Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed Pep Guardiola as “the best coach in the world” as the close friends prepare for a potentially seismic game in the Premier League title battle this weekend.

Manchester City play host to their title rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday having won the last seven home meetings between the two sides.

Arsenal finally managed to record a rare victory over City when they won the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season and go into the weekend top of the table – above Liverpool on goal difference with Guardiola’s reigning champions a point further back.

The two Spaniards are good friends, Arteta having worked under Guardiola at City between 2016 and 2019 and played his part in two Premier League title wins.

Now though, they will once again be in opposite dugouts as Arteta prepares to lock horns with a manager he believes is without rival.

Asked if his relationship with Guardiola was different now, Arteta replied: “It had to change.

“My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn’t. In my opinion he’s the best coach in the world by a mile and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve met in football.

“Certainly he’s one of the ones that I’ve had the most fun and laughter working with. That’s going to stay there forever.

“At the moment the rules are what they are and you’re going to have to adapt to it.”

Having sparred for the title last season, before City ultimately pipped Arsenal for the trophy en route to winning the treble, Arteta is keen to go one better this term.

“Probably I would prefer to do it against someone who I don’t have those feelings for but that’s not a choice,” he added.

“It’s what it is. We both want to win.

“We’ll prepare the game very well. You cannot feel different about the person, but professionally you have to act differently.”

Arteta confirmed forwards Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli could feature having missed the international break with minor injuries, while Gabriel Magalhaes is also expected to be fit enough to start.

The challenge for Arsenal is not only end a nine-year wait for a league win at City but to also emulate their rivals in establishing themselves as a major power in European football.

“They have raised the bar in this league and football in general to levels that haven’t been seen before,” he added on City’s success.

“That’s the beauty of this sport because it makes you better and challenges you more. You have to keep up with that pace and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“It’s a massive game for both teams. It will give us a huge boost again if we go there and win it. Still there is a long, long, long way after to make the ground to win it.”

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will take things “day by day” with Andy Robertson as he indicated the left-back’s injury was not serious.

Robertson was being assessed by the Reds after coming off in the first half of Scotland’s friendly against Northern Ireland on Tuesday due to an ankle issue.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League home clash with Brighton, Liverpool boss Klopp said: “Robbo, we take it a little bit day by day, so we will see.

“He will not train today but it’s not as bad, so that’s fine.”

Klopp – whose side after the Brighton game continue their title bid by hosting Sheffield United next Thursday, then playing Manchester United away three days later – also reported that Darwin Nunez, a withdrawal from Uruguay’s squad as the international break got under way, was “fine”.

Ibrahima Konate, absent for Liverpool’s last three games, is set to be available this weekend as well, and while Klopp said he was unsure if that applied to Curtis Jones, the midfielder has been training.

Liverpool have also had Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota on the sidelines, and Klopp added: “The other boys, from next week on, step by step I think they will join parts of team training, and then team training, so we will see what we do with that.

“They’re not too far away but not in yet. They all make their steps, so it’s positive.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that key defensive duo Kyle Walker and John Stones will miss Sunday’s title showdown with Arsenal.

Walker suffered a hamstring injury in the early stages of England’s friendly with Brazil last weekend, while Stones completed that game but then picked up an adductor problem 10 minutes into the draw with Belgium.

Goalkeeper Ederson could return to the side for the first time since suffering a thigh injury when conceding a penalty against Liverpool and Manuel Akanji has recovered from a knock on international duty with Switzerland, while Guardiola will make a late decision on the fitness of Kevin de Bruyne.

“Ederson is much better but Kyle and John are out,” Guardiola said. “It is what it is.

“For Kyle it will be more tougher than John (in terms of recovery), but I don’t know for how many games he will be out.”

Asked if he was surprised that Stones had started both England friendlies, Guardiola would only say: “I don’t have any comments on that.”

Sunday’s game is the last of the season between any of the top three, with Arsenal top of the table on goal difference from Liverpool and reigning champions City a point behind.

Guardiola’s side remain in contention for a repeat of last season’s treble, with Real Madrid their opponents in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea also to look forward to.

“It’s good to be here and in contention for three titles after what happened last season,” Guardiola added. “We made incredible work.

“Right now every game is so important. If we are able to do it (against Arsenal), the next game will be important as well.

