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Chelsea were almost put to the sword by Crystal Palace on Tuesday after a thrilling London derby at Selhurst Park.

The Blues were perhaps fortunate to come away with all three points against the Eagles after a Scott Dann attempt in the dying minutes of the match hit the woodwork. An equaliser would have left Frank Lampard’s side with no time to get their noses back in front but they were fortunately able to diffuse the chance and round off a 3-2 victory on the road (as per BBC).

Goals from Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham made the day a success, although one Chelsea man has come under fire for his performance.

Ian Wright has criticised Kepa Arrizabalaga’s display between the sticks and thinks that he should’ve done more to prevent Palace’s first goal. Chelsea were enjoying a 2-0 lead before Zaha fired a long-range strike into the back of the net to half the deficit. His shot was straight at Kepa in the middle of goal, who arguably should have at least got a hand to it.

“Honestly for me for £71m worth of a goalkeeper he’s got to do better with that,” the Arsenal icon told Premier League Productions (via Football365). “It’s a powerful strike don’t get me wrong but from where it’s gone in the goal he’s got to do better, he’s got to at least get a hand to that. I’d be gutted if my goalkeeper let that in”

Kepa’s performance earned him the lowest Sofascore rating out of Chelsea’s starting XI – making an error that led to a Crystal Palace shot and recording just 18 successful passes.

Having shipped 50 goals in total this season, including five in the last eight days, Wright’s concerns about the Spaniard seem pertinent and one must wonder what Lampard has made of the goalkeeper’s recent displays.

How do you think Kepa played against the Eagles, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Glasgow Rangers captain James Tavernier has praised Lewis Mayo following his cameo against Lyon in the first match of the Veolia Trophy in France.

The Gers faced Les Gones on Thursday, and they secured a morale-boosting 2-0 victory against a side that is still in the Champions League this season. The first strike was an own goal, before Ianis Hagi doubled the Ibrox outfit’s lead before half-time. Ryan Kent’s red card put a bit of pressure on the Gers, but they passed this test with flying colours.

Mayo came on in the second half, and Tavernier was clearly impressed with the centre-back. He said after the match:

“You want the boys to learn off us all and learn off the coaches and make a claim for themselves. It’s their career, they’ve got everything in their hands to be very good players. I’m delighted for them and the way they’ve conducted themselves. Nathan and Calvin, Rossco, he’s been on loan and he’s got his experience and I thought Mayo was actually terrific, he was solid at the back. Really happy with them.”

Mayo is currently inexperienced, having yet to make a competitive Gers appearance, but he did join Partick Thistle on loan in January and managed three games in the Championship – it would have likely been more had it not been for the fact that the season was suspended due to the current pandemic.

With Nikola Katic picking up a training injury that will see him be out for the foreseeable future, the path to a spot in the starting XI could be open, and if Mayo is receiving praise from the older heads in the side, he could be a surprise contender.

Let us know what you think below!

Inter Milan are ready to offer Tottenham Hotspur a swap deal for Tanguy Ndombele, reports claim.

Ndombele has divided opinion all season, despite Daniel Levy insisting he will not be sold this summer.

The 23-year-old, who is Tottenham’s record signing, has struggled to settle down under Jose Mourinho and their relationship has become increasingly strained.

According to Corriere dello Sport, as per @TranSPURS, Inter are prepared to try and prise Ndombele away from north London.

The Italian newspaper suggests Antonio Conte will use Marcelo Brozovic to sweeten the deal.

Relations between the two hit an all-time low last month, but Mourinho has backed Ndombele to succeed at Spurs.

Brozovic was a part of the Croatian side that reached the 2018 World Cup final, and it seems Conte considers him surplus to requirements.

Recent reports had revealed the Croat will be allowed to leave if Inter receive a suitable bid, although it appears he will be used as part of the negotiations for Ndombele.

Mourinho was linked with a move for Brozovic during his time in charge of Manchester United and the offer may be too tempting for him to ignore.

Try as he might, Ndombele has failed to find any consistency this season, although he has still attracted attention from clubs overseas, including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

The £46m-valued ace has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, which hasn’t helped his case.

