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Crystal Palace have had a pretty unremarkable season so far and while there have been some spectacular high points – see the 3-2 win over Manchester City and Andros Townsend’s thunderbolt volley – the Selhurst Park faithful can feel disappointed that they have been unable to break their season-after-season relegation battle, considering the quality they have in all areas of the pitch.

Roy Hodgson is sometimes guilty of choosing the wrong approach or making peculiar tactical decisions but he and his players deserve credit for the extraordinary turnaround during the 17/18 season, in which a number of players stepped up to the plate and proved their value.

This season, though, there have been few remarkable performers and arguably more who have declined. Who, then, are Palace’s most improved and far removed players?

Most improved: Jeffrey Schlupp

While Aaron Wan-Bissaka has certainly been the Eagles’ most impressive and consistent player this season, the 21-year-old has been that good since his debut in February last year, while Jeffrey Schlupp has come on leaps and bounds since last campaign.

The Ghanaian is taking the label of ‘utility man’ to a whole other level – deployed at left-back, left-midfield and, more importantly, central-midfield, the former Leicester man has been the surprise package of Palace’s season.

Tucked into a three, the 26-year-old has brought rare pace and a quality finishing touch to the Palace midfield, scoring five goals – a tally that brings him level with Wilfried Zaha.

Far removed: Patrick van Aanholt

Previously keeping Schlupp out of the lineup, van Aanholt was hugely impressive last season and struck up a dangerous partnership with Zaha on the left-flank, although this campaign he has looked less confident on the ball and his defensive shortcomings are being exposed far more often.

In the 17/18 season, the nine-cap Dutchman was a scoring threat for the Eagles, striking five times in 28 league appearances – however, he has netted just once in 26 appearances in 18/19.

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

When he isn’t contributing going forward, the reasoning behind starting the 28-year-old is far less convincing considering his often poor positioning on the back foot can be a liability. He can undoubtedly bounce back from this disappointing six months, although he needs to get his act together sooner rather than later.

As per 90min, a concerning contract update has come to light regarding Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah. 

The lowdown: The wait goes on

Despite all parties seemingly being at the table for some time, speculation continues to rumble on as to whether or not the 29-year-old will sign a new deal to remain at the club, having arrived from AS Roma in 2017.

Now into the final 18 months of a deal on Merseyside, Salah has already been linked with a sensational move to Barcelona in recent weeks, and the off-field discourse has seemingly impacted his on-field output as the usually lethal winger has failed to score from open play since netting against Norwich City in mid-February.

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However, perhaps unsurprisingly given his extraordinary goal return over the last five years, the club remain desperate to tie down the Egyptian King to a fresh contract.

The latest: Salah and Liverpool ‘some way apart’

According to 90min’s sources, Salah and Liverpool have been in discussions for ‘more than a year’ without a tangible breakthrough.

The report claims that the Reds’ owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are ‘willing’ to make the 82-cap Egypt star the highest-paid player at Anfield, but there is a ‘reluctance’ to pitch him amongst the best earners in the Premier League.

Furthermore, it is stated that the parties are still ‘some way apart’ in their negotiations as Salah attempts to earn a pay rise on a current £200,000-per-week salary (Spotrac).

The verdict: Just get it done

Of all the important decisions facing the club over the upcoming months and years, securing the services of the £90m-valued superstar is perhaps the most important alongside Jurgen Klopp’s own future beyond 2024.

Prior to recent struggles, the man hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Ian Wright following a lightning-quick start to the 2021/22 campaign had been one of the leading lights in world football and remains pivotal to Liverpool’s trophy success this term and beyond.

Despite suffering a recent dip, so far this season Salah has scored 28 times and provided another 10 assists in 38 appearances – levels of output which make the potential completion of a new deal a salient moment in the Reds’ future at the very top table.

In other news, three Liverpool players in particular stood out against Benfica. Read more here.

When Tottenham Hotspur splashed £28m on the signing of Sergio Reguilon back in September 2020, the Premier League side would have been well aware that the 25-year-old left-back may not be at the club for the length of his five-year £68k-per-week contract.

