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Many Everton fans have been left fuming as a change to one of their fixtures was confirmed by the Goodison Park faithful.

As per the official Twitter page of the Merseyside club, their game away at Chelsea during the festive period has now been changes to a 7:45pm kick-off on Thursday 16th December.

It means that those Toffees supporters who already had travel down to Stamford Bridge for the match organised will have to change plans, while those with work commitments the following day may simply find it impossible to attend.

Nonetheless, it is rare for a Premier League fixture to be scheduled for a Thursday these days, due to European and cup commitments, and a few Blues just found it strange that the top flight decided to schedule it for that day.

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Everton fans on Chelsea fixture change

These EFC fans fumed as the change was revealed on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that it is ‘ridiculous’:

“Football ever more becoming a TV show than a sport. Absolutely ridiculous”

Credit: @rogerefc

“Absolute nightmare! I have already booked trains and hotels to go down”

Credit: @BobbyC_1878

“Scandalous”

Credit: @SimonMidi9790

“Disgraceful”

Credit: @Neil85059534

“What a shower, absolute joke these fixture changes all the time!!”

Credit: @Ben02222604

“WHAT A SURPRISE”

Credit: @ellieq

In other news, find out which club news has Toffees buzzing here!

Celtic are in advanced talks regarding a deal to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication A Bola (via Football Scotland), who claim that, following the Benfica loanee returning to his parent club in order to see the medical staff regarding his hamstring injury, talks between Celtic and the Liga NOS side are advancing concerning the 22-year-old’s permanent switch to the Bhoys.

However, the report does go on to state that, rather than Celtic’s option to buy clause being the €7.5m (£6.5m) widely reported, this figure will actually be used as a starting point for negotiations in the Hoops’ bid to secure the services of the winger beyond the end of his current loan deal.

Postecoglou’s biggest signing

While it would appear that, from the latest reports, there is still some work to be done in finalising Jota’s permanent switch to Parkhead, should Ange Postecoglou manage to get a deal over the line for the Portugal U21 international this month, it would not only be the biggest outlay since the 56-year-old’s arrival in Glasgow last summer, but it would also arguably be his biggest addition to the Celtic squad.

Indeed, over his 11 Premiership outings so far this season, the £4.95m-rated winger has been in astonishing form for the Bhoys, having already scored five goals, provided four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou himself dubbed an “unbelievable” talent average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him as the sixth-best player in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.

As such, it is clear for all to see that signing Jota on a permanent basis would be well worth the cost for Celtic, as the 22-year-old undoubtedly possesses the ability to help the Bhoys reclaim their Premiership crown come the end of the season – an outcome that would certainly be worth the rough £6.5m fee to secure his signing.

In other news: Reliable journalist drops 10-word Celtic transfer update that will delight Bhoys fans

Celtic have the chance to put last weekend’s defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final behind them tomorrow as the Hoops are back in SPFL action.

This time, Ange Postecoglou’s side will be taking on Ross County away from home on Sunday afternoon.

Heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures, the Hoops currently sit at the top of the league table with a six-point gap over Rangers in second place.

Looking ahead to their upcoming showdown, it seems as though the Bhoys have been handed an injury boost that will surely improve their chances of securing yet another league victory.

What’s the news?

According to Postecoglou (via the Daily Record), Hoops striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is back in contention to play on Sunday after picking up a hamstring injury during the 7-0 win over St. Johnstone earlier this month.

Having arrived at the Parkhead club during the previous summer transfer window from VVV-Venlo in a deal worth a reported fee of up to £2.5m, the striker has made 16 league appearances.

In those appearances, the 27-year-old has scored nine goals, leaving only Liel Abada having found the net on more occasions (10).

To highlight how much of an attacking threat the centre-forward has been for the Bhoys, he currently has the highest average of shots on target per 90 minutes in the league out of everyone in Postecoglou’s squad.

This shows how much a nuisance he can be for opposition goalkeepers and why County and their players will be sweating over the prospect of facing him this weekend.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s showdown, it will surely be great news for the Hoops boss to be able to have the Greek international back in the squad and available for selection.