“We played really good the last month but the international break, the first game after you think what will happen? Yesterday we trained good and we have two more training sessions and will be ready for it again.”

City won all three games against Arsenal last season, including a 4-1 victory at the Etihad, but the Gunners have turned the tables this campaign with victory on penalties in the Community Shield and a 1-0 win at the Emirates in October.

Asked what the difference is between Mikel Arteta’s side then and now, Guardiola said: “Same manager, same players.

“They control many aspects of the game and every time they are better and better.

“When you have consistency in terms of ideas and the same manager, you always improve. If you change manager and players, it is more difficult.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is confident Kobbie Mainoo can deal with the hype following his impressive full England debut.

Just four months on from making his first Premier League start, the 18-year-old put in a man-of-the-match performance in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley.

Mainoo had not even been included in the initial England squad but followed a promising debut off the bench against Brazil by potentially earning a spot at Euro 2024 with his display against Belgium.

That performance has taken the midfielder’s stock to new heights but Ten Hag is confident the success will not go to his head.

“I thought it was very good, but we are not surprised,” the United boss said. “We have seen what he is capable of, that he can very quickly adapt to high levels. It looks very natural.

“We are very happy for him and of course a little bit proud. I would say very proud.

“It’s great for the academy of Manchester United that they bring up a player so young going into the national team. That is a big compliment for the whole club.

“I think definitely in the first place for himself because he did it.

“But also for all the ones who worked with him during his time in the academy, so it’s very good news for Manchester United.”

Asked if he has to manage the hype around Mainoo, Ten Hag said: “Yes, but we have discussed this before and so far he handles it very well.

“If he crosses the line, yeah, of course I as a manager, we as coaches, will interfere.

“But so far it’s not necessary because he enjoys football, he wants to win, he wants to give his best every day because he want to improve.

“As I say, he just wants to have fun on the pitch. For him, it’s fun to play dominant, to dictate the game and to win the game.”

Mainoo was conspicuous by his absence from United’s training photos on Thursday as Ten Hag’s side gear up for the Saturday evening trip to Brentford.

The Red Devils head to the capital looking to kick on after the jaw-dropping 4-3 extra-time win against Liverpool in their FA Cup quarter-final before the international break.

That win gives United a pep in their step, as does the impending return of centre-back Lisandro Martinez after two months out with a knee injury.

“Yes, there is a chance (Martinez is involved on Saturday),” Ten Hag said.

“We missed him every game because he brings a composure in the team, a calmness in the team.

“And at the same time, a winning attitude and he can express this very clearly, he can transfer this into the team and that contributes a lot to our levels.”

Questions remain over the fitness of Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Jonny Evans, among others, while Amad Diallo joins United’s long-term absentees on the sidelines for the weekend.

Luke Shaw is among those and faces a race against time to make England’s Euro 2024 squad, but Ten Hag expects him back in a United shirt before the end of the campaign.

“Yes, I expect him back before the end of the season,” Ten Hag said. “That is the plan and he’s still on schedule on this. He will return to our team.”

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has urged the Football Association not to “throw the book” at midfielder Sandro Tonali after charging him with further betting offences.

The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month worldwide ban imposed by the Italian Football Federation in October after he admitted breaking gambling rules, is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12 and October 12 last year.

However, Howe, who has been without his £55million summer signing from AC Milan since October, is hoping English football’s governing body will not impose further stringent punishment on a player whose agent, Giuseppe Riso, has insisted is battling a “gambling addiction”.

Howe said: “The news that there was an FA charge, that illness didn’t stop when he moved from Italy to England, that illness was there and people should look at it that way, not ‘let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’ because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem.

“We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.”

Asked if he was worried Tonali, who has until April 5 to respond, could be handed a consecutive ban to run after the existing penalty has come to an end, Howe added: “We don’t know, is the honest answer. I certainly hope for Sandro that there are no further consequences.

“He has suffered during this period, he has sought help, he’s been very honest, he has admitted he has an issue, and I think the best thing for Sandro would be to resume his career having taken his punishment and having learned a lot of lessons from this.”

Tonali’s initial 18-month suspension was reduced by eight months on condition that he underwent treatment for his addiction and made 16 public appearances in Italy to talk to young players about the dangers of gambling.

He is currently allowed to train with Newcastle, who face West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, but cannot play again until the end of August.