Indeed, with Real Madrid possessing a £43m buy-back clause for the Spain international – something the LaLiga side are reportedly planning to activate this summer – the defender could already be moving onto pastures new after just two seasons in north London.

As a result, Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are reported to already be planning for life after Reguilon, with Genoa’s Andrea Cambiaso having recently been added to the 52-year-old manager’s list of potential targets to replace the £25.2m-rated Spaniard – according to Italian media outlet Alfredo Pedulla (via The Mirror).

And, considering how impressive the 22-year-old has been in Italy so far this season, it is not difficult to see why Spurs would be keen on landing the full-back ahead of 2022/23.

“He is a Paolo Maldini”

Indeed, over his 25 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the ambidextrous left-back has been one of the few shining lights in a disappointing campaign for relegation-threatened Genoa, with the £4.5m-rated dynamo scoring one goal from an xG of 0.7 and registering four assists from an xA of 1.8, as well as making a highly impressive total of 330 pressures and 53 blocks over the course of the season.

In comparison, over Reguilon’s 23 Premier League outings this term, the 25-year-old who Jonathan Veal claimed looks “scared” when attacking has scored two goals from an xG of three and has provided three assists from an xA of four, as well as making a total of 275 pressures and 29 blocks in 2021/22.

Furthermore, Cambiaso’s agent, Giovanni Bia, clearly believes that the Italy U21 international has a huge future in the game, having stated of the £4.5k-per-week sensation back in February: “To make it clear, he is a Paolo Maldini.

“He can play on the right or the left as a full-back or in midfield. He is two-footed and has flexibility. I think he should be part of the new [Italy squad]. He has vision and quality – Italy needs players like that. We don’t have great full-backs at the moment. For me, he will be one of the full-backs of the national team for the next ten years.

“The boy is being watched by many teams. We will have to discuss with the club what is best for everyone. His contract is due to expire in 2023.”

As such, considering that is it being reported the Inter Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and Napoli target will be available for as little as €12m (£10m) this summer, should Reguilon indeed go on to re-join Real Madrid for £43m, it would appear highly advisable for Paratici to do all he can to land the Italian prodigy as the Spaniard’s replacement.

Indeed, not only does Cambiaso look to have a much higher ceiling than the 25-year-old, but he would also seem to be a much better fit for Conte’s tactical setup at Spurs.

AND in other news: Conte can unearth his next 243-goal talent in THFC prodigy who “runs over every blade”

Everton have struggled to score goals throughout their latest Premier League campaign in comparison to other teams in the bottom half of the table.

With 30 league games under their belt, the Toffees have only been able to find the net 33 times.

One figure who hasn’t been particularly helpful in terms of scoring goals for Frank Lampard’s team is Salomon Rondon. Having made 15 appearances in the league, the Venezuelan has scored just once, which came during their 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace back in December.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Toffees are looking at bringing in another attacking player who could push the 32-year-old out the door.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the Merseyside club are eyeing up a summer move for Benfica attacker Everton Soares.

With a total of 272 appearances under his belt for Benfica and his previous club Gremio, the Brazilian has scored 62 goals and provided 35 assists in the process. This shows just how capable the 26-year-old is of scoring and setting up goals, something that Lampard’s side have often lacked this season.

To highlight what a deadly attacking figure he has been for his side in the Portuguese league this term, only three other Benfica players have racked up more shots at goal than Everton (34), who also has the third-highest number of crosses in the squad (58).

The Brazil international has also shown how useful he can be off the ball for his team by making 20 tackles in total throughout the campaign.

Labelled an “exceptional” player by Marcelo Paz, the £37k-per-week talent could be just what the Merseyside club needs in order to become a deadlier attacking team than they have been this season.

Despite predominantly being a wide player, adding the Benfica star to Lampard’s squad could give the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin the chance to play up front together, which could then push Rondon out of the club.

Having been described as being “desperate” to score goals for the Toffees by Noel Whelan, the Venezuelan should not be in Lampard’s plans for next season given his lack of goals during a difficult campaign for him and the club.

