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For the past few years, the primary concern at Crystal Palace during the transfer windows has been to retain Wilfried Zaha’s services for another season.

Clubs have come calling and the Selhurst Park outfit have knocked them back time and time again, but a long-term contract signed in August 2018 will surely ensure that the Ivorian remains at the club for the remainder of his career unless a European giant is willing to table an extraordinary bid.

While Steve Parish and co can perhaps rest on their laurels in that case, there is another top talent on their books who they will be equally concerned about losing in the summer. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a revelation for the Croydon outfit since breaking through to the first team in February last year and has been linked with a number of top clubs including Arsenal and Manchester United.

For Palace fans, losing the combative right-back would be a disaster but what if a bid comes that the club simply cannot refuse? Football Fancast look at the potential consequences of Palace selling the talented youngster…

Zaha is definitely going nowhere

Palace are in no urgency to cash in on either of their prized assets but, should they accept a mouth-watering fee for Wan-Bissaka, then they will unlikely entertain the idea of selling Zaha – even if the fee would surpass Premier League records.

Losing one would be bad enough but losing both would be catastrophic and there would undoubtedly be outrage from the Selhurst Park faithful. Borussia Dortmund have made their interest in the electric winger clear and, having sold Christian Pulisic to Chelsea, they could come knocking in the summer as they look to reinforce their attack.

If Wan-Bissaka has already gone, though, then they will probably have the door slammed straight in their faces.

Club finally ends years of relegation battles

While the 20-year-old has shored up the Palace defence beyond belief, the potential fees being mentioned are pretty big and one has to imagine what that money could do to the team on the premise that it is put straight into Roy Hodgson’s budget.

Michy Batshuayi appears to have temporarily solved the Eagles’ striker deficiency although he will be returning to Chelsea in the summer as it stands. If Palace have £30m or £40m to splash on a top hitman then they would surely be able to challenge for the top ten on a more consistent basis rather than the constant cycle of disappointing relegation battles.

They have, of course, attempted to do so before but Christian Benteke is a confidence-void shell of the striker he was in the 2015/16 season when he scored 17 goals after making the switch from Liverpool.

The reality is that, with the quality they’ve got in all areas of the pitch, Palace shouldn’t be looking over their shoulder every campaign. But perhaps they need one final big-spending summer to take them to the next level.

Obviously signing a top quality right-back would help, too – Joel Ward might be decent at diving headers but he is streets away from Wan-Bissaka – while another winger to take the creative burden off of Zaha and Andros Townsend would be nice as well.

More youngsters through the academy

Wan-Bissaka is the only Palace star to come through the academy and shine since Zaha and considering the number 29 only got his chance through injuries and could therefore easily still be languishing in the Under-23’s, have Palace got any more on their books?

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Nya Kirby, for instance, has impressed on loan at Blackpool and has looked worthy of a shot in the first team for a little while now. More faith needs to be shown in the youngsters, particularly if Palace are to continue their frugal ways of recent windows, as sometimes it is clear that some fresh impetus is needed at Selhurst Park.

Perhaps the big cheeses at Palace will start combing the academy for more starlets if they are accept big bucks for Wan-Bissaka in the summer. Could the 20-year-old, in fact, be the first of many in the coming years to blow Selhurst Park away?

أنعشت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية آمال نادي برشلونة من أجل التعاقد مع جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي أولمبيك ليون، ممفيس ديباي، في الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

وارتبط اسم ديباي بإمكانية الانتقال إلى برشلونة منذ بداية عهد المدرب، رونالد كومان، في النصف الثاني من أغسطس الماضي، ولكن لم يقدم أي عرض رسمي بسبب أزمته المالية.

وأفادت الصحيفة الفرنسية الشهيرة بأن توقيع ديباي لنادي برشلونة أصبح قريبًا للغاية أكثر من أي وقت سابق، لأن نادي أولمبيك ليون منفتح على تخفيض مطالبه المادية.

السبب وراء ذلك هو رفض ديباي التوقيع على عقد جديد للاستمرار مع ليون في السنوات المقبلة، وهو ما سيدفع النادي الفرنسي من تخفيض طلباته للنصف من 25 مليون يورو إلى 12.5 مليون يورو.

