All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers moved back to within five points of the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a 1-0 win away at Dundee United on Sunday.

The Light Blues claimed all three points away from Ibrox with a narrow victory, thanks to a first-half goal from attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence.

It was a scrappy, hard-fought, win for Philippe Clement’s side and one that they needed after losing the first Old Firm clash of the season 3-0 before the international break.

The match-winner, Lawrence, enjoyed an excellent afternoon at Tannadice but he was not the only star of the show for the Scottish giants.

Tom Lawrence's performance in numbers

The Welsh attacking midfielder opened the scoring by bundling his way through several attempted challenges from Dundee United defenders before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

That was one of five shots taken by the former Derby County man, who had three shots on target and missed one ‘big chance’, as he constantly threatened the opposition’s goal.

Lawrence was not particularly creative for his side, though, with one key pass and zero ‘big chances’ created from 60 touches of the ball in total.

The Welshman also lost 11 of his 16 duels throughout the match, including four of his five aerial contests, which suggests that Dundee United players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.

It was a flawed, but still good, performance from Lawrence and the real hero of the story at Tannadice was Brazilian left-back Jefte, who caught the eye with a strong showing.

Jefte was the hero of the story

The summer signing enjoyed a successful afternoon on Sunday with a fantastic performance in and out of possession down the left flank for Rangers.

Ridvan Yilmaz’s absence through injury has provided the Brazilian starlet with a chance to show what he can do for Clement, and will surely have impressed his manager with his display.

He provided a constant threat down the left side with his willingness to run beyond Oscar Cortes in the first half to whip crosses in – producing eight crosses in total.

Clearances

5

Tackles + interceptions

4

Ground duels won

6/7

Aerial duels won

2/4

Dribble success rate

100% (2/2)

As you can see in the table above, Jefte was also dominant defensively for the Gers as he won 88% of his ground duels and eight of his 11 battles in total.

The superb left-back, who made nine tackles, interceptions, and clearances, was crucial to the clean sheet with his interventions to prevent Jack Butland’s goal from being threatened.

He also completed 86% of his attempted passes and both of his attempted dribbles, which shows that Jefte was reliable in possession and able to retain the ball to help his side control the game.

The £300k Rangers signing who was sold for more than Bajrami is worth

The Light Blues played a blinder by developing and selling this midfield wizard.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 11, 2024

Overall, he was the real hero for Clement due to his contributions in and out of possession for the Scottish giants, whilst Lawrence left a fair bit to be desired from his display outside of his match-winning strike.

It has been revealed what Paul Mitchell told Newcastle United staff during an early summer meeting which didn’t involve Eddie Howe, following reported issues surrounding their relationship.

Rumoured Mitchell and Howe feud at Newcastle

The Magpies may have picked up a credible 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend, bouncing back after the 3-1 defeat away to Fulham, but all is not well away from the pitch at St James’ Park currently.

The relationship between sporting director Mitchell and manager Howe is believed to be strained, to put it lightly, with the pair failing to see eye to eye amid issues regarding Newcastle’s summer transfer business, almost taking little public digs at one another.

It has been claimed recently that the transfer guru could lose his job before the manager, should push come to shove among the board, but there has also been some hope that clear-the-air talks would rectify the issues between them.

Newcastle’s performances on the pitch have been below-par this season, even though their points tally is relatively healthy, and it could certainly be argued that the Mitchell and Howe situation isn’t helping matters at all, failing to bring a togetherness between two of the most high-profile figures at the club.

Fresh Mitchell and Howe revelation at Newcastle

According to a new report from Football Insider, Mitchell told Newcastle staff that he was in charge instead of Howe when he arrived in his role during the summer, in what represents something of a bombshell revelation.

It is claimed that those involved in the meeting were left “stunned” by the former Monaco sporting director’s comments, with the update adding that Howe being absent from the meeting “raised red flags among the staff, with many beginning to question who was truly in charge at St James’ Park”.

