All posts by z3u9t.icu

It’s an exciting time to be a Crystal Palace supporter, with their new era under the stewardship of Patrick Vieira’s getting off to an entertaining start.

Several new, young signings replaced multiple experienced campaigners over the summer to mark a new chapter in the club’s history, and things could get even better for the south London outfit in the seasons ahead.

Just last year, Palace secured Category One status after the redevelopment of the club’s youth academy, transforming their youth sides fortunes. And it could prove to be pivotal for their future prospects.

In the past, the likes of Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Emile Smith Rowe have grown up within close proximity to Selhurst Park but plied their trade elsewhere as the Eagles’ facilities were not at an elite standard.

But U18s coach Paddy McCarthy told the PA news agency (as relayed by F365) that the recent developments will be enough to entice talented locals to play for Palace in the future: “We have a great recruitment area in south-east London and within the M25. It is a hotbed of talent!

“And we now have a facility which is in the process of being up there with the best, a games programme in line with the best and we also have a pathway I would argue is probably better than others when you look at our history of getting players from the academy all the way through to the first-team,” McCarthy concluded.

One of the youngsters already benefitting from the improved infrastructure is 20-year-old Jake O’Brien.

Although the stocky Irish defender isn’t a native to south London, Palace’s ability to attract and then develop such a talented star is symptomatic of their newfound appeal.

The centre-back has made 19 appearances for the capital club since arriving from boyhood club Cork City on an initial loan deal in February, scoring four goals along the way.

“O’Brien collected nine Irish Premier League appearances with the Rebel Army before switching to south London,” Palace’s official website states.

“He hit the ground running for Shaun Derry’s men, scoring his first goal for the club against Sunderland in March 2021 – he added two more against Middlesbrough in their crucial 3-2 victory at Selhurst Park, as they secured a play-off place in their first season as a Category 1 Academy.”

His impressive performances for Derry’s charges have also caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including journalist Dylan O’Connell.

O’Connell tweeted: “Jake O’Brien won the penalty (which was missed). I remember watching him breakthrough at Cork City. He came through as a RB and looked very good and physical for a teenager. Signed for Crystal Palace’s Under-23s and won promotion to PL 2 Division 1. One for the future.”

With Vieira’s squad currently light on numbers in the heart of defence and James Tomkins and Martin Kelly approaching the twilight of their careers, it might be a matter of when rather than if O’Brien forces his way into the first team setup at Selhurst Park.

And, in other news…Report provides exciting Palace transfer update that’ll leave fans buzzing 

Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the next round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night as they defeated Nuno Santo’s former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, on penalties and they’ll be looking to carry that momentum into this weekend’s all-important north London derby.

The Lilywhites’ form in the Premier League has slipped in recent weeks, losing back-to-back matches 3-0, having opened the campaign with three straight 1-0 victories.

Their performance at Molineux was certainly a mixed bag, so it leaves the Portuguese head coach with plenty to ponder heading into Sunday’s crunch match against Arsenal.

One of the standout stars from the midweek encounter was Oliver Skipp, who made a big statement on his return to the starting XI.

The young 21-year-old academy graduate had started their opening four Premier League matches before being axed for the Chelsea game, and he certainly reacted well as he was arguably one of Spurs’ best players on the pitch up in the Midlands.

He is now surely in line to take his place back in the starting lineup.

Skipp was earning rave reviews from the local press throughout the match – The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare tweeted: “Skipp’s having a really strong game. Bossing it in CM, winning tackles and driving #THFC forward with the ball,” whilst football.london’s Alasdair Gold echoed such sentiments.

“Another big tackle from Skipp on Traore. The young midfielder has played well so far,” he claimed.

The England U21 international earned a 7.0 rating on SofaScore for his display, which saw him record two tackles, one interception, one dribble and one key passes, so it was a pretty rounded outing from the young Hotspur Way gem.

It’s no wonder the 5 foot 9 dynamo has been previously dubbed a “machine” by former head of Goal.com James Dickens, as well as “outstanding” by former Norwich teammate Kenny McLean.

Skipp is widely touted to be a future captain of Spurs and whilst he’s still raw and has to get to grips with the level of the Premier League, he’s certainly doing himself no harm with performances like that on Wednesday night.

With the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso also vying for a place alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Nuno is left with one major decision to make on Skipp ahead of their clash with Arsenal this weekend.

