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Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieria should swoop for EFL star John Swift who has been the top scorer for relegation battling Reading having tallied 24 goal contributions this season.

The Eagles have been linked with a move according to Football League World who suggest that they may rival West Ham for his signature.

The 26-year old is a former Chelsea youth product having rose through the Cobham academy which has been deemed one of the best in world football.

Although he never made it through to the first team at Stamford Bridge a decent loan spell at Brentford scoring seven goals for them in the Championship.

He was described as “super-talented” by his former manager Veljko Paunovic last summer and his performances have proved that.

As a result he joined The Royals on a free transfer and has since been pivotal in their battle for survival, but with his contract expiring in the summer it could be the perfect time for the Eagles to land him.

Link up with Olise

Palace have surprised people this season by taking points off Arsenal and beating both Tottenham Hotspur and reigning champions Manchester City.

Moving to Selhurst Park would not only give Swift the chance to finally experience playing in the Premier League, it would also see him link up with former Reading teammate Michael Olise.

Olise, like Swift, rose through the ranks at Chelsea before eventually ending up at Reading via Man City. Last season he shone and at just 19-years of age scored seven and assisted 12.

This led to him being named the EFL Young Player of the Season and he was also included in the Championship team of the season and the PFA Championship team of the year.

The last time the pair played together was on the final day of last season where they were both rated two of the best players on the day for Reading by the Chronicle.

It would be a no brainer for Vieira to make a move for Swift especially seeing as he’s available on a free transfer.

He would likely be competing for a spot in the team with Cheikhou Kouyaté too.

The Senegalese midfielder has has an amazing year with his country winning the Africa Cup of Nations and securing World Cup qualification he has also played a big part in Palaces’ success.

The 32-year old ranks in the 90th percentile in a number of defensive categories when comparing him to other Premier League midfielders this season, but his attacking stats aren’t great having only tallied one goal contribution to his name all season. That differs considerably from Swift who has 34 goals for the Royals.

It’s here where Swift could offer a lot more and link up with the front three which includes a player he know extremely well in Olise.

IN other news: “Fearless” £34k-p/w prodigy drops out, “special talent” unleashed: CPFC predicted XI…

Liverpool have been mentioned in the same breath as some phenomenal players of late.

Of course, the Reds are currently in danger of losing Mohamed Salah but the likes of Alexander Isak and Serge Gnabry have been tipped to potentially fill the offensive void.

What’s the word?

Well, the club have now been touted with possibly making a swoop for a certain Kylian Mbappe.

The Frenchman has been linked with Liverpool before but now there are fresh rumours suggesting a move could be on the cards.

That’s according to reports who suggest a club is ‘moving in the shadows’ to sign the elite PSG star.

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It’s then claimed that it isn’t Barcelona but it could be title rivals Manchester City or Liverpool who are plotting a bid.

Mbappe isn’t currently rated at a whopping £144m by Transfermarkt but can be signed for nothing in the summer with his contract in the French capital expiring in a few months’ time.

Even better than Salah?

Mbappe needs absolutely no introduction.

Described as a “phenomenon” by Noel le Graet, French Football Federation President and as “another Thierry Henry” by Arsene Wenger, he is a player capable of starring on the biggest of stages and in the most eclectic of cauldrons in world football.

Time and time again we see the France international demolishing teams and if Liverpool can pen Salah to fresh terms, as well as signing Mbappe it would be special.

That said, it is evident that the latter possesses even more potential than their frightening Egyptian forward.

Salah is a classic late bloomer but as we can see from the Liverpool target’s 28 goals and 20 assists this season, he can certainly be classified in the same generational bracket.

What’s staggering is that despite the 23-year-old’s young age, he has still found the net on 160 occasions for PSG.

A tally of 26 goals for his country is also fine evidence of the mesmerising talent Mbappe has in his locker and should he join Liverpool, he may just dislodge Salah and become an even bigger hero in Merseyside.

Wouldn’t that be something?

AND in other news, Source: Liverpool now reach agreement to sign 42-goal “demon”, he’s their new Jota…

Everton boss Marco Silva told the Liverpool Echo he is hoping to keep Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma next season, and it seems that’d be the best move get his career back on track.

The Frenchman has played 23 of Everton’s 27 games this season in what’s been a very hit-and-miss campaign for the Toffees. However, Silva appears happy with the 24-year-old’s progression, saying: “I’m really happy with him, let’s see what we can do or not in the future.”

