Oliver Glasner handed first Crystal Palace worry after news on Marc Guehi

New Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has been handed his first Selhurst Park conundrum after news on a star player at the club.

Palace appoint Glasner as Hodgson replacement confirmed

The Eagles officially appointed Glasner earlier this week as chairman Steve Parish attempts to steer the south Londoners away from relegation to the Championship.

The tactic Oliver Glasner will now "assert" at Crystal Palace

He’s been announced as Roy Hodgson’s replacement.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 20, 2024

Palace are among the top flight's lowest-scoring sides, with Everton, Burnley and Sheffield United being the only sides to score less. They're also just five points above the drop zone, so Glasner has a real job on his hands to turn the tide and make something positive of this disappointing campaign.

Regardless, the Austrian has expressed his delight over joining Palace and can't wait to get started.

"I am very happy to join Crystal Palace," said Glasner on signing for Palace (via BBC).

"I am looking forward to working with the talented squad, meeting the club's supporters and experiencing the Selhurst Park atmosphere I have heard so much about. It has been a pleasure to meet with Steve [Parish, chairman] and Dougie [Freedman, sporting director], and I am looking forward to working with them to achieve our goals."

Crystal Palace's next league fixtures

Date

Burnley (home)

Feb 24th

Tottenham (away)

March 2nd

Luton Town (home)

March 9th

Newcastle (home)

March 16th

The tactician has been tipped to bring more physicality, and it is believed Glasner will "assert" himself at Palace right from the very get-go.

"I think Glasner will assert himself by bringing a sense of physicality to Crystal Palace and also probably more of a modern approach to their attacking set-up than they perhaps had recently," said journalist Dean Jones to GiveMeSport this week.

"That won't come overnight. This squad isn't really capable of changing too much in the short term, but it'll get funded in the summer. Judging by what he's done so far in Germany, and judging by what he's capable of from a coaching perspective from people I've spoken to over there, they seem to think that actually, this is a really good appointment for Crystal Palace. After all of the protests from fans and accusations of them lacking ambition, this could actually prove to be a good appointment."

There is rightly a lot of excitement around Glasner's arrival, but according to Sportslens and reporter Jones, he may now have been dealt his first big headache.

Guehi won't entertain new deal as big clubs look to steal him

This comes in the form of news on defender Marc Guehi, who is the subject of interest from big clubs in England such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham.

Jones writes Glasner "faces a big challenge" in his new job as the manager could lose both Guehi and Michael Olise this summer, but in the former's case, there are suggestions he wouldn't even entertain staying past 2026.

"Guehi, 23, is contracted to Palace until 2026 and current suggestions are that he would not be interested in the idea of a new improved deal at this stage."

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Guehi has made 22 appearances for Palace this season, with goalkeeper Josef Bursik calling him "massive" and an "absolute tank" of a player.

Chelsea squad reveals which player has the worst banter and who takes longest to get ready as Blues jet off to U.S. for pre-season tour

Chelsea players have come up with some surprise revelations as the Blues pass the time on their flight out to the United States for a pre-season tour.

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  • Chelsea heading to North America for pre-season
  • Squad plays fun game on flight
  • First match on tour against Wrexham
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Chelsea players have let slip some surprise revelations about their team-mates as Enzo Maresca's side head out to the United States for a pre-season tour. The Blues are scheduled to play friendlies against Wrexham, Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid as they prepare for the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Maresca named a 28-man travelling squad for the tour but also raised a few eyebrows by leaving Trevoh Chalobah at home. The 25-year-old defender is now thought to be considering his future at the club and could look to move away before the start of the new campaign.

  • WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

    The mood in the Chelsea camp appeared to be good as the players revealed a few details about the squad in a video on Instagram. Armando Broja was outed as the player with the worst banter, while Ben Chilwell won the dubious award for taking the longest to get ready.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA

    New Chelsea signing Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga and Marc Guiu have all been included in the tour squad and will be hoping to impress Maresca. The Blues will take on Wrexham first in California, with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side having already held Premier League side Bournemouth to a draw in pre-season.

Tottenham told to accept eight-figure bid for in-form player this summer

Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy have been told that one club could make an eight-figure bid for an in-form player, and they'd be wise to accept.

Spurs players who could leave this summer

Ange Postecoglou's preferred squad has now taken shape, and it's clear which players he favours.

Suggestion Tottenham have now gone extra mile to tempt "beautiful" attacker

He was spotted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recently.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 8, 2024

The likes of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr have played their way into Postecoglou's plans since the Australian's arrival last summer, despite being outcasts under Antonio Conte the season prior.

