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Everton correspondent Joe Thomas has shared some injury news on Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate before their game at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Closing in on return

Holgate shared earlier this week that he was closing in on a return to the squad after returning to training, while Mina has also been working on his fitness in his recovery process.

The latter has been limited to just 70 minutes of Premier League football so far this term, while Holgate has been out of action since August with a knee injury, after starting the Merseyside club’s first four matches in the top flight (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Mina ‘setback’

Taking to Twitter ahead of the Goodison Park outfit’s clash away at Spurs, Thomas has shared that Holgate is ‘not yet ready’ to make the matchday squad, while Mina has also suffered a ‘setback’ and is now ‘not available’ either:

“Holgate not yet ready for the matchday squad. Mina has suffered a ‘setback’ this week and is not available for Saturday.”

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The Verdict: Double blow

To be without both Mina and Holgate for a prolonged period of time is a double blow for Frank Lampard and his squad.

The manager noted in his pre-game press conference that while Ben Godfrey is back in training, he is still unlikely to return until after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, meaning that he only has three fit senior central defenders to choose from at the moment.

Conor Coady and James Tarkowski are starting to form a good partnership, with just nine goals conceded in the league, the joint-fewest of any side, but Lampard would no doubt like that extra cover in case one or both of them suddenly cannot play either.

Nonetheless, missing Mina and Holgate limits the Toffees’ options going into the next run of fixtures.

Sunderland reporter for The Chronicle James Hunter has been left thrilled by some injury news involving Niall Huggins.

The Lowdown: Rarely seen

Having signed a four-year deal at the Stadium of Light from Leeds United back in the 2021 summer transfer window, with manager at the time Lee Johnson praising his versatility, physicality and speed, the youngster looked a really exciting capture.

However, his career on Wearside has been plagued by injuries so far, and he has only managed to make four senior appearances since joining, and none since September of last year.

The Latest: U21s comeback

Taking to Twitter, Hunter gave his reaction after Huggins played 45 minutes for the Black Cats’ U21s in a 3-1 loss to Reading on Friday night, calling it a ‘big positive’:

“Despite the result, big positive takeaway from the U21 game was Huggins’ comeback. Just played the first 45mins but looked pretty sharp – you wouldn’t have known he’d been out for 13 months. Needs more gametime, but this was a good first step.”

He of course won’t be involved in the first-team this week against Wigan, but getting minutes under his belt is the first major step in making that leap back into the senior squad.

The Verdict: Promising signs

The fact that Huggins looked ‘sharp’ upon his return is a positive sign that he can recover from his long-term injury quickly and hopefully get back to playing regular football without any more problems.

There was a lot of promise when he first joined, and there could still be a place for him in Tony Mowbray’s squad.

A player capable of playing at both right-back and left-back, Mowbray only has two other natural full-backs in his senior squad, and so the 21-year-old could yet play a key role in the rest of the season.

Former Lyon manager Peter Bosz is now a contender to become Bruno Lage’s successor as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, according The Telegraph’s John Percy.

The Lowdown: Wolves’ manager hunt

The Old Gold have been on the hunt for the last two weeks as they search for fresh direction to lead them to Premier League safety at the Molineux.

First choice candidate Julen Lopetegui was approached for the role after recently being dismissed by Sevilla, but the former Real Madrid head coach cited personal reasons for his rejection.

Former Wanderers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has also been heavily touted with assuming the role, but journalists Nathan Judah and Liam Keen revealed the 48-year-old is not the preferred candidate at this stage in negotiations.

The Latest: Percy’s news

Percy has shared an update on Wolves’ search late on Monday night, citing a new candidate who could take over at the Molineux.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist claimed:

“Wolves interview former Lyon and Borussia Dortmund manager Peter Bosz for head coach job. Bosz is on the shortlist.”

In the attached article, it is said the Dutchman impressed in talks with the Midlands club and consequently has become a strong contender to take on the job.

The Verdict: Great pedigree

Having most recently been in charge at Lyon, Bosz has a wealth of experience under his belt.

Whilst in charge of the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, the 58-year-old has become known for his attacking style of football, with a ‘thrilling’ fast-paced system influenced by his time learning under Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.

Bosz is a two-time Champions League participant with the German clubs, also spending six seasons in the Europa League, having finished as runner-up in the 2016/17 season with Ajax (via Transfermarkt).

With such experience at the level Wolves want to be aiming for, Bosz’s appointment at Molineux would be a welcomed surprise – but the race to become manager remains firmly open.

Ansu Fati could leave Barcelona in the January transfer window as his Catalonia comeback has seemingly faltered.

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• Attacker could leave Barca in January
• Agent studying options ahead of transfer window
• Yet to impress new manager Hansi Flick

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ansu Fati's hopes of becoming a Barcelona legend face an inevitable end as his agent, Jorge Mendes, will reportedly push for a January exit. This comes from a report from SPORT, which further states that the decision will ultimately rest on Fati, who will ask for a loan move away from the club should he continue to struggle for playing time.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Things haven't gone as planned to the Spaniard's utter misfortune. A series of long-term injuries from November 2020 up until the start of the current season have prevented Fati's star from growing. An unsuccessful loan spell in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023-24 didn't help either.

