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Eden Hazard might not have forged the career for himself over in Spain that all across the footballing landscape envisaged when he left Chelsea, but the west London club will forever remember their magician for his brilliance in the Premier League.

That’s how his football should be remembered. Awe-inspiring and ethereal, gliding through opponents with a balletic grace that few, such a scant few, have ever been able to produce. Lionel Messi is one of them, Diego Maradona another.

Hazard painted the Premier League with tricks and skills, goals and assists. His was a skillset that will forever imbue the Stamford Bridge pitch with his presence.

Chelsea needed to replace him after his £130m transfer to Real Madrid. An unenviable task. Luckily, they had a transfer ban and, thus, couldn’t.

When Chelsea sold Eden Hazard

That’s facetious, of course, but perhaps Chelsea’s inability to replace Hazard prevented them from splurging on any old player and instead allowed for a more calculated approach.

Maybe not, but say what you want, the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz played vital roles in winning the Champions League, which is no small feat to be sure.

Hazard scored 110 goals and supplied 85 assists across 352 appearances for Chelsea, winning two Premier League and Europa League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup, as well as being crowned the PFA Premier League Player of the Year for the 2014/15 campaign.

Chelsea might not have been able to replace their Belgian wizard externally, but they did have an internal option in Callum Hudson-Odoi who had been proclaimed Hazard’s second coming.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was supposed to be the next Hazard

In May 2019, former Chelsea defender David Luiz stated that Hudson-Odoi “has the talent one day to be like Eden”.

What praise, what confidence. It’s the kind of double-edged effusion that can hamper an up-and-coming prospect. Hudson-Odoi was indeed an electrifying talent when bursting onto the scene with Chelsea but he shouldered quite the burden, his rise coinciding with Hazard’s exit.

The English winger featured 126 times for Chelsea, scoring 16 goals and adding 21 assists, in an impressive start to life as a senior, his fleet-footed, dynamic ability translating seamlessly from the youth stage.

The bleak truth is that the 23-year-old suffered a knee injury toward the end of the 2018/19 season that severely disrupted his progress. It’s an unfortunate tale of setbacks that ultimately proved his undoing at Stamford Bridge, with his petered-out finish to life in London leading to a £3.5m sale to Nottingham Forest in 2023.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

It’s all the more poignant when considering Bayern Munich once wanted his signature and had even seen a £70m bid rejected by the Blues for his signing in 2020, which seems remarkable in hindsight.

Few Blues fans (even considering that celebration) will be unhappy to see him doing well after a testing start to life as a professional, but the fact that he was cashed in for a paltry return merely emphasises what might have been, the perfect homegrown Hazard successor to fire Chelsea back to the top.

Hudson-Odoi was clearly one of the finest young talents that English football had to offer, but despite being the jewel of Cobham’s packed academy, fell heavily by the wayside.

He’s resurrected his Premier League career with Forest, but, frankly, it doesn’t look likely that he will capture and sustain the form that would put him back into conversations concerning Hazard-esque quality.

Tuchel really liked him: Chelsea have already sold Palmer's dream teammate

Chelsea have already sold a player who could’ve made Palmer even better

By
Connor Holden

Oct 18, 2024

Mohamed Salah's former team-mate Dejan Lovren believes Liverpool do not "respect him enough" and that he's "closer to leaving than staying".

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• Salah in last months of Liverpool contract
• Told Reds "don't respect him enough"
• Ex-team-mate says he's closer to "leaving than staying"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren played alongside Salah for three seasons and says he still keeps in touch with the Egyptian. He added, "I know a lot of things" when speaking about Salah's ongoing contract situation, that an Anfield transfer exit beckons this summer, and that Liverpool should satisfy his wage demands as he is delivering on the pitch.

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  WHAT DEJAN LOVREN SAID

  He said, via The Mirror: “We are still in touch. We talk every now and then, yes. I have to be careful what I say now, because I know a lot of things. Honestly, I don’t know the exact numbers, but whatever he’s asking for, I think he deserves it. It’s simple, this guy is doing his job on the pitch.

