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Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action to face off against Crystal Palace this afternoon, and interim manager Ryan Mason will be quite aware that anything other than victory will close the door on an unlikely route to Champions League qualification.

The north London outfit appeared to have rectified their recent woes after remarkably restoring parity through Richarlison in the 93rd minute at Anfield, having been 3-0 down to Liverpool after 15 minutes, only to squander their comeback to Diogo Jota's exquisite finish after a mistake from Lucas Moura.

The Lilywhites have not won in four league outings and must string together a pleasing run of results if European football is to be on the cards next season, especially given the seventh-placed team are currently one point behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who have two games in hand.

Despite the defeat to the Reds last time out, there were encouraging signs, and Mason will look to channel that energy into dispatching resurgent Palace.

Here's what Football FanCast is predicting…

How will Tottenham line up against Crystal Palace?

Mason might only make two alterations despite the club's recent misfortunes.

In goal, Fraser Forster will retain his place after Hugo Lloris was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to a hip injury.

Ben Davies could be set to start once again after a gallant performance against Liverpool as he won 11 of his 15 contested duels; Cristian Romero and Eric Dier will be expected to retain their roles in the back three.

Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic will occupy the flanks, hoping to utilise their creativity to bypass Roy Hodgson's sturdy defence, while £14.5m midfield starlet Pape Sarr – who dazzled at the San Siro – could make just his third league start of the term after Oliver Skipp's head injury in the previous fixture.

In the offensive third, the £110k-per-week Dejan Kulusevski, praised as a "ridiculous" talent by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, could be confined to the bench after failing to inspire confidence across recent weeks, while £60m summer signing Richarlison could earn a shot from the start after finally breaking his Premier League duck last week.

Harry Kane, who has impressively scored 25 goals from 34 matches in the top flight this term, will undoubtedly lead the line once again, with a revitalised Son Heung-min possibly combining with the England skipper to wreak havoc on this Eagles defence.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-3): Forster; Romero, Dier, Davies; Porro, Sarr, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Son, Richarlison; Kane

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly turned down the chance to become Blues boss for a third time, according to a new report.

How is Mourinho faring at Roma?

The Portuguese is one of the greatest managers in Chelsea's history, arriving in 2004 and winning three Premier League titles across two different spells. He is arguably one of the best and most charismatic bosses in European football history, too, proving to be a born winner and excelling in various countries, from Spain to Italy.

Mourinho is currently in charge at Roma, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in its inaugural season last year, and now guiding his side to the semi-finals of the Europa League this term. Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen stand between him and a place in another European final, as he continues to impress in his managerial career.

Chelsea have been working hard on nailing down a new permanent boss, but it looks as though they have finally got their man in Mauricio Pochettino. Things could have potentially been different, however, as per a new update.

Was Mourinho in the running for Chelsea job?

According to Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], the Blues contacted Mourinho about coming back for a third stint as manager, but he rejected them to stay put at Roma. A Blues official allegedly called the boss to include him on a shortlist with Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann.

Dubbed “one of the best coaches on the planet” by Tammy Abraham, Mourinho is said to be committed to the Serie A side moving forward and seemingly never entertained the idea of going back to Stamford Bridge.

While there is simply no doubting the 60-year-old's standing as a manager, returning for a third time could have felt like overkill, even though it wouldn't have been under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. There is a feeling that he has done as much as he can in west London, and considering he may not quite be at the level he once was, he could even have been an appointment that backfired.

In Pochettino, Chelsea are bringing in a younger, fresher option – one who will play more attacking football than Mourinho, too – and he looks like someone who could galvanise the whole club and get the most out of some struggling attacking players, from Raheem Sterling to Mykhailo Mudryk.

Rather than risk tarnishing his legacy, Mourinho is wise to stay at Roma and remain loved by many Chelsea fans, even if he has ended up rubbing a few up the wrong way the more the years have passed, considering he has gone on to manage Manchester United and Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino would jump at the chance to take over in N17 'in a heartbeat', says journalist Ryan Taylor.

