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Crystal Palace have been linked with winger Ismaila Sarr throughout the transfer window. With today being the domestic transfer deadline day, it looks like the clock may be up on a potential move.

Sarr had not just attracted attention from the Eagles, but also from Liverpool as well. However, new light shed on Friday suggests that the player will be staying put until January at least.

The latest transfer update on Palace target Sarr

According to Adam Leventhal from the Athletic, the Watford winger is expected to stay at club beyond today’s 5pm domestic deadline.

The journalist is also reporting that the 22 year-old is involved in the plan against Derby County this evening and he is expected to play some part. This situation unlikely to change even with a late bid.

Is this a big blow for Palace?

The Senegalese attacker signed for Watford in August 2019, and impressed as he made 28 Premier League appearances last season. He managed five goals and four assists, per WhoScored, and also managed 1.6 shots and 1.7 successful dribbles per game.

To hit the ground running in England at such a young age makes him look like a special player and suggests that he has a lot of potential. Therefore, it will be gutting for supporters of the club to hear that it looks like they will not be making a move for the winger.

Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane hailed Sarr when the youngster signed for Watford, saying: “I’m really happy for him and he made the right choice to come to Watford. For sure I think he will be great.”

That said, he was being valued at around £30 million, so it could be seen as a lot of money for a player with few appearances in England’s top flight. One would have to think Roy Hodgson has enough talent at his disposal, providing none of his attacking players suffer long-term injuries.

It would have been nice if the club could have got him, but with signings like Eberechi Eze and Michy Batshuayi, the South London side cannot complain about their depth and quality in attack, something which could not be said in previous years.

Eagles fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Wolves potentially caused one of the shocks of the summer transfer window when they agreed to sell star forward Diogo Jota to defending Premier League champions Liverpool in a £45m deal, when add-ons are included.

He had long been a favourite under Nuno Santo, playing a total of 131 times across three seasons.

The 23-year-old returned 44 goals and 19 assists in that spell, via Transfermarkt, also winning the Championship with the club in 2018.

Jeff Shi’s decision to sell the Portuguese dynamo is looking worse and worse as weeks go by…

Mistake?

Jota has already made an impact at Anfield, scoring seven goals in ten appearances. That number is even more impressive when you learn that he’s only played 500 minutes in all competitions.

That’s one goal every 71 minutes.

By comparison, no other player besides Raul Jimenez has found the net more than once for Wolves this season. Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence have scored one each whilst Adama Traore finds himself yet to get on the scoresheet.

In the Premier League this season, Jota ranks first for shots attempted (4.13 per 90), first for link-up plays completed (9.38 per 90), second for accelerations (4.5 per 90) and second for touches in the opposition box (7.87 per 90), via Twenty3.

It’s no wonder Reds legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded him as a “pressing monster.”

They really were the perfect partnership up front, and you’d imagine the Mexican is missing his right-hand man.

Speaking back in March, he said: “Me and Diogo have training sessions and play on the pitch together, him and me are having a good relationship. I assist him and he assists me in so many games, it’s a good part of the team.”

Wrong player?

Interestingly, he wasn’t the only Wolves star mooted with an exit throughout the summer as Traore was also wanted by Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.

According to the Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the Liverpool boss was keen on signing the wing monster but the Midlands outfit were asking for around €70m (£64m).

The 24-year-old has only started eight of Wolves’ last 16 matches in all competitions and two of those were filling for the recently-departed Matt Doherty at wing-back.

Traore has not started since the 4-0 mauling by West Ham back in September – in that time, Nuno’s side have remained unbeaten. Coincidence?

In comparison to Jota’s aforementioned Premier League figures, the Wolves star is 91st for shots attempted (1.3 per 90), 100th for touches in the opposition box (1.82 per 90) and 62nd for successful link-up plays (2.08 per 90), also via Twenty3.

That makes it ever so clear that Jimenez is lacking the presence of his perfect foil in Jota.

Shi is clearly willing to give up his key players for the right price.

But Traore’s stock is only going to plummet whilst sat on the bench most weeks, which is bad news for making a profit on him in the future.

If he had sold the Spaniard instead of the now €70m-valued (£64m) Jota this summer, then things may have turned out very differently for Wolves, both on and off the pitch.

It has been one unforgivable mistake from the chairman so far.