  “Don’t look at his age, some will say he’ll be 33, but look at Ronaldo, he’s 40 and still playing. Mohamed Salah is still scoring goals, he’s in great physical and mental shape. He’s still playing for the national team, so what’s the problem? He’s seven or eight years younger [than Ronaldo]. So what’s the problem with Salah? Nobody can find an answer, that’s why I find it difficult.

  “I can talk in more detail. Salah believes that there are things missing from the club side, and I hope they’ll be resolved soon. But the current reality is that he’s closer to leaving than staying. Everyone wants him to stay, and I personally want him to stay. I called him one day and said: 'Mo, you have to think about yourself. Look at everything you've given this club and what you can still give.'

  “In the end, I came to the conclusion that the club doesn't respect him enough, or at least not as much as they think they deserve, but that's another side of the story, it's all about what goes on behind the scenes. Everyone can agree when they look at the numbers, there is no player who has the statistics like Mohamed Salah, not only this season, but over the last 5-6 seasons in a row, they are not just amazing numbers, they are crazy.

  “I think he does not get enough attention despite these numbers, because if it was Messi or Ronaldo, we would see talk every day about why his contract was not renewed and why the right offer was not made to him, but unfortunately, I think Mohamed Salah does not get this attention.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Salah said last month that he and Liverpool were "far away" from a contract extension, with the 32-year-old's deal expiring this summer. The ex-Roma star has scored a whopping 26 goals and bagged 18 assists in 34 appearances and is, arguably, playing some of the best football of his career. But there is a real chance this could be his last season at the Reds.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  While contract talks between Liverpool and Salah continue, he has a Merseyside derby to look forward to in a Premier League clash at Everton on Wednesday.

Hoping to make a statement in the form of a rare Anfield victory, Chelsea have received an injury boost at the perfect time, with one player now in line to return for the first time this season.

Chelsea injury news

Despite boasting one of the biggest squads in the Premier League, Chelsea still struggled with their injury issues last season. Ultimately, a number of other factors caused the end of Mauricio Pochettino’s spell, but Enzo Maresca has since fared far better on that front, with the results arriving in the early stages of the Italian’s tenure.

The Blues have looked the closest to their best since Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge, with Maresca finally turning things around for Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge – and Cole Palmer unsurprisingly playing a central role of stealing the headlines.

Their toughest test yet under their new manager now awaits in the form of Arne Slot’s Liverpool side at Anfield. Losing just once and going stride for stride with Manchester City and Arsenal so far this season, the Reds have conceded just two goals in seven Premier League games under their new boss – representing the task ahead for Maresca’s team.

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By
Barney Lane

Oct 18, 2024

What could help unlock a stubborn Liverpool defence is the return of a star man. As confirmed by Maresca, Reece James is now in line to return against Liverpool and could feature for the first time this season after missing the last 11 games in all competitions due to hamstring problem.

Maresca told reporters, as relayed by Goal: “He [James] is finally available. He worked with us over the international break. It’s good news, especially for him because being injured is not a good feeling. Finally, he is back.

“It’s complicated when you get injury, injury, injury again. It’s not easy, so you are always looking for a solution. Probably, the solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week, in one game, because probably in this moment, for different reasons, Reece’s body cannot play twice a week.”

Now or never for "decisive" James

Whilst James’ return should be seen as a positive, those around Stamford Bridge have seen how this story plays out one too many times before, and they, alongside their captain, will be desperate for a twist to the tale this time around. No one can doubt the £250,000-a-week defender’s quality, but that quality becomes void when he’s forced to watch on from the sidelines.

Dubbed “decisive” by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, if Maresca manages James’ workload, he may just have one of the best right-backs in European football at his disposal on a consistent basis for the first time in what feels like forever.

Leeds United haven’t always been the most frugal when it comes to additions through the door, with money rashly spent on plenty of duds over recent times.

The disastrous summer transfer window before a ball was kicked to start the 2022-23 season is proof of that, with the likes of Luis Sinisterra joining for a whopping £21m, only for the Colombian to make a paltry 26 appearances in West Yorkshire before relocating once more.

