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Andros Townsend is unlikely to sign a new deal at Crystal Palace, according to The Evening Standard.

And a number of Palace supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

The Evening Standard shared a story on Tuesday afternoon, suggesting that Joel Ward is set to put pen to paper on a new Selhurst Park contract.

Both Ward and Townsend are currently free agents after their deals expired at the beginning of the month.

Townsend was hopeful of remaining at Palace following Patrick Vieira’s appointment as manager. He worked alongside Vieira for ITV at the European Championships but it doesn’t look like he will remain a Palace player.

The 29-year-old made 185 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 16 times and registering 28 assists after joining the club from Newcastle United back in 2016.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared The Evening Standard’s claims on Townsend on social media. These Palace fans weren’t exactly thrilled, with one ‘gutted’ at the transfer news.

“Absolute joke”Credit: @KeeffeTj”Nooooooo”Credit: @StevofY”Gutted about this”Credit: @mandyswagsta”Surely not!”Credit: @h1llb3n”I don’t like this news”Credit: @IlerReed”If this is the case I am expecting a player to come in who works harder shows as much positivity and contributes even more than Andros did. Sad to see him go”Credit: @BrinscallEagle

In other news: ‘Kidding me?’ – Many Palace fans fume as transfer talks emerge, find out more here.

Celtic are flying high at the very top of the league table right now and it would take quite something in order to stop Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops side from reigning supreme come May.

However, just how long their newfound dominance and revival goes on will depend on how long the manager stays at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

Postecoglou’s future at Celtic was put in doubt towards the end of last week when it was revealed that the Australian had admirers at none other than Manchester City.

It seems highly unlikely he’d replace the great Pep Guardiola at the Etihad but a claim from Mark Guidi on Go Radio over the weekend should do enough to spark relief among the fanbase.

He said: “I think, pretty soon after Brendan Rodgers won the treble in his first season he was given up a bumper new deal, as as they call it in the tabloids you know, one of these big fancy golden handcuffs kind of deals where his salary takes a big bump up, his bonuses take a bump up and if anybody wants to come in and get then there’s a compensation fee the other end.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Celtic look to do that with Postecoglou. It would be absolutely natural to go and do that to safeguard the club. And also to give Ange the remuneration that he deserves for what he’s achieved so far.”

Exciting for Celtic

Considering the job that the 56-year-old has done since arriving in Glasgow, the thought of him receiving improved terms in order to stay will no doubt elate Celtic supporters.

Postecoglou arrived with a fine reputation for his work in Asia but ultimately, he was an unknown and untested quantity on European shores.

Alan Brazil infamously took to talkSPORT to lament the appointment and rather unprofessionally couldn’t even pronounce his name properly.

A fair few around Celtic Park may have felt similar towards his arrival but he has silenced his doubters and despite not even being in the dugout for a year, has very nearly completed the Bhoys’ revival.

They have won the League Cup, are in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup and sit six points ahead of fierce rivals Rangers in the Premiership title race.

A famous treble could be inbound for the Aussie in his first season at Celtic and if that does happen, a bumper new deal would be a fine reward.

His high pressing football has won plenty of fans and his work in the transfer market has also been superb.

Postecoglou has used his knowledge of Asian football to welcome several Japanese players to the club, all of whom besides the injury-stricken Yosuke Ideguchi have made a fine impact in Scotland.

Kyogo Furuhashi is the club’s top goalscorer, Reo Hatate has already scored in an Old Firm and Diazen Maeda has seven goals for his troubles too.

Further acquisitions in Liel Abada and Jota has proven shrewd too with the pair racking up a total of 47 goal contributions between them. Giorgos Giakoumakis had an injury-hit first few months in Britain but he too has 13 goals in 2021/22.

It’s evident the former Yokohama F. Marinos boss has a keen eye for spotting talent and that, combined with his philosophy makes him perfect for Celtic at the moment.

That’s precisely why supporters will be excited at the thought of him earning improved terms.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Hee-chan Hwang is attracting significant interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who claim that both Liverpool and Manchester City are plotting moves for the 25-year-old centre-forward ahead of the winter market, as both clubs have been impressed after sending scouts to watch the South Korea international in action for Wolves this season.

