Premier League News Roundup: Cole Palmer Ready for Chelsea Comeback; Idrissa Gueye's Unsuccessful Red Card Appeal Mystery
First Story: Top Talent Palmer Ready for High-Stakes London Derby with The Gunners
The Blues manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on the final weekday that Cole Palmer is set to return for the squad's important top-flight encounter against local opponents Arsenal.
The young England midfielder was unavailable due to a fractured toe incurred after an unfortunate occurrence.
“He is ready to start and participate,” Maresca commented. “The whole team is delighted.”
In the current campaign, Palmer has been limited to four outings in every contest, scoring twice.
After joining from City in the previous year, he has recorded 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances for Chelsea.
“He is our most valuable asset, we are pleased he is back, we need to provide him with 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.”
Second Story: The Toffees Get No Reason for Rejected Idrissa Gueye Red Card Challenge
The Merseyside club have failed in their challenge against Idrissa Gueye's red card for an on-field altercation with teammate Michael Keane during the team's single-goal triumph at Old Trafford.
The 36-year-old Senegalese midfielder was sent off just early on into the match after hitting Keane amid a dispute over a misplaced pass.
Gueye promptly expressed regret, and the teammates were seen making up afterwards in a light-hearted social media post.
However, the challenge against the dismissal was rejected, and Gueye must complete a three-match suspension, making Everton depleted for their upcoming match against Newcastle United.
“We challenged the decision and it was rejected,” manager the manager stated. “We received no rationale for the denial but we did appeal it.”
When asked about any further fallout from the event, Moyes added: “It ended right away, it was done, that was it, we moved on swiftly and it was all sorted within the dressing room.”
3. Wissa Trains with Newcastle for Initial Session since Setback
The club's recent acquisition Yoane Wissa has practiced with his new teammates for the initial occasion since sustaining a knee injury shortly after his arrival from his former club in the autumn.
Head coach Eddie Howe confirmed the news on Friday but did not disclose a possible return date for the player.
Newcastle brought in the striker for a significant fee to replace Alexander Isak, who moved to Liverpool for a record-breaking transfer fee.
Unfortunately, Wissa was injured while on national team service before he could play his first game for his new club.
“He is doing well, he trained with us for the first time on midweek, so I was extremely satisfied 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 keep that to myself. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. Of course, we want to involve him as promptly.”
In other news, Kieran Trippier will be sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury.
4. Liverpool' Slump ‘Irrelevant’, Says Hammers Manager Nuno
The Hammers manager Nuno Espírito Santo has insisted that Liverpool' current slump “doesn’t really matter” as his side gets ready to face the struggling Premier League title holders.
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 highlighted that there can be no taking it easy when the sides clash on the weekend at the their home ground.
“The Reds are a strong team and in football, what counts is what you do on the day,” Nuno remarked. “We are preparing to play the title winners, players that are skilled and able of doing great things, so we have to be ready.
“The past of the results before, the performance of the teams, is not that important. It is about the day. Aware that we are going to face a excellent 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 suspension, while Crysencio Summerville and Dinos Mavropanos are stepping up their recovery from fitness issues.
5. Gibbs-White in Contention for Nottingham Forest against The Seagulls
Nottingham Forest's boss Sean Dyche is optimistic that Morgan Gibbs-White will be fit for the team's home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on the weekend.
The English player was absent for Thursday's European game against Malmö due to a back injury.
“We hope it is improving,” Dyche said as he got ready to face Fabian Hürzeler's team, who have secured a decent haul from their last three outings.
“It’s similar to a sore back, but a morning sort of injury, one where you just sleep funny or twist funny. So we’re not anticipating, at this stage anyway, that it’s too serious and it’s settling down already. So we’re hopeful that it’ll be okay for the weekend.”
The defender was feeling his hamstring after the comfortable European win, but Dyche indicated the player “should be fine”.
Meanwhile, the full-back (thigh injury), the midfielder (thigh), Dilane Bakwa (hamstring), the striker (knee), and Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip) are expected to be unavailable.
6. Oliver Glasner: Conference League Defeat Will Not Set Back Palace
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner feels that the disappointment of midweek's European loss to the French side is a sign of how much progress the club has come in challenging on two fronts.
The FA Cup holders went ahead at Stade de la Meinau through Tyrick Mitchell's first-half goal but were pegged back by the opposition manager's team, who moved up to runner-up in the group standings.
Crystal Palace now switch focus to domestic competition with a home fixture against Manchester United, and Glasner is optimistic his team can keep up their push for a Champions League place.
“Maybe like the late defeat at Everton, it just feels that it was completely unnecessary and it is our fault,” Glasner said. “Alternatively, we have to accept it. The commitment was there but it is a game we could have avoided losing.”
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 Strasbourg, is expected to be in the matchday squad.