What's the latest news involving Mauricio Pochettino?

Spurs now will be working under their third manager of the season with Cristian Stellini leaving the club on the back of their abysmal display on Sunday.

Ryan Mason has been appointed on a temporary basis as his successor until the end of the season, with the Spurs hierarchy hoping to convince former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann to take the reins this summer.

Pochettino had been linked extensively with the vacancy at Hotspur Way; however, Football Insider have now reported that he is in 'advanced talks' to become the new manager of Chelsea and an agreement is said to be fast approaching.

Former Tottenham manager Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of 2021/22, though he could now be set for a return to Premier League management with Spurs' London rivals.

According to The Daily Mail, Spurs haven't formally approached the 51-year-old over a return despite some players and supporters clamouring for him to be given a chance of a second spell in charge.

Daily Express journalist Taylor believes that Pochettino would jump at the chance to become Tottenham's new manager.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Taylor stated:

"On the flip side, say you brought Pochettino back in when Conte was sacked; he's got 10 games to work with his squad to decide what he wants for next season. There are positives to it if you can convince him and I think Pochettino would go back to Tottenham in a heartbeat, honestly."

Who else could get the Tottenham Hotspur job?

In recent times, several other candidates have been linked with the Tottenham job, such as Burnley's Vincent Kompany, Feyenoord manager Arne Slot and Spanish coach Luis Enrique.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has also been considered, as per Alasdair Gold. At the same time, talkSPORT earmarked Brighton & Hove Albion man Roberto De Zerbi as a contender earlier this month.

Nevertheless, it still isn't clear who the next man to take over at Spurs will be, which they will need to resolve soon to halt their implosion on the field.

Having seen their hopes of finishing in the top-four take a massive dent in their humiliating 6-1 defeat to Newcastle last weekend, it may be time for Daniel Levy and company to act to try and make sure their 2022/23 campaign retains an element of respectability.

There has been a clamouring for the Argentine to be reinstated in north London but it seems as if the fans could be set for more misery with the man club legend, Graham Roberts, hailed a "genius" seemingly close to joining Chelsea.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United have a "virtually fully fit squad" to play in the east London club's match tonight.

What's the latest West Ham team news?

There's every reason for the Hammers to come into the Premier League clash against Liverpool with a renewed sense of confidence.

After all, they are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak, which includes their Europa Conference League quarter-final triumph over Gent.

Last time out in the league, they also thumped Bournemouth 4-0 and picked up a 2-2 draw after coming from behind against high-flying Arsenal.

With that being the case, David Moyes and co should have no reason to fear Liverpool, especially as they have a near-fully fit squad to choose from – missing only the injured Gianluca Scamacca​​​​​​.

Indeed, Ex revealed as much in a post shared on The West Ham Way Patreon page. However, seeing as that win against the Cherries came only three days ago, Moyes may want to rest Michail Antonio who might be fatigued.

The insider explained: "West Ham have yet another reported virtually fully fit squad to choose from going into the big game against Liverpool.

"Following a very impressive performance against Bournemouth the manager is left with the choice of sticking with the same team or alternating one or two players.

"Key players like Antonio who struggle to play two games in one week were able to be subbed off again early against Bournemouth, giving him more of a chance of remaining within the team.

"The only confirmed absentee is Gianluca Scamacca who has been ruled out for the season with his knee operation. Another forward, Divine Mubama, played in yesterday‘s amazing under-18s victory so is unlikely to be used today."

Will Antonio start against Liverpool?

On paper, it would make a lot of sense to start Antonio against Liverpool. After all, the Englishman has three goals in his last two games.

However, this means he will have started twice in the space of three days, and it might not be in him to start yet another match just three days later – even though he hasn't played a full 90 minutes in that period.

Seeing as the £85k-per-week forward hasn't always been a regular in the team this term – starting just 16 of his 28 league appearances – the 33-year-old might struggle to be at his best against Liverpool.

Of course, Scamacca is injured, but Moyes could turn to Danny Ings instead. The Englishman has been benched in place of Antonio in recent weeks but could now be asked to step up.