This has done little to ease the tension at Newcastle at the moment, at a time when the club desperately need everyone to be pulling in the same direction. As mentioned, the Magpies’ seventh-place position in the Premier League suggests that things are running relatively smoothly, but their unconvincing displays mean they could easily be lower in the table, having arguably been outplayed by the likes of Wolves and Tottenham.

It’s hard to argue against the notion that Newcastle would be performing better if Mitchell and Howe were enjoying a strong working relationship, much like the manager did with former sporting director Dan Ashworth before he moved to Manchester United instead.

In terms of Mitchell’s comments, it is an extremely bold and reckless approach upon arriving at the club, hinting that that he was looking to win the power battle from minute one, but the reaction of the staff involved suggests that his comments didn’t go down too well.

Saved by Hall: Howe must immediately drop 6/10 Newcastle star

He didn’t offer much against Man City in the Premier League…

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 29, 2024

These coming weeks feel pivotal at Newcastle, and if Mitchell and Howe cannot come to a truce, it is surely only a matter of time before one is relieved of their duties.

A national media outlet has thrown shade at one West Ham United star after his decision to join the club, delivering a scathing verdict on his transfer to east London.

West Ham endure lacklustre start under Lopetegui

Following a run of zero wins in all competitions since late August, new manager Julen Lopetegui is already under a degree of pressure.

West Ham draw fresh plans to sign £40m star after Lopetegui identifies him

The Spaniard has pinpointed him as a potential new recruit.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 3, 2024

The Spaniard has been at the centre of an alleged bust-up with star winger Mohammed Kudus as well, which certainly won’t help matters, but this has since been downplayed by media sources close to the club.

“Club sources insist the ‘bust up’ between Kudus and Lopetegui at Brentford has been exaggerated, explaining both men are very passionate about improving things at the club and quickly resolved their differences amicably on Monday,” said Sean Whetstone on X.

“The incident was first mentioned by Tony Gale during commentary of the West Ham v Brentford game followed by a cryptic tweet by KUMB revealing rumours of a bust-up at half-time. Whatever the two said to each other in the heat of the moment, it appears they have both put it behind them.”

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#8

28/09/2024

Brentford (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#7

25/09/2024

Liverpool (A)

Carabao Cup

5-1 loss

#6

21/09/2024

Chelsea (H)

Premier League

3-0 loss

#5

14/09/2024

Fulham (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#4

31/08/2024

Man City (H)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#3

28/08/2024

Bournemouth (H)

Carabao Cup

1-0 win

#2

24/08/2024

Crystal Palace (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#1

17/08/2024

Aston Villa (H)

Premier League

2-1 loss

West Ham’s only two victories of the campaign – a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League and a 1-0 EFL Cup victory against Bournemouth – came weeks ago, with Lopetegui since overseeing dropped points against Fulham and Brentford whilst also watching his side get hammered by Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City.

The Irons are still prepared to back Lopetegui, as it is still very early days after all. West Ham are planning a move for Omar Marmoush, according to reports, with the Eintracht Frankfurt striker among many targets for technical director Tim Steidten as the transfer chief looks to strengthen Lopetegui’s squad.

They also spent nearly £120 million on nine new summer arrivals in a major restructure of the squad, with former Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez also joining on a free transfer.

National media throw dig at Rodriguez for joining West Ham

The World Cup-winning Argentina holding midfielder has started all six of their Premier League games so far, and his experience will be invaluable for West Ham as they look to climb the table.

Estadio Deportivo don’t share that opinion, though. Indeed, the outlet appears to have thrown shade at the 30-year-old’s decision to make a move to the London Stadium.

They suggest that Rodriguez made a mistake in leaving Betis for West Ham and refusing to sign a new deal, as they claim that he’s suffered a downturn in form since electing not to sign stay with Betis and leave for the English capital instead.

They back this verdict by calling his snub from the Argentine national squad “one of the worst pieces of news” and a “moral blow” for the South American, saying he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at Betis.

Estadio think that Rodriguez’s move to West Ham is a big reason why he hasn’t been selected by Lionel Scaloni for the next international break, but we believe this could be pretty far-fetched and more down to the form of Rodrigo de Paul, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios and Enzo Fernandez.

