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While Everton were able to leave Stamford Bridge with a good point on Sunday following their 0-0 draw with Chelsea, not everything was positive.

Icelandic playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson limped off on 76 minutes in clear discomfort following a poor challenge from Jorginho in the first half, which should have seen the Italian sent off.

The 29-year-old is now set to miss Iceland’s upcoming UEFA Nations League match versus Belgium and, should he not recover in time for Everton’s next Premier League game after the international break, it would come as a massive blow to manager Marco Silva.

After a disappointing debut season at Goodison Park, Sigurdsson has been brilliant so far this campaign under his new Portuguese boss, playing in his more preferred No.10 position.

With that in mind, now is the time for Bernard and Theo Walcott to step up in any potential absence of the Iceland international.

While Bernard has shown glimpses of his quality since arriving at the club back in the summer, the Brazilian has fallen short when good opportunities to score have fallen to him.

Likewise, Walcott has also failed to capitalise on a few very promising attacking moves in recent weeks with either his touch or tendency to run in behind too early costing him.

The two, though, are still individuals who possess a lot of quality, quality which Everton could desperately do with if Sigurdsson is not fit enough to play against Cardiff City.

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Mark Hughes is said to have one game to save his Southampton career, with the Daily Mail reporting club chiefs are ready to make a decision on his future.

The Saints march into Saturday’s tie with Fulham just outside the relegation zone, having won just a single match so far this season.

A struggle to find the net has left club executives like chairman Ralph Krueger faced with a decision to make, fearing a repeat of last year when they delayed sacking Mauricio Pellegrino until March.

The late call on the Argentinean’s future left Hughes with just eight games to secure the club’s Premier League future, and while he did, he has been unable to make progress with the side this term.

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Fulham go into the fixture with a new head coach of their own, following a similarly disappointing start to the season. The Cottagers took the decision at the start of the international break to part ways with Slavisa Jokanovic in favour of the 2016 Premier League title winner Claudio Ranieri.

Sky Sports recently understood the Southampton board still held faith in Hughes but that has dwindled with results not turning around. The Mail suggests that should the Saints lose at the weekend, a meeting will be held to decide if the former striker remains the right man.

Should Saturday be Hughes’ final chance? Let us know by voting below…

According to The Hartlepool Mail, Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis has provided an explanation as to why Martin Braithwaite did not feature against Brentford at the weekend.  

The Welshman said that 19-year-old Marcus Tavernier had more pace and energy than the Denmark international, particularly given the fact that he had just represented his nation twice in the past week, scoring in the victory against Wales.

However, while Pulis may be quick to suggest that Braithwaite still has a future at Boro, there is more and more evidence to suggest that his time may be drawing near an end. Not only is Tavernier a natural winger, while the Dane is primarily a striker, but the emergence of Jordan Hugill at The Riverside means that the 28-cap international may struggle to find game time under Pulis, especially as he was already behind Britt Assombalonga in the pecking order. Braithwaite has been forced to play out wide this season due to the early season form of the Congolese striker, however, if a player that is more naturally suited to the wing is emerging in Tavernier, it would seem daft not to pick him.

Given the additional factors that Braithwaite did not hide his interest in leaving the club in the summer, and the fact that Boro are seeking forwards to buy in the January transfer window, the cards appear to be on the table for Braithwaite.

After what happened with Braithwaite in the summer, Pulis may have always known that he would be on the move in January, and is now preparing for the future.

Everton climbed into sixth place in the Premier League table thanks to their 1-0 win over Cardiff City at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was the game’s only goalscorer after he found the back of the net just before the hour mark, though the Icelandic playmaker is not the sole Everton player to receive plenty of plaudits for the club’s latest victory.

The Breakdown

Andre Gomes, who joined Everton on loan from Barcelona during the summer, also impressed, and Marco Silva has since hinted that he is keen to add the 25-year-old to his squad permanently.

“I think in the right moment we have to do something to achieve one player like Andre,” Silva was quoted saying by the Daily Mirror.

“We have time to do that. We are happy with him, he is enjoying the moment here and I don’t think it is a good moment to talk every week because it’s better they [Barcelona] forget a little bit about Andre.”

It is still early days, of course, but Silva is absolutely right to want to keep hold of £13.5m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Gomes. He is a player who has already brought so much to this Everton team.

The Portugal international can play different types of passes efficiently and is great at playing out of opposition presses, something that will undoubtedly prove to be of great importance to the Toffees considering how Silva wants to play.

All in all, Gomes is a player who oozes class and one that Everton must do the utmost to keep in their squad.