The Portuguese has attempted to defuse the rumours circulating online, but it is hard to deny the pair have a rocky relationship.

While Levy has made it clear that the Frenchman will not be up for sale in the summer, Mourinho may find the swap deal hard to resist, as he is well aware his budget has been severely slashed as a result of these uncertain times.

Tottenham fans, should Levy swap Ndombele for Brozovic this summer? Let us know down below!

Leeds United will be a lot more focused on incomings than outgoings this summer after their return to the Premier League, but there is one player’s future that still needs sorting.

There have previously been calls for Kiko Casilla to be sacked in the wake of his racism charge, but that doesn’t seem all that likely, considering he’s since come back into the first team, starting Leeds’ game against Derby towards the end of the season.

However, despite Casilla looking unlikely to be sacked by the club, Phil Hay believes his days at Elland Road could still be numbered.

What’s been said then?

The journalist answered a number of fans’ questions in a Q&A on The Athletic this week, and as expected, one supporter queried about Casilla’s future, to which Hay responded:

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“We’re waiting to find out with Casilla. It was interesting that Bielsa decided to use him at Derby because it suggested that, in his mind, Casilla is not necessarily done. But I still think there’s a chance he’ll go,” Hay wrote.

“Casilla’s reputation has taken a big hit in England. I know that Leeds have long been interested in Emiliano Martinez but sadly he’s flavour of the month at Arsenal. They’ve also looked at Angus Gunn (Southampton) before and that was a name which cropped up again last week. Whatever happens, there’s a very good chance Illan Meslier will start as No 1.”

Has to go

It’s understandable that fans wanted him sacked after his racism charge as there is no place for that sort of behaviour in football, but even when you put that to one side, it may still be time for Casilla to move on.

He made a string of errors this season, notably against Wigan, Nottingham Forest and Brentford, and with Illan Meslier keeping seven clean sheets in 10 league appearances, you have to wonder if he’d even get a game.

Add into this that Casilla is one of Leeds’ top earners, with only Helder Costa and Patrick Bamford being on a higher weekly wage at the start of the season, and his departure begins to make a lot of sense.

Whether they like it or not, AFC Bournemouth are having a fire sale in the ongoing summer transfer window. With the squad heading down to the Championship for the 2020/21 season, they are bound to lose some of their players at least.

Of course, Jordon Ibe is already a free agent, having been released by the Cherries, and his future certainly lies away from Bournemouth. According to a new report from the printed version of The Mirror (via The Boot Room), however, he just might stay in the Premier League.

The same outlet states that both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace are looking to scoop the 24-year-old up this summer.

Neither the Magpies nor the Eagles have a lot of money to spend in the market so Ibe being released by Bournemouth is an excellent opportunity to land him on a free transfer.

Another thing that seems to appeal to both Steve Bruce and Roy Hodgson is the fact that Ibe has Premier League experience and is still quite young. Of course, once, he was a hot prospect at Liverpool before ultimately falling off and moving away from Anfield.

Still, five goals and nine assists in 92 games for the Cherries is also not a particularly attractive tally.

However, just the fact that they would be getting him for free means that he’s worth the risk for Bruce and could still play a part in their redemption campaign in the following season.

Verdict

Needless to say, Ibe won’t exactly be one of the most exciting signings for Newcastle if he does end up coming this summer. However, with their budget being extremely low and Bruce not exactly having plenty of quality options on the table, he will simply have to do.

If nothing else, the 24-year-old can still add pace and give the team some much-needed depth. And then, they can only hope he can still turn things around.

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to the £28m arrival of Ollie Watkins from Brentford, taking to Twitter to share their glee at the announcement.

Having seen Mbwana Samatta, Keinan Davis and Wesley struggle last season with only nine goals between them, Villa manager Dean Smith has now moved to enhance his attacking options with the arrival of Watkins from Brentford.

A scorer of 26 goals in the Championship in 2019/20, Watkins had emerged as a potential option to bolster Villa’s strike force and confirmation of his £28m move has now been shared via Twitter and on the club’s official website.

The 24-year-old is Villa’s second signing of the summer transfer window following the £16m purchase of defender Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest.