It is certainly a big call to make with Ings not in quite so good form, having failed to score in his last six league outings for the Irons, but it remains to be seen how Moyes lines up ahead of the Reds' visit.

Manchester United are “definitely” interested in a deal to bring Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to the Premier League, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Who is trying to sign Osimhen?

The Nigeria international’s deal at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium isn’t set to run out for another two years, but having established himself as Luciano Spalletti’s top-offensive and second overall best player with a match rating of 7.55, has caught the eye of Erik Ten Hag.

Fabrizio Romano claimed in February that the Red Devils boss is a “big fan” of the 24-year-old’s skill set, whilst Florian Plettenberg has since reported that the hierarchy “really want” to bring him to Old Trafford. The Serie A forward has already handed his admirers a boost by admitting that it’s his dream to one day complete a move to the top-flight and it sounds like they are therefore keeping close tabs ahead of the upcoming window.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sheth revealed that Osimhen is indeed a serious target at Man United but insisted that any deal taking place is likely to depend on the funds that will be available to them. He said:

“Osimhen could be one of the big movers in the summer. United would definitely be interested because they want to fill that position. But again, as I mentioned before, that takeover and the finances within that club are going to hold a big key in whether they'd be able to get someone like Osimhen or not."

Where would Osimhen fit in at Man United?

Man United striker Wout Weghorst could be set to return to Burnley in the summer after a disappointing loan spell which has seen him score just two goals, so should he depart, Osimhen would be the perfect long-term replacement for Ten Hag.

The Lagos native has clocked up a remarkable 30 goal contributions (25 goals and five assists) in 30 appearances across all competitions this season and he ranks in the 99th percentile for total number of shots by strikers in the top leagues, form which has seen him lauded a “joy to watch” by journalist Josh Bunting.

The £93k-per-week star would also add excellent versatility to the squad with his ability to play as a natural centre-forward, second striker and even out wide on both the left and right flanks, so should the opportunity to sign him arise, United really have a no-brainer of a decision to make.

Manchester United have been blasted for their “atrocious” defending for Ellis Simms' chance during their Premier League game against Everton by journalist Laurie Whitwell.

Victory at Old Trafford…

The Red Devils were the hosts at Old Trafford this afternoon where Erik Ten Hag and his side secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial either side of the break.

Prior to the Scottish international’s moment of magic for the opener though, Toffees forward Simms had a glorious chance to put the visitors in front after breaking free and getting one-on-one with David De Gea only to put his effort wide of the post.

Taking to Twitter, Whitwell couldn’t believe how easy it was for Simms to get away from Manchester United’s defence and provide himself with an opportunity. He wrote:

“Atrocious defending from United for that Everton chance. Tarkowski ambled forward unchallenged, then Simms + Coleman had all the space/time they wanted to exchange passes. Terrible finish by Simms. He could have picked his spot.”

Should United be worried about their defence?

Manchester United will obviously have been concerned in that specific moment that they could have been about to go behind but given the overall performance on the day, luckily for Ten Hag it’s not something that he should worry about.

During the first-half, the Red Devils had 21 shots on target which is the most by any side in the opening 45 minutes of any game this season which just goes to show how many chances they were creating in the final third, albeit not putting every one away, as per OptaJoe.

The Dutch boss will no doubt be concerned by the injury to Marcus Rashford, who was forced off the pitch on 71 minutes, which put a slight dampener on the positive spirits.

However, there was so much to be optimistic about, and in terms of the race for the top four, United have put themselves in a very strong position heading into the run-in.

Arsenal's quest for Premier League glory resumes later today, and Mikel Arteta has an interesting conundrum on his hands.

His side has seemed unstoppable this season, and although Manchester City boast a game in hand the eight-point gap that separates them is a daunting one.

Pep Guardiola has overseen bigger comeback stories, but with the form of the Gunners, it is hard to look past them as comfortable favourites.

Not only this, but the international break has afforded additional recuperation time for some of their injured assets; namely Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Jesus.