وحدد رئيس نادي ليون، جان ميشيل أولاس، في تصريحات سابقة له موعدًا لغلق باب الانتقالات أمام اللاعبين المطلوبين من الأندية الخارجية بحد أقصى يوم 2 أكتوبر المقبل. (طالع التفاصيل)

وكان برشلونة في الفترة الماضية يعمل من أجل تعزيز صفوفه الهجومية إما بصفقة لاوتارو مارتينيز من إنتر ميلان أو ممفيس ديباي من ليون، ولكن الأخير هو صاحب الحظ الأوفر للقدوم إلى “كامب نو”.

ويأتي ابتعاد لاوتارو عن خطط برشلونة، بعدما رفض إنتر ميلان عرضًا هزيلًا من جانب النادي الكتالوني بقيمة 15 مليون يورو بينما يطلب النادي الإيطالي الحصول على 110 مليون يورو وهو ما يوضح الأزمة المالية الطاحنة التي يعني منها البلاوجرانا.

Southampton fans will be pleased to see their side finally making some sort of progress under Ralph Hassenhuttl.

The Austrian replaced Mark Hughes in December and has managed to improve their fortunes in the short-term. A late Burnley goal at the weekend denied them a massive three points that would have moved them clear of the relegation zone. The Saints will be looking to return to winning ways against fellow strugglers Cardiff next.

After seasons of over-spending on mediocre talent, funds were limited in January meaning Hassenhuttl was unable to make a single permanent signing. Should he keep the club in the Premier League, the former RB Leipzig will finally get the chance to shape his own squad in the summer. Defensive reinforcements will be a priority with Southampton struggling following Virgil van Dijk’s departure.

One man he could target is RB Leipzig captain – Willi Orban. Valued at just £13.5m by Transfermarkt, Hassenhuttl is no stranger to the man who now captains the Bundesliga side as Orban played a key role under his tutelage. The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in the defence since joining the club in 2015 and has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season.

The Hungary international is a natural leader and would finally add some stability to the Saints backline. Orban is an excellent tackler and reads the game superbly as well as being a dominant force in the air. He is also a significant threat in the opposition area, netting three goals from set-pieces in the Bundesliga this season.

Orban is now approaching the prime of his career meaning there is no better time to bring him to the Premier League.

Southampton fans, thoughts?

Everton welcome Manchester United to Goodison Park this Sunday, in what will be a repeat of one of last season’s most eye-catching results.

The Toffees recorded a stunning 4-0 win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on Merseyside last term, a match which included an overhead kick from Richarlison and a long-range stunner from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

A similar result would surely be welcomed by Carlo Ancelotti, and it could be argued that the Italian’s side already have a slight advantage having had a whole week to prepare for the match, whereas United played against Club Brugge on Thursday evening.

However, the Red Devils did record a comprehensive 5-0 win, so they should not be taken lightly.

Here’s the XI that we think Ancelotti must opt to deploy this Sunday…

As you can see, we think the former AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid boss should make three changes to the side who suffered defeat at Arsenal.

Leighton Baines can be replaced by Lucas Digne, who missed the trip to the Emirates through injury – Ancelotti recently said that he has been managing the Frenchman so that he is ready for the United game.

Ahead of the backline, the midfield is where things must be changed.

Sigurdsson was awful in a left-midfield position last time out, receiving criticism from a journalist and also the Everton fans on Twitter – however, instead of dropping him, we think he should simply be moved into the middle where his lack of pace won’t be as noticeable.

In his place on the left, Bernard should start to provide some creativity – he had a goal and an assist in his last two Premier League outings before being dropped against Arsenal.

Moise Kean should also be handed an opportunity to impress on the opposite flank instead of Alex Iwobi, who once again failed to justify his price tag against his former club last time out.

Premier League Inflation: You won’t believe how much these famous transfers would cost today…

In attack, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison – who have a combined 26 goals this season – must start again.

In other news, this European giant’s interest in an Everton player shows just how far he has come under Ancelotti…

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Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after Scott Brown ended his near two-year long wait for a goal with an absolute scorcher against St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup rout.

The 33-year-old, who has been with the Bhoys for almost 12 years, found the top corner from almost 30 yards out to score his first goal since netting against Inverness back in February 2017.

Brendan Rodgers’ men recorded a resounding 5-0 victory to extend their domestic cup winning run to a remarkable 24 games, as they look to complete another treble.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Scott Sinclair also netted a hat-trick in the game, showing excellent composure in front of goal to ensure that he took the match ball home, whilst James Forrest also got in on the act to complete a fantastic victory.

