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Sean Dyche’s Everton kick off March by heading down to London to face league leaders Arsenal at The Emirates in the Premier League this evening.

The Toffees head into the match in the bottom three but could move out of the relegation zone, and above West Ham and Leeds, with a win tonight.

Everton were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa in their last outing in the top-flight as goals from Ollie Watkins from the penalty spot and Emi Buendia were enough to secure all three points for Unai Emery’s side at Goodison Park.

Dyche may now want to make some adjustments to his side after that defeat, in order to give his team the best possible chance of repeating their win over the Gunners earlier this year.

Should Ben Godfrey start for Everton against Arsenal?

One player who must be unleashed from the start is rarely-seen central defender Ben Godfrey, who missed 15 matches earlier this season due to injury, as the England international could be able to silence Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard.

Mikel Arteta lined up with a natural centre-forward in Eddie Nketiah when the two sides last met but opted to go with their January signing from Brighton through the middle in their recent win over Leicester – with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli either side of him.

This means that Arsenal could line up with a pacey front three of dynamic forward players, which could spell trouble for Conor Coady after his disappointing display against Villa.

The ex-Wolves captain was far too slow to move his feet as Buendia beat him with ease in the box and his lack of mobility could make Godfrey the perfect player to come in for him.

Journalists Patrick Boyland and Adam Jones have both hailed the former Norwich man as “absolutely rapid” and his pace at the back could allow him to deal with the threat of Trossard, Martinelli, and Saka in behind.

Godfrey, who has been an unused substitute in the last four matches, caught the eye in his last battle against the pacey Erling Haaland as he helped his side to pick up a 1-1 draw against Manchester City – limiting the Norway international to two shots, zero dribbles, and two duels won out of seven.

The £75k-per-week centre-back, who was once dubbed a “monster” by reporter James Whaling, has the athleticism and running power to deal with opposition attackers with quick feet and the pace to run in behind, which is the big threat that this new-look Arsenal frontline could pose.

Therefore, Dyche could silence Trossard through the middle of the pitch by ditching Coady and unleashing Godfrey in the starting line up tonight.

Newcastle United are reportedly set to make an offer for Fenerbahce right-back Ferdi Kadioglu ‘in the coming days’.

The Lowdown: Kadioglu profiled

Kadioglu is a right-back that has made 32 appearances for Fenerbahce in total over all competitions so far this season, scoring one goal and making a further three assists (Transfermarkt).

That goal came in their 2-1 win away at Kayserispor in the Turkish top flight on Saturday evening, where he scored a screamer from outside of the penalty area.

The Latest: Offer ready

As per Turkish news outlet Takvim, Newcastle, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, are set to offer €20m (£17.6m) to sign Kadioglu ‘in the coming days’, ahead of the summer transfer window.

They sent scouts to watch him in action for Fenerbahce on Saturday, and he is on the radar of a number of top European clubs.

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The Verdict: Trippier heir…

Kieran Trippier is Eddie Howe’s undisputed first-choice right-back, but at 32 years of age, the Magpies will have to look for a long-term replacement soon.

At 23, Kadioglu is a lot younger, and has plenty of potential, so £17.6m, if accepted, would be an excellent long-term investment.

Aside from his wonder strike, Tyneside scouts would have been impressed with the right-back’s overall game on Saturday, as he also won four of his individual duels, and recorded two successful dribbles, three clearances, three interceptions, one tackle and two key passes (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, the Turkey international would be a shrewd pick-up for the Toon this summer.

YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has predicted that the “mystery” bidder for Manchester United is a US hedge fund – which is why they have remained anonymous for now.

What’s the latest on the “mystery” Man United takeover bid?

It’s well known that Qatari-linked Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe are both keen on taking over from the Glazers.

However, it remains to be seen if either party will be enough to convince the Glazer family to sell their asset. Recently, though, it has been claimed that a “mystery third bidder” has entered the race.

While speaking about it on The United Stand, Goldbridge claimed that the anonymity of the bidder is a “red flag” as they must be hiding their identity out of fear of criticism.