The report goes on to state that Wolves are also trying to sign Hwang on a permanent basis in the January transfer window, with Bruno Lage’s side believed to hold an option to buy the forward from RB Leipzig for a fee of around £13m.

Fosun must avoid disaster

Considering just how impressive Hwang has been since his arrival at Molineux back in August, the argument that it would be a disaster for Fosun to miss out on the permanent signing of the 25-year-old in January is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his eight Premier League appearances so far this season, the £9.9m-rated man is the club’s top league goalscorer with four strikes to his name, while he has also taken an average of 0.9 shots and made 0.3 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £71k-per-week centre-forward average a SofaScore match rating of 6.75, ranking him as Lage’s 11th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

However, this rather underwhelming average match rating simply does not reflect Hwang’s true ability, with the striker’s former manager at Red Bull Salzburg, Peter Zeidler, providing much better insight into the South Korean’s talent, stating: “He’s exceptional, has a brutal dynamism. I’ve rarely seen anything like it.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that, should Wolves indeed be pipped to Hwang’s signing by either Liverpool or Manchester City this winter, it would undeniably be a catastrophic outcome for Fosun, as well as one that would leave Bruno Lage furious.

In other news: Shi must seal dream Wolves deal for £25k-p/w dynamo who can “make people look silly”

Arsenal are set to revisit their interest in Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones revealed that Villa turned down three bids for Luiz during the January transfer window, and it appears that one of those was from the Gunners, with Football Insider noting that they ‘failed to land him’ in the winter.

Villa paid £15m to sign Luiz from Manchester City ahead of their first season back in the Premier League in 2019/20. His £32.9k-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

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The latest

A source at the Emirates Stadium has told Football Insider that Luiz remains on Arsenal’s radar ahead of the summer transfer window.

The expectation is that the north London giants will table a formal bid as Mikel Arteta eyes central midfield reinforcements, in addition to a new striker.

Significantly, Villa are reportedly open to letting the midfielder leave in order to ‘free up space’ for a new midfield arrival. Therefore, if Arsenal submit a reasonable offer, then they could snap up the Brazilian with relative ease.

The verdict

Villa’s willingness to sell is a little surprising given that Luiz appears to be one of Gerrard’s most trusted players.

When he is available, he almost always starts – only twice this season has he been left out of the line-up by choice.

The £31.5m-rated midfielder has been called ‘underrated’ by Ian Wright, who believes that the Brazilian is ‘ready to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League’.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has perhaps been even more complimentary, dubbing Luiz ‘a joy to watch’, ‘an absolute star’ and ‘the best player in the team’ at one point.

On that basis, you’d think that Gerrard and sporting director Johan Lange would put up more of a fight to try and keep the 23-year-old at Villa Park.

In other news, a new English target has emerged for Gerrard and Villa

West Ham United have been handed a huge boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture this Saturday.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Tom Clark’s recent report for Football.London, in which the West Ham correspondent revealed that both Kurt Zouma and Tomas Soucek are back in contention for the trip to Manchester United this weekend, as the duo are set to return to training this week following their respective recoveries from injury and illness.

Central midfielder Soucek has been unavailable for selection for the Hammers’ last two fixtures after falling ill due to the ongoing viral pandemic, while centre-back Zouma has been absent for six weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in the 3-2 win over Chelsea in December.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important both Soucek and Zouma are within David Moyes’ squad, the news that the duo could make a return to first-team football this weekend is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over Zouma’s 11 Premier League appearances this season, the £28.8m-rated defender has helped his side keep two clean sheets and scored one goal, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning 60% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Hammers’ joint 10th-best player in the top flight of English football.

Meanwhile, over Soucek’s 20 league outings, the £40.5m-rated midfielder has scored three goals, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, three clearances and winning 6.7 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £47k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Moyes’ seventh-best performer in the division.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of both players will come as a huge boost to West Ham’s chances of leaving Old Trafford with all three points on Saturday afternoon – a result that would very much strengthen the Hammers’ top-four credentials this season.

