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Everton midfielder Andre Gomes must step up for Carlo Ancelotti amid Abdoulaye Doucoure being ruled out for eight to 10 weeks with a fractured foot.

Ancelotti confirmed that the 28-year-old could miss the remainder of the season ahead of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Burnley, but hopes to have his summer signing back at some stage.

Doucoure has been an important part of the Italian’s plans since arriving at Goodison Park in a £20m transfer from Watford, starting all 25 available Premier League games to him.

Only centre-back Michael Keane has started as many top-flight fixtures for Everton this term as Doucoure, whose 2,137 minutes of action sees the 28-year-old rank third, also behind 14-goal top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan believes the loss of Doucoure will come as a big blow amid Everton’s push for a European qualifying berth, and has challenged Gomes and Allan to step up to ensure his absence is not overly consequential.

“They bought a player for £20m, which for him was cheap, and he has become an integral engine in that midfield,” he told Football Insider of Doucoure.

“The way he gets up and down, he challenges, he’s got great physicality and he gets into the box as well.

“Defensively, he’s huge. That allows [James] Rodriguez and Richarlison and your other flair players to get forward knowing you’ve got that security behind you.

“With Allan and Gomes, that is a real formidable, aggressive three in there if you have those guys playing too. They are going to be crucial. But for Everton to lose a player of that stature, they are going to feel it.”

Doucoure has been one of Everton’s top performers this season, as illustrated by performance metrics from WhoScored. He has earned frequent praise from Ancelotti for his efforts, and will leave the Italian tactician with a tough task to replace what he brought to the engine room at Goodison Park.

“It was his best performance [for Everton],” the Toffees boss said following December’s 2-0 win at Leicester, via quotes by Royal Blue Mersey. “He was really intelligent defensively, he understood what to do and also with the ball he had some acceleration that were good for our counter-attacks.”

Ancelotti later described the powerful £75,000-per-week unit as a “really fantastic signing”, and will have to see Gomes step up from his previous efforts if the Portuguese maestro is to establish himself as the crucial cog Whelan expects of him.

Doucoure has averaged a greater defensive contribution for Everton this season than both Gomes and Allan in a number of areas, with the Frenchman offering 1.3 interceptions to his teammates’ respective 0.4 and 0.9, per WhoScored.

He also leads the trio for fewer fouls conceded (0.8 to 1.5 and 0.9), most clearances made (0.9 to 0.5 and 0.9) and the least times dribbled past (1 to 1.7 and 2.4). Allan ranks first in the group for successful tackles (3.1) to Doucoure (1.8) and Gomes (1.4), per WhoScored.

Doucoure is a powerful presence in supporting the attack, too, with a higher contribution than Gomes for goals scored (2 to 0), assists (3 to 1) plus average number of shots (0.6 to 0.5) and key passes (0.8 to 0.5) a game, per WhoScored.

Gomes may have found a home for himself in the midfield of late with five straight Premier League starts, but the 27-year-old has work to do if he is to now fill Doucoure’s void.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is eager for Everton to sign a £32.5m-rated titan who top clubs would sign “without thinking twice”…

Leeds United will be looking to bounce back from their narrow loss to Everton last time out in the Premier League. An early goal from Gylfi Sigurdsson set the tone for the match, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubling the Blues’s lead just before half-time.

The Whites responded, but couldn’t deploy enough firepower in order to ensure they would come away with the win. It will have been a frustrating day at the office for Marcelo Bielsa, but focus now shifts to Crystal Palace this evening.

Football FanCast has predicted how Leeds will lineup against Roy Hodgson’s men at Elland Road…

With Robin Koch and Diego Llorente still out with injuries, Bielsa has been forced to rely on natural midfielder Pascal Struijk at centre-back. He has pulled away from using Luke Ayling centrally, instead deploying him at right-back.

On the opposite flank however, Ezgjan Alioski wasn’t entirely convincing at left-back against Everton. According to Sofascore, the £3.6million-rated full-back failed to put in a single block, interception or clearance and managed just the one tackle. He also committed four fouls, which is more than any other Leeds defender who stepped onto the pitch that game.