He explained: “I personally think why wouldn’t you put it out there publicly? Because if you’re a good bid or an interesting bid, you know what fans are like, they’d be like, ‘oh, like that bid’, and then you get a load of publicity.

“I think the absence of them going public is a big red flag, that these are not the sort of people you want to buy United.

“My prediction would be they’re hedge funds. I would predict one of these bids is a hedge fund from the United States.

“What’s a hedge fund? It’s an investment group. It’s a set of people who are very wealthy who have a certain amount of money in a pot. And that can be billions, sometimes it’s millions, but it will be billions in this case. And they will acquire something with the intention of doubling its value over a certain period of time.

“It’s an investment. And I think that’s why they’re being quiet, because you go public with that and your email inbox is going to be full within seconds of people saying, ‘stay away from our club’.”

Who is the third bidder for Man Utd?

The Qatari-linked bid has already led to plenty of scrutiny in the media with Amnesty International’s Manchester branch (via The Guardian) highlighting concerns over state influence and human rights abuses in the country.

With that in mind, if a new bidder was self-aware enough to preempt public criticism, they may want keep their profile as low as possible amid a possible takeover attempt.

Hedge funds have been the subject of much controversy as they are often viewed as a way of simply making the rich even richer while also operating with a  lack of transparency that will keep fans out of the loop.

It remains to be seen who this third bid has come from and if the Premier League club even end up changing owners but it seems Man Utd supporters have a number of reasons to be wary of whoever comes in to try and start a new era at Old Trafford.

Liverpool are monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Firmino successor needed

Jurgen Klopp has recently confirmed that Roberto Firmino will be leaving Anfield upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the season, and despite having plenty of other attacking options at his disposal, he’s on the hunt to find a successor in the summer.

The French international’s deal at the Deutsche Bank Park isn’t set to run out until 2027, but being Oliver Glasner’s top-performing player, has caught the eye of the Reds boss.

FSG reportedly held an interest in the 24-year-old before he joined the Bundesliga outfit, who are expecting to receive bids from potential suitors during the upcoming window.

The Latest: Liverpool eyeing Kolo Muani

According to SportBild (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are ‘watching’ Kolo Muani having ‘set their sights’ on him as a potential replacement for Firmino.

Frankfurt could suffer ‘bad consequences’ but are determined to keep hold of their prized asset and have therefore demanded that any interested club will have to pay ‘over €100m’ (£87m) to secure his services in the summer.

Sporting director Markus Krosche has told the forward that it would be best for his development to stay where he is, though it’s stated that he could ‘consider a change’ if a suitor was to offer him the ‘right sporting perspective’.

English top-flight rivals Manchester United also have the talisman on their ‘agenda’.

The Verdict: Perfect candidate

Kolo Muani has been hailed a ‘top-class talent’ by journalist Zach Lowy and he would be the perfect candidate to take over Firmino’s role at Liverpool from the start of the 2023/24 term.

The Bondy native has clocked up a remarkable 30 goal contributions (16 goals and 14 assists) in just 34 Frankfurt appearances since joining, which makes him the prolific profile of player you can’t turn down.

The Adidas-sponsored star ranks in the 95th percentile for most successful take-ons and the 93rd percentile for most progressive carries per game, highlighting his desire to attack even when he’s not on the scoresheet (FBRef).

Finally, Kolo Muani is comfortable operating anywhere across a frontline so would add plenty of versatility to the squad, having previously played in five positions, which will be yet another attractive attribute to Klopp.

Injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar believes Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho may have suffered a Grade 2 tear in his hamstring.

The Lowdown: Coutinho’s absence

Coutinho has been out of action at Villa Park since February with a muscular issue sustained in the 4-2 Premier League defeat to Arsenal. The Brazilian actually scored his first goal of the season in what was a rare start under Unai Emery but has missed the last four top-flight games as a result.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke described the injury as a ‘blow’ for Emery and Coutinho, whereas Ben Dinnery said back in February that it could be April until we see Coutinho back in action, and another injury expert has shared his views on what the player may have done.

