This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Everton’s Morgan Schneiderlin has returned to the Everton squad having missed the win against West Ham United through injury.

On the chalkboard

The 29-year-old, along with Fabian Delph, is fit and raring to go for Everton after they were declared fit by Marco Silva. The former Watford manager praised the two, claiming he has a “good headache” with his selection dilemma.

Silva said in his press conference: “[Delph and Schneiderlin] have worked until now full sessions with their teammates so they are both ready.”

“It’s a good headache,” said Silva. “It’s what I want. When this happens and we achieve good results, when players get their chance and they perform well and help the team, it’s a very good thing for me as a coach.

“I like to have these types of headaches. That means the players on the bench have the quality to play and are working hard to play.”

If it’s not broke don’t fix it

Last weekend’s win over the Hammers was just Everton’s third in the Premier League and it subsequently forced them out of the relegation zone.

As a result of such a positive performance, you would expect Silva not to change too much of his current winning formula. With just six goals scored and 13 let in prior to last week, the Blues’ clean sheet could end up being a significant stepping stone in their season.

In the West Ham win, it was Andre Gomes and Tom Davies in the centre who formed an impressive partnership. Both men controlled the game, making 37 and 34 passes respectively in the match. On the other hand, Schneiderlin has averaged a 6.07 rating so far and was part of the team that lost four on the bounce prior to this win.

It doesn’t make sense for Silva to change his side after such a great victory, and he needs to build on this display, not change it.

Indeed, it’s time for the Frenchman to watch Gomes and Davies flourish from the bench.

ذكرت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية أن أحد أندية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يرغب في التعاقد مع الدولي البرازيلي دوجلاس كوستا من صفوف بايرن ميونخ في نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية القادمة.

دوجلاس كوستا يلعب في صفوف بايرن ميونخ على سبيل الإعارة حتى نهاية الموسم الجاري.

بايرن ميونخ لا يرغب في شراء كوستا من بشكل نهائي من يوفنتوس، وكذلك النادي الإيطالي غير مُهتم بعودة صاحب الـ30 عامًا.

وحسب شبكة “سبورتس مول” البريطانية، فإن فريق ولفرهامبتون واندرز يرغب في التعاقد مع كوستا بصفة نهائية من صفوف يوفنتوس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بعد انتقاله إلى بايرن ميونخ.. ناجيلسمان يصبح أغلى مدرب في تاريخ كرة القدم

وأشارت الشبكة إلى أن مسؤولي الذئاب على استعداد لدفع 8.7 مليون جنيه إسترليني للسيدة العجوز، من أجل التعاقد مع كوستا.

وأوضحت الشبكة أن إدارة يوفنتوس لن تقف أمام رحيل كوستا، ويرى المسؤولين داخل السيدة العجوز أن مبلغ الـ8 ملايين يورو، جيد، خاصةً أن لاعب شاختار السابق عقده ينتهي في نهاية الموسم القادم.

دوجلاس كوستا هذا الموسم في الدوري الألماني مع بايرن ميونخ، لم يلعب إلا في 11 مباراة، وسجّل هدفًا وصنع مثله.

Arsenal and Unai Emery will be gutted not to have beaten Liverpool on Wednesday in the League Cup despite scoring five goals.

The Reds eventually won the fourth-round tie on penalties, but that was only after a 5-5 draw in normal time.

Such high-scoring games seem to be something of a running theme in this fixture. For example, many will remember the 4-4 draw in 2009 when former Russia international Andrey Arshavin scored all of the Emirates Stadium outfit’s goals.

Watch the moment Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal career may have come to an ugly end in the video below…

This time around, it was Gabriel Martinelli who stood out for Emery’s team. The Brazilian scored twice, taking his tally for the campaign to seven in all competitions. What makes that even more impressive is the fact he has started just four games.

Such has been his impressive form, the club’s supporters are now calling for the club to sell 16-time France international Alexandre Lacazette, who they signed for £46.5m from Lyon in July of 2017.