If you go further back in time to the days when sporting director Victor Orta was front and centre of all of the frantic business – with an equally eccentric Marcelo Bielsa at the managerial helm for most of his time at the club – the blunders do pile up even more.

But, the top buys that Orta managed to get over the line should also come into view.

The best Orta buys at Leeds

For every Kiko Casilla Orta managed to bring into the building, there were dozens of other success stories.

Names such as Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter immediately spring to mind, with the Spaniard overseeing a deal that saw Summerville join the West Yorkshire titans for just £1.5m from Feyenoord in 2020.

He would later leave for West Ham United for a mammoth £25m, after scoring stunners like the one above on a regular basis for Leeds in the Championship, notching up a frightening 31 goal contributions in league action last season as Farke’s men narrowly missed out on promotion.

Going back to the reign of Bielsa, however, and the likes of Mateusz Klich and Ezgjan Alioski stand out as unlikely heroes who were transformed into greats under the Argentine, with Klich having cost Leeds just £1.5m like Summerville due to Orta’s eye for a deal.

The Polish midfielder amassed 195 appearances in total at Elland Road, cementing himself as a mainstay of many XIs over his six-season stay in England.

Orta is also responsible for Wilfried Gnonto choosing Leeds as his next destination after leaving FC Zurich behind, in another stunning capture at just £3.8m

Yet, not everything went swimmingly with Orta as the main figurehead, with some players joining for way over the odds on expensive deals away from the Spaniard consistently striking gold.

The player that cost Orta £47m in total

Rodrigo join Leeds as a coup signing in the summer of 2020 from La Liga outfit Valencia, with Leeds forking out a club record £27m to win his services.

Whilst the aforementioned names of Summerville and Klich would grow to become stars for the Whites, an expectation was already on Rodrigo’s head to deliver as a statement purchase on his arrival, with the attacker going on to arguably underwhelm the Elland Road masses.

He would never develop into being a prolific finisher in West Yorkshire, with his best goal total in the Premier League coming in at a mediocre 13, as the Spanish forward ended his time in England with a sub-par goal tally of 28 from 97 clashes.

For a striker who cost £27m to snap up, the Whites masses must have been expecting more in terms of firepower from their ex-number 19.

This deal will feel like even more of an error when you consider his extortionate wage amidst these middle-of-the-road displays, earning a bumper salary of £100k-per-week and £5.2m-per-year as per Capology, which made him the highest earner at the club the three years he was present.

For context, that’s a far higher wage than both Gnonto and Joe Rodon find themselves on under Farke, with the Welshman earning just £40k-per-week whilst his Italian counterpart pockets a lesser £30k-per-week.

Remarkably, Rodrigo would be earning more than both their pay packets combined, with moments of magic like his thunderous strike above against West Ham United not common enough to justify his lavish salary or fee.

In total, Leeds would burn through £43m – when considering his £27m fee and his three-year wage costs – with many at Elland Road glad to see the back of the ex-Valencia man when he left for Qatar in the wake of the club’s relegation.

Farke and Co will try not to be so brash with their spending habits if they return to the Premier League at the end of this campaign, with a want for more shrewd deals to happen over expensive misfires.

He wants to leave: Leeds must sell star who earns more than Joseph & Piroe

The Leeds attacker is reportedly considering an exit from Elland Road next year.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 15, 2024

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has made an “amazing” first impression after returning to coaching in the Dubai sunshine.

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• Lasted just 25 games in charge of Pilgrims
• Back in punditry and waiting on offers
• Forms part of exclusive holiday package

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The ex-England captain was relieved of his managerial duties at Championship side Plymouth on New Year’s Eve. He lasted just 25 games with the Pilgrims, having previously been given only 83 days in charge of Tom Brady-backed Birmingham.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Rooney has since returned to punditry duty, delivering Champions League coverage on Amazon Prime, and has admitted to being open to offers that could see him take U21 or backroom staff roles in another coaching set-up.