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Southampton manger Mark Hughes was full of prais for teenage duo Michael Obafemi and Yan Valery ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St Mary’s on Saturday.

The talented youngsters were handed their full Saints debuts in the Carabao Cup defeat against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday night, and they made a big impact and showed that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate.

They could be required again for the visit of the Red Devils with Danny Ings, Shane Long and Matt Targett all absent and Ryan Bertrand a major doubt, but what did the Welsh manager’s comments about them really mean?

What did he say?

Speaking to the press, as quoted by the Daily Echo, the 55-year-old said:

“On the night they came through it with flying colours. If we need them at the weekend I have no qualms about putting them in again.

“The one thing you want from young players when you do introduce them is that they play with no fear, with energy, they play with enthusiasm and that can be picked up by the senior lads as well.

“I think that happened on Tuesday and the senior players really looked after the guys as well and were encouraged by the way they were playing.”

How could the quotes be interpreted?

While Hughes was clearly keen to praise two youngsters that earned and took their opportunity against the Foxes, the Welshman was surely also taking a dig at some of his senior players by saying that they lack enthusiasm.

One player this could relate to is Oriol Romeu who missed out on the 18-man squad at the King Power before appearing for the U23s the following day, while Valery and Obafemi were selected over Cedric Soares and Charlie Austin respectively following another poor display from the duo at Craven Cottage last weekend.

The former in particular didn’t show a great attitude and mentality in interviews that suggested he knew that Southampton were going to concede even when they took the lead, while Austin barely touched the ball and his movement was particularly poor in the capital.

Celtic are yet to replace Moussa Dembele who departed Parkhead on deadline day back in the summer.

The 22-year-old developed into a crucial player for the Hoops and gained a reputation as one of the best goalscorers in the division. Dembele eventually completed a £20m move to Lyon on the final day of the transfer window, leaving Celtic no time to source a replacement. Luckily for Brendan Rodgers, Odsonne Edouard has been in fantastic form since making his move to Celtic Park permanent in the summer meaning Dembele’s presence has not been missed.

Despite Edouard’s fantastic showings, Celtic should still be looking to bring in another forward during the January transfer window. An injury to the Frenchman could prove costly as Celtic look to retain the Scottish Premiership title and progress to the latter stages of the Europa League.

One man Rodgers could target is Bournemouth forward – Jermain Defoe. Valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt, the 36-year-old has been a regular goalscorer in the Premier League for a number of years but has seen his role greatly reduced this season. Defoe has managed just 22 minutes of Premier League football under Eddie Howe who has preferred to use the likes of Josh King in the attack. Defoe’s lack of football has led to reports suggesting the former England international could be interested in a January departure.

Scoring 162 goals in 496 Premier League appearances, Defoe would be a massive threat to Scottish defences despite approaching the end of his career. The former Tottenham man is an instinctive finisher who could have a huge impact alongside Edouard in the attack. The veteran’s vast knowledge could also help take the Frenchman’s game to the next level.

Potentially available at a great price or on loan, this move should be a no-brainer for the Bhoys.

Celtic fans, thoughts?

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Steven Gerrard may be the manager of the best side in Scotland right now, but the Liverpool legend will be forced to look for new faces in January after his damning criticism of his side surely raised doubts over Eros Grezda’s future.

What’s he said?

Speaking after the Gers moved top of the Scottish Premiership, Gerrard claimed he was “not interested” in being at the head of the field and instead laid into his side.

“I’m happy we’ve won, I’m happy with a clean sheet, but we need to improve,” he told Rangers TV.

“Without the ball today we were really good – but when we got the ball in good areas we didn’t have a killer instinct.

“[We’re missing] that little bit of quality, someone who is going to step up and kill the game. We should have won this game after five minutes today, we should have been two or three nil up.

“We had 21 corners today. I’m guessing, but we had at least 30 crosses into the box. We’re playing well up to a certain point, but someone is going to want to go and score a goal or want to go and assist a goal to kill Hamilton.”

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

What does this mean for Grezda?

Against Hamilton on Sunday, Grezda played the entire 90 minutes from the wing, but the Albanian failed to create a clear chance for a teammate or score a goal for himself.

Had the 23-year-old conjured a clear opportunity, he would have then afforded his coach the luxury of making changes he desired. Instead, the game dragged on, and the visitors could have taken a point or more from Ibrox.

Playing from the wings, in particular, you have a level of demand to create chances for your teammates, and Grezda has only provided one assist in eight league games.