When playing for his parent club Chelsea against Manchester United in February 2016, Zouma suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament. Up until then, he played 23 games for the club that season and looked to be the best young defender in the Premier League, but he’s understandably struggled to reach those heights since returning from injury nearly 300 days later.

His loan spell at Everton has been his first major run of games since that injury and it’s been required to get that full match fitness back. Although Everton haven’t shone as some expected them to do this season, for Zouma personally, the season has been a success so far and it’s important he continues to play consistently.

This season was about getting back to regular football and next term he can really push on and show the league that his injury hasn’t had too much of a lasting impact on his career. It’s at that point he can earn his move back to a top-six club and no earlier, otherwise, he might find himself back to step one.

A return to Chelsea next year, or even a move to another club who already have established centre-backs will mean more time on the sideline and cameo appearances that won’t allow him the opportunity to regain his pre-injury stride. There’s also more chance of another injury if he isn’t playing regularly, and something similar to 2016 would put big clubs off in the future.

Zouma should stay at Everton next season and continue to build his career back up because, after all, he’s still 24-years-old and should be in no rush to the top.

Where do you think Kurt Zouma should play next season?

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed yet another boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership Old Firm clash.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Scottish Daily Mail (via Ibrox News), who revealed that Fashion Sakala has fallen ill while on international duty with Zambia, and is now self-isolating as a result.

The report goes on to that this means the 25-year-old is now a doubt for the Old Firm meeting this Sunday, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst claiming that it is a “wait and see” scenario regarding the winger’s availability for the visit of Celtic.

Great news for Celtic

Considering just how impressive Sakala has been since his arrival at Ibrox last summer, the news that the forward looks set to miss Sunday’s potentially title-deciding Glasgow derby is undoubtedly great news for Postecoglou and Celtic.

Indeed, over his 24 Premiership appearances this season, the £3.6m-rated attacker has been in deadly form for Rangers, scoring seven goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £10k-per-week winger average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Van Bronckhorst’s 11th-best player in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, following the news that both Aaron Ramsey and Alfredo Morelos are both serious doubts for the Old Firm clash, should Sakala also be ruled out of contention this weekend, it would certainly provide Celtic with another huge boost to their chances of picking up all three points at Ibrox – with a Bhoys victory at the home of their rivals going an extremely long way to reclaiming their Premiership crown this season.

AND in other news: £10.5m and counting: £23.5k-p/w “monster” should have played his final game for Celtic

Journalist Toby Giles has been reacting to comments made by Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch live on talkSPORT.

The Lowdown: Marsch’s comments

The 48-year-old spoke to Natalie Sawyer, Darren Bent and Ally McCoist on Tuesday morning on a number of Leeds-related topics, one of which was injuries.

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The American felt that he inherited a squad which was ‘over-trained’, which resulted in a number of long-term injuries for the Whites this season.

Junior Firpo suffered a serious knee issue last month in Marsch’s second game in charge, with the Leeds boss revealing that he was expecting the left-back to make a return to training.

The Latest: Giles reacts to Marsch outburst

Giles took to Twitter to react to Marsch’s comments on the injury issues. He believed that the current Whites manager was putting the blame with Marcelo Bielsa, adding that it is a ‘big claim’ to make, saying:

“What a news line talkSPORT’s Natalie Sawyer, Darren Bent & Ally McCoist got out of Jesse Marsch today. Blames their injury troubles on the players being “overtrained” – ie. publicly saying it’s Marcelo Bielsa’s fault. Big claim to make against his legendary predecessor.”

The Verdict: Just what Leeds needed

Marsch has been a breath of fresh air since arriving as Bielsa’s replacement at Leeds and is now starting to get a tune out of his players.

The Whites have picked up 10 points from a possible 12 in recent weeks, taking them nine points clear of safety, with his approachable methods to the squad seemingly working wonders.

The small tweaks at Thorp Arch of lowering the workload also appear to be paying off, and hopefully Marsch will be preparing for a first full season in charge of the club in the Premier League.

In other news: Leeds keen: Marsch can land new favourite as Orta now plots move for 17-goal forward – opinion. 

