EPL Headlines: Palmer Poised for The Blues Return; Idrissa Gueye's Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal Mystery

First Story: Top Player Palmer Fit for Crucial London Derby with The Gunners

The Blues manager Enzo Maresca announced on Friday that Cole Palmer is set to return for the team's important top-flight fixture against local opponents Arsenal.

The 23-year-old English midfielder was unavailable due to a broken toe suffered after an unfortunate occurrence.

“He is available to start and to play,” Maresca commented. “Everyone is happy.”

This season, Palmer has featured in just four games across all competitions, finding the net on two occasions.

Following his transfer from City in the previous year, he has notched 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances for Chelsea.

“He is our best player, we are happy he is back, we need to allow him time to be 100% fit,” Maresca added. “He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do great things for this club in the future.”

2. Everton Get No Reason for Rejected Gueye Red Card Challenge

The Merseyside club were unsuccessful in their appeal against Idrissa Gueye's dismissal for a fight with teammate Michael Keane during the team's narrow win at Old Trafford.

The 36-year-old Senegalese midfielder was dismissed just 13 minutes into the game after striking Keane amid a disagreement over a misplaced pass.

Gueye quickly said sorry, and the pair were seen reconciled afterwards in a light-hearted online video.

However, the appeal against the dismissal was denied, and Gueye must complete a three-match suspension, leaving Everton short-staffed for their upcoming fixture against Newcastle United.

“We have appealed it and our appeal was turned down,” manager the manager said. “We haven’t been given any reason why it was turned down but we did appeal it.”

When asked about any further fallout from the event, Moyes continued: “It was over immediately, it was done, that was it, we progressed quite quickly and it was all sorted within the dressing room.”

3. Wissa Trains with Newcastle for Initial Session since Injury

Newcastle United's new signing Yoane Wissa has practiced with his new teammates for the initial occasion since sustaining a knee problem shortly after his arrival from Brentford in the autumn.

Manager Eddie Howe confirmed the development on Friday but withheld a possible comeback timeline for the player.

The team signed the striker for £55m to fill the void left by Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool for a British record transfer fee.

Unfortunately, Wissa was hurt while on national team service before he could play his first game for Newcastle.

“His recovery is going smoothly, he trained with us for the first time on Wednesday, so I was extremely satisfied with how he looked,” Howe commented. “This marked his debut in a competitive setting with the squad. Let’s see how he reacts today.”

Howe continued: “We’ve got [a return date] in mind, but it’s likely best if I withhold that information. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. Naturally, we want to include him as soon as possible.”

In other news, the defender will be out of action for a four-week period with a hamstring issue.

Fourth Story: Liverpool' Poor Form ‘Doesn’t Matter’, Says Hammers Manager Nuno

West Ham United manager Nuno Espírito Santo has claimed that Liverpool' dip in performance “should not be a focus” as his side prepares to face the ailing top-flight champions.

The Liverpool manager's team has lost six of the last seven Premier League matches, falling out of the top 10 of the table.

However, Nuno stressed that there can be no taking it easy when the teams clash on Sunday at the their home ground.

“The Reds are a strong team and in football, what counts is what you do on the day,” Nuno commented. “We anticipate facing the league champions, players that are talented and able of doing fantastic things, so we have to prepare.

“The history of the results before, the performance of the teams, is largely insignificant. It is about the match day. Knowing that we are going to face a high-quality team, that has players able of doing wonderful things, so we have to get ready, to perform.”

West Ham will have available Lucas Paquetá after his ban, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are progressing in their return from injury.

5. Morgan Gibbs-White in Contention for Forest against The Seagulls

Nottingham Forest's manager Sean Dyche is hopeful that Morgan Gibbs-White will be ready for the side's at home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend.

The English international missed the midweek Europa League match against the Swedish side due to a back injury.

“We hope it is improving,” Dyche stated as he got ready to face the Brighton manager's team, who have taken seven points from their last three outings.

“It’s like a bad back, but a waking-up sort of injury, one where you just rest awkwardly or twist funny. So we’re not expecting, at this point anyway, that it’s very severe and it’s settling down already. So we’re confident that it’ll be okay for the weekend.”

The defender was feeling his hamstring after the 3-0 Europa League victory, but Dyche said the player “should be fine”.

Meanwhile, Ola Aina (thigh injury), Douglas Luiz (thigh), the winger (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee), and the defender (hip) are expected to miss out.

6. Oliver Glasner: Conference League Loss Will Not Hinder Palace

The Eagles head coach Oliver Glasner believes that the disappointment of Thursday's Conference League defeat to the French side is a indication of how much progress the club has come in challenging on multiple fronts.

The domestic cup winners took the lead at Stade de la Meinau through Tyrick Mitchell's first-half goal but were pegged back by the opposition manager's team, who climbed to runner-up in the table.

The Eagles now switch focus to domestic competition with a home match against Manchester United, and Glasner is optimistic his team can keep up their challenge for a top four spot.

“Maybe like the late defeat at Everton, it just feels that it was entirely needless and it is our fault,” Glasner commented. “However, we have to acknowledge it. The effort was there but it is a game we could have avoided losing.”

Glasner confirmed that Borna Sosa would not be available for Sunday's match after he did not travel to France, but Will Hughes, who was substituted during the first half against the opponents, is expected to be in the team selection.

Dennis Mahoney
Dennis Mahoney

A digital strategist and writer passionate about exploring how technology intersects with creative design and everyday life.