Tottenham's head coach is also getting the very best out of Richarlison, who netted nine goals in 10 Premier League games prior to his recent injury. While there have been many success stories of Postecoglou's reign, some members of the Spurs squad are also deemed more surplus to requirements.

Tottenham's best-performing players in the league this season

Match Rating per 90 (via WhoScored)

James Maddison

7.46

Son Heung-min

7.35

Pedro Porro

7.18

Cristian Romero

7.07

Dejan Kulusevski

7.06

Midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been tipped to leave this summer, with the Dane recently changing agents in a potential signal that he is ready to go and get more game time at another club.

Bryan Gil is also on the list of players who could quit N17 in the near future, while there is the small matter of Spurs' many loaned out players. One of them, Wales international defender Joe Rodon, has arguably enjoyed the best stint away of any current loanee.

Rodon's made 33 Championship appearances under Daniel Farke as Leeds chase promotion straight back to the top flight. There are reports, as a result, that Leeds could look to sign Rodon permanently for next season.

Tottenham told to accept eight-figure Rodon bid

Spurs expert John Wenham, speaking to Tottenham News this week, suggests that Leeds could make a £10 million bid for Rodon in the summer – and it's one which the Lilywhites should accept.

“He is putting in some really strong displays in the Championship, but he will only have one year left on his deal in North London this summer, and I don’t see Spurs offering him a new contract.

“Things just haven’t worked out for Rodon at Tottenham, and the club must now look at getting the best possible deal for the centre-back. If Leeds were to get promoted, I could see them making an offer of around £10million, which Tottenham would be wise to accept.”

Leeds United's loan defender Joe Rodon.

The centre-back has been praised for his performances by Farke this season, with Rodon becoming a mainstay of Leeds' promotion-chasing back line.

“I wouldn’t speak too much about just one player because it was also important that our offensive players did their job," said Farke on Rodon, later praising the 26-year-old.

“Joe [Rodon] belongs to our last row, he had to be there with many clearances, was an aerial threat, even with a little cut under his eyebrow, he was willing to go [on], so he showed warrior mentality.

“That’s exactly what you need if you want to be successful at such a tough place – I think he was excellent today.”

Moyes must unleash West Ham star who will be more important than Zouma

West Ham United looked to have regained form after a dreadful start to 2024 but met a hitch in the road after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Freiburg last Thursday.

The first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie was contested in relative comfort for David Moyes' side before substitute Michael Gregoritsch pounced late on to leave work to do in London, with poor finishing the crux of West Ham's struggles.

West Ham manager David Moyes.

That said, numerous players are capable of making an impact in the final third in east London, but the performance of captain Kurt Zouma in the backline will be crucial, allowing the Frenchman's offensive peers to flourish.

Why Kurt Zouma will be crucial vs Freiburg

Zouma was rested for West Ham's Premier League clash against relegation-threatened Burnley on Sunday afternoon and the Clarets stormed into an unlikely two-goal lead before half-time.

Sure, the Hammers recovered after the break but it's clear that Zouma's presence will be pivotal this evening given Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd's collective lack of authority, the former notably netting an own goal.

Zouma, 29, should have done better to close down Gregoritsch last week and, truthfully, he's not enjoying his finest campaign for West Ham, but there's no question that he is the club's best centre-back and has still impressed with 3.1 ball recoveries and 4.9 clearances per game in the top-flight this season, as per Sofascore, also winning 54% of his duels.

The £125k-per-week star also ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, so his imposing threat from set-pieces could make all the difference against a Freiburg side that will battle fiercely to protect their advantage.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Unleashing him from the outset will be key, but probably more important is the return of Edson Alvarez to the starting line-up, with the Mexico international introduced at the break against Burnley to stabilise the ship and guide his team toward a draw.

Edson Alvarez will be the difference-maker tonight

West Ham signed Alvarez from Ajax for around £35m last summer as the most direct replacement for Declan Rice, who now plays his trade for Arsenal.

The tough-tackling midfielder has been described as "invaluable" by pundit Rio Ferdinand in the past and he definitely looks to be the solvent in the centre, with his four missed appearances in the Premier League yielding poor results.

