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Crystal Palace have been linked with winger Ismaila Sarr throughout the transfer window. With today being the domestic transfer deadline day, it looks like the clock may be up on a potential move.

Sarr had not just attracted attention from the Eagles, but also from Liverpool as well. However, new light shed on Friday suggests that the player will be staying put until January at least.

The latest transfer update on Palace target Sarr

According to Adam Leventhal from the Athletic, the Watford winger is expected to stay at club beyond today’s 5pm domestic deadline.

The journalist is also reporting that the 22 year-old is involved in the plan against Derby County this evening and he is expected to play some part. This situation unlikely to change even with a late bid.

Is this a big blow for Palace?

The Senegalese attacker signed for Watford in August 2019, and impressed as he made 28 Premier League appearances last season. He managed five goals and four assists, per WhoScored, and also managed 1.6 shots and 1.7 successful dribbles per game.

To hit the ground running in England at such a young age makes him look like a special player and suggests that he has a lot of potential. Therefore, it will be gutting for supporters of the club to hear that it looks like they will not be making a move for the winger.

Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane hailed Sarr when the youngster signed for Watford, saying: “I’m really happy for him and he made the right choice to come to Watford. For sure I think he will be great.”

That said, he was being valued at around £30 million, so it could be seen as a lot of money for a player with few appearances in England’s top flight. One would have to think Roy Hodgson has enough talent at his disposal, providing none of his attacking players suffer long-term injuries.

It would have been nice if the club could have got him, but with signings like Eberechi Eze and Michy Batshuayi, the South London side cannot complain about their depth and quality in attack, something which could not be said in previous years.

Eagles fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

After signing him for a reported £15m, Newcastle were over the moon with Florian Thauvin’s arrival at St James’ Park in the summer of 2015.

Then Magpies boss Steve McClaren waxed lyrical about his new recruit, saying: “He is a perfect signing for this club – someone who is young, with great potential and is one of the best young players in Europe. He is an exciting, creative talent who can score goals and make assists, and we believe he will have a very bright future at Newcastle.”

Sadly for the Tyneside club, things didn’t quite pan out that way for Thauvin. The Frenchman struggled to adjust to life in English football, and in the end, made just 16 appearances for the club in his one lone season at St James’ Park.

Arguably his most iconic moment at Newcastle came when he turned up at the stadium in a tuxedo before the Magpies’ Premier League clash against West Ham – something club legend Alan Shearer didn’t take to kindly.

He slammed: “He turns up in a tux. This is a serious business we’re in here, it was funny on the first day of the season, it’s not funny any more. When Newcastle walked out they didn’t look focus or prepared, that was for the warm-up.

“Look at Nyom run past Thauvin. You might be able to do that in the French League, you can’t do that in the Premier League. You have got to track back.”

The 27-year-old would then re-join Marseille on a loan deal, before making that move permanent for a fee in the region of £9m. Thauvin has since shown the world that McClaren was absolutely right in seeing the potential in him all those years ago.

Now valued at £28.8m, the versatile winger has scored at least 15 league goals in every Ligue 1 season for the past three years, including a truly spectacular haul of 22 goals and 11 assists in the 2018/2019 campaign.

Whilst it’s difficult to blame Newcastle or Thauvin for why things failed to work out at St James’ Park – sometimes transfers can just be unpredictable – there’s no questioning that the France international has thrived.

And in other news, Newcastle must surely also regret selling this proven goal-scorer.

West Ham could do no wrong in adding a new central midfielder to David Moyes’ armoury this summer and they may have landed on the perfect candidate…

What’s the word?

According to the Sheffield Star, the Irons are one of several Premier League teams interested in goal-scoring Blades midfielder John Lundstram with the 26-year-old entering the final year of his contract at Bramall Lane.

It’s claimed that Chris Wilder is resigned to letting him leave this summer should he not agree to new terms with Burnley and Brighton also keen on his services.

There’s also a belief that they are lining up Reading’s John Swift as a potential replacement despite activiating the one-year option on the Englishman’s contract.

The Hammers could land themselves a bargain.