Asked how Tonali is dealing with the situation, Howe said: “He is seeking help on a regular basis. This is something that won’t go away for him, so he has regular meetings in Italy and in England to deal with the problems that he has.

“But I have to say mentally, he’s been very good in his training sessions, he’s been very good off the pitch. He’s been a brilliant team-mate to the people here and supporting team-mates and training really well to set a positive example.

“His English has improved a lot as well, which has been great. He can communicate now really well with his team-mates, which is such an important thing.

“I’m really positive about his comeback, whenever that is, that he’ll have a huge impact on the team.”

What the papers say

Manchester United are the latest club to chase Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, 25, according to the Daily Mail. Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also tracking the RB Leipzig player, who has a £52million release clause.

Newcastle took the chance to watch Brazil players against England last week. The Newcastle Chronicle reports Barcelona winger Raphinha and Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, also 27, are potential targets.

Crystal Palace face competition to sign Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, 19. The Evening Standard reports Atletico Madrid are also keen on the Spain Under-21 international.

Chelsea are planning the club’s long-term future off the pitch. The Daily Mail says Todd Boehly will be replaced as chairman in 2027.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Joselu: The Spain striker, 34, who is on loan at Real Madrid from Espanyol, is among Manchester United’s potential targets, according to Spanish outlet Relevo.

Jarrad Branthwaite: Manchester United face competition from Manchester City and Newcastle for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, reports Football Transfers.

Reported Liverpool managerial target Xabi Alonso is unlikely to jump ship from Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, according to Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness.

The 42-year-old, who lifted the Champions League trophy in 2005 during his debut season with the Reds, has been a widely touted as a likely replacement for Jurgen Klopp, who in January announced he will stand down at the end of the season after eight-and-a-half decorated years at Anfield.

Bayern are thought to be one of the other clubs courting the Spaniard’s services, but Hoeness was highly pessimistic about anyone’s chances of luring Alonso away from Leverkusen.

He told Das Erste: “We’ll have to see if we can do it this year.

“It will be difficult, if not probably impossible. (Alonso) is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind.

“Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there.”

Alonso’s men are on course to secure the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history, sitting 10 points clear of Bayern Munich in second.

In February, their 2-1 victory over Mainz to make it 33 games unbeaten broke the German record for consecutive competitive matches without a loss,  surpassing Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich team of 2020 and 2021.

They have since extended that run to 38 fixtures, most recently with a 3-2 victory over Freiburg before the international break.

Everton boss Sean Dyche is hoping for a quick resolution to the club’s latest profit and sustainability charge and that the case “comes to nothing”.

The Merseysiders, who have already been deducted six points this season, are facing further punishment over a second alleged breach of the Premier League’s regulations.

A hearing took place earlier this week and the club are now awaiting a verdict, which should be delivered before April 8.

Dyche said at a press conference: “They’ve shared the information that was asked of them. It’s too early to get a feel of it and we’re just waiting, really, like we did last time.

“I’m sure everyone’s hoping that it’s fast-tracked slightly, but we’ll have to wait and see.

“I don’t think anyone has concrete proof of how or which way these things will go, particularly after the first one.

“We can only give the information that’s appropriate. I wasn’t there, obviously, but I’m told we’ve given every bit of information that we can give.

“We hope that they see, accordingly, what the club has been trying to do to make sure we’re within the right areas that they need us to be in. So, therefore, we’ll hope that it comes to nothing.”

Everton’s punishment and potential further sanction, coupled with a four-point deduction for relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, has confused the situation at the bottom of the table.

The Toffees are currently four points above 18th-placed Forest, but the East Midlands outfit have an appeal pending.

There are fears the final positions, and consequently the relegation picture, may not be resolved until after the season has concluded.

With Everton initially docked 10 points before that was reduced to six on appeal, and the Forest penalty a different figure altogether, Dyche admits he is puzzled.

“There’s no consistency,” said Dyche, whose side travel to Bournemouth on Saturday hoping to end an 11-game winless run.

“I don’t know the minutiae of our own, let alone theirs. When you’re in that room, and the way they decide things, maybe there’s different reasons and I can only imagine there’s more depth to it.

“But in its simplest form, then I think everyone, not just us, said, ‘How’s that? Where did that come from? How does that work out?’