West Ham PL 23/24 Record Without Edson Alvarez

Fixture

Date

Result

Sheffield United (A)

21/01/2023

2-2 draw

Fulham (A)

10/12/2023

5-0 loss

Brentford (A)

04/11/2024

3-2 loss

Bournemouth (A)

12/08/2024

1-1 draw

Stats via Transfermarkt

To highlight his importance, the 26-year-old has completed 86% of his passes in the league this season, averaging 4.9 successful duels, 2.6 tackles, 2.5 clearances and 5.3 ball recoveries per match.

He won six duels and made two tackles against Burnley and will be vital in beating down West Ham's German opposition tonight, doing the groundwork that will allow Jarrod Bowen and co to find openings.

The 6 foot 2 ace was rested on Sunday in preparation for the clash against Freiburg and while it's clear that he will indeed start, the importance of his performance cannot be understated: he will determine the outcome of West Ham's European conquest today.

Ederson has been Pep Guardiola's ideal goalkeeper – but the time is right for Man City to bid farewell to Brazilian amid Saudi Arabia interest

The No.1 has been pivotal to the Cityzens' enduring success, but his powers have been waning lately and a succession plan is already in place

There has always been a paradox with Pep Guardiola and goalkeepers. Over the course of his glittering 16-year career in management, the Catalan coach has rarely had to rely on a 'keeper to bail his sides out.

His two Champions League final wins with Barcelona were so dominant that Victor Valdes barely had to make a save. The Catalans, meanwhile, won the Copa del Rey twice with Jose Manuel Pinto, a ‘keeper that, it is believed, only stayed so long at the club due to his friendship with Lionel Messi.

Manuel Neuer was superb in Guardiola's three years at Bayern Munich, but each season his side stormed to the Bundesliga title, rarely having to look to the goalkeeper to keep them on track. It could have been said that, in his first seven years, Guardiola was able to take goalkeepers for granted. But all that changed when he took charge of Manchester City.

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    Pivotal to Pep's success

    Guardiola's first major act at City was to drop Joe Hart due to his perceived lack of distribution skills and sign Claudio Bravo from Barcelona to replace him. It soon became apparent that the Chilean was not cut out for English football and his struggles were a big reason why City only finished third in the Premier League that season while failing to win a trophy, the only time that has happened in Guardiola’s coaching career.

    City scoured the market for a new goalkeeper and landed on Ederson, paying a then world-record £34 million ($43m) to bring him in from Benfica. The Brazilian was unaffected by the pressure of the transfer fee and quickly proved to be Guardiola’s knight in shining armour.

    His seven years with City have witnessed unprecedented success, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph which, unlike Valdes, he proved crucial to pulling off. Yet despite everything they have achieved together, the timing could be just right for City and Ederson to part ways.

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    Time for change

    Ederson has been City’s undisputed No.1 for the last eight years, although that status ever so slightly faded last season, when he sustained a number of injuries over the course of the campaign and Stefan Ortega performed admirably in his absence.

    Ederson never had anything to worry about from his previous deputies Bravo, Scott Carson or Zack Steffen, who could not match his footwork skills and were not particularly adept at shot-stopping either.

    But Ortega, who joined City on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 after being relegated from the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, has proven a much fiercer rival to the Brazilian. Ortega quickly demonstrated his calmness on the ball and his ability to play out of his area when he got the nod in cup competitions in his debut season.

    His long-kicking was also impressive and played a part in Ilkay Gundogan’s record-breaking goal in last year’s FA Cup final against Manchester United. And last season he held his own in some of City’s biggest games when Ederson was injured, keeping a clean sheet against Arsenal and performing well in the Champions League quarter-final 3-3 draw with Real Madrid.

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    Ortega is ready

    Ortega’s best intervention, though, came in the most crucial moment of the title race, in the penultimate game at Tottenham, when Ederson had to go off after fracturing his eye socket in a clash with Cristian Romero. In the 86th minute, Son Heung-min bared down on City’s goal with a glorious chance to level the game and hand the initiative in the title race back to Arsenal, but Ortega turned into a giant spider, thwarting the South Korean with his right leg.

    Moments later, Erling Haaland scored a penalty to effectively secure the title, although Ortega was the real hero, his save proving crucial to City staying on course for a record fourth title. And in the eyes of many, it was the moment in which Ortega proved he could be the heir to Ederson’s throne.

    A month before, the German had said he would have to “choose wisely” about his next step as he mulled whether to remain at City as the second-choice or seek his fortune elsewhere as a No.1.

    Less than a month later, and despite a disappointing FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United, Ortega signed a new contract with City. That suggests that he also believed that he could either take Ederson on next season or that he suspected the Brazilian would be about to leave and vacate the starting spot.