Lampard-esque midfielder

Moyes has already secured the loveable Tomas Soucek on a permanent deal but with Carlos Sanchez out the door and Mark Noble entering the twilight years of his east London career, it can’t hurt to add further options.

The 5 foot 11 enforcer delivered five goals and three assists from 26 starts this season, averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.3 clearances and 1.3 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Whilst this isn’t as prolific as former Hammers graduate Frank Lampard, he does still bear some similarities as a ruthless box-to-box type.

The Liverpool-born man has captained Oxford and some of the England youth teams and has that ability to pick a pass but also be tenacious in the tackle.

His performances this season has led to Wilder waxing lyrical on more than one occasion – against Palace in February, he was lauded as “outstanding” and then a month later, Lundstram was described as a “fantastic example of a professional player”.

Blades teammate Billy Sharp believes he’s a “real menace to other teams” and this is the sort of player who’d do well at the London Stadium in a similar vein to Noble, Lampard and so on.

Valued at just £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the Irons must swoop for Lundstram this pre-season.

AND in other news, Moyes ready to part with £45m star to fund new transfers

Tottenham Hotspur are keen to sign AS Roma star Patrik Schick, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport. 

Spurs, Everton and Newcastle United are all interested in signing Schick, who has spent the past season on loan at RB Leipzig.

Schick joined die Roten Bullen on a loan-to-buy deal last summer.

He initially struggled at his parent club, as he only scored 8 goals in 58 appearances for Roma, but has gone on to hit new heights with Leipzig.

Jose Mourinho is desperate to find a backup for Spurs talisman Harry Kane, as the England international hasn’t played a Premier League game since New Year’s Day.

As it stands, this latest development could be bad news for Troy Parrott.

After arriving at the Red Bull Arena in 2019, Schick has been in sensational form for the Bundesliga challengers, bagging 10 goals and 2 assists in 20 games so far.

Moreover, the Czech Republic international has started four out of the last five games since the restart, scoring three goals in a row up until now.

While Leipzig had the chance to sign the forward in the summer, the clauses have now expired, and Spurs are now in a position to hold talks with the Giallorossi.

Meanwhile, Parrott has struggled for game time this season.

Mourinho has been unwilling to use the young Irishman at the time of writing, despite the fact he was the only recognised striker at the club during Kane’s absence.

Although the 18-year-old signed a new contract with Tottenham earlier this year, he has only played five minutes of league football this season (Transfermarkt).

Spurs recently revealed the teenager has undergone surgery to remove his appendix after scans indicated appendicitis, which has ruled him out of action for several weeks.

However, it is fair to say it is unlikely he was going to be a part of Mourinho’s plans anyway, as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have both recovered from injury.

Nevertheless, the arrival of another striker could be the final nail in the coffin for Parrott.

For whatever reason, he has arguably failed to convince the Spurs boss to give him a chance anytime soon.

He needs to be playing regularly in order to develop as a player, and Schick could supplant him in the squad if he moves to north London in the summer.

Tottenham fans, do you think that Troy Parrott needs to go out on loan? Let us know below…

According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle are interested in Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

What’s the word?

The Ivory Coast international has long been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, with reports last year suggesting that Arsenal were very much interested in luring him to the Emirates.

But, a move failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, leaving Zaha stuck with Palace. Now, The Daily Mail claim that the winger is primed for another summer of uncertainty, with the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich all interested in securing his signature.

Can you name every one of the Magpies’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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The report further adds that Steve Bruce’s side in particular are “monitoring” the situation, “though any move would likely be dependent on their protracted takeover”.

Exciting

With Zaha’s ability to play on either flank and even through the middle, the Magpies could well have an incredibly exciting attack of the Ivorian, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron – the kind of fluid front three that could terrify most Premier League defences with their pace and directness.

In fact, Zaha’s Palace teammate James McArthur waxed lyrical about his abilities back in 2018, saying: “He is just unplayable at times and I wouldn’t like to be a defender playing against him. For us, he is a great asset when you can give someone the ball and he can run 40 yards with it.” Essentially, Zaha would bring a lot of the same characteristics that Saint-Maximin has in his locker.

