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Crystal Palace must move for Everton midfielder Tom Davies as new manager Patrick Vieira aims to complete the overhaul of his engine room at Selhurst Park.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the Eagles are monitoring the 23-year-old’s situation at Goodison Park ahead of a potential offer.

The report states that: “A Palace source has told Football Insider that Davies is on their radar going into next year and his situation at Everton will be monitored.

“Intriguingly, Davies is out of contract in the summer of 2023 and there has been no progress in talks over an extension.”

Patrick Vieira needs him

Palace replaced several ageing campaigners with fresh faces over the summer following Roy Hodgson’s departure, including two central midfielders.

Conor Gallagher arrived at Selhurst Park on a season-long loan from Chelsea and has already made a huge impression in south London, while Will Hughes is yet to make an appearance following his switch from Watford.

Despite the acquisition of the duo, Vieira may still feel the need to freshen up his options in the centre of the pitch, given the profiles of his alternative choices.

Club captain Luka Milivojevic is 30 years old, James McArthur is 33 and Cheikhou Kouyate is 31, combine those ages with the fact that Gallagher may not return for a second spell next season and it’s easy to understand why Davies is needed.

The former England Under-21 international would bring energy, youthful legs, and a tenacity to the midfield that has been lacing in south London in previous years.

Under former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, Davies played a bit-part role during 2020/21 but did put in several standout displays, catching the eye of the Italian tactician against Manchester United.

“I think, first of all, Tom is a really professional player, really focused on what he is doing,” Ancelotti said. “He has a strong sense of belonging to this club, and this is also really important.

“The only thing I said to him is to simplify his work and his style of play. He plays in a position where tactically you have to be really focused. Watching the game against United, I think tactically; he was perfect.”

However, the youngster appears to have slipped down the pecking order under Ancelotti’s successor Rafael Benitez. Davies has only featured in 17 minutes of Premier League action in Everton’s opening six fixtures the current campaign, throwing his future at the club into doubt.

Therefore, chairman Steve Parish must swoop for Davies, providing Vieira with a long-term solution to his engine room conundrum.

And, in other news…Palace can repeat Olise masterclass by signing 26y/o beast, he’s got a “great future” 

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips believes that new Celtic striker Georgios Giakoumakis can hit the ground running at Parkhead following his deadline day move from VVV-Venlo.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis has enjoyed a sharp rise up the ranks

Rising from obscurity into the limelight last campaign, the Greece international finished the season as top scorer in the Eredivisie with 26 goals, despite his team plummeting to relegation [The Guardian].

Attracting attention from suitors around Europe, he completed a move to Celtic on transfer deadline day for £2.5m [The Scottish Sun] and he looks set to fill the void of former Hoops marksman Odsonne Edouard, who departed for Crystal Palace on the same day.

The Latest: Phillips believes Giakoumakis can get the Celtic support ‘excited’

Ever the fox in the box during his playing days, former Sunderland striker Phillips has now dropped his verdict on the 6 foot 1 ace.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, the 48-year-old has been impressed by Giakoumakis, claiming: “I think they should be excited”.

Phillips then added: “I say it every week and again, this is no disrespect to the Scottish league, the Dutch league is probably on a par with it. Then you are coming into a club where they create opportunities left right and centre.

“They can score goals. If I’m a Celtic fan, I’m excited. You look at his record and see he can score goals.

“Those games against Rangers will be a struggle but the rest of the games we can do well. I would be excited.”

The Verdict: Celtic will be hoping Giakoumakis can continue his goalscoring exploits in Glasgow

Relating to the high volume of chances the Scottish giants usually create on a weekly basis – their 24.3 shots per game average is by far the highest in the Premiership [WhoScored] – Phillips provides an excellent explanation as to why Hoops fans should be excited about their new arrival.

Constantly providing a threat in attack, the 26-year-old averaged 3.2 shots per game in the Dutch top flight in 2020/21 [WhoScored]. Furthermore, his tendency to get on the end of crosses regularly will add another string to Ange Postecoglou’s bow in offense that the Hoops have perhaps lacked in recent times.

Moving forward, the Celtic support will be desperate to see Giakoumakis hit the ground running at Parkhead and will hope that his goalscoring exploits at VVV-Venlo can be replicated in Glasgow.

In other news, one club feared that Celtic could’ve made a late swoop for their new signing in the summer transfer window. Find out more here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern that he cannot believe Wilfried Zaha is still at Crystal Palace.

Zaha has constantly been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, including in the lead up to the recent summer transfer window, with Goal previously reporting that both Tottenham and Everton were interested in the £40.5m-rated winger.

Nothing materialised, though, resulting in Zaha remaining at Palace, which has shocked Palmer.