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    Destination Saudi

    A lot has been made about how Ederson reacted to that save. According to , the Brazilian did not enjoy the adulation that his team-mate received. That has been dismissed as ‘fake news’ by Ederson’s wife. However, it should be noted that just a few days after the win over Tottenham, while the Brazilian was still nursing his eye injury, the first reports about potential interest in him from Saudi Arabia emerged.

    Perhaps aware of the potential for Ederson to be sensitive to praise for Ortega, Guardiola had been at pains to point out the Brazilian’s value to his team immediately after the Tottenham win.

    "Do you know why we won the Champions League?" he asked. "It was Ederson. In Madrid, at 1-1, he made an incredible save from a header from [Karim] Benzema. The Champions League final, he was the key player, the key to winning. We cannot define the period without Eddie, impossible."

    But that period does seem to be close to ending. Reports of the interest from Saudi Arabia have only grown over the summer, and the numbers involved are eye-watering. Ederson was offered a staggering £900,000 per week ($1.1m) by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, although the club were not willing to meet City’s £50m ($63m) valuation.

    Al-Ittihad are now the frontrunners to sign Ederson, and even if they are to offer lower terms than Al-Nassr, they will still blow City out the water. Ederson is reported to be on £190,000 ($242k) per week at City. There has been talk of him receiving a pay hike to remain in Manchester, but if it is to come down to money, City will not stand a chance.

A foreign adventure for Kalvin Phillips? Midfielder given path out of Man City nightmare as new club join Roma and RB Leipzig in transfer race

Galatasaray have targeted a move for midfielder Kalvin Phillips following his return to Manchester City, according to a report.

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  • Phillips was on loan at West Ham last season
  • Returned to City ahead of 2024-25 campaign
  • Galatasaray interested in deal for midfielder
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Per , Galatasaray are interested in a deal to sign Phillips, who is seen as expendable by City. He was loaned to West Ham last season but his spell at the club ended in disaster, as he made just three starts in the Premier League. There have been rumours of interest from Everton but Phillips is said to be open to continuing his career abroad.

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    Roma, RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg are all said to be interested in Phillips, and Galatasaray have now joined the queue. The club are preparing for the Champions League again this season and had targeted Scott McTominay, but saw a bid rejected.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Phillips has played just 31 times for City, with a mere six of those being starts. Given that City paid £45 million ($52m) to secure his signature, they are facing up to a huge loss.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    City play Chelsea in their final pre-season friendly before playing Manchester United in the Community Shield. They will then face Chelsea again in their Premier League opener. It remains to be seen if Phillips will still be part of the squad by then.

Spurs must cash in on Nuno signing who’s worth more than Van de Ven

It's a beautiful thing in football when a squad rekindles its fire and streaks away from a poor patch.

Tottenham Hotspur have done just that this season, appointing Ange Postecoglou last summer after slumping to an eighth-placed Premier League finish, since surging into the mix for Champions League qualification.

Currently fifth in the table after 28 fixtures, Tottenham trail Aston Villa in the top four by three points having played a game less and despite a bleak defeat against Fulham last weekend will be confident in reaching the finish line having secured a place in Europe's elite club competition.

Ange Postecoglou

One of the biggest reasons Spurs have found success this season has been the recruitment, Postecoglou's arrival preceding deals for stars such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.

Both got injured in November in what sent the season into a spin, and Van de Ven was sidelined once again at Craven Cottage as Tottenham toiled. He's the real deal.

Why Micky van de Ven is so important

When Van de Ven plays, Tottenham stand a far greater chance of winning. It's all very simple really, with the dynamic Dutch defender joining from Wolfsburg for £43m back in August and quickly garnering praise for his elite athleticism and blistering pace.

Spurs PL 23/24: With & Without Van de Ven

#

Matches

Wins

PPG

With Van de Ven

18

12

2.2

Without Van de Ven

10

4

1.3

Stats via Transfermarkt

He's also crisp as an autumn leaf, completing 95% of his passes across 22 Premier League appearances so far to complement his average of 5.8 ball recoveries per game and 60% duel success rate, as per Sofascore.

The difference made with the 22-year-old in the starting line-up is remarkable and given that Tottenham leaked goals at a cascade last season, shipping 63 in the Premier League, it's understandable that there's a regression when he's not in the mix.

Cristian Romero is a fine player but stand-ins such as Emerson Royal are not at the requisite level for Postecoglou's side, targetting new levels of success.