Beyond that, if the striker can keep his fitness up for the remainder of the campaign and add some more goals to his tally, he would give his side a great chance of securing the league title.

For the time being, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the 56-year-old picks Giakoumakis to be in his starting XI or keeps him on the bench to start with and bring him on at some point.

AND in other news: Cost 7 figures, now worth £810k: Celtic had a nightmare on “struggling” Lennon flop

Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has returned to training but won’t feature against Leeds United this evening.

The Lowdown: Previous hope

Bailey, who Dean Smith backed to become a ‘crowd favourite’, has missed the last eight fixtures in all competitions with a thigh problem.

Reports during the international break suggested that the 24-year-old could return against Marcelo Bielsa’s side this evening. Steven Gerrard admitted that the Jamaican, who Leeds made a bid for back in 2020, wasn’t ‘too far away’ prior to the international break.

However, although Bailey is progressing with his recovery, he won’t be in the squad this evening.

The Latest: Gerrard’s comments

Talking in his pre-match press conference, relayed by Villa’s official Twitter account, Gerrard confirmed that Bailey has returned to full training but won’t be involved against Leeds.

“We’ve now got Leon Bailey back in full training, but he won’t be in the squad tomorrow.”

The Verdict: Newcastle return?

Villa’s next fixture is a trip to St James’ Park on Sunday to face Newcastle, so with a week’s worth of full training under his belt, perhaps Bailey may make a return in four days’ time.

You’d expect that Gerrard will be cautious when it comes to the explosive winger, so he may decide to hand Bailey a place on the bench and gradually ease him back.

Bailey has had a tough time in his first season in England, contributing to just three goals, but hopefully, he’ll now enjoy an injury-free rest of the campaign and Villa fans will see the best of him in 2022/23.

In other news: Villa and Lange now looking to pip Leeds in race for soon-to-be free agent. 

Everton have been one of the most active Premier League clubs during the transfer window, and with good reason.

The Toffees are in desperate need to turn their season around after a disappointing first half to the campaign. In order to rectify that situation, they have made three signings already in the first two weeks of January, and Rafael Benitez and co may not be finished yet.

What’s the word?

The Everton manager took to his press conference ahead of today’s match against Norwich to give an update on the club’s next steps in the winter transfer window, teasing the potential of more signings to come.

Benitez revealed: “We are always looking to strengthen the squad. The reality is we’ve balanced the books, which I think is a positive. We are open to any good option.”

“At the moment we’re happy with the three we’ve brought. But we are open-minded.”

This week has been a busy one at Goodison Park, with fan favourite Lucas Digne sold to Aston Villa after three-and-a-half years with the Merseyside club, and Anwar El Ghazi signing on loan until the end of the season, and Benitez isn’t ruling out further business yet.

Fans will be buzzing

Everton fans haven’t had an easy ride supporting their team this season, and many have definitely made no secret of their disappointment over poor performances, walking out of matches at Goodison Park and planning protests against the owners and the manager.

This transfer window has provided Benitez with the opportunity to change the trajectory of the club by signing new players and freshening up the squad, in the hope that a fresh perspective will help the Toffees climb back into the top half of the table, where they are expected to finish this season.

It is important that Everton start to pick up results, as they have a run of winnable games against bottom half teams such as Leeds United, Brentford, Aston Villa and Newcastle coming up over the next few weeks. That should give them the ideal opportunity to ascend to a much more comfortable position in the Premier League if they can capitalise.

For now, the manager’s claim that the Toffees are “open” to making further additions this month should bring some overdue happiness to the Goodison Park fan base, as the current squad just haven’t been delivering the goods.

In other news: Alan Myers makes January transfer window prediction regarding Everton

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Following the devastating 2-1 home defeat by Cardiff City last time out that saw Southampton slip into the relegation zone, the need to pick up points regularly from here on in has become even more of a priority – they can do exactly that if Ralph Hasenhuttl makes a risky call at Arsenal on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

Well, despite favouring a 4-2-2-2 formation at the previous clubs he has managed, the Austrian has had to adapt to the situation the clubs finds itself in and the players he has at his disposal at St Mary’s, and  he has often favoured either a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-1-1 system.