Dyche, meanwhile, played down reports of a bust-up with defender Nathan Patterson during the club’s recent training camp in Portugal.

It was claimed Dyche jokingly aimed a slap at the Scot but accidentally caught him harder than he intended, leading to heated exchanges.

Dyche said: “The old favourite – never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

“There’s nothing in it, really. It was a joke. I tapped him on the head like your older brother would, and he didn’t get the joke. That was it, basically. There’s no more to it.

“But of course, that wouldn’t have sold. So, when that does get out everyone has to add layers and layers and layers to it but it’s really that simple. That was it.”

Marco Silva believes the pressure on Rodrigo Muniz’s shoulders is a “privilege” after the Fulham striker extended his scoring form against Tottenham.

The Brazilian has starred for the west Londoners in recent weeks, scoring seven goals in his last seven appearances in the Premier League, including an impressive brace in the 3-0 win over Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs earlier this month.

Muniz’s rise to become the Cottagers’ main striker comes after he struggled for minutes at the start of the season, being out of favour and sitting behind Raul Jimenez and Carlos Vinicius in the pecking order up front.

Speaking ahead of Fulham’s clash with Sheffield United on Saturday, head coach Silva said: “The pressure is a privilege for Rodrigo’s situation.

“He is in a much better position now than he was three months ago. Why should he feel so much pressure now? Three months ago he was on the bench and fighting to have a chance to score.

“He’s playing so well, he’s improving and working hard and scoring goals so why should he feel so much pressure now?

“The defenders are more aware of him and it’s fantastic for a striker when you feel the people around you trust that you can solve the problems for us and that you can be a decisive player.

“I see it as a privilege rather than something which is not good.”

Chris Wilder’s Blades sit bottom of the table and are looking for just a fourth league win of the season after a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last time out snapped a three-match losing run.

Silva warned that his players cannot afford to be complacent and expects their hosts to bring the fight at Bramall Lane.

“If we go into the game complacent then we are going to have problems, we will be surprised,” Silva added.

“We have to have the same ambition, focus and desire which we played the last few games with.

“They will fight really hard to get the points and they are not in a position they wanted, bottom of the table is tough and every game where you don’t get points you are getting more in trouble.

“They have shown the capacity to react and their last game was an example.”

Fulham’s form of four wins in seven has seen them close the gap on teams in contention for European places and Silva insists motivation is high among his players to finish the season well.

“We are full of motivation,” he said. “The motivation was really high against Tottenham and we felt that at Craven Cottage.

“It is about motivation, desire, the will to go every time and the commitment. We always have to be on top and it will always be the same for us. Every time we go into a match we have to do our maximum.”

Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was surprised Ben Chilwell started two games for England during the international break, having only recently returned from a knee injury.

The defender last started for Chelsea on March 2 against Brentford and since then has played just a few minutes for the club, as a late substitute in the FA Cup against Leicester.

Yet he played the entirety of England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium on Tuesday, three days after completing 67 minutes against Brazil.

The Argentinian is no closer to seeing the end of his team’s injury crisis with nine players currently ruled out of Saturday’s meeting with Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

More squad members will be assessed after returning from international duty, including Chilwell, who took a knock to his knee against Belgium.

“He didn’t play after Brentford, then he played only a few minutes against Leicester,” said Pochettino. “(Then) he started two games (for England).

“It’s a surprise for us. It’s bad luck because he got a dead leg in the last moment against Belgium. Now we need to assess if he can be available.”

Enzo Fernandez was set to return to the club’s Cobham training base on Thursday afternoon after playing twice for Argentina in the United States during the break, and is another player whose fitness will be checked on.

Three names unlikely to feature on Saturday however are Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka, the latter after returning injured from duty with England Under-21s.

The club confirmed this week that Romeo Lavia would be out for the rest of the season.

The summer signing from Southampton has played just 32 minutes for the first team since arriving in west London for £58million and has suffered a series of setbacks.

“It’s a difficult situation for him,” said Pochettino. “He’s sad. He only played 30 minutes, for a new player at the club.

“When we signed him, he arrived with problems. He couldn’t train with us for the first months. Then when he was ready he suffered a problem in his feet.

“He recovered, he played 30 minutes then got injured in December. Then he didn’t have the possibility to train. It’s really sad news.”