Speaking exclusively to TT after the Ivory Coast international’s excellent display against Tottenham, the ex-Leeds United player said:

“The one I cannot get my head around, the one I cannot get my head around. He’s only 28. Why has no big club taken Wilfried Zaha? I don’t get that. Something must be wrong somewhere.

“That boy’s got everything, that boy’s got everything. No disrespect to Crystal Palace, he should be playing at a top-five club.”

When you look at his performances, such as his recent one against Tottenham, Zaha certainly does look capable of playing for a team competing in Europe.

He caused Nuno Espirito Santo’s men so many problems, opening the scoring that day from the penalty spot before setting up Odsonne Edouard’s first goal for the club. Palace fans, though, will obviously not be complaining.

An update has emerged on Cameron Burgess, regarding how much Ipswich have paid for the defender. 

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun on Sunday (15/08/21, pg. 63) (via The 72), Ipswich agreed a £750k deal to sign the 25-year-old defender from League One rivals Accrington Stanley this month.

The Tractor Boys officially confirmed the signing on Sunday, with Burgess putting pen to paper on a three-year deal with the club.

Accy boss John Coleman confirmed that the Tractor Boys are closing in on the defender on Saturday, admitting that he believes the player is being sold for less than he is worth. He said:

“It looks like he’s going to Ipswich. I think the two sides agreed [on] a fee last night.”

“Me and [Andy] Holty are generally on the same page a lot of the time but this one wasn’t my decision.

“If it was my decision I would have held out for more money and I certainly didn’t want to lose him because I think he’s worth more.

“But we have got a decent fee for him and the chairman can carry on trying to make this club a better place to come to which, at the end of the day, is what everybody wants.”

Fans will be buzzing

Ipswich fans will surely be buzzing with this news as it appears as though Ipswich have picked up a bargain deal for the defender. Coleman’s comments suggest that the club should have paid more for Burgess than they have, given that he says he would have held out for more.

Looking at his statistics for Accrington in League One over the past 12 months or so, it is easy to see why his former boss believes Ipswich are getting a steal.

Of the players who are still at Portman Road, Nsiala’s WhoScored rating of 6.96 was the highest out of the centre-backs in League One.

So far this season, Ipswich have conceded four goals in their first two league outings and Luke Wolfenden’s score of 6.79 is the highest by any central defender, with Janoi Donacien also playing out of position at centre-back in both games.

Meanwhile, Burgess enjoyed a sensational 2020/21 campaign with Accrington. He averaged a phenomenal WhoScored rating of 7.22 across 44 appearances, winning 6.8 aerial battles and making 4.4 tackles and interceptions per game.

In his first match of the current season, he achieved a rating of 7.21 as he won 10 aerial battles, made six clearances and one block. He also put in a stout defensive display against Rotherham in the League Cup, winning 13 aerial battles and making three blocks as he recorded a rating of 7.62.

This shows that he has the quality to put in consistently excellent performances in League One at centre-back, which suggests that he has a good chance of being a success at Portman Road – in the third tier at least.

To pick up a player of that ilk without breaking seven figures appears to be a terrific deal for Ipswich on paper and the supporters will be delighted with this approach from the club. They will be buzzing that their side is being shrewd in the transfer market and snapping up bargains instead of overpaying on talent.

AND in other news, 27x possession lost: Cook must ruthlessly axe 25 y/o Ipswich dud after horror showing…

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has been left in awe of a Tottenham Hotspur U-turn involving young defender Japhet Tanganga.

The Lowdown: Tanganga U-turn after dazzling City show…

Tottenham faced off against Premier League champions Man City on the opening Premier League weekend and Nuno Espirito Santo’s men pulled off a brilliant 1-0 win.

Tanganga in particular impressed in one-on-one displays against the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish on that side, drawing praise from Nuno who labelled him ‘huge’.

This prompted a major U-turn from Nuno and Tottenham who are now set to keep the 22-year-old in north London for 2021/2022, coming after they were originally ‘set’ to loan him out (Football Insider).

The Latest: Hutton left in awe of U-turn…

Reacting to this news and Tanganga’s performance against the Sky Blues, former Spurs defender Hutton has been left in awe of the ‘unbelievable’ U-turn and ‘unbelievable’ display against City.

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“He has probably saved them a lot more than a couple of million,” he said to Football Insider.

“It wasn’t long ago that we were talking about him going out on loan. This is unbelievable and just shows you how football can change within a week.

“I’ve always thought he was a brilliant one-on-one defender, that’s his main strength.

“When he comes up against Sterling and Grealish, two of the best players in the league, he has more than held his own. He was unbelievable.”

The Verdict: So long Tomiyasu?