In fact, his average of 4.5 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season is only bettered by two players: Wolves’ Adama Traore, and Saint-Maximin himself. Their abilities to play across the front-line could see them interchange positions, and make for the kind of modern forward-line used by the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona of yesteryear.

Zaha has been the standard-bearer at Palace for a number of years now, playing a whopping 359 games for the Eagles and scoring 57 times. Newcastle of course have had their own inspirational figure before in Hatem Ben Arfa, and the 27-year-old could bring that too.

Ben Arfa had his fair share of magic moments at St James’ Park, not least that wonderful solo goal against Bolton. Zaha is capable of similar magic, netting a beauty in Ivory Coast’s win over Russia. That ability to pick the ball up, drive forward but then deliver a superb finish is something the duo have shown in abundance. And so if Newcastle needed someone to be the final piece of their attacking jigsaw, then the Palace star could very well be that man.

Romelu Lukaku is trying to convince Tottenham Hotspur star Jan Vertonghen to join him at Inter Milan, according to Gazzetta dello Sport via @RickSpur. 

Lukaku is attempting to persuade three of his Belgium international teammates to reunite with the striker at the San Siro Stadium this summer.

Dries Mertens is at the top of the list, but the former Manchester United forward is keen to bring Vertonghen to the Serie A to plug the gap in the Nerazzurri’s defence.

Antonio Conte’s side have let in 24 goals this season, joint with league leaders Juventus, although the Black and Blues have conceded 0.96 per match, which is fractionally higher than Maurizio Sarri’s team (FootyStats).

Ever since he arrived at White Hart Lane from Ajax for £11.25m all the way back in 2012, the 33-year-old has formed a formidable partnership with fellow veteran Toby Alderweireld, making more than 300 appearances for Spurs, scoring 14 goals and producing seven assists in all competitions.

Vertoghen became a firm favourite under Mauricio Pochettino, playing in over 200 games for the Argentine, and has starred in 19 matches in the Premier League this season, making 2.1 tackles per game, averaging 1.6 interceptions, and completing a staggering 5 clearances on average (WhoScored).

It is unlikely the interest will bother Jose Mourinho, as the Belgian defender’s contract is set to expire in June, and he is expected to look for an exit in the upcoming transfer window.

As expected, lots of Spurs fans have been discussing Vertonghen’s transfer update, with one supporter tweeting they “hate this” as it “breaks my heart,” in reference to the image used alongside the news of the defender looking sad and like a man accepting his time at the club is over.

Take a look at some of the mixed reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you think the board should allow Jan Vertonghen to leave in the summer? Let us know in the comments section!

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover is fast-approaching into a third month of deliberations as the situation continues to rumble on – and on.But why is it?The Athletic’s George Caulkin has hinted that it’s down to the piracy issues surrounding the Saudi state. He tweeted the following on Tuesday afternoon…

This process has been a long and tiresome one for the Magpies faithful and it doesn’t appear to be easing up anytime soon.

Last week, the Guardian revealed the World Trade Organisation’s findings into beoutQ – the pirate TV service that’s thought to be holding up the deal.

They believe the Saudi government is behind the illegal streaming service, which broadcasts worldwide sporting events such as the Premier League.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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Although it must be proven that any party involved in buying the northeast outfit is indeed involved in the aforementioned service. Something that is yet to be resolved.

There are also reports suggesting that the Middle Eastern country could attempt to purchase TV rights to the English top-flight, which should alleviate such matters.

AND in other news,ÂLee Ryder provides Charnley update amidst Newcastle takeover…

Newcastle United fans were already loving the idea of Mike Ashley departing the club after a 13-year spell at the helm, and their excitement has only increased tenfold after comments from the buying side involved in the takeover.

Stuck in isolation? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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The Athletic’s George Caulkin relayed the remarks on a recent episode of ‘Pod on the Tyne’ this week (41m), he said:

“[Newcastle] are the last great uncut diamond in the PL. It just needs cutting and polishing. The diamond has been there all along but nobody has wanted to spend the time, effort, money to show that jewel in the best light.”

Amanda Staveley is heading the consortium that is in negotiations to take over the Magpies. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is also involved as are the Reuben Brothers. The BBC believe the deal is worth approximately £300m.