Despite the former Manchester City man’s treble, it was Brown’s stunner that had the Celtic fans on Twitter talking, such was the rarity of the occasion…

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Gylfi Sigurdsson heads into the international break without another Iceland cap on the horizon after leaving Stamford Bridge in a protective boot, raising questions on who can fill in his shoes at Goodison Park if an injury absence is confirmed.

The Chalkboard

Sigurdsson is key to how Everton play. Without his presence in midfield, the Toffees lack direction and someone who can connect play between the defensive ranks and attack.

The 29-year-old may have only recorded two assists so far in the Premier League, but his 31 key passes in 12 games highlight his effectiveness in the central role.

Since Marco Silva took over at the helm in the summer, no other player has started in the central attacking midfield position in the League other than the 64-cap Iceland international.

If he has now been ruled out of action thanks to a rash tackle by Italian midfielder Jorginho, Everton will have a difficult time replacing Sigurdsson.

The system cannot change

Silva is a firm favourite of the 4-2-3-1 system, only once deviating, so altering the formation to counter the loss of Sigurdsson will not be a viable solution having worked hard to build the Toffees in that way.

At first, results were barely there with a string of games often ending in a draw, but since the end of September fortunes changed in Merseyside and Everton have only twice dropped points.

Taking the international break to organise his side into a new system for the visit of Cardiff would act as a restart button to that progress, meaning whoever steps up has to deliver.

Lookman or Calvert-Lewin?

The true decision for Silva on how to cope with the loss of Sigurdsson will be in what young forward he places his faith in.

Both 21, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman present different ways to tackle the challenge. One is a more direct threat, acting as a second striker to Richarlison, while the other offers greater creativity but less of an end product.

The inclusion of Calvert-Lewin, however, can come from the wing and allow Bernard to act as the Icelandic international’s deputy instead. A move that has the potential to eliminate the Brazilian’s inconsistencies.

New Derby boss Frank Lampard used his Chelsea connections this summer to secure the signings of Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan from the Blues, as he attempts to take the club a step further than last season where they lost in the playoff semi finals to eventual winners Fulham.

Mount has stolen the headlines so far with two goals in his first four appearances, but it was Tomori who would have excited Chelsea fans with his performance against Ipswich on Tuesday evening.

The 20-year-old made five clearances and won a huge seven aerial duels as he kept a clean sheet whilst playing alongside the experienced Richard Keogh at centre-back. It wasn’t just his defensive abilities that came to the fore against Ipswich though, as the Chelsea loanee made 76 passes during the 90 minutes with an impressive 84% completion rate.

The 6ft 1in youngster has previously been loaned out to Brighton for the second half of the 2016/17 season and was at Hull in the Championship last year, where he made 26 appearances in all competitions for the first team.

The 20-year-old now has three appearances for Derby and looks to be the perfect partner for the slightly slower, but perhaps wiser Keogh. With Lampard at the helm he is sure to get the game time that his parent club will desire for his development and he will be hoping to take a similar route to Andreas Christensen, who broke into the starting line up at Chelsea last season after impressing on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach.

A deflected strike from Joe Ledley and a free-kick from Tom Lawrence, his second in two league games, ensured that Lampard’s side secured their first home win of the season at Pride Park against Ipswich, but it was Chelsea fans who would have been most excited by Tomori’s performance.

With all of his experience at such a young age it looks as though the Canadian-born England U21 international could be a big player at Stamford Bridge in the near future.

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According to The Sun, Chelsea are looking to sign Toby Alderweireld, after the Belgian confirmed he has yet to agree on a new deal at Tottenham.

What’s the Story?

Chelsea are reportedly sniffing around Toby Alderweireld after it was revealed that the defender, who is valued at £31.5million by Transfermarkt, is yet to be offered an improved contract at Tottenham.

The 28-year-old is looking to become one of the highest earners at Spurs. However, with the strict control of wage budget imposed by Daniel Levy, the lure of a huge wage from Chelsea may be enough to persuade the Belgian to move from North to West London.

How good has Alderweireld been this season?

Once again, Alderweireld has solidified his reputation as the best defender in the Premier league with a number of fantastic performances for Spurs. While the club haven’t had the best start to their time at Wembley, the Belgian international has remained a composed figure and has looked even better than ever before.