Spurs are reportedly continuing the chase for Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, despite the fact he is almost a carbon copy of Tanganga in terms of his versatility as a right-back and centre-half.

Both are exactly the same age as well, potentially leaving some to wonder why Tottenham need to sign the Japan international after all with Tanganga’s reemergence.

One of the main arguments you could make is against the Englishman’s injury record considering it isn’t exactly spotless from last season (Transfermarkt) – but there is reason to believe that Spurs may not need to bring in Tomiyasu.

Perhaps managing director Fabio Paratici would be better spent reinvesting that money in bolstering Tottenham’s attacking areas?

In other news: Offer incoming: Levy now readying Spurs bid to sign ‘amazing’ player who Nuno personally wants, find out more here.

West Ham United fans are eager to sign Breel Embolo after they were linked with a move for the Switzerland international.

This summer transfer window is an important one for the Hammers. Last term, they finished in sixth place in the Premier League table, meaning they will be competing in the Europa League group stages this coming season. However, they have made just one signing so far in Alphonse Areola (whufc.com), and they remain light in the striker position – David Moyes has just Michail Antonio at his disposal in that role.

They are looking at several strikers, it seems, and according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, the Irons are looking at Borussia Monchengladbach’s £14.4m-valued Breel Embolo (Transfermarkt). He has managed 14 goals and 14 assists in 75 games for the German side (Transfermarkt), while he also impresses for Switzerland at Euro 2020 as his country reached the quarter-finals.

The Hammers fans, it seems, want to capture the former Schalke man, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Embolo link below

“Embolo would be an unbreel signing. Was class at the Euro’s and has matured a lot from when we wanted him a few years ago. Smart signing, but not enough to solve our striker problems. He would have to be accompanied by an Abraham”

Credit: @AranNicol1994

“I’d be buzzing if we got embolo thought he looked really good at the euros”

Credit: @Steve_WHU_

“Unpopular opinion : breel embolo from Gladbach would be an underrated signing. His performance at euros sadly have put his price up. But he’s a fighter, RW, ST or AF. Explosive and faster than MA”

Credit: @hammers_dave

“We need someone simular to Antonio, Embolo is like a clone of Antonio he is fast and strong and doesn’t stop running. I would take Embolo ahead of Abraham, I rate him that highly”

Credit: @_WHU_IRONS

“From what I seen in the euros I personally think he would be perfect for us! Get him in on loan and see what he can do”

Credit: @BruckmanLee

“With the addition of those 3, who would you realistically go for? For me, Herrera from Man City, seen him a handful of times & every time he looks like he could add some strength & creativity in the midfield. I’d be happy with Embolo on loan, looked a handful in the Euro’s”

Credit: @joegreene2

“I would be ECSTATIC about embolo”

Credit: @geekedupscotty

In other news, West Ham fans raged at this transfer update.

Valerien Ismael has revealed that Robert Snodgrass could be back in action for West Bromwich Albion in the not too distant future.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the Frenchman claimed that the winger, who has featured just eight times since joining West Brom in January due to a persistent back injury, is desperate to get back to full fitness and fight for his place in the Albion first team.

The 45-year-old said: “He is very angry and very hungry. He is back in training and we are happy with where he is at. Snods is a really good guy with the right mentality.

“He has a massive desire to be part of the process. That is a great feeling because if you see him play, if you see him in training, you’d think he was 21 or 22 – a young lad.

“It’s refreshing, especially for the young players to learn from such a player. We now need to work with him, to get him fit and get him back to his level.

“But in terms of the mentality, the attitude, the commitment, the desire to be part of the process – that is number one. It’s just now a question of time to get him back to a good level of fitness and for him to have that feeling again he is ready.”

Huge boost

With Ismael lacking a considerable amount of depth in the wide attacking areas of his squad, something that has not been helped by the recent departure of Matheus Pereira, Snodgrass’ return to the first team would undoubtedly be a huge boost for the Frenchman.

While it is true the 33-year-old has not had much time to impress at The Hawthorns as a result of his injuries, it is clear from the winger’s time at West Ham United that he would be an extremely valuable asset in the Championship this season.

Indeed, over his 24 Premier League appearances in his last full season in east London, the £1.35m-rated man scored five goals, registered five assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £38k-per-week Scotland international earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as the Hammers’ sixth-best performer in the top flight in 2019/20.

As such, if Snodgrass can refind this form upon his eventual return to the Albion side, it will undoubtedly provide the club’s chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League this season with a considerable boost.

In other news: West Brom in the running for “phenomenal” £5k-p/w goal-machine, he’d be a huge coup

A number of Liverpool supporters are keen to see Divock Origi leavIing the club this summer following an update from a reliable journalist.

