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Report: Ancelotti is an admirer of 24y/o EPL midfielder as Everton plots move

According to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland, Everton want a central midfielder with an energetic presence who is as capable on the ball as off it this summer, and they have identified Southampton’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a target. Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti is an admirer of the 24-year-old and the club were interested in bringing him to Goodison Park during the January transfer window. Hojbjerg has just a year left on his contract with the Saints and isn’t expected to put pen to paper on an extension. Having stalled on signing a new deal, Southampton won’t be keen to lose the Denmark international for free and will most likely cash in on him when the summer transfer window opens. Ancelotti has stressed his side’s need for more energy in the middle of the park, and Hojbje...

Another Premier League player tests positive for novel coronavirus

A third first-team player from Brighton & Hove Albion tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Premier League club’s chief executive Paul Barber has confirmed. Two Brighton players had contracted the novel coronavirus in March and April and the latest positive result could cast doubts on the Premier League’s plans to resume the season that has been suspended due to the pandemic. Clubs are due to meet on Monday to further discuss “Project Restart” which envisages a return to play in June once given the green light from government, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues. “It is a concern. Unfortunately we’ve had a third player test positive yesterday,” Barber told Sky Sports on Sunday. “So despite all of the measures that we’ve been taking over the ...

Will Premier League with no fans be worth the wait?

The Premier League is adamant that it can overcome huge logistical challenges to get players back on the pitch during the coronavirus crisis but has long since accepted there will be no fans in the stadiums. English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke became the latest senior figure to admit this week that social-distancing guidelines make it impossible for supporters to congregate in stadiums “any time soon”. The drive behind the Premier League’s “Project Restart” is the attempt to avoid having to pay back millions in TV revenue. Clubs could reportedly miss out on £762 million ($946 million) for failing to complete this season alone. According to UEFA’s latest European Club Footballing Landscape report, just 13 percent of the Premier League’s revenue comes from gate receipts. Englan...