  Once heralded as the successor to Lionel Messi, Fati has found minutes incredibly hard to come by and the 21-year-old has managed only five appearances under Hansi Flick this term, with four of them coming off the bench.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report from SPORT reveals that Sevilla have already enquired for Fati's services ahead of the upcoming winter transfer window. Garcia Pimienta, Sevilla's coach, has maintained constant communication with the club. Moreover, there have also been reports that former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wants to bring Fati to Fenerbahce.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANSU FATI?

  While there's only one way to find out what lies in store for Fati, the La Masia graduate will hope to get some more minutes under his belt in Barcelona's next game, a local derby against Espanyol on Sunday, November 3.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will remain in charge as the club’s manager despite the 3-2 defeat to Fulham, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds beaten again

The Whites were hoping to pick up a much-needed Premier League win on Sunday afternoon but again ended up hugely disappointed.

Despite Leeds taking the lead at Elland Road, Fulham ended up prevailing 3-2 in the end, with plenty of home supporters venting their frustration at the result.

There is now growing pressure on Marsch to keep his job, with Hay outlining where the club’s board stand on the 48-year-old.

The Latest: Marsch to remain in charge

Taking to Twitter after the Fulham match, Hay said that Leeds’ stance remains the same and the American will carry on as manager.

The reporter tweeted:

“Jesse Marsch says the responsibility is his as Fulham defeat raises the pressure on Leeds United’s manager. No change in the club’s support of him at this stage.”

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The Verdict: Refreshing loyalty

While some supporters may well want to see Marsch sacked at this point, it is refreshing to see the owners standing by him for now, showing a loyalty which often doesn’t exist in modern football, with four Premier League managers already losing their jobs since the start of this season.

The exception to that rule has been Steve Cooper, with Nottingham Forest recently extending his contract to 2025 despite being bottom of the table currently.

They are showing signs of a resurgence, picking up four points this week with two clean sheets and a famous win over Liverpool, and the hope is that Marsch manages to do the same with the Whites.

Of course, there is only so long that bad results can continue before a change is needed, but for now, the 48-year-old ought to be given time to turn things around.

Nottingham Forest are planning on spending around £100million on new signings in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Big-spending summer at Forest

The Reds had a summer window to remember after returning to the Premier League, bringing in an incredible 22 new players to boost their survival hopes.

It has been a tough start to life in the top flight, however, with Steve Cooper finding it hard to juggle his squad and get his signings in sync with one another.

Forest’s spending this season doesn’t seem to be done just yet, however, following a fresh update.

The Latest: More signing in January?

According to Football Insider, the Reds are ‘planning’ to splash out as much as £100million on signings in January, with owner Evangelos Marinakis giving the ‘green light’.

It is stated that new sporting director Filippo Giraldi will be handed a ‘huge transfer kitty’ to further bolster Cooper’s squad.

The Verdict: Too many cooks?

This is an exciting update, in terms of showing Forest’s financial power, but it is important that new signings aren’t simply coming in for the sake of it.

There could come a point where Cooper actually feels he has too many options at his disposal, instead preferring to get the most out of a smaller group of players.

A couple of January addition certainly wouldn’t go amiss – perhaps two expensive incomings – but any more than that could leave players unhappy at their lack of playing time and find it hard for Forest to find cohesion week in, week out.

Tottenham Hotspur head into Sunday afternoon’s Premier League meeting against Liverpool in a mixed run of form, with Antonio Conte’s side having won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five games in all competitions.

However, with both of Spurs’ recent victories having come from losing positions – being 2-0 down in the 3-2 victory over AFC Bournemouth and 1-0 behind in the 2-1 win over Marseille – there is an argument to be made that the club’s high standing in the league and progress in Europe are not accurate representations of the north London side’s performances.

It is true that the mid-table Reds are also enduring something of a turbulent start to their 2022/23 campaign, but should Tottenham start slowly once again today, Conte’s side will likely find it much more difficult to claw back a deficit against last season’s Champions League runners-up than they did against the Cherries and Marseille.

As such, the Italian must ensure that he gets his starting XI absolutely spot-on if he hopes to give his team the best possible chance of victory this afternoon, and it appears a wise move for the 53-year-old to finally unleash the club’s £20m summer signing Djed Spence.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has been limited to just three minutes of first-team football in north London, despite continued calls from Spurs supporters for the 53-year-old to start the England under-21 international ahead of Emerson Royal at right wing-back.

After a series of calamitous performances, including being sent off for a “stupid” challenge in the defeat against Arsenal and being mocked for playing a no-look pass which went out for a goal-kick in the dying stages of the 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon – a result which could have easily knocked Tottenham out of the Champions League – many fans have quite rightly had enough of the Brazilian.

However, despite the 23-year-old’s disastrous displays, Conte has continuously deployed him ahead of Spence, to the widespread bewilderment of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful.

