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Many Liverpool fans have erupted at the news that midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be back for their next match. 

According to The Liverpool Echo, the 30-year-old should return to full team training ahead of the FA Cup fourth round clash with Cardiff City at Anfield next Sunday. He may well be in contention to start at the weekend, or at least make an appearance from the bench.

Elsewhere, Divock Origi should return to the fold before the end of February as he recovers from a knee problem, while Harvey Elliott is building up his ‘general fitness’ at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby after missing more than four months with a serious ankle injury.

Why is this a big deal?

Thiago hasn’t played a Premier League match since the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United nine days before Christmas.

Significantly, Liverpool have won all eight top-flight games that the Spaniard has started this season, so his comeback is a welcome boost as the Reds try to reel in Manchester City at the top of the table.

Fan feed Anfield Watch relayed The Liverpool Echo’s report, and here’s what some supporters had to say about the Spain midfielder’s impending return to action. For some Kopites, it adds to the positive vibes around Anfield after the signing of Luis Diaz in recent days.

These Liverpool fans buzzing over Thiago news

“Omg what a dayyyyy”

Credit: @97HassanM

“Honestly what a week”

Credit: @LFCVik2

“This day gets better and better”

Credit: @moe_y11

“GOAAATTTT”

Credit: @amaadcx

“Things I love to see”

Credit: @mmawuli27

“Wow, welcome Thiago”

Credit: @frankymavhura

In other news, there’s a big update on Neco Williams from The Athletic

Many Everton fans have been flocking to some injury news involving Demarai Gray.

Writing in his latest piece for The Liverpool Echo, Phil Kirkbride has revealed that the Goodison Park club are now ‘growing increasingly hopeful’ that the 25-year-old’s injury is not as bad as first feared.

Gray was forced off in the defeat at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon after just 17 minutes with an abductor injury, and it was suggested that could be out of action until January at least. However, he will now continue to be assessed ahead of their game away at Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The winger has been one of the Toffees’ most important players so far this season, being their joint-top scorer in the Premier League with three goals, while also contributing two assists and ranking highly among his teammates in terms of shots (two), key passes (1.4) and dribbles (1.5) per game (WhoScored).

Considering those returns and the team’s poor form, Rafael Benitez will surely want him back as soon as possible.

Everton fans on Gray injury news

These Toffees fans flocked to the injury news as it was shared across Twitter, with one Everton supporter describing it as ‘brilliant’:

“At least give us a bit of a chance in the derby!”

Credit: @mikeefc1878

“Hope so”

Credit: @robot_sir

“Please please please please”

Credit: @EFCFrostyy2

“Brilliant news, IF the injury is short-term, for we badly missed his possession-control influence last Sunday. It’s a tricky decision to constantly assess; he needs to be on the pitch for as long as we possibly can afford his fitness, but must avoid further injuries.”

Credit: @empresstouch

“Hope so”

Credit: @paul_reesy

“So how bad did they initially fear?”

Credit: @dum_para

In other news, this contract news has left many Evertonians fuming

Leeds United’s latest Premier League outing saw them scrape a 2-2 draw at Elland Road against Brentford thanks to a last-gasp goal from striker Patrick Bamford from the substitutes bench.

Despite managing to rescue a point from the game right at the death, Leeds were unfortunately struck with two concerning injury worries that forced a couple of their key players off the pitch.

What’s the news?

With defender Liam Cooper and midfielder Kalvin Phillips both picking up injuries in the match against Thomas Frank’s side, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said after the game that he doesn’t know “what type of injuries they have nor how long they’re going to take to recover.”

Given the lack of clarity at the moment it would presumably be rather concerning for the Leeds fans at the moment regarding the injured duo, however, with details likely to follow at some point this week, it’s safe to say that many supporters will have their fingers crossed that their fitness issues aren’t severe.

Taking into account how Leeds have only just welcomed back Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford back to action after being out for a significant period with injuries, Bielsa will surely be fuming if he has to deal with the prospect of having Phillips and Cooper now out on the sidelines too,

With Phillips and Cooper being two of the four outfield Leeds players that have racked up more than 1000 minutes of Premier League action so far this season alongside Raphinha and Stuart Dallas, this shows not only how important they are to the team but how much of a blow it would be to have them out injured.