Leeds United are already planning to strengthen in one particular area in the January transfer window, according to a recruitment expert.

Despite a tricky couple of weeks at the beginning of the season, the Whites have turned their form around and have headed into this international break in a strong position in the Championship table.

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The international break has probably come at the right time for the Yorkshire side, as they’ve suffered a lot of injuries already in this campaign, and this break gives them time to see if any can return.

Daniel Farke has already confirmed that Daniel James could be back available for their game against Sheffield United. The winger has been on the sidelines since August, but he now looks to be closing in on a return. This is a welcome boost, as fellow winger Manor Solomon has also suffered with an injury and has subsequently missed international duty with Israel and instead stayed at Thorp Arch to continue his recovery.

Away from injuries, Leeds headed into this break under a bit of a cloud, as goalkeeper Illan Meslier made a costly mistake, which meant Leeds had to settle for a 2-2 draw away at Sunderland last week instead of a victory. That blunder has put him under the spotlight, but Farke is planning to stick with Meslier when they face the Blades next week.

However, his long-term future may be in doubt, as a recruitment expert states that the Whites and the 49ers Enterprises are looking for a replacement.

Recruitment expert says Leeds are eyeing Meslier replacement

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that Leeds United are planning on signing a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window. This comes after Meslier’s costly mistake against the Black Cats last Friday, as previously mentioned.

Brown used to work at Old Trafford, and while he is out of the game, he still remains well-connected, and he has stated that concerns over Meslier have led the club to look at signing a replacement. The former chief scout believes signing a new goalkeeper would help Leeds have a settled team and therefore find more consistency in results.

Brown said: “I’m told they’ll certainly be looking at their options. Meslier represents, to me, what Leeds United have become. I think they’re totally inconsistent.

“They’re all over the place at times, got left-backs playing centre-forward and all of this, and it leads to some really frustrating results for them. Part of that is the defence having a goalkeeper behind them who gives them confidence.

Apps

184

Goals conceded

263

Clean sheets

56

“They need somebody who comes to claim crosses and makes saves you don’t expect of them. But if, all of a sudden, he’s throwing one into his own net, it just leads to more nerves and inconsistency within the team and the back line. Leeds have been like that for four or five years now and that’s why they didn’t get promoted last season.

“That incident with Meslier – you’d never see that coming, but it happens. That’s Leeds at the moment. If it wasn’t him, it would be somebody else making a silly mistake. But that’s why they’re definitely going to be considering their options, because having that solid and consistent goalkeeper would do them a world of good.”

Crystal Palace are now ready to make a shock move to sign a new Brazilian forward this January, according to one report, with Oliver Glasner on the hunt for reinforcements.

Crystal Palace struggle in the Premier League

After a fantastic end to the 2023/24 campaign, hopes were high for this season’s Premier League season at Selhurst Park.

Glasner’s side won six of their final seven Premier League games last time around but have been a completely different side this campaign, fuelled in part by the losses of Joachim Andersen and Michael Olise over the summer, with the pair moving to Fulham and Bayern Munich respectively.

Their replacements are yet to truly make their mark in Palace colours, and it has seen the Eagles reach the second international break as one of four Premier League sides yet to pick up a win this season, alongside Ipswich Town, Wolves and Southampton.

A large part of that has been problems in attack, with their five goals the joint second fewest in the division and with the Eagles having scored more than one goal just once so far this season, while big-money summer signing Eddie Nketiah is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League for his new side, though he found the net in the EFL Cup.

They face crunch games against Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Fulham before the next international break, but it is clear that their setup as it is right now is not working, with little in wide areas and Ismaila Sarr yet to be fully trusted by his new manager.

Crystal Palace’s fixtures until the November international break

Opponent (Home/Away)

Competition

Nottingham Forest (Away)

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur (Home)

Premier League

Aston Villa (Away)

EFL Cup

Wolves (Away)

Premier League

Fulham (Home)

Premier League

Now, they have been tipped to add yet more firepower to their frontline in January.

Crystal Palace target £200k-a-week forward

That comes as Caught Offside report that Crystal Palace are one of a trio of sides showing interest in signing Manchester United outcast Antony in January.

