IDRISSA GANA GUEYE RETURNS: EVERTON BOOST BEFORE CHELSEA; BRANTHWAITE UPDATE
Everton gets a major boost as midfielders Idrissa Gana Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam return from suspension for the Chelsea match. Gueye will soon depart for AFCON duty.
Here's the latest from Everton as they prepare to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their next Premier League game.
Manager David Moyes gave an update on Jarrad Branthwaite, saying the defender is recovering well from his hamstring injury.
Branthwaite, a key player in the centre-back position, hasn't played this season. He was hurt just before the season started and had surgery in October.
Michael Keane has been playing well in his place; Moyes is eager to have Branthwaite back at total strength. Although Branthwaite won’t be ready for Saturday’s game against Chelsea and still needs a few weeks to get back in shape, he is back training on the field. Merlin Rohl, who joined the team this summer, is also recovering well after hernia surgery last month.
Moyes mentioned in his press conference before the game, “Jarrad and Merlin are back outside, doing some drills. Merlin is further along in his recovery than Jarrad, but both are training on the field. We’re hoping to see them back soon.”
Everton is heading to Chelsea with a good record, winning four of their last five matches, including a solid 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest. They're currently seventh in the Premier League.
Good news for the Toffees, as midfielders Idrissa Gana Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam will be available again for the Chelsea game. Gueye was suspended for the last three games, and Iroegbunam was out against Forest due to suspension.
However, Gueye’s return will be short. He and Iliman Ndiaye will be joining the Senegal team.
Moyes added, We fully respect the Africa Cup of Nations. The players will be playing for their countries in the tournament, as they should. It's fantastic that they've been chosen to represent their country, and we hope they play well.
Of course, no manager wants to lose players to international duty, but we have them for this weekend, and then we'll wish them the best.
It seems Seamus Coleman (hamstring) will be the only player unavailable for Moyes against Chelsea.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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