Premier League News Roundup: Cole Palmer Set for The Blues Return; Idrissa Gueye's Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal Lacks Explanation
First Story: Top Talent Palmer Fit for High-Stakes London Derby with The Gunners
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca stated on the final weekday that Cole Palmer is set to return for the team's vital Premier League fixture against London rivals Arsenal.
The young England midfielder was unavailable due to a broken toe suffered after an accidental occurrence.
“He is available to start and to play,” Maresca said. “The whole team is delighted.”
In the current campaign, Palmer has made only four appearances in all tournaments, finding the net on two occasions.
After joining from Manchester City in 2023, he has notched 45 strikes and 29 setups in 101 games for Chelsea.
“He is our most valuable asset, we are happy he is back, we need to allow him time to be fully fit,” Maresca noted. “He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”
2. The Toffees Receive No Reason for Rejected Idrissa Gueye Dismissal Appeal
The Merseyside club have failed in their protest against Idrissa Gueye's sending off for a fight with teammate Michael Keane during the squad's single-goal triumph at Old Trafford.
The 36-year-old Senegalese midfielder was sent off only 13 minutes into the contest after hitting Keane amid a disagreement over a poor pass.
Gueye quickly said sorry, and the pair appeared reconciled afterwards in a mock social media post.
However, the challenge against the dismissal was rejected, and Gueye must serve a three-game ban, making Everton short-staffed for their upcoming fixture against Newcastle United.
“We challenged the decision and it was rejected,” coach David Moyes stated. “We haven’t been given any reason why it was turned down but we did appeal it.”
Inquired about additional consequences from the event, Moyes added: “It ended right away, it was done, that was it, we progressed quite quickly and it was all sorted within the team environment.”
Third Story: Wissa Trains with Newcastle for First Time since Setback
Newcastle United's new acquisition Yoane Wissa has trained with his new teammates for the first time since suffering a knee problem soon after his move from Brentford in the autumn.
Manager Eddie Howe confirmed the development on Friday but did not disclose a possible return date for the player.
The team signed the striker for a significant fee to fill the void left by Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for a British record transfer fee.
Unfortunately, Wissa was injured while on international service before he could make his debut for his new club.
“He is doing well, he trained with us for the first time on midweek, so I was very happy with how he looked,” Howe said. “This marked his debut in a competitive setting with the squad. Let’s see how he responds today.”
Howe continued: “There is a planned comeback timeline, but it’s probably best if I withhold that information. We aim to avoid letting people down. Of course, we want to involve him as quickly.”
In other news, the defender will be sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury.
Fourth Story: Liverpool' Poor Form ‘Irrelevant’, Says Hammers Manager Nuno
The Hammers head coach Nuno Espírito Santo has stated that the reigning champions' current slump “is largely irrelevant” as his team gets ready to take on the ailing Premier League champions.
The Liverpool manager's side has lost six of the last seven league matches, falling out of the upper half of the standings.
However, Nuno emphasized that there can be no taking it easy when the sides meet on Sunday at the their home ground.
“Liverpool is a good team and in football, what matters is what you do on the day,” Nuno said. “We anticipate facing the league champions, players that are talented and capable of doing good things, so we have to get ready.
“The history of the outcomes before, the form of the teams, is not that important. It is about the day. Aware that we are going to face a high-quality team, that has players able of doing wonderful things, so we have to be fully prepared, to perform.”
West Ham will have available Lucas Paquetá after his suspension, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are progressing in their return from injury.
Fifth Story: Gibbs-White in Contention for Nottingham Forest against The Seagulls
Nottingham Forest's manager Sean Dyche is hopeful that Morgan Gibbs-White will be fit for the side's home fixture against Brighton on Sunday.
The English international was absent for Thursday's European game against the Swedish side due to a back issue.
“We hope it is improving,” Dyche commented as he got ready to face the Brighton manager's side, who have taken seven points from their last three matches.
“It’s like a bad back, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just rest awkwardly or move improperly. So we’re not anticipating, at this stage anyway, that it’s very severe and it’s easing already. So we’re confident that it’ll be fine for the weekend.”
Murillo was experiencing discomfort in his hamstring muscle after the comfortable European victory, but Dyche said the player “should be fine”.
However, Ola Aina (thigh injury), the midfielder (thigh), the winger (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are expected to be unavailable.
Sixth Story: Oliver Glasner: Conference League Defeat Will Not Set Back Crystal Palace
The Eagles head coach Oliver Glasner believes that the disappointment of midweek's Conference League loss to the French side is a indication of how much progress the club has advanced in challenging on two fronts.
The FA Cup winners took the lead at the away ground through Tyrick Mitchell's opening period goal but were equalized against by Liam Rosenior's side, who moved up to runner-up in the table.
Crystal Palace now switch focus to Premier League action with a home match against the Red Devils, and Glasner is optimistic his team can maintain their challenge for a Champions League spot.
“Similar to the late loss against Everton, it just feels that it was entirely needless and it is our fault,” Glasner commented. “Alternatively, we have to acknowledge it. The effort was there but it is a game we ought not to have lost.”
Glasner confirmed that Borna Sosa would not be available for the weekend's game after he did not travel to France, but Will Hughes, who went off during the first half against the opponents, should be in the team selection.