Not wanting to lose another match, Bielsa may push Stuart Dallas back into defence to maximise their chances of keeping a clean sheet against the plucky Eagles.

In midfield, a bold move to switch out Mateusz Klich could be a move that Palace don’t see coming. He had an unusually quiet match against the Toffees, failing to register a single dribble, key pass or cross, as per Sofascore.

Despite the fact that Pablo Hernandez hasn’t featured many times this season, he has been lauded by the likes of Phil Hay, who labelled him a “demon” for his performances in the Leeds engine room just last summer.

Similarly, Jamie Shackleton could be given the green light to make his first Premier League start of the new calendar year. Changing up his midfield options could hugely benefit Patrick Bamford, who is often left to carry the bulk of the goalscoring, and freshen things up for a Whites side reeling from their latest defeat.

And, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison both in fine form, they could bring out the best in a lesser seen midfield two, catching Palace flat-footed and hopefully finding the back of the net with ease.

In other news, Leeds must look to cut their losses on Helder Costa…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Brom player Carlton Palmer has praised Mbaye Diagne for the impact he has made at the Hawthorns since arriving in January.

Diagne, who has joined West Brom on a loan deal from Galatasaray, helped his side earn a point against Manchester United last month after opening the scoring in the 1-1 draw.

The striker also came close to helping the Baggies claim victory over relegation rivals Fulham at the end of January, assisting Matheus Pereira before Ivan Cavaleiro fired late in the second half to level the game at 2-2 and ensure the points were shared.

And it seems Diagne’s contribution to West Brom’s relegation fight has not gone unnoticed, with Palmer highlighting his influence. Speaking exclusively to FFC about the 29-year-old, Palmer said:

“The centre-forward’s [Diagne] done absolutely fantastic. And Sam said I think after the Burnley game that they didn’t win, if they can keep creating those chances then he will take those chances.”

Diagne certainly deserves praise, especially for his contribution in those games against Manchester United and Fulham. However, manager Sam Allardyce will likely be expecting even more from the Senegalese forward.

His header against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is his only goal for West Brom since joining the club, and Allardyce’s men are in desperate need of goals. In the current Premier League campaign, only Sheffield United and Burnley have found the back of the net on fewer occasions.

Shane Long was handed his first Premier League start of the season against Fulham on Boxing Day but the 33-year-old’s disappointing performance confirms that he is no longer good enough to be a starter for the Saints in the Premier League.

The Irish forward has struggled for game time this season, with the good form of Danny Ings and Che Adams, as well as the loan signing of Theo Walcott, meaning that he has rarely been selected by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Before the game at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day, the experienced striker had made eight appearances from the bench, totalling just 61 minutes.

However, injuries to Ings and Nathan Redmond left the Austrian manager short of attacking options ahead of the trip to West London and Long played the full 90 minutes in a disappointing 0-0 draw.

Whilst he did see an excellent finish rightly ruled out for offside, the former Reading man was anonymous for large parts of the game.

As per SofaScore, Long touched the ball just 28 times in the stalemate and was able to complete just 12 passes, suggesting that he was unable to have much influence on the game.

It was disappointing, therefore, that Hasenhuttl left Nathan Tella on the bench, whilst young Dan N’Lundulu was introduced as a late substitute when you feel that either youngster could have made more of an impact.

Unfortunately for Long, his last Premier League goal came in February’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa, which certainly suggests that he isn’t the player he once was and that Hasenhuttl should now cast his eye to the future and trust Tella, N’Lundulu or Michael Obafemi to step up in the absence of Ings.

In January of this year, the Austrian manager was full of praise for Long’s efforts, despite his lack of goals, saying:

“He’s an unbelievable wall player for us, and that gives you another chance to keep heaping pressure on the opponent.

“He’s very strong in the aerial duels and that can squeeze opponents.

“What I like too is he knows exactly when to go and when to stop, because this is sometimes not so easy for a player.

“It is all this kind of work that makes him so important for us.”