However, while it may have made them sturdier at the back – on paper at least – they haven’t looked great from an attacking point of view, which hasn’t been helped by regular injury issues for Danny Ings and Michael Obafemi.

The latter was pictured in training during the training camp in Tenerife however and may well be in contention to start at the Emirates Stadium, which presents Hasenhuttl with a big opportunity.

What should he do?

Normally a five-at-the-back formation for a tough-looking trip to north London would make sense, but Unai Emery’s men have shown time and time again that they are there to be got at defensively with players like Shkodran Mustafi prone to errors and lack of concentration.

By lining up with a 4-2-2-2 formation – something the 51-year-old Saints boss was surely working with his players on during the break in the Canary Islands – he could utilise the pace, pressing and never-say-die attitude of Obafemi and Shane Long to really put the hosts’ defence under pressure.

Arsenal have the players to hurt Southampton at the other end, so it makes sense to give them a big problem to think about in their weak spot.

With Redmond on one wing and potentially Stuart Armstrong on the other, they would have a better chance of sneaking a positive result.

Rangers are looking to pick up their second win in the group stage of the Europa League as they face up against Brondby on Thursday night.

They beat their Danish rivals 2-0 in the reverse fixture, which was their only win in the first half of the group stage after losing to both Lyon and Sparta Prague in their first two matches.

Steven Gerrard’s side come into this clash on a high after an emphatic 6-1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park over the weekend to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

He’s a match-winner

One player who must come into the starting XI after the Motherwell victory is Kemar Roofe. He was forced to watch on from the bench for the majority of the game, but Gerrard must unleash him from the start against Brondby as he has the quality to be a match-winner for the club.

The £26k-per-week striker only played 18 minutes at Fir Park and still managed to get himself on the scoresheet as he converted from close range after a Jack Simpson header. That was his fifth in the Premiership this term, despite only starting six games.

Last season, he produced 14 goals in 18 starts in the division as Rangers won the title. This means that he has 19 strikes in his last 24 starts in the league, highlighting his ability to be a match-winner, proving that he can score goals at an impressive rate.

Any player has the potential to be a match-winner in any given game, but he has shown that he can do it reliably and can be trusted to score the goals when they matter. He has also displayed that he can do it in Europe, with a goal against Brondby in a 2-0 win earlier this season

Gers coach Michael Beale previously hailed the forward for his efforts in the final third, helping the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent. He said:

“I think having Kemar Roofe come into the team has brought us a leader in the final third. We forget how young Alfredo is and Ryan Kent.

“They are the same age and we almost forget that with Alfredo because he carries himself with such strength and he’s so commanding on the pitch but he’s a young man.

“So I think having Kemar in there who is a little bit older brings us that bit of experience.”

This highlights the impact he can have on those around him as well as his quality as a football player. He could help, for example, Ianis Hagi and Fashion Sakala to up their own game against Brondby by leading on the pitch and showing an example of how they should be acting.

Therefore, Gerrard must unleash Roofe from the start in the Europa League on Thursday night. He could be the player to win them the match with his impressive goal record whilst offering the experience to improve those playing alongside him.

AND in other news, Kent 2.0: Gerrard could unearth new wing wizard in “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers flyer…

A major boost has emerged on Rangers centre-back Leon Balogun, regarding when he will return to fitness at Ibrox.

What’s the latest?

Gers boss Gio van Bronckhorst has delivered an update on the defender by revealing when he will be back in training for the club.

He told the Scottish Sun: “Leon went to Germany for a couple of days but is back now. So hopefully this week he will start training again.”

The Dutchman also provided a snippet on Filip Helander, adding: “I don’t think we’re going to see Filip before the winter break.”

Buzzing

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling buzzing as the head coach’s comments appear to suggest that Balogun will be back in contention before the break. The defender’s last appearance came in the 3-1 defeat to Hibernian in the semi-final of the League Cup in November and that means that he has not played a single match since van Bronckhorst’s arrival.

He was in fine form under Steven Gerrard’s management, averaging an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.05 in the Scottish Premiership across 11 matches. The centre-back has won 64% of his duels in the campaign so far, making an impressive 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game in the league.