In other news: Everton must launch move for “outstanding” 25-year-old “Wolverine” as insider claim emerges

An injury expert has now dropped a Newcastle United claim on Callum Wilson before they play Norwich City away from home in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Shooting drills

As cited by The Shields Gazette, Eddie Howe has revealed that Wilson has taken part in some low-level shooting drills as he looks to step up his recovery from injury.

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The striker was reportedly confident of making his return against the Canaries, and the Toon Army will no doubt be eager to hear an update on his situation from Howe before the game on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Injury expert

Speaking to Football Insider, medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that Wilson is now ‘moving in the right direction’, and that it would be ‘fantastic’ if he could still play a part in the run-in:

“He is moving in the right direction.

“They will be proceeding with caution given his history with soft tissue injuries.

“With this injury specifically, you need to be careful with him because there is that danger there.

“If it was a choice between bringing him back too early or having a fully fit and firing Callum Wilson next season, you’d take the latter.

“If he does play some part in the run-in, fantastic. As long as he is moving in the right direction, that will suit Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Big boost

It would certainly be a big boost if Wilson could come back for the remainder of the run-in, starting with NCFC on Saturday.

Amazingly, he is still their top scorer this season with six goals despite his injury setback, and would be useful in getting the St. James’ Park faithful to finish as high up in the Premier League table as possible.

Nonetheless, a nice run of matches will get him best prepared for next term, where the North East club will be hoping to kick on after a potentially busy summer transfer window.

In other news, find out who NUFC’s three worst players were against Crystal Palace here!

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Marseille forward Bamba Dieng…

What’s the talk?

According to the Express, PIF are interested in a deal to sign the attacker for the Magpies and could land him on loan with an obligation to make it permanent in the summer.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are prepared to sell him for a fee in the region of £10-15m, with Newcastle, Brighton and West Ham are considering a swoop.

Howe’s own Drogba

Eddie Howe could find his own Didier Drogba by securing a deal to bring Dieng to St. James’ Park before the end of the month.

El-Hadji Diouf previously compared the forward to the Premier League and Chelsea icon whilst hailing his potential, saying:

“I knew him from the Senegal national youth teams. He’s a forward, a Didier Drogba [kind of player]. All he knows how to do is score goals. I watched him when he was with Diambars [Dieng’s former club in Senegal] and he wasn’t far off being one of the best strikers in the Senegalese league [Dieng was top scorer in the 2019/20 season, his first as a professional].

“He’s a young player who has a future. The Senegal national team has perhaps also found its own great striker. All I can say to him is that he should keep his head on his shoulders, and carry on working hard. Out of three chances, he’ll score two. He’s a striker who finishes when he’s in the box.”

Drogba scored 104 goals and provided 55 assists in 254 matches for Chelsea in the Premier League throughout his career, which shows how highly Diouf rates the young Marseille man. He is not performing to those levels yet but he could have the potential to get there and this is why he could be an excellent signing for Newcastle.

Dieng may not be the player they need to come in and save them from relegation this season, but he could be someone Howe is able to work with over time to develop him into being the next iconic centre-forward of the Premier League era if he is able to fulfil his potential.

At the age of 21, he has the world at his feet and the Magpies could bed him in slowly, allowing him to learn from the likes of Callum Wilson and Chris Wood whilst picking up Premier League experience along the way.

Jorge Sampaoli previously lauded him as an “explosive” talent and he has burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 this season, with four goals in 14 games (seven starts). He has also scored one goal in two games for Senegal at the African Cup of Nations, showing that he is starting to find his form at senior level for club and country.

This suggests that he could have the potential to score goals on a regular basis at the top level, but he is yet to show that he can do it over the course of an entire season let alone four or five. Therefore, he could be a great signing for the future and Howe could mould him into his own version of Drogba in the coming years.

AND in other news, “Hearing that NUFC have..”: Pete Graves drops big transfer twist, it’ll infuriate Howe…

Reliable journalist Dominic King has provided a fresh update regarding a Liverpool move to sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, confirming Reds chiefs are eyeing the player. 

The lowdown: Frenzy of speculation

This all comes following a report from Santi Aouna of reputable French otulet Foot Mercato, claiming that the Reds have initiated contact over a possible move for the 22-year-old.