AND in other news, “His people tell me”: Alasdair Gold drops major Harry Kane claim, fans will be buzzing…

Crystal Palace have been offered the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, according to Foot Mercato, cited by Sports Witness.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been giving their thoughts to the links on social media.

Patrick Vieira has just one senior left-back at Selhurst Park on the books at this moment in time in Tyrick Mitchell.

Foot Mercato, cited by Sports Witness, claim that Kurzawa could end up at Palace, with Vieira validating the French full-back’s profile.

The 28-year-old has been with PSG since 2015 and is under contract for a further three years, however, it seems as if a move to London could be on the cards.

Kurzawa is after a new challenge and a late transfer to Palace has been labelled as one to keep an eye on.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links to Kurzawa on Twitter. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one describing a possible transfer as ‘class’.

“ON MY KNEES”

Credit: @BMCPFC

“Get this done and a rb and I’ll be able to sleep again”

Credit: @alexjserre

“yes please”

Credit: @FPLWILSON

“This would be class for the odd moment of brilliance and a general feeling of do better/stop getting booked”

Credit: @CPFC_GH

“PLEASE”

Credit: @ScottyStacks

“Yes please?”

Credit: @hazvaughan

In other news: Palace may have made cash offer for ‘intelligent’ 5’8″ ace at the peak of his powers.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged on Glen Kamara.

As per the official website of the Ibrox faithful, the central midfield player has agreed on a new contract until 2025, amid a number of reports linking him with a move away in the summer transfer window.

It is so important that the Light Blues can keep Kamara at the club for as long as possible, as he has emerged as one of Steven Gerrard’s key players in his team over the past few campaigns.

The Finland international has already played in ten games in total over all competitions so far this season, making one assist (Transfermarkt), and thus tying him down to a new long-term deal is great business.

Rangers fans on Kamara deal

These Gers buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter claiming that they are ‘over the moon’, while another even went as far as to label it as ‘incredible news’:

“Fantastic news for Glen, Rangers and the Rangers family.”

Credit: @BrowneyedBluen1

“Incredible news. Genuinely thought he would have been moved on. What a great talent he is.”

Credit: @becalmfollowon

“Be still my beating heart”

Credit: @cris_poole

“Fully made my day”

Credit: @KyleBunch9

“Over the moon with this”

Credit: @rosshendry15

“Well this has just made my year”

Credit: @deanobobs9

In other news, find out whose display against Livingston was slammed here!

Heading into their next Premier League clash at the weekend with a trip to Watford, Liverpool boast the best attacking record in the top flight with 17 goals scored in seven games.

One player who has featured heavily for the Reds so far this season and been a significant part of their attacking force over the years is Mohamed Salah, with nine goals in as many appearances across all competitions this season alone.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2017 summer transfer window from AS Roma for a fee of £34m, the Egyptian has gone on to make 212 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring 134 goals and providing 50 assists along the way. Furthermore, he has also won a number of team titles and individual awards during his time with the Reds.

On the international stage, Salah has made 71 appearances for Egypt’s senior side, scoring 43 goals in the process and showing just how important he is for his country as well as his club.

In terms of his market value, it was listed as £36m in October 2017 according to Transfermarkt shortly after he moved to Anfield, whereas it now stands at a massive £90m, showing just how much he has progressed and improved since joining Liverpool.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Salah, who has been described as an “incredible” footballer and person by Reds teammate Andy Robertson, has been a vital figure for Jurgen Klopp’s side since his arrival four years ago and arguably one of the best signings the club has ever made.

Looking ahead to the future, with Salah’s contract set to expire in 2023 and recent reports claiming that the club are trying to get him to sign a new one, we feel that Liverpool should be doing all they can to get the winger to pledge his long-term future to the Reds given how crucial he has been for them.

If he does sign a new contract with Liverpool and continues scoring a ton of goals, there’s every possibility that his market value could increase even further despite him turning 30 next June.

In other news: Klopp could seal Wijnaldum replacement at Anfield with “sublime” £49.5m-rated ace

Aston Villa suffered a shocking start to the new Premier League season, going down 3-2 to Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side have had a rollercoaster few weeks in the summer transfer window, waving goodbye to talisman Jack Grealish and welcoming a number of new signings, a few of whom started against the Hornets.

While the new boys didn’t impress, it was one longer-serving player who had a particularly awful game – Matt Targett.

The left-back certainly wasn’t helped by Ashley Young seemingly allergic to doing his defensive duties and tracking back, but Watford’s Ismaila Sarr took him to the cleaners with his combination of pace and trickery.