The 28-year-old has scored 38 goals in 94 appearances for the Gunners, but the fans feel 5 foot 9 Martinelli should already be ahead of him in the pecking order.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Bleacher Report journalist Dean Jones, Arsenal are interested in making a move for Juventus defender Merih Demiral.

What’s the word?

Unai Emery’s side made reinforcements in the centre-back position in the summer transfer window, bringing in David Luiz from Chelsea, and tying up a deal for St Etienne’s William Saliba – the latter heading straight back to the French side on a season-long loan however.

Despite Luiz’s introduction into the first-team, the Gunners have looked shaky at the back, and had conceded 14 goals in the Premier League prior to their clash against Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

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Now, Jones has suggested Demiral “will be open to the idea of a move in January if he can’t break into the team”, and that both Arsenal and Manchester United are interested in securing his signature.

The answer

Standing at 6 foot 4, Demiral is a physically imposing presence, despite only being 21. The Turkey international has forged his career on the back of being an uncompromising defender, and that is exactly the kind of ruggedness and no-nonsense approach Arsenal could do with.

Last season at Sassuolo, the centre-back had an impressive average of 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in Serie A, and made 5.6 clearances too. Since Emery took charge of Arsenal, the north Londoners have been intent on trying to play out from the back, and at times, they really could have done with someone to just take charge of the situation and clear their lines. Demiral’s career appears to show he would have no problems in defying orders and just playing it safe when it’s absolutely required.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Think back to Arsenal’s kamikaze defending in the clash against Watford at Vicarage Road, and how the Gunners were brutally caught cold by trying to play out from Bernd Leno’s goal-kicks. As evidenced by his high clearances per game statistic, Demiral may have sensed danger better and simply gotten rid. It’s the kind of ‘defend-first’ mentality Emery’s side could really do with.

أكد فرج عامر رئيس نادي سموحة، أن فوز فريقه على الأهلي جعلهم يدخلون مباراة الاتحاد السكندري متأخرين.

وتعادل الاتحاد السكندري مع سموحة بهدفين لكل فريق، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء أمس السبت، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة عشر من مسابقة الدوري المصري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. حسام حسن: نستحق حكام دوليين لإدارة مبارياتنا.. وأضعنا الفوز أمام سموحة

وأضاف فرج عامر خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر برنامج “الماتش” المُذاع عبر قناة “صدى البلد”: “الفوز على الأهلي جعلنا ندخل مباراة الاتحاد متأخرين، وتكبدنا هدف في الشوط الأول وآخر في الشوط الثاني”.

تابع: “أضعنا أكثر من انفراد في مباراة اليوم، عادة الفريق الذي يدخل مرماه الهدف الثاني أن يهبط مستواه، ولكننا استطعنا التعادل، وأعتقد أنه إذا لم يجري أحمد سامي تغييرات دفاعية لحققنا الفوز”.

وواصل: “حسام حسن خدم النادي كثيرًا وفرصة احترافه كانت جيدة لنا وله”.

استكمل: “سموحة يملك 20 لاعبًا فقط لظروف مختلفة، ويعانون من حالة إجهاد نتيجة توالي المباريات الفترة الحالية”.

أردف: “أتمنى أن أفوز على الزمالك مثل ما حققت الفوز على الأهلي وستكون مباراة صعبة”.

اختتم: “أتمنى بقاء مصطفى فتحي المعار من الزمالك مع سموحة، لأنه لاعب فذ، لكنه لم يفاتح الإدارة في هذا الأمر”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Kalvin Phillips swapping Elland Road for Old Trafford may be many Leeds fans’ worst nightmare, but it’s not out of the realms of possibility.

Indeed, the 23-year-old has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks, and while that may seem like an awful prospect for many supporters of the Yorkshire club, one of their former players believes that this move would be a success for Phillips.

What’s been said then?

Speaking to Football League World, David Prutton expressed that he thinks Phillips would be a success at Manchester United.

“He might’ve only been a Leeds United player, hypothetically, for couple of seconds, but Daniel James has done extremely well, so why couldn’t two players like that?”