Watkins will now link up with the Villa first team ahead of the new Premier League season, with the Midlands club beginning their campaign at home to Sheffield United on Monday 21 September.

Reacting to the transfer, these Villa fans took to Twitter to share their delight at the news…

How many goals do you think Watkins can score next season in the Premier League? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below…

Gareth Bale and Real Madrid are one of the most interesting stories in world football. Of course, once the most expensive player on the planet, the Welshman is now reduced to yawning in the stands and rarely getting the chance to play.

His relationship with the gaffer, Zinedine Zidane, is practically non-existent but for one reason or the other, Los Blancos were never really keen to see him leave. Until now, that is.

According to the latest report from The Telegraph, Real Madrid are finally ready to facilitate the winger’s departure and would even pay half his wages just to make it happen.

This, of course, would be a huge boost for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur or even Manchester United who were touted as interested parties. Jose Mourinho is an admirer but Bale’s wages and a potentially astronomical price tag were the main obstacles.

Spurs are not exactly blessed with a full warchest but if Real really do pay half of the Welshman’s reported £600,000-a-week wage, maybe a window suddenly opens for them to strike.

Even though the Spanish champions are not in a financial crisis like most of the footballing world, keeping such an expensive player only for him to play golf and warm the bench is not exactly an ideal scenario.

Offloading him to the Premier League, on the other hand, might be.

But it will be up to Daniel Levy to sanction such a move first.

Verdict

This is not the first time we talk about Bale potentially returning to Spurs and until he finally makes the move and leaves Madrid, the stories are going to keep on appearing.

But maybe Mourinho needs such a superstar in the team after all. He’s got Harry Kane, of course, but adding a bit more firepower would surely go a long way to helping Spurs finally reach for the stars.

Liverpool could be close to finalising a permanent move that will see young left-back Yasser Larouci join Leeds as the hours of the summer transfer window tick down.

The 19-year-old has made it clear that he is looking for regular first team football and that’s something the Merseyside outfit cannot offer him. With new signing Kostas Tsimikas being assigned as Andy Robertson’s deputy, there’s no room at the inn for the young Frenchman.

A new future for Yasser Larouci

Leeds and Brentford have both been heavily linked to Larouci this year but it looks like the Championship winners are in pole position to secure a deal. According to The Mirror (via HITC), Marcelo Bielsa is eager to land a move for the defender before the transfer window closes. With less than a year left on his current contract, it’s imperative that Liverpool cash in whilst they still can.

The Reds recently valued Larouci at £2million, but Leeds were reluctant to pay the full amount for the teenager, according to Afrique Sports (via TEAMtalk). However, with Bielsa clearly keen to see a deal materialise, the Whites may just bite the bullet and pay up.

Despite receiving a lot of praise from Jurgen Klopp, Larouci will be waiting a long time to push into the first team with Tsimikas now on the picture. The Algeria-born defender has made a few first-team appearances, featuring in the FA Cup ties against Everton and Shrewsbury back in January (via Transfermarkt).

Larouci also featured on the club’s tour of USA, facing Klopp’s former club Dortmund in a 3-2 defeat. The manager praised the teen for defending ‘really well’ against Jadon Sancho as The Reds took on his former side (via Liverpool ECHO).

Leeds currently have three recognised left-backs on their roster, so the addition of Larouci will make for some tense in-house competition to fight for their spot in the starting line-up.

In other news, Michael Edwards shows Liverpool worth amid potential transfer profit…

Leeds United are expected to complete a move for Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell before the domestic transfer window closes on October 16th, according to a report from the Daily Star.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been heavily linked with a move for Cantwell over the last few weeks, with the Whites having reportedly tabled an offer worth around £15 million for the 22-year-old, as per Football Insider. However, further reports did suggest that the Canaries are confident of keeping hold of the midfielder but they are valuing him at around £20 million if anyone does want to sign him.

Leeds and Cantwell saga could rumble on until the deadline

It has been reported that despite Leeds so far failing to agree a deal, the 22-year-old is still eager to make a move to Elland Road and make a return to playing Premier League football . The Whites are understood to still be pursuing a deal for the midfielder ahead of the domestic deadline, as per the Daily Star.