However, his lack of goals is clearly a huge concern and work rate alone is not enough to replace Ings whilst he is sidelined, so Hasenhuttl must now axe the 33-year-old in favour of the younger talent available at the South Coast club.

And, in other news… Fewer touches than McCarthy: Southampton flop who won 20% of duels will have left Hasenhuttl fuming

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett is enjoying a superb season with the Spurs academy and based on his current progress, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts to feature regularly in the first-team in the next couple of seasons.

The 16-year-old featured in the first-team during pre-season and was rewarded with his professional debut in the 4-0 win against Ludogorets in the Europa League group stages earlier in the season.

The striker has contributed an impressive 19 goals and four assists in just 15 appearances for the U’18 side so far this season, whilst he also has two goals in two appearances in the Premier League 2.

Last season we saw Troy Parrott touted as the potential long-term replacement for Harry Kane but the Republic of Ireland international has disappointed in his loan spell with Millwall so far this season, having failed to score in 13 appearances for the Championship side.

Although he is only 18 himself, it might not be too long until Scarlett overtakes him at the pecking order at Spurs, and he is clearly turning heads at the North London club, having managed to score five goals in the 6-2 win against Newport County in the FA Youth Cup recently.

Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold was quick to praise the 16-year-old in a recent article, suggesting that those at the club feel he could be a ‘real star of the future.’

He also lauded the youngster on Twitter after he scored past Petr Cech in an U23 game against Chelsea, dubbing him the “record-breaking teenager” in reference to him becoming the youngest ever player to feature in a game for Spurs’ senior team earlier in the season.

Although this record was surpassed by Alfie Devine when he appeared in the 5-0 win against Marine, Scarlett remains the youngest ever player to feature in Europe for Spurs, and if his form with the academy sides continues, it won’t be too long until he makes his second appearance for Mourinho’s side.

Certainly, it seems as if Scarlett could quickly surpass Parrott as the one to watch in Spurs’ academy unless the 18-year-old starts to find the net in the Championship.

AND, in other news… Levy swoop for teen prodigy could spell trouble for £18m-rated Spurs gem Jose is “so happy” with 

Newly-appointed Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis is heading for his first masterstroke in charge of the Owls, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror, the Yorkshire giants have offered talismanic captain Barry Bannan a two-year contract extension ahead of his current deal expring in the summer.

However, it is claimed that the 31-year-old favourite will only accept if the Owls are active and show ambition during in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Wednesday skipper is currently thought to be on around £24k-per-week at Hillsborough, which puts him quite rightly among their highest earners.

First Pulis masterclass

So far, Pulis’ reign in Sheffield hasn’t gone to plan as he’s yet to win a single game since taking over from Garry Monk – three draws, three losses.

And having scored just three goals in those six matches, the void left behind by 13-goal top scorer Steven Fletcher has become ever so much more apparant.

Although tying Bannan down to a long-term extension will be the 62-year-old’s first wise decision in charge of the Owls.

Bannan has emerged as the most influential member in the squad, tying first for goals scored – even from midfield – with two from 17 starts. The Scotsman is also averaging the most key passes (1.4) too.

Without him, the Owls midfield would practically be non-existent.

Ex-manager Steve Bruce was a massive fan of his during his short spell at Hillsborough, he said: “Barry is a very good footballer and going forward, you always want your good players. He’s been here a few years and made himself a crowd favourite and to be a favourite at a big club like this you must have ability and he’s got it in abundance.”

Whilst the veteran playmaker even drew praise from Pep Guardiola last season after the City chief labelled Bannan an “incredible player” and a “fantastic footballer” after their meeting in the FA Cup.

It’s now fully on Dejphon Chansiri to deliver the goods next month, failure to do so would be rather dangerous as Owls need their captain more than anything in 2021.

AND in other news, Chansiri could solve Pulis nightmare with swoop for £7.2m-rated dangerman… 

David Moyes must wield the axe on Sebastien Haller and unleash Andriy Yarmolenko when West Ham United host Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

The Irons will be without star forward Michail Antonio for the London Derby as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury, having developed a second issue of the season upon his return to action against Aston Villa.