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

They have left it late but with just a few days remaining, it appears as if Spurs are finally about to land a new player for manager Antonio Conte.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness), an agreement has been reached with Fiorentina over a move for midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who is currently away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

The Lilywhites are expected to pay a €1.5m (£1.25m) loan fee with a €15m (£13.5m) option to buy in the summer. It’s thought that the Moroccan international is happy to join the north London outfit with Conte waiting for him to be confirmed in the coming days.

Conte wants him

Earlier this month, football.london reported that Conte wanted signings in three key roles – wing-back, striker and in central midfield – and Amrabat has recently emerged as a key target for the Italian as a result.

Matt Law of the Telegraph believes that Conte is a big fan of the Viola star and has even requested sporting director Fabio Paratici to sign him before the end of the month.

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He will be absolutely delighted to see this one edge closer to completion and whilst some supporters around N17 will be underwhelmed by this arrival, there’s plenty of factors pointing towards this being pretty decent business.

The 25-year-old has been restricted to only 211 minutes in the Serie A this season but has featured in three full 90-minute games for his country in Group C and the round of 16 as they make the quarter-finals of AFCON.

Conte has lacked a presence in engine room that can link defence to the attack, one that can drive the ball forward and he’ll get that in Amrabat.

Of the 39 players to have attempted 150 or more dribbles since the start of the 2019/20 Serie A campaign,  only one player (Ismael Bennacer, 79.6%) has managed a better dribble success rate than the Viola enforcer (70.3%), per WhoScored.

That is also above every single one of Spurs’ current central options as Oliver Skipp leads the way on 66.7% and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg isn’t too far behind on 62.2%. Tanguy Ndombele sits down at 55%, which is rather telling.

The Frenchman has been linked with an exit to Paris Saint-Germain, so it could be a case of one-in, one-out.

If Conte wants him, then he should be backed. The 52-year-old must be very excited as the club close in on their first January arrival.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are..”: Fabrizio Romano delivers huge transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Leeds United midfielder Owen Bray is set to depart Elland Road at the end of the season, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Bray profiled

Bray is 19 years of age and is primarily a central midfielder who has made eight appearances in the club’s academy.

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He is out of contract at the end of June after having had his scholarship extended last summer alongside Taylor Ragan. Bray has made just one appearance for the U23s, and it looks as if he’ll now move on over the coming months.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s post

O’Rourke took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to provide an update on Bray, revealing that the teenager is set to depart the Whites soon.

“Leeds midfielder Owen Bray is set to leave Elland Road at the end of the season when his contract expires.”

Reports have suggested that League One side Wigan Athletic are looking at Bray ahead of a possible move, with the Whites youngster set to turn out for Wigan’s U23s against Hull City.

The Verdict: Makes sense?

Leeds have a number of promising midfielders coming through at Thorp Arch, including Lewis Bate, Sean McGurk and Jack Jenkins, so allowing Bray to depart could suit all parties.

He’s struggled to become a regular in the U23s squad, with his only appearance coming in a 7-0 EFL Trophy defeat to Accrington Stanley back in 2020.

On that basis, moving to the lower leagues in search of first-team football could be a wise call by Bray, after limited opportunities at Elland Road.

In other news: Leeds and Orta want ‘extraordinary’ ace in Bosman move; same agent as Bamford. 

Wolves’ midfield could look completely different next season, with both Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho possibly leaving the club at the end of the season.

Youngster Luke Cundle is expected to feature more for the first team next season after impressing in the limited appearances he has made so far, while fans will be hoping Morgan Gibbs-White is given a chance next campaign after impressing on-loan at Sheffield United in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Leander Dendoncker could be the club’s most senior midfielder – having been a regular at the club since 2018, when he initially joined on-loan from Anderlecht, before signing permanently for £12.42m the summer afterwards.

However, Bruno Lage might be nervous about deploying the Belgian in place of Ruben Neves, given he has averaged just a 6.79 match rating this season, compared to the 7.20 match rating that the Portuguese star has averaged in the Premier League this season.

If the West Midlands club went down an alternate route back in 2018, they could have had Cameroon international Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa already in place to step up and replace Neves – and have had him to start alongside the Barcelona target.

According to French news outlet Espoirs du Foot, via Get French Football News, Wolves were interested in bringing  Zambo-Anguissa to Molineux for their first season back in the Premier League, back in 2018. However, he joined Fulham instead for £22.3m.