Considering how impressive the “unbelievable” 22-year-old – in the words of Ian Wright – had been while on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, it is not difficult to understand why so many Spurs supporters are so desperate to see the youngster in action.

Indeed, over his 45 appearances in the Championship last term, the £19m-rated wing-back was in sensational attacking form, bagging two goals, providing five assists and creating six big chances for his team-mates, in addition to taking 0.6 shots, making one key pass and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

The defender also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.1 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per fixture.

As such, with attack very often being the best form of defence against a Liverpool side who deploy an extremely high defensive line and an intense press, Conte must finally let Spence loose against them today, as the £25k-per-week starlet could prove crucial to exploiting what is arguably the Reds’ biggest weakness.

Glasgow Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst cannot afford to drop winger Ryan Kent despite his poor form, with the squad not having enough depth to replace him.

That is according to Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Kent out of form

The Gers slumped to a 2-1 defeat at St Johnstone last Sunday in what felt like a damaging afternoon in the Premiership title race. Kent played 79 minutes of proceedings but was well short of his best, as has been the case all too often this season with the former Liverpool winger.

The 25-year-old has scored just once in 11 league outings to date in 2022/23 and failed to net in six Champions League games, and while five assists have come his way, his performances have often flattered to deceive.

The Latest: McAvennie makes Kent claim

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie claimed that Kent needs to be retained in Rangers’ starting lineup before the World Cup despite his ailing form, simply due to a lack of options elsewhere at Ibrox.

The 62-year-old said of Van Bronckhorst:

“He can’t afford to drop Kent because they have not got a big enough squad.

“They have young players coming in and that is not the way forward unless they can unearth a couple of great players but I do not think that is going to happen any time soon.”

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The Verdict: Need him back to his best

Van Bronckhorst is reportedly clinging to his job at the moment, with the Rangers boss set to be given two more matches to stay in the Ibrox dugout, and he badly needs Kent back to his best again.

The winger was described as ‘sensational’ by Steven Gerrard during the 42-year-old’s time in charge at the Light Blues, but he is a far cry from that player at the moment, all too often finding himself on the periphery of games.

However, Kent has shown over an extended period what a crucial player he can be for the Gers, chipping in with 10 goals and 11 assists in the 2020/21 league-winning campaign, and a couple of big displays against Hearts and St Mirren this week could make a big difference to his team.

Rumoured Manchester United target Cody Gakpo has admitted it would be an ‘honour’ to move to Old Trafford, although that also applies to rival clubs.

The Lowdown: Gakpo linked with United

The Dutchman is enjoying another outstanding season for PSV Eindhoven currently, registering 12 assists and scoring nine goals in the Eredivisie. [WhoScored]

Not only that but Gakpo has also netted three times in the Europa League and he has continually been linked with a move to United, both during the summer and since then.

As the 23-year-old prepares to star for the Netherlands at the World Cup, some fresh comments from him could excite United supporters.

The Latest: Winger hints at move

Speaking to NOS [via Sport Witness], Gakpo admitted it would be a proud moment to play for the Red Devils, although he referenced other clubs, too:

“PSV was always my dream club. As for the rest, I don’t really have one.

“Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool. It would be an honour to play there, but I also have to see what kind of team I would do best in.”

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The Verdict: Special player

While the Eredivisie is a weaker division than the Premier League, Gakpo does look like a special prospect who could be a star at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has claimed that the Dutchman has ‘got everything’ as a player and Erik ten Hag would surely love to add him to his attack, possibly seeing him as an upgrade on the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

There looks set to be a fight for Gakpo’s signature but United look well-placed to make a move – he is someone who could provide so much more firepower and magic to their attack for many years.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has said that there is currently ‘no point’ in Jack Diamond returning to the Championship club.

The Lowdown: Diamond joins Lincoln

The forward joined Lincoln City on a season-long loan over the summer where he’s had an impressive start, making six goal contributions in 12 games, though a sighting at the Academy of Light sparked rumours that an early return could be on the cards.

The 22-year-old had already played for the Black Cats in the EFL Cup first round meaning that he couldn’t represent the Imps in the same tournament, which resulted in him coming back to the northeast for a day.

The Latest: Mowbray’s update

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, Mowbray delivered an update on Diamond’s immediate future and appeared to shut down any chance of him returning ahead of schedule in January. He said:

“It was only one day because he was cup-tied and didn’t play in the FA Cup for them so he came and trained. That was all. It was nothing other than that.

“He looked alright to me. We haven’t discussed what is happening with him and the bottom line is there’s no point him coming back if he doesn’t get in the team.”

The Verdict: Correct decision

Whilst Diamond has been labelled ‘dangerous’ by Josh Bunting, taking the decision to allow him to remain at Lincoln appears to be the right one.

The Wearside outfit should have the likes of Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms back at their disposal upon the return of domestic action so you’d expect the winger would be given very limited opportunities.

Should Diamond continue to excel at the LNER Stadium, his return would be much more welcomed next summer where he can then be seriously pushing for a first-team place.