Both had been stepping up their respective recoveries and were seeking a return to the first team, but the need for the latter remains far more imperative.

During Arsenal's comfortable win over Crystal Palace, Arteta started the game without a recognised striker leading the frontline, so adding him back into the fold could be that extra spark needed to push them over the line.

Today’s clash with Leeds United marks a fine opportunity to conclude their return to full fitness, with the Brazilian dynamo starting from the off.

Is Gabriel Jesus fit?

Having entered the World Cup in blistering form, with five goals and six assists in 14 league matches, it was devastating to see him forced off in Brazil’s 1-0 loss to Cameroon.

What compounded their misery was the subsequent knee surgery he would undergo, which has seen him ruled out ever since.

Before that mid-season hiatus, many were mentioning Jesus within the conversation for being the signing of the season.

Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith even noted: “Jesus might not be scoring but look how influential he is. And I think bringing him in and Zinchenko to a degree, it’s that winning mentality.”

To further exacerbate what a boost his return is, the fact that he could start against the Whites is ironic given his last league goal for Manchester City came against them, with Guardiola's side running rampant in a 4-0 victory.

Jesus, as per Sofascore, offered more than just a goal threat too, having recorded a match-high 8.3 rating on top of three successful dribbles, a whopping five key passes (more than Phil Foden or any other City star) and nine duels won.

There will be hope that he can repeat such a feat, on a day when he terrorised the Yorkshire outfit.

His re-emergence for the run-in comes at the perfect time, and the experience of the £60m-rated marksman in closing out title wins is vast. The 5 foot 9 marksman already has four league titles to his name, with journalist Alex Brotherton even crediting him as “the unsung hero of City's Premier League triumph” last year.

This late return could now see the former Citizen achieve the same success with Arsenal, once again firing a team to glory in the English top-flight.

Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that Arsenal are remaining tight-lipped over the injury status of William Saliba but he believes it won't be as bad as the Takehiro Tomiyasu setback.

What's the latest on William Saliba and his Arsenal injury?

The French centre-back missed the club's last Premier League game due to a back injury that has also consequently stopped him from going on international duty this week.

Indeed, Saliba was absent against Crystal Palace after coming off early in the recent defeat against Sporting Lisbon. This is particularly bad timing for the Gunners, as Tomiyasu also picked up an injury in that Europa League match.

In an unfortunate update on the right-back, it has now been revealed that the Japan international will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

On the Saliba front, however, Watts has explained that there aren't any "noises coming out" from the club right now and so the situation remains uncertain.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "I don't know what's going on with Saliba yet. I can't tell you, unfortunately; it's not been announced. There's not really any noises coming out from Arsenal about it.

"So we'll have to wait and see with Saliba exactly the extent of this injury. Fingers crossed, it's nothing like Tomiyasu. I don't think it is.

"But we'll have to wait and see, and see exactly what Arsenal confirm when it does come to Saliba.”

When was Saliba expected to be back from injury?

After the win against Palace, manager Mikel Arteta sounded concerned about Tomiayu's chances of an early return, saying (via football.london): "It’s not looking good. Tomi is not one to exaggerate things. He was really concerned straight away and we are concerned."

As explained above, he's since been proved right. On Saliba, though, he was more positive: "We hope Willy is going to be better news. Again we have to wait to tomorrow [Monday] to get a better picture."

Seeing as it's now Wednesday and no official statement has come out, and Watts hasn't been able to learn anything notable, it could be potentially worrying.

However, no news is often good news and with a few weeks off now while the international break takes place, there is no reason for Arsenal to rush to provide any specific diagnoses on Saliba just yet.

Still, he's been key for the Gunners this season with pundit Jamie Carragher noting "he looked the real deal" when making his Premier League debut.

Seeing as the 21-year-old had started every league game since then, right up until his recent injury, Arteta will no doubt be desperate to have him fit again as soon as possible.

There appears to now be a frontrunner in Tottenham Hotspur's search for a successor to Antonio Conte at N17…

What's the latest on Thomas Frank to Spurs?