In other news: “A deal is there…”: Ex drops teasing transfer claim that will have WHU fans sweating

Former Wolves loanee Vitinha has been linked with a return to Molineux, with a scout thought to have watched him in action for FC Porto recently.

The Lowdown: Vitinha impresses on loan

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Wolves, making 22 appearances overall and catching the eye with his mature performances.

Vitinha returned to Porto when his loan expired and he has made four Primeira Liga starts so far this term.

The Latest: Linked with return

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves sent a scout to watch Porto’s 3-1 win away to Tondela, with officials from the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Tenerife, Extremadura also thought to be present.

It is mentioned that Wolves could potentially be considering a permanent deal for Vitinha in either the January transfer window or next summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd potential business

This is positive news from a Wolves perspective, with Vitinha a player who would represent a long-term addition and someone who becomes more formidable as each year passes.

He may not have been perfect on loan at Molineux, but for a player of his age, he showed what he is capable of and why the club are seemingly watching him closely again. His 90.3% passing accuracy was the best of any Wolves starter in the 2020/21 Premier League and is far above the team’s 81.4% for the current campaign, so he could improve them significantly in this regard.

Some Porto fans have hailed his performances this season – one called him ‘better than prime Iniesta’ – which speaks volumes about the strides he is making. Also, with the 21-year-old already having a taste of Molineux, the readjustment to the Midlands should be fairly comfortable for him, particularly with another Portuguese manager at the helm in Bruno Lage.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on a move for a hugely exciting young player. Read more here.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Everton potentially signing Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has urged the Toffees to get a deal over the line for Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria this month, with the club reportedly eyeing up a potential swoop for the Switzerland international.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s 24 and got good experience in the Bundesliga, which is a good league to learn and develop your abilities.“If that’s a deal Everton can get over the line, I’m all for it.” Doucoure upgrade

Marcel Brands and Rafa Benitez must work hard to secure an agreement to sign Zakaria this month as he could be a sublime addition to the squad. He could prove to be a major upgrade on existing midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, who joined from Watford last summer.

The Swiss international suffered an MCL injury towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign, ending his season short and disrupting the start of the following one. If we compare Doucoure and Zakaria based on the former’s statistics for Everton last term and Zakaria’s pre-injury in 2019/20, there is a clear winner.

As per Squawka, Zakaria made more forward passes at a higher success rate whilst losing the ball fewer times per 90 than the Blues man. He also won more tackles, more ground and aerial duels combined, whilst also making more interceptions, clearances and blocks.

Switching it up and looking at the Gladbach man’s form last season, the result is only slightly better for Doucoure. The Toffees enforcer equaled him on tackles made and interceptions but still fell short in all of the aforementioned categories. This shows that he could prove to be an upgrade on Doucoure defensively and in transition, with his defending and passing stats standing out in this comparison.

Former Gladbach manager Marco Rose hailed him as a complete footballer and said he has more development to come. He told Sky Germany, via Planet Football:

“He is a very complete footballer who still has a lot of development potential.

“He has incredible dynamics, understanding of the game and is not yet at the end of his development.”

The £55k-per-week powerhouse, therefore, has room to grow further and develop his game to the next level. Given that he is four years younger than Doucoure, he could be a major upgrade on the Frenchman as he has already shown that he can perform to a higher level than him in a top European league whilst having four more years of time to improve as a player.

AND in other news, Coleman 2.0: Everton must seal dream swoop for 28 y/o beast, Rafa would love him…

Celtic have agreed a deal with Gamba Osaka for midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, Yahoo Japan report.

The Lowdown: Busy January in store…

The Hoops look set to have a busy start to the New Year, with Ange Postecoglou after two more Japanese additions alongside Ideguchi in Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

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There could also be a number of outgoings, with the likes of Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas linked with Parkhead exits.

It appears as if Celtic are making good progress ahead of the transfer window opening in regards to Ideguchi, who has been described as a player who likes to ‘give it out’.

The Latest: Ideguchi deal reached

Yahoo Japan shared a story on Thursday, revealing a fee of over €1m has been reached for the 25-year-old.

They claim that there are still visa issues to resolve, however, Ideguchi is set to fly to Scotland before the end of the year for a medical.