AND in other news, Wolves starlet with “similar traits to Pogba” has the potential to usurp Ruben Neves…

Celtic are reportedly on the market for a new goalkeeper after struggling with both Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain this season. According to 90min, the Premiership outfit have been identified as a potential destination for Dean Henderson, who recently returned to Manchester after a successful loan spell with Sheffield United.

The 23-year-old was given a new contract upon his return to Old Trafford, seeing him extend his stay with the Red Devils until 2025. The new terms now see Henderson earn a handsome £100,000 per week, more than fellow goalkeeper Sergio Romero (£70,000), who he appears to have usurped in the United ranks (via Spotrac).

However, the man who was solid in the net for the Blades is still struggling to get near David de Gea’s spot. Henderson is yet to appear in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, despite United having conceded one of the highest amount of goals so far.

Because of this – and the fact that Gareth Southgate has implored him to find regular playing time – Henderson could be looking at another loan move come January.

Should Celtic sign Dean Henderson?

Nick Hammond brought new shot-stopper Barkas to Parkhead in the summer for a fee just shy of £3million. However, his performances have left a lot to be desired and Celtic are currently struggling in both the Premiership and the Europa League.

The Greece international dropped several lacklustre performances in his new colours before Neil Lennon demoted him to the bench. Bain has instead stepped into the action and has started the last five matches for the Hoops.

Now, with the club linked to a potential big money move for Henderson, it hints that tensions are high between Barkas and the manager. With Celtic trailing by nine points to rivals Rangers in the league, the 26-year-old has not done the job he was brought to Glasgow to do. If Hammond strikes a deal for the Man United man, paying even half of Henderson’s wages will make him one of the most expensive player at the club. Footing the whole of his earnings will see him rise beyond the £59,000 Mohamed Elyounoussi is currently on (via salarysport.com).

The 23-year-old will certainly be an improvement on Lennon’s current options and could really help dig Celtic out of a hole. But for Barkas, the future already looks bleak if his new club are being forced to explore new options less than six months after signing him.

In other news, Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard makes dramatic comeback with France U21s…

After ten years progressing through the ranks at West Brom, Louie Barry couldn’t turn down the opportunity to sign for European heavyweights Barcelona, though the story since has been one massive nightmare for the Midlands side…

What’s been the saga?

The Baggies were entitled to compensation over the 17-year-old, which they subsequently never received, leading to the club’s hierarchy reporting the La Liga giants to FIFA.

As per the Express & Star, Barca were ordered to pay just £235k, though to this day, it is still yet to be resolved.

The Catalan outfit have even gone onto profit from his sale since as Albion’s arch-rivals Aston Villa successfully signed him in a €1m (£900k) deal last January.

And if that’s not enough, he’s hit the ground running in their youth team…

How is Barry getting on now?

The England U17 international has featured regularly for their U23 squad despite being just 17, scoring four goals in seven Premier League 2 matches this term so far.

Whilst he made his first appearance in the EFL Trophy earlier in the campaign, losing 3-0 to Fleetwood Town.

Barry’s latest outing was witnessed by Villa boss Dean Smith, who spoke glowingly after the match and said:

“I saw him for 20 minutes in a game last week for the under-23s. He has really good movement and is a bright young kid. I am sure he will be a hit at Aston Villa but we can’t forget he is only 16. I am excited by the potential he has got, that is for sure. That is why we have gone and got him.”

Whilst other reports claim that the former Baggies academy sensation has ‘clever’ movement – ‘He’s pacey, too, but it’s his close control and his bravery to dribble at his opponents – often beating them one-on-one – that makes him a joy to watch.’

You can’t help but feel that Albion chief Luke Dowling made a shockingly bad call to not offer the emerging prospect a contract package that would’ve been worth staying for at the Hawthorns.

At this rate, it’ll only be a matter of time before the teenage goal machine comes back to truly haunt his former club.

AND in other news, West Brom shouldn’t offer rarely-seen talent a new contract…

Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast editor James Beavis, has shared doubt in Mike Ashley providing Steve Bruce with the funds needed for Newcastle United to sign a proven Premier League striker in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Magpies currently sit eight points above the Premier League relegation places ahead of hosting bottom-three strugglers West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but have proven extremely reliant on summer signing Callum Wilson since his arrival from AFC Bournemouth.