After all, Cooper is the club captain and his midfield colleague is now a successful England international.

Additionally, with Leeds having conceded 22 goals in 15 league games so far this season and the fact that after the Chelsea match at the weekend, they have Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool to deal with before January, it’s safe to say that they could really do with having the spine of their team available for these games to give the Yorkshire club the best chance of picking up some points to stay away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Forget Bamford: Leeds “magician” with 5 key passes was Bielsa’s true hero v Brentford – opinion

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United fans have gone wild for an update involving Edinson Cavani as reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano shares the latest.

Cavani, who was a regular for the Red Devils last campaign, making 26 Premier League appearances in total, has found himself playing more of a bit-part role since extending his stay at Old Trafford.

The Uruguayan, after contributing with 10 goals and three assists over his top-flight outings last year, has so far managed just two starts and three cameos off the bench – scoring once in that time (WhoScored).

This has led to rumours linking him with a move away as soon as January as top European clubs circle for the striker, but as per Romano, it appears United fans may not have to worry.

According to the transfer journalist, despite his lack of game time so far, United and new manager Ralf Rangnick still consider him an important member of the team with no approach made by La Liga giants Barcelona (Twitter).

He also refutes links to Corinthians, insisting supporters breathe easily as no club have taken a step to sign Cavani.

Man United fans buzz…

Given his impact last season and flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity this campaign, the 34-year-old could still have a role to play under Rangnick and it’s safe to say United fans are overjoyed he’s nowhere closer to the exit door.

Find all of their best reactions to the ‘amazing’ player news down below.

“Xmas has come early”

Credit: @charlton_88

“Let’s gooooooooo. I was really sad that’s he’s going now this is amazing news can’t be happier.”

Credit: @mo24_187

“Yessssss! Please stay, Edi!”

Credit: @alexcalin25

“Beautiful”

Credit: @Dhruvkundu4

“Thank you fab!!!”

Credit: @AhmadManny

“Good news for us”

Credit: @BishalKoley

“HE’S STAYING!!! MY STRIKER”

Credit: @JoshPinhoUTD

“Oooooooh”

Credit: @moLuffy22

Sunderland’s season has been quite the adventure so far.

From sacking Phil Parkinson and hiring Lee Johnson, to finding new owners and winning the Papa John’s Trophy, drama has never been far away from the Stadium of Light.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland’s chances of securing promotion to the Championship look as good as they have done at any point in the last few years.

Johnson has engineered seven wins from their last nine in League One and after Peterborough lost to Blackpool in midweek, the Mackems will have an opportunity to go second on Saturday.

Sunderland will have to hope that Posh drops points again and that they consequently beat 21st placed Bristol Rovers.

In order to elevate their chances of doing so, they must begin to move on from Grant Leadbitter. The midfield has been a loyal servant to the Mackems, but since returning from a dislocated shoulder, he has been holding them back.

Leadbitter’s display at Wembley in the Papa John’s Trophy final was far from disastrous but with Tranmere enjoying the better spells in the first half, he was made to look rather slow by their constant counter-attacks.

Unfortunately, the 35-year-old looked off the pace in the 1-1 draw with Lincoln as well. He was hooked off with around 20 minutes remaining having lost 67% of his duels and being dribbled past on two occasions.

That has been a familiar tale for Leadbitter in the last few weeks.

The solution

Carl Winchester and Josh Scowen showed the value of being more athletic in Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth a few weeks ago.

With Leadbitter missing, the midfield duo stepped up the plate admirably. During that clash, the pairing won a combined 12 defensive duels but it was Winchester who really stood out, completing 100% of his take-ons and proving successful with 82% of his passes.

On top of that, no one won more than his four ground duels throughout the entire match.

