScored).

Selling the 32-year-old and bringing in Ndicka would seem to be a smart piece of business from the Magpies, with Murphy’s statement a fair one based on the above metrics.

In other news, find out who could now be first to leave NUFC this summer

A number of Everton fans have flocked to reports that the club are interested in appointing Tim Cahill to a senior executive role at Goodison Park.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, the Toffees legend could return to Merseyside in a senior executive role, as following Rafael Benitez’s sacking on Sunday, the board are keen on re-integrating former players who know the club well.

Cahill is currently chief sports officer at the Aspire Academy in the United Arab Emirates and is on the board at Belgian club KAS Eupen. The 42-year-old has also completed his coaching badges in a bid to return to the highest echelons of European football in a new role.

The Australian had an illustrious career with Everton; in 278 appearances for the club, the attacking midfielder scored 68 goals and produced 29 assists over an eight-year spell on Merseyside, firmly establishing himself as a hero among the Goodison Park faithful.

Everton fans gleeful over possible Cahill return

After Twitter fan feed Everton Blue Army shared the Daily Mail’s report, many supporters flocked to the comments to voice their delight at the prospective return of Cahill to the club.

Here’s what these fans said about this “great” news:

“Would love to see Everton playing football in the style this guy played the game. If he came in and stamped it on the club I’d be very happy.”

Credit: @nismoneil

“That would be great”

Credit: @LizaDurkin

“Does he still play”

Credit: @dave_rylett

“I’d have no problem with this.”

Credit: @seanrostron

“top professional in everything he has ever done.”

Credit: @_Bluran_

“Speaks a lot of sense about what the club need so it’s not as bad as what everyone makes it out to be.”

Credit: @Jay____177

In other news: These reports of another ex-Everton employee coming back to Goodison Park were not so warmly received

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension their transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have sent a club official to Roma as news emerges on transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Conte loves him…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte, according to reports, is a big fan of the playmaker and really wants to see him make a move to the Premier League.

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Indeed, a report by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) shared news that the 52-year-old ‘really likes’ Zaniolo and would ‘really like him’ as a part of his Tottenham team.

Links to the 22-year-old have been fairly consistent, going as far back as the Mauricio Pochettino era, with yet another report now surfacing this week.

The Latest: Tottenham official travelling…

La Gazzetta dello Sport, as shared by Sport Witness, claim that a Lilywhites official has been sent to run the rule over Spurs’ long-time target tonight as Roma take on Leicester City in the Europa Conference League.

The Tottenham scout will be watching over his performance as Paratici continue to keep close tabs on Zaniolo.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Calciomercato.it recently reported that Roma value their Italy international at around €70 million (£58m), a heavy price, with Juventus, AC Milan, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid also courting the attacker.

His recovery from a shattering ACL injury, which caused him to miss the whole of 2020/2021, has been quite remarkable as he now begins to find form again.

Ex-Liverpool and Juventus midfielder Moussa Sissoko, recently calling Zaniolo an ‘excellent’ player, is certainly an admirer, with the starlet even earning comparisons to Steven Gerrard in past seasons.

As Paratici sends a club official to keep watch, it will be interesting to see how he fares in the Spurs audition.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

When Celtic spent £2m on the signing of Marian Shved back in January 2019, it would be fair to say that many at Parkhead were not overly convinced about the winger’s suitability for the club.

Indeed, shortly after the 21-year-old’s arrival in Glasgow, Brendan Rodgers appeared less than enthused about the capture of the Ukraine international, stating: “I can’t say I know a great deal about him but what I have seen he is a talent and something that will probably benefit the club in the future.

“We’ve got about a million wingers and don’t need another one but he’s a talent and in the summer we’ll probably lose wingers and he’ll look to come in. It’s an opportunity for the club to sign a young talented player but not one that will probably help us now.

“The club have been in contact with his representatives and he is a player for the future. I haven’t seen a great deal of him to be honest. It is something that has come to the club through circumstance and he has been watched. I think that they will look to get the deal done on him and he will probably be out on loan.”