New faces in January

Gerrard is clearly not afraid of mixing things up in Scotland, and has openly expressed his admiration of Everton midfielder Kieran Dowell, who could move to Ibrox in January after Ovie Ejaria returned to Liverpool.

There is also an understanding that the 114-cap England international will look to sell players currently at the club to fund new faces joining in January, but is being held back by the likes of Carlos Pena, who are away on loan.

Sky Sports News quoted the Light Blues’ manager ahead of the Hamilton clash stating: “Some of the players not with me are earning big money compared to the rest of the group. That’s money I could be doing with to recycle, make the team stronger and make it compete better.”

Marco Silva is fooling no one after claiming Cenk Tosun still holds a future at Goodison Park, following his controversial decision to drop the 27-year-old again.

What’s he said?

Speaking ahead of Everton’s trip to Brighton on Saturday, Silva was questioned on his decision to select Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse over Tosun altogether in his matchday squad that thrashed Burnley 5-1 on Boxing Day.

The Guardian quote Silva stating: “Of course Tosun has a future here. Why would he not?

“I decided to go with Oumar Niasse for a change, that’s all. James McCarthy and Morgan Schneiderlin were also not in the squad, but that was one specific game for which we decided to change the formation.”

An unconvincing stance

Selecting Calvert-Lewin in the matchday squad was nothing special or even new, but to go with Niasse over Tosun is where the doubt in the Turkish forward’s future lies.

Niasse has not featured for Everton since October 2, when he replaced Kieran Dowell as an early-second half substitute against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, and is yet to find the net under Silva.

Tosun, meanwhile, was the first-choice striker when the former Watford head coach took charge, but was soon replaced by Richarlison and left feeding off the Brazilian’s scraps after a few unconvincing displays.

Since the September international break, the 27-year-old has started three games, with two of those – at home to Newcastle and West Ham – resulting in being hauled off on the 69th minute.

Asking for but not showing commitment

If Tosun honestly had a future at the club, Silva would be expected to hand the Turkish international more regular game time than fleeting substitute outings.

In his pre-Brighton comments, he claimed his side had to show quality and commitment against Burnley, but Silva’s decision to drop Tosun altogether suggests that he is not committed to making the Turk’s time at the club work.

Instead, it may be worth cashing in on the reported interest for the striker, with Besiktas linked with a move for their former man, now valued at £18million rated, who only moved to England in January.

Loads of Everton fans have been giving their verdict on the latest transfer news, as Kieran Dowell as joined Sheffield United on loan for the remainder of the season.

Dowell will join the Blades on loan from January 1, the Toffees have confirmed.

The 21 year-old has notched just two appearances this season, both of which came in the League Cup.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

Plenty of fans hoped he would have a breakout campaign under Marco Silva, but the un-droppable status of Gylfi Sigurdsson means the youngster is simply not getting a look-in.

Dowell will hope he can re-find the same form and confidence that he had in his last Championship loan spell, when he scored ten times for Nottingham Forest.

Sheffield United, who are right in the thick of the promotion race, will now presumably send Ben Woodburn back to Liverpool, who has featured just seven times since his loan move.

Plenty of Blues have been giving their verdict on the move, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Manuel Pellegrini has placed a significant amount of faith in his youth players this season.

It is such faith shown by the Chilean that has helped West Ham United to ninth position in the Premier League with a very strong month of December.

Declan Rice has been trusted in a holding midfield role which he has excelled in, whilst Grady Diangana has featured a number times for the first-team, causing havoc on the wing for the opposition.

However, not all academy products have been as lucky as Rice and Diangana, so with that being said, if this West Ham DUO does not step up they could be moving on in January…

Reece Oxford

Since bursting onto the scene at the beginning of the 2015/16 season under Slaven Bilic, Reece Oxford has been on a six-month loan to Reading, a loan to Borussia Monchengladbach and back to the capital where he now plays with West Ham’s U23s.

The 20-year-old clearly has huge potential for him to be thrown in at such a tender age, yet must prove himself to Pellegrini to be in with a shout of first-team chances.

Otherwise, Oxford should look for regular game time elsewhere.

Nathan Holland

Alike Oxford, Nathan Holland is another promising talent who is yet to feature for the first-team this season.

The 20-year-old winger has stiff competition for a position in an attacking role with Diangana, Andriy Yarmelenko, Robert Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Michail Antonio, Manuel Lanzini upon his return from injury and possibly Samir Nasri, all looking to stake their claim for an undisputed spot.

If Holland does not force himself in Pellegrini’s thinking with eye-catching displays for the U23s, with so many options in his position, he may want to look away for other opportunities.