Last season, he averaged a score of 7.13 as he won 61% of his duels and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game for Rangers. This shows that he has maintained a consistently high level, both in terms of his average performances and his defensive strength, since the start of the 2020/21 campaign. He has shown that he has the quality to be a top player in the Premiership, which is why fans will be delighted by his return to training this week.

It will also come as a major boost to van Bronckhorst as it arms him with another excellent player to call upon at the back. His displays over the past 18 months show how good he can be for the club and that is why his return will benefit the Dutch head coach, who could now afford to hand Calvin Bassey or Connor Goldson a rest at the heart of the defence.

The only piece of news that Gers fans may not be best pleased with is the 46-year-old’s update on Helander. He appears set to come back into the fold towards the end of January or later, which means that it could be a while before he is seen out on the pitch again.

AND in other news, 9 duels won: “dominant” £6.75m-rated Rangers beast who made 3 tackles was GvB’s hero…

West Ham are interested in signing Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke on loan for the rest of the season, according to The Guardian.

The Lowdown: Hammers need a striker

Since the departure of Sebastien Haller this time last year, David Moyes has been under pressure to bring in more attacking options due to the lack of depth his squad has in the final third. This has been particularly prevalent for the striker position, as Michail Antonio is the only recognised senior centre-forward at the club.

Antonio is currently the Irons’ top scorer in the Premier League this season, having netted eight times, but the Jamaica international has looked tired at points throughout the campaign, sometimes lacking that clinical edge in front of goal.

The club’s greatest Premier League goalscorer also has his fair share of injury concerns, so the Hammers enter the last day of the January transfer window in desperate need of an able deputy.

They have been very strongly linked to Darwin Nunez, but a brand new name has now emerged as a possible alternative.

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The Latest: Irons interested in Benteke

According to a report by The Guardian, West Ham are exploring the option of a possible loan move for Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke.

The 31-year-old is struggling to secure a place in the starting XI under Patrick Vieira, but would provide a wealth of Premier League experience, having scored 86 goals in the competition – he has bagged a whopping 159 times across his senior career for club and country.

The Verdict: A good back-up option

Fans may be disappointed with the Benteke links, with previous rumours suggesting that the Hammers were interested in Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Diaz and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

However, Benteke could be the ideal player to come off the bench and make an immediate impact. Vieira has said that having the striker at his disposal is a huge boost, claiming that ‘in the air he is one of the best if not the best in the league’, and that ‘this is a powerful weapon to have in the squad’.

With the ongoing push for Benfica starlet Nunez, Benteke could be a solid backup option if the deal for the 22-year-old fails to materialise.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will tell the board to make Philippe Coutinho’s loan move permanent in the summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Leeds scare

Coutinho starred at Villa Park on Wednesday evening against Leeds United, scoring an equaliser and providing two assists for Jacob Ramsey in the first half.

The Brazilian was quieter in the second half, though, and went down injured following a long-range effort.

He was then replaced by Ashley Young in the closing stages, with Gregg Evans stating he was ‘very quiet’ after going down holding his left knee.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a ‘major update’ on Thursday morning regarding Coutinho and his future.

A Villa source informed the site that the option to buy fee stands at £33.7m, with Gerrard having no hesitation in telling the board to activate the clause at the end of the season.

Ashley Preece has even stated that the £33m option isn’t a fixed fee, so Villa may well be able to negotiate a lower figure with Barcelona.

The Verdict: No brainer

Coutinho has already shown his class in the Midlands and averages a goal or an assist every 44 minutes under Gerrard.

He’s already way out in front when it comes to average match rating in the Villa squad, as per WhoScored, and still just 29 years of age, a permanent move seems to be a no brainer.

It’s exciting to know that Barcelona are desperate to get the playmaker off the books in the summer, so you’d expect that Johan Lange will be on the phone looking to lower the £33.7m option. Hopefully, he can do just that, which will then give Gerrard more scope for new players in the summer.

In other news: ‘Terrible…’ – Gregg Evans rips into Villa midfielder who lost the ball 11 times against Leeds.