Haller has led the line whilst Moyes has been without Antonio, but once again saw the Ivory Coast international struggle as the sole striker in Friday’s victory over Leeds United.

He was far too weak in possession and spurned a glorious chance to record his third goal of the Premier League season, on a night Andy Hinchcliffe suggested he was “bullied” by Liam Cooper.

Even captain Declan Rice appeared to be exasperated with the Hammer’s £45million record signing, noting after the game: “Seb could have set me twice for two tap-ins, literally in the six-yard box. I would have scored.”

Moyes is now being tipped to make changes at striker when West Ham host Crystal Palace, with Claret and Hugh suggesting Said Benrahma could be moved into the forward role after earning his maiden Irons start at Leeds.

It should not be Benrahma who moves up top, though, but rather Yarmolenko, who was touted as an alternative option last month before being sidelined after contracting coronavirus.

The 31-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 while on international duty and has not been seen on the pitch since October’s 2-1 loss at Liverpool, where he played the final 16 minutes at centre-forward after replacing Haller to bring his tally for the Premier League term thus far to just 97 minutes.

Moyes has confirmed Yarmolenko is fit and ready to play again but chose against including the outcast forward in his matchday plans at Elland Road last time out.

“Yarmolenko has trained the last few days and he is recovering and, like anybody else who has had the virus, it goes in different stages and you’re not sure how quickly they can recover as they recover at different speeds,” said Moyes.

“Some are very quick, and some might take a little bit longer, but the good news is he’s back, he’s fit, he’s healthy and he’s been training the last couple of days.”

With Haller still struggling to cope with the duties of being West Ham’s sole centre-forward, Moyes must see fit to axe the underperforming Ivory Coast international and take a punt on handing Yarmolenko his first start of the top-flight season against Crystal Palace.

Only when the ex-Borussia Dortmund man is given a lengthy run in the line-up will Moyes know for sure if he can rely on Yarmolenko at centre-forward, as brief cameo’s in the dying stages of fixtures will not paint a true image of his potential.

Starting the £115,000-per-week attacker Moyes lauds as a “very talented player” could also help Yarmolenko save his London Stadium future, amid reports the Hammers are again looking to offload his salary though are yet to receive any offers.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a massive blow in pursuit of the January answer to David Moyes’ “worst nightmare”.

Theo Walcott may have played his final Everton game already, having hinted at a move into coaching during his spell on loan with boyhood club Southampton.

The attacker returned to St. Mary’s on Deadline Day after the Saints struck a deal with Everton that sees the Goodison Park natives continue to pay £45,000 of the 31-year-old’s £100,000-per-week contract.

His terms are set to expire at the end of the season, though, and it is unlikely that a new deal is tabled having fallen down the pecking order under Carlo Ancelotti, with just 950 minutes of action handed to the former Arsenal star since the Italian’s appointment.

Walcott is yet to fully establish himself in the first-team fold at Southampton following his return to the south coast, with Ralph Hasenhuttl starting the attacker against Chelsea and seeing him assist in the 3-3 draw only to then be without the ex-England ace in victory over Everton.

But Walcott has revealed that he has been working closely with Hasenhuttl off the pitch since his homecoming, and could continue working with the Saints boss beyond his one-season loan.

“The manager has pulled me to one side a few times and put me in a room to go through a lot of tactics, which is nice to see, just to get my coaching head on, because that’s something in the future I might want to look at,” Walcott told the Saints’ website.

“It’s very interesting. I’m really enjoying my short time working with the manager at the moment and hopefully it can be a long-term thing.”

Along with working with Hasenhuttl, Walcott has been working with Southampton’s young talents and, given his comments, could look to move into a coaching position at the end of the season.

“I want to help the academy graduates coming through now,” Walcott added. “I’m sure they’ve got a lot of questions to ask – quite a few of them have already been asking me things.

“A lot of them have been saying, ‘I watched you at Arsenal and now I’m playing with you’, so that’s a nice touch. I feel like everyone’s a really hard worker.”