Interestingly, Emerson is still valued higher than Van de Ven by Football Transfers' player valuation model (£23m vs £22m), so perhaps Daniel Levy should cash in soon – while he can still collect a pretty penny.

Why Emerson Royal must be sold

Praised for his "relentless" running in the past by one-time Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell, Emerson is a versatile defender and has filled in at centre-back and both wide defensive roles this season, but his inconsistency is a problem and it's hard to see him playing a prominent part in the anticipated growth under Postecoglou's management.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson believes that the club should cash in on the player this summer if the right replacement emerges, even though the Brazilian has enjoyed his "best time" in a Spurs shirt this term.

Spurs players including Emerson Royal

Speaking recently, the former goalkeeper admitted: "I think he was susceptible for too many goals conceded, too many chances down his side and I think when he played down the right as right back and Eric Dier played there as well, I think that’s what teams targeted down that right-hand side."

While the 25-year-old is contracted until 2026, it's unlikely that he will be rewarded with fresh terms given the bit-part role he plays. Indeed, only nine starts have fallen the Brazilian defender's way this term in the league. That's hardly a marker of Postecoglou's faith in the defender.

Signed for the club from Barcelona for £26m back in 2021, under Nuno Espirito Santo, he has failed to ever prove himself as the player to cement a top spot in the squad. Ranking in the worst 6% of positionally similar players in Europe for assists and the worst 36% for progressive carries, it's easy to see why, errors aside, the manager hasn't preferred him this term.

Given the gains that are being made by Spurs, it might be time to ship him on and continue the reshuffle that has already hinted at sparkling results in this early stage of a new chapter.

Chelsea land another goalkeeper! Blues agree €20m deal to sign Mike Penders from Genk – but Belgian stopper won't move to Stamford Bridge right away

Chelsea are reportedly set to sign Genk goalkeeper Mike Penders for €20 million (£17m/$22m) – but the teenager won't join the Blues until 2025.

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  • Chelsea sign keeper Jorgensen
  • Add Genk's Penders to the mix
  • New recruit won't join until 2025
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Just over a week after signing Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal for £21m ($25m), the Blues have strengthened their keeping ranks with 19-year-old Penders. According to Fabrizio Romano, the stopper will join for a fee worth up to £17m on a long-term deal. However, he will spend the coming season at Genk, before heading to Stamford Bridge next June.

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    The competition among Chelsea's goalkeepers is fierce as they have Jorgensen, Djordje Petrovic, Robert Sanchez and now Penders on the books. With all these stoppers wanting to be the club's first-choice, there could be an exit or two in that area of the pitch.

  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Penders joined Genk's academy in 2018 and has since gone onto play 34 times for the club's reserve team, Jong Genk, before making his senior debut at the start of the current Pro League season, having started both of their matches so far.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    The Belgian Pro League team are next in action against Club Brugge on Sunday afternoon and Penders will hope to get as much game time as possible this season before heading to Stamford Bridge.

Sheffield Wednesday could land Gregory replacement by signing EFL starlet

Going into the International break off the back of two defeats to high-flying Leeds United and Ipswich Town – with the 6-0 loss at Portman Road obviously stinging more – Danny Rohl will now hope his Sheffield Wednesday players are re-energised and refocused for the task of attempting to stay up in the Championship once more.

There'll be some obvious pride from an Owls perspective at the number of players who played for their countries over the time off too, including hot prospect Bailey Cadamarteri who scored for the England U19s.

Rohl and Co will be delighted at the constant progression they're seeing from the teenage striker, who has four goals in the senior fold this season for the relegation-threatened Owls also.

The success story of Cadamarteri could well impact Wednesday's transfer business therefore, with the South Yorkshire giants taking a shining to his young trialist who could be signed permanently down the line.

Sheffield Wednesday transfer news

According to a report from Sheffield Star journalist Joe Crann late last week, the Owls are very much keen on 19-year-old trialist James Collins who had been making a splash in the youth circles at Watford before being taken on at Hillsborough.

Only joining the youth set-up at the Hornets last year from non-league Hertford Town, a move for the highly regarded striker could see Wednesday sign yet another young and fresh centre-forward in the mould of Cadamarteri.

Scoring goals regularly for Watford at both U18 and U21 level – with his last flurry of goals coming against Ipswich Town just this month – Collins was even gifted a spot on the Hertfordshire side's bench against Stoke City earlier this campaign when Valerien Ismael was still present in the Vicarage Road hot-seat.