The Latest: Injury expert’s claim

Brar was talking to Villa News regarding Coutinho in a story shared in the last 48 hours. The expert said that ‘it sounds like a Grade 2 tear’ in his hamstring which would be a three-to-six-week timeline for a return, while also describing the risk of re-injury as a ‘major concern’.

“It’s been reported as a muscular injury and based on the timeline of him being back in April, it sounds like a Grade 2 tear.

“Those are typically three to six weeks so the timeline [of his return after the break] does fit.

“Re-injury risk is always a major concern with hamstring injuries and especially if it’s a hamstring region he’s already injured before.”

The Verdict: Summer exit?

Coutinho hasn’t exactly been a regular under Emery, and he was actually ruled out of the first two games under the Spaniard back in November with another hamstring issue.

The 30-year-old was linked with an exit from the Midlands in January, with speculation even suggesting that the player asked to leave the club. As we know, a move away failed to materialise, but following his struggles under Emery and injury issues, it wouldn’t come as a shock if he did depart in the summer.

Coutinho is thought to be one of the highest earners at the club on £125,000-a-week, so moving him on could help free up funds for new signings ahead of Emery’s first full season in charge.

Chief executive Christian Purslow has admitted he is “expecting an extremely busy summer” at Villa Park, so it’ll be interesting to see if Coutinho features in the remaining games of the season once he gets over his latest injury concern.

Tottenham Hotspur are no longer interested in appointing Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager, according to a report from Football Insider.

Who could Spurs appoint to replace Antonio Conte?

There have been multiple people linked with the now vacant manager role at Tottenham, namely Marco Silva, Sergio Conceicao and Thomas Frank, all of whom are said to be held in high regard by chairman Daniel Levy. That same report outlines that Julian Nagelsmann would be open to talks about a switch to N17 following his sacking by Bayern Munich, however the 35-year-old may need time to reflect, rather than immediately undertaking his next role.

In a recent interview with CaughtOffside, journalist Christian Falk detailed that another Bundesliga manager could be considered to replace Conte, with Oliver Glasner said to be 'on the list' and currently 'thinking' about a move to north London.

Now, according to a report from Football Insider, one man that will not be approached by the Tottenham board in the coming weeks is De Zerbi, with the Brighton boss now said to be out of the running.

Despite the fact Spurs have been "hugely impressed" by the 43-year-old since his arrival in the Premier League, Daniel Levy and co have changed their minds and ruled him out as a potential candidate, turning their attentions to other managers on the shortlist. Nagelsmann is now the Lilywhites' top managerial target, as he is considered a more elite manager than De Zerbi, while he would also be cheaper, requiring no compensation after his departure from Bayern Munich.

Would De Zerbi have been successful at Tottenham?

There is some indication that Tottenham may have made a mistake by ruling out the 43-year-old, given how impressive he has been since replacing Graham Potter, leading his side to the FA Cup semi-final, and up to seventh in the Premier League table.

The Seagulls are seven points off the top four with three games in hand, which means that a push for the European places is still very much on the cards, a remarkable achievement for a club of Brighton's size. Several members of the media have hailed the Italian for his "attractive" style of play, while journalist Ryan Adsett has claimed he is on the "elite level" of managers.

That said, Tottenham potentially hiring Nagelsmann is also an exciting prospect, given that he has already won three major trophies in his short managerial career.

Tottenham Hotspur are a club lacking an identity.

Antonio Conte knew what his philosophy would be, but that differed from the defensive stylings of both Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho before him.

Then, preceding all three of them was Mauricio Pochettino, who came the closest to any long-lasting success with his expansive brand of attacking football.

Ever since their rise to the top of the English game, the Lilywhites have seemingly lost all track of what direction they wanted to take the club in, with Daniel Levy one of many responsible for this. He has allowed the standards to drop in north London, and now seeking a new manager once again, they must find someone to pick them back up.

Needing a reset, and a strong-willed coach who would be happy to oversee such a revolution, there is arguably few more renowned for his work rebuilding a sleeping giant than Marcelo Bielsa.