The Brazilian has endured a torrid time at Old Trafford since his £86m move from Ajax, and is yet to start a Premier League game this season, making just two appearances from the substitutes bench as Amad Diallo is preferred by Erik ten Hag.

Crystal Palace hit gold on £20m ace who's now worth more than Olise & Eze

His rise could surpass that of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace.

ByConnor Holden Oct 14, 2024

He still has almost three years left to run on his £200,000-a-week deal at Old Trafford but the club are ready to cut their losses, and it is reported that the 24-year-old “is available on loan or a permanent transfer”, and that Palace are one of the sides eyeing up a move alongside Ajax and Newcastle United.

A move may not be a popular one given the performances that he has put up in the Premier League to date, but a loan deal could be a low cost to add at least another body to Glasner’s attacking ranks, while his Ajax form suggests that there is still talent there despite his Old Trafford woes.

Derby County will be relatively pleased with how their season is going in the Championship so far, with Paul Warne’s Rams currently sitting in a satisfactory 12th place in the league.

They are faring much better with the step-up to the second tier than the likes of Portsmouth, who actually won League One last campaign, but find themselves rooted to the bottom of the division.

Unlike Derby teams of the past that have depended on some up-and-coming homegrown talents to come good through their esteemed academy, this current eleven put together by Warne has a number of experienced EFL heads in it.

Still, there will be immense pride in the Rams camp at the moment with how far Eiran Cashin has pushed on in the senior ranks, as the 22-year-old stars in the Championship now with his boyhood club.

Notable recent Derby youth products

Of course, Cashin will steal the limelight in this regard, considering the Rams number six has stuck by the club away from being tempted to leave for pastures new.

The 22-year-old has now amassed 134 appearances in the senior mix at Pride Park, with his importance not waning in the second tier whatsoever, with the young centre-back only missing one game so far in the league owing to injury.

Away from the Nottinghamshire-born defender remaining loyal to the second-tier outfit, other recent academy talents that went on to make a name for themselves at Derby have also departed for new challenges.

Faces such as Will Hughes, Max Bird and Jason Knight have all gone on to be success stories elsewhere, with the first of that midfield trio still performing in the Premier League for Crystal Palace even at the age of 29, whilst Bird and Knight are teammates together at Bristol City.

Not every player that rises up the ranks develops into an unbelievable ace, however, with this striker now forgotten about when it comes to conversations regarding some of the notable names that have graduated from the Rams academy.

The Derby youngster who nearly emulated Salah & Giroud

Before his Derby career fell to the wayside, Mason Bennett was tipped for big things at Pride Park, having been the youngest ever player to line up for his hometown club in 2011 at just 15 years of age.

Once scouted by Premier League giants in the form of Manchester City and Liverpool, Bennett is also fondly remembered by those in Derbyshire for a ridiculous scorpion kick style effort he managed versus Wigan Athletic in 2019, with some even stating at the time that it could be a Puskas Award contender.

Away from this unbelievable effort, which nearly saw him emulate the heroics of Mohamed Salah and Oliver Giroud in being up for that prestigious award, Bennett would never prove himself to be a reliable goalscorer for the men’s team, which would result in his exit from the club under Philip Cocu just a year on from this audacious strike versus the Latics.

The 5 foot 11 forward – who made the permanent move to Millwall in August 2020 – would only manage to score five more goals for the Rams away from this memorable effort looping over the Wigan goalkeeper, finishing his time at the club with a lacklustre goal return of six from 89 clashes.

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Derby

89

6

Chesterfield

6

0

Bradford City

13

1

Notts County

2

1

Millwall

103

10

Burton Albion

66

6

Sourced by Transfermarkt

To further add insult to injury, that much-talked-about goal wouldn’t even be nominated, with Bennett also struggling away from Derby to find his goalscoring mojo as can be seen looking at the table above.

Now on the books of Burton, who are fighting against relegation in League One, it’s fair to say the 28-year-old never lived up to his immense hype as a wonderkid.