With that in mind, Johnson could do far worse than pairing the two together once again against Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

Failing that, he could finally bring Luke O’Nien into the middle of the park. He has been featuring at centre-back over the last few months but looked strangely out of sorts in that position against Lincoln. He made a mistake in the first half and then could have done better for the equaliser.

With Leadbitter faltering, perhaps he could finally move forward? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Rarely-seen “local lad” could rival Diamond for a place at SAFC, Dickman loves him…

As per Sportbladet, Glasgow Rangers are interested in Elfsborg defender Joseph Okumu.

Gers eye Okumu

Leicester City and Aston Villa are interested in Gers defender Filip Helander as per this same report.

As such, the Gers are believed to be eyeing a move for Kenya international Okumu. The article says Elfsborg turned down a bid of 25m SEK (£2.1m) during the January transfer window.

Interesting option

23-year-old Okumu signed for Elfsborg from U.S side Real Monarchs in 2019 and has since grown into an important player for the Swedish outfit. In 2020, he made 24 appearances in the Allsvenskan (Transfermakt) as his side finished in a respectable second placed behind Scandinavian giants Malmo. Elfsborg were generally defensively solid bar a 6-0 defeat to Hacken – a game Okumu did not play in.

He also has seven caps for his country and is therefore starting to show his pedigree on the international stage. Clearly, his current employers are looking for a decent amount of money given the bid they turned down just a couple of months ago, but it may not take much more than what was offered to persuade them to part ways with the centre-back. At 6 foot 3, he is a towering defender and should therefore adapt physically to the Scottish Premiership with ease – it remains to be seen whether the Gers and Steven Gerrard get their man.

In other news, Rangers fans rage at an update on this 34-year-old.

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the talk?

In a recent video posted on YouTube, the football.london journalist revealed that, despite recent reports claiming that Conte would be interested in taking over from Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain this summer, people close to the 52-year-old have claimed that there is nothing to these rumours.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-levy-conte-paratici-thfc” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Regarding the Italian’s future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gold said: “We should also talk about Conte and PSG. Reports coming out from one French outlet say that Conte dreams of managing PSG. Look, I’ve spoken to a few people around Conte, and they say it’s not true… his people claim there is nothing to it.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering the extremely impressive job Conte has done since taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo in the Tottenham dugout back in November, the news that the 52-year-old is not currently planning on leaving the club for PSG this summer is sure to have left the Spurs faithful buzzing.

Indeed, while there have been a number of Premier League fixtures against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February – it is undeniable that Conte has improved Spurs’ performances on the pitch.

Indeed, having won 13, drawn four and lost six of his eighth in the top flight standings to fifth – just two points behind Arsenal, who currently occupy the last Champions League spot in fourth.

And, with Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy having already committed the best part of £60m on the signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in the January transfer window – both of whom are very much Conte-type players – it would appear likely that the former Inter Milan boss will receive the backing of the Spurs hierarchy once again this summer.

As such, it is clear to see that Gold’s suggestion the club can plan for 2022/23 with the Italian overseeing operations is undoubtedly fantastic news for all involved with Tottenham, as the prospect of Conte having a summer transfer window and a full pre-season to work with his Spurs side would appear to bode extremely well for the club’s chances of success next time out.

AND in other news: Paratici can seal Conte’s dream signing as Spurs plot bid for “stunning” £60m “baller”

With Jeremie Frimpong closing in on a move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has been left with a major headache.

The Hoops aren’t blessed with real strength in depth in that right-back spot, and Lennon even went with Kristoffer Ajer in that position in the disappointing 2-2 draw against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

But one man who the Bhoys should really turn back to, is Anthony Ralston.

The 22-year-old has played just one game all season, and that came just a couple of weeks ago when he helped keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Livingston.

Other than that, he has not been seen at Celtic Park, but with Frimpong’s imminent exit, it’s surely time for Ralston to be given the chance to impress once more and see if he can finally deliver on his early promise.

Back when Brendan Rodgers was in charge, the then Celtic boss raved about the youngster’s ability, even after the Hoops were dismantled by PSG in the Champions League.