Wilson has accounted for seven of Newcastle’s 12 top-flight strikes over the opening 10 fixtures, with Allan Saint-Maximin, Jacob Murphy, Jeff Hendrick and £40million record signing Joelinton each finding the back of the net just once.

Bruce is yet to see Andy Carroll score since making his Tyneside return in 2019, either, as the 31-year-old has been unable to break the goal line in any of his 30 outings in black and white after being released by West Ham following an injury-ravished spell in east London.

Reports have surfaced suggesting the Toon are on the hunt for offensive reinforcements this winter, tipping Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove as a potential £2m option to offer an improved level of depth behind Wilson and Joelinton.

And former Newcastle midfielder Lee, who spent 10-years at St. James’ Park, believes Ashley is loath to provide Bruce with the funds he needs to better the Magpies with a proven Premier League striker in January.

“When Callum Wilson doesn’t play, we look like we’re not going to score so we certainly need somebody who’s going to score some goals, but they cost a lot of money and I don’t believe for a one minute that Steve Bruce will be given a lot of money to spend,” Lee told Football FanCast.

“To get a proven goalscorer in the Premier League will cost you an awful lot of money, but I think we need a creative player. Someone who can play in the 10 from midfield, gets forward, scores goals, creates goals, because it’s alright having a centre-forward up there, but you’ve got to create chances for them.

“I think we need a right-back as well. When our team’s on the pitch, it’s okay, it’s not bad, we can cope with most people but when we’ve got a few injuries, we can’t cope and a Premier League team the stature of Newcastle used to have strength in debt, which we haven’t got.”

Wilson’s pivotal importance to Bruce’s plans stretches beyond his team-high seven goals in the Premier League, as the £20m former Bournemouth ace also accounts for the most shots (15), shots on target (8) and assists (2) by a Newcastle player thus far this term, while ranking second only to defender Jamal Lewis (9) for key balls (8) and second to Saint-Maximin (2) for big chances created (1), per SofaScore.

Bruce’s dire need for offensive reinforcements is further laid bare in Joelinton only finding the target with five shots in his nine appearances to date, yet ranking second to Wilson with Saint-Maximin only finding the mark on four occasions and Jonjo Shelvey – who missed three games through a groin injury – fourth with three on-target efforts to his name.

It remains to be seen if Ashley does put his hand in his pocket and coughs up the cash Bruce needs for Newcastle to sign a proven Premier League striker in January, but they certainly need one.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce is in talks for Newcastle United to sign a £75k-p/w international who’s “entering into his prime”.

Southampton were linked with a move for SC Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman during the summer and considering his impressive form with the Eredivisie side so far this season, the Saints should return for him in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Saints were touted with an interest in the 22-year-old right at the end of the summer window but Southampton scout Piet Buter suggested at the time that the South Coast club would be more likely to target him in January instead.

He also spoke very highly of the Dutchman, saying:

“He (Veerman) is, of course, a very good football player.

“And it would be foolish not to follow a 21-year-old boy with those qualities; then we are asleep.

“He is a game player with great technique. He has very good insight into the game, a nice pass and takes all corners and free kicks. An interesting player.“

Veerman has enjoyed a superb start to the 2020/21 campaign, having contributed three goals and five assists in 11 Eredivisie appearances, which has seen him average an impressive 7.84 rating (per WhoScored).

This currently ranks him as the fourth-best player in the Dutch top-flight so far this season, so it could definitely be argued that he is ready to make the step up to a Premier League side.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is certainly low on midfield options, with just James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu, Stuart Armstrong and Ibrahima Diallo as senior players in his first-team squad, so perhaps we will see them return for Veerman in the upcoming winter transfer window.

It could certainly be argued that Southampton have a hole in their squad following the departure of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer, so perhaps Veerman could go some way towards replacing the Danish international.

Certainly, his performances in recent seasons have caught the eye, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig identifying why he is playing so well on Twitter, whilst also suggesting that he is a “fantastic box-to-box midfielder”, who is “ready for his big move.”

Meanwhile, in an article for BreakingtheLines, the Dutch midfielder was compared to Barcelona maestro Frenkie De Jong, who also established himself in the Eredivisie with Ajax before earning his big move.