However, top scorer Cole Palmer is likely to be available to face Burnley, having not featured in either of England’s games during the last week.

The 21-year-old was injured for the Brazil game and was an unused substitute against Belgium.

“I talked with him,” said Pochettino. “He’s a little bit disappointed because he couldn’t play with the national team.

“The first game he had a small problem. He thought maybe he’d play the second game.

“Now he’s OK, is training well. The plan is he will be available for Saturday.”

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules, the FA has announced.

Tonali is alleged to have breached FA rule E8 50 times by betting on matches between August 12, 2023 and October 12, 2023.

The 23-year-old, who is currently serving a 10-month ban for betting offences while playing in Italy, has until April 5 to respond.

Newcastle said in a statement: “Newcastle United acknowledges a misconduct charge received by Sandro Tonali in respect of alleged breaches of FA Betting Rules.

“Sandro continues to fully comply with relevant investigations and he retains the club’s full support.

“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”

In October last year Tonali was suspended for 10 months after reaching a plea bargain following an investigation into illegal betting conducted by the Italian Prosecutor’s Officer and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

He was also fined 20,000 euros and ordered to partake in an eight-month course of therapy to address his issues after his agent, Giuseppe Riso, said the former AC Milan midfielder was living with a gambling addiction.

Nottingham Forest have paid tribute to double European Cup winner Larry Lloyd, who has died at the age of 75.

Lloyd, who also won the First Division title and UEFA Cup with Liverpool, was a key player in the Forest side which won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980 under manager Brian Clough.

The Bristol-born defender won four caps for England and went on to manage Wigan and Notts County following the end of his hugely-successful playing career.

In a statement on the club’s website, Forest wrote: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Larry Lloyd.

“Part of the Miracle Men, Larry was an integral player in the Forest side that memorably won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, making 218 appearances for the club in total.

“We send our condolences to Larry’s friends and family at this truly sad time. Rest in peace, Larry.”

Lloyd began his career with Bristol Rovers before being signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly for £50,000 in 1969.

The Reds won the league and UEFA Cup double in 1973, with Lloyd remarkably playing in every game that season.

After two years at Coventry, Lloyd moved to the City Ground in a £60,000 deal and went on to form a vital centre-half partnership with Kenny Burns as Forest beat Malmo in the European Cup final in 1979.

Forest retained the trophy a year later against Kevin Keegan’s Hamburg.

What the papers say

Arsenal’s quest to find a new striker has been whittled down to a 10-man shortlist, according to the Daily Mirror. Among those being watched by the Gunners are RB Leipzig’s Slovenian Benjamin Sesko, 20, Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres, 25, and his fellow Sweden international Alexander Isak, 24, at Newcastle.

Another Arsenal target may be out of reach, reports the Daily Express. They have been tracking Dutch winger Xavi Simons, 20, but his parent club Paris St-Germain are keen to give him game time after a loan spell at RB Leipzig.

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, 27, is still hopeful of a move to Spain. The Daily Mail reports on the Colombia international’s father saying he remains keen on a move to one of La Liga’s top clubs.

Manchester United have strengthening their defence as their main summer priority, according to The Daily Telegraph. Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, is high on their list of targets.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bruno Guimaraes: Spanish outlet Fichajes says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is “obsessed” by the Newcastle midfielder, 26, who would cost around £85million.

Lucas Paqueta: West Ham expect Manchester City to make another bid for the Brazil midfielder, 26, according to Football Insider.

Manchester United and Liverpool have joined forces to launch an initiative aimed at eradicating tragedy chanting.

The exhilarating FA Cup quarter-final between the two most successful clubs in England earlier this month – won 4-3 by United with a late goal in extra time – was marred by incidences of tragedy-related chanting by supporters.

With the two rivals set to meet again in the Premier League at Old Trafford on April 7, the charitable foundations of both clubs have come together to deliver an education programme focused on the impact such conduct can have.

It is aimed at children in the hope that, by learning about the Munich and Hillsborough disasters at a young age, such behaviour will not be absorbed by the next generation and the problem will fade out.

Former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson and ex-United defender Wes Brown were both involved as a session for schoolchildren from both Manchester and Liverpool was held at the Lord Derby Academy in Huyton, Merseyside, on Wednesday.