Derby will hope they can unearth more homegrown gems soon, away from failed examples such as Bennett, but will know experience is going to be key in fending off the Championship relegation zone across this gruelling campaign.

"Excellent" Derby ace to miss six months after "heartbreaking" update

He came off injured against Millwall…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 23, 2024

Slaven Bilic took charge of 109 games for West Ham between 2015-2017, managing a ratio of 1.43 points per match in his time at the club. The Croatian coach also managed West Brom and Watford in England, and now currently finds himself without a club.

In his first season at the Hammers, Bilic led the Hammers to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, ending up with 62 points, missing out on automatic Europa League qualification by just one point, behind Southampton, who finished sixth with 63 points that season.

His second year at the club took a turn, as the club went back to the bottom half of the table, finishing 11th on 45 points. Then, following a poor start to 2017/18, Bilic was sacked in November 2017 after a 4-1 loss at the London Stadium to Liverpool.

Many will look back on Bilic’s time at West Ham as a positive, and sympathise with his dismissal, as during the 2016/17 season, the Irons did sell their star man, and didn’t really manage to bring in a replacement for him in the 2017/18 summer window.

Bilic's 2017/18 transfer window

West Ham made five signings in the 2017/18 summer window, spending around £37.8m on four permanent transfers, and one loan deal. Seven players were also let go during this window, bringing in around £25.5m in fees.

The two big-money moves of the summer were made to bring Marko Arnautovic to the club from Stoke, and Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen. Arnautovic was initially bought in as a wide player option but soon became the focal point for the Hammers, which still left them short in wide areas.

Marko Arnautovic

£18.5m

Javier Hernandez

£14.8m

Sead Haksabanovic

£2.5m

Joe Hart

£1.9m

Pablo Zabaleta

£0

Whilst a few of these signings turned out to be good value, they didn’t manage to address the issue of West Ham losing their key creator and talisman, and that, of course, was Dimitri Payet, who returned to Marseille in January 2017 for a fee of around £25m.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Dimitri Payet then and now

In the Frenchman’s spell with the Hammers, he made 60 appearances, scoring 15 goals, providing 22 assists, and totalling 4,981 minutes.

It was his time in England that saw praise from the likes of Patrice Evra, Bacary Sagna, and even Kingsley Coman, who labelled Payet as “extraordinary” in 2016.

When Payet did leave West Ham in 2017, he returned to Marseille, playing a further six years at the French club and racking up 326 appearances in total, netting 78 times, and providing 95 assists. He also managed 38 caps for his country, scoring eight goals.

At 37-years-old, where is Payet now? Well, he is playing for Vasco da Gama in Brazil and is valued at just £300k by Football Transfers. The club are apparently unhappy with his “cringeworthy” performances as of late which has led to reports suggesting they could well terminate his contract.

This season, the Frenchman has made 36 appearances for the club, scoring five times, providing nine assists, and totalling 2,234 minutes played.

Now coming towards the end of his career, if Vasco decides to part ways with Payet, that could be it for the 37-year-old who could retire. However, fans will always wonder what could have been had Payet not left the club so abruptly back in 2017.

West Ham thought they had the new Payet, then Moyes sold him for £2.5m

West Ham’s deal for the attacker failed to live up to the early hype.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 6, 2024

Once, Liverpool weren’t very good, and then, over the intervening Jurgen Klopp-led years, Anfield became a goliath at the height of the European game.

Arne Slot has quite the squad at his disposal, but he’s still worked wonders in underpinning his outfit with a new degree of defensive fortitude.

24/25

9

1

1

21

6

1st (28)

23/24

7

3

1

24

10

3rd (24)

22/23

4

5

2

23

12

8th (17)

21/22

6

4

1

31

11

4th (22)

20/21

7

3

1

26

17

2nd (24)

That flourishing backline might be about to lose a key member, though. Liverpool may well be enjoying the final days of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

If Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool…

If Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool, Liverpool will endure. The Reds have risen to pre-eminent standing over the past decade, winning Premier League and Champions League titles and many other honours.