• THE GOSSIP

  For now, the 39-year-old finds himself in the Middle East. Rooney is the latest star attraction for Football Escapes – the family holiday package company that delivers expert tutorials with former players. They are currently based at the luxurious Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

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• WHAT FOOTBALL ESCAPES SAID

  Those taking in the Rooney experience are paying between £7,500 and £8,650 for the privilege – with that price covering a five-day stay in five-star surroundings. The brand responsible for that excursion has said: “Wayne Rooney’s first Football Escapes course is in full flow, and it’s been nothing short of amazing. Expert coaching, plenty of laughs, and memories being made on and off the pitch.

  “The kids are putting in the hard work, but let’s not forget the parents… they’re already eyeing up their big moment—the legendary Parents’ Game. Some are stretching, some are strategising… others are just hoping to make it through in one piece! We’re not even halfway through, and it’s been unforgettable already. More fun, football, and family time to come!”

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is not hiding his shame at his side's poor performances under his stewardship.

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• Amorim embarrassed by disappointing form
• Suggests players need to be mentally stronger
• United take on Fulham in FA Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United boss joined the club from Sporting CP in November with a lot of hype and expectation, following success in his native Portugal and a 4-1 dismantling of Manchester City in the Champions League. But things are yet to fully turn around for the Red Devils. Amorim has overseen 23 games in charge of the club, winning under half (11) and losing nine – five of which coming at Old Trafford. While he is confident he has the backing to turn the club around, he knows there are few positives to shine a light on.

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  WHAT AMORIM SAID ABOUT FORM

  Speaking to , Amorim said: "I feel that [people believe in me]. At the same time, I'm embarrassed by that because if you look at our performance and you see our team sometimes on the pitch, it's really hard for me as a coach to take a lot of positives."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There are few reasons to be positive about Manchester United this season. The Red Devils appear destined to finish in the lower reaches of the Premier League table, which would record their worst-ever finish in the process, and their abject performances offer little hope that they can win silverware. Amorim still has chances to win a trophy with either the FA Cup or Europa League but knows his side must improve – particularly at home.

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• WHAT AMORIM SAID ABOUT OLD TRAFFORD

  Amorim added: "I think we are so nervous sometimes in the game and you can feel it in the small things. The way that we move sometimes, the understanding of the game, especially at Old Trafford.

  "I feel that sometimes the players are in the dressing room and we go to warm-up and we go inside to start the game, I feel that the air is heavy. These kind of things I think we show a lot in the games.

  "When we suffer a goal or we have a bad moment, you feel like the connection is not there, we lose ourselves. We get lost a little bit. I understand it is more than football, more than tactics, it is something that is in the players' mind."

After a rough few weeks that have seen Arsenal stumble in the quest to finally win the Premier League, the news of Edu Gaspar’s departure from the club felt like just another bit of never-ending bad news.

Alongside Mikel Arteta, the Brazilian has been one of the more public faces during the club’s resurgence in recent years and played a crucial role in their impressive transfer dealings.

However, for all the Martin Odegaards, Gabriel Martinelli’s and Declan Rices, the former Invincible has helped the club to sign, he’s also partly responsible for a fair share of their flops.

However, one of his signings who struggled at Arsenal is now thriving away from the club and has been given a massive new valuation.

Arsenal's 2021 signings

The 2021 summer transfer window saw Arsenal sign a couple of players who’ve since become essential first-teamers, so before we get to the flop in question, let’s take a look at them, starting with the mercurial Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian international first joined the club on a six-month loan spell that January, and while he wasn’t poor, a return of two goals and two assists in 20 appearances wasn’t spectacular either.

However, it was enough to convince Edu and Arteta that he was worth a £30m investment, and to their credit, the last few years have proven them right.

In total, the former Real Madrid wonderkid has scored 35 goals and provided 25 assists in 157 appearances for the club, was named captain at just 23 years old and has been sorely missed over the last couple of months.

The other first-team regular signed in that summer was Ben White, who joined the club in a £50m move from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Englishman spent most of his first campaign at the Emirates playing as a centre-back, but when William Saliba finally made his debut for the team the following season, he moved out to right-back, where he has since flourished.