“I can see Kalvin fitting into a midfield such as that very, very nicely.

“Again, it is not beyond the realms of possibility. But, as ever, a boyhood Leeds United fan, who has probably sat on the Kop and watched them against Manchester United, it is a real test of the mettle if they come knocking on the door, but, he’d be daft not to give it some serious thought.”

Unfortunately right

Unfortunately, it’s hard to disagree with what Prutton is saying here.

Leeds fans may not like to admit it, but Phillips is a player cut-out for the very top level, and the amount of Premier League interest he garnered over the summer just goes to show how good he is.

The saving grace is that he signed a new long-term deal a few months ago, so if he is to leave his boyhood club he’ll command a large fee, especially after Leeds previously wanted £30m for his services.

Some believe that Phillips is the best player in the Championship, something that suggests he could cut it at Premier League level too. But the fact of the matter is that he would be daft to not give it some thought if the Red Devils came knocking. The possibility of playing European football could open a number of doors for him in his career.

Kylian Mbappe is undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest football players and, because of that, speculation linking him with moves to some of Europe’s biggest clubs will always be rife. 

Now, another big rumour has emerged in regards to the former Monaco youngster.

PSG would certainly not want to lose one of their prized assets, but his relationship with the current manager – Thomas Tuchel – is reportedly not great, with AS claiming that the German still places Neymar at the forefront of his plans now the Brazilian is backfiring on all cylinders for the Ligue 1 super-club. Indeed, this comes amid suggestions from the same outlet last week that the Spanish giants were eager to bring the World Cup winner to the club.

Mbappe was left on the sidelines for PSG’s Champions League encounter against Club Brugge last week, but came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick in emphatic style.

“I wanted to demonstrate how difficult it is to do without me,” he said after the match (via AS), which suggests he was fairly unhappy with the selection policy.

Los Blancos are arguably the biggest club on the planet and propel elite talent further than they have gone before – take Cristiano Ronaldo for instance: a rising star with Manchester United, he joined Madrid in 2009 for £80m and transformed into one of the best players in history.

Given his quality in front of goal having scored 88 career goals already (per WhoScored), Mbappe could help replace some of the goals Ronaldo used to deliver, with Marca recently noting how the likes of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic have failed to replace him.

The 20-year-old has already won the World Cup with his country at such a young age, but in terms of club football, history has shown that players who stay at PSG and walk Ligue 1 each season – while continually falling short in the Champions League – do not go on and become Ballon d’Or winners.

Indeed, to truly hit the top level, perhaps replacing a legend such as Ronaldo at one of the biggest clubs in the world is the way to get him there. After all, the report itself claims Mbappe’s aim is to win the top individual award in the game, with that looking more likely in the Spanish capital over the years.

Madrid fans, do you think you’ll land Mbappe? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Newcastle have picked up their form over the last few matches but there are two worrying aspects of the team which could disrupt their current run.

On the chalkboard

Steve Bruce has come in and done an effective job so far, even his predecessor Rafa Bentiez has admitted to that, and while the organisation of the team is a particualr highlight, there are concerns in both attack and defence.

The Magpies’ goal difference reflects that, with just 11 goals scored in 12 games a consequence of the lack of creativity from individuals in the squad, with Allan Saint-Maximin the only saving grace in that department.

He has produced 11 chances from open play this season, the most of any Newcastle player despite playing less than the likes of Miguel Almiron and Joelinton, who have not impressed on the creativity front.

Winning the ball back is the other area of concern for Newcastle, as they fall behind many of their Premier League rivals in terms of tackles and interceptions made.

Such a weakness is unsustainable and until it improves they will likely continue their inconsistent results under Bruce, who should be looking for a solution to the problem over the international break.

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Improvement needed

While Newcastle have struggled on the goal front this season, there has at least been signs of improvement from the front-three, and in Saint-Maximin they have a player who is in-form and has the confidence to be a real threat for his team.

Defensively, though, the lack of a ball-winner could trouble the Magpies, particularly away from home or against possession-based teams.