Cantwell still has two years remaining on his Norwich contract, and the Canaries are seemingly doing all they can to keep hold of the midfielder. That comes after he stood out for them throughout a challenging campaign in the Premier League last year, registering six goals and two assists in 37 league appearances, as per Sofascore.

Cantwell signing would round of excellent Leeds window

Leeds have already enjoyed a very promising transfer window, with the Whites having brought in the likes of Rodrigo, Diego Llorente, Raphinha and Robin Koch. However, the one thing missing has been the arrival of a quality midfielder with Bielsa’s side having backed away from signing Michael Cuisance due to an issue with his medical.

Cantwell could be the player that Leeds need to provide more quality and competition in the midfield area, with the 22-year-old having averaged 0.8 shots, 0.9 key passes and maintaining an 82% passing accuracy per game last term (via Sofascore). Those stats would likely improve under Bielsa’s coaching and he appears to be a perfect fit if Leeds can get a deal over the line.

Leeds fans, would Cantwell be a welcome addition for the Whites? Let us know your thoughts below!

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson must look to summer signing Dion Sanderson when he names his defence to face Portsmouth at the Stadium of Light this Saturday.

Kenny Jackett’s Fratton Park natives will be vying to maintain momentum in their early push for the play-off places this weekend, having claimed three wins in their last four games and eased past Gillingham 2-0 last time out.

The Black Cats are riding a strong wave of form themselves after an unbeaten start to the League One season, while boasting the third-tier’s best defensive record with just one goal shipped after six games.

Parkinson’s men were able to keep Crewe Alexandra at bay throughout their midweek clash despite having to name a makeshift defence, with Sunderland without Jordan Willis as a result of the foot injury which forced him off during the 2-0 win at Swindon.

Sanderson also sat out the Crewe affair as Parkinson felt the summer arrival needed longer to acclimatise having only trained with his new Black Cats teammates for the first time on Monday.

But now with a full week under his belt, Parkinson can feel easy about calling on Sanderson to face Portsmouth rather than risking Willis aggravating his injury after stating that the 26-year-old is still not fully fit on Friday.

Sanderson would prove a worthwhile candidate to face Portsmouth this weekend having fared strongly for Wolverhampton Wanderers in their EFL Trophy clash with Bradford, coming in his only senior appearance of the term before joining Sunderland on loan.

The 20-year-old managed to record six clearances, blocked one shot, made two interceptions and two tackles against the League Two opposition, while winning two of his four ground duels and playing 28 accurate passes, per SofaScore.

His performance was more than comparable to the form seen from Willis this term, with the 26-year-old recording an average 1.4 tackles, 3.0 clearances, 4.4 duels won, 25.4 accurate passes and 0.2 interceptions per game over his five appearances in the League One term thus far.

Sanderson was also fielded as the right-sided centre-half in a three-man defence, where Conor McLaughlin offered a futile display during the week to leave Parkinson surely considering changes at the back now that he has more options to turn too.

Former Sunderland boss Jack Ross was full of praise for McLaughlin when he welcomed the Northern Ireland international to the Stadium of Light last year.

“He brings quality and experience to a position that was of high-priority for us to have options in,” said Ross, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo. “I look forward to working with him over the course of the season.”

McLaughlin’s debut year did not go to plan, however, with the 29-year-old admitting earlier this month that he is determined to have a better campaign after doing himself an injustice.

“It was tough [last season],” the defender said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “I didn’t do myself justice when I did get a chance last year, so it was tough to take.

“But I was positive, kept working hard and hoped that I got my chance. If I want to stay in the team now then I need to play well, because there’s a lot of good players in the squad that can take your spot.”

Unfortunately, though, McLaughlin was the weakest link in Sunderland’s makeshift backline as they beat Crewe 1-0 on Tuesday night, with the natural right-back dropped in to cover for Willis’ injury.

McLaughlin failed to record any attempted tackles or aerial duels against David Artell’s side, per WhoScored, while his two clearances were insignificant alongside Bailey Wright’s seven.

AND in other news, Sunderland’s decision to sell a highly-rated prospect this summer is already appearing worse business than the sale of Josh Maja.