Whilst the Anfield club have been tentatively linked previously, this was the first suggestion of a tangible pursuit as Liverpool seemingly moved into the front of the queue to sign Tchouameni.

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However, things may not be that straightforward just yet, with King sharing who the favourites to lock up a deal actually are…

The latest: King delivers reality check

Taking to Twitter, King, the Northern Football Correspondent for the Daily Mail, had this to say when confirming the Reds’ interest in the formidable Ligue 1 talent.

“Lots of stuff around about Liverpool and Aurelien Tchouameni. No question he is a player they are looking at but other clubs in frame, too, most notably Real Madrid, who are favourites. Liverpool, however, most definitely looking for a midfielder with his qualities.”

Elsewhere, Manchester United have also been extensively indexed with a move for the eight-cap France star who has been dubbed as an ‘octopus’ for his unwavering ability to control the game from midfield.

The verdict: Make it happen

As King rightly alludes to, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and new transfer chief Julian Ward should be in the market for an addition to the engine room during the summer transfer window.

Whilst current frontline incumbents Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago and Naby Keita continue to more than hold their own, all four have faced their battles with fitness in the past and with James Milner out of contract at the end of the season, a fresh face is required.

So far this season the £36million-rated (Transfermarkt) ace has earned an outstanding 7.27 rating from 32 Ligue 1 outings, completing 2.5 tackles, 2.8 interceptions and 51.5 passes on average per game (Sofascore).

In fact, he leads the French top flight in winning possession back, puts up great pressing numbers and even wins over 70 per cent of his aerial duels (MaaxiAngelo). Perhaps, then, it is no surprise to see Paul Pogba label his young compatriot as ‘extraordinary’.

Tchouameni’s ability to operate at the base of the midfield as well as in a box-to-box role would make the French youngster an invaluable addition to the Anfield squad and one the board should be pulling out all the stops to get over the line.

In other news, David Ornstein has confirmed some key Liverpool news. Read more here.

Antonio Conte’s concerns at Tottenham Hotspur have been revealed after a pretty disappointing January transfer window in north London…

What’s the word?

As claimed by the Telegraph’s Matt Law on social media this week, the Lilywhites “continue to live in hope rather than expectation” which is “something Antonio Conte has made it clear he doesn’t like.”

In an accompanying column for the newspaper, the reliable reporter went onto suggest that ‘Conte hoped for a sign that Spurs share his winning ambition in the January transfer window, but there has been no real proof’ after they sealed a double swoop for Juventus duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.

‘Chairman Daniel Levy and managing director Fabio Paratici are unlikely to have done enough to put supporters’ minds at rest that the 52-year will at least see out his contract that runs to the end of next season,’ he also claimed.

The Italian head coach wanted three signings. He got two. And they also missed out on two key targets in Adama Traore and Luis Diaz.

Ticking timebomb

That said, the club did well to move on figures that simply had no part to play in the remainder of the season in the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli, for whom the writing had been very much on the wall since Conte’s arrival.

Often, under Levy, Spurs have kept hold of players way past their sell-by date, whilst there are certainly question marks over Paratici, whose first managerial appointment – Nuno Santo – faced the axe within months, whilst one of his own summer signings – Bryan Gil – departed on loan, too.

There are very much questions marks to be had surrounding the relationship of the three integral protagonists in Spurs’ quest to return to their former glory. It almost seems like this is a ticking timebomb waiting to explode and you’d imagine that failure to back Conte in the summer would be the trigger.

Paratici signing players he’s very familiar with already isn’t the best of looks either. It seems like the cheap way out after a completely disastrous pursuit of Traore, who they had been tracking since the summer – only for the player to have doubts over his role in north London.

Kulusevski and Bentancur are hardly inspiring names, nor are they going to pull up any trees at Hotspur Way but they are solid enough to keep Conte happy for the time being, especially as they are more likely to sign up to his methods than any of the departed trio mentioned above.