Many supporters at St James’ Park have been drooling over the prospect of the above group taking charge of their club, even more so after their comments.

Here’s how they have been reacting to the information…

AND in other news, Newcastle’s prospective owners target new manager…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton welcome fellow strugglers Watford to St Mary’s this Saturday for the Premier League’s late kick-off, and there is plenty on the line for both sides.

The Saints and the Hornets currently occupy 19th and 20th place in the Premier League respectively, with just a single point separating the pair – both teams have an unflattering goal difference of -18.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this term with 31, whereas Watford have scored the least goals with just eight strikes to their name – this Saturday’s game will be a basement slug-out in every sense.

However, the Hornets do have some quality players – let’s take a look at two who could hurt the Saints..

Abdoulaye Doucoure

In midfield, Watford have a true powerhouse with the stamina to run all day long, while also possessing the quality to make opponents pay for their inability to deal with him – Abdoulaye Doucoure.

The Frenchman – who scored five goals and recorded six assists last term – has netted just once this season, although his presence at both ends of the pitch is undoubted.

Doucoure records an impressive 2.4 tackles per game in the Premier League this season, as well as 1.2 interceptions.

At the other end of the field, the 26-year-old makes 1.2 key passes, takes 1.8 shots and registers 1.5 dribbles per game.

Get French Football News once described the former Rennes man as a “midfield dynamo” and you can certainly see why.

Hasenhuttl’s midfield options in Stuart Armstrong, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse need to produce an effective showing collectively to contain Doucoure.

Gerard Deulofeu 

The tricky Spaniard can often blow hot and cold, but he is steadily finding a way to consistently pose the opponent some difficulty.

Deulofeu registered an impressive 15 Premier League goal involvements last term, and has already scored twice and assisted twice this term.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old take a significant 2.5 shots per game, while also completing 2.2 dribbles – the former Barcelona prospect also makes 1.8 key passes per 90 minutes.

Former Hornets boss Javi Gracia stated that the Spaniard had a “high quality” when discussing the forward back in May, and it’s hard to argue with that sentiment.

“But the most important thing is the quality of the player. Deulofeu, you know, has a high quality.”

His versatility is also a key feature. Deulofeu pops up all over the frontline, making six appearances as a centre-forward this term as well as two on the left and one on the right.

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Southampton must ensure that their leaky backline – the worst in the league – is switched on against these two stars.

In other news, this Southampton man is taking full advantage of his ‘last chance’…

It’s hard to ignore the impact Carlo Ancelotti has had on this Everton side in just four months.

A shell of the team they used to be, Marco Silva’s reign ended with the Merseyside outfit fighting a relegation battle. Now Everton are sitting nicely in 12th place, just six points behind sixth-place Wolves and a ticket into the Europa League looking more than attainable.

But the squad the Toffees are still faring is in need of some desperate refurbishment, and it’s likely Ancelotti will start with a summer overhaul.

Everton’s midfield appears to be their biggest cause for concern this season, particularly with players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies who have played 47 Premier League goals between them this term and tallied a measly combined two goals and two assists.

According to Football Insider, both Everton and Manchester United are linked to swoop for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, with the Toffees confident they can come up with a better offer than the Reds. Despite currently being valued at just £27.4million, both parties are looking to place a bid in excess of £50m for the 24-year-old this summer, with Spurs also willing to meet that price (via Daily Star).

Aston Villa are currently fighting a difficult relegation battle, with Grealish playing his part in trying to keep his side in the Premier League. The Englishman currently has seven goals and six assists this campaign, more than Everton’s entire midfield combined.

A young playmaker is exactly what the Toffees have been crying out for as they’ve struggled with woeful performances from Sigurdsson who – despite sporting the captain’s armband – has been the most disappointing.

His most recent outing against Chelsea will have been the final straw for a lot of Everton fans after the Icelandic international attempted no dribbles, no shots and no tackles.

Everton expert? Prove it by naming these obscure Toffees…

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The addition of Grealish would make a positive difference to Ancelotti’s team and judging by his stats this season, would add a much more potent threat from midfield that the Everton’s chiefs current options.