The Cottagers star, currently on-loan with Serie A giants Napoli, was labelled “first-class” by former manager Scott Parker during the club’s Premier League campaign back in the 2018/19 season, and he has gone from strength-to-strength in Italy – with his value increasing to £27m according to Transfermarkt.

His manager in Italy, Luciano Spalletti, has admitted he is a huge fan of the former Stade Reims and Marseille youngster, saying earlier in the season: “He always comes into the locker room and talks about what happened in the first half, what was going on around his position, paying close attention to the movements that the opposition do. He is very tactically intelligent.”

The 26-year-old has proven himself as not just a physical brute in the defensive third to get past, but also a progressive midfielder like Neves, ranking among players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions in the top 3% for both dribbles completed per 90 (1.77) and tackles in the attacking third per 90 (0.56), as well as ranking in the top 8% for carries into the final third per 90 (2.42).

Described as a “machine” by Joachim Andersen, his development since first arriving in England four years ago has been significant, having spent time on loan at La Liga giants Villarreal too – and he is now proving Wolves wrong for not taking a chance on him.

Chairman Jeff Shi will likely rue that decision in the summer if they do lose Moutinho and Neves.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

Leeds United finally return to Premier League action this evening as they head to the Midlands to face Aston Villa and manager Marcelo Bielsa has plenty to ponder ahead of kickoff.

The Argentine will be expecting a response after his side were defeated by potential relegation rivals Newcastle United last time out and despite being off for over two weeks, there are still plenty of injury problems at Thorp Arch.

But what sort of lineup could the 66-year-old select at Villa Park tonight? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be just two changes from the side that tasted defeat to the Magpies.

Much of the backline is expected to remain the same, so first-choice shot-stopper Illan Meslier continues between the sticks with Stuart Dallas filling in at left-back for the injured Junior Firpo.

Pascal Struijk and Diego Llorente partner each other in the middle, in the absence of captain Liam Cooper, whilst Luke Ayling is likely to have the armband at right-back.

The first change could be in midfield as Adam Forshaw is available for selection. It could mean that Rodrigo is axed for the Englishman, who comes in alongside Mateusz Klich with Robin Koch taking up the ‘Kalvin Phillips’ role once again.

Out wide, both Raphinha and Jack Harrison should keep their places, whilst Joe Gelhardt may get the nod over Daniel James up front. The 24-year-old Welshman has struggled to lead the line as Patrick Bamford continues to miss matches through injury.

The flop has failed to make his mark since a whopping £30m move in the summer.

Predicted Leeds XI (4-1-4-1) vs Villa: Meslier; Dallas, Struijk, Llorente, Ayling; Koch; Harrison, Forshaw, Klich, Raphinha; Gelhardt.

AND in other news, Signed for £5m, now worth 740% more: Leeds struck gold with £42m-rated “rare talent”…

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has hailed the ‘brilliant’ news that Georgios Giakoumakis is fit for the Hoops’ clash with Ross County.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis impresses for Celtic

The Greek has enjoyed an impressive first season at Parkhead, having arrived from VVV-Venlo during last summer’s transfer window.

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Giakoumakis may only have been limited to 16 appearances to date but he has scored nine goals in that time, proving to be a ruthless performer for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Celtic head to Ross County for a key Scottish Premiership clash on Sunday afternoon and it has been confirmed that the 27-year-old is fit for the game after recovering from injury.

The Latest: McAvennie hails ‘brilliant’ news

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie revealed his happiness at the news:

“Having Giakoumakis back is brilliant news. I think we really missed him last weekend. Kyogo wasn’t really at it when he came on but he has missed so much football.

“Giakoumakis has only missed a week or so, so he should be good to go because he is the man in form. He is scoring for fun at the moment and if he is fully fit, you would back him to grab a few more before the end of the season.

“These are big games and big players need to step up if we are going to win the title. That’s all you can do when there are players like Kyogo sniffing around.

“Just keep scoring. In fairness, that’s what he’d been doing.”

The Verdict: Massive boost

Whether or not Giakoumakis is deemed fit enough to start against Ross County remains to be seen but having him back in the fold is an almighty boost.

Rangers’ 3-1 win away to Motherwell on Saturday means the Hoops are now only three points clear of their rivals at the top of the table, highlighting the importance of this match.

Giakoumakis’ aforementioned goalscoring record this season shows how clinical he can be and it could be that he ends up being the difference between the two sides, making a huge contribution in the title race.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly in talks to sign one player. Find out who it is here.