The Belgian has had a curious Reds career in many ways, with great moments thrown in but also too many disappointing performances.

Origi will forever be loved by Liverpool fans because of some of the huge goals he has scored, most notably against the likes of Tottenham, Barcelona and Everton. Those strikes have arguably secured the 26-year-old legendary status at Anfield, but it also looks increasingly as though it is time to move on.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Belgian appeared in just 182 minutes of Premier League action last season, failing to register a goal or an assist in the process.

According to Goal’s Neil Jones, Liverpool will sell the striker if the right offer arrives, with unnamed English and German clubs thought to be interested.

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Liverpool fans call for Origi to be sold

These Reds supporters on Twitter talked up the idea of Origi leaving, given his meagre contributions in recent months.

“For his own good I think he needs to move on and really kick on. He’s got the ability, he just needs to show it more and consistently”

Credit: @JoshCBurke93

“How much is the right offer guys? Hope these bozos aren’t looking for anything over £15m”

Credit: @mister_mellow

“I’m on my knees for this transfer to happen. Thanks for Barca and Spurs though”

Credit: @LosoLFC

“Just take the money and use it towards a midfielder, too many of our midfielders are injury-prone”

Credit: @joshua_oram

“Yeah pls, he must go”

Credit: @tallestghost

“Sell him whatever the cost”

Credit: @firwestwood

In other news, Pep Lijnders has hailed one Liverpool player’s quality in training. Find out who it is here.

Paddy Kenny has expressed confidence that new Everton signing Andros Townsend will ‘do really well’ at Goodison Park. 

The former Leeds and Sheffield United goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Everton confirmed the signing of Townsend last week following his release from Crystal Palace. The 30-year-old, who has also played for Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, signed a two-year deal at Goodison Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football Transfer Tavern, former Premier League striker Dean Windass described the transfer as a ‘great bit of business’ but did say it came as a ‘big surprise’ given that Townsend hadn’t ‘pulled up anything for a few seasons’ at Selhurst Park.

The winger made 34 Premier League appearances for the Eagles last season, scoring once and providing five assists (via WhoScored).

The latest

Kenny feels that Townsend will improve Everton’s depth in wide areas and insists that he still has a lot to offer both on and off the field.

The former Ireland goalkeeper told Football Insider: “He’ll make the squad better, 100 per cent.

“He’s experienced and he’s still a quality player. He might be 30 but he is still a fit lad. He’ll be good to have in the dressing room.

“I’m sure he’ll enhance the squad and the whole club and do really well at Everton.”

The verdict

Townsend is hardly an inspiring signing for Everton. You wouldn’t expect him to be a starter necessarily, but even as a backup option there are question marks when you look at his rather barren level of productivity last season. Would you really want to be relying on him in the event of an injury?

However, the focus very much seems to be on stylistic compatibility. Townsend produced 1.6 accurate crosses per game last season – more than any Everton player. The idea will be that, when called upon, he furnishes the aerially prolific Dominic Calvert-Lewin with plenty of inviting deliveries from out wide.

In other news, many Everton fans react to links with this La Liga-based starlet. 

An Australian agent believes that Celtic are stopping Ange Postecoglou from bringing in his own Hoops backroom staff.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou’s comments

John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan were alongside Postecoglou during his first game as Celtic manager earlier this week. The Hoops defeated Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 in Wales on Wednesday, with Albian Ajeti, Owan Moffat and Odsonne Edouard all finding the back of the net.

Postecoglou made it clear during his first press conference as Celtic boss that he will make the final decision with regards to Kennedy and Strachan’s futures in Glasgow, but one agent doesn’t feel that is the case.

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The Latest: Agent claim

Agent Tony Rallis, talking to the Triple M Real Football Show, as cited by Glasgow Live, had this to say on Postecoglou when quizzed on who his assistant would be.

“My understanding is that Celtic Football Club have told Ange that he has to develop and inherit from within.

“He wasn’t allowed to take any of his staff. Whether that changes in time, I’m not sure but that was the initial programming, that we want you to come in and educate and implement within our own environment, including within our own youths, the promotion of youth players from within our own academies.”

The Verdict: Not so sure…

The single-minded, self-confident Postecoglou seems like the kind of manager who would want to take full control of incomings, departures and his own backroom staff, so we’re not reading too much into Rallis’ bold claim.

The 55-year-old probably wouldn’t have agreed to take over if he were going to be told what he can and cannot do, especially when it comes to the staff with whom he’ll be working.

Hopefully, the manager will either bring in his own staff or make it clear that he is happy with Kennedy and Strachan before the beginning of the new season, as that should then put an end to speculation regarding off-field uncertainties.

In other news: Hoops in talks with ‘quick’ international on £20,000-a-week, find out more here.