Jose Mourinho will be desperate for his Tottenham side to provide a swift response to their latest collapse when they travel to Everton on Friday night. After being held to a frustrating draw by Newcastle following the international break, Spurs led Manchester United 1-0 during last weekend’s eventful Premier League fixture in north London, only for an eventual 3-1 defeat to leave them scrambling badly in the crowded race for a top-four finish. Indeed, the manager later admitted that even finishing in the top six would now be a difficult task for a Tottenham side that seem bereft of confidence and hampered by repeated defensive errors.
Gbamin has been plagued by injuries since joining Everton in 2019.
The luckless Everton career of Jean-Philippe Gbamin has suffered another setback with the midfielder ruled out for the remainder of this season. Gbamin made his first appearance since August 2019 in his side’s recent home fixture with Crystal Palace, playing the last 11 minutes of a 1-1 draw. But hopes of a change of fortune were immediately dashed due to a knee injury suffered in training prior to Monday’s goalless draw with Brighton. There is some relief the latest setback will not require surgery, but it is bad enough to ensure Gbamin will not feature until next season. It is the latest in a series of devastating blows for a player who has made only three appearances for the Merseyside club - two as a substitute - amounting to 145 minutes of first-team football. The 25-year-old Ivorian has been cursed by injury since moving to Goodison Park from Mainz in a £25 million deal in the summer of 2019. His first significant absence followed a thigh problem shortly after his debut - also against Palace - which required two surgeries in October 2019 and February 2020 after a setback in his rehabilitation. Upon making his return to light training in May 2020, Gbamin then suffered another blow in what his club described as a ‘non-contact situation’ at the club’s USM training ground. That required Achilles surgery and another lengthy rehabilitation. Gbamin’s latest comeback did not go smoothly either, prolonging his first team return until last week. Now he has suffered medial collateral ligament damage. “A scan in London yesterday (Tuesday) confirmed an operation was not needed,” said an Everton statement. “Gbamin will not play again this season as a result of the injury.” Everton, meanwhile, are considering a summer move for Norwich City’s highly-rated right back Max Aarons. Aarons is understood to be keen to make the move, where he would join his former Canaries team-mate Ben Godfrey. Godfrey has been one of the most successful recent transfers at Goodison Park after joining for £20 million last summer. Norwich value Aarons at £30 million, which is more than Everton are prepared to pay. The England Under-21 international has three years left on his current deal. Everton are hoping to raise cash this summer with the sale of striker Moise Kean, who has impressed on loan at Paris Saint-Germain, helping his side to the Champions League semi-final. Everton have placed a £45 million price tag on the 21-year-old striker.