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Despite Crystal Palace signing Nathaniel Clyne on a free in the summer, he is only contracted until January. This has clearly been noticed as the club are now being linked with right-back Djed Spence.

The latest reports on Spence

In the past, it was suggested that Middlesbrough have reportedly set a £10m price tag on Spence, with manager Neil Warnock comparing him to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

He said: “If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now — the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace [Aaron Wan-Bissaka] — they are all the same type as Djed.”

Now it is suggested by TEAMtalk that Middlesbrough face a battle to keep hold of the attacking full-back beyond January’s transfer window. Everton, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are all keen on the defender.

Would the defender be a good signing?

The right-back is only a teenager but made 22 appearances last season, winning 1.2 tackles a game, via WhoScored. He has also helped keep seven clean sheets last season, per Transfermarkt, and these statistics bode well for the youngster and highlight that he has considerable potential. With other Premier League sides interested in the teenager, it emphasises the scale of his potential.

Summer signing Nathan Ferguson is still injured and Clyne might not sign an extension. As a result of this, Joel Ward could be the only right-back available at the club post-January.

All this makes the possible transfer look like an astute signing. It could be a real coup for the South London side if they beat other sides to Spence’s signature.

In other Palace news, CPFC fans have been reacting to one Premier League star being linked to the club. Find out who it is here!

According to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder, there is still a confidence that Newcastle’s proposed takeover will eventually go through.

What’s the word?

Despite an agreement being reached for PCP Capital Partners to buy Newcastle back in April earlier this year, the green light for everything to be formally ratified and confirmed has yet to be given.

The Premier League are continuing to do their due diligence on some of the opposition raised to the Saudi consortium’s bid, including the top-flight’s chief executive Richard Masters insisting in June that they would “fully consider” Hatice Cengiz’s objections.

Now, Ryder has said: “At the end of the day Richard Masters calls the shots. He’s the man in charge. The Premier League played down it was a decision for a committee. I’m sure there will be meetings but Masters is the face of the league and he will be the one who eventually has to talk in public about it one way or another.

“I have spoken to people close to the deal and they maintain – as they always have – that the would-be buyers still believe they can do it. But it’s really a Premier League thing.”

Clarity

As Newcastle boss Steve Bruce said just last month, a bit of insight into where the whole thing stands on the part of the Premier League, would be very welcome.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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Bruce urged: “For everybody, we need a bit of clarity. If I’m led to believe it’s the Premier League that is holding these negotiations, then they have got to come and make a decision sooner or later because it’s not healthy for anybody.”

Ryder’s suggestion that those close to the deal are still confident of it going through, is encouraging, but that of course does nothing to settle the nerves of those Newcastle fans who have been waiting patiently to finally see Mike Ashley’s tenure come to an end.

West Ham’s fortunes in front of goal were perhaps why they found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle last season, but their fortunes could be about to change if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy is of interest to the Hammers but they face one major stumbling block.

It’s claimed that the 24-year-old has his sights set on a move to Ligue 1 rivals Stade Rennes but they are yet to pay the €20m (£18m) asking price.

The likes of newly promoted West Brom and Crystal Palace have also been linked with a move for the 6 foot 2 colossus.

Husillos’ Haller blow

If the Irons can swoop in at the last minute and convince Guirassy to make the switch to the Premier League, something he’s previously stated that he wants, then those at the top of the club can lessen the impact of Mario Husillos’ blunder.

West Ham clinched Sebastian Haller for a club-record £45m fee from Frankfurt, paying him in the region of £100k-per-week. So far, he’s struggled to adapt to the physicality of the English top-flight, scoring just seven goals.

It means the Hammers have blown around £50.5m in total since his arrival last July, that won’t please the London Stadium faithful, who have been on the Frenchman’s back many times this term.

Guirassy is described as a “tall and powerful” classic target man with a “killer instinct” in front of goal and despite his “imposing” physical frame, he’s still got bags of pace.

After bagging nine goals in a side that faced relegation from Ligue 1, the Irons could get themselves a genuine option to show where Haller has been going wrong.

David Moyes can’t go into next season relying on Haller and Michail Antonio.

AND in other news, Hammers want to get rid of £100k-a-week flop to free up wage bill…

Liverpool have waited 30 years to become Premier League champions but the wait is almost over.Â

The Reds are runaway leaders at the top of the table, 20 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and they need two more wins to secure the title.

Although Liverpool will have to wait a little longer following a draw in the Merseyside derby, Chelsea could hand Jurgen Klopp the trophy if the Reds beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday. If Liverpool overcome Palace and City drop points at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, that would be enough to finally confirm the Merseysiders as Premier League champions.