As the Northern Irishman suggested, Shved did indeed depart Celtic Park on a temporary basis shortly after his arrival in Glasgow, returning to Karpaty Lviv for the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign.

However, what Rodgers did not predict was that the forward would also spend the vast majority of 2019/20 away from Parkhead, with the £810k-rated winger linking up with Belgian side KV Mechelen in August 2020 after making just three appearances for Celtic – once in Champions League qualifying, once in the Premiership and once in the Scottish Cup.

After Mechelen made the 24-year-old – who Wouter Vrancken dubbed a “loner” and suggested should “play billiards for the rest of his life” rather than football – a permanent signing for an unspecified amount last summer, the £7.9k-per-week Shved’s status as a Celtic flop was confirmed.

Indeed, with the attacker setting Celtic back around £1m in wages over his 129 weeks at Parkhead, in addition to his £2m transfer fee, it is clear that the Bhoys had a shocker when signing the Ukrainian, who well and truly rinsed Dermot Desmond.

AND in other news: Ange can axe “infectious” ace as Celtic become “serious contenders” for “massive” deal

Everton may team Wayne Rooney up with an interim manager, according to The Mirror’s David Maddock. 

The lowdown

The 36-year-old is currently in charge at Derby County, who have been hit a combined 21-point deduction after entering administration and admitting breaches of accounting rules (via BBC Sport).

The Englishman began his playing career at Goodison Park, scoring 15 Premier League goals as a teenager before joining Manchester United in a £27m deal in 2004. He then returned to the Toffees for a single season in 2017 after his Old Trafford career came to an end.

The latest

According to The Mirror, Rooney is on Everton’s list of managerial options, but his limited experience is a concern given the Toffees’ predicament in terms of sitting just four points above the Premier League relegation zone.

They’ve been looking at potential interim candidates, ‘pursuing a similar idea to Manchester United’, who have given Ralf Rangnick the reins until the end of the season. There is a possibility that Rooney could work ‘alongside an interim with an appropriate CV’.

The verdict

Rooney has done a commendable job in hugely difficult circumstances at Derby, hauling them off the foot of the Championship table earlier this month. Without those points deductions, they’d actually be knocking on the door of the top half.

Everton’s hesitation is understandable – he has never managed in the Premier League before and they’re uncomfortably close to the relegation zone – but he has had to cope with mighty adversity at Pride Park.

With a more experienced hand to offer guidance at first, giving him the job might not be the worst idea, even if it would be a unique arrangement in the English top flight.

In other news, many Everton fans fumed over links to this manager

Loads of Everton fans have been left fuming over an official post that has emerged from the Goodison Park faithful on Lucas Digne.

The Toffees have now released a statement confirming his sale to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, but it did seem very underwhelming, with only three lines of a goodbye message and with no comments from Digne himself or those inside the Merseyside club.

The left-back made a total of 127 appearances for the Blues over the course of the last four seasons, scoring six goals and making a further 20 assists (Transfermarkt), and was a loyal servant over the years.

Thus, the statement does seem strange considering his time with them, and it is no surprise to see so many EFC supporters fuming over it.

Everton fans on Digne statement

These Evertonians were left fuming as the statement on Digne’s exit was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it is ‘pathetic’:

“Embarrassing to be an Evertonian these days”

Credit: @Cam_Green73

“Disgusting statement to make on the departure of a player who has captained the club on multiple occasions.”

Credit: @JamieMellor81

“Pathetic, I’ll do it for you then, thanks @LucasDigne and good luck.”

Credit: @NikolasHeyes

“No word of thanks, @Everton? Very disappointing.”

Credit: @dtaylor334

“That’s IT???!!!!…….No acknowledgment of his service??!!! You under orders, Admin?…….Poor form that, Everton. #WereBetterThanThat”

Credit: @CathyMcAlle

“Shocking statement that, The People’s Club showing it’s true colours.”

Credit: @TheEvertonEnd

In other news, find out what injury update before Norwich City has Toffees buzzing here!