Martin Semmens and the rest of the Southampton board should surely consider a move for Veerman next month, therefore, as his current market value of £5.4 million has soared in recent years, so the Saints could save themselves a lot of money by splashing the cash on him in January, rather than waiting until other sides begin to take notice of the talented youngster, which would surely increase his value further.

And, in other news… 0% duels won, fewer touches than McCarthy: Southampton ace had a nightmare against Brighton…

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to get back on track this afternoon in yet another top-of-the-table Premier League clash.

Jose Mourinho’s men were defeated by defending champions Liverpool in midweek and now find themselves six points behind their victors in third place.

Now they welcome fourth-placed Leicester City to north London later today.

The Foxes also lost earlier in the week after they were beaten 2-0 by Everton, so they too will be looking to bounce back with a result at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

And Mourinho has plenty to consider as he will undoubtedly want to spark a reaction.

Sergio Reguilon could return to replace Ben Davies at left-back, whilst there is a headache over who to start between Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso – but why not start both?

The ‘Special One’ should really be looking to axe Moussa Sissoko after a disappointing display at Anfield, as ruthless as it would be.

Per SofaScore, the French midfielder made only 56% of his passes, failing to provide a single key pass, whilst he also lost possession 16 times, won 38% of his duels and was dribbled past on one occasion.

Sissoko should be dropped as a result, especially as Ndombele didn’t even feature from the bench.

Speaking to Football Insider, Michael Brown was left shocked by his position, he said:

“We’ve seen Sissoko go out wide, so looking at it, they actually stunned Liverpool. He’s been a real dominant force for Jose and that flexibility to go out on the right-hand side, you’re thinking: ‘That’s not him,’ but he just did well with it.”

The 31-year-old, who cost £30m in 2016, has become one of Mourinho’s favourites in midfield having started ten games but he’s awfully one-dimensional and with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the side, he isn’t really a must.

0.6 dribbles and 0.2 key passes per game is hardly inspiring for a box-to-box midfielder – even more so when he’s yet to record a single shot this season, via WhoScored.

Mourinho must show no mercy and drop the £80k-per-week maestro this time around. The Foxes have some impressive options in the middle themselves with James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi surely set to start.

There are obvious replacements for Sissoko in the squad, so it should be a simple alteration to make.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit backs Spurs to secure “UNBELIEVABLE” move for £30m star…

A lot of Liverpool fans have flocked to a tweet from Reds news Twitter account @AnfieldWatch, which shared James Pearce’s negative verdict on Naby Keita’s injury-prone nature.

The Athletic reporter participated in a discussion thread with fans of the Merseyside club for their latest Premier League game versus Southampton.

One of the topics that Pearce was asked about in that thread was the expected return date for Keita from his latest setback, with the £36m-rated man, who has been ‘plagued by injuries’ since moving to Anfield from RB Leipzig for £54m in the summer of 2018, currently sidelined due to a muscle injury.

In response to that question, Pearce declared that Jurgen Klopp seemingly wants the midfielder back for Friday’s FA Cup clash with Aston Villa before going on to cast some doubt over how long he will remain fit, because “he doesn’t seem able to string a run of games together without picking up another knock.”

So, how have these Liverpool fans reacted to Pearce’s comments on Keita?

After the journalist’s comments were shared on Twitter by @AnfieldWatch, plenty of Reds supporters began directing anger towards the Guinean, with some indicating that they think he should be sold.

“Sorry got no faith in Naby any more. Cant rely on him.

I‘d pull Salah and give Taki a run, sadly Mo just doesn’t seem interested at the moment.”

Credit: @shillcock_paul

“Just sell that fella summer and get a decent midfield”

Credit: @PromoPromise

“The midfield Daniel Sturbridge”

Credit: matt4w

“Sell Keita please. No point him being there if always injured”

Credit: @hassassin2608

“Waste of space”

Credit: @munsted2

“Can we just allow it. He & Matip gotta get replaced”

Credit: @RaySacii

“Lost all hopes in this man tbh”

Credit: @bayowaaaa

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been slating Trent Alexander-Arnold for his performance versus Southampton.

Manchester City are reportedly taking an interest in Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey and if signed, he could prove to be the ideal long-term replacement for Kyle Walker in Pep Guardiola’s side.

The young defender signed a new long-term contract with the Seagulls last week, which sees him contracted there until 2025, but a report from The Athletic suggests that Manchester City, Arsenal and Everton are unlikely to be deterred by this, in their hopes of signing the 20-year-old.