Brown told the PA news agency: “It’s about the two biggest clubs in England and in world football coming together to a school, to talk about the tragedies that happened at each club and why we don’t need tragedy chanting.

“It’s about getting the kids to understand it. It doesn’t make them look cool, it doesn’t make them top boy or top girl.

“A lot of the times you copy off adults but, in this situation, nothing good comes from it. No-one wants it in football, the two clubs don’t want it, the players don’t want it.

“There are people from both clubs still in pain from the incidents that happened. It’s not something that in any way you can be happy about.”

Thompson is pleased that both clubs, fierce rivals on the field, are working together on this issue.

He said: “This has been going on now for years and it needs to be identified.

“It’s not supporting your football club, tragedy chanting. What good is it? I’d rather have our fans singing Liverpool songs to boost us, to boost our morale, rather than have a go at, say, Manchester United. I’m quite sure United players are exactly the same.

“Why are you dragging us to the depths to be tragedy chanting when we need that support?

“We’ve just had one of the great FA Cup ties. Yes, we came out the wrong end but that anger and that frustration shouldn’t spill over into this. It was a wonderful game of football and we should have rejoiced in it.

“I think we all need to have a good look at ourselves and, when we’re at these games, think that that’s wrong – because it is wrong, massively wrong – and don’t want to have any involvement.”

The two foundations are developing the programme in partnership with the Premier League and plan to make it an annual part of their engagement with tens of thousands of young people across the Greater Manchester and Merseyside regions.

John Shiels, CEO of Manchester United Foundation, said: “It is unacceptable to use the loss of life, in relation to any tragedy, to score points, and it is time for it to stop.

“We are proud to come together with LFC Foundation as we believe education will break the generational cycle on this issue and help thousands of young people across this region understand the impact tragedy-related abuse has.”

Everton fans have demanded clarity over a protracted takeover bid which they say has left the club “in limbo”.

The Toffees’ Fan Advisory Board (FAB) has written to current owner Farhad Moshiri, prospective owners 777 Partners and the Premier League seeking answers, with the takeover appearing to have stalled since it was first agreed last September. Fans also want to know what would happen if the deal does not proceed.

“Our club is caught up in an endless swirl of uncertainty. In football terms, it’s like the referee has been sent to the VAR monitor but is stuck there with no sign of sharing a decision so the game can move on,” FAB chair Dave Kelly said.

“Whilst we understand that some of the decisions being considered are complex and we hope that they are subject to the rigour and scrutiny they deserve, supporters, players and this great club of ours are being left in limbo. We’re now asking for some long overdue clarity on how we can all move forward.”

Moshiri has been asked to speak to fans about what would happen if the 777 deal did not receive Premier League approval, whether his deal with 777 is timebound, whether other investors are waiting in the wings and whether he will continue to fund the club until a satisfactory investor is found.

“An interim board, an interim CEO, and an owner in absentia is not good enough for our club which is faced with sporting and financial uncertainty, the ramifications of which will reach far and wide,” the FAB’s letter to Moshiri, seen by the PA news agency, states.

“Your club and its supporters need clarity, vision, and leadership and we urge you to now provide it.”

The FAB’s letter to 777 co-founder Josh Wander urges the American investment firm to engage with supporters, and highlights that the lack of consultation to date is “a source of deep concern”.

“Concerns are being expressed that 777 Partners do not have the capacity, ability, or culture to make our club stable and successful,” the letter states.

“Given these concerns, we would encourage you to attempt to reassure Evertonians worldwide at the earliest opportunity of your vision, strategy, and operational wherewithal to bring Everton Football Club back to its rightful place at the pinnacle of football.”

The letter to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters seeks clarity over whether the league’s rules allow it to reject a takeover bid, or whether deals can only be “held in abeyance” until the necessary paperwork is provided.

“If the latter is the case, is the provision of such documentation time-bound or could this already protracted process drag on indefinitely due to the inability to reject outright?” the FAB asked Masters.

The FAB requested responses from all three parties by Friday.

Everton have been docked six points this season for breaching Premier League profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) in the period up to the 2021-22 season, and face the threat of further sanction after a second complaint was served in January for the period ending June 30, 2023.

The independent commission hearing the second complaint will reportedly conclude on Wednesday. Under league rules, a decision has to be communicated by the commission within seven days of the hearing ending.