Would Marcelo Bielsa join Spurs?

The Argentine is clearly keen to return to football, with his interest in both the recent vacancies at Everton and AFC Bournemouth enough to suggest he would be open to joining Spurs.

Especially following the suggestion from journalist Mark Carey, who put the great Argentine forward as a possible successor in north London.

Although the systems of Conte and the 67-year-old could not be more varied, given the former's reliance on defensive structure whilst the latter prefers free-flowing attack, the gruelling pre-season camp held last year would at least have the fitness levels up to the required level to replicate some form of the infamous 'murder-ball'.

His role in restoring Leeds United to the top flight was instrumental, and in doing so he reset the culture at Elland Road after a 16-year absence from the Premier League.

His unique brand of football had everyone enamoured, and although it had started to fall apart before his sacking, perhaps with a higher calibre of players it might reach new heights.

After all, many of the game's greatest managers have been quick to praise his exploits. Pep Guardiola lauded his achievement with that promotion and seemed to downplay his own legacy in comparison to his idols. He claimed: "Give him my Barcelona and you will see how he will win titles. Give me Leeds, with all due respect to the Leeds players, but I would still be in the Championship."

A former player from his reign, Jamie Shackleton, suggested that the unorthodox leader was a "world-class" coach before Carey seemed to outline exactly what Spurs need from a manager in Bielsa.

He noted: "Across his career, Bielsa has raised the levels of each squad he manages, he demands the highest standards from his players and he has a clear high-pressing style that could benefit many of Tottenham's current crop."

In an effort to find a new identity, and one which will mark a refreshing switch up from their dull last three appointments, Levy needs to look no further than the former Leeds boss.

Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea on Sunday and Todd Boehly isn’t hanging around when it comes to finding an ideal successor for the Englishman.

What’s the latest Chelsea manager news?

Fabrizio Romano tweeted shortly after Potter's departure was announced that Nagelsmann is the “favourite candidate” to replace the former Brighton boss at the Stamford Bridge helm.

The journalist went on to explain that Nagelsmann was “mentioned yesterday during internal discussions” suggesting that he is the man Boehly wants at the club.

This comes just days after the German claimed that taking over at Tottenham Hotspur could harm his career according to Football Insider. As such, this may give the Blues a better chance of convincing him to join.

Will Julian Nagelsmann join Chelsea?

It would take a momentous offer to persuade the 35-year-old to move to the Premier League, especially after his recent surprising sacking by Bayern Munich, but it could very well happen, with Chelsea having the right infrastructure and squad to challenge for trophies.

He started his managerial career at 1899 Hoffenheim at the tender age of 28, having coached various youth teams following his decision to retire aged just 20, and it looks as though it turned out to be an inspired move.

The young tactician led Hoffenheim to top-four finishes in his first two seasons and qualification for the Champions League before joining RB Leipzig in 2019.

He continued to break records, becoming the youngest manager to win a Champions League knockout tie at just 32 years old with that seeing him dubbed a “mini-Mourinho” by journalist Martin Laurence.

The great Portuguese, of course, won the same competition as a young mastermind and if Nagelsmann can replicate his feats at Chelsea should he be appointed, it will prove to be a stroke of genius by Boehly.

Despite winning three trophies at Bayern, the Bavarian giants are in a rare title race this term and it appears to have cost the 35-year-old his job.

That said, across 243 Bundesliga games, he has averaged 1.86 points per match and his experience at managing a European superpower under immense pressure shouldn’t faze him.

On the other hand, the job was an entirely unfamiliar feeling for Potter and perhaps was a step too far for the Englishman.

Chelsea need a manager who won't shy away from the challenge of winning major honours and with BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan describing the former Bayern boss as having an “evil genius concept in his head” he could be the Mourinho-like figure to revive Chelsea.

Indeed, if Boehly wants to get the club back to the Champions League while challenging for domestic honours again, maybe an ‘evil genius’ is exactly what he needs.

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has been reacting to another update involving the Whites and former forward Jean-Kevin Augustin.