Writing in The Athletic, senior football writer Oliver Kay charted the fall and rise of the Anfield club, with thoughts from Jamie Carragher, Rafael Benitez, Stan Collymore and James Milner.

As City and Liverpool have been miles in front of everyone else in the last couple of years, it would be poetic if the season was settled when the Reds travel to the Etihad Stadium in July, but whether or not that will happen remains to be seen.

Unsurprisingly, lots of Liverpool fans gushed over Kay’s “brilliant” article, with one fan tweeting that it is a “wonderful piece.”

Scroll down through some of the glowing reactions so far…

Liverpool fans, will Jurgen Klopp lift the Premier League trophy at the end of the season? Let us know down below!

Safe to say it’s been an incredible week for Leeds United and everyone associated with the club.

The Whites were crowned champions of the Championship, and can now look forward to Premier League football for the first time in well over a decade.

And already it seems, Andrea Radrizzani has set his sights quite high. The Italian recently admitted that he is a big fan of Edinson Cavani – the Uruguay international who recently left PSG after his contract had expired.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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Radrizzani said: “In addition to his quality, Cavani could contribute with his physicality and adapt here, but I’ve never talked about him with the coach. Having said that, we’ve certainly thought about him and we’ll see, given he’s still available on a free transfer.”

Make no mistake about it, Cavani’s arrival at Elland Road would go down as one of the biggest transfer coups in the club’s history, if not the biggest.

The Uruguayan front-man has been at the top of his game in European football for a number of years now, banging in the goals left, right and centre for the likes of Napoli and PSG.

He is a marksman of the highest order, and his goal-record speaks for itself. He found the back of the net 104 times in 138 games for Napoli, before scoring an incredible 200 times in just 301 games for PSG. That’s not to mention his haul of 50 goals in 116 appearances for his national team either.

It’s no surprise then that he has been widely lauded by his former teammates, with Marco Verratti hailing him as “exceptional”, and Marquinhos going one further by declaring him as a “genius as a goal-scorer”.

The kind of reputation that the 33-year-old would bring with him to Elland Road would be unparalleled, particularly for a side that has just been promoted from the Championship.

It would be the kind of stamp of approval of Leeds’ return to the big-time that would send shock-waves around Europe. If Orta, the club’s director of football, can negotiate a suitable contract with Cavani, then this will go down as history as one of the Whites’ most defining moments.

It’s fair to say Bruno Fernandes has already established himself as one of Manchester United’s most impressive signings in recent memory.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have endured their fair share of duds since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure back in the summer of 2013, with the likes of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao amongst those high-profile signings who have failed at Old Trafford – the former only lasted a season before he was shown the exit door.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

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But Fernandes has been anything but that judging by his first few weeks at the club. As per Transfermarkt, in the nine games that he has played for them, he has scored three goals and provided a further four assists, with United remaining unbeaten across all competitions since his arrival.

Now, in a Sky Sports stat posted by Twitter account utdreport, Fernandes’ brilliance has been laid to bare.

After seeing the stat, fans of the Manchester side took to Twitter to share their thoughts on their January signing.

One United fan in particular even claimed that had the club signed Fernandes last summer, they would now be comfortably sitting in the top four positions in the Premier League.

If Fernandes continues on the same trajectory that he has started his career at United, then we could be looking at one of the club’s best players of the past couple of decades.

The transformation he has had on this United team has been nothing short of remarkable, and if Solskjaer can add one or two more additions in the same vein as the Portuguese man, then there is no reason why the side can’t be competing at the top end of the Premier League table sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans react to David Ornstein’s update about Jack Grealish.

Many Arsenal fans have slammed a transfer link to Serhou Guirassy after the Daily Mail have reported that the north London club have an interest in the Amiens man.

As per the outlet, West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth have also watched him, as he is apparently looking for a move to the Premier League after his side were relegated as a result of the French Ligue 1 finishing early (BBC Sport).

The Gunners’ transfer funds will reportedly be severely limited in the next summer window, with the club primarily looking at either free transfers or swap deals.

In light of this, the £7.2 million-valued man may not be a bad option. Guirassy has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 23 appearances in Ligue 1 this season, according to Transfermarkt.

However, several AFC supporters have slammed the link, with some comparing the 24-year old to former player Yaya Sanogo. Indeed, the Frenchman only scored one senior goal and made just two assists in 20 games in all competitions following his move from Auxerre (via Transfermarkt).

These Gooners did not react well to the news on Twitter:

Gooners, what do you make of the link? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Everton will battle with Norwich City this weekend and it is set to be an important clash between two teams in an early relegation scrap.