He said: “That is why I played him. You can’t have shrinking violets in that arena and one thing he isn’t is a shrinking violet. He is an 18-year-old, he is a young guy, but he doesn’t play young.

“He is strong, he’s aggressive and I think with players, when I put them in when they are young, they need to have certain personality traits. When you put a young player in a Champions League game you have to know they are not going to sink. He never did that. He was competitive, aggressive, strong. He’ll take a huge lift from that.”

The £5.5k-a-week earning ace hasn’t quite progressed as well as Celtic fans may have hoped for, making just 20 senior appearances in total since that PSG game a few seasons ago.

But with Frimpong heading for the exit door, Ralston may finally be offered an opportunity to stake his claim and really lay a marker down. Tonight’s Scottish Premiership clash against Hamilton may tempt Lennon into throwing the 22-year-old straight in.

Meanwhile, Celtic can clinch a bargain deal with this League One sensation…

Journalist Stuart Hodge has said that a report claiming that Eddie Howe could be announced as Celtic’s new manager this week ‘sounds bang on’.

The lowdown

The Hoops have been without a permanent manager since they parted company with Neil Lennon at the end of February.

It was reported at the start of April that they were close to an agreement with former Bournemouth boss Howe, having held talks in London, and an official announcement could finally arrive this week.

Howe led Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League, where they remained for five seasons before dropping back to the Championship last year (Transfermarkt).

The Scottish transfer window is set to open on 9 June, with Celtic looking to assemble a squad capable of overturning a 25-gap to 2020/21 champions Rangers.

The latest

Hodge corroborated the timeline outlined by the Daily Record, saying that he too was told the appointment would be made official this week.

He tweeted: “This timeline sounds bang on. Was told it’d be before the end of next week, but stock exchange needs to know first.”

The verdict

The lengthy wait for the appointment to be confirmed means that many Celtic fans may be relieved rather than excited when Howe is finally presented, but they’re getting a coach responsible for one of the most impressive achievements in recent British footballing history.

You’d like to think that he has already been privately identifying potential transfer targets, or at least areas which need upgrading, in recent weeks.

He has time to begin implementing his vision before Celtic get their campaign underway in late July, and Hodge’s remarks appear to offer an even stronger hint that Howe will already be in the job for nearly two months by then.

In other news, Danny Mills thinks a Premier League club may swoop for this Celtic star before Euro 2020.  

A fresh name has emerged in West Brom’s managerial search this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Star, the Baggies are monitoring former Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who sporting director Luke Dowling has worked with before at Watford.

The 52-year-old is set to leave Qatari club Al-Gharafa, with his current deal due to expire, though they face stiff competition from fellow relegated side, Sheffield United.

Albion are on the lookout for their next manager after Sam Allardyce resigned from his position a week before the end of the season whilst former Blades boss Chris Wilder is also said to be in the running.

Exciting new name

The tough Serbian seems like a perfect candidate for West Brom to consider, not just because of his previous relationship with the club’s key decision-maker.

Jokanovic has a pretty respectable record in the Championship, having steered both Watford and Fulham to promotion – the latest of which coming in 2018.

He has done so playing attractive football, too, and that should please many at the Hawthorns.

“This season one of the things the manager has done is stay true to his beliefs in the type of football they play,” claimed Danny Murphy to the Premier League’s official website following the Cottagers’ return to the big time. “What they’ve done in recent months has been remarkable.”

That Fulham side were once dubbed ‘The Manchester City of the Championship’ for their expansive playing style whilst former midfielder Kevin McDonald claimed Jokanovic can be “intimidating.”

A combination of the above could be exactly what is needed at West Brom this summer.

The Baggies won the fewest matches (five), conceded the most goals (76) and were amongst the lowest scorers (35) on their way to relegation, so a ruthless figure with a proven track record in improving teams should be their top priority.

Jokanovic could fire a rocket right through the Midlands outfit and that should leave fans massively excited.

Dowling must get this deal done before Sheffield United, who are also being linked with Jokanovic, beat them to the punch.

AND in other news, “I understand”: Journo drops big claim in West Brom manager hunt, fans surely buzzing…