This claim from Law is hardly going to alleviate any of the fears that fans may have as the season rumbles on. You can’t help but feel as if we’re all expecting the Italian to not see out his contract and that’ll be on the hands of Levy and Paratici, the two who heavily chased him back in November.

Will Conte last the next six months, let alone the next 18? Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth his next Cesc Fabregas at Spurs in “aggressive” £22.5m-rated beast…

Celtic ran riot against their Glasgow rivals on Wednesday night, with a 3-0 win at Parkhead taking them back to the top of the Premiership.

Ange Postecoglou’s side sealed the three points in the opening 45 minutes, with January signing Reo Hatate scoring twice before setting up Liel Abada for a third in front of an electric home crowd.

We’ve delved into the numbers from statistical website SofaScore to analyse the Hoops’ three best performers from those to have played at least 45 minutes of action. No prizes for guessing who one of them was, but who else stood out?

Reo Hatate – 8.8/10

Hatate is first up with an incredible match rating of 8.8/10. Alongside his three goal contributions, the 24-year-old also made 24 passes, including one key pass, and won four duels.

He contributed defensively in a three-man midfield too, making two tackles and one interception during his 73-minute display.

Greg Taylor – 8.1/10

Next up is left-back Taylor, who put in a solid display up against new Rangers loan signing Amad Diallo in the opening 45 minutes.

The Scot won 12 of his 14 duels, made a whopping eight successful tackles and also completed five interceptions.

Taylor also recorded three clearances and completed 25 of his 32 passes, ending with a match rating of 8.1/10.

Josip Juranovic – 7.7/10

The third and final inclusion is right-back Juranovic, who didn’t seem to put a foot wrong last night.

The Croatian won four duels and made three tackles, two interceptions and two clearances. He also completed 28 passes, including one key pass, ending with a score of 7.7/10 – the same as Abada.

In other news: ‘I can tell you…’ – BBC Radio 5 Live pundit shares key on-air info regarding ‘unbelievable’ Celtic ace

Leeds United continue to be interested in Brenden Aaronson ahead of January 31st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that the Yorkshire giants are preparing another bid for the RB Salzburg midfielder after having a £15m bid knocked back by the Austrian champions.

The 21-year-old has only been at the club for a year but his impressive performances have caught the eye of many across Europe, though it is the Premier League that he dreams of playing in one day.

Aaronson’s running stats are amongst the highest around the continent, so it’s no wonder Marcelo Bielsa is hugely keen on securing him.

Shades of Gallagher

Leeds have long been looking for a central midfielder capable of driving the team forward in the final third, especially as it has now been four years since they signed someone in the role, that being Adam Forshaw from Middlesbrough in January 2018.

The Whites failed with their attempts to sign promising Chelsea starlet Conor Gallagher during the summer after his impressive loan stint at West Brom, with the England U21 dynamo opting for top-flight rivals Crystal Palace instead.

However, there are shades of the 21-year-old Eagles loanee in the 15-cap American sensation.

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“Typically an attacking midfielder, Aaronson is best described as a half-winger, capable of playing out wide or centrally in the third line of Salzburg’s 4-2-2-2 formation. During games, Aaronson is expected to cover ground in central spaces, as well as supporting attacks via the channels,” claimed journalist Joe Donnohue to LeedsLive recently.

Indeed, the bustling Salzburg gem ranks amongst the top 1% of midfielders in Europe for pressures, having averaged 27.84 pressures per 90 and he also forces the opposition into losing the ball 8.55 times per 90, with those figures coming in the Champions League, via FBRef.

This is right up Bielsa’s street as he loves a player who can press high up the pitch, just as Gallagher has proven to do during his time at the Hawthorns and Selhurst Park.

Nicknamed the ‘Medford Messi’, Aaronson has been dubbed “highly talented” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and “silky” by ex-USMNT international DeMarcus Beasley.

His returns of ten goals and 12 assists from only 51 appearances in Austria make him a very exciting young talent indeed. As such, Victor Orta and co must push ahead with plans to sign him as soon as possible.

Bielsa could finally be getting his Gallagher-like midfield presence.

AND in other news, Journalist drops huge Leeds United transfer claim ahead of deadline day…