As per Sofascore, the English ace lost all five duels in which he was involved and made no tackles or interceptions whatsoever. He also lost the ball on eight separate occasions and couldn’t find his passing radar either, completing just 79% of his passes.

Such were his struggles that Smith actually decided to take him off at half-time and spare his blushes, but some journalists didn’t spare the 25-year-old in their assessments of the match.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece claimed that Targett was “all over the shop” as Emmanuel Dennis opened the scoring for the home side, with the left-back’s nemesis on the day Sarr playing a big part for the goal.

Writing on Twitter, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans said: “Feeling a little bit for Matt Targett here. 14 mins in and Sarr is causing him all sorts of problems. Hard to watch. #WatfordFC #AVFC.”

All in all, it was a difficult afternoon for the left-back, who looked completely off the pace like the rest of his teammates and was left embarrassed by a winger in Sarr who is at the top of his game.

From being considered Villa’s most improved player last season by some fans, to putting in a shocking performance like the one on Saturday afternoon, Targett’s season couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.

The Villa defender badly let his manager down today with a woeful display at Vicarage Road.

Meanwhile, this Villa star could leave the club…

Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks is one of the ‘names’ on Newcastle United’s transfer ‘radar’, journalist Liam Kennedy has told GIVEMESPORT. 

The lowdown

The 25-year-old made just his third Premier League start of the season in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. Two of those have come in Antonio Conte’s first four Premier League matches, though, suggesting that his prospects may have improved under the Italian following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo.

The £18m-rated midfielder is competing with the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso for a place in Spurs’ midfield. He has earned 10 England caps to date, but the last of those came in November 2020.

The latest

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Kennedy revealed that Winks’ name had been mentioned to him by trusted sources in terms of potential Newcastle signings, with the 25-year-old a target for PIF ahead of January.

The journalist revealed: “There are a few other names that I haven’t even written about. Harry Winks is one I know is on their radar.”

The verdict

Winks issued a reminder of his class against Liverpool at the weekend, delivering the highest-rated performance in the Spurs line-up (via SofaScore). He made four interceptions (the most in the match), blocked three shots and completed eight long passes, also covering more ground than any of his team-mates.

If Spurs are willing to listen to offers in January, Newcastle’s new transfer consultant Nick Hammond may deem the ‘excellent’ Winks a smart addition for the relegation-threatened Magpies.

Eddie Howe wants players who are ‘tried and tested’ in the Premier League, and the 25-year-old Tottenham ace has played over a century of games in the division. This could be a crucial criterion for the manager and duly gives credence to the possibility of Winks moving to St James’ Park.

In other news, Newcastle have made a big offer for this in-demand sensation

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a major blow in the race for a top-four finish as the Lilywhites lost 1-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon, with Leandro Trossard bagging a last-minute winner.

Antonio Conte’s men were lacklustre in front of goal, managing just five shots all game, none of which were on target, whilst Brighton managed to get five of their 12 shots on target.

Despite staying in fourth, the defeat will provide an opportunity for Spurs’ rivals in the top four race to make up ground as we enter the final weeks of the season.

No player in a Tottenham shirt can hold their head up high after the defeat, with Emerson Royal, Heung-min Son, Eric Dier all being well below-par.

However, it was undoubtedly left wing-back Sergio Reguilon who was the worst of the bunch against Brighton.

According to SofaScore, the Spaniard enjoyed just 46 touches all afternoon, as well as lost possession on 12 separate occasions – meaning he gave away the ball with every 3.8 touches.

Moreover, the 25-year-old failed to complete a single dribble, attempting just one.

Furthermore, there was also little defensive prowess from the wing-back, who failed to make a single interception, clearance or block, in addition to making just one tackle all afternoon.

Most of all though, Reguilon’s passing was well below par, with the Spaniard’s 62% accuracy – completing just 17 of his 28 attempted passes – being the worst out of Spurs’ starting lineup.

The left wing-back has had a decent season – for the most part – this term, averaging a 6.92 SofaScore match rating. However, against Brighton, the 25-year-old mustered a 6.6.

Against the Seagulls, Reguilon made his sixth appearance in Spurs’s last seven in the league – having missed the 5-1 win over Newcastle with a knock – and had certainly been earning his place in the side back after falling down the pecking order.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton in early February, the wing-back who John Wenham claimed is the “worst of the bunch” and Tom Young labelled “pathetic” went a month without game time in the league before being reintroduced against Everton last month as the Lilywhites won 5-0, with Reguilon scoring.