According to the Daily Record, the Lilywhites have seemingly identified Brentford manager Thomas Frank as the leading candidate to take charge of the club, with Conte facing an imminent exit after just 18 months at the helm.

The report suggests that provided the experienced Italian is shown the door, chairman Daniel Levy will hand the reigns to Ryan Mason on an interim basis until the end of the season, before naming a long-term appointment at a later stage.

As the piece also adds, despite Levy having sought out high-profile, marquee figures in the recent past in the form of both Conte and Jose Mourinho, the Englishman could now look to find a "project" manager who will be given time to build, such as the Bees boss.

Should Spurs appoint Thomas Frank?

Having gone down the short-term route of snapping up quick fixes such as Mourinho and Conte – both of whom have failed to deliver silverware despite being "serial winners", according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst – it looks as if it would be a wise decision to adopt a different approach this time around.

Although some may argue the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo in 2021 was a more left-field, radical move, the Portuguese coach had been something of a last resort after a succession of managers had snubbed the chance of taking the job, with the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man also going into the role off the back of a disappointing campaign at Molineux – with the Old Gold finishing 13th.

Frank, by contrast, would be heading to north London following what has been a stunning campaign thus far at Brentford, with the impressive Dane having guided his side into European contention despite only securing promotion to the top flight ahead of the 2021/22 season.

After comfortably surviving last term, the west Londoners now have more lofty ambitions on their mind after moving into eighth in the table heading into the international break, with the 49-year-old having undoubtedly done an "unbelievable" job at the club to date, as per BBC pundit Alan Shearer.

As Shearer also outlined, Frank's men simply "fear no one" despite their relatively recent return to the top tier, having earned notable scalps against both Liverpool and Manchester United this season – hitting the latter side for four back in August.

Although the former Brondby boss – who took charge of his current side in 2018 after previously working as an assistant to Dean Smith – had suggested earlier this year that his side would need a "miracle" to find themselves competing near the top end of the table, on current form a place in Europe next season is not out of the question.

That fine work has ensured that Frank is more than deserving of a big move to one of the Premier League's 'big boys', with Tottenham likely hoping he could well be able to achieve a few more 'unbelievable' things were he to make the switch.

Liverpool will not keep hold of out-of-favour midfielders Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Midfield pair out of favour

The Reds have endured a painful season to date, finding themselves battling only for a top-four finish in the Premier League, following exits from every other competition.

Liverpool’s midfield has been a big reason for their struggles, with the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago not possessing the legs they once did, and youngsters Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott still very much learning their game.

Injuries to some of those players have constantly been an issue and Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have been hugely problematic, in that respect.

They have been continually out of the team, starting only seven league games between them, and even when they have been fit, they have often been overlooked.

The Latest: Summer exit expected

Writing in his daily briefing for Substack, Romano claimed that both Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain would depart Liverpool alongside Roberto Firmino once the summer transfer window arrives, with their contracts expiring:

“I expect both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to follow Roberto Firmino and leave Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.

“James Milner will decide in the next months, he will speak to Jurgen Klopp too. For all the other players, it will be decided in May/June ahead of the transfer window. Firmino, Keita and Oxlade will explore options soon but nothing is decided yet.”

The Verdict: Both hugely disappointing

This is absolutely the correct decision from Liverpool, with both Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain flattering to deceive far too much to justify being retained beyond the summer.

Injuries have clearly played a big part in their struggles, which is not their fault, but their overall impact for the Reds has diminished greatly as the years have passed.

Keita has simply never managed to get going in a Liverpool shirt after arriving with such a huge reputation from RB Leipzig, making just 129 appearances as he approaches five years at the club.

Meanwhile, Oxlade-Chamberlain never seems to have fully recovered from the cruciate ligament injury that he suffered against Roma back in 2018, at a point when he was in superb form and a key member of Jurgen Klopp’s starting lineup.

He has lost that dynamism that he once possessed and other injuries have stunted his progress further down the years, and with his 30th birthday approaching this summer, he won’t be as good as he once was.