The Toffees are six points clear of the drop zone and a win for the club could rocket them onto the same number of points as fifth-placed Sheffield United, should the Blades lose to Manchester United.

On the chalkboard

This crucial game for both sides could end up being decided by one battle on the pitch that will see Richarlison come up against Max Aarons.

Richarlison has finally started to hit some form this season, as he bagged the winner against Southampton prior to the international break. His goal at St. Mary’s was his third in the league and it means he now has two goals and an assist in his last five games.

As for Aarons, the Englishman has been one of the shining lights within a dismal Norwich defence. Whilst the Canaries have conceded 28 league goals after 12 games, Aarons has averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.5 clearances.

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The Norwich defender hasn’t been in spectacular form but has proven to be no pushover since his transition into the Premier League.

Interesting battle

Richarlison’s battle with Aarons is going to be an intriguing one across the 90 minutes. The Norwich full-back has proven to be an astute and promising defender, whilst the Everton forward has proven abilities in beating a right-back from the left-hand side.

The former Watford man possesses plenty of pace and flair, and the 19-year-old Aarons is not the slowest either and this is certainly a battle that could decide the game.

Over the past year, Richarlison has shown that if he finds his groove he is hard to stop. The Brazilian bagged 13 league goals last year and ended up becoming one of Everton’s best players that campaign.

Now, he must navigate the challenge posed by Aarons and fire the blues up the league table.

Having only managed to bring in Steven Bergwijn as a new permanent signing in the January transfer window, Jose Mourinho will no doubt be keen to strengthen his Tottenham squad this summer.

And according to the latest reports, one man who the north London side could well be targeting, is Bournemouth’s David Brooks.

The Sun claim that the Cherries are bracing for a shake-up in the summer window, and that both Manchester United and Spurs “could rekindle their interest” if the 22-year-old can regain his fitness again – he has missed 251 days of action thanks to an ankle injury suffered back in July of last year.

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After hearing about the links to Brooks, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their potential summer transfer target.

A couple of fans however did raise concerns about Brooks’ track record with injuries, with one supporter in particular claiming that a move “would be a risk”.

Another Spurs fan meanwhile was far less enthusiastic about the prospect of Brooks signing, instead suggesting QPR’s Eberechi Eze as a better option.

Having missed the entirety of this campaign, Spurs would no doubt be taking somewhat of a gamble in making a move for Brooks in the summer.

But based on his performances last season, he does seem like he would be a shrewd swoop. He netted seven times and provided a further five assists in just 33 games across all competitions for Eddie Howe’s side, and that included some big-time moments too – not least the goal and assist in the 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea.

Most Spurs fans are right to be excited by Brooks’ potential arrival.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to Victor Wanyama’s admission.

Southampton travel to the Etihad Stadium for the second time in five days on Saturday, having spent Tuesday evening playing out a 3-1 defeat to the Citizens in Manchester in the Carabao Cup.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be playing their first Premier League game since the humiliating 9-0 loss to Leicester last Friday, where they were torn apart in front of their own supporters at St Mary’s.

Facing Pep Guardiola’s back-to-back champions is probably not the ideal game for the Saints as they look to get back on track, although there may be some interesting lineup choices as Hasenhuttl revealed that he knows who he can trust following the 9-0 defeat.

We also outlined that the Austrian needs to stick with one formation, and must also stop being so loyal to underperforming players, so here’s the XI we think Hasenhuttl should deploy…

On Tuesday, Hasenhuttl opted for a 5-3-2 – the Austrian has used six different systems already, so he must settle his players down into one formation and allow them to familiarise themselves with something consistent.

Angus Gunn has started every Premier League game so far this season, conceding 25 goals in ten appearances – more than any other glovesman in the top-flight.

He should be dropped for Alex McCarthy, who is an experienced stopper of international pedigree.

At left-back, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg started in the position on Tuesday, although he must return to his natural midfield position.

Ryan Bertrand will serve the second game of his three-match suspension, so in that case, now is the time for the former RB Leipzig boss to be bold and place his trust in 19-year-old left-back Jake Vokins – the teenager netted against Preston in pre-season when handed a first-team chance, and it would be his Premier League debut if he played on Saturday.

Furthermore, Jack Stephens – who has made just two league appearances this term – scored against City on Tuesday and deserves to keep his place in the team, with Maya Yoshida and Jannik Vestergaard previously contributing to what is the worst defence in the Premier League this term.

Ahead of the backline, the team looks fairly familiar. What is key, however, is Hasenhuttl getting his players into some sort of rhythm in terms of the system and personnel, after what has been a pretty disturbed campaign so far.