Isaac Hayden has been one of Newcastle’s better players in that area, with 26 tackles and 16 interceptions this term, so it is noticeable that his sending off against Leicester led to a 5-0 defeat, Bruce’s biggest loss by quite some way.

Another who has impressed is Fabian Schar, who has a combined total of 44 tackles and interceptions, which leaves him a little short of the numbers racked up by the players below, as per @TheOther14.,

With the Switzerland international still sidelined through injury, though, Bruce should be more focused than usual on improving his team’s statistics in stopping danger from the opposition.

If he fails to do so his side are likely to begin conceding more, as they can only rely on the likes of Jamaal Lascelles to clear and block so many shots, and Saint-Maximin can only make so many chances at the other end to bail the team out.

In fact, recent wins against West Ham and Bournemouth have been due to goals scored from set-pieces, another method which can’t guarantee long-term success, leaving Bruce with a lot to think about.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may be on track to find the next Morgan Gibbs-White as one of their promising young midfielders has been impressing out on loan this season.

Club owners Fosun would be delighted if such a statement could become a reality as they have heavily invested in the academy set up in pursuit of achieving their long-term ambition to build from within.

Gibbs-White is the only player amongst the first-team fold to fully come from Wolves’ youth system, having made 64 appearances since his debut in January 2017.

But that could change in the near future.

Ryan Giles has been at League One outfit Shrewsbury Town this season, gaining valuable experience and learning the trade under former Wolves captain Sam Ricketts – who better?

The 19-year-old actually made his debut against the Salop when the two teams met in the FA Cup in January this year, and his performances at New Meadow have earned him recent call-ups to the England U20 squad.

The fact he’s managed that achievement despite playing at a lower level tells you all you need to know about his glowing abilities.

Often loan players are handed a ridiculous squad number at their temporary club as if it were a sign that they weren’t actually one of their own, but that’s different to Giles as he’s clinched the number 11 shirt at Shrewsbury.

Comparisons can be made to Gibbs-White despite playing relatively different roles as Giles is described as a ‘lightning-quick’ orthodox winger, which is similar to the man he’s only one day older than as the Wolves first-teamer has a ‘good turn of pace and balance.’

Primarily a central midfielder, Gibbs-White has sometimes been called upon to play in a front-three out wide when Nuno Santo elects for a 3-4-3 system, so the two are more comparable than you may think.

Giles is only going from strength to strength on loan, so he seems the most viable option to make a transition into the senior setup ahead of next season, especially as he has been named in such squads in the past.

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He is also benefitting from Shrewsbury’s system being ever so similar to Wolves’, he said: “Shrewsbury play the exact same formation as Wolves, it’s mirrored. It’s good because I’m not going away, playing a different position, and coming back to Wolves, having not played the role for a year.”

While Ricketts is clearly proving to be a significant influence on his early career, which will only bear fruit for the Premier League club in the future. On the ex-Wolves man’s impact, Giles added: “He’s brilliant. He’s a fantastic football coach and a role model off the pitch. He’s had a lot of experience throughout his career and can give advice.”

If Fosun want that goal of theirs put in motion, then starting off with this 19-year-old can do no harm, especially as he carries much of the early career prospects that Gibbs-White once had.

Arsenal fans on Twitter have made it clear that they want Mikel Arteta to be their next manager.

The Gunners fanbase have quickly been losing faith in Unai Emery after a string of bad results, and their 1-1 draw with Wolves seems to have been the tipping point for a number of fans.

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Of course, the frustration with the current manager led to fans speculating about who should succeed the former PSG boss, and many have decided that they want one of their former players to take up the mantle.

Arteta has of course been working at Manchester City in recent years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, and if he’s learnt anything from the former Barcelona gaffer he should be a talented manager once he makes the step up.

The former Everton midfielder was apparently considered for the Arsenal job when Arsene Wenger’s reign ended, but the higher-ups at the Emirates instead opted to go for the more experienced option.

Here’s what the Gunners fanbase have been saying on Twitter…