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• Dyche demands 'maximum effort' as the minimum requirement from Everton

  Sean Dyche is demanding maximum effort as the minimum requirement from Everton when they host already relegated Sheffield United this weekend.

  Despite another nervy season at Goodison Park, during which they were deducted six points following a breach of Profitability and Sustainability Rules, the Toffees have secured their top-flight status for another year at least.

  Everton are enjoying a strong end to the campaign with last weekend's 1-1 draw at Luton Town extending their unbeaten run to four matches, and Dyche is not expecting his players to rest on their laurels.

  "I want us to perform and at least give everything, as we did at Luton," he said. 

  "You can’t always guarantee you are brilliant. But you can guarantee you give everything, and that was on show again this past weekend. 

  "The minimum requirement is maximum effort. It hasn’t changed, we want to take that into Goodison and hope we play a little bit better with the ball, and hopefully score some more goals."

  Dyche also saluted the impact of the younger members of his squad, with eight players aged 25 or under appearing 10 or more times during a testing season.

  "There are a lot of challenges for these players," he added. "But they are beginning to come together as a group, and we have seen that. It has rewarded us, of course, and the fans."

  However, their opponents' focus is already on next season, with their immediate return to the Championship confirmed.

  In an English top-flight campaign of 38 games or less, only Darwen (112 in 1891-92) and Leicester City (102 in 1908-09) have conceded more goals than the Blades (100).

  Chris Wilder knows there is plenty of work to do in United's quest to bounce straight back into the Premier League, but believes the close season will allow him the opportunity to get them in the best shape possible.

  "I'll have time to put my own stamp on it," he said. "I'll have time to sign players that I know are going to be good and have a strong enough mentality to do it. 

  “Defensively and from set-plays and everything else, there's an incredible amount of work to do. We can't do that at the moment because it's difficult, but we will do it, and we'll get it right in terms of those aspects of the game."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Everton – Jordan Pickford

  The Everton goalkeeper has kept 12 clean sheets in the Premier League this season – including one in each of the Toffees’ last four home games – with only Arsenal’s David Raya recording more (15)

  It is Pickford’s second-highest tally of shutouts in a single campaign after 2018-19 (14).

  Sheffield United – Ben Brereton

  Despite only joining the club in January, the Chile international has scored the most Premier League goals for the Blades this season (six).

  Brereton’s rate of a goal every 158 in the second-best by a United player in a single campaign (minimum 500 minutes) after Nathan Blake in 1993-94 (a goal every 145 minutes).

  MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON

  Everton have responded to their 6-0 defeat at Chelsea last month by embarking on a four-match unbeaten streak (winning three, drawing one).

  By contrast, United have lost each of their last five games, and are only the second side in Premier League history to concede 100 or more goals during a single campaign after Swindon Town in 1993-94.

  While the Toffees have lost their final home league match in just one of the last eight seasons (winning six, drawing one), the Blades have lost their final away game in each of their last four Premier League campaigns.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Everton: 54.1%
  Sheffield United: 19.3%
  Draw: 26.6%

• Everton shareholders demand a decision on takeover

  Everton shareholders have urged Farhad Moshiri and the Premier League to make a decision on the future of the club.

  The Toffees, who have been hit with two separate points deductions this season due to previous financial discrepancies, secured their Premier League status in April by beating Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Brentford in the space of six days.

  However, Everton remain in turmoil off the pitch, with majority shareholder Moshiri wanting out. He is aiming to sell the club to 777 Partners, a Miami-based investment firm that has stakes in several other clubs, including Genoa and Standard Liege.

  There is no lack of controversy surrounding 777, though, and their co-founders Josh Wander and Steve Pasko.

  It has been close to eight months since Moshiri confirmed his intention to sell his 94.1 per cent stake in Everton to 777, but so far the group has been unable to pass the Premier League's Owners' and Directors test.

  While 777 has pumped over £200million into Everton to fund the day-to-day running of the club, it has now the subject of multiple lawsuits.

  One of these lawsuits is by Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP and Leadenhall Life Insurance Linked Investments Fund plc, in New York.

  Leadenhall claims Pasko and Wander "are operating a giant shell game at best, and an outright Ponzi scheme at worst".

  On Tuesday, Everton's shareholders released a statement condemning the situation.

  The statement read: "We are the oldest shareholders’ association in the world and are dismayed by the lack of respect being shown to our football club by the largest shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, and the Premier League during what seems a never-ending change of ownership process.

  "We have observed with concern and frustration as it became increasingly clear that a fit-for-purpose process cannot possibly take this long as the Premier League continues to demonstrate their inability to regulate.

  "In the absence of the Premier League ­making a timely decision we insist that the Everton board, and Farhad Moshiri in particular, stop this ­damaging process now and ­recognise that 777 Partners are not at this time fit-and-proper ­­prospective ­owners of Everton Football Club.

  "The ­powers that be are being ­disrespectful to our fellow ­shareholders, our ­fantastic ­worldwide fanbase and football as a whole by continuing to allow this farce to continue. We demand a ­decision and we demand it now."

  Everton face Sheffield United on Saturday before rounding out their season with a trip to Arsenal.

• Thiago Silva to rejoin Fluminense when Chelsea contract expires

  Thiago Silva will return to his boyhood club Fluminense when he leaves Chelsea at the end of the season, the Blues have announced. 

  Silva joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and has made 152 appearances for the club, helping them win the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup.

  The 39-year-old confirmed last month that he would leave upon the expiration of his contract in June, pledging to return "in another role" when his playing days are over.

  However, that will not be for some time as the centre-back has agreed a two-year contract with Fluminense, who he first joined as a 14-year-old in 1998.

  Initially finding opportunities hard to come by with the Rio de Janeiro giants, he had spells with Pedrabranca, Juventude and Dynamo Moscow before returning to Fluminense – initially on loan – in 2006.

  He made his name with the club before joining Milan in a €10million deal in 2009, with that move kickstarting the defender's glittering career in European football.

  Silva announced he was returning to Brazil on Instagram, posting an image of himself in a Fluminense shirt alongside the caption: "I'm coming home".

  Chelsea said Silva will be allowed to train with Fluminense as soon as the Premier League season is over, before becoming eligible to represent the Brazilian side on July 1.

  It was feared Silva may already have played his final game for Chelsea when he suffered a groin injury during their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last month, but he was named in the starting lineup as they thrashed West Ham 5-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

  Silva has started 26 Premier League games for Chelsea this campaign, with the Blues conceding an average of 1.6 goals per game with him in their lineup, compared to two goals per match without him.