Should Walcott not be offered a new contract for next season and leaves Everton, his record at Goodison Park will not be as fruitful as he would have liked when signed for more than £20million by Sam Allardyce in 2018, having scored just 11 times and offered nine assists in 85 games.

He is clearly now looking at the bigger picture, though, and the forward maestro would be a superb addition for Southampton in a player-coach type role given his 47-caps for England, experience competing in the Champions League and 348 career Premier League appearances.

Walcott also has a superb footballing brain, and was hailed by Arsene Wenger during their time at the Emirates Stadium with the former Arsenal boss once noting via Sky Sports: “He has all the ingredients to be a great striker, because of the quality of his runs. He is an intelligent player, a good finisher.”

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can repeat his summer masterclass by landing an Everton-linked £76k-p/w powerhouse.

Leeds United are enjoying being back in the Premier League after a long 16 years away. They’ve started their returning season strongly too, banking ten points from their seven games played so far. Their season opener saw them give holding champions Liverpool more than a run for their money in a thrilling 4-3 result.

The Whites also recently held league heavyweights Man City to a 1-1 draw, which will certainly be something to be proud of.

Star striker Patrick Bamford has been on song as usual, enjoying a run of fiery form. His six goals tallied so far puts him level with Harry Kane and just two behind top goalscorer Son Heung-min (via BBC Sport). The 27-year-old late bloomer is irreplaceable for Leeds right now, which takes us on to imagining a double strike force involving him and former Whites man Chris Wood.

Leeds should have kept Chris Wood

It was a short Elland Road career for the now Burnley superstar. Leeds signed Wood back in 2015 from Leicester City for a reported £3.2million, according to Transfermarkt. His two years in Yorkshire saw him bring in an impressive goal return of 44 goals to 88 games played.

Wood’s form naturally attracted some interest and before long, Burnley came knocking with a club record fee of £15million to snap up the New Zealand international. The 28-year-old made the move in 2017 and hasn’t looked back since, much to the dismay of many.

The striker has established himself as one of the Clarets’ key players and he has enjoyed playing in England’s top flight for three years now. But with Leeds making their grand return, Marcelo Bielsa will be looking at his recent form and imagining a partnership between him and Bamford.

The two senior forwards could produce masterful displays in the heart of the Leeds attack that will keep oppositions guessing. Had Wood gone on to achieve glory with his new club, it would be a different story. But to see him playing in a club of similar calibre to Leeds, it will have Bielsa up at night knowing that he could have created something magical had he got his hands on him.

In other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland believes Leeds should’ve signed a Championship keeper this summer…

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to continue their good start to the new campaign by picking up another result this evening.

Nuno Santo’s side welcome Manchester City to Molineux and for the visitors, it’ll be the first match of their season whilst Wolves defeated Sheffield United last week.

The Midlands outfit then lost to Stoke City in the EFL Cup second round but several fringe players featured, so what sort of XI will the Portuguese boss put out later?

Here’s what we are predicting…

Nuno could make as many as six changes as several first-team stars come back into the fold.

John Ruddy is out between the sticks as Rui Patricio returns whilst the back three of Romain Saiss, Willy Boly and skipper Conor Coady keep their starting places.

However, both wing-backs are swapped with Marcal replacing the young Ruben Vinagre and Adama Traore moving back into the role after playing alongside Fabio Silva in midweek. It means academy prospect Oskar Buur drops to the bench.

Leander Dendoncker is another player to keep his spot but this time, he’s paired with Joao Moutinho in Nuno’s engine room. Therefore, there’s no place for Ruben Neves or Vitinha.

Leading the line should, of course, be the prolific Raul Jimenez and following the departure of Diogo Jota to Liverpool over the weekend, both Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence could be granted a start playing slightly off the £36m-rated Mexican talisman.

The £17m winger could now thrive following Jota’s exit, especially as he’s able to play on either side of Jimenez.

It’s unlikely that Ki-Jana Hoever is involved after a £10m switch from Anfield just a few days ago.

AND in other news, Wolves in the race to sign former PL man whose defending is a “madness”…