The influential full-back has risen from youth alongside his boyhood club, now with 325 appearances, 19 goals and 83 assists to his name. Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher said that “it’s like having Kevin De Bruyne at right-back” – that is the depth of his technical ability.

But Real Madrid are knocking. The La Liga giants, possibly the greatest football club of all time, rarely fail to ensnare their top targets, but Alexander-Arnold’s blood runs Liverpool red, and the adoring fanbase will hope and pray that he signs a new contract.

His deal is up next summer though. FSG have been forced to assess the market and identify a replacement.

Liverpool already eyeing Trent replacement

Conor Bradley is obviously one of the most talented young defenders in the Premier League, but he’s 21 and inexperienced. Taking Trent’s place might be too heavy a burden at this stage. Let him continue to sharpen those impressive tools, Arne.

Anfield might need a more experienced replacement, and who better than a Premier League star also on Real Madrid’s wishlist? Pedro Porro is one of Tottenham Hotspur’s finest players, and, according to Liverpool.com, he’s a viable option for the Merseysiders.

Locking into discussions with Daniel Levy is an unenviable thing, but he’s a wonderful player and is believed to have a price tag worth £60m – or in that ballpark at least.

Porro could be perfect for Slot’s Liverpool. Let’s have a look at why.

Why Pedro Porro could be perfect for Liverpool

Porro, 25, joined Tottenham from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth £40m in 2023, and he’s become a key player under Ange Postecoglou, having been hailed for his “titanic” performances by The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, notching 20 goal contributions across 67 matches.

It would be foolish to scour the market searching for a right-back of the same otherworldly creative quality as Alexander-Arnold, but in Porro, at least Liverpool would have a player with impressive playmaking numbers.

Moreover, FBref record the Spain international as Alexander-Arnold’s most comparable player, crunching and collating the data to reach such a conclusion.

Indeed, the Spurs sensation ranks among the top 12% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 5% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90.

Of course, in an ideal world, Real Madrid will honour their Spanish roots and add Porro, strengthening their homeland connection.

Let’s be candid though: Alexander-Arnold is bound to be Los Blancos’ first choice. If he leaves, Porro must be signed as his replacement, with Bradley continuing to hone his craft as Porro’s understudy.

Slot's own Alonso: Liverpool battling for "world-class" £50m talent

Liverpool could be set to spend this winter, with Slot eyeing up his own version of Xabi Alonso.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 19, 2024

After another near miss with relegation last season, it was crucial that Everton recruited well over the summer transfer window to try and help themselves pull clear of the drop zone in 2024/25.

The board invested a decent chunk of money into the playing squad, adding much-needed quality in various areas of the pitch to aid their mid-table ambitions.

Jake O’Brien was brought in for £16m from Ligue 1 side Lyon to provide that added defensive quality, but up to now, the Irish international has only featured for 26 minutes in the Premier League.

As for the forward line, Iliman Ndiaye and Armando Broja were both brought into the club, aiming to add goals after their measly league tally of just 40 goals in 38 matches last time around.

The latter is still yet to feature due to various injury issues, but will be hoping that upon his return to senior football, he can offer that threat in attacking areas the Toffees have been desperately missing.

One other player also arrived during the aforementioned window, looking to be a steady Premier League option for Sean Dyche on Merseyside.

Orel Mangala’s stats for Everton

Belgian midfielder Orel Mangala arrived at Everton during the summer on a season-long loan from French side Lyon, the same as O’Brien, despite only joining them permanently just a few weeks prior.

The 26-year-old is currently in his second spell in England’s top flight after previously featuring for Nottingham Forest in their first 18 months back in the division following promotion back in 2022.

Since his move to Goodison, Mangala has featured eight times in the league under Dyche, claiming just one victory in the process, against Crystal Palace.

However, when looking into his stats from his opening few months at the club, he’s produced some impressive numbers that rank him highly within the current first-team squad.

He’s won an average of one tackle per 90 so far this season, along with 1.6 successful dribbles per 90, which ranks him second within the squad above the likes of Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison.

However, he may be unable to retain his starting place under Dyche past January should The Friedkin Group pursue a move for one player in the upcoming window.