Would Alderweireld be a good signing for Chelsea?

Chelsea have struggled to adapt to life as reigning champions under Antonio Conte. Their season has been filled with inconsistency; excellence one week, mediocrity the next.

It is clear that the Blues need some stability at the back and with Alderweireld, you couldn’t get more stable. However, if the club really want to land the Spurs star, they will likely need to pay a record sum for a defender. After all, they will be dealing with the toughest negotiator in the business in Levy.

Jose Mourinho will no doubt wonder what could have been when Chelsea come to Old Trafford on Sunday – in Football FanCast’s Fixture in Focus.

Antonio Conte has made significant changes since taking the Stamford Bridge hot seat in the summer, the most obvious being a switch to a 3-4-3 formation and the consequential success of three of his summer signings – Marcos Alonso, David Luiz and N’Golo Kante.

Yet, the majority of the squad hasn’t changed since Mourinho lead Chelsea to their fourth Premier League title during 2014/15 – back when some were tipping the west London club to create a dynasty under the Portuguese.

Much of that team was brought to Stamford Bridge by Mourinho himself, so it’s likely the now-United boss would be incredibly keen to work with some of the Chelsea cast again at Old Trafford.

With that in mind, we have a curious question for United fans: which Chelsea stars would you like to see Mourinho try and sign this summer? Let us know by voting below…

As Chelsea and West Ham went to war at Stamford Bridge, we saw two of the league’s most excitable managers face-off. Antonio Conte and Slaven Bilic were jumping around throughout the game, getting involved with the ball whenever they could do and having a good lot of fun in the process.

Good on them, we say. It’s nice to see people enjoy what they do, but we reckon Antonio Conte was enjoying what he does a fair bit less when James Collins lashed the ball into the back of Thibaut Courtois’ net late in the second half.

Earlier in that half, Eden Hazard had fired Chelsea in to the lead from the penalty spot after Michail Antonio – who had once again started at right-back – had fouled Cesar Azpilicueta in the box.

The game was good to watch, Chelsea dominated throughout and West Ham defended resolutely for much of the match, despite looking a little short of ideas when in possession.

These two sides may well end up battling for a top four place later this season, so this Chelsea victory could prove vital in a few months time.

Check out what we learned from a fascinating clash…

Cescual Frustration

From being the key creator in Chelsea’s winning side the season before last, Fabregas was left on the bench against West Ham. One game left bench warming might not mean too much, but in this instance it may well hold some relevance for the rest of the season.

Conte’s sides are a battering ram of relentless attacks, quick transition and fast possession, which doesn’t suit the more calculating Fabregas. Chelsea’s all-action display was exciting, if a little crude at times, and this might just be a sign of things to come.

Cesc will surely be rotated in and out of the side, but the way that the Blues approached their first clash of the season suggests he will spend more time as a substitute than a starter.

Ayew kidding?!

With Sofiane Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini both unavailable through injury and Dimitri Payet not yet fully fit, the last thing Slaven Bilic needed was another injury to one of his attacking options.

Andre Ayew, who has recently arrived from Swansea for around £20 million, picked up what looked like a knock to his thigh during the first half and left Bilic with a dilemma. Gokhan Tore was brought on, but – with the hefty demands of the Europa League – the Irons’ manager cannot afford to have his players falling like flies.

Could this be the result of over-training? Or is it a little bit of bad luck at the beginning of the campaign?

Oscar Winning Performance

Chelsea’s Oscar was marginalised under Jose Mourinho, with inconsistent performances blighting much of his Chelsea career to date. The Brazilian did not offer the creativity needed in a Mourinho team and too often was drifting in and out of games.

It was a signal of trust that he started in Conte’s first game and the Brazilian did not disappoint. Functioning in a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-2-3-1, Oscar ran from deep and led the high-intensity Chelsea game in the final third.

Favoured over Cesc Fabregas, Oscar has the all-round game to become a real star under Conte. His work-rate, intelligent runs and ability to inject pace into the attack with sharp one-twos make him the perfect player for the new Chelsea style. Nordtveit and Kouyate struggled to track his surging runs throughout the game, as will many throughout this season if he continues on this sort of form.

The Brazilian was the best player on the pitch for much of the match, this could be the season where he finally realises all that potential.