Since signing from Chelsea in January 2020, Lamptey has been something of a revelation in Graham Potter’s side, first establishing himself in the first-team following project restart last season and he has now made 19 appearances, contributing one goal and four assists in that time.

The youngster has quickly become renowned for his incredible speed, which naturally makes him a potential replacement for Kyle Walker, who has consistently been one of the quickest players in the Premier League in his time with Spurs and City.

However, the England international will turn 31 this year and his pace won’t last forever, so perhaps the Citizens should be starting to look for a long-term replacement for the right-back.

So far this season, Walker has averaged a 6.81 rating for his performances in the Premier League, contributing one goal and one assist in 13 top-flight appearances.

Lamptey, meanwhile, has averaged a 6.73 rating, also contributing one goal and one assist but in two fewer appearances.

The City man has averaged 1.2 tackles and 0.8 interceptions in each game, whereas Lamptey has averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.7 interceptions, which suggests that the 20-year-old is arguably already outperforming Walker from a defensive perspective.

The Brighton man also averages more key passes and the same amount of dribbles per game when compared with Walker, despite playing in a team that is likely to be doing less attacking than Manchester City, which emphasises his attacking potential.

During his time with Chelsea, manager Frank Lampard dubbed the youngster as “fearless” and you feel that if it wasn’t for the emerging Reece James at Stamford Bridge, Lamptey would have been afforded more first-team opportunities.

However, with the Brighton man now valued at €20 million (£18 million) by the CIES football observatory, it looks as if Chelsea made a mistake in letting him go to Brighton.

Therefore, considering the similarity in style of play, and the fact that Lamptey is only 20 and already impressing in the top-flight, Manchester City sporting director Txiki Begiristain must try and sign the defender in the future.

AND, in other news, Forget Stones: MCFC beast who played 3 key passes was Pep’s hero vs CPFC…

With Wolves severely under the microscope, some sort of change is needed at Molineux.

Since Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured a skull against Arsenal, they have won just two games. As a result, Nuno Santo is in deep bother.

On the chalkboard

It would appear that incomings in the Midlands this month look incredibly unlikely.

Consequently, the Old Gold have brought back Patrick Cutrone and Morgan Gibbs-White from their loan spells.

The former made only five appearances while at Swansea and it will be disappointing that he didn’t have a full season to develop and nurture under the guidance of Steve Cooper.

Unfortunately, early signs we’ve seen of the youngster since he came back have been largely underwhelming. The 20-year-old came on for the final 21 minutes against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup but touched the ball on just six occasions – making four passes.

His impact was dismally ineffective but it hasn’t got much better for him since. Gibbs-White started against Everton in the league but failed to create a single goal-scoring opportunity.

Furthermore, the midfielder was ineffective with all of his dribbles and won only two ground duels. For context, that was one of the worst percentages in the entire Wolves side.

Meanwhile, in their defeat at the hands of West Brom – a substitute appearance saw Gibbs-White complete just 75% of his passes, the worst of anyone in the Wolves team that day. He also somehow managed to lose possession nine times despite only playing the final 30 minutes.

The solution

Since Gibbs-White returned to the Midlands, Vitinha’s game time has been limited again.

The young Portuguese has played just four minutes since the 3-3 draw with Brighton but that simply has to change.

After all, the qualities he demonstrated against Manchester United at Old Trafford were far more impressive than his newest midfield competitor.

In that fixture, the 20-year-old won 100% of his duels and completed 100% of his dribbles. Remarkably, that was his first top-flight start in England and considering it was against such high-class opponents, he didn’t look out of place.

The 20-year-old is a vibrant talent, one described as “special” by club owner Jeff Shi when he first walked through the door last summer.

Doubly impressive, though, are the early comparisons he’s received to one of Wolves’ standout players.

Nuno Barbosa, a reported from Jornal de Noticias once said: “You’ll realise he knows what to do at every moment of the game, he’s very similar to Joao Moutinho.”

Unlike Gibbs-White, Vitinha seems to possess a better game sense and a higher level of intelligence on the field. This was certainly the case when Wolves took on Man United last month.

Despite making just two Premier League starts, the Portuguese needs to play over Gibbs-White.

AND in other news, Wolves can finally replace Jota by swooping for “ruthless” gem with “explosive pace”…