What is for certain is that lacklustre displays as Tottenham pick up poor results won’t pass the grade for Conte, and Reguilon will certainly have to produce better performances over the remaining weeks of the season to ensure that his place in the side is a certainty going into next season.

AND in other news: Source: Insider drops major Spurs claim on £30m maestro, it’s great news for Conte

Celtic have learned the ‘substantial’ fee that they would need to pay to sign Daizen Maeda from Yokohama F Marinos in January. 

The lowdown

The Hoops are looking to build upon the success of J-League import Kyogo Furuhashi, who is the joint-top scorer in the Premiership as it stands.

Maeda has enjoyed a prolific campaign himself, netting 22 goals in 35 league appearances to help his team to finish second in the table, and his links with Celtic now date back more than a month.

Journalist Stuart Hodge has described him as ‘a good player with bags of ability [and] bags of pace’, while Ange Postecoglou managed Marinos before he was appointed at Celtic, so he is certainly familiar with Maeda, who has played 50 times under the Australian.

The latest

The Daily Record’s Scott Burns reported that Celtic are ‘keen’ on Maeda.

However, he added that the Hoops would need to shell out £3m or more to reunite him with Postecoglou in Glasgow, a sum the report described as ‘substantial’.

The verdict

To put that fee into context, Celtic spent just over £20m in the summer and went above the £3m mark for three players – Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt and Liel Abada. That would suggest that Yokohama F Marinos’ demands are not insignificant, but they should be manageable for the Hoops.

Postecoglou may view Maeda as a more reliable alternative to Giorgos Giakoumakis, who has been limited to just two Premiership starts since his arrival in the summer amid injury concerns.

The manager’s argument might be that it is crucial to have dependable depth in forward areas, with Celtic potentially competing in the Europa Conference League as well as the Premiership and domestic cup competitions.

In other news, Kieran Devlin responds to yet another J-League rumour involving Celtic

According to a report from Ajanspor journalist Salim Manav, Tottenham Hotspur are set to scout two Turkish talents in the upcoming round of Super Lig fixtures. 

The lowdown: Targets collide

It will be a mid-table battle when Besiktas face Kasimpasa on Monday night (April 25), but there could be a sub-plot to proceedings as two opposing left-backs – Ridvan Yilmaz and Eren Elmali – vie for superiority on the night.

Yilmaz of Besiktas is the younger of the two at 20-years-old and has already represented Turkey at the senior international level, whilst 21-year-old Elmali remains an Under 21 representative.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As they prepare to do battle, it’s been suggested that eyes from the Premier League and Serie A could be watching with intent…

The latest: Spurs send scouts

As per the report from Ajanspor which has been cited on Twitter by Manav, Tottenham and Atalanta are believed to be preparing to watch the Turkish top-flight encounter.

“Tottenham and Atalanta officials will watch Eren Elmali and Ridvan Yilmaz in the Beşiktaş-Kasımpaşa match,” the journalist tweeted.

Expanding in the article, it’s claimed Spurs officials ‘will report’ on both Yilmaz and Elmali as Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici begin to earmark potential summer transfer targets.

Yilmaz – who made a come-and-get-me plea to Arsenal in 2021 – has been capped six times by the Turkey national team and was previously given a reported £8.35million asking price amidst interest from Leicester City, Torino and VfB Stuttgart.

The verdict: Smart moveWhilst neither youngster can boast a plethora of top-level experience with a combined 124 career outings in the Super Lig, both would represent value for money given the respective ages and likely affordable transfer fees.Elmali holds a perceived market value of just £1.62million (Transfermarkt), making the Istanbul-born starlet the more attainable financial option compared to his compatriot.But, with three goals and four assists in 30 appearances this season, Yilmaz’s ability to play as both a conventional left-back and in a more advanced role makes the Besiktas ace a preferable choice to suit Conte’s chosen 3-4-3 formation at present.When comparing the youngster to current Lilywhites star Sergio Reguilon, Yilmaz actually outperforms the Spaniard in every available aspect on average per 90 minutes (Fbref), albeit in a weaker league.Described as a ‘very smart’ operator by national team manager Stefan Kuntz, early indications would point to the Besiktas starlet being the preferred option to arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer.In other news: ‘That’s for sure’ – Sky Sports reporter backs big transfer news out of Tottenham, find out more here.