In total, the Poole-born “warrior”, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has made 145 appearances for the Gunners – 99 of which have been at right-back – in which he’s scored six goals and provided 11 assists.

Unfortunately, while the Englishman has been a roaring success in N5, another full-back Edu signed that summer certainly wasn’t.

The Edu signing Arsenal could regret selling

So, among the certified transfer hits in the summer of 2021, Arsenal also made the £8m signing of Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares.

The highly rated full-back was actually Edu’s first signing that summer, and while there was some excitement about the player he could become in North London, it just didn’t work out for him.

In all, the former Benfica prospect made 28 appearances for the Gunners and looked reasonably threatening while doing so, but his biggest problem was his defensive ability, or lack thereof, with Roy Keane slamming him for being “sloppy” in a game against Nottingham Forest in January 2022.

The 24-year-old was eventually sent on two very different loan spells across the following two campaigns, first to Marseille in 22/23, where he scored six goals in 39 appearances, and then to Forest last year, where he made just 12 appearances all season and was eventually frozen out of the team.

With it looking like the once-promising full-back had no future in the Premier League, the Gunners agreed to send him on another loan this season to Serie A side Lazio, only this time they included an obligation to buy worth £7.5m should certain targets be met.

However, based on how well the Lisboa-born gem has started this season, Edu and Co may regret including such a clause.

In his eight appearances for the Roman side, the “incredible” threat, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already racked up eight assists – talk about a turnaround.

Unsurprisingly, this sensational form led Lazio’s majority owner and President, Claudio Lotito, to tell Italian media that he wouldn’t sell the defender “even for €70m,” which converts to a cool £59m.

This new valuation is a whopping 686% increase on the fee Arsenal will receive for the player come the end of the season.

Ultimately, while Edu and Co made several excellent signings in the summer of 2021, Tavares has proven to be something of a disaster, as he was both underwhelming on the pitch, and now he’s set to be a massive opportunity missed off it.

Not just Merino: 4/10 Arsenal ace is playing himself out of the team

The talented international has been poor for some time now.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 7, 2024

In what is quite the rarity, the international break has handed Everton some positive injury news, with one player given the time to complete his return to training ahead of his side’s next game against Brentford.

Everton injury news

The Toffees were left frustrated by a 0-0 draw against West Ham last time out to extend their winless run to three Premier League games. Keen to avoid another worrying run ahead of the festive period, Sean Dyche’s side play host to Brentford in the international break with a win potentially taking them as many as six points clear of the dropzone.

Ahead of their clash against the Bees, Everton have received plenty of good news too. They were given the chance to welcome Jarrad Branthwaite back from England duty early due to a slight knock, but given that he is expected to be fit in time to face Brentford, it’s no bad thing that the central defender has been given much-needed rest amid recent fitness concerns.

Meanwhile, Dyche has also been handed another boost on the injury front. As reported by Goodison News, Dwight McNeil has been pictured back in Everton training and could yet make his return to action against Brentford after the international break alongside Armando Broja.

Worth £59m: Everton must regret losing a star who's rivalling Messi & Kane

Everton once sold a young star who’s now worth £59m & rivalling Messi and Kane.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 15, 2024

The winger missed his side’s draw at West Ham as they put together a blunt offensive performance at the London Stadium – something his return should change. Earning a reported £25,000-a-week, McNeil has finally been stepping up for the Toffees this season, scoring four goals and assisting a further three in 12 games. Now, he has the chance to bounce back from a minor setback in style.

Given that McNeil has another eight days to return to full fitness, it seems likely that he will at least feature against Brentford on Saturday, November 23.

"Terrific" McNeil has become a key man for Everton

For some time, McNeil was a source of much frustration at Goodison Park as he struggled to get in amongst the goals and assists for all his hard work off the ball. Fast forward to the present day, however, and he is quickly becoming a key man at Everton. Having worked with Dyche at both Burnley and Everton, the manager’s trust is finally paying dividends.

Dyche, even when his winger struggled for form, has been full of praise for McNeil. The Everton boss told reporters as relayed by the Liverpool Echo at the end of the 2022/23 campaign: “He’s been terrific since I’ve been back with him and I want him to keep enjoying his football but also taking it on. I thought at Brighton he took it on.