With Lee Gregory's contract expiring this summer, and the Owls man being 35 years of age, it could well be a case of out with the old and in with the new if Collins impresses enough to be rewarded with a permanent deal at Hillsborough.

James Collins could be Lee Gregory's replacement

Gregory has barely featured under Rohl since the German manager took over the reins last October, making just one brief appearance to date under the current Wednesday boss against Cardiff City in December.

Therefore, with this development emerging that a new kid could soon be on the block in a permanent deal, this could give Rohl grounds to get rid of the former Millwall man for good after failing to ever really utilise him since coming into the Owls.

Sheffield Wednesday expiring contracts – aged 30 and above

Player

Age

Contract end

1. Will Vaulks

30

June 2024

2. Josh Windass

30

June 2024

3. Barry Bannan

34

June 2024

4. Liam Palmer

32

June 2024

5. Lee Gregory

35

June 2024

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Gregory won't be the only ageing member of the Wednesday squad who will be fearing for their future in South Yorkshire, with the likes of Will Vaulks and Liam Palmer's contracts also up for discussion at the conclusion of the campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Gregory.

Wednesday could well view the breakout success of Cadamarteri as the starting point that leads to a new direction at the club, helped further by young trialist Collins potentially going on to have a far more important role in the Owls team soon if he is kept around past his trial period at the expense of Watford.

Emery can land Watkins partner who’s scored 3 goals vs Aston Villa in 23/24

Despite reinforcing the squad in the winter with the signing of Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa are set for a busy summer in the transfer market.

Unai Emery’s squad does currently lack depth, which was highlighted on Wednesday during the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.

Furthermore, if the Villans do secure Champions League football, then investment simply has to occur, and it looks like they’re already planning for that outcome.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a potential summer signing whom Villa know all too well this season.

Villa’s search for an attacker

According to reports from Turkish outlet Sozcu Gazetesi earlier this week, Villa are interested in signing Ernest Muci.

The Albanian forward currently plays for Besiktas, but he only moved to the Turkish side in January from Legia Warsaw.

It’s reported that a European club has already submitted a £17m proposal for the attacking midfielder, which has instantly been rejected.

Therefore, if Emery truly does want to make Muci a Villa player, a large fee will be required, but Besiktas will do all they can to keep hold of him.

Muci could be Watkins’ perfect partner

There’s no two ways about it: Ollie Watkins has arguably been the best centre-forward in the Premier League this season, going to a whole new level of class under the Spaniard.

The England international’s statistics really do speak for themselves and prove just how influential he is at Villa Park, scoring 16 goals and providing ten assists in 30 league starts.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins

Leon Bailey has also been excellent this campaign, registering eight goals and assists apiece, but the potential signing of Muci could really complete the attack.

Emery’s reported interest in the versatile attacker most definitely comes from the first-hand experience of facing the 23-year-old this season in the UEFA Conference League.

Muci has already played against the Villans twice this campaign in the Conference League group stage, where he impressed with three goals over the two matches.

It seems that the one-time KF Tirana ace is an extremely “dangerous” player, according to journalist Erman Toroglu, as not only can he find the back of the net, but he can create chances as well, as shown by the table below displaying his statistics against Istanbulspor recently.

Muci vs Istanbulspor

Stats

Muci

Goals

1

Key passes

4

Pass accuracy

87%

Successful dribbles

2/4

Ground Duels won

5

Tackles

2

Via Sofascore

Since arriving in Turkey, Muci has slotted straight into the number ten role at Besiktas, which is somewhat similar to where he would be playing at Villa if he were to join.

The right-footed maestro has a brilliant eye for a pass, as shown by the four key passes, which will be perfect just behind Villa’s number 11 due to his fantastic movement, while the fact that he can score goals also takes some responsibility off the former Brentford striker.

The tricky ace is an extremely well-rounded attacker who will also continuously work off the ball to regain control and possession for his side, which is simply a must for any Emery player. This makes him versatile, meaning that Emery could field him behind Watkins in the second-striker role or in the flexible John McGinn slot at left midfield.

Muci is also a two-footed player who is extremely dangerous in and around the edge of the box, which provides the Villa wide men with an option to cut the ball back as well as firing it towards Watkins, which, in theory, should give Villa’s top scorer more space to work with.

Overall, the Albanian still has plenty to prove within the top European leagues, but based on his profile and the fact he’s scored twice in seven starts for Besiktas, he has the potential to become a quality attacker.

Aston Villa now have offer on the table to sign Napoli captain for Emery

He has plenty of experience at the highest level.

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 4, 2024

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