The Verdict: Good news…

Celtic need all the January reinforcements they can get with the number of injuries they are picking up.

Ajeti and Furuhashi were the latest to pick up knocks on Thursday evening, leaving Postecoglou with limited options in attack.

Ideguchi won’t be able to provide cover in attack, however, he’ll be another body in midfield, with Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic and David Turnbull relied on heavily by Postecoglou so far.

Hopefully, a transfer will be wrapped up quickly in the New Year, and who knows, should that be the case, Ideguchi could be around for the Glasgow derby on January 2.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man reacts as Celtic eye a second Spurs player alongside Carter-Vickers. 

Everton have received a selection boost ahead of the Merseyside Derby with Liverpool at Goodison Park after Rafa Benitez revealed he has no fresh injury concerns, while Andre Gomes has started training with the first team again.

What’s the word?

The Toffees will be aiming to end a seven-game winless run when they host their local rivals in this midweek clash, and their chances of doing just that have been increased by Benitez’s latest update.

In Tuesday’s press conference, the 61-year-old revealed that he’s only set to be without three players for the visit of the Reds due to fitness concerns, with Richarlison also back from suspension.

“We have three players injured. Davies, Yerry Mina and Calvert-Lewin. Andre Gomes has started training with the team,” confirmed Benitez.

Everton will also be boosted by the fact that key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure came through his first 90 minutes in several weeks unscathed over the weekend, providing hope that the hosts can cause an unlikely upset.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Everton have no new injury concerns to contend with, combined with the fact that Doucoure is available for selection and Richarlison is back from suspension will surely have Benitez absolutely buzzing.

The Blues have slipped to 14th in the top-flight table after picking up just two points from a possible 21 in recent weeks, piling the pressure on the Spanish tactician. However, with key men now returning, it’s a huge boost when you consider they have a Merseyside derby on their plate this evening.

With Richarlison and Doucoure racking up a combined four goals and five assists in the Premier League between them this term, Benitez will be delighted to welcome both players back into his struggling setup, especially in a campaign where unavailability has plagued the Toffees squad.

It remains to be seen if the deadly duo can fire Everton to a positive result against Liverpool, but their return to action will certainly be warmly welcomed by everyone associated with Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Everton line up “leader of the year” to succeed Benitez, Toffees fans will be ecstatic

West Bromwich Albion head into their opening fixture of the new Championship season with a few unknowns still hanging over Valerien Ismael’s squad.

Firstly, the future of Matheus Pereira remains up in the air, although it has been recently reported that the winger could be set to secure a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the not too distant future.

However, the Brazilian has not played a part in Albion’s pre-season fixtures, nor has he been training with the squad, so the uncertainty surrounding the 25-year-old does not seem to affect the team directly, but more so in terms of their incoming transfer business.

Indeed, with it being reported that Albion are demanding a figure in the region of £25m in order to sanction the 25-year-old’s sale, this sum would help Ismael to plug a number of gaps in his West Brom squad, with the 45-year-old lacking depth at left-back, in central midfield and up front.

With that in mind, we take a look at how the Baggies could line up against Bournemouth on Friday evening, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Ismael confirming that he will be without the trio of Adam Reach, Quevin Castro and Taylor Gardner-Hickman for the trip to the Vitality Stadium, the team is not overly changed from the one which defeated Birmingham City 4-0 in their final pre-season friendly last weekend.

However, with Phillips impressing in the number nine role in pre-season, the 30-year-old gets the nod to start the game up top following his self-isolation, with Karlan Grant moving onto the left-hand side of attack – a position which allows the forward to cut in on his favoured right foot – while Callum Robinson drops to the bench.

New signing Matt Clarke does not make the starting XI, while Sam Johnstone could be set to begin the clash between the sticks, after Ismael praised the £30k-per-week goalkeeper’s attitude in training amid reports suggesting that the 28-year-old could be moving onto pastures new this summer.

Meanwhile, in terms of shape, the new 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 system will undoubtedly take time for the Albion players to become familiarised, but Ismael will nevertheless be hoping for a positive result in his first competitive game in charge of the club.

In other news: West Brom dealt transfer blow on “tenacious” £4.5m beast, Ismael will be gutted