Everton targeting January move for midfielder

According to As Roma Live, Everton are plotting a potential January move for midfielder Bryan Cristante to try and bolster the options available to Dyche.

The 29-year-old, who is valued at £17m as per Transfermarkt, has made 12 appearances in Serie A so far this campaign, scoring just once in the 2-1 win against Venezia.

The report goes on to state that with Everton’s prospective owners, The Friedkin Group, currently in charge of the Serie A side, a deal involving striker Beto could take place – seeing the Portuguese forward go in the opposite direction, allowing Cristante to move to Goodison.

The Italian would provide an experienced head in the centre of the park, undoubtedly being an upgrade on current option Mangala despite his impressive start to life on Merseyside.

He’s completed significantly more progressive carries and progressive passes per 90 than the Belgian, with his former boss José Mourinho describing the midfielder as “indispensable” during his time as Roma manager.

Games played

12

9

Progressive carries

1.5

0.7

Progressive passes

6.3

4.1

Passes completed

63

38

Tackles won

1.3

1

Clearances made

1.9

0.7

Aerials won

61%

17%

Cristante has also won more tackles and completed more clearances per 90, making him the perfect box-to-box option for Dyche as they aim to fend off relegation once more this campaign.

It would be an excellent addition for the Toffees should they be able to pull off the deal for the £83k-per-week star, adding that needed quality at the heart of the side.

Any move including Beto remains to be seen, with the big-money signing potentially having a significant part to play for the Italian side in a deal that could see Cristante move to Goodison in January.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 20, 2024

European giants Juventus are now ready to table an intriguing offer for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze in the coming transfer windows as they look to lure the Englishman away from Selhurst Park, according to a new report.

Crystal Palace struggling without Michael Olise

Having lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich over the summer, Crystal Palace have endured a tough start to their Premier League campaign, with Oliver Glasner’s side having picked up just one win so far this season.

Currently in the relegation zone, they are consistently drawing games, with only Ipswich Town having managed more draws in the top flight so far this campaign. However, they will feel that they should have managed more points, having taken the lead against Aston Villa twice at Villa Park over the weekend only to throw it away on both occasions.

Crystal Palace now keen on £16m forward for Glasner ahead of 2025 swoop

The Eagles are looking for some additional firepower in January.

1 ByBen Browning Nov 25, 2024

After the match, Glasner claimed he was proud of his side but also admitted that he felt “a little bit of disappointment.”

“We had the lead twice but conceded the second goal after a set play, which is not what you want. You have to accept that when you give Villa 10 corners, they are so good. They had two or three headers in the same area – the ball is like a laser. We got punished.”

The absence of Olise has been keenly felt, while Eze has yet to recreate the form that made him so reportedly in-demand over the summer, and with tricky fixtures ahead they will be hoping that he can do so sooner rather than later.

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Now, an intriguing offer could be coming their way for the England international.

Juventus plot Crystal Palace swap deal for Eze

That comes as reports out of Italy claim that Juventus are interested in signing Eze in 2025, and could offer a swap deal to get it done. Famously poor at simply stumping up transfer fees for players, the Serie A giants often try to find ways to improve their squad on the cheap, either via loans, player swaps or lowball offers.

Now, they have fixed their gaze on Eze, and SpazioJ [Via Sport Witness] claim that they are plotting a player swap to try and tempt Palace into selling.

They could be willing to offer midfielder Douglas Luiz as part of the deal, with the Brazilian having failed to take to life in Juventus colours since arriving from Aston Villa in the summer in a deal worth more than £40m.

So far, Luiz has started just two Serie A games under Thiago Motta, and it is reported that “the Bianconeri could insert Luiz in a potential move” for Eze, offering Luiz a way out and a return to the Premier League, where he starred for Aston Villa.

Of course, a deal in the middle of the season seems unlikely, while Palace already boast strong options in midfield in the shape of Cheick Doucoure and Adam Wharton. Meanwhile, Luiz’s £40m+ price tag is far from the £60m price tag that Palace slapped on Eze over the summer, so cash may be needed as well.