What’s the latest news on Leeds and Augustin?

Augustin made the move to Elland Road back in January 2020 from RB Leipzig on loan with a view to a permanent transfer if Leeds won promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.

As we know, the Whites did eventually win the Championship in what was a pandemic-delayed season, although Augustin only featured in 48 minutes of action for the club.

What happened after that turned into a lengthy transfer saga, with Leeds eventually losing their Court of Arbitration case and being ordered to pay Leipzig £18m. The two clubs eventually reached a settlement over the transfer back in December, but a new update has now come to light.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Monday evening that FIFA have ordered Leeds to pay Augustin £24.5m for a breach of contract. The club have once again lodged an appeal, and Hay described it on Twitter as "another punishing development".

“Away this week but here from David Ornstein, another punishing development in the Jean-Kevin Augustin case. Leeds have appealed but they are on the hook for £24.5m due to Augustin, on top of the £15.5m settlement with RB Leipzig”

Will Augustin go down as Leeds’ worst-ever signing?

After this update, there is a serious argument that could easily go down as the club’s worst-ever addition. As James Marshment states, the striker could potentially end up costing an incredible £816,326 for every minute of competitive action he played for the Whites, whereas LUFCDATA breaks it down even further at £2.86m per touch of the ball.

In total, Leeds could be paying in the region of £40m for a player they hardly used, with the French forward, now 25, currently on the books with Swiss side FC Basel, where he has contributed to five goals in 18 appearances.

There could well be another lengthy process when it comes to an appeal over this decision, but if CAS previously ruled that Leeds needed to pay Leipzig for the transfer of the forward, then surely Augustin is entitled to his contract as a permanent Leeds player.

Andrea Radrizzani, the 49ers Enterprises and Victor Orta will be hoping the club can somehow work something out to prevent that from happening – making this one to keep an eye on once more.

Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen was slammed for his display in their Monday night drubbing in the Premier League against Liverpool.

How bad were Leeds on Monday night?

Javi Gracia's men were handed their second heavy home defeat in a row on Monday night after Jurgen Klopp's side put six past Illan Meslier.

And this came just days after Crystal Palace done similar on Easter Sunday as they ran riot with a stunning second-half display which saw them seal the points with a 5-1 victory.

The defeat now has Leeds hovering just two points above the drop zone with a testing clash against Fulham next up for the Yorkshire side.

It was a night Leeds will want to forget in a hurry as they became the Premier League's worst defence this season having conceded 60 goals.

One man who was at the centre of Leeds' issues on Monday was their Danish right-back, Kristensen, who had a night he will also want to forget quickly.

The 25-year-old made his return to the starting XI for the first time in three league games but could easily find himself back out of it on the back of this performance.

Indeed, in his post-game player ratings, journalist Jude Summerfield slammed the Danish full-back as he awarded him with a mere 2/10 rating: "Offered nothing on the ball and his lack of pace compared to Liverpool's attackers was evident," he wrote.

Is Kristensen good enough for Leeds?

It was certainly a night to forget for the £40k-per-week right-back who was making his 20th appearance in the league for the Whites this season (via Transfermarkt).

Having played the full 90 minutes, Kristensen found himself having been dribbled past three times and recording a poor pass accuracy of just 53% (via SofaScore).

The defender's performance was described as "appalling" by Yorkshire Post journalist Leon Wobschall on the night after he played his part in a number of the Liverpool goals.

A lack of quality on the ball was one of the main issues for the 25-year-old on Monday night having lost possession on 24 occasions throughout the game (via SofaScore).

And in comparison to Liverpool's right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kristensen provided 11 less successful crosses and provided no key passes, unlike Alexander-Arnold who offered his side two (via SofaScore).

The problem Leeds have is their options at right-back leave a lot to be desired with Luke Ayling have provided an identical return of tackles per 90 minutes and a similar number of shot-creating actions (via FBref).

But on the back of his performance on Monday night, it will be interesting to see if Ayling makes a quick return to the starting XI fo the trip to Craven Cottage.