“He is a player who is still maturing in my view and he is grasping and grabbing it and taking things forward and making things happen and that is very pleasing for him and pleasing for us.”

As Everton look to return to winning ways for the first time in three games, McNeil’s return will undoubtedly hand those at Goodison Park with a major boost.

Antony's agent has hit back at Ruben Amorim after the Manchester United manager claimed the winger lacked the "physicality" needed to play in England.

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• Man Utd loaned Antony to Real Betis
• Amorim claims he lacked "physicality" for EPL
• Forward's agent fires back

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United loaned Antony to Real Betis in January after he fell out of favour under Amorim and he has registered three goals and two assists in seven appearances for the Spanish club. Amorim has since suggested the physical level needed to compete in Spain and England is very different, telling : "When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don't have physicality, you will struggle a lot." However, Antony's agent believes that argument is "superficial".

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  WHAT ANTONY'S AGENT SAID

  Antony's agent, Junior Pedroso, retorted to via Fabrizio Romano: "We respect the opinion of coach Ruben Amorim but we completely disagree with his analysis. To attribute Antony's lack of success at United solely to physicality is a very superficial argument and does not reflect reality."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Antony never impressed at Old Trafford after becoming United's second-biggest transfer of all time when he joined from Ajax for £85m in 2022. He scored just 12 goals in 96 appearances but has got off to a much better start in Spain.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY?

  Antony is set to return to action on Thursday evening when Real Betis take on Vitoria S.C. in the first leg of their Europa Conference League last 16 tie. Manuel Pellegrini's side will then host Las Palmas in La Liga on Sunday.

Crystal Palace are readying a move to sign a 6ft 2 player who earns £104,000-a-year, according to a recent report.

The Eagles return to Premier League action on Saturday as they travel to the Midlands to face Aston Villa, with Oliver Glasner knowing pressure is on him to turn results around quickly.

Crystal Palace have huge advantage over rivals in race to sign £25m target

It comes with Palace desperately in need of reinforcements in the January window.

By
Ben Browning

Nov 15, 2024

Crystal Palace transfer news

It has been a disappointing season for the Eagles so far, but January is an opportunity where they can strengthen their side as they look to improve in the second half of the campaign. Despite Glasner’s future not being secure, Palace are lining up potential transfer targets for when the window does open.

Two players that Palace have their eye on are both from Chelsea, as they are in pole position to sign Ben Chilwell in the New Year. The defender looks set to leave Stamford Bridge in January after not being used by Enzo Maresca and falling out of favour. Chilwell will want to get back to playing regular football, and Palace will hope the guarantee that they can offer is enough for him to move to Selhurst Park.

Palace have also made an approach to sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea in January. The Ukraine international has yet to live up to his hype when he joined the club, and Steve Parish believes he could be a good addition for Palace, as he’s seen as a “game-changer” like Wilfred Zaha was. But the Eagles are not stopping there, as they have their eye on a tall defender who has been on their radar for some time.

Crystal Palace readying move to sign new £104k-a-year player for Glasner

According to Football Insider, Crystal Palace are ready to make a move and sign Rav van den Berg from Middlesbrough. The Dutchman has been at the Riverside Stadium since July 2023, when he joined from Dutch side PEC Zwolle.

Van den Berg, who is 6ft 2in, was a key player for Michael Carrick last season at Middlesbrough, as he played 34 times in the Championship, and that has continued in this campaign, as he’s started seven of the eight league games he has been available for.

Football Insider states that Palace have been making regular scouting checks on the defender in the last 18 months, and they are now ready to test Boro’s resolve, as van den Berg has made himself one of the hottest prospects in the Championship.

Van den Berg, who earns £104,000 a year at the Riverside Stadium, is under contract until the summer of 2027, and Palace are now appear ready to test their resolve. Glasner is keen to strengthen his defence when January arrives, and Palace feels that van den Berg could be the man to do that, but it is unclear how much it could cost the South London side to get a deal done.